AnswersDCSS American Literature 11 CR 24-25Cumulative Exam

Cumulative Exam — Cumulative exam Answers

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1
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Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

A
Tan discusses her thoughts about language to build the idea that the English language does not have words to match some Chinese terms.
B
Tan discusses her relationship with her mother to build the idea that mothers and daughters in all cultures often have misunderstandings.
C
Tan discusses her mother’s use of English to build the idea that a form of language can be purposeful and meaningful even if it is nonstandard.
D
Tan discusses the English language to build the idea that there is a lack of appropriate synonyms for the word “broken.”
2
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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 phrase from the excerpt uses informal English?

A
“limited my perception”
B
“her English reflected the quality”
C
“she expressed them imperfectly”
D
“when I was growing up”
3

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. What can be inferred from the excerpt?

A
Tan is embarrassed by the nonstandard form of English that her mother speaks.
B
Tan believes that nonstandard forms of English are legitimate languages in their own right.
C
Tan wishes that she did not have to think about the English that her mother speaks.
D
Tan is angry that people are not taught nonstandard English languages in school.
4

Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk." I remember distinctly the thrill of climbing aboard a U.S. Army helicopter in the cool of the morning and taking off across the rice fields with a South Vietnamese battalion for a day’s jousting with the Vietcong guerillas. I was proud of the young American pilots sitting at the controls in the cockpit and I was grateful for the opportunity to witness this adventure and to report it. We are fighting now, I used to think, and some day we will triumph and this will be a better country. Based on this excerpt, it can be inferred that

A
the war provides the author with his first flying experience.
B
the author once felt pride and optimism about the war.
C
the US soldiers are trained in hand-to-hand combat.
D
the author has a begrudging respect for the Vietcong.
5

Read the excerpt from “First Generation” of Dreaming in Cuban, by Cristina Garcia.She considers the vagaries of sports, the happenstance of El Líder, a star pitcher in his youth, narrowly missing a baseball career in America. His wicked curveball attracted the major league scouts, and the Washington Senators were interested in signing him but changed their minds. Frustrated, El Líder went home, rested his pitching arm, and started a revolution in the mountains.Which best explains how Garcia’s word choice helps establish her voice in the excerpt?

A
Garcia uses short, forceful words to assert a pessimistic opinion on fate.
B
Garcia uses formal, academic language and location words to suggest a theory about fate.
C
Garcia uses American baseball terminology to suggest fate’s defeat.
D
Garcia uses words with positive connotations to suggest an optimistic outlook on fate.
6

Examine the public service ad.

Question illustration
A
to encourage tourists to visit urban areas
B
to encourage urban planners to build parks within city limits
C
to show that there are parks near urban areas
D
to show that the expansion of cities is diminishing parkland
7

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?

A
to predict the future of his group’s actions
B
to recall the harsh actions of law enforcement
C
to encourage understanding of Black nationalists
D
to provide a contrast to his group’s nonviolent efforts
8

Read this claim from an argumentative essay about zoos. Zoos must improve conditions so that they can meet the health and safety needs of the animals.Which piece of evidence, if true, would best support this claim?

A
Exposure to different animals can help to educate the public.
B
Funding sources for zoos can be limited, so they often rely on donations from the public.
C
Many animals die prematurely in zoos because they are exposed to infectious diseases.
D
Animals can be bred at zoos to increase their population.
9

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?

A
by stating the inevitability of violent protests
B
by urging White leaders to release him from jail
C
by encouraging White leaders to allow nonviolent protests
D
by persuading his followers to break laws and create unrest
10

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.

A
After a period of Internet growth, programmers will refine the Internet by adding intelligence.
B
The Internet will grow to include financial and educational institutions, and users will become more savvy.
C
Hawthorne’s vision of an intelligent Internet will not be realized until artificial intelligence is invented.
D
When malls and universities blossom on the Internet, the global network will be capable of reason.
11

Read the paragraph.Teaching the rambunctious group of canines at the obedience school was a great deal of work, but each instructor took a respite once the dogs were placed in their individual kennels.Which word is closest in meaning to the underlined word?

A
vacation
B
beverage
C
payment
D
break
12

Read the excerpt from Cristina Garcia’s Dreaming in Cuban.“Lourdes, I’m back,” Jorge del Pino greets his daughter forty days after she buried him with his Panama hat, his cigars, and a bouquet of violets in a cemetery on the border of Brooklyn and Queens.His words are warm and close as a breath. Lourdes turns, expecting to find her father at her shoulder but she sees only the dusk settling on the tops of the oak trees, the pink tinge of sliding darkness. “Don’t be afraid, mi hija. Just keep walking and I’ll explain,” Jorge del Pino tells his daughter.The sunset flares behind a row of brownstones linking them as if by a flaming ribbon.Which best identifies the magic realism found in the excerpt?

A
Lourdes’s father returning to her from the dead
B
the list of items Lourdes buried with her father
C
the dusk settling on the tops of the trees
D
the flaring sunset behind the brownstones
13

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?

A
The student should replace familiar language with more accessible language.
B
The student should replace scholarly language with informal language.
C
The student should replace formal language with more familiar language.
D
The student should replace informal language with formal language.
14

Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education.Reargument was largely devoted to the circumstances surrounding the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.The Supreme Court studies the Fourteenth Amendment to determine

A
the primary authors of the document.
B
whether its intent has been compromised.
C
how it has been interpreted in each state.
D
whether it needs to be repealed.
15

Read this excerpt from "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk." Despite these misgivings, I do not see how we can do anything but continue to prosecute the war. We can and should limit the violence and the suffering being inflicted on the civilians as much as possible, but for whatever reasons, successive Administrations in Washington have carried the commitment in Vietnam to the point where it would be very difficult to prevent any precipitate retreat from degenerating into a rout. If the United States were to disengage from Vietnam under adverse conditions, I believe that the resulting political and psychological shockwaves might undermine our entire position in Southeast Asia. Which statement best describes the paradox in this excerpt?

A
The author acknowledges that civilians should not suffer, but states that the civilians must retreat.
B
The author suggests that the administrators in Washington are busy making polices while overlooking the need to end the war.
C
The author acknowledges that the violence should stop, but admits that a retreat might have dire consequences.
D
The author suggests that the Vietnamese people are counting on US support, though their political ideals are not democratic.
16

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?

A
Modern war is inherently violent and unfair.
B
The machinery of war has significantly changed.
C
America’s enemies are weak and defenseless.
D
Military corps are trained to defeat the enemy.
17

In “Ambush,” which sentence best reflects the idea that O’Brien is more concerned with emotional truth than factual truth?

A
I want to tell her exactly what happened, or what I remember happening.
B
He was a short, slender young man of about twenty.
C
Shortly after midnight we moved into the ambush site outside My Khe.
D
He wore black clothing and rubber sandals and a gray ammunition belt.
18

Read the excerpt from part 5 of Zeitoun.The kids fear water, yes, and when a pipe burst last year there were screams and nightmares, but slowly they’re growing stronger. For them he has to be strong, and he needs to look forward. He needs to feed them, to hold them close, and he needs to show them that God had a reason for their trials. He tells them that perhaps God, by allowing him to be jailed, saved him from something worse.Why does the author include these musings?

A
to suggest Zeitoun’s fear of the unknown
B
to emphasize Zeitoun’s unwavering faith
C
to prove Zeitoun’s innocence and good standing
D
to illustrate Zeitoun’s confidence in his children
19

Read the sentence.The president of the company was attending the mandatory sales meeting.Which type of phrase or clause is underlined in the sentence?

A
noun clause
B
verb phrase
C
adjectival phrase
D
adverbial clause
20

Read the excerpt from Fast Food Nation. Instead of relying upon a small, stable, well-paid, and well-trained workforce, the fast food industry seeks out part-time, unskilled workers who are willing to accept low pay. Teenagers have been the perfect candidates for these jobs, not only because they are less expensive to hire than adults, but also because their youthful inexperience makes them easier to control.Which of the following choices best presents a counterclaim to the argument presented in this excerpt?

A
Teenagers have not yet developed skills that make them valuable employees in the workforce.
B
Fast food restaurants are able to employ people who otherwise might not be able to find a job because of the low skill level required to perform the tasks.
C
The McDonald brothers designed the Speedee Service System based on the assembly line systems of American factories in the early twentieth century.
D
By law, fast food restaurants must offer equal employment opportunities to those seeking work.

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