Fiction
What is the climax in a narrative?
a) The part of the story where the setting and characters are introduced
b) The part of the story where the conflict is introduced
c) The part of the story where the most exciting or important event occurs
Answer: c) The part of the story where the most exciting or important event occurs
A journalist is writing a feature story for a magazine. His or her purpose for writing is most likely to —
A inform and entertain the audience
B entertain with a fictional plot and characters
C support an opinion with technical explanations
A inform and entertain the audience
What is the definition of a rhyme scheme?
A repetition of words with identical initial sounds
B similar sounds that do not match perfectly
C a pattern of regular rhyming words at the ends of lines
C a pattern of regular rhyming words at the ends of lines
Which answer choice states a correct use of a comma?
A between items in a series
B after a coordinating conjunction
C to set off subjects and verbs in the middle of a sentence
A between items in a series
Read this sentence from “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness.”
There, in the shadow of Sleeping Beauty, every miner is on his own, and every woman and child who accompanies him a hostage to fickle fortune.
The diction in this passage is best described as —
A poetic
B informal
C technical
A poetic
What are intangible elements in a story?
a) Elements that can be seen, touched, or sensed in some way
b) Elements that can't be seen, touched, or sensed in any way
c) Elements that relate to the emotions of the characters
Answer: b) Elements that can't be seen, touched, or sensed in any way
Which statement explains the connection between the thesis and organizational design of a text?
A The thesis is a collection of evidence an author uses, and the organizational design highlights the author’s main idea.
B The thesis is the author’s point of view, and the organizational design is the structure the author uses to support that view.
C The thesis is an important fact about a topic, and the organizational design is the proof the author uses to support the thesis.
B The thesis is the author’s point of view, and the organizational design is the structure the author uses to support that view.
Which answer choice shows the main text structures of a poem?
A lines, prose, and stanzas
B lines, line breaks, and stanzas
C lines, rhyme scheme, and couplets
B lines, line breaks, and stanzas
In the following sentence, where should a semicolon be placed? "I had a great day at work I finished all my tasks and received a promotion."
a) After the word "work"
b) After the word "tasks"
c) After the word "promotion"
Answer: a) After the word "work"
What is meter in poetry?
a) The number of syllables in a line of poetry
b) The rhyme scheme of a poem
c) The rhythm of a poem
Answer: c) The rhythm of a poem
Which of the following is the best example of situational irony?
A An event occurs that contradicts the expectations of the characters, readers, or audience.
B An unreliable narrator explains events to the reader without the reader knowing the narrator is unreliable.
C The words spoken by characters are intended to mean the opposite of their literal meanings.
A An event occurs that contradicts the expectations of the characters, readers, or audience.
Read this paragraph from “The Thrill of the Chase.”
Still, the treasure hunters keep coming. One Chicago couple, for instance, has traveled to New Mexico 14 times to look for Fenn’s prize. (In an email, the wife told Fenn, “We are experts on where the treasure is not.”)
How does this paragraph help achieve the author’s purpose?
A It provides a specific example and dialogue to convince the audience that treasure hunters are wasting their time.
B It gives an example of how dedicated treasure hunters are and entertains the audience with a humorous quotation.
C It uses detailed descriptions and an amusing anecdote to encourage the audience to go looking for Fenn’s prize.
B It gives an example of how dedicated treasure hunters are and entertains the audience with a humorous quotation.
Read these lines from “The Queen’s Speech” section of “King Midas.”
May every child of mine be barren, golden!
May every mammal turn to golden swine!
Here is a list, O gardeners and huntsmen,
Of what to kill and what to leave alone:
How does the rhyme scheme affect meaning in these lines?
A The lack of a rhyme scheme highlights the queen’s confusion.
B The slant rhymes highlight the queen’s anger toward Midas’s golden touch.
C The alternating exact rhymes show how quickly the queen’s feelings change.
B The slant rhymes highlight the queen’s anger toward Midas’s golden touch.
Which of these sentences uses correct verb tenses?
A His favorite subject is currently biology, but he was open to different college majors.
B She is visiting the university campus today to see whether she liked it.
C His parents are hopeful that he will receive an academic scholarship.
C His parents are hopeful that he will receive an academic scholarship.
Which of the following is NOT a way an author might use precise word choice to expand their theme?
A) By using vivid verbs and adjectives to create mental images for the reader
B) By using words with multiple meanings to add depth and complexity to the theme
C) By using complex sentence structures to make the text more difficult to understand
The correct answer is: C) By using complex sentence structures to make the text more difficult to understand.
While using complex sentence structures can certainly add to the overall style of a text, it is unlikely that an author would deliberately make their text more difficult to understand in order to expand their theme. The other three options - using vivid verbs and adjectives, using words with multiple meanings, and using abstract words - are all ways an author might use precise word choice to expand their theme.
Which answer choice most clearly includes elements of historical and cultural setting?
A It was a dark and stormy night in the middle of winter. Sam and I were chilled to the bone, and our restless sleep was filled with haunting dreams.
B The world’s greatest war had just ended; men who were young when they left returned home old and weary to wives they hardly knew.
C Our farm was small and near a wildlife sanctuary. Horses grazed on several acres of land, and corn was planted on the remaining land.
B The world’s greatest war had just ended; men who were young when they left returned home old and weary to wives they hardly knew.
Which fact best develops this thesis?
One of the most fascinating aspects of advances in three-dimensional, or 3D, printing is its applications to the field of medicine.
A Although many scientists have contributed to 3D technology, Chuck Hull is the engineer who started it all.
B Three-dimensional printing creates objects by fusing materials, such as plastic, metal, ceramics, or powders, into layers.
C Three-dimensional printing is used to make customizable prosthetics, which means patients get something made for their specific needs.
C Three-dimensional printing is used to make customizable prosthetics, which means patients get something made for their specific needs.
Read these lines from a poem.
I long to be near the sea, to watch
its waves, to hear it say
Do not fear me;
I can set you free.
How does text structure support the poet’s purpose?
A The end-stopped lines (1–2) explain what the speaker likes about the sea.
B The end-stopped lines (3–4) highlight what the sea says to the speaker.
C The enjambed lines (1–2) reinforce the speaker’s knowledge of the sea.
B The end-stopped lines (3–4) highlight what the sea says to the speaker.
Which of the following is a true statement about independent and dependent clauses?
A An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, but a dependent clause cannot.
B A dependent clause can stand alone as a sentence, but an independent clause cannot.
C Both independent and dependent clauses are complete sentences, but they are punctuated differently.
A An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, but a dependent clause cannot.
What is the effect of using a regular meter in a poem?
a) It creates a sense of predictability and stability
b) It creates a sense of tension and excitement
c) It creates a sense of freedom and spontaneity
Answer: a) It creates a sense of predictability and stability
Read this passage from a short story.
Kayla worked in the bank because the town’s men had gone off to fight. It was strange at first, doing forbidden men’s work, but she quickly fell in love with it; the work required a focus that offered a reprieve from the world’s unknowns.
What does the reader learn about the historical and cultural setting from this passage?
A The story is set during a war at a time when men and women did not have the same jobs.
B The story is set in a small town where there are limited professional jobs other than banking.
C The setting of the bank reveals the importance of having money during hard times.
A The story is set during a war at a time when men and women did not have the same jobs.
Read this paragraph from “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness.”
Indeed, when Pizarro conquered Cajamarca in 1532, he demanded a roomful of gold from the emperor Atahualpa; when it was produced, he chopped off the Inca’s head and established a new kind of Golden Rule. So it was that a mineral became king and a craze began.
This paragraph supports the writer’s thesis by using —
A a personal narrative to explain the origins of the Golden Rule
B a contemporary fact to emphasize gold’s timeless appeal
C a historical example to show people’s powerful desire for gold
C a historical example to show people’s powerful desire for gold
Read these lines from a poem.
As certain as I am that the sun shall shine tomorrow,
So too will my love for you linger and grow brighter
than the sun’s lasting rays.
How does a sound device intensify an emotion?
A Alliteration (so, too, you) highlights the speaker’s impatience.
B Consonance (linger, brighter) highlights the speaker’s resignation.
C Alliteration (certain, sun, shall, shine) highlights the speaker’s devotion.
C Alliteration (certain, sun, shall, shine) highlights the speaker’s devotion.
Which of the following sentences is written in the active voice and contains a dependent clause?
A) The ball, which was thrown by him, landed in the tree.
B) She baked the cookies, even though she was tired.
C) The dog, who was walked by her, was very well behaved.
The correct answer is: B) She baked the cookies, even though she was tired. In this sentence, the subject "She" is performing the action of baking the cookies, making it an active voice sentence. The dependent clause "even though she was tired" adds additional information to the sentence.
Which answer choice explains voice as it pertains to text?
A how an author’s native language influences the way words are used
B an author’s distinctive way of speaking through written language
C how fictional characters are developed by the things they say to each other
B an author’s distinctive way of speaking through written language