Suitcase Lady
(III + ITO)
(III + ITO)
Details in the passage suggest that the suitcase lady’s cultural background is most likely
A. Dutch
B. French
C. British
D. American
B
Quotes from the passage such as the suitcase lady was “the child of a poor family in Montreal” and “She often lapses into French,” along with her name lead to the conclusion that her cultural background is most likely French.
The use of the word “compassion” in the quotation “The waitresses...look upon her with compassion” suggests that the waitresses are
A. shy
B. nervous
C. irritated
D. considerate
D
The word “compassion” means sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress and a desire to alleviate it. In context, the fact that the waitresses allow the suitcase lady to stay for extended periods of time and bring her food when she likely does not have the money to pay for it demonstrates sympathy and kindness. The fact that they negotiated with their boss on the woman’s behalf to allow her to remain similarly shows compassion and consideration. The waitresses are considerate of her age, financial state, failing health, and her fragile state of mind.
WASH
SHAW
In the poem, Sadie is depicted as
A. an impoverished single mother
B. a lonely, overworked victim of racism
C. a free spirit who lives life to the fullest
D. a woman who is jealous of her more gifted sister
1. C
Sadie is described as a person who “scraped life with a fine-toothed comb” where she “did not leave a tangle in” and was “one of the livingest chicks in all the land.” This suggests that she never missed an opportunity to experience an aspect of her life.
The poet gives credit to mothers who make the choice of
A. trying to please everyone
B. staying home to raise their children
C. encouraging their children to understand their heritage
D. furthering their education rather than living a domestic life
B
Sadie did not go to college, so she had little chance of earning a lot of money to support herself and her children. She made it her life goal, however, to show her children the joys that life has to offer. This is implied by the statement that Sadie (figuratively) “left as heritage / Her fine-toothed comb.” This suggests that she passed on her life philosophy to her girls before they left home.
Which of the following quotations least contributes to the impression that the suitcase lady is unhealthy?
A. “And crying steadily”
B. “The deep lines of her face”
C. “Somewhere in her bleary eyes”
D. “I wash my face with cold water”
D
The quotation “I wash my face with cold water” does not provide evidence that this woman has lived a hard life. Washing one’s face with cold water is an act that many healthy people do to experience a refreshing or bracing sensation early in the morning.
The meaning of the quotation “With her words she spins herself a cocoon” is
A. a web of lies has been the cause of her wretched state
B. a maze of confusion is the result of her confused speech
C. she imagines that other people believe that she is royalty
D. she creates a closed and safe place of comforting thoughts
D
The phrase compares the woman’s words with a cocoon: an enclosed, protective covering spun by many insects. The suitcase lady muses on memories of drapes, carpets, castles, and kings shortly after revealing the painful reality about her relationship with her son; this strongly suggests that she is escaping a negative memory by wrapping herself in a “cocoon” of positive or comforting thoughts.
BJ RATEL
JALBERT
The most likely reason that the diction in this poem is simple and informal is to call attention to
A. the predictable ending to the poem
B. Sadie’s lack of education
C. Maud’s lonely plight
D. the rhyme scheme
B
Since Sadie does not go to college, her vocabulary most likely does not reflect a higher education.
The rhythm of the poem emulates
A. a lullaby
B. a skipping-rope chant
C. the inscription on a grave stone
D. the chaotic sound of traffic on city streets
B
The verse structure of this poem is simple and rhythmic, much like school-yard songs like “Polly Put the Kettle On.” This emphasizes the simple but contented life that Sadie led.
In context, the quotation “Out of her past come a few scraps” refers to the fact that the suitcase lady
A. remembers disjointed bits of her unhappy life
B. shows some of the items she has in her suitcase
C. has had many fights with formerly intimate friends
D. is an insignificant and discarded member of society
A
In context, the phrase refers to the memories the suitcase lady is prepared to share. The speaker introduces the phrase by stating, “This night...the Vicomtesse is in a mood to talk.” These memories or “scraps” include her mother’s name and the facts that she had a brief marriage and has an estranged son.
In the opening sentence of this passage, the expression “harsh light” suggests that the light is
A. strangely coloured
B. constantly flashing
C. too weak to read by
D. uncomfortably bright
D
The light in question is located inside a 24-hour doughnut shop. The suitcase lady frequents the shop, writing music by the light. One might reasonably assume that an interior light would not flash and would not be “strangely coloured.” It can also be assumed that the light is not weak, as the adjective “harsh” connotes discomfort or unpleasantness.
CHUBI KAB
BABICHUK
The verse structure of “Sadie and Maud” is the
A. sestet
B. octave
C. couplet
D. quatrain
D
A quatrain is a stanza of four lines. Each verse in “Sadie and Maud” has four lines.
“Sadie and Maud” might serve as inspiration to those who
A. aspire to leave a life of poverty
B. have a simple plan for their lives
C. work hard to get a higher education
D. have lost contact with their families
B
The poem commends those who make the best of a life that does not have plentiful opportunities. Sadie may not have gone to college, but it did not seem to prevent her from living her life fully. The poem states that “When Sadie said her last so long / Her girls struck out from home.” This suggests that Sadie was around long enough to help care for her two children until they were old enough to strike out on their own.
The quotation “I don’t have no place to stay” contains which of the following types of grammatical error?
A. double negative
B. sentence fragment
C. misplaced modifier
D. incorrect pronoun choice
A
The repetition of negative expressions as in “I don’t have no place to stay” cancels out the intended meaning: I do not have any place to stay. This type of unnecessary repetition is defined as a double negative.
The most likely reason that the lady’s son never called her “mama” is that
A. others raised him because his mother was too poor to do so
B. when he was young, he constantly agued with his mother
C. he was embarrassed by his mother’s wretched poverty
D. he never found out who his natural mother was
A
The speaker states, “We never got along well because I didn’t bring him up. I was too poor.”
AI TART
RATTAI
The quotation “Maud who went to college/Is a thin brown mouse” contains an example of
A. simile
B. metaphor
C. hyperbole
D. personification
B
The quotation is an example of a metaphor: Maud is a mouse.
A synonym for the expression “struck out” as it is used in the phrase “Her girls struck out from home” is
A. failed
B. left home
C. retaliated
D. gave up
B
In the context of the sentence, a synonym for the expression “struck out” is left home.
The concluding paragraph of the passage contains several examples of which of the following literary techniques?
A. irony
B. paradox
C. oxymoron
D. onomatopoeia
A
Irony is prevalent throughout the last paragraph of the passage. For example, the statement “God takes care of me” is ironic, since from the perspective of others, it seems as though her basic needs are hardly met. She then contradicts her religious conviction somewhat by stating that she is “not what you call crazy about religion.” Further irony is evident in the quotation “I believe always try to do the best to help people—the elderly, and kids, and my country, and my city of Toronto, Ontario.” It is ironic, considering the juxtaposition of the suitcase lady’s visions of philanthropy with her abject helplessness. It is also ironic that the suitcase lady exhibits pride for her country and city despite the fact that her homelessness and solitude suggest total isolation or lack of association with a society in which she is a pariah.
In the phrase “When she is asked how people treat her, the answer is very matter-of-fact,” the description “matter-of-fact” suggests that she is
A. conversing confidently and optimistically
B. emotionally citing a string of troubling facts
C. calmly and unemotionally recalling experiences
D. listing details associated with a variety of themes
C
The description “matter-of-fact” suggests relating or adhering to the facts. The calm resignation with which the woman recounts the grim facts of her life is evident as she “laughs when she tells about how she had to make the money last through Sunday.” She is not optimistic, confident, troubled, nor emotional.
RECK MY BET
TREMBECKY
The most likely reason Maud lives “all alone” is that she
A. alienated her sister, and her nieces left after Sadie died
B. thinks she is too good for her old neighbourhood
C. made the conscious choice not to marry
D. for some reason never married
11. D
Of the given alternatives, the best inference based on the information in the poem is that Maud for some reason never married. Although Maud would not necessarily have to be married in order to live with someone, that alternative is not provided. There is no indication that Maud had a falling-out with her sister, felt superior, or chose not to marry. Maud’s decision to go to college is the only choice of hers actually mentioned in the poem.
The symbol of the “fine-toothed comb” is a subtle reference to
A. fashion and style
B. royalty and luxury
C. poverty and disease
D. obsession and urgency
C
A fine-toothed comb is a tool commonly used for ridding a person’s head of lice. People living in poverty often struggle with the difficulties that come with living in close quarters with others, sometimes with sanitation issues.