English 10 A exam

ways to use sounds in poetry to achieve certain effects

sound device

identified as physical movements of characters in a play

stage direction

Which of the following sentences from "Poor Fish" does not support the story's theme of self-loathing and inferiority?

"...the last thing I should have expected was that in that corner, in that very kitchen...somebody should come and catch me by surprise and pluck me like a flower that has been hidden in the grass."

Which statement is spoken in a colloquial manner?

"And I'm going to show you that it ain't no trouble when you pack double

Each of the following sentences from "Poor Fish" is an example of indirect characterization except

"I have a narrow, yellow face, eyes of an indefinite, dirty colour, and a nose that seems to have been made for a face twice as broad as mine..."

Which of the following sentences from "Day of the Butterfly" does not support the story's theme of the struggle, as humans, to belong and have a friend?

"Most of the teachers at our school had been teaching for a long time and at recess they would disappear into the teachers' room and not bother us."

Read the following sentences from "The Third Bank of the River." My father was a dutiful, orderly, straightforward man. And according to several reliable people of whom I enquired, he had had these qualities since adolescence or even childhood. By my own recollection, he was neither jollier nor more melancholy than the other men we knew. Maybe a little quieter. Which of the following sentences is the best paraphrase of this excerpt?

Ever since he was a child, my father was both serious and subdued

Read the following passage from "Marriage is a Private Affair." The old man at once felt the resolution he had built up over so many years falling in. He was telling himself that he must not give in. He tried to steel his heart against all emotional appeals. It was a re-enactment of that other struggle. He leaned against a window and looked out. The sky was overcast with heavy black clouds and a high wind began to blow filling the air with dust and dry leaves. It was one of those rare occasions when even Nature takes a hand in a human fight. Very soon it began to rain, the first rain in the year. It came down in large sharp drops and was accompanied by the lightning and thunder which mark a change of season. Okeke was trying hard not to think of his two grandsons. But he knew he was now fighting a losing battle. He tried to hum a favourite hymn but the pattering of large rain drops on the roof broke up the tune. His mind immediately returned to the children. How could he shut his door against them? By a curious mental process he imagined them standing, sad and forsaken, under the harsh angry weather—shut out from his house. That night he hardly slept... According to the passage, what is the most likely reason that Okeke cannot sleep?

He regrets that he has acted so stubbornly and has caused his grandsons to suffer.

Read the following passage from "Black Girl."According to the passage, what most likely divides the maid from her Madame?

Madame's gifts are intended to bribe Diouana to stay but also to remind Diouana of her inferior status

Read the following sentences from "The Destructors." Old Misery—whose real name was Thomas—had once been a builder and decorator. He lived alone in the crippled house, doing for himself: once a week you could see him coming back across the common with bread and vegetables, and once as the boys played in the car-park he put his head over the smashed wall of his garden and looked at them. Which of the following sentences is the best paraphrase of this excerpt?

Old Misery had once been a builder and decorator and lived alone in his damaged

Which of the following sentences contains a helping verb?

Roger has never performed a solo in his life.

Each of the following sentences from "The Youngest Doll" contains an example of magical realism except

The doctor who examined her assured her it was nothing, that she had probably been bitten by an angry river prawn."

Read the following lines from "Clearances." When all the others were away at Mass I was all hers as we peeled potatoes. They broke the silence, let fall one by one Like solder weeping off the soldering iron: Cold comforts set between us, things to share Gleaming in a bucket of clean water. And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes From each other's work would bring us to our senses. Which of these conclusions about the speaker is best supported by the ideas in these lines?

The speaker feels connected to his mother when he works with her

Read the following paragraph from "First Confession." Nora's turn came, and I heard the sound of something slamming, and then her voice as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, and then another slam, and out she came. God, the hypocrisy of women! Her eyes were lowered, her head was bowed, and her hands were joined very low down on her stomach, and she walked up the aisle to the side altar looking like a saint. You never saw such an exhibition of devotion; and I remembered the devilish malice with which she had tormented me all the way from our door, and wondered were all religious people like that, really. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of this paragraph

The speaker is infuriated by his sister's religious pretenses.

Each of the following lines from "Alone" contain examples of alliteration except

Then something caught: a helping grain of sand."

Identify the underlined part of speech. "Dolley Madison, the wife of the fourth United States president, is one of history's many interesting women."

adjective

Read the following lines from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." To say: "I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all" - Which of the following stylistic elements is used by the writer in these lines?

allusion

reason a writer writes about a topic

author's purpose

Read the following sentences from "The Pig" in which the main character, Kibuka, receives a surprise gift from his grandson. Kibuka was more delighted than ever. He had never seen so small a pig before, and he spent a good ten minutes marveling at its tiny twinkling eyes, its minute hoofs, and its wisp of a tail. When his grandson drove away, he waved happily from the doorstep, the piglet clutched tenderly to his chest. Which of the following best describes the relationship between Kibuka and the pig?

captivated

Read the following passage from "The Last Judgment" in which God is speaking to Kugler, a criminal on trial in the afterlife. "But really, why don't You...why don't You Yourself do the judging?" Kugler asked pensively. "Because I know everything. If judges knew everything, absolutely everything, they couldn't judge, either: they would understand everything, and their hearts would ache. How could I possible judge you? Judges know only about your crimes; but I know everything about you. Everything, Kugler. And that's why I cannot judge you." Which of these words is most closely related to the theme in this passage?

compassion

Read this sentence from "And of Clay Are We Created" in which the speaker describes the reporter, Rolf Carle. Nothing could stop him, and I was always amazed at his equanimity in the face of danger and suffering; it seemed as if nothing could shake his fortitude or deter his curiosity. The word equanimity suggests that Rolf Carle is

composed.

The fearful look on Tom's face showed us that he was cowering while on the ledge. Cowering means that he was

cringing.

The scientist did not elaborate on his ideas but instead made his point in a perfunctory way. Perfunctory means

cursory.

What is the tense of the underlined verb in the following sentence? "I will be studying his painting techniques this summer."

future progressive

in the following sentence, what kind of phrase is "Moving away"? "Moving away made my little cousin sad.

gerund

Read the following passage from "Forbidden Fruit" in which the main character describes a fictional scene where, despite torture, he stands by his religious principles. At home, I slipped out of my clothes and into my bed to luxuriate in the contemplation of my sister's apostasy. All kinds of visions rushed through my mind. Here I was, a Red partisan captured by the Whites, who were forcing me to eat pork. They torture me, but I will not touch it. Surprised, the officers shake their heads: What sort of boy is this? As a matter of fact, I'm surprised myself. I just won't eat pork. Kill me, but eat pork I will not. Which of the following stylistic elements is used by the writer to create humor in these lines

hyperbole

What is the verb mood of the sentence? Wear your coat when you are in the snow

imperative mood

Read the following passage from the beginning of "Rhinoceros." We were sitting outside the cafe, my friend Jean and I, peacefully talking about one thing and another, when we caught sight of it on the opposite pavement, huge and powerful, panting noisily, charging straight ahead and brushing against market stalls—a rhinoceros. People in the street stepped hurriedly aside to let it pas. A housewife uttered a cry of terror, her basket dropped from her hands, the wine from a broken bottle spread over the pavement, and some pedestrians, one of them an elderly man, rushed into the shops. It was all over like a flash of lightning. People emerged from their hiding places and gathered in groups which watched the rhinoceros disappear into the distance, made some comments on the incident and then dispersed. Which of the following stylistic elements is used by the writer to create humor in these lines?

incongruity

Read the following lines from the poem "Sunjata." She said, "Younger sister, You are the owner of sons, If you ask us for baobab leaves, what are we supposed to do? Your lame son is sitting right there inside the house. You are alone in your search for baobab leaves. Why don't you tell your son to get up and walk?" Which word best describes the tone created in these lines?

indignant

Choose the answer that correctly identifies the underlined word. "Western Canada also gives us the art of the Kwakiutl Indians."

indirect object

In the following sentence, what kind of phrase is "to play basketball"? "Porpoises have been trained to play basketball.

infinitive

Read the following lines from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while, After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets, After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor— And this, and so much more?— It is impossible to say just what I mean! Which of the following best describes the mood created by the speaker and the setting?

introspective and disturbed

Read the following sentences from "Day of the Butterfly." She picked up a leatherette case with a mirror in it, a comb and a nail file and a natural lipstick and a small handkerchief edged with gold thread. I had noticed it before. "You take that," she said... ...All the presents on the bed, the folded paper and ribbons, those guilt-tinged offerings, had passed into this shadow, they were no longer innocent objects to be touched, exchanged, accepted without danger. I didn't want to take the case now but I could not think how to get out of it, what lie to tell. I'll give it away, I thought, I won't ever play with it. I would let my little brother pull it apart. The main conflict in these sentences can be identified as

man vs. himself.

Read the following sentences from "First Confession." When Mother was at work and my grandmother made the dinner I wouldn't touch it. Nora once tried to make me, but I hid under the table from her and took the bread-knife with me for protection. Nora let on to be very indignant (she wasn't, of course, but she knew Mother saw through her, so she sided with Gran) and came after me. I lashed out at her with the bread-knife, ad after that she left me alone. The main conflict in these sentences can be identified as

man vs. man.

Read the following sentences from "In the Shadow of War." He followed her till they came to a muddied river. She moved as if an invisible force were trying to blow her away. Omovo saw capsized canoes and trailing, waterlogged clothes on the dark water. He saw floating items of sacrifice: loaves of bread in polythene wrappings, gourds of food, Coca-Cola cans. When he looked at the canoes again they had changed into the shapes of swollen dead animals. He saw outdated currencies on the riverbank. He noticed the terrible smell in the air. Which of the following best describes the mood created by the speaker and the setting?

mysterious and threatening

Read the following sentences from "In the Shadow of War." He sat on the windowsill and waited for the woman. The last time he saw her she had glided past with agitated flutters of her yellow smock. The children stopped what they were doing and stared at her. They had said that she had no shadow. They had said that her feet never touched the ground. As she went past, the children began to throw things at her. She didn't flinch, didn't quicken her pace, and didn't look back. Which pair of words best describes the woman in the yellow smock?

mystifying and unwavering

Read the following lines from "Love after Love." "...Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life, whom you ignored for another, who knows you by heart." Which of the following stylistic elements is used by the writer in these lines

paradox

giving human qualities to nonhuman subjects

personification

Choose the answer that correctly identifies the underlined word. "The ice fields of the north are still relatively barren."

predicate adjective

In the following sentence, "famous" is the complement. What kind of complement is it? "In 1975, Margaret Thatcher became famous as the first woman leader of the British Conservative Party."

predicate adjective

Choose the answer that correctly identifies the underlined word. "The grain of the western prairies is a major source of income."

predicate nominative

Identify the underlined part of speech. "The dynamic wife of James Madison became the unofficial first lady during Jefferson's eight years as president."

preposition

In the following sentence, what kind of phrase is "to the library"? "I will be going to the library soon."

prepositional

Read the following sentences from "No Dogs Bark" in which the main character is speaking to his son, Ignacio. "I'm not doing all this for you. I'm doing it for your dead mother. Because you were her son. That's why I'm doing it. She would've haunted me if I'd left you lying where I found you and hadn't picked you up and carried you to be cured as I'm doing. She's the one who gives me courage, not you. From the first you've caused me nothing but trouble, humiliation, and shame." Which of the following best describes the relationship between the father and Ignacio?

resentful

When an unexpected event occurs within the plot structure, it is called

situational irony.

Read the following sentence from "When Greek Meets Greek." One morning Ramkilawansingh (after this, we calling this man Ram) was making a study of the noticeboards along Westbourne Grove what does advertise rooms to let. After reading this sentence, the reader can most likely conclude that

the narrator is not a native English speaker.

Read the following sentence from "Day of the Butterfly." Our teacher, a cold gentle girl who wore glasses with thin gold rims and in the stiff solicitude of certain poses resembled a giraffe, wrote something on a piece of paper and showed it to Myra. And Myra recited uncertainly: "My brother has had an accident, please, teacher." After reading this sentence, the reader can most likely conclude that

the teacher has had a proper upbringing.

Read the following sentences from "The Destructors." The new recruit had been with the gang since the beginning of the summer holidays, and there were possibilities about his brooding silence that all recognized. He never wasted a word even to tell his name until that was required of him by the rules. When he said "Trevor" it was statement of fact, not as it would have been with the others a statement of shame or defiance. Which word best describes Trevor?

threatening

Read the following lines from the poem "Ten Songs." Once we had a country and we thought it fair, Look in the atlas and you'll find it there: We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now. Which word best describes the tone created in these lines

troubled

Which of the following words is NOT an adverb?

two

Read this passage from "And of Clay Are We Created." During those first hours Rolf Carle exhausted all the resources of his ingenuity to rescue her. He struggled with poles and ropes, but every tug was an intolerable torture for the imprisoned girl. It occurred to him to use one of the poles as a lever but got no result and had to abandon the idea. He talked a couple of soldiers into working with him for a while, but they had to leave because so many other victims were calling for help. The girl could not move, she barely could breathe, but she did not seem desperate, as if an ancestral resignation allowed her to accept her fate. The reporter, on the other hand, was determined to snatch her from death. Someone brought him a tire, which he placed beneath her arms like a life buoy, and then laid a plank near the hole to hold his weight and allow him to stay closer to her. As it was impossible to remove the rubble blindly, he tried once or twice to dive toward her feet but emerged frustrated, covered with mud, and spitting gravel. He concluded that he would have to have a pump to drain the water, and radioed a request for one but received in return a message that there was no available transport and it could not be sent until the next morning. Rolf Carle's main conflict is that he is

unwilling to admit that there isn't much he can do to save the girl.