English Final
Read the statement from paragraph 1 of the passage. "The country," exclaimed Mr. Bluff, with an air of candor and impartiality, "is, I admit, a very necessary and sometimes a very charming place . . ." What does the author's use of the word candor indicate? a. sincerity b. obedience c. reverence d. compliance
CORRECT ANSWER: A
What is the impact of the author's choice to use this word? a. The effect is humorous because the character is biased. b. The effect is serious because the topic is somber. c. The effect is mysterious because the character is cryptic. d. The effect is thoughtful because the topic is contemplative.
CORRECT ANSWER: A
Which aspect of the writer's style provides the best evidence of his feelings about the river in the days before he became a pilot? a. The author uses vivid visual images. b. The author writes in long sentences. c. The author narrates in a neutral tone. d. The author addresses the reader directly.
CORRECT ANSWER: A
Which statement best describes the steamboat pilot's view of the river? a. He assesses its navigation obstacles. b. He appreciates its beauty and majesty. c. He finds it mysterious and wonderful. d. He is deeply afraid of its many dangers.
CORRECT ANSWER: A
Which statement best describes the sonnet's theme? a. Time destroys all things, but immortality may be achieved through writing. b. The destruction caused by the passage of time is beautiful in its own way. c. Even the strongest materials will decay over time. d. Humanity must not despair over the passage of time.
CORRECT ANSWER: A
Given the context of "You Can't Sleep Here," what does graffiti mean? a. political posters on buildings b. markings or drawings on buildings c. crude drawings made by early humans d. tools or weapons made by early humans
CORRECT ANSWER: B
Read the excerpt from the text. Then answer the question. O fearful meditation, where alack, Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid? Which of the following sentences best conveys the meaning of the underlined figure of speech? a. Where can a gem be hidden for safekeeping? b. Where can one's beloved be safe from death? c. Where can one hide for a long period of time? d. Where can one hide a chest filled with treasure?
CORRECT ANSWER: B
The passage begins with the question, "If marriage be such a blessed state, how comes it, may you say, that there are so few happy marriages?" Which statement best describes why this question conveys a paradox? a. The question compares two dissimilar things using like or as. b. The question contains two ideas that seem to contradict each other. c. The question attributes human qualities to an inanimate object. d. The question features an outlandish exaggeration that is done for effect.
CORRECT ANSWER: B
Which best states the central idea of the second paragraph? a. Learning a job well does not affect a worker's sense of wonder. b. A worker learns to view a job with practical understanding. c. Once you perform your job well you can do it without thinking. d. Even the most skilled workers can learn something new while on the job.
CORRECT ANSWER: B
What is the effect of Dylan's memory of school cafeteria food? a. It explains why Dylan ordered coffee. b. It shows how Dylan became homeless. c. It shows how Dylan doesn't have enough food now. d. It explains why Dylan doesn't try to make friends with the girl.
CORRECT ANSWER: C
What is the effect of the description of fall weather? a. It creates tension because Dylan doesn't like fall. b. It creates mystery because it gets dark earlier in fall. c. It creates tension because it means winter is coming. d. It creates mystery because Dylan doesn't know what will happen in winter.
CORRECT ANSWER: C
Which best describes how the author felt about the river before he became a steamboat pilot? a. He was afraid he might never master its features. b. He was impressed by its vast size and breadth. c. He was spellbound by its gorgeous appearance. d. He was bewildered by its ever-changing aspects.
CORRECT ANSWER: C
Which statistic from the article best supports the idea that homeless youth are too young to take care of themselves? a. ". . . there are approximately 1.7 million homeless teens in the United States . . ." b. ". . . 46 percent of homeless youth left home because of abuse . . ." c. ". . . the average homeless youth becomes homeless between 14- and 15-years-old . . ." d. ". . . 75 percent of homeless youth use drugs or alcohol."
CORRECT ANSWER: C
Which word most accurately describes the speaker's tone in the first quatrain, or group of four lines, of the sonnet? a. hopeful b. amused c. disheartened d. furious
CORRECT ANSWER: C
With which central idea would the authors of both texts most likely agree? a. Conservations acts are often so successful that they eventually become unnecessary. b. Penalties for conflicting with environmental policies demand and require stricter enforcement. c. Intervention and regulation have successfully helped both wildlife and people. d. In areas where recreational and commercial fishers cooperated, management plans are optional.
CORRECT ANSWER: C
Select one statement from each text that supports the correct answer to Part A. a. "But since 2010, Gulf of Mexico gag grouper have been managed under a rebuilding plan that stipulates shortened fishing seasons for recreational fishermen and lower quotas for commercial fishermen." ("Are Our Fisheries Working?" paragraph 1) b. "In 2004 and 2005 the Gulf experienced large red tides." ("Are Our Fisheries Working?" paragraph 8) c. "'The successes we're seeing with gag grouper, and also with many other stocks, are a direct result of two things,' Strelcheck said, 'the sacrifices made by commercial and recreational fishermen, and the new requirements added to Magnuson in 2006.'" ("Are Our Fisheries Working?" paragraph 17) d. "As a result of implementation of the rule and successful litigation supporting its continued use, many more turtles have been saved from the nets of shrimp fishermen." ("Protecting Ocean Fisheries," paragraph 6) e. "Twenty years after the Magnuson Act was originally enacted, Congress faced a new challenge in fishery management." ("Protecting Ocean Fisheries," paragraph 7) f. "Many fisheries were weakened by too much fishing pressure, and management of some fisheries had become difficult because of interactions with protected species." ("Protecting Ocean Fisheries," paragraph 7)
CORRECT ANSWER: C and D
Which two lines best convey the theme identified in item 10? a. "Whose action is no stronger than a flower?" b. "O how shall summer's honey breath hold out," c. "Nor gates of steel so strong but time decays?" d. "O fearful meditation, where alack," e. "That in black ink my love may still shine bright."
CORRECT ANSWER: C and E
Which two statements best express central ideas of the text? a. Marriage is equally beneficial to both men and women. b. Men who marry for love are far more sensible than those who marry for money. c. Fewer men marry for love than for money, but marrying for love also has problems. d. Women reap more of the benefits of marriage than men do. e. Women are not truly able to make a choice about whom to marry.
CORRECT ANSWER: C and E
Which two words in "Wake Up and Pay Attention" best show a call to action? a. comfortable b. population c. unacceptable d. resources e. volunteer f. today
CORRECT ANSWER: C and F
Which three details from the passage best support the idea that gardening has few guarantees of success? a. "But have the pains of the garden ever been dwelt upon?" (paragraph 2) b. "Have people, now, been entirely honest in what they have said and written on this theme?" (paragraph 2) c. ". . . have they not hidden a good deal about their worm-eaten plums . . ." (paragraph 2) d. ". . . about their cherries that were carried off by armies of burglarious birds . . ." (paragraph 2) e. ". . . about their potatoes that proved watery and unpalatable . . ." (paragraph 2) f. "Who is it that says a garden is a standing source of pleasure?" (paragraph 3) g. "Amend this, I say, by asserting that a garden is a standing source of discomfort and vexation . . ." (paragraph 3)
CORRECT ANSWER: C, D, and E
Based on text details, which inference can you draw regarding the speaker's uncertainty? a. The speaker does not know what causes the ravages of time, but wants to find out. b. The speaker does not know why beauty exists, but is grateful that it does. c. The speaker does not know why romantic love fades over time, but thinks that this can be prevented. d. The speaker does not know of anything that can withstand the destruction caused by time, except for writing.
CORRECT ANSWER: D
What point of view about marrying for money does the author express in the text? a. Marrying for money is admirable and practical. b. Marrying for money is far better than marrying for love. c. Marrying for money leads to future happiness and security. d. Marrying for money is one main reason that most men marry.
CORRECT ANSWER: D
Which excerpt from the sonnet best supports your answer in item 8? a. "Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, / But sad mortality o'ersways their power," b. "How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, / Whose action is no stronger than a flower?" c. "When rocks impregnable are not so stout, / Nor gates of steel so strong but time decays?" d. "O none, unless this miracle have might, / That in black ink my love may still shine bright."
CORRECT ANSWER: D
Which phrase from "Wake Up and Pay Attention" best helps the reader understand the meaning of vulnerable? a. "homeless teens" b. "finding resources" c. "more likely" d. "taken advantage of"
CORRECT ANSWER: D
Which quote from the passage best reveals the steamboat pilot's view of the river? a. "Now when I had mastered the language of this water. . . I had made a valuable acquisition." b. "All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river!" c. "There were graceful curves . . . and over the whole scene, far and near, the dissolving lights drifted steadily, enriching it, every passing moment, with new marvels of coloring." d. "All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat."
CORRECT ANSWER: D
Which quote from the passage best supports the universal theme suggested by the author's comments on doctors? a. " . . . I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature . . ." b. " . . . another day came when I ceased altogether to note them." c. "Since those days, I have pitied doctors from my heart." d. "Are not all her visible charms sown thick with what are to him the signs and symbols of hidden decay?"
CORRECT ANSWER: D
What is the central idea of the second paragraph of the article? a. Homelessness is a terrible option for adults and youth. b. Most parents don't care if their children run away from home. c. The majority of people don't care about youth homelessness. d. Many homeless youth leave home because they have no other choice.
CORRECT ANSWER: D
Which two text details best support the answers to item 20? a. "If marriage be such a blessed state, how comes it, may you say, that there are so few happy marriages?" b. "For pray, what do men propose to themselves in marriage?" c. "But as an estate is to be considered, so it should not be the main, much less the only consideration" d. "Thus, whether it be wit or beauty that a man's in love with, there's no great hopes of a lasting happiness" e. "That is not pretended; for he who will be just, must be forced to acknowledge, that neither sex is always in the right." f. "A woman indeed can't properly be said to choose; all that is allowed her, is to refuse or accept what is offered."
CORRECT ANSWER: D and F
