Choosing Language Answers

Read the excerpt from Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue.”I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect.Which word best describes Tan’s language in this excerpt?

Read the paragraph.Thomas Paine was an English American __________ who wrote pamphlets that influenced many people and were instrumental in starting the American Revolution. He skillfully communicated the ideas of the Revolution to everyone, from farmers to intellectuals.If the purpose of this paragraph is to inform, which word best fits in the blank?

Read the excerpt from Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.What is one way that Douglass achieves his purpose of persuading the reader to see his point of view?

Read the excerpt from Thomas Paine’s work Common Sense.O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia, and Africa, have long expelled her—Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.Which best describes the tone of this excerpt?

What type of language should be used in a critical analysis essay?

Read this excerpt from Rudolfo Anaya’s essay “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry.”Tortillas and poetry. They go hand in hand. Books nourish the spirit, bread nourishes our bodies. Our distinct cultures nourish each one of us, and as we know more and more about the art and literature of the different cultures, we become freer and freer. . . . I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to sample different ethnic foods, the breads of many many groups; just as many of us enjoy sampling books from different areas of the world. I travel to foreign countries, and I know more about myself as I learn more about my fellow human beings. Censorship imposes itself in my path of knowledge, and that activity can be justified by no one. Which of these changes would make this excerpt more argumentative?

Read the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.Which best describes the language in this excerpt?

Read the excerpt from Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.To support his purpose, Douglass includes words such as

Read the paragraph.Tortillas are delicious round flatbreads made with cornmeal or wheat flour. Although they are most often used in tacos, enchiladas, and tostadas, tortillas can __________ any dish.If the purpose of this paragraph is to persuade readers to eat tortillas, which word or phrase best fits in the blank?

Read the excerpt from Rudolfo Anaya’s essay “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry.”Tortillas and poetry. They go hand in hand. Books nourish the spirit, bread nourishes our bodies. Our distinct cultures nourish each one of us, and as we know more and more about the art and literature of the different cultures, we become freer and freer. . . . I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to sample different ethnic foods, the breads of many many groups; just as many of us enjoy sampling books from different areas of the world. I travel to foreign countries, and I know more about myself as I learn more about my fellow human beings. Censorship imposes itself in my path of knowledge, and that activity can be justified by no one.Which phrase from the excerpt uses formal English?