English Finals

How does a memoir, such as A White House Diary, differ from a biography?

A memoir tells about the writer's life, whereas a biography tells about someone else's life.

According to the author of "Americans in the Great Depression," why did urban women and African Americans both have so much trouble finding and keeping jobs during the Great Depression?

Both were relatively new to the urban job market

Which of the following best compares the two selections "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth..." and the excerpt from Silent Spring?

Both works focus on the welfare of the Earth.

In "Dream Deferred," how does the mood or feeling conveyed in earlier lines change in the final line?

Despair turns to anger.

Which of the following best states the theme of "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth..."?

Earth must be preserved for future generations.

In "American History," what happens when Elena goes to Eugene's house?

Eugene's mother sharply and rudely turns her away.

According to the author of Nothing to Fear, what does Roosevelt ask of the American people in his first inaugural address?

He asks the American people to face their fears realistically.

In "Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress," Johnson reminds his listeners several times that he served in Congress for many years. What is most likely his reason for doing so?

He seeks to stress his ties to Congress in order to gain support for his agenda.

In "Americans in the Great Depression," the author discusses the photographs of Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange. What is his perspective on these images?

He sees them as valuable chronicles of history.

All of the following statements about theme are accurate except one. Which statement is not true?

In a short story, the theme is usually stated directly, not implied.

In "Libraries Face Sad Chapter," which of the following claims does the author most thoroughly support with reasons and evidence?

In hard times, libraries are more important than ever.

Which of the following words is the best antonym for depravity?

Integrity

In "The News," Neil Postman quotes Reuven Frank, an NBC News executive who compares news coverage in a TV newscast with coverage in a newspaper. Why does Postman most likely include this quotation?

It gives a striking and instructive comparison of TV news and newspapers.

in A White House Diary, how does Mrs. Johnson's relationship with Nellie Connally differ from her relationship with Mrs. Kennedy?

It is closer and more long-standing.

What does it mean if a decision is deferred?

It is put off.

Which statement best characterizes Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky"?

It makes imaginative use of invented words that readers try to puzzle out.

Which answer choice best explains why "The News" is an example of an expository essay?

It presents information in an explanatory way.

In "Americans in the Great Depression," how does the author claim the Great Depression differed from other economic depressions?

It was more widespread and enduring.

In "Instead of an Elegy," what idea is suggested by the line "And, no more young men in the world"?

Kennedy's death has led to a widespread loss of innocence and hope.

Which of the following groups of words is an independent clause?

King addressed the crowd

Which answer choice best paraphrases the following lines from "Twister Hits Houston"? [Papa] said the twister ripped / the big black oak to splinter, / tossed a green sedan into his garden, / and banged the back door / like a mad cat wanting in.

Papa said the tornado tore up a tree, threw a car into the yard, and made the back door slam wildly

How would you state Rachel Carson's theme in Silent Spring?

People are responsible for damaging the environment.

In his "I Have a Dream" speech, what does Dr. King mean when he says one day "the rough places will be made plains, and the crooked places will be made straight"?

Racial discrimination and injustice will finally end.

Which of these sentences contains a gerund or a gerund phrase?

Ringing the bells takes a lot of strength.

What is the main subject of the excerpt from Nothing to Fear?

Roosevelt's leadership in troubling times

In "American History," when Elena finally gets the courage to speak with Eugene, how is he different from what she expected?

She expects snobbery, but he turns out to be shy and open to her friendship

In "On Summer," why does the author quote the poem about Mary Mack?

She wants to give an example of the street rhymes she chanted as a child.

In "American History," when Elena's mother calls Elena "Enamorada," what worry is she expressing?

She worries that Elena likes Eugene too much and may get hurt.

Which statement most accurately describes the waiting women in "Women on the Breadlines"?

Some are young and some are old.

In the following sentence, which word is the indirect object? We sent Sue some photos of Yellowstone Park.

Sue

Which of the following answer choices best states the main idea of "The News"?

TV news differs greatly from printed news and has limitations.

What would be the most likely result if funding for a library were curtailed?

The library would have less money.

In "The Assassination of John F. Kennedy," what aspect of the events does the repeated phrase "the tilt and jangle of this death" emphasize?

The repeated phrase emphasizes a sense of disorder and turmoil.

Why might the speaker in "The Road Not Taken" sigh about the decision to choose one road over the other?

The speaker feels some regret, wondering if another choice would have been better.

In Shakespeare's Sonnet 30, why is the speaker sad as the poem begins?

The speaker remembers past disappointments and sorrows.

In Nothing to Fear, Axelrod uses the expression "to blink at" when he says that Roosevelt was "not one to blink at disaster." What does this statement mean?

The statement means that Roosevelt confronted problems directly.

What is the central message about dreams in Langston Hughes's poem "Dreams"?

There is a vital link between dreams and hope.

In "The News," what does Neil Postman explain are the most important qualities of the people who anchor TV newscasts?

They are attractive and convey an air of authority and control.

According to the author of "Women on the Breadlines," what has happened to many of the men in the waiting women's lives?

They lost their jobs and became drifters.

In his "I Have a Dream" speech, what does Dr. King state as a reminder to his own people?

They must conduct their struggle for equal rights with discipline and dignity.

According to the author of "Americans in the Great Depression," why were radio and newsreels important new forms of communication during the Great Depression?

They provided an immediate chronicle of people's suffering.

Which passage from "Libraries Face Sad Chapter" is most clearly an appeal to reason?

Unlike the...federal government, the government of New York City can't print money to keep things going.

In "'Hope' is the thing with feathers—," what does Emily Dickinson compare to hope?

a bird

I hear things crying in the world. / A nightmare congress of obscure / Delirium uttering overbreath

a sad, horrified mood

What is the occasion of President Johnson's "Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress"?

a special session of Congress after President Kennedy's assassination

What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza from "The Road Not Taken"? I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and ages hence: / Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.

abaab

Which of the following words is an antonym of the word prevalence?

absence

In "The Seven Ages of Man," to what does Shakespeare compare human beings?

actors entering and exiting a stage

According to Mrs. Johnson in A White House Diary, where was Lyndon Johnson sworn in as president?

air force one

In a sense we've come to our nation's Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

analogy

In the final stanza of "Instead of an Elegy," what emotion besides grief does the speaker say Americans feel during President Kennedy's burial?

anger

What is the subject of Yusef Komunyakaa's poem "Slam, Dunk, & Hook"?

basketball games with friends when the speaker was growing up

Which of the following words is the best synonym for creed?

belief

Which adjective most accurately describes Casey when he steps up to bat in "Casey at the Bat"?

confident

In "On Summer," the author describes a woman whom she meets in Maine. Which pair of adjectives best describes the character of the woman Hansberry meets?

courageous and determined

Which of the following words is the best synonym for exodus?

departure

In "Women," Alice Walker mentions that the women of her mama's generation had "fists as well as / Hands." What quality in the women does this detail emphasize?

determination

What does Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Bells" describe?

different sets of bells ringing on occasions associated with different emotions

Which of the following words is the best synonym for warp?

distort

In "Women," what did the women the speaker describes succeed in discovering for their children?

education

Tone is the writer's attitude toward his or her subject, characters, or audience. Which of the following best describes the speaker's tone in "I Hear America Singing"?

enthusiastic

According to the author of "Americans in the Great Depression," which factor caused unprecedented damage to farmland during the Great Depression?

extreme drought that turned the soil to dust

If a book treats a topic voluminously, how thorough is its coverage?

extremely thorough

"I Hear America Singing" is an example of which type of lyric poem?

free verse

What sort of feeling does a revered anchorperson inspire in viewers?

great respect

What does the speaker of "The Assassination of John F. Kennedy" mean in saying that Kennedy "had a sense of world and man"?

he understood both politics and human nature.

In "On Summer," what does Hansberry learn about when she visits her grandmother in Tennessee?

her mother's family history

In "Analysis of Baseball," on which aspect of baseball does the speaker focus?

hitting and catching of the ball

According to the author of "The News," which kinds of images do television newscasters prefer?

images that change

According to the author of "Libraries Face Sad Chapter," which group in particular needs public libraries?

immigrants

In "Women on the Breadlines," where are the women waiting?

in the women's section of an employment office

Which of the following answer choices best identifies the "dream" Dr. King describes in his "I Have a Dream" speech?

liberty and justice for all Americans regardless of race

In the two metaphors in "Dreams," to what does the speaker compare a broken-winged bird that cannot fly and a barren field frozen with snow?

life without dreams

How would you describe the speaker's overall tone, or attitude, in "Macavity: The Mystery Cat"?

lighthearted

Which adjective best describes Neil Postman's tone, or attitude toward his subject, in "The News"?

objective

In "Americans in the Great Depression," which of these attitudes does the author blame for the emotional collapse of so many Americans during the Great Depression?

pride in one's job and shame at losing it

For more than forty years, Neil Postman was a professor at New York University.

professor

Which of the following is the best antonym, or word with the opposite meaning, for wail?

rejoice

Which of the following words is the best antonym for obscures?

reveals

What do details in "Meciendo" ("Rocking") most clearly suggest the speaker is doing?

rocking her child

All I have I would have given gladly not to be standing here today.

sorrowful

Which of the following details from "Americans in the Great Depression" helps most in establishing the reliability of the author's account?

statistics about the number of displaced Americans on the road

At the beginning of "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...," how would you describe the atmosphere, or mood, when Marvin and his father travel up to the servicing chamber?

suspenseful

Which word best describes Mrs. Johnson's feelings toward Mrs. Kennedy as she expresses them in A White House Diary?

sympathetic

Which answer choice identifies the most important issue facing the nation at the time that Roosevelt delivers his "First Inaugural Address"?

the Great Depression

In "Instead of an Elegy," what key contrast does the speaker stress with words such as pomp, honor, triumphal, and laurels?

the contrast between glory and death

In "I Hear America Singing," what impresses the speaker most about America?

the energy and variety of American workers

In "Libraries Face Sad Chapter," which reason does Hamill use to support his argument that library hours and services should be maintained?

the need to make books and other reading materials available to the poor

Which part of a sentence does a predicate adjective describe?

the subject

Which of the following lines from "Meciendo" ("Rocking") is the best example of personification?

the wind wandering by night / rocks the wheat.

Which of the following words is the best synonym for palpitating?

throbbing

In his "First Inaugural Address," why does Roosevelt stress "the American spirit of the pioneer"?

to emphasize the value of interdependence

What is most likely author Meridel Le Sueur's main purpose for writing "Women on the Breadlines"?

to make people aware of the plight of unemployed women

Mrs. Johnson begins this section of A White House Diary with the following description: "It all began so beautifully. After a drizzle in the morning, the sun came out bright and clear." What is the main effect of this opening description?

to set up a contrast that will emphasize the horror of the events that follow

Some of us will go to the inauguration to see history as it happens.

to the inauguration

In "On Summer," what is Lorraine Hansberry's earliest memory of summer?

waking up from a nap and feeling hot

How does Lorraine Hansberry support her main idea in "On Summer"?

with a series of brief stories about her life

"Life is a barren field frozen with snow"

with snow

Which aspect of the poet's craft is the most noticeable in these lines from "The Bells"? Keeping time, time, time, / In a sort of Runic rhyme, / To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells / From the bells, bells, bells, bells, / Bells, bells, bells— / From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

word choice and repetition that capture the music of the bells