Communication Arts/Literature (Grades 5–12)
Subtest 1 Sample Items
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Question 1
1. Use the image below to answer the question that follows.
The image is most likely intended to raise public awareness of which of the following issues?
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consumer debt
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plagiarism
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identity theft
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censorship
Answer to question 1
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0001) The image shows a uniformed official, representative of government or some other authority, observing very intently, yet from a discreet distance (perhaps even secretly), the Internet activity of an average citizen. Such careful examination or supervision of a person's daily activities or communications implies censorship.
Question 2
2. Use the image below to answer the question that follows.
The image would most effectively reinforce the message of a magazine article on which of the following topics?
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overpopulation
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factory farming
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wind power
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financial reform
Answer to question 2
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0001) The image depicts a huge city. Densely packed buildings stretch from the foreground of the composition to the horizon. This crowding suggests that the city continues beyond the viewer's vision and strongly conveys a theme of overpopulation.
Question 3
3. Use the editorial cartoon below to answer the question that follows.
In the center of the cartoon is what appears to be the arm of the Statue of Liberty holding a burning torch. A ladder is propped against the torch. A man is climbing the ladder. He's carrying a bucket of water. The water is splashing over the sides of the bucket. The man's mouth is open in a horrified expression. The word hysteria appears on his pants leg.
The editorial cartoon is most likely intended to convey the idea that in a democracy, public anxiety and panic can lead to which of the following outcomes?
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displays of military force
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suppression of civil rights
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push for legislative reform
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rules for political discourse
Answer to question 3
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Correct Response: B. (Objective 0001) In the cartoon, the arm and torch represent the Statue of Liberty. The caption, "Fire!" is ironic. The flame in the Statue of Liberty's torch symbolizes illumination that guides refugees to freedom; it is not a destructive force. The man climbing the ladder with a bucket of water represents public hysteria and fear, and the water with which he plans to extinguish the fire represents the suppression of civil rights that can occur as a consequence of public hysteria. The cartoon conveys the idea that unfounded panic and fear can cause Americans to forego freedom in exchange for security.
Question 4
4. Use the editorial cartoon below to answer the question that follows.
The cartoon shows a map divided into labeled areas. The area at the top is labeled Canada. Below this area is a large area labeled Iowa. To the right of the area labeled Iowa is a smaller area labeled New Hampshire. It extends into the area labeled Atlantic Ocean. To the south of the area labeled Iowa is an area labeled Mexico.
Background knowledge of which of the following topics would best help a viewer interpret the editorial cartoon?
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emigration to the United States from Canada and Mexico
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presidential campaign financing laws in the United States
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ideologies associated with two major U.S. political parties
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geographic and demographic features of the United States
Answer to question 4
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0001) A viewer who knows that there are 50 states in the United States (48 on the mainland), and that Iowa and New Hampshire are two of the smallest states in size and population, would easily recognize the exaggerated size of Iowa and New Hampshire in the editorial cartoon. Familiarity with a map of the United States would help a viewer correctly interpret the message conveyed by the editorial cartoon.
Question 5
5. An Internet or intranet multimedia application would be appropriate to use for a presentation when the presentation content is:
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experienced best through direct, purposeful contact with real objects.
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linked linearly and not easily segmented into nodes or chunks.
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exposed to frequent or even periodic changes, additions, or deletions.
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established, old, or inflexible with very little if anything new ever added.
Answer to question 5
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Correct Response: C. (Objective 0002) Using an Internet or intranet multimedia application allows a presenter to easily update and modify information by linking presentation material to Internet or intranet sites. For example, a presentation could include live video of a bald eagle's nest or data from the International Space Station.
Question 6
6. A speaker is preparing a slide presentation about events that led to Minnesota's statehood. Which of the following strategies would likely be most effective for promoting the audience's understanding of key events during the presentation?
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asking audience members to read aloud from the presentation slides
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distributing hard copies of the presentation slide text to the audience
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pausing the presentation to invite questions and comments from the audience
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adding events to a presentation slide one-by-one as the speaker introduces them
Answer to question 6
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0002) Adding events to a slide one at a time will help the speaker focus audience attention. Limiting the text on a slide to information that has been or is currently being explained by the speaker will deter audience members from reading presentation content rather than listening to the speaker.
Question 7
7. In its print advertising, a marketing company would like to incorporate design elements that convey a mood of calm, order, and simplicity. Which of the following groups of design elements is most likely to convey that mood?
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parallel horizontal lines and cool, green colors
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slanting lines, angular shapes, and neutral tones
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rough implied textures and warm, red colors
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curved shapes, wavy lines, and muted earth tones
Answer to question 7
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0002) Research shows that, in media presentations, including print advertisements, the use of various types of lines, shapes, colors, and textures in images can produce various effects in viewers. For example, cool colors (greens and blues) tend to have a calming effect, and perpendicular or parallel lines tend to create a sense of order, stability, and simplicity. These particular design elements—cool, green colors and parallel, horizontal lines—are what the marketing company should incorporate in its print advertising to achieve the intended effect.
Question 8
8. A ninth-grade student wants to accurately and ethically incorporate ideas from a condensed version of an eighteenth-century speech into a presentation script. Which of the following actions should the student take first?
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reading biographical information about the author of the speech
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verifying that the condensed speech conveys the original message
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examining additional examples of eighteenth-century speeches
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identifying interesting ideas from the speech to include in the script
Answer to question 8
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Correct Response: B. (Objective 0002) While the condensed, or abridged, version of an eighteenth-century speech would be easier for a ninth-grade student to understand than the original speech, the student has an ethical responsibility to preserve the author's original message. By comparing the condensed version to the original speech, the student can verify whether the condensed version conveys the author's original message.
Question 9
9. Which of the following statements accurately describes the behaviorist theory of language acquisition?
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Language is acquired by accessing innate knowledge of principles of grammar that are common across languages.
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Language develops from a desire to communicate and is dependent upon social interaction.
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Language develops through habits that are formed by imitation, practice, and feedback.
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Language is acquired by progressing from a period of receptive communication to productive communication.
Answer to question 9
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Correct Response: C. (Objective 0003) According to the behaviorist theory of language development and acquisition, children who imitate language produced around them receive positive reinforcement, so they continue to imitate and practice the language. Repeated imitation and practice lead children to form habits of correct language use.
Question 10
10. Which of the following language skills typically develops during early adolescence?
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switching registers to meet social expectations
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adding inflections to regular verbs to express the past tense
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modulating rate and volume to convey emotion
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using the conditional mood to describe hypothetical situations
Answer to question 10
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0003) The ability to recognize and use formal and informal registers in various social situations develops during early adolescence. Adolescents are able to use formal diction and syntax with adult authority figures and then switch to informal diction, including slang, and syntax with their peers.
Question 11
11. Which of the following skills is typically acquired during the later stages of reading development?
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distinguishing between onsets and rimes
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identifying individual sounds within words
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reading aloud with appropriate expression
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understanding letter-sound relationships
Answer to question 11
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Correct Response: C. (Objective 0003) Reading aloud with appropriate expression, as well as reading with accuracy and speed, are components of fluency. Fluency skills are acquired during the later stages of reading development, after a reader is able to identify individual sounds within words, distinguish between onsets and rimes, and understand letter-sound relationships.
Question 12
12. During a unit on poetry, students in a seventh-grade class read and analyze a poem that contains challenging language. Which of the following activities would most effectively enhance students' comprehension of the poem's literal and figurative meanings?
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reading a critical essay about the poem
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listening to an audio recording of the poem
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composing an original poem with a similar theme
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finding synonyms for unfamiliar words in the poem
Answer to question 12
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Correct Response: B. (Objective 0003) Listening to an audio recording of the poem will promote the students' ability to recognize rhyme and rhythm, as well as sound devices such as onomatopoeia and alliteration. These poetic devices help create meaning. In addition, the students can gain a greater understanding of the poem's meaning by listening to the speaker's tone and other vocal expressions in the audio recording.
Question 13
13. An eighth-grade teacher is concerned that a student is selecting books for independent reading that are beyond the student's proficiency level. In response to this concern, which of the following approaches would be most appropriate for the teacher to take first?
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recommending high-interest books at the student's reading proficiency level
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having the student read aloud a passage from a book the student is reading
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refraining from interfering with the student's independent reading selections
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asking the student to share thoughts about a book the student is reading
Answer to question 13
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0003) While the teacher is concerned that the student is selecting reading material that he or she cannot fully comprehend, the teacher is also aware that the student may benefit from reading books that he or she partially understands. The most appropriate initial action for the teacher to take would be to discuss the student's current selection for independent reading with the student in an effort to determine whether the student is benefiting from reading the book.
Question 14
14. After eighth-grade students use a variety of methods to correctly define a challenging word they encounter in reading, the teacher asks several of the students to describe what they did. One student says, "I looked up the definition in the dictionary." Another student says, "I looked for clues in the text." Another student says, "I know a word with the same root, so I guessed that this word has a similar meaning." Sharing this information will likely benefit student learning primarily by:
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adding to the students' repertoire of learning strategies.
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motivating the students to work toward a common goal.
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encouraging the students to consult the dictionary more often.
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validating the students' various learning approaches.
Answer to question 14
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0003) Students may not understand that differentiated instruction is designed to address their individual learning needs, and they may worry that their learning process and/or product looks different from their classmates' processes and/or products. By asking the students to describe different learning methods that achieved the same outcome, the teacher validates their individual choices as having equal merit.
Question 15
15. A seventh-grade teacher is assessing a student's reading fluency. During the initial oral reading of an informational passage, the student substitutes the words community for committee, product for produce, and contact for contract. Before addressing these errors, the teacher should first:
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determine whether the student comprehends the main idea of the passage.
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assign a classmate to partner-read the passage with the student.
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ask if the student has any background knowledge about the passage topic.
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have the student complete a graphic organizer with facts from the passage.
Answer to question 15
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0004) The student may be substituting words due to nervousness, speed, or lack of comprehension. The teacher can determine whether the substitutions were the result of a lack of overall comprehension by asking the student to summarize the main idea of the passage. If the student does so correctly, overall comprehension was most likely not the cause of the substitutions, and the teacher can address accurate decoding and self-monitoring strategies and work with the student to apply them.
Question 16
16. In words such as hasty, leafy, and salty, the suffix -y means:
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reminiscent of
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characterized by
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one who
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without
Answer to question 16
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Correct Response: B. (Objective 0004) The noun haste means the act of hurrying. When added to the noun haste, the suffix -y forms the adjective hasty, which describes an action characterized by haste, such as a hasty decision or a hasty retreat. Similarly, the adjective leafy is formed by adding the suffix -y to the noun leaf, and the adjective salty is formed by adding the suffix -y to the noun salt. A leafy tree is characterized by an abundance of leaves, and salty food is characterized by an abundance of salt.
Question 17
17. Which of the following questions should a teacher ask to evaluate students' literal comprehension of a story about a girl and her dog?
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What kind of dog does the main character have, and what do the two like to do together?
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Why would the main character want to give up her dog, and what might the consequences be?
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What would happen if the main character moved with her dog from the country to the city?
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How could the main character train her dog to navigate safely through busy streets and heavy traffic?
Answer to question 17
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0004) Literal comprehension is comprehension of a text's explicit meaning. A question about factual information that is stated explicitly in a story would be the most appropriate question to use to evaluate students' literal comprehension of the story.
Question 18
18. Scanning a magazine article about climate change would be the most effective strategy to use for which of the following purposes?
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distinguishing between statements of fact and opinion
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analyzing the logic of the author's argument
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identifying the organizational structure of the article
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evaluating the credibility of sources cited in the article
Answer to question 18
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Correct Response: C. (Objective 0004) Scanning is an effective strategy to use to familiarize oneself with the overall depth, breadth, and arrangement (e.g., chapter heads/subheads, appendices, index, glossary) of information in a text. Therefore, to identify the organizational features and structure of a newspaper or magazine article (e.g., headline, byline, the lead, sidebars, photographs), scanning would be the most effective approach.
Question 19
19. A reader is using contextual analysis skills to help understand the meaning of the word start italics copious end italics in the sentence below.
Her brother had copious ideas but a lack of actual experience, because he had only recently graduated from college.
Which of the following pairs of words from the sentence would provide the best clues?
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but, lack
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because, graduated
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actual, only
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experience, recently
Answer to question 19
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0004) In this sentence, the reader could most effectively determine the meaning of the unfamiliar word copious by using familiar words to determine what the meaning is not; that is, the reader could use context clues that show a contrast with the unfamiliar word. The first clue is the familiar word but, which means "on the other hand" or "on the contrary." The second clue is the familiar word lack, which means "deficiency." The word copious, then, which directly precedes both clue words in this sentence, must denote something that is contrary to, or the opposite of, "deficiency" or "deficient." In fact, copious does mean "plentiful" or "abundant."
Question 20
20. After reading a short story, retelling would likely be the most effective strategy for a student to use for which of the following purposes?
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identifying the sequence of events in the story
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making inferences about reasons for a character's actions in the story
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determining significant themes in the story
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analyzing how descriptive language helps create a mood in the story
Answer to question 20
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0004) Retelling is a postreading comprehension strategy in which readers recall in their own words the significant content and sequence of events presented in a text.
Excerpt For Questions 21 and 22
Read the excerpt below from a work of nonfiction; then answer the two questions that follow.
Despite turbulence in the steppes, contacts between China and Europe, though feeble and indirect, were never altogether interrupted. Though separated by turbulent seas, Japan was never quite out of touch with the other civilizations of east Asia. So the extremities of Eurasia were able to cope with—and, increasingly, emerge from—their relative isolation. Societies that fringed the Indian Ocean enriched and influenced each other. The relative stagnation of parts of Africa and the Americas showed, meanwhile, how isolation can inhibit change, whereas interactions between cultures exert mutual magnetism and make changes happen faster.
Question 21
21. The excerpt is most characteristic of which of the following types of informational texts?
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atlas
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newspaper
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textbook
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personal essay
Answer to question 21
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Correct Response: C. (Objective 0005) The factual, formal, and objective nature of the excerpt makes it most characteristic of what one would find in a textbook. The vocabulary used in the excerpt is too sophisticated for a newspaper, and the tone is too distant or reserved for a personal essay. The focused, detailed explication of geopolitical forces that the excerpt provides is not at all characteristic of what one would find in an atlas.
Question 22
22. In the excerpt, which of the following pairs of words most clearly indicates how the excerpt is organized?
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meanwhile, whereas
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indirect, turbulent
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altogether, mutual
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increasingly, faster
Answer to question 22
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0005) The excerpt compares and contrasts the effect of geographic isolation on different civilizations. According to the excerpt, contact between China and Europe and between Japan and other civilizations of east Asia, albeit limited, created opportunities for mutual enrichment and change. In contrast, the relative isolation of Africa and the Americas inhibited change. In the final sentence of the excerpt, the words meanwhile and whereas highlight this contrast.
Paragraph For Questions 23 and 24
Read the paragraph below from an informational text; then answer the two questions that follow.
Dual credit courses allow high school students to earn credits toward a high school diploma and an eventual college degree. According to a recent survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, 82 percent of high schools nationwide offer dual credit programs. Students who enroll in these programs typically have the flexibility to attend classes at their own school, a community college, or online. Because dual credit classes are more rigorous than most high school classes, college admissions officers look favorably on applicants who have successfully completed them. Given the average price tag of a four-year university degree, high school students who plan to attend college should take as many dual credit courses as they can. Some first-year college students begin college with as many credit hours as their sophomore peers, and thus have the option of graduating early and saving on tuition and fees.
Question 23
23. The central idea of the paragraph is that dual credit courses:
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are taught at high schools and community colleges.
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are more rigorous than most high school classes.
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look impressive on students' college applications.
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offer academic and financial benefits to students.
Answer to question 23
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0005) The central idea of the paragraph is that dual credit courses offer several benefits to students, such as helping them gain admission to their college of choice, shortening their time in college, and reducing the amount of college tuition and fees they must pay. Explanatory details in the paragraph support the main idea.
Question 24
24. Which of the following statements from the excerpt most clearly expresses an opinion rather than stating a fact?
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Students who enroll in these programs typically have the flexibility to attend classes at their own school, a community college, or online.
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Because dual credit classes are more rigorous than most high school classes, college admissions officers look favorably on applicants who have successfully completed them.
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Given the average price tag of a four-year university degree, high school students who plan to attend college should take as many dual credit courses as they can.
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Some first-year college students begin college with as many credit hours as their sophomore peers, and thus have the option of graduating early and saving on tuition and fees.
Answer to question 24
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Correct Response: C. (Objective 0005) The assertion that "high school students who plan to attend college should take as many dual credit courses as they can" is not a verifiable fact. The author justifies this opinion by citing the high cost of a four-year college education. However, not all readers will share the author's opinion. Some high school students might not respond well to increased academic pressure of dual credit courses. Others might welcome the opportunity to spend four years in a college or university, regardless of the cost, while for others the cost of a four-year college education is not a consideration.
Question 25
25. Read the excerpt below from a functional text; then answer the question that follows.
Steps to Buying a House
start underline Step 1: end underline Shop for a mortgage. It's important to find out up front how much you can borrow so that you'll know how much house you can get.
start underline Step 2: end underline Hire a lawyer, if you don't already have one.
start underline Step 3: end underline Find out the selling prices, NOT asking prices, of houses in your preferred neighborhood or community and come up with a down payment, which is usually between 15 and 20 percent of the price.
start underline Step 4: end underline Find a licensed real-estate agent with a good reputation and no complaints or suspensions on his or her record.
start underline Step 5: end underline Go looking for your new home, and when you find a prospect, make a reasonable offer. Try to learn what the seller's circumstances are and whether the asking price has been reduced at all over time. You don't have to offer the asking price.
start underline Step 6: end underline Wait for a reply, and expect to receive a counteroffer from the seller if your offer was below the asking price.
start underline Step 7: end underline Once your offer is accepted, you'll likely need to put down a deposit (1 percent) to keep the house until the contract is signed. Do NOT sign the contract until you have reviewed it with your lawyer.
start underline Step 8: end underline Contact your lawyer. He or she should expect to receive the contract from the seller's lawyer. Make sure that you understand what each clause in the contract means, even if the language is confusing (this is what your lawyer is for). Pay particular attention to the "contingencies" and "all goes well" conditions described in the contract. The contract should set the closing date, which is negotiable.
start underline Step 9: end underline If everything in the contract is agreeable, sign it and provide a check for the down payment.
start underline Step 10: end underline Submit your mortgage application and application fee. Review with the lender all the closing costs and fees before signing the loan contract.
start underline Step 11: end underline On the closing date, sign all the papers, and be ready to write lots of separate checks for each of the closing costs.
According to the information in the excerpt, after an offer for a house is accepted but before signing a contract, a home buyer should:
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determine typical selling prices in the area.
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find a real-estate agent.
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contact his or her lawyer.
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submit his or her mortgage application.
Answer to question 25
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Correct Response: C. (Objective 0005) The excerpt describes eleven steps in the process of buying a house. In Step 7, a prospective buyer whose offer has been accepted makes a deposit on a house. In Step 8, the buyer contacts a lawyer, and they review the contract. In Step 9, the buyer signs the contract and makes a down payment.
Excerpt For Questions 26 and 27
Read the excerpt below from an informational text; then answer the questions that follow.
Sun-protective clothing offers another way to protect skin from the harmful effects of the sun. Sun-protective fabrics differ from typical summer fabrics in several ways: they typically have a tighter weave or knit and are usually darker in color. Sun-protective clothes have a label listing the garment's Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) value, that is, the level of protection the garment provides from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. The higher the UPF, the higher the protection from the sun's UV rays.
The UPF rating indicates how much of the sun's UV radiation is absorbed by the fabric. For example, a fabric with a UPF rating of 20 only allows 1/20 of the sun's UV radiation to pass through it. This means that this fabric will reduce your skin's UV radiation exposure by 20 times where it's protected by the fabric.
Everything above UPF 50 may be labeled UPF 50+; however, these garments may not offer substantially more protection than those with a UPF of 50. Also, a garment shouldn't be labeled "sun-protective" or "UV-protective" if its UPF is less than 15. Sun-protective clothing may lose its effectiveness if it's too tight or stretched out, damp or wet, and if it has been washed or worn repeatedly.
Question 26
26. According to information in this text, which of the following articles of clothing would likely provide the most UV protection?
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a dark red polyester pullover
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a wet white cotton T-shirt
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a pale yellow silk blouse
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a stretched-out gray wool sweater
Answer to question 26
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0005) In the first paragraph of the excerpt, the author indicates two key factors that determine the level of sun protection that a fabric may provide: the tightness of the fabric's weave or knit and the darkness of the fabric's color. A pullover that is dark red and made of polyester, which has a very tight weave, would provide a high level of sun protection. Other tops, though, that are relatively lighter in color (white, pale yellow, or gray) and made of fabrics that have a looser weave (cotton, wool) would provide relatively less sun protection. Additionally, according to information in the excerpt, the condition of a top, such as being stretched out or wet, would further diminish its ability to provide sun protection.
Question 27
27. According to information in the text, any fabric that allows less than 2%, or 1/50one fiftieth, of the sun's UV rays to pass through it would most likely have which of the following UPF ratings?
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2
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15
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20
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50+ plus
Answer to question 27
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0005) In the second paragraph of the excerpt, the author indicates that a fabric that allows 1/20 of the sun's UV radiation to pass through it has a UPF rating of 20. Therefore, a fabric that allows 1/50 of that radiation to pass through it has a UPF rating of 50. If a fabric allows less than 1/50 of the radiation to pass through it, then it would have a UPF rating of more than 50. And according to information in the third paragraph, any fabric with a UPF greater than 50 is labeled 50+.
Correct Response: D. (Objective 0005) In the second paragraph of the excerpt, the author indicates that a fabric that allows one twentieth of the sun's UV radiation to pass through it has a UPF rating of 20. Therefore, a fabric that allows one fiftieth of that radiation to pass through it has a UPF rating of 50. If a fabric allows less than one fiftieth of the radiation to pass through it, then it would have a UPF rating of more than 50. And according to information in the third paragraph, any fabric with a UPF greater than 50 is labeled 50 plus.
Question 28
28. Read the excerpt below from Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare; then answer the question that follows.
MACBETH. The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it pays itself. Your Highness' part
Is to receive our duties, and our duties
Are to your throne and state children and servants,
Which do but what they should by doing everything
Safe toward your love and honor.
KING. Welcome hither.
I have begun to plant thee and will labor
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved nor must be known
No less to have done so, let me enfold thee
And hold thee to my heart.
BANQUO. There if I grow,
The harvest is your own.
KING. My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fullness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow. Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know
We will establish our estate upon
Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland; which honor must
Not unaccompanied invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. From hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.
MACBETH. The rest is labor which is not used for you.
I'll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach;
So, humbly take my leave.
KING. My worthy Cawdor!
MACBETH. (aside)
The Prince of Cumberland—that is a step
On which I must fall down or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.
In the excerpt, the primary purpose of Macbeth's aside is to:
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illustrate Macbeth's talent for clever wordplay.
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explain why Macbeth owes loyalty to the king.
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suggest that Macbeth has secrets from his wife.
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expose Macbeth's hypocrisy and cold ambition.
Answer to question 28
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Correct Response: D. (Objective 0006) In the excerpt, the king announces plans to make his eldest son Malcom the Prince of Cumberland. In an aside to the audience, Macbeth refers to the Prince of Cumberland as "a step / On which I must fall down or else o'erleap, / For in my way it lies." This metaphor reveals Macbeth's desire to remove any obstacle to his own ambition, in whatever way possible. In contrast to the king's claim that "signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine / On all deservers," Macbeth wishes to avoid the stars' light, so that his "black and deep desires" remain hidden. He hints that his ambition will lead him to commit an act he knows to be immoral: "the eye wink at the hand; yet let that be / Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see."
Question 29
29. Read the excerpt below from "Games at Twilight," a short story by Anita Desai; then answer the question that follows.
They had quite forgotten him. Raghu had found all the others long ago. There had been a fight about who was to be It next. It had been so fierce that their mother had emerged from her bath and made them change to another game. Then they had played another and another. Broken mulberries from the tree and eaten them. Helped the driver wash the car when their father returned from work. Helped the gardener water the beds till he roared at them and swore he would complain to their parents. The parents had come out, taken up their positions on the cane chairs. They had begun to play again, sing and chant. All this time no one had remembered Ravi. Having disappeared from the scene, he had disappeared from their minds. Clean.
The primary purpose of the excerpt is to illustrate the children's:
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privileged lives.
-
love of competition.
-
boundless energy.
-
disregard for others.
Answer to question 29
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: D. (Objective 0006) In the excerpt, the children's sole concern is to amuse themselves. When they fight over who will be "It" next, they do not seem to care that their mother has to leave her bath to intervene. The children break, rather than pick, mulberries from the tree, showing their careless selfishness. When they "help" their father's driver and the gardener, the gardener threatens to complain to their parents. The gardener's threat suggests that the children care more about amusing themselves than helping the gardener. Most egregiously, the children have forgotten about Ravi, who is still hiding from Raghu: "Having disappeared from the scene, he had disappeared from their minds."
Question 30
30. Read the poem below; then answer the question that follows.
Passing through huddled and ugly walls,
By doorways where women haggard
Looked from their hunger-deep eyes,
Haunted with shadows of hunger-hands,
Out from the huddled and ugly walls,
I came sudden, at the city's edge,
On a blue burst of lake—
Long lake waves breaking under the sun
On a spray-flung curve of shore;
And a fluttering storm of gulls,
Masses of great gray wings
And flying white bellies
Veering and wheeling free in the open.
Which of the following sound devices is used in the first six lines of the poem to create one mood and in the last seven lines to create a different, contrasting mood?
-
consonance
-
onomatopoeia
-
assonance
-
alliteration
Answer to question 30
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: C. (Objective 0006) Assonance is the repetition of similar vowel sounds to achieve a particular effect. In the first six lines of the poem, the repetition of the /ŭ/ sound in the words huddled, ugly, hunger, and sudden helps create an oppressive mood that matches the description of "ugly walls" and haggard women who are "[h]aunted with shadows of hunger-hands." In contrast, the repetition of the /ā/ sound in the words lake, waves, breaking, spray, great, and gray helps create an upbeat mood that matches the content of the last seven lines. As the speaker reaches the "city's edge," the ugliness gives way to "a blue burst of lake," "a spray-flung curve of shore," and gulls "free in the open."
Question 31
31. Read the excerpt below from a poem; then answer the question that follows.
You, so warm, may once have been
Warmer towards another one;
I, so cold, may once have seen
Sunlight, once have felt the sun:
Who shall show us if it was
Thus indeed in time of old?
Fades the image from the glass
And the fortune is not told.
If you promised, you might grieve
For lost liberty again;
If I promised, I believe
I should fret to break the chain:
Let us be the friends we were,
Nothing more but nothing less;
Many thrive on frugal fare
Who would perish of excess.
Which of the following ideas is central to the excerpt?
-
Memories are unreliable stories about the past.
-
Friendship is more lasting than romantic desire.
-
Grief over a lost loved one can take many forms.
-
Freedom is more valuable than material wealth.
Answer to question 31
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
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Correct Response: B. (Objective 0006) Several textual clues reveal the central idea of this excerpt: a strong friendship is more lasting and potentially more meaningful than a romantic relationship. In the first stanza, the speaker directly addresses "You," presumably another person and not the reader, and reflects on previous relationships. In the second stanza, the poem's central idea comes into focus. The speaker resolves, "Let us be the friends we were/ Nothing more but nothing less," indicating that the earlier use of pronouns "you" and "us" does indeed refer to a relationship between the speaker and his or her friend. In the final line, the speaker calls friendship "frugal fare" upon which "[m]any thrive" and suggests that a friendship that turns into a romantic relationship "would perish."
Poem For Questions 32 and 33
Read the poem below; then answer the questions that follow.
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know.
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify?
Not only under ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
Question 32
32. Which of the following figures of speech is used most prominently in the poem?
-
metonymy
-
allusion
-
hyperbole
-
apostrophe
Answer to question 32
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: D. (Objective 0006) Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which a person, usually absent, or an abstract idea is addressed directly. The poem begins with a conspicuous use of apostrophe: the speaker addresses directly the month of April, and by implication, the spring season, beauty, and life. The speaker first asks, "To what purpose, April, do you return again?" And then the speaker follows immediately with the declaration, "You can no longer quiet me with the redness / Of little leaves opening stickily."
Question 33
33. In the poem, the speaker's tone reveals an attitude of:
-
surprise and curiosity.
-
discontent and pessimism.
-
compassion and support.
-
anger and defiance.
Answer to question 33
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: B. (Objective 0006) In the poem, the speaker reveals an attitude of discontent and pessimism through such comments as "Beauty is not enough," "It is not enough that yearly ... / April / Comes like an idiot, babbling ...," "I know what I know," and "Life in itself / Is nothing, / An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs." The speaker's disparaging view of spring, beauty, and life reveals that the speaker is profoundly unhappy.
Question 34
34. Which of the following excerpts is most characteristic of the style and subject matter of the works of Virginia Woolf?
-
She was slender, and apparently scarcely past girlhood: an admirable form, and the most exquisite little face that I have ever had the pleasure of beholding: small features, very fair; flaxen ringlets, or rather golden, hanging loose on her delicate neck; and eyes, had they been agreeable in expression, they would have been irresistible: fortunately for my susceptible heart, the only sentiment they evinced hovered between scorn and a kind of desperation, singularly unnatural to be detected there.
-
So with the house empty and the doors locked and the mattresses rolled round, those stray airs, advance guards of great armies, blustered in, brushed bare boards, nibbled and fanned, met nothing in bedroom or drawing-room that wholly resisted them but only hangings that flapped, wood that creaked, the bare legs of tables, saucepans and china already furred, tarnished, cracked.
-
The next morning it was still snowing furiously when we got away with our new stock of saddles and accouterments. We mounted and started. The snow lay so deep on the ground that there was no sign of a road perceptible, and the snowfall was so thick that we could not see more than a hundred yards ahead, else we could have guided our course by the mountain ranges.
-
The woods were already filled with shadows one June evening, just before eight o'clock, though a bright sunset still glimmered faintly among the trunks of the trees. A little girl was driving home her cow, a plodding, dilatory, provoking creature in her behavior, but a valued companion for all that. They were going away from the western light, and striking deep into the dark woods, but their feet were familiar with the path, and it was no matter whether their eyes could see it or not.
Answer to question 34
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
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Correct Response: B. (Objective 0007) Virginia Woolf's distinctive style is characterized by a blending of characters' interior and exterior worlds, as well as nonlinear plots and shifts in perspective. This excerpt features an omniscient point of view that seems to slow down a moment in time to capture its emotional weight. The reader follows "[s]tray airs" as they "brushed bare boards, nibbled and fanned," occupying a house left vacant by its human occupants. The stark image of "saucepans and china already furred, tarnished, cracked" illustrates the harsh effects of absence and neglect.
Question 35
35. The use of fractured narratives and stream-of-consciousness is most characteristic of which of the following literary movements?
-
modernism
-
realism
-
romanticism
-
transcendentalism
Answer to question 35
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
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Correct Response: A. (Objective 0007) Modernism emerged in large part as a response to the death and destruction of World War I1. Writers expressed their disillusionment with the postwar world through fractured, nonlinear narratives. Some modernists employed stream-of-consciousness to portray characters' disconnected thoughts rather than cohesive ideas or actions.
Question 36
36. Which of the following excerpts is most characteristic of the style and subject matter of the works of Zora Neale Hurston?
-
Like an alley in a dream the road stretched, brown, dim, monotonous, between the tall trees; and this alley seemed to her unutterably sad, strewn with dead leaves and haunted by an autumnal taint of decay. The fear in her own mind had fallen like a blight on her surroundings, as if the external world were merely a shadow thrown by the subjective processes within her soul.
-
The scent of cane came from the copper pan and drenched the forest and the hill that sloped to factory town, beneath its fragrance. It drenched the men in circle seated around the stove. Some of them chewed at the white pulp of stalks, but there was no need for them to, if all they wanted was to taste the cane. One tasted it in factory town.
-
It was the time for sitting on porches beside the road. It was the time to hear things and talk. These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human. They became lords of sounds and lesser things. They passed nations through their mouths.
-
There were mean people everywhere, to be sure, even in their own country town here. But they weren't tempered, hardened, sharpened, like the treacherous people in cities who live by grinding or cheating or poisoning their fellow men. He had helped to bury two of his fellow workmen in the tailoring trade, and he was distrustful of the organized industries that see one out of the world in big cities.
Answer to question 36
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: C. (Objective 0007) As both a fiction writer and an anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston showed a great interest in African American culture in the rural South. The correct response exemplifies Hurston's use of figurative language ("the skins felt powerful and human," "They passed nations through their mouths") to create vivid portrayals of individuals and communities. In this excerpt, Hurston depicts the transformation of laborers who are treated as "tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences" into "lords of sounds" who feel "powerful and human." The scene reflects Hurston's interest in the ways that oral tradition defined and enriched African American communities in the South.
Question 37
37. Read the excerpt below from "Blue Winds Dancing," a fictionalized autobiographical work by Tom Whitecloud; then answer the question that follows.
There is a moon out tonight. Moon and stars and clouds tipped with moonlight. And there is a fall wind blowing in my heart. Ever since this evening, when against a fading sky I saw geese wedge southward. They were going home. ... Now I try to study, but against the pages I see them again, driving southward. Going home.
Across the valley there are heavy mountains holding up the night sky, and beyond the mountains there is home. Home, and peace, and the beat of drums, and blue winds dancing over snowfields. The Indian lodge will fill with my people, and our gods will come and sit among them. I should be there then. I should be at home.
But home is beyond the mountains, and I am here. Here where fall hides in the valleys, and winter never comes down from the mountains. Here where all the trees grow in rows; the palms stand stiffly by the roadsides, and in the groves the orange trees line in the military rows, and endlessly bear fruit. Beautiful, yes; there is always beauty in order, in rows of growing things! But it is the beauty of captivity. A pine fighting for existence on a windy knoll is much more beautiful.
In the excerpt, Whitecloud associates his "home" most closely with which of the following concepts?
-
freedom
-
harmony
-
compassion
-
security
Answer to question 37
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: A. (Objective 0007) In the excerpt, the narrator is first reminded of home by the sight of geese in flight, themselves heading home. Home, then, is wildness and the freedom of flight, the ability to fight against gravity, groundedness, restrictions, or confinement. To experience freedom and reach home is a great struggle, but for the narrator, it is also the greatest beauty—"A pine fighting for existence on a windy knoll is much more beautiful" than the "beauty in order, in rows of growing things," "the beauty of captivity."
Question 38
38. Read "My Arkansas" below, a poem by Maya Angelou; then answer the question that follows.
There is a deep brooding
in Arkansas.
Old crimes like moss pend
from poplar trees.
The sullen earth
is much too
red for comfort.
Sunrise seems to hesitate
and in that second
lose its
incandescent aim, and
dusk no more shadows
than the noon.
The past is brighter yet.
Old hates and
ante-bellum lace are rent
but not discarded.
Today is yet to come
in Arkansas.
It writhes. It writhes in awful
waves of brooding.
In the poem, Angelou refers implicitly to which of the following injustices experienced by African Americans as a result of racism in the United States?
-
segregated education
-
sharecropping
-
mob violence
-
disfranchisement
Answer to question 38
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: C. (Objective 0007) In the poem, the speaker refers to "old hates" and "old crimes" that "pend [like moss] from poplar trees." This symbol of pending—of hanging, of lingering—hates and crimes represents the lynchings and other types of mob violence experienced by African Americans as a result of extreme racism in the United States. The speaker explains that the memories of these crimes, and the hatred that gave rise to them, are not easily "discarded." Even today, we continue to struggle against them, to suffer, to "writhe."
Question 39
39. Read "The Answer" below, a poem by Bei Dao; then answer the question that follows.
Debasement is the password of the base,
Nobility the epitaph of the noble.
See how the gilded sky is covered
With the drifting twisted shadows of the dead.
The Ice Age is over now,
Why is there ice everywhere?
The Cape of Good Hope has been discovered,
Why do a thousand sails contest the Dead Sea?
I came into this world
Bringing only paper, rope, a shadow,
To proclaim before the judgment
The voice that has been judged:
Let me tell you, world,
I—do—not—believe!
If a thousand challengers lie beneath your feet,
Count me as number thousand and one.
I don't believe the sky is blue;
I don't believe in thunder's echoes;
I don't believe that dreams are false;
I don't believe that death has no revenge.
If the sea is destined to breach the dikes
Let all the brackish water pour into my heart;
If the land is destined to rise
Let humanity choose a peak for existence again.
A new conjunction and glimmering stars
Adorn the unobstructed sky now;
They are the pictographs from five thousand years.
They are the watchful eyes of future generations.
In the poem, the speaker most clearly expresses which of the following attitudes?
-
nostalgia for simpler times
-
ambivalence about change
-
rejection of accepted truths
-
outrage over social injustice
Answer to question 39
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: C. (Objective 0007) In the fifth stanza, the speaker rejects accepted ideas, insisting on the right to discover his own truths. Just as the sky is "unobstructed," the speaker demands an unobstructed view of the world. The speaker suggests that the "watchful eyes of future generations" are witnesses to the truth, that it can no longer be hidden from view.
Question 40
40. Read the excerpt below from The Jungle, a novel by Upton Sinclair; then answer the question that follows.
They were beaten; they had lost the game, they were swept aside. It was not less tragic because it was so sordid, because it had to do with wages and grocery bills and rents. They had dreamed of freedom; of a chance to look about them and learn something; to be decent and clean, to see their child grow up to be strong. And now it was all gone—it would never be! They had played the game and they had lost. Six years more of toil they had to face before they could expect the least respite, the cessation of the payments upon the house; and how cruelly certain it was that they could never stand six years of such a life as they were living! They were lost, they were going down—and there was no deliverance for them, no hope; for all the help it gave them the vast city in which they lived might have been an ocean waste, a wilderness, a desert, a tomb. So often this mood would come to Ona, in the night-time, when something wakened her; she would lie, afraid of the beating of her own heart, fronting the blood-red eyes of the old primeval terror of life. Once she cried aloud, and woke Jurgis, who was tired and cross. After that she learned to weep silently—their moods so seldom came together now! It was as if their hopes were buried in separate graves.
In the excerpt, the phrases "an ocean waste, a wilderness, a desert, a tomb" and "the old primeval terror of life" highlight which of the following aspects of urban life in the United States during the early twentieth century?
-
exploitation of child labor
-
dehumanization of workers
-
increase in criminal activity
-
unsanitary living conditions
Answer to question 40
- Answer Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
-
Correct Response: B. (Objective 0007) In the excerpt, the phrases highlight the dehumanization of workers that characterized life for many residents of U.S. cities during the early twentieth century. The hopelessness experienced by Ona causes her to think that the city where she and her family live "might have been an ocean waste, a wilderness, a desert, a tomb," inhospitable places that cannot support life as she wishes to live it. At night she wakes to confront "the old primeval terror of life," as if she has lost her humanity and become a preyed-upon wild animal whose only goal is survival.
Acknowledgements:
Chappatte, Patrick. Internet And Censorship. Attribution: Patrick Chappatte, start italics The International Herald Tribune end italics. Cagle Cartoons, www.caglecartoons.com.
Stabler, Barton. "Dense Architecture." Used by permission of Stock Illustration Source.
Block, Herb. "Fire!" ---published June 17, 1949. A 1949 Herblock Cartoon, ©copyright The Herb Block Foundation.
Breen, Steve. The Presidential Candidates' View of the U.S. By permission of Steve Breen and Creators Syndicate, Inc.
FERNANDEZ-ARMESTO, FELIPE, THE WORLD: A HISTORY, COMBINED VOLUME, 2nd Ed., ©copyright 2010. Reprinted and Electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., New York, NY.
Games At Twilight by Anita Desai. Published by William Heinemann, 1978. Copyright ©copyright Anita Desai. Reproduced by permission of the author c/o Rogers, Coleridge &and White Ltd., 20 Powis Mews, London W111JN
Woolf, Virginia. From "To the Lighthouse." Used by permission of The Society of Authors as the Literary Representative of the Estate of Virginia Woolf.
Excerpt from BARREN GROUND by Ellen Glasgow. Copyright 1933, 1925 by Ellen Glasgow and renewed 1961, 1953 by First and Merchants National Bank of Richmond. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Brief excerpt from p. 1 from THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD by ZORA NEALE HURSTON. Copyright ©copyright 1937 by Hurston. Renewed ©copyright 1965 by John C. Hurston and Joel Hurston. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Cather, Willa. "Neighbor Rosicky." From American Literature, Scribner Literature Series. The Willa Cather Foundation. Used with permission.
From CANE by Jean Toomer. Copyright 1923 by Boni & Liveright, renewed 1951 by Jean Toomer. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation.
"Blue Winds Dancing" by Thomas Whitecloud is reprinted with the permission of Scribner, a division of Simon &and Schuster, Inc., from SCRIBNER'S MAGAZINE, VOL. 103, FEBRUARY 1938. Copyright ©copyright 1938, 1966 by Charles Scribner's Sons. All rights reserved.
"My Arkansas" from AND STILL I RISE: A BOOK OF POEMS by Maya Angelou, copyright ©copyright 1978 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
By Bei Dao, translated by Bonnie S. McDougall, from THE AUGUST SLEEPWALKER, copyright ©copyright 1988 by Bei Dao, Translation copyright ©copyright 1988, 1990 by Bonnie S. McDougall. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.