AP Literature Exam

After Lila's musings about the pelicans, the sentence at the end of the second paragraph has which effect? (Lila)

It undercuts the poetic description of the pelicans to reveal that she thinks of them primarily as an alibi.

The image of the "blurred yellow rectangle of a taxicab" in the final paragraph helps dramatize which aspect of the scene? (The Essex Serpent)

The dizzying height from which the narrator regards the city streets.

In the first, third, and final paragraphs, the repeated references to Lila's unborn child ("this child," "the child," "this baby") have which effect? (Lila)

They punctuate the ongoing narrative to show how Lila's thoughts continually return to the child.

The speaker's description of herself as "the slave of the Ring" (line 6) suggests that her attitude toward the deceased may be colored by her (Giving Back the flower)

resentment that she could not encourage the deceased's advances.

In the middle of the final paragraph, the details in the description of the kitchen ("The room was narrow . . . windows to dry") most clearly emphasize (Go Tell it on the Mountain)

the family's constant but futile efforts to keep their home and its contents clean.

The simile "My soul, like some heat-maddened summer fly, / Keeps buzzing at the sill" (lines 20-21) enhances the tense mood of the poem by (In a Dark Time)

signaling the speaker's mounting frustration.

In referring to Times Square as a "neon inferno" in the final paragraph, the narrator emphasizes both the brightness of Times Square's lights and (The Essex Serpent)

The garish appearance it has compared to the sky above it.

In lines 21-40 ("There . . . home"), the speaker's juxtaposition of her life in New Orleans with her life at "home" primarily serves to emphasize (Letter Home)

The harsh reality of her situation.

When Stan says, "I remember the feeling," (line 10) it suggests that he (Sweat)

Belonged to the union as well

In context, the term "marched" in the third sentence of the third paragraph suggests which of the following about Sofia? (Secret Stream)

She feels confident in her environment.

The speaker's description of her initial reaction to seeing the deceased in the coffin (line 7) suggests that her initial reaction to the death was (Giving Back the Flower)

anger

As described in the final paragraph, the changes that have occurred in the area around the shack suggest that (Lila)

Lila is returning to the shack after a long absence

The details in the passage suggest that the relationship of the "young lady" mentioned in the title to the speaker is that of (Verses Occasioned)

an inexperienced person seeking wise advice

In the context of the final stanza, the scene of the "reeds in the river" (line 42) most clearly symbolizes (A Musical Instrument)

an ordinary existence as a non poet.

The contrast between Aunt Virginia and "the others" (line 30-36) suggests that while she is calm and cheerful about her impending death, they are (Lightness)

anxious and puzzled

The relationship between Aunt Virginia and her "regular customers" (line 20) can best be described as (Lightness)

appreciative but distant.

The comparison to a "bee" in line 23 most clearly serves to emphasize the (Verses Occasioned)

persistence of spurned lovers in hunting for new objects for their affections.

Overall, the passage can best be interpreted as an account of a (The Essex Serpent)

transcendent experience

In line 6, "them" refers to (Mending Wall)

"hunters" (line 5)

Line 28 ("Spring . . . wonder") most clearly marks a shift in the speaker's focus from the practical task at hand to (Mending Wall)

speculation about the nature of fences and boundaries

The cage metaphor in lines 21-25 ("Forsake . . . law") suggests that the speaker (The Collar)

creates his own restraints

The two three-line stanzas in lines 1-3 and in lines 42-44 have the effect of framing the poem as (A Poet to his Baby Son)

A concise and counter intuitive message.

Which of the following best characterizes the passage as a whole? (Shamengwa)

A discussion of a character that provides insights into a defined community

Which of the following effects does the "large polecat-ferret" mentioned toward the end of the final paragraph have on the development of Conradin's character? (Sredni Vashtar)

It fulfills Conradin's imaginative ideal because he is able to transform it into "a god and a religion" (paragraph 3).

In the fifth paragraph, Tom's description of the "gentleman caller" has which effect? (Glass Menagerie)

It prompts Tom to admit that he is prone to attaching figurative meaning to his characters.

Which word best represents the way the narrator describes the setting as related in the seventh paragraph? (Secret Stream)

Peaceful.

The allusion to Atlas in line 34 primarily serves to suggest that modern poets (A Poet to his Baby Son)

Possess an exaggerated sense of their own importance.

What is the source of the internal conflict acknowledged by the speaker? (Letter home)

She realizes that her race and gender will make it difficult for her to achieve her goals.

Which of the following best describes the poem's structure? (Giving back the Flower)

The poem shifts between the speaker's memories of the past and her jumble of thoughts and emotions in the present.

Which of the following events mentioned in the passage happened last? (Sweat)

The workers were locked out of the plant.

Toward the middle of the second paragraph, the comparison between the stars and "a distant cloud of fireflies" (sentence 6) is best described as (The Essex Serpent)

a lively metaphor that emphasizes the narrator's initial delight at being able to see stars in the city

The second half of the third paragraph ("When . . . played it") primarily serves to (Shamengwa)

explain the impact of a character's performing style

In the fourth paragraph, the narrator presents himself as (Tom Rivers)

perplexed by an event that occurred long ago

In the context of the first stanza, "Tiny" (line 1) emphasizes the speaker's feeling that his son is a (A Poet to His Baby Son)

small part of a larger world

Overall, the poem can best be interpreted as a (Letter Home)

social commentary using a historical period.

Ignatius' actions and thoughts in the final paragraph of the passage most clearly serve to convey his (Confederacy of Dunces)

self-centered focus on his own needs

The function of the allusion in line 4 might best be understood to convey (The Good Marrow)

that the lovers were oblivious to the world around them

The allusion in "Faint glories of the crown that Phoebus wears" (line 36) emphasizes the (Night)

radiance of light exuding through the darkness.

The pacing of the narrative is set by the fact that the events it describes are (Go tell it on the Mountain)

John's internal reactions to a series of people and things in the order he encounters them

Which of the following best paraphrases the speaker's argument in lines 10-11 ? (The Good Marrow)

Lovers see a beauty in one another that seems sufficient to fill the world.

Stan's role in the passage is best described as that of (Sweat)

a concerned third party who recognizes the complexities of the situation

How are personal details about the husband used in the poem to express the speaker's perspective on the wife? (Lightness)

The speaker compares the husband's "softness" (line 28) in interacting with his wife to his "strong" (line 30) nature.

Which of the following best explains the function of the shift in line 5 from rhetorical questions to statements? (The Good Marrow)

The speaker moves from idle speculation of the past to earnest declaration of the current state of their love.

In the first sentence of the second paragraph ("She was . . . piercing him"), the allusion to Saint Sebastian comments on Julian's character primarily by suggesting that Julian (Everything that rises must converge)

holds an exaggerated sense of the importance of his problems

In lines 34-36 ("The sun . . . river"), the changes that occur in the setting surrounding the river most clearly serve to establish the (A Musical Instrument)

hypnotic beauty of Pan's music in comparison to his earlier activities

What overall function do "the others" (line 30) serve within the context of the poem? (Lightness)

They represent being immersed in life, while Aunt Virginia represents embracing death.

How do the references to "ideas on horseback" and "long-haired virtues" (lines 27-28) fit into the overall structure of the poem? (The Death of Allegory)

They signal a return to the topic and imagery introduced in the opening stanza.

The narrator's tone in the second paragraph ("This was . . . morning") suggests that the narrator actually views the Poor Relation's remark to the divinity-student as (The professor at the Breakfast Table)

blunt and negative

Which interpretation of the last stanza (lines 21-32) is most fully supported by the speaker's statements and use of imagery? (Verses Occasioned)

A person's first love leaves a stronger impression than all others.

How does the rhetorical question in lines 17-18 of the final stanza ("Where . . . West?") function in the poem as a whole? (The Good Marrow)

It extends the geographical imagery of the second stanza.

What is the significance of Cynthia and Stan's discussion of a Panama Canal cruise at the beginning of the scene? (Sweat)

It suggests Cynthia's desire to escape a stressful situation.

In the third sentence of the first paragraph, the narrator's description of Mrs. De Ropp as "those three-fifths of the world that are necessary and disagreeable and real" suggests that (Sredni Vashtar)

Mrs. De Ropp is a strict person who fails to appreciate Conradin's creative spirit

In the second paragraph, "She'd never once heard of anybody eating one" suggests which of the following about Lila's past relationship to her surroundings? (Lila)

She has primarily been focused on the practical aspects of survival.

In the first three sentences of the second paragraph ("At such . . . connection"), the narrator suggests which of the following about himself and his cousins? (Tom Rivers)

They don't want to disrupt a particular mood.

In the first paragraph, Tom's claim that he is "the opposite of a stage magician" and that he tells the "truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion" suggests that he (Letter Home)

Will tell the "truth" in a way that his audience can accept.

In the first sentence of the fourth paragraph, the narrator's straightforward explanation of the "heathen images" running through the divinity-student's mind serves to (The Professor at the Breakfast Table)

address a potential misunderstanding of the divinity-student's reaction

In lines 1-2, the speaker describes "Like" as a "semi-demi goddess" primarily to emphasize the (Sestina)

almost religious devotion people have to collecting "likes" on social media

In lines 11-12, the acrobat, who is "not-quite- / Lost," functions as a representation of the bird's nest's (Lightness)

astonishing agility

In the fourth paragraph, Shamengwa's decision to place his awards "on a triangular scrap of shelf high in one corner of his house" suggests that he (Shamengwa)

attaches little importance to external recognition

In responding to the young lady, the speaker explicitly offers a (Verses Occasioned)

broad yet ultimately inadequate frame of reference

In the context of the poem as a whole, the paradox in line 1, "In a dark time, the eye begins to see," establishes the speaker's understanding that (In a Dark time)

clarity can come in times of distress.

The juxtaposition of adjectives in lines 9-15 ("and in . . . shining") cumulatively creates a sensory impression of (Night)

darkness with an interval of light.

In the final sentence of the passage, the words "He did not notice" reveal Nirmal's (An Atlas of impossible Longing)

distraction from his original purpose

Throughout the passage, the narrator shapes the narrative by providing (Lila)

insight into Lila's thought processes that would be inaccessible to anyone but Lila

The narrator of the passage can best be described as (Secret Stream)

providing the reader access to only one character's thoughts

"But" in line 33 indicates a shift that serves both to conclude the unspoken dialogue and to (The Collar)

signal the speaker's acceptance of his position

In context, the discussion of "owehzhee" in the second paragraph suggests that the narrator (Shamengwa)

understands and sympathizes with Shamengwa's attentiveness to his appearance.

By describing the windows as gleaming "like beaten gold or silver" in the middle of the final paragraph, the narrator emphasizes both the physical appearance of the light shining through the windows and the (Go Tell it on the Mountain)

value of the family's diligent housekeeping despite the ever-present dust

According to Tom, the presence of the "gentleman caller" mentioned in the fifth paragraph reinforces a conflict between (Glass Menagerie)

waiting and fulfillment

Cynthia's use of "they" to describe both the plant managers (line 13 and line 15) and the plant workers (line 15) suggests that she (Sweat)

no longer considers herself part of either group.

The speaker primarily characterizes God as (Giving Back the Flower)

remote

Images in lines 15-32 ("Say what . . . there") represent the lover through the motif of (Verses Occasioned)

a traveler who cannot reach a desired destination.

In context, "lace-work" (line 14) is best understood to refer to the (Night)

intricate patterns of overlapping leaves and branches

In the second and third paragraphs, the specific references to time ("the thirties") and place ("Spain," "Chicago, Cleveland, Saint Louis") primarily serve to (Letter Home)

reinforce the notion that the play is part of a "world of reality" (paragraph 5) that will be reconstructed from "memory" (paragraph 4)

At the end of the poem, the speaker is revealed as a complex character who (The Collar)

rejects earlier impulses

The relationship between Farebrother and Lydgate can best be described as (Middlemarch)

formal

In the context of the poem, which image most fully reflects the speaker's disapproval of the neighbor's attitudes? (Mending Wall)

"He moves in darkness" (line 41)

Which lines from the passage would best support a reader's claim that one of the central themes of the passage is independence? (Sredni Vashtar)

"Such few pleasures as he could contrive for himself gained an added relish from the likelihood that they would be displeasing to his guardian, and from the realm of his imagination she was locked out—an unclean thing, which should find no entrance" (paragraph 2)

The speaker's series of exclamations in lines 31-33 ("Sweet . . . Pan") interrupt the pace of the narrative in order to (A Musical Instrument)

Dramatize the overwhelming beauty that is revealed as Pan begins to play.

The events recounted in the third through eighth paragraphs ("Without . . . 'I guess'") establish which of the following about Nathan?

His feelings of discomfort

In context, the word "Instead" that appears in the fourth paragraph demonstrates (An Atlas of impossible longing)

Nirmal's inability to become a better father.

Which of the following does the speaker imply about her "plain English and good writing" (line 6) ? (Letter Home)

That she had mistakenly believed that these skills would be sufficient to get her a job

Throughout the passage, the narrator draws a comparison between the literal dirt in the house and metaphorical moral "filth" most clearly in order to (Go Tell it on the Mountain)

emphasize John's feelings of dissatisfaction and resentment.

In the third paragraph ("There . . . tree"), the narrator's descriptions of light falling through branches and shadows moving across the field primarily serve to (Tom Rivers)

emphasize a difference between the regularity of nature and the unpredictability of humans

In the second sentence of the final paragraph, the description of how John saw his family "like figures on a screen" most clearly emphasizes his (Go Tell it on the Mountain)

feeling of detachment from them

In the closing stanza, "the road" (line 30) functions as a symbol of the (The Death of Allegory)

finality with which allegorical figures have vanished from modern culture

For Julian's mother, the new hat represents (Everything that rises must converge)

guilty extravagance

The use of a conceit in lines 12-14 ("Let . . . one") allows the speaker to focus on a complex comparison between (The Good Marrow)

he public world and a private world shared by the lovers

In lines 26-27 ("Displaces . . . nest"), the metaphor of "endangered hatchlings" suggests that "Like" (Sestina)

threatens to eliminate more sophisticated language

In lines 1-3 ("I stood . . . world"), personification primarily has the effect of (Night)

transforming a natural process into a series of intentional actions

In the first paragraph, by incorporating the small detail that Bakul is motherless, the narrator (An Atlas of impossible longing)

emphasizes Bakul's fixed isolation and detachment

The narrator's comparison of Miss Noble to a "tiny timid quadruped" near the end of the passage suggests that she is a (Middlemarch)

harmless creature who is acting in part out of instinct

The speaker's evolving description of the reed throughout the poem ultimately serves to emphasize a claim about the (A Musical Instrument)

heavy emotional toll that artistic creation takes on poets.

The allusion in the final sentence of the passage ("Rome . . . a day") serves all of the following functions EXCEPT to (Everything that rises must converge)

parallel Julian's own despair about finding financial success

An interpretation stating that the speaker feels awed when experiencing the hours of night would be most fully supported by the poem's (Night)

references to the magical effects of night.

Lines 29-34 ("I thought . . . ends") suggest that the speaker imitated Miss J— primarily because she (Letter Home)

regarded speech like Miss J---'s as a means of self-improvement.

The metaphor in lines 17-18 ("two better . . . West") suggests that the lovers' relationship (The Good Marrow)

is more perfect than the natural world.

The effect of the passage's overall structure is to (Confederacy of Dunces)

present Ignatius' thought processes as they occur

Which lines most fully support an interpretation that the speaker feels the nonpoets of the modern world have a misguided perspective? (A Poet to His Baby Son)

Lines 38-39 ("Grow up . . . wants")

The speaker's description of the reed's pith as being "like the heart of a man" (line 21) serves in part to emphasize (A Musical Instrument)

Pan's casual cruelty

How has Lila changed as a result of having "this baby now to think about" (paragraph 4) ? (Lila)

She is cautious in her approach to the shack, whereas before she might have approached it with less hesitation.

Which choice best describes the use of a literary device in line 4 ? (Night)

A metaphor characterizes the night as a graceful, pervasive presence.

In the final paragraph, when Nirmal strokes one of the Himalayan leaves in his exercise book "with infinite gentleness" and "smiled to himself," he demonstrates (An Atlas of impossible longing)

a deeper interest in his hobbies than in his daughter

Which image from the poem most clearly suggests that the speaker considers love to be a condition worthy of pity? (Verses Occasioned)

a ship wrecked on a dangerous coast

The description of Pan as "half a beast" in lines 37-38 ("Yet half . . . river") emphasizes that (A Musical Instrument)

although Pan has the ability to create beautiful music, he still remains a callous and destructive force.

In the second paragraph of the passage, what is the reason for Bakul's anger? (An Atlas of impossible longing)

an earlier conflict with her father.

The epiphany that John has toward the end of the final paragraph (". . . for was it not he, in his false pride and his evil imagination, who was filthy?") is a moment in which (Go Tell it on the Mountain)

his judgment of himself as well as of others leads him to feel intense guilt

In the final sentence of the passage, the divinity-student's "mild short cough" highlights a tension between (The professor at the Breakfast Table)

his tormented thoughts and his subdued physical reaction.

The simile in lines 21-22 ("like . . . subtitles") primarily serves to illustrate (Sestina)

how crucial the word "like" is to people's ability to communicate with each other

In the fifth sentence of the third paragraph, the narrator's extended description of the "scenery of a long tragic drama" affects the narrative in all of the following ways EXCEPT by (The Professor at the Breakfast Table)

implying that the Poor Relation's remark is inaccurate

The fact that Lydgate initially considers the possibility that Farebrother might have appeared "like an actor of genial parts disadvantageously cast for the curmudgeon," near the middle of the passage, but then decides that the comparison is not appropriate, primarily serves to emphasize that Farebrother (Middlemarch)

is not ill-tempered and difficult around his family

In choosing to describe the divinity-student's face as having "the color of a very young pea somewhat over-boiled" in the fourth sentence of the third paragraph, the narrator uses exaggeration to (The professor at the Breakfast Table)

mock the divinity-student's response as overwrought.

The contrast between the speaker's description of herself as "a woman in jewels and lace" (line 14) and the description of "children crying for bread and fire" (line 16) primarily serves to emphasize the (Giving Back the Flower)

relative triviality of the speaker's situation.

In lines 1-32, the repeated use of short lines emphasizes the speaker's (The collar)

urgent desire for freedom

By juxtaposing the narrator's commentary on Ignatius' appearance with the narrator's account of Ignatius' inner thoughts, the first two paragraphs of the passage highlight the inconsistency between Ignatius' (Confederacy of Dunces)

judgmental attitude and his questionable clothes and grooming

Which of the following best serves as an example of the speaker's use of juxtaposition in the poem? (The Death of Allegory)

"capital letters" (line 4) and "lower case" (line 24)

The speaker compares which of the following to develop the extended metaphor of the fallen "birdsnest" (line 1) ? (Lightness)

Fragile and Resilient features.

What function does Aunt Virginia's self-possession, her "intactness" (line 36), serve within the context of the poem? (Lightness)

It clarifies her serene acceptance of mortality.

Toward the end of the final paragraph, what effect does the description of the photograph ("Her face . . . hate her") have on the pacing of the narrative? (Go Tell it on the Mountain)

It temporarily suspends the narrative of what John sees in the present and evokes an idealized vision of his mother.

Toward the end of the final paragraph, the narrator's description of how "the room shifted" most clearly serves to convey how (Go Tell it on the Mountain)

John's overpowering emotions evoke a different perspective on his mother

Which of the following best describes one of the contrasts between the character of Julian and that of his mother? (Everything that rises must converge)

Julian's silence amplifies his mother's garrulousness.

The description in the third paragraph ("She'd . . . wind") suggests that the cornfield in part symbolizes (Lila)

Lila's apprehension about the future and her fear that her secure life with her new husband will not last

The metaphor in the first paragraph comparing the narrator's situation to a "high-wire act" emphasizes which of the following? (The Essex Serpent)

The danger of the narrator's current predicament

What function do the rhetorical questions in lines 3-16 serve? (The Collar)

They demonstrate the speaker's conflicted perspective.

Which details from the passage would best support a reader's interpretation that escape is a central theme of the passage? (Glass Menagerie)

Tom's description of the gentleman caller and his reference to the postcard from Mazatlan

Which of the following best describes how the contrast between Ignatius' and the narrator's perspectives contributes to the portrayal of Ignatius in the passage? (Confederacy of Dunces)

While Ignatius' own thoughts and opinions indicate that he is an unusual person, the narrator's description extends his unconventionality to being peculiar.

In context, the divinity-student's "mild short cough" mentioned in the final sentence of the passage is best understood as (The professor at the Breakfast Table)

a foreshadowing of his failing health

In context, lines 15-16 ("My face . . . rest") most clearly serve to represent both (The Good Marrow)

a literal reflection and a figurative union

The narrator speaks from the point of view of (Tom Rivers)

a member of a close-knit family whose knowledge is limited by his experiences

The speaker's exclamation in line 13 ("A steady . . . correspondences") most clearly serves to introduce a series of observations that illustrate the speaker's (In a Dark Time)

ability to see his emotional struggles reflected in the natural world

To the narrator and Lydgate, the furnishings of the parsonage seem to embody a more (Middlemarch)

affluent, bygone era.

As used in line 24, the phrase "objects that sit quietly" emphasizes the speaker's point that objects like the binoculars and the money clip differ from allegorical figures because they lack a (The death of Allegory)

deeper and immediately recognizable significance

Toward the end of the final paragraph, Conradin's "exchange" of "a long-secreted hoard of small silver" with the butcher-boy is significant because it (Sredni Vashtar)

develops the idea that Conradin finds joy in acts that would be displeasing to Mrs. De Ropp

In the third sentence of the final paragraph, the "disused tool-shed" functions primarily as a setting in which Conradin (Sredni Vashtar)

discovers meaningful solitude

The poem as a whole is best described as a (A Musical Instrument)

dramatic retelling of a mythological story that resonates with the speaker's experience

In the closing two lines of the poem (lines 23-24), the speaker undergoes which of the following changes? (In a dark time)

he finds release in spirituality.

In the passage, all of the following contrasts convey Cynthia's complex understanding of the divide between workers and management EXCEPT (Sweat)

hungry versus satisfied

In the context of the passage as a whole, the description at the end of the passage of Miss Noble's actions ("Meanwhile tiny Miss Noble . . . luxury of giving") suggests that the narrator (Middlemarch)

is able to provide accurate details about Miss Noble's inner thoughts and motivations

The second paragraph ("Mrs. De Ropp . . . entrance") suggests that Conradin is able to cope with his situation primarily by (Sredni Vashtar)

retreating to the security of an interior world

The description in the second paragraph ("You could see . . . without lying") of Lila's thoughts about the pelicans at the river is best described as a (Lila)

stream-of-consciousness presentation of how Lila's thoughts quickly roam from the present to the past to the future

In context, Ignatius' observations contrasting his own clothing with that of the people around him (paragraph 1) most clearly serve to emphasize (Confederacy of Dunces)

the unconventional nature of Ignatius' priorities and values

Lines 1-21 ("I struck . . . not") suggest that the speaker (The Collar)

wishes to experience sensual pleasures

Within the context of the entire poem, the use of "I stood" in line 1 and again in line 33 serves which function? (Night)

It reinforces the poem's focus on an experience that captivates the speaker.

The passage emphasizes a parallel between the narrator's unexpected experience of finding himself outside the building and his (The Essex Serpent)

sense of temporarily existing outside everyday time and space

Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage? (Secret Stream)

A sequential account of an activity sheds light on an individual's character.

Which line contains an example of personification? (Night)

Line 29 ("The billows...sleep")

Toward the end of the first paragraph, the references to what goes on "in one of the upstairs rooms" and to Jim Crenfew's "explosive laugh" suggest which of the following about the narrator? (Tom Rivers)

The past is very vivid to him.

Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage? (Tom Rivers)

The recollection of youthful memories leads to wondering about the location of an old friend.

How does the speaker's repetition of the neighbor's cherished belief about the importance of walls (lines 27 and 45) convey the poem's criticism of an undesirable social pattern? (Mending Wall)

The speaker treats the neighbor's words about fences as evidence of a world view that is closed-minded in general.

In the sixth paragraph, the description of Tom's father, the "fifth character in the play," introduces which idea? (Glass Menagerie)

The void created by the father's absence serves as an important character itself.

Based on details provided in the text, which of the following is most likely the setting for the passage? (Tom Rivers)

The yard of an old family homestead.

The narrator in the passage speaks from the point of view of (Shamengwa)

a member of a community with insight into it's people and their experiences.

The references in the first and third paragraphs to the "mini Monticello," the "bloated Tudor cottage," the "Spanish-style mansion," and the "Moorish castle" suggest that the passage is set in (Secret Stream)

a pretentious suburban neighborhood.

In the context of the poem as a whole, the contrast of "a little scarlet bud, that was dying of frost" (line 4) in the first stanza with the "sweetness" (line 21) of the flower in the last stanza suggests that the speaker has (Giving back the Flower)

come to terms with her loss.

In the first sentence of the passage, the description of Ignatius' head as a "fleshy balloon" contributes to the narrator's portrayal of Ignatius' (Confederacy of Dunces)

distasteful physical appearance

In lines 37-39 ("And soon . . . Love"), personification portrays the Earth as (Night)

gradually exhibiting a sense of pleasure.

In line 29, "old" refers to a language that is (A Poet to his Baby Son)

inadequate to express modern thoughts

In the fourth sentence of the passage ("I moved . . . step"), the word "premeditated" indicates that the narrator (The Essex Serpent)

is being very cautious as he navigates the fire escape

In the second sentence of the final paragraph, the image of the "human race itself" being "extinguished" most clearly serves to associate humanity with (The Essex Serpent)

long-dead stars

In the second sentence of the first paragraph ("The green . . . once"), the description of Ignatius' earflaps as being "like turn signals" contributes to the narrator's overall tone of (Confederacy of Dunces)

mockery

Lines 27-28 ("Their . . . to me") emphasize the speaker's sense that her (Letter Home)

past life and true identity are always present.

The function of Cynthia's memories of her desire for a management position (line 11 and line 13) in the scene as a whole is to (Sweat)

provide a justification for Cynthia's apparent betrayal of her family and friends.

The repetition of versions of the word "like" at the end of each line of the poem does all of the following EXCEPT (Sestina)

suggest that the speaker's vocabulary is limited

In context, the description of modern poets as "unfortunate fellows / And . . . Atlas" (lines 27-34) suggests that the speaker believes their predicament is (A Poet to his Baby Son)

trivial because it is self-created.

In line 40 ("like . . . armed"), the speaker uses a simile to draw attention to the contrast between (Mending Wall)

two distinct perspectives of the world

The repetition of line 1 ("Something . . . wall") in line 35 most clearly reflects the speaker's (Mending Wall)

unfulfilled impulse to share his personal reflections with the neighbor

For the speaker, the condominiums in line 19 primarily symbolize (The Death of Allegory)

fashionable but shallow contemporary values.

In the middle of the passage, Lydgate's reaction to Farebrother's domestic situation ("Lydgate had not expected to see so quaint a group: knowing simply that Mr. Farebrother was a bachelor, he had thought of being ushered into a snuggery where the chief furniture would probably be books and collections of natural objects") reveals that (Middlemarch)

Farebrother does not fit Lydgate's notion of a bachelor

What does Lydgate's observation, near the middle of the passage, that Farebrother seemed "a trifle milder and more silent" at home reveal about Farebrother's relationship to the others in the room? (Middlemarch)

He has a great deal of respect for the elder members of his family.

In the last sentence of the first paragraph, Ignatius' reference to "theology and geometry" conveys which of the following? (Confederacy of Dunces)

His condescending attitude toward people of his mother's generation

Which of the following best describes the function of the conceit in "a thought in a coat" (line 7)? (The Death of Allegory)

It reinforces the speaker's celebration of how artists bestowed physical form on abstractions.

In addressing his baby son, the speaker alludes to Keats's poem in lines 25-26 ("And interpreters . . . beauty") in order to make which point? (A Poet to His Baby Son)

Poets formerly helped readers feel that they understood the world around them.

For the divinity-student, the "looking-glass" mentioned in the second sentence of the final paragraph comes to symbolize (The Professor at the Breakfast Table)

The distressing inevitability of death.

In the fourth paragraph ("She lifted . . . to town"), Julian's thoughts about the contrast presented by his mother's eyes suggest the presence of an overall contrast between her (Everything that rises must converge)

apparent superficiality and an underlying astuteness