- Unit 2 Progress Check: MCQ -

Passage: Sestina Like

Questions: 1 - 4 Skill 6.B: 1/1 Skill 6.A: 1/1 Skill 6.B: 1/1 Skill 3.C: 1/1

Passage: Confederacy of Dunces

Questions: 11 - 18 3.C: 1/1 6.B: 1/1 6.A: 1/1 3.D: 1/1 1.A: 1/1 1.A: 1/1 3.D: 0/1 3.C: 1/1

Passage: Mending Wall

Questions: 5 - 10 Skill 5.B: Skill 5.B: Skill 3.D: Skill 6.A: Skill 5.B: Skill 1.A: 0/1

Skill Categories, Skills, and Scores

Skill Category 1: Explain the function of character. Skill 1.A: Identify and describe what specific textual details reveal about a character, that character's perspective, and that character's motive (2/3). Skill Category 3: Explain the function of plot and structure. Skill 3.C: Explain the function of structure in a text (3/3). Skill 3.D: Explain the functions of contrasts within a text (2/3). Skill Category 5: Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and symbols. Skill 5.B: Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a text (3/3). Skill Category 6: Explain the function of comparison. Skill 6.A: Identify and explain the function of a simile (2/3). Skill 6.B: Identify and explain the function of a metaphor (3/3).

Confederacy of Dunces Question 15: In the last sentence of the first paragraph, Ignatius' reference to "theology and geometry" conveys which of the following?

B. His pretentious use of abstract concepts to justify his own preferences -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: Ignatius somewhat nonsensically appeals to lofty principles of "theology and geometry" to justify his personal distaste for new or expensive things.

Confederacy of Dunces Question 13: 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 . . .

B. mockery ------------------------------------------------- Reasoning: The image of "turn signals indicating two directions at once" implicitly makes fun of Ignatius' appearance; the narrator's word choices throughout the passage implicitly and explicitly make fun of Ignatius' appearance and his reasoning.

Confederacy of Dunces Question 17: 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?

A. While Ignatius' own thoughts and opinions indicate that he is an unusual person, the narrator's description extends his unconventionality to being peculiar. -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: Even from his own perspective, Ignatius' thoughts and opinions are unusual and make him an unusual person. In presenting those thoughts and opinions, the narrator supplies unflattering details related to Ignatius' appearance and behavior that undercut Ignatius' perspective and portray him as odd to the point of being ridiculous.

Sestina Like Question 2: The simile in lines 21-22 ("like . . . subtitles") primarily serves to illustrate . . .

A. how crucial the word "like" is to people's ability to communicate with each other -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: The simile emphasizes how people are so dependent on the word "like" in conversation that they cannot communicate without it.

Confederacy of Dunces Question 18: The effect of the passage's overall structure is to . . .

A. present Ignatius' thought processes as they occur -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: The passage presents details about what Ignatius is thinking from moment to moment.

Confederacy of Dunces Question 11: 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' . . .

C. judgmental attitude and his questionable clothes and grooming ------------------------------------------------- Reasoning: Details provided by the narrator about Ignatius' "fleshy balloon of a head," his "large ears and uncut hair," and the corners of lips "filled with . . . potato chip crumbs" highlight the sense that Ignatius is not as superior to others as he believes himself to be.

Mending Wall Question 10: In the context of the poem, which image most fully reflects the speaker's disapproval of the neighbor's attitudes?

D. "He moves in darkness" (line 41) -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: The neighbor's handling of the stone reminds the speaker of an "old-stone savage armed" who "moves in darkness," which illustrates his disapproval of the neighbor's attitudes.

Confederacy of Dunces Question 16: Ignatius' actions and thoughts in the final paragraph of the passage most clearly serve to convey his . . .

A. self-centered focus on his own needs -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: Ignatius' focus is on his own discomfort and on how he might best make his mother feel guilty about that discomfort.

Confederacy of Dunces Question 14: In context, Ignatius' observations contrasting his own clothing with that of the people around him (paragraph 1) most clearly serve to emphasize . . .

C. the unconventional nature of Ignatius' priorities and values -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: Ignatius' ideas about "bad taste" have more to do with comfort than with conventional ideas about what constitutes "taste."

Sestina Like Question 3: In lines 26-27 ("Displaces . . . nest"), the metaphor of "endangered hatchlings" suggests that "Like"

C. threatens to eliminate more sophisticated language ------------------------------------------------- Reasoning: The metaphor of "endangered hatchlings" suggests that the word "like" has taken the place of more important words and thus puts them in peril of elimination, as an "endangered hatchling" would be in danger of extinction.

Mending Wall Question 8: In line 40 ("like . . . armed"), the speaker uses a simile to draw attention to the contrast between . . .

C. two distinct perspectives of the world ------------------------------------------------- Reasoning: The speaker uses charged language such as an "old-stone savage" and "moves in darkness" to underscore his point that the neighbor, unlike himself, insists upon a narrow view of the world and so "will not go behind his father's saying" to examine or question its validity.

Mending Wall Question 9: The repetition of line 1 ("Something . . . wall") in line 35 most clearly reflects the speaker's . . .

C. unfulfilled impulse to share his personal reflections with the neighbor ------------------------------------------------- Reasoning: The speaker returns to the opening line of the poem in his imagined comment to his neighbor, but although this comment develops the idea in the opening line, it is never actually said aloud.

Mending Wall Question 5: In line 6, "them" refers to . . .

D. "hunters" (line 5) -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: "Them" in "I have come after them" refers to the "hunters," whose "work" is the intentional dislodging of stones described in lines 7-9.

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

D. almost religious devotion people have to collecting "likes" on social media ------------------------------------------------- Reasoning: The speaker describes "Like" as a "semi-demi goddess" primarily to emphasize how focused people are on collecting "likes" on social media. Throughout the poem, there are multiple references to how social media encourages people to "like" a variety of products and causes.

Mending Wall Question 7: Line 28 ("Spring . . . wonder") most clearly marks a shift in the speaker's focus from the practical task at hand to . . .

D. speculation about the nature of fences and boundaries -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: In this line, the speaker shifts from a practical description of mending the fences to speculation about the nature of fences and boundaries in a metaphorical sense.

Mending Wall Question 6: 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?

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

Confederacy of Dunces Question 12: In the first sentence of the passage, the description of Ignatius' head as a "fleshy balloon" contributes to the narrator's portrayal of Ignatius' . . .

E. distasteful physical appearance -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: Details such as Ignatius' "fleshy balloon of a head," his "uncut hair," and the corners of his lips "filled with . . . potato chip crumbs" highlight Ignatius' more repulsive physical qualities.

Sestina Like Question 4: The repetition of versions of the word "like" at the end of each line of the poem does all of the following EXCEPT . . .

E. suggest that the speaker's vocabulary is limited -------------------------------------------------Reasoning: The repetition of versions of the word "like" at the end of each line does not suggest the speaker's vocabulary is limited. The vocabulary in lines like 21 and 34 indicates the opposite. The speaker is mocking the overuse of the word "like."