English 12 A- Lesson 07

Which sentence makes use of hyperbole for effect?

On some Mondays, Bill felt it would be months before the weekend came again.

Read the sentence from "How Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy." Spartans, who were celebrated almost exclusively as warriors, raised their ruling-class boys in an environment of uncompromising brutality—enlisting them in boot camp at age 7 and starving them to encourage enough deviousness and cunning to steal food, which skillfully bred yet more generations of ruthless killers. Why did the author use cunning in the sentence instead of a synonym like ingenuity or shrewdness?

Cunning has a more negative connotation that implies expert or crafty use of criminal skills.

Read the opening paragraph from "Primates, Empathy, and Making Connections." What intrigues me most about laughter is how it spreads. It's almost impossible not to laugh when everybody else is. There have been laughing epidemics, in which no one could stop and some even died in a prolonged fit. There are laughing churches and laugh therapies based on the healing power of laughter. The must-have toy of 1996—Tickle Me Elmo—laughed hysterically after being squeezed three times in a row. All of this because we love to laugh and can't resist joining laughing around us. This is why comedy shows on television have laugh tracks and why theater audiences are sometimes sprinkled with "laugh plants": people paid to produce raucous laughing at any joke that comes along. The infectiousness of laughter even works across species. How does the information in the excerpt help contribute to the meaning and power of the word infectiousness?

It provides examples of how laughter is contagious, causing individuals to mimic others' actions.

Which option best explains how the author's use of his native language, Tagalog, contributes to the power of the text?

It shows that even though the author is trying to become a US citizen, he is still proud of his heritage.

In "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant," how does the author's depiction of his immigration problems contribute to the power of the article?

The author shows how the numerous issues he encountered while going to school, applying for jobs, and trying to live as an undocumented immigrant affected almost every aspect of his life.

Which sentence demonstrates writing in a style and tone that are most appropriate for an audience of professional scientists?

The results of the experiment showed a quantifiable decrease in oxygen levels.

In "Primates, Empathy, and Making Connections," the author expresses the viewpoint that primates tend to adapt based on behaviors of others within their environment. Which sentences from the article convey this viewpoint through the author's voice? Select all that apply.

Unconsciously, I'd return speaking a poor imitation of the harsh northern accent. Like chameleons changing their color to match the environment, primates automatically copy their surroundings. If my companions are feeding, I'd better do the same, because once they move off, my chance to forage will be gone.

The lineman grabbed the quarterback's helmet, which was a _[blank]_ violation of the rules intended to protect players. All the referees immediately threw their penalty flags. Which option best completes the sentence to convey the idea that the lineman's action was extreme?

flagrant

If you use a dictionary to look up the word exacerbate, what definition are you most likely to find?

worsen

Jeremy wrote this sentence in a first draft of his essay on dangerous weather: When a sandstorm suddenly moved across the highway, the winds blew hard against Ray's car and he could not see anything ahead of him. In his final draft, he revised the sentence this way: The sandstorm that engulfed the highway grabbed Ray's car and shook it hard, yanking a curtain of dust across his field of vision. Which options best analyze the effect of the figurative language Jeremy used in the revised sentence? Select all that apply.

Jeremy used the metaphor "a curtain of dust" to draw a vivid picture of the storm's dangerous effect. Jeremy personified the storm that "grabbed" and "shook" the car, making it easy to visualize the wind's effect.

Read the excerpt from "Primates, Empathy, and Making Connections." Below my office window at the Yerkes Primate Center, I often hear my chimps laugh during rough-and-tumble games, and I cannot suppress a chuckle myself. It's such a happy sound. Tickling and wrestling are the typical laugh triggers for apes, and probably the original ones for humans. The fact that tickling oneself is notoriously ineffective attests to its social significance. And when young apes put on their play face, their friends join in with the same expression as rapidly and easily as humans do with laughter. Which phrases from the excerpt show the author's stylistic choice to use specific words so the reader can picture the actions of the chimps? Select all that apply.

Tickling and wrestling rough-and-tumble games

You have been asked to write a research paper based on this prompt: Several recent reports indicate that although women are studying engineering in greater and greater numbers, many quit engineering during or after school. Women are leaving the profession in vastly higher numbers than men and are choosing to enter other fields. Based on the prompt, which research question most effectively demonstrates an appropriate focus and scope for your research paper?

What could be causing women to drop out of jobs and programs in engineering?

Read the sentence from "Primates, Empathy, and Making Connections." Instead of our brain being like a little computer that orders the body around, the body-brain relation is a two-way street. What figurative language is used in the sentence? Select all that apply.

metaphor: "body-brain relation is a two-way street" simile: "brain ... like a little computer" personification: "computer that orders the body around"

In which sections of "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant" does the author convey a discouraging tone? Select all that apply.

paragraph 58 paragraph 46 paragraph 7

Read the excerpt from "Primates, Empathy, and Making Connections," and then read the statement. It began much more simply, with the synchronization of bodies: running when others run, laughing when others laugh, crying when others cry, or yawning when others yawn. The power of the excerpt is revealed by the author's use of _[blank]_. Which option best completes the statement?

parallel structure to show how individuals performed actions together

Which sentences from "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant" show the author using parallel structure to convey details of his job at The Washington Post? Select all that apply.

I visited the White House, where I interviewed senior aides and covered a state dinner—and gave the Secret Service the Social Security number I obtained with false documents. In the five years that followed, I did my best to "do enough." I was promoted to staff writer, reported on video-game culture, wrote a series on Washington's H.I.V./AIDS epidemic and covered the role of technology and social media in the 2008 presidential race.