unit 4 multiple choice study
"According to economists, however, stopping to pick up a penny is a waste of time: for those few seconds of "work," you earn less than minimum wage." (source not cited) In sentence 10 (reproduced below), the writer wants to compare a specific difference between making pennies now and making pennies at an earlier time. In 2001, it cost 0.79 cents to make a penny, but now, with metal costs increasing, /the cost has changed in a noteworthy way./ Which of the following versions of the /underlined/ text most effectively accomplishes this goal? A) (as it is now) B) the cost has soared to 1.8 cents per penny C) economists worry that the penny is unsustainable D) the United States Mint has looked into less expensive metals E) the penny is made of only 2.5% copper
Answer B This choice appropriately contrasts the higher cost of producing pennies today with the lower cost of producing them in the past and explains the reason for the increased cost: higher metal costs. Thus, this option allows the writer to develop ideas through comparison-contrast. - (a) i love puns, so personally love this option, but it sadly doesn't actually make a specific comparison :( big oof; (c) not wrong? but again, not specific to making pennies; (d) hasn't happened, doesn't work; (e) how tf is this supposed to be relevant? please, enlighten me; (b) 1.8 cents is the same format as 0.79 cents, great comparison
"A statue of a lamb in Sterling, Massachusetts, commemorates the city as the birthplace of the famous nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."" (source not cited) In sentence 15 (reproduced below), which version of the /underlined/ text produces a logical comparison between Hale and Roulstone in the controversy surrounding "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? Whereas Hale /was a widowed mother of five/, Roulstone was a ten-year-old boy who never published anything. A) (as it is now) B) was a prolific author who wrote both novels and poems C) successfully petitioned for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday D) never knew of Roulstone until Sawyer claimed he was the author of the poem E) delivered a moral message at the end of the poem about being kind to animals
Answer B This version presents a category of comparison: Hale's and Roulstone's experience in writing. It then examines the differences between the two to make the point that Hale had more experience in writing and publishing than Roulstone did. - (a) is this supposed to resemble a comparison? (insert butterfly meme); (c) again, zero relevance, but neat fact; (d) not a comparison, wtf; (e) again, wtf, this isn't even apples and oranges it's marshmallows and a pebble you found in a denny's parking lot; (b) yessss, "prolific author" can be directly compared to "never published anything"
"America's boys are broken. And it's killing us." (NYT op-ed excerpt from 2018) In the fifth paragraph, the author discusses a definition of masculinity primarily to A) contest its accuracy B) trace its origin C) underscore its limitations D) clarify an ambiguity E) present a recommendation
Answer C In the fifth paragraph, the author portrays the model of masculinity "where manhood is measured in strength" as inherently restrictive in that, by definition, it leaves "no way to be vulnerable without being emasculated." He also notes that this definition prevents boys from accessing language "to discuss the full range of human emotion." By underscoring the limitations of a certain definition of masculinity in this way, the author lends weight to his larger argument about the problems facing men and boys. - (a) kinda gets the overall view, but not specifically p. 5; (b) is flat-out wrong, but the paragraph does work on the audience understanding the (ideally) dated understanding of masculinity; (d) there was an ambiguity? i'm a lil clueless so idk what i'm doing most of the time, however the language used didn't feel like clarification?; (e) the paragraph was about highlighting the author's issues with contemporary society norms, not yet the whole call to action or whatever; (c) pretty, also just makes sense, i lack the braincells to be able to actually explain why
"America's boys are broken. And it's killing us." (NYT op-ed excerpt from 2018) In the third and fourth paragraphs, the author contrasts girls and boys in the United States primarily to A) suggest that boys' performance has suffered because of competition from girls B) imply that the same message that has helped girls has undermined boys' self-confidence C) attribute problems faced by boys to men's lack of political engagement in the United States D) identify a key role for women in efforts to redefine the concept of masculinity E) highlight the lack of attention given to the complexities of masculinity in United States culture
Answer E In the third and fourth paragraphs, the author contrasts girls, who have benefited from "decades of conversation about the complexities of womanhood," with boys, for whom "[n]o commensurate movement has emerged to help them navigate toward a full expression of their gender." The contrast thus highlights how little attention has been given to the complexities of masculinity in United States culture, contributing to the author's overall argument about the causes and solutions of the problem of "broken boys." - ngl, (a) and (b) are pretty toxic answers as well as short-sighted; (c) is just flat out false; (d) puts the responsibility of progress on women, but the essay seems to be mainly aimed at men; (e) sounds fancy, sophisticated, and less opinionated if that makes sense, it captures more nuance of the essay
"While dogs are highly social and easily trained, with an innate desire to please, cats are . . . well, cats." (source not cited) In sentence 14 (reproduced below), the writer wants to provide descriptive details that appeal to the audience's emotions and experiences. "The recent discovery at the site of a 5,500-year-old Chinese farming village of cultivated millet isotopes in the bones of both rodents (who ate the millet) and cats (who ate the rodents) proves that agriculture brought us more than just /food/." Which of the following versions of the /underlined/ text best achieves this purpose? A) (as it is now) B) food, although without agriculture, the development of civilization would never have been possible C) food, the history of which is equally as fascinating as the history of the domestication of dogs and cats D) food; farmers continue to struggle with the problems of pests to this day, but the technology at their disposal is far greater than anything these early farmers could have imagined E) food: it also brought us those graceful, warm, furry creatures who snooze contentedly in our homes and delight us with their playful antics
Answer E This version provides descriptive details about cats that appeal to the audience's emotions. By giving these sensory details about cats' physical traits and behaviors, the writer develops a description of cats that the reader can relate to more easily. - (a) i get that food is v emotional for some, but no, just no; (b) i like civilization and agriculture, but not really a gen appeal to emotions; (c) this derails the subject away from cats to food, which i'd enjoy, but not great for essay revision, or so I've been told; (d) again derails subject to tech, interesting but irrelevant; (e) "warm" "contentedly" "delight us" "playful antics"? v obvious this is the one
"The stereotype that plagued me the most was the portrait of the Asian-American as the perpetual foreigner." (excerpt from a book by a Japanese American legal scholar in 2007) In the second paragraph, the author compares his relationships with mathematics and English primarily to A) suggest how a desire to meet his teachers' expectations influenced the author's academic interests B) imply that his determination to excel in mathematics was linked to a need to impress his classmates C) indicate that his approach to both subjects was equally informed by his love of language D) demonstrate the advantages of a multidisciplinary approach to high school education E) explain how his awareness of a cultural stereotype influenced his preference for one subject over the other
Answer E When the author states that "to excel at mathematics was to collude in a vision of my Asian mind as an abacus," he refers to a cultural stereotype that assumes Asian students to be naturally gifted at math. He instead worked to master a subject, English, where his proficiency surprised his teacher. By comparing his abilities and his motivations in the two subjects, the author explains how he chose to develop a mastery of the English language as a means of combating a cultural stereotype. - (a) his teacher was surprised af by him sucking at math and excelling at eng; (b) never mentioned caring about classmates, also explicitly state trying hard in eng class and hating asian math stereotypes; (c) mentions calc as a way to show off his mastery of eng, not his actual approach to math; (d) this is completely off-topic wtf; (e) his likes eng > math because stereotypes suck, that's the whole point
