Cumulative Exam — Cumulative exam Answers

Read the excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole.”But there is more bad news.All parts of your body are moving toward the same spot—the black hole’s center. So while you’re getting ripped apart head to toe, you will also extrude through the fabric of space and time, like toothpaste squeezed through a tube.To all the words in the English language that describe ways to die (e.g., homicide, suicide, electrocution, suffocation, starvation) we add the term “spaghettification.”In this excerpt, Tyson conveys his complex ideas by

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation.Why does the author include these sentences?

Which sentence best describes George Bergeron’s characterization in "Harrison Bergeron"?

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, which best helps readers understand the author’s own cultural experiences?

Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.MRS. HALE. I’d hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing.Which word has a meaning similar to “snooping” as it is used in this excerpt?

Read the excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko’s story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."They found him [Teofilo] under a big cottonwood tree. His Levi jacket and pants were faded light blue so that he had been easy to find. . . . He had been dead for a day or more, and the sheep had wandered and scattered up and down the arroyo. . . . . Ken came sliding down the low, crumbling bank about fifty yards down, and he was bringing the red blanket. . . . ."Send us rain clouds, Grandfather." They laid the bundle in the back of the pickup and covered it with a heavy tarp before they started back to the pueblo.They turned off the highway onto the sandy pueblo road. Not long after they passed the store and post office they saw Father Paul's car coming toward them. When he recognized their faces he slowed his car and waved for them to stop. The young priest rolled down the car window."Did you find old Teofilo?" he asked loudly.Leon stopped the truck. "Good morning, Father. We were just out to the sheep camp. Everything is O.K. now.""Thank God for that. Teofilo is a very old man. You really shouldn't allow him to stay at the sheep camp alone.""No, he won't do that any more now.""Well, I'm glad you understand. I hope I'll be seeing you at Mass this week—we missed you last Sunday. See if you can get old Teofilo to come with you." The priest smiled and waved at them as they drove away.What does this dialogue reveal about the priest’s standing within the community?

Use the following definitions to answer the question.evade:1. (verb) to cleverly escape somebody or something, to avoidinvade:1. (verb) to enter by force, to enterWhich sentence contains correct word usage?

Read this excerpt from "The Intelligent Planet.". . . Computer scientists expect to see an entire world blossoming over the Internet: electronic commerce and banking, cyber malls, virtual universities and schools, cyber libraries, and so on. We will begin to have a glimpse of Hawthorne’s vision when “intelligent agents” became part of this global network, capable of answering our inquiries in plain, conversational language. But the true fruition of Hawthorne’s vision may not come until the period from 2020 to 2050, when true artificial intelligent (AI) programs will finally be added to the Net, capable of reason, common sense, and speech recognition. Select the most accurate summary of Kaku’s argument.

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. How does King conclude this claim?

Read the sentence from an argumentative essay about wearing helmets while riding a bike.Always wear a helmet when riding a bike because riding without one is stupid.Which revision exhibits the best word choice for the underlined portion of the sentence?

Read this excerpt from part 5 of Zeitoun.Progress is being made. It’s so slow sometimes, so terribly so sometimes, but progress is being made. We have removed the rot, we are strengthening the foundations. There is much work to do, and we all know what needs to be done. We can only do the work, he tells Kathy, and his children, and his crew, his friends, anyone he sees. So let us get up early and stay late, and, brick by brick and block by block, let us get that work done.Which word best describes the tone of this excerpt?

Read the paragraph from a student’s critical analysis essay.In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson talks about independence through his use of big words and fancy argument skills. First, Jefferson states his thesis, which makes it seem important that the colonists get independence. Next, Jefferson gives evidence against the king of England and how he mistreats the American colonies. Finally, Jefferson suggests that colonists should stop paying taxes and fight, which is the obvious answer to the colonists’ problems.What is the best way for the student to revise the essay?

Read the excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God.To her way of thinking all these things set her aside from Negroes. That was why she sought out Janie to friend with. Janie’s coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields.What does the phrase “to friend with” mean?

Read the excerpt from “First Generation” of Dreaming in Cuban.He stops at the ocean’s edge, smiles almost shyly, as if he fears disturbing her, and stretches out a colossal hand. His blue eyes are like lasers in the night. The beams bounce off his fingernails, five hard blue shields. They scan the beach, illuminating shells and sleeping gulls, then focus on her. The porch turns blue, ultraviolet. Her hands, too, are blue. Celia squints through the light, which dulls her eyesight and blurs the palms on the shore.Which is an example of a hyperbole?

Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk." Thus, in the final analysis, American strategy in Vietnam consists of creating a killing machine in the form of a highly equipped expeditionary corps and then turning this machine on the enemy in the hope that over the years enough killing will be done to force the enemy’s collapse through exhaustion and despair. This strategy, although possibly the only feasible alternative open to a modern industrial power in such a situation, is of necessity brutal and heedless of many of its victims.What is the philosophical concept in this excerpt?

Read the excerpt from Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066.Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities. . . . Which best describes the impact of the words “prosecution,” “espionage,” and “sabotage”?

Read the excerpt from Anthem.This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction. These sentences articulate which philosophical concept?

Read the excerpt from "In Response to Executive Order 9066".I am a fourteen-year-old girl with bad spellingand a messy room. If it helps any, I will tell youI have always felt funny using chopsticksand my favorite food is hot dogs.Why does Okita include this description of the speaker?

Which statement best compares the structure of "Harlem" and "The Weary Blues"?

In part two of Trifles, which of the following is an example of dramatic irony?