3A cumulative exam review
Read the stanza from Allen Ginsberg's "A Supermarket in California." In my hungry fatigue, and shopping for images, I went into the neon fruit supermarket, dreaming of your enumerations! Which statement best reflects the feeling conveyed in this stanza?
The superficial lighting and large market create a feeling of isolationism.
Read the excerpt from part two of Trifles. COUNTY ATTORNEY (as one turning from serious things to little pleasantries). Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt it or knot it? MRS. PETERS. We think she was going to--knot it. COUNTY ATTORNEY. Well, that's interesting, I'm sure. (Seeing the birdcage.) Has the bird flown? MRS. HALE (putting more quilt pieces over the box.) We think the--cat got it. Which idea is suggested by this excerpt?
The women are going to hide what they have discovered to protect Mrs. Wright.
How is the author's use of a climactic structure reflected in the dialogue in part two of King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act?
There are a few long dialogues, and each offers insight into the characters.
Read this excerpt from Vachel Lindsay's "In Praise of Johnny Appleseed." Self-scourged, like a monk, with a throne for wages, Stripped like the iron-souled Hindu sages, Draped like a statue, in strings like a scarecrow, His helmet-hat an old tin pan, But worn in the love of the heart of man. The author most likely uses the allusions in this excerpt to
illustrate Appleseed's humble station.
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg. I was relieved when the Crash came. I was released. Being in business was something I detested. When I found that I could sell a song or a poem, I became me, I became alive. Other people didn't see it that way. They were throwing themselves out of windows. Harburg was relieved when the crash occurred because
it gave him the opportunity to develop and profit from his creativity.
Read the following excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko's story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds." The sun was approaching the long mesa where it disappeared during the winter. What type of figurative language is included in this passage?
personification
Which excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron" best illustrates irony?
And she had to apologize at once for her voice, which was a very unfair voice for a woman to use. Her voice was a warm, luminous, timeless melody.
Which sentence best demonstrates the language required of an argumentative speech?
Every high school in the county must provide its students with thorough information about college entrance exams.
Which strategy is the best way to improve the written expression in a redundant sentence?
Remove unnecessary repetition.
Read this excerpt from Vachel Lindsay's poem "In Praise of Johnny Appleseed." In the days of President Washington, The glory of the nations, Dust and ashes, Snow and sleet, And hay and oats and wheat, Blew west, Crossed the Appalachians, Found the glades of rotting leaves, the soft deer-pastures, The farms of the far-off future In the forest. How does this allusion reinforce the meaning of the excerpt?
The allusion lends patriotic pride to the excerpt.
Which of the following sentences is written correctly?
The drum major performed badly because she forgot the routine.
What is a counterclaim in an argumentative speech?
A counterclaim is a possible objection to the thesis.
How is the author's use of a climactic structure reflected in the time that elapses in part two of King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act?
A short time elapses, and the situations do not evolve far.
How is the author's use of a climactic structure reflected in the setting of part two of King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act?
A singular setting serves as a backdrop for the action.
Read the excerpt from the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" They used to tell me I was building a dream With peace and glory ahead— These lines emphasize the pre-Great Depression belief that
American businesses were imperishable.
Which excerpt from Black Boy best reflects the way in which Wright's knowledge of history and culture influence his views on his father?
From far beyond the horizons that bound this bleak plantation there had come to me through my living the knowledge that my father was a black peasant who had gone to the city seeking life, but who had failed in the city; a black peasant whose life had been hopelessly snarled in the city.
Read the following quote from Leslie Marmon Silko's story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds" "Send us rain clouds, Grandfather." They laid the bundle in the back of the pickup and covered it with a heavy tarp before they started back to the pueblo. This quote is located early in the narrative. What does it reveal about Leon?
He greatly values the traditional beliefs of the Pueblo people.
Read the two excerpts about Pilar from Dreaming in Cuban. Excerpt 1: They called me brujita, little witch. I stared at them, tried to make them go away. Excerpt 2: Another woman, an elderly mulatta, claimed that her hair was falling out from the menacing stares the baby gave her. Which statement is the best synthesis for the two excerpts?
Inexplicable events are sometimes interpreted as supernatural experiences in Cuban culture.
Read the excerpt from part two of Trifles. COUNTY ATTORNEY. Oh, I guess they're not very dangerous things the ladies have picked up. (Moves a few things about, disturbing the quilt pieces which cover the box. Steps back.) No, Mrs. Peters doesn't need supervising. For that matter, a sheriff's wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way, Mrs. Peters? Which of the following most accurately describes this excerpt?
It is situational irony because the County Attorney has actually issued a relevant warning to Mrs. Peters without realizing it.
In part two of Trifles, what symbolic impact is made when Susan Glaspell includes quilting as a part of Mrs. Wright's lifestyle?
It reinforces the idea that Mrs. Wright fulfilled many of the roles considered common for women during this time.
Read this excerpt from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I stood on all of that and it worked for a second. But then I had the tips of my fingers on the vase, and the tragedies started to wobble, and the tuxedo was incredibly distracting, and the next thing was that everything was on the floor, including me, and including the vase, which had shattered. "I didn't do it!" I hollered, but they didn't even hear me, because they were playing music too loud and cracking up too much. How does the narration shape Oskar's characterization in this excerpt?
It shows his youth and inexperience.
Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. "Tenente," Passini said. "We understand you let us talk. Listen. There is nothing as bad as war. We in the auto-ambulance cannot even realize at all how bad it is. When people realize how bad it is they cannot do anything to stop it because they go crazy. There are some people who never realize. There are people who are afraid of their officers. It is with them the war is made." "I know it is bad but we must finish it." "It doesn't finish. There is no finish to a war." "Yes there is." Passini shook his head. "War is not won by victory. What if we take San Gabriele? What if we take the Carso and Monfalcome and Trieste? Where are we then? Did you see all the far mountains to-day? Do you think we could take all them too? Only if the Austrians stop fighting. One side must stop fighting. Why don't we stop fighting? If they come down into Italy they will get tired and go away. They have their own country. But no, instead there is a war." Which best describes the effect of Passini's long pieces of dialogue?
They indicate that Passini feels passionately about his beliefs.
Because of his journalistic background, Ernest Hemingway's diction tends to be
a combination of formal and informal.
Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The road was crowded and there were screens of corn-stalk and straw matting on both sides and matting over the top so that it was like the entrance at a circus or a native village. Keeping in mind Hemingway's iceberg principle, what feeling is he trying to convey by describing the scene as an "entrance to a circus or a native village"
a feeling of unease as the narrator is driving into a peculiar and alien location
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg. Everybody picked the song up in '30 and '31. Bands were playing it and records were made. When Roosevelt was a candidate for President, the Republicans got pretty worried about it. Some of the network radio people were told to lay low on the song. In some cases, they tried to ban it from the air. But it was too late. The song had already done its damage. From the content of the excerpt, it can be inferred that
the song and its message struck a chord with the American public.
Read this excerpt from part two of King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act. LANCELOT: Wicked? I don't feel wicked. Do you? GUENEVERE: No. I just feel natural. But it's the same thing. (He approaches her with outstretched arms. She retreats behind the chair.) No, no. Remember that I'm married. Why does the author choose to include this exchange?
to illustrate Guenevere's traditional beliefs
Read a paragraph from a presentation. Most of you probably are fans of typical American sports, such as baseball and basketball. However, I urge you to consider watching and participating in sports that are popular in other nations. Most of us are familiar with soccer. However, few of us realize that it is the most popular sport in the world. You've all experienced Super Bowl Sunday madness, but that is nothing compared to the international frenzy that sweeps across our planet every four years when soccer's World Cup occurs. Watching the games of the World Cup can be a fun way to connect with other sports fans around the globe. What is the purpose of this presentation?
to persuade
Read this excerpt from part two of King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act. LANCELOT: Well, let's think of the consequences, then. What are they? I forget. GUENEVERE: I don't. I'm keeping them very clearly in mind. In the first place— LANCELOT: Yes? GUENEVERE: What was it? Yes—in the first place, we would be sorry. And in the second place— Why does the author choose to have Guenevere number her objections to kissing Lancelot?
to show her futile attempts at being rational
Read this excerpt from part two of King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act. LANCELOT: (desperately, rising as he speaks) I am going to be married. GUENEVERE: (in a mocking simulation of surprise) What, again? LANCELOT: Yes—again—and as soon as possible—to Vivien. GUENEVERE: I congratulate you. Why does the author have Guenevere and Lancelot discuss his engagement?
to show their tendency toward manners and propriety
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. What is the author's purpose for including this sentence?
to undermine the significance of his critics' letter
