Key Literary Terms
"The apple green car with the white vinyl roof and Florida plates turned into the street like a greased cobra. Since Etta had stopped at a Mobil station three blocks away to work off the evidence of a hot, dusty 1,200-mile odyssey home, the chrome caught the rays of the afternoon sun and shone brightly like a gaudy neon sign."
This excerpt is most notable for its use of
A) wry wit
B) vivid similes
C) biting satire
D) obscure allusions
E) illuminating anecdotes
B) vivid similes
Initially confined to a remote mountain village, the disease proved to be remarkably ___ as it infected people throughout the entire country.
A) virulent
B) remunerative
C) sedentary
D) caustic
E) complicitous
The once upbeat candidate had to ___ her initial optimism as new polling data indicated that her popular support had begun to significantly erode.
A) temper
B) coerce
C) intensify
D) exonerate
E) remunerate
A) temper
Linduff has an unquestionably ___ manner: she fawns on anyone whom she perceives to be her superior.
A) imperious
B) inquisitive
C) discordant
D) belligerent
E) subservient
E) subservient
The late Isaac Asimov is among the most ___ writers of all time, having written or edited over 500 books.
A) paranoid
B) sanguine
C) dilatory
D) prolific
E) censorious
D) prolific
"The first time I saw dad I was shocked and embarrassed. The bright lights and heavy makeup exaggerated his bushy eyebrows and lit up his bald head. The same darting eyes that mesmerized his students gave him the appearance of one of the villains I watched on the Sunday morning cartoon shows."
The narrator suggests that, on television, his father came across as
A) caricature
B) knowledgeable commentator
C) self-deprecating authority
D) ironic and tragic figure
E) raconteur
A) caricature
The new labor contract was reached by ___ and compromise, not by force and ___.
A) allusion .. hyperbole
B) malfeasance .. manifesto
C) avarice .. disenfranchisement
D) consensus .. coercion
E) osmosis .. appeasement
D) consensus .. coercion
Critics panned the new action adventure film, saying that it was a trite story filled with ___ characters who were both formulaic and stereotypical.
A) munificent
B) unprecedented
C) stock
D) anecdotal
E) ironic
C) stock
The female subject of this painting by Henri Matisse seems ___, as if Matisse sought to portray an unconquerable female spirit.
A) ungainly
B) indomitable
C) quiescent
D) vacuous
E) perfidious
Since many successful composers draw their inspiration from a variety of cultures, styles, and disciplines, their approach could best be called ___.
A) refractory
B) vertiginous
C) histrionic
D) idyllic
E) eclectic
E) eclectic
In the movie 300, director Zach Snyder compares Sparta to a "lonely citadel of freedom" valiantly holding out against the tyrant Xerxes and his vast horde of Persian soldiers. This heroic image of indomitable Spartans determined to fight to the death remains dominant in popular culture.
The author suggests that the "lonely citadel of freedom" is best understood as
A) an anecdote relaying an important message
B) an unflattering flashback
C) a vivid metaphor for heroic resistance
D) a satirical commentary on Spartan bravery
E) an uninspired simile
C) a vivid metaphor for heroic resistance
The revolutionary leaders produced ___ that both clearly and succinctly declared their major beliefs while calling upon their followers to rise up against their oppressors.
A) a memoir
B) a manifesto
C) a caricature
D) a pretext
E) an anecdote
B) a manifesto
John Dean's accusations that top White House officials obstructed justice by trying to cover up the Watergate break-in ___ a sequence of events that led to President Nixon's resignation.
A) negotiated
B) precipitated
C) arrested
D) eclipsed
E) tempered
B) precipitated
Brianna was a friendly and conciliatory person; she had none of her brother's ___.
A) pugnacity
B) affability
C) venality
D) elan
E) extravagance
A) pugnacity
Good parenting groups denounced the YouTube video, finding it to be in ___ taste because it included repulsive images and profane language.
A) scintillating
B) discriminating
C) ornate
D) execrable
E) ineffable
D) execrable
"Mr. Williams praised Alex's short story for its descriptive vocabulary and impressive use of metaphorical language. However, as an honest and incisive critic, Mr. Williams admonished Alex for failing to explore the relationship between the literal meaning of what his protagonist said and what he really implied."
Mr. Williams criticized Alex's short story for its
A) outstanding use of metaphors and similes
B) magisterial tone
C) incoherent structure
D) lack of dramatic irony
E) unrealistic hyperboles
D) lack of dramatic irony
The mayor's chief of staff successfully cleared himself of charges of ___ by proving that a member of the town council had clandestinely misappropriated the missing funds.
A) belligerence
B) appeasement
C) malfeasance
D) destitution
E) caricature
C) malfeasance
Selective taste and ___ judgement are essential for buying Modernist paintings, since a mistake can have expensive consequences.
A) belligerent
B) extravagant
C) crystallized
D) caustic
E) discriminating
E) discriminating
Daniel Webster's reputation for sublime ___ was reinforced by his learned, authoritative, and even ___ tone when delivering speeches on the Senate floor.
A) comedy .. truculent
B) diligence .. perfunctory
C) oratory .. magisterial
D) loyalty .. perfidious
E) optimism .. disheartening
C) oratory .. magisterial
Matthew was both ___ and ____: he was surly to the point of being rude and arrogant to the point of being obnoxious.
A) churlish .. supercilious
B) convival .. imperious
C) curt .. histrionic
D) verbose .. didactic
E) refractory .. sanguine
A) churlish .. supercilious
When critics panned Laurie's essays as too arcane for the average reader, they rushed to praise Madison's new novel. According to her legion of adoring fans, Madison writes in a hip, contemporary style, full of typical pop culture references.
"Thus, she writes knowingly about Miley Cyrus' latest song, Patrick Dempsey's latest movie and Rick Ross's latest chain and piece."
As a result, Madison is being universally praised as promising new talent.
"Thus, she ... piece" serve to provide examples of
A) particular references that critics found too esoteric
B) diverse subjects about which Madison has only superficial knowledge
C) comic subplots that enhance the novel's core theme
D) anecdotes that illustrate key ideas
E) specific allusions in Madison's novel
E) specific allusions in Madison's novel
Shilpa's ___ was the antithesis of her brother's generosity: she was very greedy, while he was very ___.
A) destitution .. affluence
B) irrelevance .. pertinent
C) inquisitiveness .. indifferent
D) egalitarianism .. autocratic
E) avarice .. munificent
E) avarice .. munificent
Determined to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions, leading environmentalists called for international ___ that ___ the growth of inefficient coal-burning factories.
A) paradigms .. foster
B) accords .. arrest
C) manifestos .. reaffirm
D) mandates .. encourage
E) anecdotes .. combat
B) accords .. arrest
According to Suetonius, Roman society was ___ and dissolute, for ___ behavior was encouraged by the irresponsible aristocracy.
A) gracious .. magisterial
B) idyllic .. perfidious
C) modest .. imperious
D) debauched .. licentious
E) duplicitous .. parsimonious
D) debauched .. licentious
In temperament the two leaders were very different: Janice was convivial, talkative, and at times even ___; in contrast, Sherece was unassuming, guarded, and at times even ___.
A) surly .. sullen
B) garrulous .. taciturn
C) verbose .. effusive
D) imperious .. egalitarian
E) obstreperous .. censorious
B) garrulous .. taciturn