Cumulative Exam — Cumulative exam Answers

Read the excerpt from Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah.I froze. The priest would declare me a heretic, my parents would call me a traitor, and Mrs. Piogarni would give me detention. I had no idea what to say. I mean, what does a Muslim confess to a priest? I could only think of one thing. That every time Chris Barkley called me a darkie, or teased me about my mom's towel-head, I made a silent prayer asking God to drop a tree on his stupid head.The priest asked me again: "What is your confession, my child?""I’m Muslim," I whispered."Five Hail Marys and five of the Lord’s Prayer.”That was my first and last participation in a church service.

Read the excerpt from Animal Farm.That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he who had advocated it in the beginning, and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon's papers. The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon's own creation. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. That, he said, was Comrade Napoleon's cunning. He had seemed to oppose the windmill, simply as a maneuver to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence. Now that Snowball was out of the way, the plan could go forward without his interference. This, said Squealer, was something called tactics. He repeated a number of times, "Tactics, comrades, tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.

The passage suggests that Napoleon is motivated by a desire for control over the farm. Which details from the text support this inference? Select three options.

Which sentence best reflects the author’s claim in "Children of the Drug Wars” that children are leaving Central America to reach safety?

Read the excerpt from "How the Whale Got His Throat.”For the Mariner he was also an Hi-ber-ni-an. And he stepped out on the shingle, and went home to his mother, who had given him leave to trail his toes in the water; and he married and lived happily ever afterward. So did the Whale. But from that day on, the grating in his throat, which he could neither cough up nor swallow down, prevented him eating anything except very, very small fish; and that is the reason why whales nowadays never eat men or boys or little girls.

Read the excerpt from Adam's personal narrative.I stepped into the tidal pool carefully, wishing I had brought my water shoes. "What's the matter, afraid of a few crabs?" Laura smiled. "It doesn't hurt that much when they pinch. They're only little," she said. Laura wasn't afraid of anything, or at least I'd never seen her get scared. She was the type to dive off a cliff and not even think about what was in the water below."But there are so many of them!" I winced."I know, it’s so cool!" she replied, scooping a crab into her hand to look at it more closely. I nearly screamed.

Which details do the authors include to support the claim in this passage? Select two options.

Read the passage and study the map from Sugar Changed the World.When the Haitians defeated the French armies, Napoleon lost control of the world's most productive sugar islands and with it his dream of great sugar profits. As a result, Napoleon had no use for the land in North America he had so recently obtained from Spain. Napoleon did, though, need money to pay for his wars. That is why he sold the vast Louisiana Territory to Jefferson for the bargain price of just fifteen million dollars. What textbooks call the Louisiana Purchase should really be named the Sugar Purchase. Americans obtained the middle part of what would become their nation because the Haitians achieved their freedom. But, paradoxically, that gave Haitian slave owners a new home.As sugar planters fled from the revolution in Haiti, some moved to Cuba's Oriente Province, others to North America—to Louisiana.

Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.In every single American slave state, the population of enslaved people kept rising even after the slave trade was abolished. That was because enough enslaved children were born, lived, and grew to become adults. There was just one exception to this rule: Louisiana, where the native-born enslaved population kept dropping. Sugar was a killer.Unlike the Caribbean, Louisiana has cold snaps. That put an additional pressure on the sugar harvest. Not only did the slaves need to harvest the cane in perfect rhythm with the grinding mills, but the entire crop had to be cut down between mid-October and December. This pace only increased when growers installed improved, steam-powered mills. People needed to work faster than the weather and to keep pace with machines.

Read the excerpt from Julio's essay about folk tales.When people think of the Grimms’ fairy tales, they think of well-loved children's stories. The cleaned-up adaptations we read now have a reputation for being childhood favorites. However, the stories did not start out that way. The Grimm brothers actually collected tales that were passed on from person to person about terrible living conditions and challenges that people faced. These stories are dark and often tragic. But Germany is not the only source of folklore that, rather than serving as bedtime stories, might keep kids up at night or give them nightmares. Tales of monsters, evil witches, and other horrors can be found in other cultures as well. For example, the Baba Yaga stories from Russia and other Slavic countries portray a scary-looking witch who flies around in a mortar, carries a pestle, and might help or harm, depending on her mood. She is not exactly a calming character for sleepy children.

Read the passage from \Animal Farm.On the third Sunday after Snowball's expulsion, the animals were somewhat surprised to hear Napoleon announce that the windmill was to be built after all. He did not give any reason for having changed his mind, but merely warned the animals that this extra task would mean very hard work, it might even be necessary to reduce their rations.

Read the excerpt from Sunil's personal narrative.When I first came to the United States from India, I was frustrated by the assumptions people made about me and my culture. People often think that because I'm from India, I am a Hindu. I'm actually Malayali, from Kerala, and I'm Muslim. And the day that a girl at school asked me if it felt weird not living in a longhouse anymore really took the cake. India is known for a lot of different architectural styles, and a longhouse isn't one of them! But the misunderstandings about who I am and where I am from are only the tip of the iceberg. As a person of color, I've been called a lot of names here by people on the street, in the grocery store, in school—practically everywhere—and their underlying message is this: You have no right to feel safe here.

Read the passage from "How the Whale Got His Throat."In the sea, once upon a time, O my Best Beloved, there was a Whale, and he ate fishes. He ate the starfish and the garfish, and the crab and the dab, and the plaice and the dace, and the skate and his mate, and the mackereel and the pickereel, and the really truly twirly-whirly eel. All the fishes he could find in all the sea he ate with his mouth—so! Till at last there was only one small fish left in all the sea, and he was a small 'Stute Fish, and he swam a little behind the Whale’s right ear, so as to be out of harm’s way. Then the Whale stood up on his tail and said, "I’m hungry.” And the small 'Stute Fish said in a small 'stute voice, "Noble and generous Cetacean, have you ever tasted Man?”

Read the excerpt from Enrique’s Journey.Today, Enrique is terrified of another beating. Every time someone new jumps onto his car, he tenses. Fear, he realizes, helps to keep him awake, so he decides to induce it. He climbs to the top of the tank car and takes a running leap. With arms spread, as if he were flying, he jumps to one swaying boxcar, then to another. Some have four- to five-foot gaps. Others are nine feet apart.

Read the passage from chapter 2 of Animal Farm.Three nights later old Major died peacefully in his sleep. His body was buried at the foot of the orchard.This was early in March. During the next three months there was much secret activity. Major's speech had given to the more intelligent animals on the farm a completely new outlook on life. They did not know when the Rebellion predicted by Major would take place, they had no reason for thinking that it would be within their own lifetime, but they saw clearly that it was their duty to prepare for it. The work of teaching and organizing the others fell naturally upon the pigs, who were generally recognized as being the cleverest of the animals. Pre-eminent among the pigs were two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon, whom Mr. Jones was breeding up for sale.

How does the rhythm of iambic pentameter contribute to the meaning of Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 100”? Select two options.The stresses highlight important words and concepts.The stressed syllables impart an impression of anger.The irregular rhythm emphasizes unpleasant meanings.The regular rhythm intensifies the emotional impact.The singsong cadence adds to the sarcasm in the words.

Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.But there is another story as well. Information about sugar spread as human knowledge expanded, as great civilizations and cultures exchanged ideas. In fact, while sugar was the direct cause of the expansion of slavery, the global connections that sugar brought about also fostered the most powerful ideas of human freedom.

What does the passage reveal about Old Major’s character? Select three options.

Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.As sugar planters fled from the revolution in Haiti, some moved to Cuba's Oriente Province, others to North America—to Louisiana. By the time the Haitian plantation owners and overseers reached New Orleans, abolitionists were pressing to end the African slave trade. The tragedy is that this movement to end slavery did nothing to improve conditions in Louisiana. In fact, the state that slaves called Lousy Anna was the very worst place for an African in America; it was the Caribbean all over again—a death sentence.In every single American slave state, the population of enslaved people kept rising even after the slave trade was abolished. That was because enough enslaved children were born, lived, and grew to become adults. There was just one exception to this rule: Louisiana, where the native-born enslaved population kept dropping. Sugar was a killer.

Read Shakespeare's "Sonnet 100.”Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so longTo speak of that which gives thee all thy might?Spend'st thou thy fury on some worthless song,Darkening thy power to lend base subjects light?Return, forgetful Muse, and straight redeemIn gentle numbers time so idly spent;Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteemAnd gives thy pen both skill and argument.Rise, resty Muse, my love's sweet face survey,If Time have any wrinkle graven there;If any, be a satire to decay,And make Time's spoils despised every where.Give my love fame faster than Time wastes life;So thou prevent'st his scythe and crooked knife.