Central Idea & Structure
Passage A
What is the main message about the Panama Canal's construction conveyed in Passage A?
A. The French failed to build a canal because they underestimated the challenges of tropical diseases and financing.
B. The American ingenuity in using a lock-system canal was the greatest engineering feat of the early 20th century.
C. The successful construction of the Panama Canal was an essential, transformative solution to a major global travel problem.
D. Ships no longer have to navigate the 8,000-mile journey around Cape Horn because of modern engineering.
C. The successful construction of the Panama Canal was an essential, transformative solution to a major global travel problem.
Passage A
Which choice best replaces the word indisputable in sentence (2)?
A. questionable
B. debatable
C. unconfirmed
D. undeniable
D. undeniable
Passage B
11. The phrase "an intoxicating perfume of possibility" in sentence (1) is an example of which figure of speech?
A. Hyperbole
B. Simile
C. Personification
D. Metaphor
D. Metaphor
Passage B
8. Which choice best represents the literary element that begins when Maya shifts her focus from the baseball glove to the map?
A. The Resolution
B. The Climax
C. The Falling Action
D. The Inciting Incident
D. The Inciting Incident
The prompt asks you to 'Justify' your proposed solution to a math problem. What does the verb 'Justify' demand?
A.You must write your answer only in complete sentences, no numbers.
B.You must check the answer with a calculator.
C.You must state your personal belief that your answer is correct.
D.You must show your work by providing the evidence, steps, or rules (like theorems) that prove your answer is correct.
D.You must show your work by providing the evidence, steps, or rules (like theorems) that prove your answer is correct.
Passage A
2. Sentences (1) and (2) primarily function to establish this in the passage.
A. The author's strong opinion about the importance of global trade.
B. The historical context and the problem the canal was designed to solve.
C. A contrast between the French and American construction strategies.
D. The long-term global impact of the canal on maritime power.
B. The historical context and the problem the canal was designed to solve.
Passage A
Which definition best matches the meaning of the word redefined as it is used in sentence (7)?
A. To alter the established meaning of a word.
B. To give a new status or fundamental meaning to something.
C. To limit or contain something within new boundaries.
D. To restore a previous, abandoned definition.
B. To give a new status or fundamental meaning to something.
Passage C
15. What is the figurative meaning of the "lone willow sapling" in the second stanza?
A. A person who is constantly seeking comfort and rest.
B. An individual who is physically fragile and needs protection.
C. A symbol of the poet's youth and inexperience.
D. A resilient, self-sufficient person who thrives without external support.
D. A resilient, self-sufficient person who thrives without external support.
Passage B
9. The memory of the grandmother's stories in sentence (4) contributes to the plot by:
A. Providing a resolution to the mystery of the missing baseball glove.
B. Creating the historical background for the region behind the house.
C. Giving Maya a motive or reason to believe the map is significant.
D. Establishing the danger she will face in the woods.
C. Giving Maya a motive or reason to believe the map is significant.
If a multiple-choice question asks for the 'BEST' example of a concept, what should you keep in mind?
A.You should choose the first answer that you read and immediately think is right.
B.You should only look for the answer that uses the most complex vocabulary.
C.Two or more answers might be technically correct, so you must choose the one that is the most accurate or complete.
D.You should choose the answer that you personally agree with most strongly.
C.Two or more answers might be technically correct, so you must choose the one that is the most accurate or complete.
Passage A
3. The author's primary purpose in writing this text is to:
A. Persuade the reader that the American project was superior to the French project.
B. Explain the historical necessity and lasting transformative impact of the canal.
C. Analyze the engineering difficulties involved in creating a lock-system canal.
D. Compare and contrast different methods of maritime shipping in the early 1900s.
B. Explain the historical necessity and lasting transformative impact of the canal.
Passage B
12. The author's use of the word hammered to describe Maya's heart in sentence (5) primarily serves to:
A. Indicate that Maya has a serious medical condition
B. Appeal to the reader's sense of hearing and touch, emphasizing her sudden excitement.
C. Show that she is angry about having forgotten the baseball glove.
D. Foreshadow a physically demanding challenge she will face.
B. Appeal to the reader's sense of hearing and touch, emphasizing her sudden excitement.
Passage C
19. Which literary device is most clearly used in the line "let the rain shame"?
A. Hyperbole
B. Simile
C. Personification
D. Alliteration
C. Personification
Passage B
10. What can the reader most reasonably infer about Maya based on her reaction to the map?
A. She is generally fearful of exploring the local woods behind her house.
B. She is a dedicated athlete who rarely gets distracted from her goals.
C. She has a vivid imagination and is excited by the idea of an adventure.
D. She is often disobedient and goes where she is told not to go.
C. She has a vivid imagination and is excited by the idea of an adventure.
If you are asked to 'Synthesize' the themes of three different poems, what does this task require you to do?
A.Write three separate summaries, one for each poem.
B.List the poets and their birth dates.
C.Combine and integrate the main ideas from all three poems to create a new, single conclusion about them all.
D.Explain why the themes of the three poems are completely different.
C.Combine and integrate the main ideas from all three poems to create a new, single conclusion about them all.
Passage A
4. Which organizational structure best describes the flow of ideas in the passage?
A. Chronological order, detailing events from start to finish.
B. Compare and contrast, weighing the French attempt against the American attempt.
C. Problem and Solution, moving from the challenge to its effective resolution.
D. Spatial organization, describing the geographic features of the canal area.
C. Problem and Solution, moving from the challenge to its effective resolution.
Passage B
13. Which choice best replaces the word propelled in sentence (7)?
A. Dragged
B. Moved with sudden, strong force
C. Slowly walked D. Forced reluctantly
B. Moved with sudden, strong force
20. What do "the shade of a wall" and "the praise of the crowds in the hall" figuratively represent in the first stanza?
A. Physical comfort and financial stability.
B. The natural elements and the changing seasons. C. Conformity, societal protection, and external validation.
D. The poet's preference for nature over urban life.
C. Conformity, societal protection, and external validation.
23. What does the description of the attic as being "thick with the dust of forgotten years" help the author establish?
A. The setting is dangerous and requires caution.
B. Maya should be looking for other, cleaner places to play.
C. The setting is old, neglected, and likely holds overlooked items.
D. The author's personal dislike for spending time in dusty places.
C. The setting is old, neglected, and likely holds overlooked items.
A question asks you to 'Trace' the development of an idea over time. Which structure is most appropriate?
A. A response that identifies the most important parts and provides an overall assessment of their value.
B. A response that explains the sequence of events, steps, or changes in chronological (time) order.
C. A response that breaks down the idea into its different components and explains their functions.
D. A response that looks at similarities between the idea and other unrelated ideas.
B. A response that explains the sequence of events, steps, or changes in chronological (time) order.
Passage A
5. The discussion of the French attempt in sentence (3) before the American success in sentences (4)-(5) is a rhetorical strategy primarily used to:
A. Distract the reader from the true complexity of the American project.
B. Establish the engineering history of the region.
C. Underscore the extreme difficulty of the problem and highlight the brilliance of the successful solution.
D. Suggest that the American team simply learned from the mistakes of the French team.
C. Underscore the extreme difficulty of the problem and highlight the brilliance of the successful solution.
Passage B
16. What is the connotation of the words batter and shame in the first stanza?
A. Neutral; they describe common weather events. B. Strongly positive; they suggest a refreshing rain. C. Strongly negative; they suggest emotional or physical suffering and defeat.
D. Ambiguous; the meaning changes depending on the season.
C. Strongly negative; they suggest emotional or physical suffering and defeat.
Passage C
21. In the lines "Let the wind batter you, let the rain shame," the wind and rain are used figuratively to represent:
A. The inevitable changes in the earth's climate.
B. The harsh realities, criticisms, and challenges one must face in life.
C. The physical need for shelter and protection from the elements.
D. The random unpredictability of fate.
B. The harsh realities, criticisms, and challenges one must face in life.
26. The shift from the small, interior "confines of the dusty room" to the outside adventure in sentence (7) suggests this about Maya's journey.
A. She is escaping a physical danger into a place of greater safety.
B. She is moving from a place of limited vision to a world of open opportunity.
C. She is trading a place of comfort for a place of extreme discomfort.
D. She is finally finding the missing baseball glove she was looking for.
B. She is moving from a place of limited vision to a world of open opportunity.
If you are asked to 'Debate' two sides of an argument, what is the least important element for a strong essay?
A. Using highly emotional and aggressive language to sway the reader.
B. Stating a clear, firm conclusion in favor of one side.
C. Acknowledging and briefly discussing the counter-arguments.
D. Providing strong, factual evidence for the side you choose.
A. Using highly emotional and aggressive language to sway the reader.