Analyzing and Evaluating Arguments — Cumulative exam Answers

Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 2, of Julius Caesar.[ANTONY.] But here’s a parchment with the sealof Caesar;I found it in his closet. 'Tis his will.Let but the commons hear this testament—Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read—And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds,And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,And, dying, mention it within their wills,Bequeathing it as a rich legacyUnto their issue.

Read the excerpt from Julius Caesar, act 2, scene 2.DECIUS. Caesar, all hail! Good morrow, worthy Caesar. I come to fetch you to the Senate House.CAESAR. And you are come in very happy time To bear my greeting to the senators And tell them that I will not come today.65 Cannot is false, and that I dare not, falser. I will not come today; tell them so, Decius.CALPURNIA. Say he is sick.CAESAR. Shall Caesar send a lie? Have I in conquest stretched mine arm so far,70 To be afraid to tell greybeards the truth? Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.

What are the central ideas of this excerpt? Select two options.

Examine the public service ad.

Read the excerpt from Julius Caesar, act 3, scene 2.[BRUTUS.] If then that friend demandwhy Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer:not that I loved Caesar less, but that I lovedRome more. Had you rather Caesar were living, anddie all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to liveall free men? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him.As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it. As he wasvaliant, I honour him. But as he was ambitious, Islew him.

Read the passage from an argumentative essay.Vaccines are a safe and effective way to avoid harmful diseases. The proof lies in the history books—smallpox has not been seen in the United States since 1948, or anywhere else in the world since 1977. That is because smallpox vaccines eradicated the disease from the planet. Despite the obvious effectiveness of vaccination, opponents argue that vaccines can contain harmful ingredients, such as aluminum, which, in excess, may lead to neurological damage. However, until studies show a direct and irrefutable link between vaccines and harmful outcomes due to their ingredients, we should continue to give our bodies the best chance for survival by receiving vaccinations.

Read the passage from the opinion of the court in Dred Scott v. Sandford, written by Justice Taney.The question then arises, whether the provisions of the Constitution, in relation to the personal rights and privileges to which the citizen of a State should be entitled, embraced the negro African race, at that time in this country, or who might afterwards be imported, who had then or should afterwards be made free in any State; and to put it in the power of a single State to make him a citizen of the United States, and endue him with the full rights of citizenship in every other State without their consent? Does the Constitution of the United States act upon him whenever he shall be made free under the laws of a State, and raised there to the rank of a citizen, and immediately clothe him with all the privileges of a citizen in every other State, and in its own courts?The court thinks the affirmative of these propositions cannot be maintained. And if it cannot, the plaintiff in error could not be a citizen of the State of Missouri, within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States, and, consequently, was not entitled to sue in its courts.

Which sentence contains a dependent clause?

Read the passage from A Doll’s HouseNora: [breathlessly]. Torvald—what was that letter?Helmer: Krogstad's dismissal.Nora: Call her back, Torvald! There is still time. Oh Torvald, call her back! Do it for my sake—for your own sake—for the children's sake! Do you hear me, Torvald? Call her back! You don't know what that letter can bring upon us.Helmer: It's too late.Nora: Yes, it's too late.Helmer: My dear Nora, I can forgive the anxiety you are in, although really it is an insult to me. It is, indeed. Isn't it an insult to think that I should be afraid of a starving quill-driver's vengeance? But I forgive you nevertheless, because it is such eloquent witness to your great love for me. [Takes her in his arms.] And that is as it should be, my own darling Nora. Come what will, you may be sure I shall have both courage and strength if they be needed. You will see I am man enough to take everything upon myself.Nora: [in a horror-stricken voice]. What do you mean by that?Helmer: Everything, I say—Nora: [recovering herself] You will never have to do that.

Which conflict most affects the plot in acts 1 and 2 of Julius Caesar?

Read the excerpt from Julius Caesar, act 3, scene 2.ANTONY. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious. 25If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Caesar answered it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest— For Brutus is an honourable man, So are they all, all honourable men—30Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me. But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honourable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome,35Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill. Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,40And Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?

Which statements describe what to do when writing an effective summary of a speech? Select three options.

Read the sentences.The Mississippi River flows from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Its source is a peaceful lake in Minnesota. It flows south. It flows past 10 states. Its mouth is in Louisiana.Which sentence best combines these ideas into a compound-complex sentence?

Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 2, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and the information in the paragraph below it.Excerpt:ANTONY. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.The evil that men do lives after them;The good is oft interrèd with their bones.So let it be with Caesar.Background information:"The Evil That Men Do” is the title of a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The lyrics of the chorus say that people’s evil deeds live on.

Read the excerpt from "The Role of Social Media in the Arab Uprisings" by Heather Brown, Emily Guskin, and Amy Mitchell.Social media indeed played a part in the Arab uprisings. Networks formed online were crucial in organizing a core group of activists, specifically in Egypt. Civil society leaders in Arab countries emphasized the role of "the internet, mobile phones, and social media" in the protests. Additionally, digital media has been used by Arabs to exercise freedom of speech and as a space for civic engagement.Now, research is emerging that reexamines in a more detailed way the role that social media played in the Arab uprisings.In July 2012 a report was published by the United States Institute of Peace based on an extensive content analysis of bit.ly links from the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Bahrain. Bit.ly links, or short URLs, are predominantly used in social media such as Twitter. The authors came to some conclusions that countered the initial assumption that social media was a causal mechanism in the uprisings.Instead, the study suggests that the importance of social media was in communicating to the rest of the world what was happening on the ground during the uprisings. "New [or social] media outlets that use bit.ly links are more likely to spread information outside of the region than inside it, acting like a megaphone more than a rallying cry."

Read this passage from chapter 10 of The Prince.Therefore, a prince who has a strong city, and had not made himself odious, will not be attacked, or if anyone should attack he will only be driven off with disgrace; again, because that the affairs of this world are so changeable, it is almost impossible to keep an army a whole year in the field without being interfered with. And whoever should reply: If the people have property outside the city, and see it burnt, they will not remain patient, and the long siege and self-interest will make them forget their prince; to this I answer that a powerful and courageous prince will overcome all such difficulties by giving at one time hope to his subjects that the evil will not be for long, at another time fear of the cruelty of the enemy, then preserving himself adroitly from those subjects who seem to him to be too bold.

Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice” by Julia Alvarez.During my early teen years in this country, I knew very little about what was actually going on in the Dominican Republic. Whenever Ia situación on the island came up, my parents spoke in hushed voices. In December 1960, four months after our arrival, Time magazine reported the murder of the three Mirabal sisters, who along with their husbands had started the national underground Dominican Republic. My parents confiscated the magazine. To our many questions about what was going on, my mother always had the ready answer, "En boca cerrada no entran moscas.” No flies fly into a closed mouth. Later, I found out that this very saying had been scratched on the lintel of the entrance of the SIM's torture center at La Cuarenta.

Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 2, of Julius Caesar.[ANTONY.] For Brutus is an honourable man,So are they all, all honourable men—Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.He was my friend, faithful and just to me.But Brutus says he was ambitious,And Brutus is an honourable man.He hath brought many captives home to Rome,Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept.Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,And Brutus is an honourable man.You all did see that on the LupercalI thrice presented him a kingly crown,Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,And sure he is an honourable man.

Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice” by Julia Alvarez.Passage A:Given this mandate of silence, I was a real thorn in my mother's side.Passage B:Unfortunately for my mother, I grew up to be a writer publishing under my maiden name. . . . When I published a first novel with a strong autobiographical base, she did not talk to me for months.Passage C:When the [second] novel came out, I decided to go ahead and risk her anger. I inscribed a copy to both Mami and Papi with a note: "Thank you for having instilled in me through your sufferings a desire for freedom and justice." . . . . Days later, my mother called me up to tell me she had just finished the novel. "You put me back in those days. It was like I was reliving it all," she said sobbing. "I don't care what happens to us! I'm so proud of you for writing this book."I stood in my kitchen in Vermont, stunned, relishing her praise and listening to her cry. It was one of the few times since l had learned to talk that I did not try to answer my mother back. If there is such a thing as genetic justice that courses through the generations and finally manifests itself full-blown in a family moment, there it was.

Read the passage from A Room of One’s Own.For surely it is time that the effect of discouragement upon the mind of the artist should be measured, as I have seen a dairy company measure the effect of ordinary milk and Grade A milk upon the body of the rat. They set two rats in cages side by side, and of the two one was furtive, timid and small, and the other was glossy, bold and big. Now what food do we feed women as artists upon? I asked, remembering, I suppose, that dinner of prunes and custard.