English 2 Cumulative Exam (86%)
What is the speaker in "The Weary Blues" attempting to convey in his description of the scene?
a celebration of personal expression
An outline for a compare-and-contrast paragraph of two editorials must include
a concluding statement.
Each paragraph of your media analysis essay should
focus on one major idea that relates to your thesis.
What is the main goal of a thesis statement?
to establish a focus
Which statement best describes why an author might choose to write a memoir over other nonfiction formats?
A memoir focuses on a significant period of a writer's life.
Read the excerpt from the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" They used to tell me I was building a dream,And so I followed the mob—When there was earth to plow, or guns to bearI was always there—right on the job.They used to tell me I was building a dreamWith peace and glory ahead— Based on this excerpt and your knowledge of American history, why did the stock market crash make Americans lose confidence in business?
People worked diligently to participate in the building of the American dream with the understanding they would profit.
Which sentence is written correctly?
Summer produce, such as heirloom tomatoes, can be used to create delicious salads.
Consider this prompt for an oral presentation. Take a stand! Decide your opinion on the proposed meal tax in our county, then present an argument for or against it. Which thesis statement best addresses this assignment?
Our county is one of five counties in the state deciding whether or not to levy a meal tax on its citizens.
Which excerpt from "First Generation" of Dreaming in Cuban is the best example of magic realism?
We camped out under a sapodilla tree and listened to the pygmy owls with their old women's voices.
Read the sentence. The president of the company was attending the mandatory sales meeting. Which type of phrase or clause is underlined in the sentence?
verb phrase
Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue. "Lately, I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as "broken" or "fractured" English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than "broken," as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. What can be inferred from the excerpt?
Tan believes that nonstandard forms of English are legitimate languages in their own right.
Read the excerpt from Roosevelt's Executive Order No. 9066. Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities. . . . Which best describes the impact of the words "prosecution," "espionage," and "sabotage"?
They lend the excerpt an urgent tone.
Read this claim from an argumentative essay about zoos. Zoos must improve conditions so that they can meet the health and safety needs of the animals. Which piece of evidence, if true, would best support this claim?
Many animals die prematurely in zoos because they are exposed to infectious diseases.
Imagine you are writing an ad slogan for a new type of breakfast cereal using the media technique of association. In order for the slogan to be effective, it should
associate the cereal with something good and create positive feelings about the cereal.
Read the paragraph. Our school is considering mandating school uniforms next year. The student government supports school uniforms for a number of reasons. First, school uniforms save time. Students will not have to figure out what they will wear and thus will have more time to devote to their studies. They will be more focused on learning and less on appearance. Second, although there are up-front costs, uniforms will ultimately save families money. Finally, uniforms will promote a sense of equality because students are dressed the same regardless of economic status. This will encourage a greater sense of community at our school. What strategy does the author use in her choice of language to convey her message?
logic and reason
Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk."I remember distinctly the thrill of climbing aboard a U.S. Army helicopter in the cool of the morning and taking off across the rice fields with a South Vietnamese battalion for a day's jousting with the Vietcong guerillas. I was proud of the young American pilots sitting at the controls in the cockpit and I was grateful for the opportunity to witness this adventure and to report it. We are fighting now, I used to think, and some day we will triumph and this will be a better country. Based on this excerpt, it can be inferred that
the author once felt pride and optimism about the war.
Read this excerpt from part 5 of Zeitoun. Progress is being made. It's so slow sometimes, so terribly so sometimes, but progress is being made. We have removed the rot, we are strengthening the foundations. There is much work to do, and we all know what needs to be done. We can only do the work, he tells Kathy, and his children, and his crew, his friends, anyone he sees. So let us get up early and stay late, and, brick by brick and block by block, let us get that work done. Which word best describes the tone of this excerpt?
optimistic
Read the paragraph. (1) Each state should enact a law that makes wearing seat belts mandatory for all passengers and drivers in cars and trucks. (2) Statistics show that seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by fifty percent. (3) As a result of laws like this in various states, seat belt usage in the United States has dramatically increased in the past thirty years. (4) Some people believe that the government does not have the right to force people to be safe, and that these laws are unfair. (5) The bottom line is that seat belts are proven to save lives; therefore, everyone should be forced to wear one if they want to travel by car or truck. Which sentence is the author's conclusion?
sentence 5
Read the excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God. To her way of thinking all these things set her aside from Negroes. That was why she sought out Janie to friend with. Janie's coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields. What does the phrase "to friend with" mean?
to get to know
Which sentence is written correctly?
As an enthusiastic reader, Sanjay often visits the library to check out new books.
Read the excerpt from "First Generation" of Dreaming in Cuban, by Cristina Garcia. She considers the vagaries of sports, the happenstance of El Líder, a star pitcher in his youth, narrowly missing a baseball career in America. His wicked curveball attracted the major league scouts, and the Washington Senators were interested in signing him but changed their minds. Frustrated, El Líder went home, rested his pitching arm, and started a revolution in the mountains. Which best explains how Garcia's word choice helps establish her voice in the excerpt?
Garcia uses short, forceful words to assert a pessimistic opinion on fate.
Read the sentence. It was difficult to extinguish because the fire was too hot. What is the best way to revise this sentence?
The fire was difficult to extinguish because it was too hot.
Read this excerpt from "First Generation" of Dreaming in Cuban. Square by square, she searches the night skies for adversaries then scrutinizes the ocean, which is roiling with nine straight days of unseasonable April rains. What is the meaning of the underlined word?
enemies or antagonists
Read the excerpt from the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" Once I built a tower, up to the sun,Brick, and rivet, and lime,Once I built a tower,Now it's done— Which reality of the Great Depression does the excerpt convey?
increased unemployment
Read the excerpt from "In Response to Executive Order 9066". I am a fourteen-year-old girl with bad spelling and a messy room. If it helps any, I will tell you I have always felt funny using chopsticks and my favorite food is hot dogs. Why does Okita include this description of the speaker?
to highlight the fact that the speaker is no different from any other average American girl
Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue." Lately, I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as "broken" or "fractured" English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than "broken," as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?
Tan discusses her mother's use of English to build the idea that a form of language can be purposeful and meaningful even if it is nonstandard.
Read the paragraph from a student's critical analysis essay. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson talks about independence through his use of big words and fancy argument skills. First, Jefferson states his thesis, which makes it seem important that the colonists get independence. Next, Jefferson gives evidence against the king of England and how he mistreats the American colonies. Finally, Jefferson suggests that colonists should stop paying taxes and fight, which is the obvious answer to the colonists' problems. What is the best way for the student to revise the essay?
The student should replace informal language with formal language.
Which statement best compares the structure of "Harlem" and "The Weary Blues"?
"Harlem" is short and curious, while "The Weary Blues" is longer and unhappy.
Which excerpt from "Soldier's Home" is the best example of irony?
Nothing was changed in the town except that the young girls had grown up. They all wore sweaters and shirt waists with round Dutch collars. It was a pattern.
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson's letter to President Eisenhower. I respectfully remind you sir, that we have been the most patient of all people. When you said we must have self-respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain patient considering the treatment accorded to us through the years. The "treatment" that Robinson refers to is most likely the
oppression and segregation imposed upon African Americans.
Read this excerpt from part 5 of Zeitoun. It was a test, Zeitoun thinks. Who among us could deny that we were tested? But now look at us, he says. Every person is stronger now. Every person who was forgotten by God or country is now louder, more defiant, and more determined. They existed before, and they exist again, in the city of New Orleans and the United States of America. What assumption does the narrator make in this excerpt?
that all Hurricane Katrina victims are having experiences similar to his
Read this stanza from Allen Ginsberg's "A Supermarket in California. "Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automobiles in driveways, home to our silent cottage? In this stanza, the speaker wishes
America could be like it was when Whitman was alive.
Read the excerpt from Richard Wright's Black Boy. "Mama, I'm hungry," I complained one afternoon."Jump up and catch a kungry," she said, trying to make me laugh and forget."What's a kungry?""It's what little boys eat when they get hungry," she said."What does it taste like?""I don't know.""Then why do you tell me to catch one?""Because you said that you were hungry," she said, smiling. Which best describes how Wright effectively conveys his personal experience?
The dialogue illustrates his mother's efforts to lighten his mood.
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation. Why does the author include these sentences?
to provide a contrast to his group's nonviolent efforts
Read the excerpt from "First Generation" of Dreaming in Cuban. He stops at the ocean's edge, smiles almost shyly, as if he fears disturbing her, and stretches out a colossal hand. His blue eyes are like lasers in the night. The beams bounce off his fingernails, five hard blue shields. They scan the beach, illuminating shells and sleeping gulls, then focus on her. The porch turns blue, ultraviolet. Her hands, too, are blue. Celia squints through the light, which dulls her eyesight and blurs the palms on the shore. Which of the following is an example of a hyperbole?
"and stretches out a colossal hand"
Read the excerpt from Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." Mr. Shiftlet was so shocked that for about a hundred feet he drove along slowly with the door stiff open. A cloud, the exact color of the boy's hat and shaped like a turnip, had descended over the sun, and another, worse looking, crouched behind the car. Mr. Shiftlet felt that the rottenness of the world was about to engulf him. He raised his arm and let it fall again to his breast. "Oh Lord!" he prayed. "Break forth and wash the slime from this earth!"The turnip continued slowly to descend. After a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiftlet's car. Which is a metaphor?
...raindrops, like tin-can drops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiflet's car.
Read the excerpt from Fast Food Nation. Instead of relying upon a small, stable, well-paid, and well-trained workforce, the fast food industry seeks out part-time, unskilled workers who are willing to accept low pay. Teenagers have been the perfect candidates for these jobs, not only because they are less expensive to hire than adults, but also because their youthful inexperience makes them easier to control. Which of the following choices best presents a counterclaim to the argument presented in this excerpt?
By law, fast food restaurants must offer equal employment opportunities to those seeking work.
Read the excerpt from Ernest Hemingway's "Soldier's Home." A distaste for everything that had happened to him in the war set in because of the lies he had told. All of the times that had been able to make him feel cool and clear inside himself when he thought of them; the times so long back when he had done the one thing, the only thing for a man to do, easily and naturally, when he might have done something else, now lost their cool, valuable quality and then were lost themselves. What does the excerpt reveal about Krebs?
He is dissatisfied and feels disillusioned with his surroundings.
Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk. "Despite these misgivings, I do not see how we can do anything but continue to prosecute the war. We can and should limit the violence and the suffering being inflicted on the civilians as much as possible, but for whatever reasons, successive Administrations in Washington have carried the commitment in Vietnam to the point where it would be very difficult to prevent any precipitate retreat from degenerating into a rout. If the United States were to disengage from Vietnam under adverse conditions, I believe that the resulting political and psychological shockwaves might undermine our entire position in Southeast Asia. Which statement best describes the paradox in this excerpt?
The author acknowledges that the violence should stop, but admits that a retreat might have dire consequences.
Read the paragraph. I have been a nurse for twenty years. In that time, I have seen a great number of patients suffer because they did not have health insurance. One of the worst cases was a young mother of two who was diagnosed with early stage skin cancer. Because she could not afford treatment, the cancer spread from her skin to other parts of her body. By the time I saw her for the first time, the cancer had reached her brain, and she could no longer be helped. This sort of thing should not happen to anyone. A strong universal health care system could prevent instances like this from occurring. Which rhetorical appeal is used in the text, "I have been a nurse for over twenty years"?
ethos, an appeal based on the author's character
Read the excerpt from Ernest Hemingway's "Soldier's Home." Nothing was changed in the town except that the young girls had grown up. They all wore sweaters and shirt waists with round Dutch collars. It was a pattern. He liked to look at them from the front porch as they walked on the other side of the street. He liked to watch them walking under the shade of the trees. He liked the round Dutch collars above their sweaters. He liked their silk stockings and flat shoes. He liked their bobbed hair and the way they walked. The author's short, descriptive sentences
reflect Krebs's thought process and his feelings about the girls.
Read the excerpt from Ernest Hemingway's "Soldier's Home." His father was in the real estate business and always wanted the car to be at his command when he required it to take clients out into the country to show them a piece of farm property. The car always stood outside the First National Bank building where his father had an office on the second floor. Now, after the war, it was still the same car.Nothing was changed in the town except that the young girls had grown up. How does Hemingway's description of the town as unchanged impact the readers' perception of Krebs?
It emphasizes that while the town has remained the same, Krebs has changed.
Read the excerpt from Cristina Garcia's Dreaming in Cuban. "Lourdes, I'm back," Jorge del Pino greets his daughter forty days after she buried him with his Panama hat, his cigars, and a bouquet of violets in a cemetery on the border of Brooklyn and Queens.His words are warm and close as a breath. Lourdes turns, expecting to find her father at her shoulder but she sees only the dusk settling on the tops of the oak trees, the pink tinge of sliding darkness."Don't be afraid, mi hija. Just keep walking and I'll explain," Jorge del Pino tells his daughter.The sunset flares behind a row of brownstones linking them as if by a flaming ribbon. Which best identifies the magic realism found in the excerpt?
Lourdes's father returning to her from the dead
Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk. "Thus, in the final analysis, American strategy in Vietnam consists of creating a killing machine in the form of a highly equipped expeditionary corps and then turning this machine on the enemy in the hope that over the years enough killing will be done to force the enemy's collapse through exhaustion and despair. This strategy, although possibly the only feasible alternative open to a modern industrial power in such a situation, is of necessity brutal and heedless of many of its victims. What is the philosophical concept in this excerpt?
Modern war is inherently violent and unfair.
Read the excerpt from Richard Wright's Black Boy. Hunger stole upon me so slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly. The hunger I had known before this had been no grim, hostile stranger; it had been a normal hunger that had made me beg constantly for bread, and when I ate a crust or two I was satisfied. But this new hunger baffled me, scared me, and made me angry and insistent. Whenever I begged for food now my mother would pour me a cup of tea which would still the clamor in my stomach for a moment or two; but a little later I would feel hunger nudging my ribs, twisting my empty guts till they ached. I would grow dizzy and my vision would dim. I became less active in my play, and for the first time in my life I had to pause and think of what was happening to me. Which best describes why Wright includes this anecdote?
to realistically portray the struggles he endured as a child
Read the excerpt from Fast Food Nation. The restaurant opens for business at seven o'clock, and for the next hour or so, Elisa and the manager hold down the fort, handling all the orders. As the place starts to get busy, other employees arrive. Elisa works behind the counter. She takes orders and hands food to customers from breakfast through lunch. When she finally walks home, after seven hours of standing at a cash register, her feet hurt. She's wiped out. She comes through the front door, flops onto the living room couch, and turns on the TV. And the next morning she gets up at 5:15 again and starts the same routine. How does the description of Elisa's daily routine support the author's claim that the fast food industry seeks out teenage employees?
It provides anecdotal evidence of a teenage fast food employee living like an adult.
Which sentence contains correct word usage?
Corn leaf aphids invaded the crop and caused damage to the plants.
Which sentence best uses academic vocabulary?
In the last stanza of the poem, the elderly woman expresses anxiety about her family members who live far away.
Read the sentence from an argumentative essay about wearing helmets while riding a bike. Always wear a helmet when riding a bike because riding without one is stupid. Which revision exhibits the best word choice for the underlined portion of the sentence?
riding without one is dangerous and reckless.
Read the excerpt from Richard Wright's Black Boy. My mother finally went to work as a cook and left me and my brother alone in the flat each day with a loaf of bread and a pot of tea. When she returned at evening she would be tired and sometimes dispirited and would cry a lot. Sometimes, when she was in despair, she would call us to her and talk to us for hours, telling us that we now had no father, that our lives would be different from those of other children, that we must learn as soon as possible to take care of ourselves, to dress ourselves, to prepare our own food; that we must take upon ourselves the responsibility of the flat while she worked. Why does Wright include this text?
to emphasize the hardships of single parenting
