1. An epic simile is different from a normal simile in that an epic simile (1 point)
is not limited to a single, distinct image, but is more complex.
is used only in connection with the epic hero.
begins with the words like, as, just as, or so.
contains personification.
2. Read the following quote from Betty Bonham Lies’s retelling of the myth of Orpheus and
Eurydice.
When Orpheus made music, all the world stopped to listen. Wild beasts drew near
him, so entranced they put aside their fierceness. Trees gathered around to hear his
beautiful notes. Rivers stopped flowing along the banks so that they could hear
Orpheus, whose music was more harmonious than theirs. The very rocks softened
when he touched his lyre.
What does the use of hyperbole accomplish?
(1 point)
It foreshadow future events in the plot so that readers are able to understand how Orpheus will use his
music to succeed.
It exaggerates Orpheus’ beautiful music so that readers understand how powerful an effect Orpheus's
music has.
It explains Orpheus’s musical skills so that readers know that Orpheus is able to tame animals with his
music.
It provides comparisons between Orpheus’s music and things in nature so that readers understand the
link between music and nature.
3. How does the boldness Odysseus shows in the Cyclops’s cave drive subsequent plot events? (1 point)
Several of Odysseus’s men are eaten.
Odysseus and his men spend the night in the Cyclops’s cave.
Odysseus gives the Cyclops wine to drink.
Odysseus and his men blind the Cyclops.
4. Edgar Allan Poe uses foreshadowing in “The Cask of Amontillado” to create mystery in which
of the following quotes?
(1 point)
“He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and
bells.”
“And as for Luchresi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado.”
“‘You? Impossible! A Mason?’ ‘A Mason,’ I replied. ‘A sign,’ he said, ‘a sign.’”
“I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up.”
5. In “The Most Dangerous Game,” Zaroff is defeated by Rainsford's hunting skills and also by
his
(1 point)
own overconfidence.
loss of Ivan.
inattention to detail.
inferior hunting skills.
6. Read the following lines from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven”:
“Suddenly there came a tapping, / As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber
door.”
Which poetic device does Poe use in these lines?
(1 point)
consonance
hyperbole
metaphor
onomatopoeia
7. Which quote from “The Morning of June 28, 1948” best supports the conclusion that the
public strongly disliked “The Lottery?”
(1 point)
“This, as any writer of stories can tell you, is not a usual thing.”
“Your story has kicked up quite a fuss around the office.”
“Later that day there was a call from one of the magazine’s editors; they had had a couple of people
phone in about my story, he said, and was there anything I particularly wanted him to say if there were
any more calls?”
“One of the most terrifying aspects of publishing stories and books is the realization that they are going
to be read, and read by strangers.”
8. Which of the following passages from "The Morning of June 28, 1948, and 'The Lottery'" best
shows how Shirley Jackson’s specific word choices contribute to the story’s tone?
(1 point)
I went on picking up the mail every morning, pushing my daughter up and down the hill in her stroller,
anticipating pleasurably the check from The New Yorker, and shopping for groceries.
The weather stayed nice and it looked as though it was going to be a good summer.
No, I said, nothing in particular; it was just a story I wrote.
Then, on June 28, The New Yorker came out with my story.
9. In “The Gift of the Magi,” what is the irony in O. Henry's description of Madame Sofronie, the
hair dealer?
Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie.”
(1 point)
Della gets less money for her hair than she had expected.
Madame Sofronie's name leads us to expect elegance, but she looks ordinary instead.
Madame Sofronie has changed so much that Della does not recognize her.
Madame Sofronie speaks little English, so Della has trouble explaining what she wants.
10. What does Shirley Jackson accomplish by using stock characters in “The Lottery” instead of
complex characters?
(1 point)
Readers meet many different stock characters in “The Lottery.”
Readers focus on the mysterious plot events instead of the characters.
Readers know that each character plays an important role in the story.
Readers desire to learn more about each stock character’s motivations.
11. Which of the following lines from the poem “To Be of Use” best conveys the connotation that
hard work is associated with dignity and gratification?
(1 point)
“They seem to become natives of that element,”
“I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,”
“The work of the world is common as mud.”
“Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.”
12. How does the following line from “I Hear America Singing” contribute to the overall theme of
the poem?
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else
(1 point)
Each song and task fully expresses an individual.
Although everyone is different, everyone sings the same song.
Each person has written a song to sing while working.
All of the writers have their own equipment.
13. Read the following lines from Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing”:
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his, as it should be
blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
Which language best contributes to the enthusiastic tone?
(1 point)
the words blithe and strong
the words mechanics and carpenter
the words hear and varied
the repeated use of the word singing
14. Read the following lines from “The Raven”:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’is some visitor,” I muttered, “Tapping at my chamber door—
Only this, and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
What mood do the underlined words help create?
(1 point)
anger
anxiousness
despair
restlessness
15. Why might an author use a metaphor to enhance the meaning of fiction or poetry? (1 point)
to create an image in readers’ minds
to represent a larger thought or idea
to give a story or poem a song-like quality
to help set the mood of the story or poem
16. Which of the following shows the correct parenthetical citation for a quote from page 91 of an
article in the October 2002 issue of Travel America magazine called “Backroads of
Oklahoma,” written by Mary R. Simpson?
(1 point)
(Simpson 91)
(“Backroads” 91)
(Travel America 91)
(“Backroads of Oklahoma,” 91)
17. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
One of the boys forgot _____ backpack outside in the rain.
(1 point)
his
its
their
they
18. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
The best player to watch is _____.
(1 point)
she
her
him
me
19. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
Though they were hungry, both Mara Lee and Roman stayed for _____ meeting.
(1 point)
her
his
his or her
their
20. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
Karina and _____ are working together to build the model.
(1 point)
her
me
she
us
21. Identify the sentence in which the underlined verb does not agree with its subject. (1 point)
Both Sarah and Eleana are playing this Saturday.
Either of the girls are a good choice for a leader.
Everyone in the room plans to sign up for drama.
One of the new computers in our lab has a virus.
22. Identify the sentence in which the underlined verb does not agree with its subject. (1 point)
The trophies are ready to be awarded.
There is no reason why he cannot play.
Most of these math questions are easy.
The softball and baseball teams is ready.
Either of the girls are a good choice for a leader.
1. An epic simile is different from a normal simile in that an epic simile is not limited to a single, distinct image, but is more complex.
2. The use of hyperbole in the quote from Betty Bonham Lies's retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice exaggerates Orpheus' beautiful music so that readers understand how powerful an effect his music has.
3. The boldness Odysseus shows in the Cyclops's cave drives subsequent plot events by blinding the Cyclops and causing him to seek revenge on Odysseus and his men.
4. Edgar Allan Poe uses foreshadowing in "The Cask of Amontillado" to create mystery in the quote: "I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up."
5. In "The Most Dangerous Game," Zaroff is defeated by Rainsford's hunting skills and his own overconfidence.
6. The poetic device used by Edgar Allan Poe in the lines from "The Raven" is onomatopoeia.
7. The quote from "The Morning of June 28, 1948" that best supports the conclusion that the public strongly disliked "The Lottery" is: "Your story has kicked up quite a fuss around the office."
8. The passage from "The Morning of June 28, 1948, and 'The Lottery'" that shows how Shirley Jackson's specific word choices contribute to the story's tone is: "Then, on June 28, The New Yorker came out with my story."
9. The irony in O. Henry's description of Madame Sofronie, the hair dealer, in "The Gift of the Magi" is that Madame Sofronie looks ordinary instead of elegant, despite her name suggesting otherwise.
10. By using stock characters in "The Lottery" instead of complex characters, Shirley Jackson focuses readers on the mysterious plot events rather than the individual characters.
11. The line from the poem "To Be of Use" that best conveys the connotation that hard work is associated with dignity and gratification is: "I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart."
12. The line "Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else" from "I Hear America Singing" contributes to the overall theme by emphasizing that each person's work expresses their individuality.
13. The language that best contributes to the enthusiastic tone in Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" is the repeated use of the word "singing."
14. The underlined words in the lines from "The Raven" help create a mood of restlessness.
15. An author might use a metaphor to enhance the meaning of fiction or poetry by representing a larger thought or idea.
16. The correct parenthetical citation for a quote from page 91 of an article in the October 2002 issue of Travel America magazine called "Backroads of Oklahoma," written by Mary R. Simpson is: ("Backroads of Oklahoma," 91).
17. The word that best completes the sentence is "his".
18. The word that best completes the sentence is "she".
19. The word that best completes the sentence is "his or her".
20. The word that best completes the sentence is "us".
21. The sentence in which the underlined verb does not agree with its subject is: "Either of the girls are a good choice for a leader."
22. The sentence in which the underlined verb does not agree with its subject is: "The softball and baseball teams is ready."