english 11 exam
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 emphasize the productivity of his daily routine to undermine the significance of his critics' letter to establish the impressive credentials of his staff to explain the nature of his profession
to undermine the significance of his critics' letter
Look at the outline for a compare-and-contrast paragraph of two editorials.1. IntroductionA. Thesis2. Editorial oneA. Evaluate the argument3. Editorial twoA. Evaluate the argument3. Compare and contrastA. Which is more effective?5. __________Which best fills the blank in the outline? Counterclaim Claim statement Third point Conclusion
Conclusion
Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.HALE. "Why—where is he?" says I, not knowing what to say. She just pointed upstairs—like that (himself pointing to the room above).What does the word "pointing" mean in this stage direction? eying leading indicating accusing
indicating
Read the passage from Etiquette, by Emily Post.New York's bad manners are often condemned and often very deservedly. Even though the cause is carelessness rather than intentional indifference, the indifference is no less actual and the rudeness inexcusable.What is the closest meaning of the underlined phrase as it used in the excerpt? carefully scrutinized justifiably criticized undeniably improper thoroughly convincing
justifiably criticized
Which excerpt from Infinite Jest best illustrates an objective narrative voice? I believe I appear neutral, maybe even pleasant, though I've been coached to err on the side of neutrality. . . . 'You are Harold Incandenza, eighteen, date of secondary-school graduation approximately one month from now, attending the Enfield Tennis Academy. . . .' My silent response to the expectant silence begins to affect the air of the room, the bits of dust and sportcoat-lint stirred around by the AC's vents. . . . This is not working out. It strikes me that EXIT signs would look to a native speaker of Latin like red-lit signs that say HE LEAVES.
'You are Harold Incandenza, eighteen, date of secondary-school graduation approximately one month from now, attending the Enfield Tennis Academy. . . .'
Read the excerpts from The Namesake.Excerpt 1: He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn't know. Who doesn't know him. His parents tell him that they each have two names, too, as do all their Bengali friends in America, and all their relatives in Calcutta. It's a part of growing up, they tell him, part of being a Bengali.Excerpt 2: It is nothing like the schooling Gogol's parents have known, fountain pens and polished black shoes and notebooks and good names and sir or madam at a tender age. Here the only official ritual is pledging allegiance first thing in the morning to the American flag.Which statement best tells how the conflict in the first excerpt is similar to the conflict in the second excerpt? Gogol's experience of growing up in an American culture conflicts with his parents' experience of growing up in India. Gogol's desire to have two names like his parents conflicts with his parents' desire for him to adopt American customs. Gogol's fear of attending American school conflicts with his parents' excitement about the new experiences he will have. Gogol's wish to return to India where his relatives live conflicts with his parents' wishes to start a new life in America.
Gogol's experience of growing up in an American culture conflicts with his parents' experience of growing up in India.
Read this excerpt from King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act.(Enter, from the side door, Mary, the pretty servant girl, who fusses about at the back of the room.)What do the stage directions reveal about Mary? Her fidgeting suggests that she is nervous about sharing her thoughts. Her efforts illustrate contentment with her social status and her work. Her entry from the side underlines her devious mannerisms. Her apparent beauty implies that her character is a romantic.
Her fidgeting suggests that she is nervous about sharing her thoughts.
Read the excerpt from the article "Indicted Her for Murder."The awful crime of which Mrs. Hossack stands accused is still fresh in the minds of every newspaper reader in Iowa.Which best describes the excerpt? It is a fact because it can be proven using objective evidence. It is a fact because it cannot be proven using objective evidence. It is an opinion because it can be proven using objective evidence. It is an opinion because it cannot be proven using objective evidence.
It is an opinion because it cannot be proven using objective evidence.
Read the excerpt from "The Weary Blues."He made that poor piano moan with melody.O Blues!Swaying to and fro on his rickety stoolHe played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.Sweet Blues!Coming from a black man's soul. O Blues! In a deep song voice with a melancholy toneI heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan—"Ain't got nobody in all this world,Ain't got nobody but ma self.I's gwine to quit ma frownin'And put ma troubles on the shelf."What is the effect of repeating the phrase "piano moan" in the poem? It sets a sad, mournful tone. It adds a cheerful, melodic chord. It adds an open, musical sound. It sets an angry, discordant tone.
It sets a sad, mournful tone.
Read the excerpt from Black Boy.From the white landowners above him there had not been handed to him a chance to learn the meaning of loyalty, of sentiment, of tradition. Joy was as unknown to him as was despair. As a creature of the earth, he endured, hearty, whole, seemingly indestructible, with no regrets and no hope. He asked easy, drawling questions about me, his other son, his wife, and he laughed, amused, when I informed him of their destinies. I forgave him, and pitied him as my eyes looked past him to the unpainted wooden shack.Based on this excerpt, which best describes how being a sharecropper impacts Wright's father? It takes away his sense of humor and his interest in his family. It makes him feel more angry and betrayed by the world around him. It takes away his sense of humanity and his ability to feel. It makes him feel such deep pain that he cherishes moments of happiness.
It takes away his sense of humanity and his ability to feel.
Read the following excerpt from "Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry" by Rudolfo A. Anaya.If we leave out our tortillas—and by that I mean the language, history, cultural values and themes of our literature—the very culture we're portraying will die.Based on this excerpt, which of the following statements best expresses Anaya's point of view? Mexican American writers need to reject American values and instead focus on Mexican traditions. Mexican American writers need to recognize that Mexican food is the most important symbol of their heritage. Mexican American writers need to focus more on their Mexican heritage than on their American heritage. Mexican American writers need to preserve their heritage by continuing to write about it.
Mexican American writers need to preserve their heritage by continuing to write about it.
Which incident taken from O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is the best example of irony? Lucynell Crater falls asleep in the diner before she has a chance to eat her food, and she is left there by her husband. Mrs. Crater gives her car to Mr. Shiftlet in hopes that he will marry her one and only daughter. Mrs. Crater thinks she is gaining a son-in-law, when in fact Mr. Shiftlet takes her car, her money, and abandons her daughter at a diner. Mr. Shiftlet appears at the plantation house and explains that even the best doctors cannot know what is in his heart.
Mrs. Crater thinks she is gaining a son-in-law, when in fact Mr. Shiftlet takes her car, her money, and abandons her daughter at a diner.
Which strategy is the best way to improve the written expression in a redundant sentence? Add additional modifiers and phrases. Eliminate powerful words. Include words that state the obvious. Remove unnecessary repetition.
Remove unnecessary repetition.
Read the following excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko's story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."Leon knocked at the old carved door with its symbols of the Lamb. While he waited he looked up at the twin bells from the king of Spain with the last sunlight pouring around them in their tower.What does the image of the Lamb above the priest's door symbolize? The Lamb symbolizes the traditions of the Catholic Church. The Lamb symbolizes the sheep raised by the Pueblo people. The Lamb symbolizes the gentleness of the Pueblo people. The Lamb symbolizes the virtues valued in Pueblo culture.
The Lamb symbolizes the traditions of the Catholic Church.
How does the author's use of a one-act climactic structure affect the meaning of part two of King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act? The simple structure presents one beloved heroine's story. The simple structure presents one enchanting setting in great detail. The simple structure presents fast-paced action and adventure. The simple structure presents one clear message about human nature.
The simple structure presents one clear message about human nature.
Read the excerpt from Infinite Jest.'You are Harold Incandenza, eighteen, date of secondary-school graduation approximately one month from now, attending the Enfield Tennis Academy, Enfield, Massachusetts, a boarding school, where you reside.' His reading glasses are rectangular, court-shaped, the sidelines at top and bottom. 'You are, according to Coach White and Dean [unintelligible], a regionally, nationally, and continentally ranked junior tennis player, a potential O.N.A.N.C.A.A. athlete of substantial promise, recruited by Coach White via correspondence with Dr. Tavis here commencing . . . February of this year.' The top page is removed and brought around neatly to the bottom of the sheaf, at intervals. 'You have been in residence at the Enfield Tennis Academy since age seven.'Based on this excerpt, which of the following statements is implicit? The university interview process is quite lengthy. Harold is an eighteen-year-old student. Harold is an accomplished tennis player. The Enfield Tennis Academy is located in Massachusetts.
The university interview process is quite lengthy.
Read the excerpt from Anthem.Perhaps, in those days, there were a few among men, a few of clear sight and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. What agony must have been theirs before that which they saw coming and could not stop!Which best describes how the words "clear sight and clean soul" reflect the philosophy of Objectivism? They suggest that reality exists outside the mind, whether or not a person can perceive it. They suggest that each person has a unique version of reality because it is based on individual perception. They suggest that some people have supernatural abilities and can see the future. They suggest that the ability to perceive reality does not exist in modern life because it was lost in the past.
They suggest that reality exists outside the mind, whether or not a person can perceive it.
Read the excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Death by Black Hole."If you stumbled upon a black hole and found yourself falling feet-first toward its center, then as you got closer, the black hole's force of gravity would grow astronomically. Curiously, you would not feel this force at all because, like anything in free fall, you are weightless. What you do feel, however, is something far more sinister. While you fall, the black hole's force of gravity at your two feet, they being closer to the black hole's center, accelerates them faster than does the weaker force of gravity at your head.Read the excerpt from Billy Collins's "Man Listening to Disc."the only true point of view,is full of the hope that he,the hub of the cosmoswith his hair blown sideways,will eventually make it all the way downtown.Which choice best describes the differing views Tyson and Collins present of humanity? Tyson describes a sinister universe where men are eaten by black holes, while Collins describes a cosmos full of hope for a better future. Tyson writes about a scientific fact of life, while Collins writes about an emotionally charged event in his life. Tyson presents humans as powerless against the forces of nature, while Collins presents an individual creating his own destiny. Tyson suggests that people have no control of their lives in a dangerous world, while Collins reminds people to take control and be focused.
Tyson presents humans as powerless against the forces of nature, while Collins presents an individual creating his own destiny.
ead the following excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Death by Black Hole."That's the gory moment when your body snaps into two segments, breaking apart at your midsection. Upon falling further, the difference in gravity continues to grow, and each of your two body segments snaps into two segments. Shortly thereafter, those segments each snap into two segments of their own, and so forth, and so forth, bifurcating your body into an ever-increasing number of parts: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc.Read the following excerpt from Billy Collins's "Man Listening to Disc."The music is loud yet so confidentialI cannot help feeling even morelike the center of the universethan usual as I walk along to a rapidlittle version of "The Way You Look Tonight,"What do these two excerpts reveal about the difference in ideas presented by Tyson and Collins? Tyson stresses humanity's relative insignificance in the universe, while Collins stresses man's perceived importance. Tyson describes man's place in the universe, while Collins focuses primarily on the role of mankind itself. Tyson's essay is a serious discussion of black holes, while Collins's poem mocks the importance of music. Tyson discusses the probability of being swallowed by black holes, while Collins describes the effects of listening to music.
Tyson stresses humanity's relative insignificance in the universe, while Collins stresses man's perceived importance.
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 a feeling of sadness at the devastation that has been caused by violence of war a feeling of joy as the narrator realizes that he is alive despite all the carnage a feeling of defeat about a war that has taken so many lives and still continues on
a feeling of unease as the narrator is driving into a peculiar and alien location
What feeling is conveyed in both "Ambush" and "Facing It"? confusion fear anger hatred
confusion
An effective argumentative essay must provide evidence because evidence appeals to the reader's sense of logic. the evidence will be used to support the counterclaim. a conclusion cannot be made without it. it explains the source of the claim.
evidence appeals to the reader's sense of logic.
Read this statement from an argumentative speech.Students with inconsistent bedtime routines are less successful in school than their peers.What is most needed to strengthen this statement? facts and statistics a personal anecdote grammatical revisions academic language
facts and statistics
Read the excerpt from Black Boy.A quarter of a century was to elapse between the time when I saw my father sitting with the strange woman and the time when I was to see him again. . . . I stood before him, poised, my mind aching as it embraced the simple nakedness of his life, feeling how completely his soul was imprisoned by the slow flow of the seasons, by wind and rain and sun, how fastened were his memories to a crude and raw past, how chained were his actions and emotions to the direct, animalistic impulses of his withering body.Wright's purpose telling this anecdote is to illustrate his father's accomplishments. cruelty. insights. shortcomings.
shortcomings.
Read the excerpt from Fast Food Nation.English is now the second language of at least one-sixth of the nation's restaurant workers, and about one-third of that group speaks no English at all. The proportion of fast food workers who cannot speak English is even higher.Which type of evidence does the author use in this excerpt? anecdotal statistical testimonial analogical
statistical
