Comparing Argumentative Texts
Read the excerpt from Silent Spring.
On the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched. The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigs—the litters were small and the young survived only a few days. The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit.
What kind of tone do the italicized words create?
bewildered
threatening
courageous
insignificant
threatening
Which excerpt from Silent Spring best appeals to readers’ pathos?
So it had been from the days many years ago when the first settlers raised their houses, sank their wells, and built their barns.
The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green fields. In autumn, oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of color that flamed and flickered across a backdrop of pines.
The countryside was, in fact, famous for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and when the flood of migrants was pouring through in spring and fall people traveled from great distances to observe them.
Yet every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them. A grim specter has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a stark reality we all shall know.
Yet every one of these disasters has actually happened somewhere, and many real communities have already suffered a substantial number of them. A grim specter has crept upon us almost unnoticed, and this imagined tragedy may easily become a stark reality we all shall know.
Read the excerpt from The Hot Zone.
She took up a scalpel and slit the monkey's abdomen, making a slow and gentle cut, keeping the blade well away from her gloved fingers. The spleen was puffed up and tough, leathery, like a globe of smoked salami. She did not see any bloody lesions inside this monkey. She had expected that the monkey's interior would be a lake of blood, but no, this monkey looked all right, it had not bled into itself.
Which strategy would be most helpful in determining the meaning of the word “scalpel”?
replacing “scalpel” with the nearby synonym “blade”
substituting the word “object” for the word “scalpel”
using context clues “away from her gloved fingers”
becoming familiar with prefixes, roots, and suffixes
replacing “scalpel” with the nearby synonym “blade”
Read the poem.
School looms large, and I feel small
I pause until the door swings wide
I hoist my pack, step inside
Adjust my cuffs, smooth my hair
And wonder what I’m doing here.
Which lines rhyme?
lines 1 and 2
lines 2 and 3
lines 3 and 4
lines 4 and 5
lines 2 and 3
Read the poem.
The lights dim and quiet descends,
Hushed whispers are barely heard
As silence surrounds
Until the movie ends.
Which words create alliteration in the poem?
lights; quiet
hushed whispers
silence surrounds
descends; ends
silence surrounds
Read the excerpt from Silent Spring.
It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.
In this excerpt, which phrase carries the most positive tone?
a spring without voices
the mornings that had once throbbed
the dawn chorus of robins
only silence lay over the fields
the dawn chorus of robins
___________ is a type of appeal that tries to make readers feel something.
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
Eros
Pathos
Which strategies are most effective to help a reader determine the meaning of an unknown word? Select three options.
Check for nearby synonyms that may provide a clue to the word’s meaning.
Determine if the author could have used a more appropriate word instead.
Check surrounding words to see what events are leading up to this word.
Ask people nearby if they happen to know the meaning of the unknown word.
Substitute the unfamiliar word with a familiar word to see if it makes sense.
Check for nearby synonyms that may provide a clue to the word’s meaning.
Check surrounding words to see what events are leading up to this word.
Substitute the unfamiliar word with a familiar word to see if it makes sense.
Read the poem.
Throat is dry;
weather’s hot.
I buy a can
and pop the top.
I lift the can
to trembling lips,
And find relief
With one cool sip.
How many stanzas does the poem contain?
1
2
3
4
2
Read the poem.
Wide-eyed clowns honk noses,
Toddlers shriek with glee,
A rogue balloon stops with a pop,
A big band blares its harmony.
Which words create alliteration in the poem?
honk; shriek
stops; pop
glee; harmony
big; band
big; band
Read the excerpt from Silent Spring.
In the gutters under the eaves and between the shingles of the roofs, a white granular powder still showed a few patches; some weeks before it had fallen like snow upon the roofs and the lawns, the fields and streams.
Which best explains how the phrase “white granular powder” supports the author’s purpose of calling attention to the environment?
The powder is an unnatural substance.
The powder has a texture like sugar.
The powder looks like freshly fallen snow.
The powder is used in house construction.
The powder is an unnatural substance.
Read the sentence from a summary about The Hot Zone.
The text brilliantly illustrates the risks involved in dealing with a Level 4 agent and describes in fascinating detail the painstaking process of preparing to enter “the hot zone.”
What best describes the sentence?
It is objective because it states facts and avoids opinions.
It is objective because it reflects feelings and opinions.
It is subjective because it reflects feelings and opinions.
It is subjective because it states facts and avoids opinions.
It is subjective because it reflects feelings and opinions.
Read the excerpt from The Hot Zone.
Jerry was terribly keyed up. In the past he had lectured Nancy on the dangers of working with Ebola in a space suit, and now he was leading a team into an Ebola hell. At the moment, he didn't care what happened to himself, personally. He was expendable, and he knew it.
Based on context clues, what is the best definition of the word "expendable”?
necessary to an operation
knowledgeable about a topic
capable of being sacrificed
useless in a specific situation
capable of being sacrificed
Read the poem.
Skimming the bottom
In the company of toes,
I observe the deep end
Though nobody knows.
In the depths, I am bold,
On the surface—shy.
My goggles transform me:
An underwater spy.
What is the poem’s rhyme scheme?
aabb
abab
abcb
abcd
abcb
Read the excerpt from “Sea Fever” by John Masefield.
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
Which sound device is most notable in the excerpt?
alliteration
assonance
onomatopoeia
rhyme
alliteration
Read the excerpt from Silent Spring.
On the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched. The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigs—the litters were small and the young survived only a few days. The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit.
The repetition of the word “no” in this excerpt helps create a tone of
motivation.
doom.
acceptance.
violence.
doom.
Read the excerpt from Silent Spring.
There had been several sudden and unexplained deaths, not only among adults but even among children, who would be stricken suddenly while at play and die within a few hours.
Which best describes how this excerpt appeals to readers’ emotions?
The sentence proves that the author is knowledgeable.
The sentence creates an image of children at play.
The sentence discusses the death of children.
The sentence offers facts about diseases adults contract.
The sentence discusses the death of children.
Read the excerpt from The Hot Zone.
They closed up their suits and lumbered across the staging area to a large air-lock door. This was a supply air lock. It did not lead into the hot zone. It led to the outside world. They opened it. On the floor of the air lock sat the seven garbage bags.
Which phrases are examples of jargon? Select three options.
staging area
supply air lock
hot zone
outside world
garbage bags
staging area
supply air lock
hot zone
Read this excerpt from "The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe.
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
Which statement best describes how Poe creates mood in the excerpt?
Poe uses onomatopoeia to create a frustrated mood.
Poe uses onomatopoeia to create a serious mood.
Poe uses onomatopoeia and rhyme to create a mood of panic.
Poe uses onomatopo
Poe uses onomatopoeia and rhyme to create a mood of panic.
Read the excerpt from “Sea Fever” by John Masefield.
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
Which sound device is most notable in this excerpt?
alliteration
assonance
onomatopoeia
rhyme
assonance
Read the sentence from the first paragraph of Silent Spring.
Then foxes barked in the hills and deer silently crossed the fields, half hidden in the mists of the fall mornings.
In this sentence, Carson mostly uses a cautious/ peaceful/ frightened/ melancholic/ tone.
peaceful
Read the excerpt from "Save the Redwoods."
Now some millmen want to cut all the Calaveras trees into lumber and money. But we have found a better use for them. No doubt these trees would make good lumber after passing through a sawmill, as George Washington after passing through the hands of a French cook would have made good food. But both for Washington and the tree that bears his name higher uses have been found.
In this excerpt, Muir compares a Calaveras tree to George Washington. The purpose of this comparison is to appeal to readers’
logos and reason.
ethos and credibility.
pathos and ethos.
logos and pathos.
logos and pathos.
Read the excerpt from The Hot Zone.
The line of cars followed behind two unmarked military vehicles. One was a supply van and the other was a snow-white ambulance. It was an unmarked Level 4 biocontainment ambulance. Inside it there were an Army medical-evacuation team and a biocontainment pod known as a bubble stretcher. This was a combat medical stretcher enclosed by a biocontainment bubble made of clear plastic. If someone was bitten by a monkey, he would go into the bubble, and from there he would be transferred to the Slammer. The supply van was a white unmarked refrigerator truck. This was to hold dead monkeys and tubes of blood.
The jargon in this excerpt makes the text sound
suspenseful and makes it more enjoyable.
authentic and allows it to be taken seriously.
creative and helps it to remain interesting.
truthful and helps it to be more convincing.
authentic and allows it to be taken seriously.
Read this excerpt from “Sea Fever” by John Masefield.
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking,
Which statement best describes how Masefield creates a hopeful mood in the excerpt?
The free form flows cheerfully and unpredictably.
The free form creates a sentimental conversation between man and sea.
The fixed meter and predictable rhyme scheme create an upbeat rhythm.
The fixed meter imitates the rhythm of a military march or parade.
The fixed meter and predictable rhyme scheme create an upbeat rhythm.
Which lines from “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe contain onomatopoeia? Check all that apply.
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
Keeping time, time, time,
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!