Figurative Language
Word/Phrase Meaning
Text Evidence
Central Idea
Author's Purpose
100

What type of figurative language is the sentence below.

Difficult as to pin a medal on a shadow.

Simile

100

There amid the skunk cabbage and Jack-in-the-pulpits, pollywogs and turtles abounded.

As it is used in the sentence the word abounded MOST nearly means that pollywogs and turtles were

A. Large in size 

B. Heavy in weight

C. Distinct in appearance

D. Numerous in quantity 

D. Numerous in quantity

100

Companies who want to make decisions that will lead to their own success find data mining useful. Most people encounter the results of data mining in their daily lives. For instance, through artificial intelligence and machine learning, products and services are recommended to consumers. How many times have you seen a “You Might Like” or “Because You Watched” message pop up on an Amazon search or Netflix profile? These messages that often plague us are a result of data mining. Companies are constantly analyzing your interests, internet activity, and buying patterns to improve their bottom line. 

Paragraph 8 supports the inference that data mining..

A. it is ultimately timeless. 

B. is only used by corporations.

C. occurs on virtually every internet platform.

C. occurs on virtually every internet platform.

100

If you look at a skeleton of an elephant, you might not recognize the animal. That large, defining trunk that so many of us associate with elephants would be missing. Why? Because the trunk has no bones! Even so, the elephant’s trunk is one of its most important characteristics. It is essential for many tasks that allow the elephant to survive and thrive. 

Which quotation from paragraph 1 best states the main idea of the paragraph?

A. “If you look at a skeleton of an elephant, you might not recognize the animal.”

B. “That large, defining trunk that so many of us associate with elephants would be missing.”

C. “Why? Because the trunk has no bones!”

D. “Even so, the elephant’s trunk is one of its most important characteristics.”

D. “Even so, the elephant’s trunk is one of its most important characteristics.”

100

We cherish our friendship with all nations that are or would be free. We respect, no less, their independence. And when, in time of want or peril, they ask our help, they may honorably receive it; for we no more seek to buy their sovereignty than we would sell our own. Sovereignty is never bartered among freemen. 

Which quote from paragraph 18 best states the author’s purpose in the paragraph?

A. “We cherish our friendship with all nations that are or would be free.”

B. “And when, in time of want or peril, they ask our help, they may honorably receive it;....”

C. “...for we no more seek to buy their sovereignty than we would sell our own.”

D. “Sovereignty is never bartered among freemen.”

C. “...for we no more seek to buy their sovereignty than we would sell our own.”

200

Read the sentence from the passage.

The highway has been a mirror held up to the nation.

What does this metaphor mean?

A. The road became a symbol of the average American.

B. The road illustrates the optimism of American ideas.

C. The road reflects the variety of American experiences.

D. The road served as a centralized artery for the American dream.

A. The road became a symbol of the average American.

200

When Rachel stares superciliously, she is staring in a manner that appears. 

Select the word that BEST completes the sentence.
A. amiable

B. haughty

C. indulgent

D. pathetic

B. haughty

200

Imagine, then, my surprise when, the moment the parlor door was closed upon us, Mrs. Seward, approaching me most politely said, “Let me thank you for the brave words you uttered at the dinner table, and as for your speech to the legislature, that thrilled my soul as I read it over and over.” 

A. She believes that Judge Hurlbert is not an effective writer.

B. She supports the kind of change that the Stanton advocates.

C. She believes that Stanton considers her irrelevant to political change.

D. She agrees with her husband’s opposition to the writing of Judge Hurlbert

B. She supports the kind of change that the Stanton advocates.

200

Social Animals
10        The trunk has a pretty important job when it comes to helping the elephant stay alive. But it also helps them thrive. Elephants are social animals, and the trunk helps them communicate. Mother elephants often use their trunks to comfort their calves. They can also be observed using their trunks to guide their calves in the right direction. Calves soothe themselves with their own trunks also. Baby elephants have been seen sucking on their trunks in much the same way that a baby might soothe himself with a pacifier or by sucking his thumb. 

What is a central idea of the section Social Animals?

A. Elephants do a sort of “talking” using their trunks.

B. Mother elephants are very nurturing to their calves.

C. Baby elephants must learn to rely on themselves for comfort.

D. Elephants use their trunks to meet physical needs for survival.

A. Elephants do a sort of “talking” using their trunks.

200

May we pursue the right--without self-righteousness. May we know unity--without conformity. May we grow in strength--without pride in self. May we, in our dealings with all peoples of the earth, ever speak truth and serve justice.

 

How does Eisenhower use rhetoric to communicate his point of view in paragraph 3?

A. The author’s use of personal experience reveals the harmony he feels with the audience.

B. The author’s use of parallelism emphasizes his focus on a moral responsibility.

C. The author’s use of patriotic language illustrates his genuine interest in protecting American interests.

D. The author’s use of fallacy emphasizes the ideas about peace that he thinks are most important.

B. The author’s use of parallelism emphasizes his focus on a moral responsibility.

300

Read the sentence from Paragraph 9 of the passage.

Poems respect our ability to interpret and translate images and signs.

Which literary device is used in this sentence?

A. foreshadowing

B. irony

C. hyperbole

D. personification

D. personification

300

A person who is “a born skeptic” is someone who is

Select the word that BEST completes the sentence

A. attentive 

B. distrusting 

C. romantic 

D. unsteady 

B. distrusting

300

When you make a commitment to another person, you establish what psychologists call a contingency of reinforcement; you have automatically arranged for a reward if you comply and a punishment if you do not. 

A. A commitment usually gives you a reward.

B. A commitment forces you to depend on a friend.


C. A commitment changes your behavior immediately.


D. A commitment makes you responsible to someone else.

D. A commitment makes you responsible to someone else.

300

All positions are filled in accordance with Office of Personnel Management (Civil Service) regulations. Although you will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, or other nonmerit factors, you must be a United States citizen. For certain jobs there may be age and physical qualifications. Generally, one must be 18 years old to work for the National Park Service, although some positions require age 21.

What is Paragraph 9 mostly about?

A. job responsibilities

B. management opportunities

C. further qualifications

D. age restrictions

C. further qualifications

300

So taking a change of linen and my violin, I was ready to depart. The carriage was brought round. It was a covered one, drawn by a pair of noble bays, altogether forming an elegant establishment. Their baggage, consisting of three large trunks, was fastened on the rack and, mounting to the driver's seat, while they took their places in the rear, I drove away from Saratoga on the road to Albany, elated with my new position and happy as I had ever been on any day in all my life.

How does the author’s use of the words elegant establishment help to advance Northup’s point of view toward Hamilton and Brown?

A. by highlighting the protective covering of the carriage

B. by suggesting the security the two men offered 

C.by suggesting a hurried preparation for the journey

D. by highlighting the size of the trunks the men carried

B. by suggesting the security the two men offered

400

Read these lines from “The Sunflowers.”

Their bright faces, / which follow the sun, / will listen.

In these lines, the poet uses what literary device?

A. overstatement

B. simile

C. personification

D. hyperbole

C. personification

400

 

Through the large glass windows of the coach, as it rolled along, the people could discern the figure of Lady Eleanore, strangely combining an almost queenly stateliness with the grace and beauty of a maiden in her teens.

What does discern MOST LIKELY mean in this sentence?

A. detect with the eyes

B. recognize as incomplete

C. come to know as different

D. determine through contemplation

B. recognize as incomplete

400

Action -- The person admits to having a bad habit and begins correcting the habit with positive behavior.

The Action stage of committed change relates to 

A. checking Web sites for exercise equipment.

B. thinking about making a grocery list to avoid unnecessary purchases.

C. having lunch with a friend who agrees not to order dessert because you can’t eat sweets.

D. understanding that walking two flights of stairs will burn more calories than taking an elevator.

C. having lunch with a friend who agrees not to order dessert because you can’t eat sweets.

400

Anyone who feels poetry is an alien or ominous form should consider the style in which human beings think. "How do you think?" I ask my students. "Do you think in complete, elaborate sentences? In fully developed paragraphs with careful footnotes? Or in flashes and bursts of images, snatches of lines leaping one to the next, descriptive fragments, sensory details?" We think in poetry. But some people pretend poetry is far away.

Which sentence BEST states the main idea of Paragraph 6?

A. Poetry can be difficult to comprehend.

B. Most people choose to ignore poetry.

C. Lines of poetry are like paragraphs with footnotes.

D. People’s thoughts are like the images in poetry.

D. People’s thoughts are like the images in poetry.

400

Read the sentence from Paragraph 1.
Sounds like something from a superhero comic book, doesn’t it?

The author’s choice of words in the sentence helps indicate that the passage is written for


A. artists.

B. scientists.

C. teachers.

D. young people.

D. young people.

500

Read the sentence from Paragraph 9.

A thread looping together a giant patchwork of Americana, this fabled road represents much more than just another American highway.

What does the metaphor mean?

A. The road intersected randomly with other roads.

B. The road divided large sections of the American landscape.

C. The road connected many segments of the American population.

D. The road provided a cautionary tale about highway development.

C. The road connected many segments of the American population.

500

It was an awkward coincidence that the bell of the Old South was just then tolling for a funeral; so that, instead of gladsome peal with which it is customary to announce the arrival of distinguished strangers, Lady Eleanore Rochcliffe was ushered by a doleful clang, as if calamity had come embodied in her beautiful person.

What does the word doleful MOST LIKELY mean?

A. grieving

B. rejecting

C. tense

D. uneasy

A. grieving

500

   Data mining does not just help businesses promote the purchase of their products, though. Certain service providers apply the “fruits of the data tree” to retain customers. Have you ever received a promotional offer from your cable company shortly after you considered switching services? If so, this could have been because the analysis of your data helped companies predict the customer “churn.” This is the loss of customers who are using a product or service.  To prevent customer churn, companies use data mining to assign a probability score to each customer. Then they use this score to adjust their approach to these customers. Using data mining, Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, helps companies retain their customers and develop customer experiences. Companies can also analyze data to figure out if their websites are effectively reaching customers. 

A. helps companies acquire new customers.

B. gives companies information on current companies

C. provides the probability that someone will click on an ad

B. gives companies information on current companies

500

Throughout the centuries, great thinkers have attempted to describe the teenage years accurately. Aristotle once stated, “The young are heated by nature as drunken men by wine.” A more modern thinker, Erik Erikson, regarded the teen years as the most turbulent of life’s several identity crises. Parents have spent hours of sleepless nights trying to solve the mystery of how to understand their own children. Fortunately, brain imaging technology has helped to unravel the mystery of why teens act the way they do. Parents have often asked their teens, “What were you thinking?” Many researchers now believe that the important question is not what teens are thinking , but how they are thinking.

How does this paragraph develop the major ideas of the passage? 

A. by summarizing the history of scientific research on teenage growth

B. by establishing a variety of ideas regarding teenage behavior

C. by contrasting Aristotle’s views toward teens with parental views

D. by illustrating a dispute between Aristotle and Erikson

B. by establishing a variety of ideas regarding teenage behavior

500

In too much of the earth there is want, discord, danger. From the deserts of North Africa to the islands of the South Pacific, one third of all mankind has entered upon an historic struggle for a new freedom; freedom from grinding poverty. Across all continents, nearly a billion people seek, sometimes almost in desperation, for the skills and knowledge and assistance by which they may satisfy from their own resources, the material wants common to all mankind. No nation, however old or great, escapes this tempest of change and turmoil. Some, impoverished by the recent World War, seek to restore their means of livelihood. In the heart of Europe, Germany still stands tragically divided. So is the whole continent divided. And so, too, is all the world.

How does the author use rhetoric in paragraphs 8-9?

A. He appeals to the audience’s desires.

B. He appeals to the audience’s authority.

C. He appeals to the audience’s emotions.

D. He appeals to the audience’s intelligence.

C. He appeals to the audience’s emotions.

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