Unit: Victory and Despair: The Roaring Twenties, Modernism, and Postwar Outlooks Unit Test 88%
Read the excerpt from Ernest Hemingway's "Soldier's Home." In the evening he practiced on his clarinet, strolled down town, read and went to bed. He was still a hero to his two young sisters. His mother would have given him breakfast in bed if he had wanted it. She often came in when he was in bed and asked him to tell her about the war, but her attention always wandered. What important detail about Krebs's sisters and mother is revealed?
C.) His sisters and his mother are very fond of him.
Which excerpt from O'Connor's "Good Country People" contains an example of irony?
A.) Joy was her daughter, a blonde girl who had an artificial leg. Mrs. Hopewell thought of her as a child though she was thirty-two years old and highly educated.
Which excerpt from O'Connor's "Good Country People" best reveals the irony of Joy's name?
A.) Mrs. Hopewell thought of her as a child though she was thirty-two years old and highly educated. Joy would get up while her mother was eating, and before long, Mrs. Freeman would arrive at the back door.
Which excerpt from "Good Country People" best exemplifies why Joy/Hulga is a traditional Southern gothic character?
A.) One of her major triumphs was that her mother had not been able to turn her dust into Joy, but the greater one was that she had been able to turn it herself into Hulga.
Read the excerpt from the Joint Statement by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. Sixth, after the final destruction of the Nazi tyranny, they hope to see established a peace which will afford to all nations the means of dwelling in safety within their own boundaries, and which will afford assurance that all the men in all the lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want; Which statement best summarizes the central idea of the excerpt?
A.) Roosevelt and Churchill are aiming to bring peace and freedom to the people of all nations.
Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The major asked me to have a drink with him and two other officers. We drank rum and it was very friendly. Outside it was getting dark. I asked what time the attack was to be and they said as soon as it was dark. The casual behavior of the characters during a difficult time demonstrates Hemingway's belief that a hero should
A.) exhibit grace under pressure.
Read the excerpt from Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly. Which phrase connects these characters to the Southern gothic genre?
A.) half an arm
Read the excerpt from Rena Kornreich Gelissen's Rena's Promise: Two Sisters in Auschwitz. That night changed everything. It had become dangerous for me to live in Tylicz. . . . Papa deliberated long and hard over whom to contact about smuggling me across the border. Andrzej had been fighting the Germans when Poland had first been invaded, but he'd been fortunate enough to escape capture; returning secretly to Tylicz, he was now working for the Polish resistance. The details of the passage indicate that the narrative takes place
A.) in World War II Europe.
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg. When I lost my possessions, I found my creativity. I felt I was being born for the first time. So for me the world became beautiful. With the Crash, I realized that the greatest fantasy of all was business. The only realistic way of making a living was versifying. Living off your imagination. Based on the excerpt, which best describes Harburg's view of the Great Depression?
B.) He values artistic success over financial success for himself.
Which excerpt from "Good Country People" is the best example of figurative language?
B.) If she don't get there before the dust settles, you can bet she's dead, that's all.
Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The major was a little man with upturned mustaches. He had been in the war in Libya and wore two wound-stripes. He said that if the thing went well he would see that I was decorated. I said I hoped it would go well but that he was too kind. I asked him if there was a big dugout where the drivers could stay and he sent a soldier to show me. I went with him and found the dugout, which was very good. The drivers were pleased with it and I left them there. What effect does Hemingway's limited use of adjectives have?
B.) It makes the few descriptive words he does use more vivid and forceful.
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg. We thought American business was the Rock of Gibraltar. We were the prosperous nation, and nothing could stop us now. A brownstone house was forever. You gave it to your kids and they put marble fronts on it. There was a feeling of continuity. If you made it, it was there forever. Suddenly the big dream exploded. How do Harburg's words reflect the experience of many Americans during the Great Depression?
B.) Like Harburg, many were shocked by stock market collapse and ensuing Depression.
Read the excerpt from Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea. Based on this excerpt, what inference can be made about the Buchanans?
B.) The image of luxury and elegance that they project is unstable like the wind blowing through the room.
Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. "I believe we should get the war over," I said. "It would not finish it if one side stopped fighting. It would only be worse if we stopped fighting." "It could not be worse," Passini said respectfully. "There is nothing worse than war." "Defeat is worse." "I do not believe it," Passini said still respectfully. "What is defeat? You go home.""They come after you. They take your home. They take your sisters." "I don't believe it," Passini said. "They can't do that to everybody. Let everybody defend his home. Let them keep their sisters in the house." "They hang you. They come and make you be a soldier again. Not in the auto-ambulance, in the infantry." What does Hemingway's indirect characterization of the narrator reveal?
B.) The narrator recognizes that war is cruel, unjust, and inescapable.
Read the paragraph from a student's literary essay comparing two different works. (1) Sandra Cisneros's "Mericans" is about a young American girl of Mexican descent who is struggling to find her own cultural identity. (2) Cisneros illustrates this through a number of images and ideas. (3) For example, the speaker, Micaela, calls her grandmother "awful," and seems to resent the woman's strict views and religious ideals. (4) The speaker also mentions how she and her brother emulate characters from popular American television programs when they play make-believe. (5) Lastly, she describes physically standing outside her family's church, an act that symbolizes the fact that she feels like an outsider to Mexican culture. (6) Although Micaela is of Mexican descent, she seems to feel a stronger connection to the United States. Which best describes this paragraph?
B.) a body paragraph of the essay
Read the excerpt from "Good Country People." Mrs. Hopewell, who had divorced her husband long ago, needed someone to walk over the fields with her; and when Joy had to be impressed for these services, her remarks were usually so ugly and her face so glum that Mrs. Hopewell would say, "If you can't come pleasantly, I don't want you at all," to which the girl, standing square and rigid-shouldered with her neck thrust slightly forward, would reply, "If you want me, here I am—LIKE I AM." Based on Mrs. Hopewell's attitude toward the fields, it is reasonable to infer that the story takes place
B.) on a wide, isolated expanse of farmland.
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg. This is the man who says: I built the railroads. I built that tower. I fought your wars. I was the kid with the drum. Why the hell should I be standing in line now? What happened to all this wealth I created? In this excerpt, Harburg explains that his song is giving a voice to
B.) the working class and the veterans.
Read the excerpt from Rena's Promise: Two Sisters in Auschwitz. "I have a favor to ask of you, Andrzej . . . This is very difficult for me, but I must ask. It is no longer safe in Tylicz for Rena. Her mother and I are worried for her safety every day." "I heard what happened last night, Mr. Kornreich. I understand your concern." "I have no money to pay you for this favor." "Sir, I would not take any money from you. She is my friend since childhood. I will do whatever you ask to help your daughter." "Thank you." Papa paused, stroking his chin where his beard should have been. "You seem like a man of your word. If you would bring Rena across the border to Slovakia, her mother and I might find sleep at night." Which best summarizes the excerpt?
C.) Rena's father asks Andrzej to take her to safety in Slovakia, and he agrees to do so.
Read the paragraph. Patty and Maureen took the long drive to their high school reunion. The women were excited about the prospect of seeing old friends at the ranch. The group had quite a past history to reminisce about. The weekend was sure to be full of stories and laughter! Which sentence should be revised to eliminate redundancy?
C.) Sentence 3
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg. Everybody picked up the song 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. Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of American history, which statement is most accurate?
D.) Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, won the election of 1932.
Which excerpt from the Joint Statement by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill addresses the safety of those traveling by ship?
D.) Seventh, such a peace should enable all men to traverse the high seas and oceans without hindrance;
Read the excerpt from Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." "A body and a spirit," he repeated. "The body, lady, is like a house: it don't go anywhere; but the spirit, lady, is like a automobile: always on the move, always . . ." How does the figurative language used by Mr. Shiftlet develop his character?
D.) The imagery underscores Mr. Shiftlet's restlessness and his reluctance to remain in one place.
Read the sentence. The girl in the poem does not want to leave her home. Which is the best revision of this sentence using academic vocabulary?
D.) The speaker of the poem is reluctant to leave her home.
Read the excerpt from Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. Outside it was getting dark. I asked what time the attack was to be and they said as soon as it was dark. I went back to the drivers. They were sitting in the dugout talking and when I came in they stopped. I gave them each a package of cigarettes, Macedonias, loosely packed cigarettes that spilled tobacco and needed to have the ends twisted before you smoked them. Manera lit his lighter and passed it around. What about the actions of these men exemplifies them as Hemingway heroes?
D.) They act casually and go about regular business, such as smoking, while actually in grave danger.
Read the excerpt from The Great Gatsby. "But we heard it," insisted Daisy, surprising me by opening up again in a flower-like way. "We heard it from three people, so it must be true."Of course I knew what they were referring to, but I wasn't even vaguely engaged. The fact that gossip had published the banns was one of the reasons I had come East. You can't stop going with an old friend on account of rumors, and on the other hand I had no intention of being rumored into marriage. Daisy's insistence that the rumor of Nick's engagement is true despite his denial suggests a conflict between
D.) rumor and reality.
