Research Workshop: Writing and Presenting the Argumentative Essay, Part 2 — Cumulative exam Answers

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 part 5 of Zeitoun.It was a test, Zeitoun thinks. Who among us could deny that we were tested? But now look at us, he says. Every person is stronger now. Every person who was forgotten by God or country is now louder, more defiant, and more determined. They existed before, and they exist again, in the city of New Orleans and the United States of America. What assumption does the narrator make 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?

Which excerpt from ”First Generation” of Dreaming in Cuban is the best example of magic realism?

Read the paragraph.Our school is considering mandating school uniforms next year. The student government supports school uniforms for a number of reasons. First, school uniforms save time. Students will not have to figure out what they will wear and thus will have more time to devote to their studies. They will be more focused on learning and less on appearance. Second, although there are up-front costs, uniforms will ultimately save families money. Finally, uniforms will promote a sense of equality because students are dressed the same regardless of economic status. This will encourage a greater sense of community at our school.What strategy does the author use in her choice of language to convey her message?

In Art Spiegelman’s Maus, the events of the Holocaust are relayed from the perspective of

Read the following scene from Trifles.COUNTY ATTORNEY (preoccupied). Is there a cat? (Mrs. Hale glances in a quick covert way at Mrs. Peters.)MRS. PETERS. Well, not now. They’re superstitious, you know. They leave. COUNTY ATTORNEY (to Sheriff Peters, continuing an interrupted conversation.) No sign at all of anyone having come from the outside. Their own rope. Now let’s go up again and go over it piece by piece. (They start upstairs.) It would have to have been someone who knew just the— (Mrs. Peters sits down. The two women sit there not looking at one another, but as if peering into something and at the same time holding back. When they talk now, it is the manner of feeling their way over strange ground, as if afraid of what they are saying, but as if they cannot help saying it.) How would an audio recording most likely convey the characters’ actions during this scene?

Read the excerpt from part 5 of Zeitoun.Zeitoun thinks of the simple greatness of the canoe, of the advantages of moving quietly, of listening carefully. When he was released from prison, he and Kathy looked for the canoe where he’d last seen it, at the Claiborne house, but it was gone. The house had been robbed, too. Everything was stolen, because the soldiers and police who arrested Zeitoun had left the house unlocked and unguarded. Thieves walked in unimpeded and made off with all the tenants’ belongings, everything Todd had gathered there in the front rooms to keep dry.All those things were replaced, but he misses the canoe. He keeps his eye out for it, hoping he’ll see it at a yard sale or in someone’s sideyard. He’d pay for it again. Maybe he should get a new one, he thinks. Maybe his girls will like it more now. Maybe little Ahmad, like his uncle and father and grandfather and countless Zeitouns before them, will feel the lure of the sea.Which statement best describes how time progresses in this excerpt?

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?

Read this stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automobiles in driveways, home to our silent cottage?In this stanza, the speaker wishes

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 "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?

Study the image from Art Spiegelman’s Maus.How does Spiegelman’s visual representation of the Holocaust aid with comprehension?

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 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?

Read the excerpt from "Harrison Bergeron."“You been crying?” he said to Hazel. “Yup,” she said. “What about?” he said.“I forget,” she said. “Something real sad on television.”“What was it?” he said.“It’s all kind of mixed up in my mind,” said Hazel.“Forget sad things,” said George.“I always do,” said Hazel.How does this interaction between George and Hazel develop Kurt Vonnegut’s social criticism?

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?

Why does Vivien say that she “shan't tell” Lancelot’s identity to her friend in King Arthur's Socks: A Comedy in One Act?

Read the excerpt from part 5 of Zeitoun.For many of his clients, it took time for the insurance money to come through, for the FEMA money to appear, for any number of complications to work themselves out. But now things are moving. The city is rising again. Since Hurricane Katrina, Zeitoun A. Painting Contractor LLC has restored 114 houses to their former states, or improved versions thereof.What is the meaning of the excerpt?