Cumulative Exam Answers

0 verified answers

Read the excerpt from Dispatches. You came to love your life, to love and respect the mere fact of it, but often you became heedless of it in the way that somnambulists are heedless. Being good meant staying alive, and sometimes that was only a matter of caring enough at any given moment. Based on the excerpt, which best describes a good soldier?

a soldier who fights honorably

a soldier who is always vigilant

a soldier who accepts his fate

a soldier who is superstitious

Free Preview

Read the excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God.Mrs. Turner was a milky sort of a woman that belonged to child-bed. Her shoulders rounded a little, and she must have been conscious of her pelvis because she kept it stuck out in front of her so she could always see it. Which phrase from the excerpt is the best example of dialect in this excerpt?

sort of a woman

belonged to child-bed

shoulders rounded a little

so she could always see it

Read this excerpt from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.I stood on all of that and it worked for a second. But then I had the tips of my fingers on the vase, and the tragedies started to wobble, and the tuxedo was incredibly distracting, and the next thing was that everything was on the floor, including me, and including the vase, which had shattered. “I didn’t do it!” I hollered, but they didn’t even hear me, because they were playing music too loud and cracking up too much. How does the narration shape Oskar’s characterization in this excerpt?

It shows his youth and inexperience.

It suggests his flair for the dramatic.

It indicates he is reckless and rowdy.

It hints at his pent-up anger and hostility.

Read this excerpt from Diane Di Prima’s poem "Buddhist New Year Song."I could see the planet from which we had comeI could not remember (then) what our purpose wasbut remembered the name Mahakala, in the dawnin the dawn confronted Shiva, the cold lightrevealed the “mindborn” worldsHow do the allusions exemplify Beat poetry?

The allusions offer images of nature for the excerpt.

The allusions are influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism.

The allusions recount historical fact for the excerpt.

The allusions connect to consumerism.

What is one advantage of listening to an audio recording as opposed to silently reading a play?

It gives listeners a better idea of each character’s appearance.

It aids listeners in deciding how the lighting affects the characters’ expressions.

It allows listeners to better understand each character’s stage directions.

It helps listeners interpret the characters’ emotions and motivations.

Read the following excerpt from Levitt and Dubner’s Freakonomics.In the real world, Feldman learned to settle for less than 95 percent. He came to consider a company “honest” if its payment rate was above 90 percent. He considered a rate between 80 and 90 percent “annoying but tolerable.” If a company habitually paid below 80 percent, Feldman might post a hectoring note, like this one:The cost of bagels has gone up dramatically since the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, the number of bagels that disappear without being paid for has also gone up. Don’t let that continue. I don’t imagine that you would teach your children to cheat, so why do it yourselves? The excerpt serves as which type of support for the authors’ argument?

a claim

an example

a conclusion

a counterclaim

The speaker in "The Weary Blues" is most likely

an audience member at a blues show.

a band member for a blues singer.

a contemporary blues critic.

a historian studying blues musicians.

Read the excerpt from part one of Trifles.HALE. “Why—where is he?” says I, not knowing what to say. She just pointed upstairs—like that (himself pointing to the room above).What does the word “pointing” mean in this stage direction?

eying

leading

indicating

accusing

Read the excerpt from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry.”For me, reading has always been a path toward liberation and fulfillment. To learn to read is to start down the road of liberation, a road which should be accessible to everyone. No one has the right to keep you from reading, and yet that is what is happening in many areas in this country today. There are those who think they know best what we should read. These censors are at work in all areas of our daily lives.Which best describes how Anaya uses rhetorical appeal to convince readers that censors want to limit what people can read?

Anaya speaks about everyone’s right to read what they choose in order to appeal to the reader’s sense of fairness.

Anaya presents documented facts about censors’ motivations in order to appeal to the reader’s sense of logic.

Anaya discusses his lifelong love of reading in order to establish his expertise for the reader on the topic of censorship.

Anaya refrains from stating a direct opinion in order to allow the reader to form one based on evidence from many areas of the country.

Read the excerpt from Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. “Tenente,” Passini said. “We understand you let us talk. Listen. There is nothing as bad as war. We in the auto-ambulance cannot even realize at all how bad it is. When people realize how bad it is they cannot do anything to stop it because they go crazy. There are some people who never realize. There are people who are afraid of their officers. It is with them the war is made.” “I know it is bad but we must finish it.” “It doesn’t finish. There is no finish to a war.” “Yes there is.” Passini shook his head. “War is not won by victory. What if we take San Gabriele? What if we take the Carso and Monfalcome and Trieste? Where are we then? Did you see all the far mountains to-day? Do you think we could take all them too? Only if the Austrians stop fighting. One side must stop fighting. Why don’t we stop fighting? If they come down into Italy they will get tired and go away. They have their own country. But no, instead there is a war.”Which best describes the effect of Passini’s long pieces of dialogue?

They indicate that Passini is naive about the ways of war.

They indicate that Passini is guided by his emotions.

They indicate that Passini feels passionately about his beliefs.

They indicate that Passini is the main protagonist.

Read the excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko’s story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."The sun was approaching the long mesa where it disappeared during the winter. What type of figurative language is included in this passage?

hyperbole

metaphor

personification

simile

Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066 was based on

evidence that all Japanese Americans were plotting to fight the US within its borders.

past experiences of Japanese Americans causing civil unrest in the United States.

the assumption that Japanese Americans posed a threat to national security.

written reports that Japan was recruiting American citizens to spy for them.

Which is a feature of dialect?

standard pronunciation and definitions

informal language used in a specific location

universal language not specific to one group

formal language used to describe a certain topic

Read the following excerpt from Levitt and Dubner’s Freakonomics. The bagel data also reflect how much personal mood seems to affect honesty. Weather, for instance, is a major factor. Unseasonably pleasant weather inspires people to pay at a higher rate. Unseasonably cold weather, meanwhile, makes people cheat prolifically; so do heavy rain and wind. Worst are the holidays. The week of Christmas produces a 2 percent drop in payment rates—again, a 15 percent increase in theft, an effect on the same magnitude, in reverse, as that of 9/11. Thanksgiving is nearly as bad; the week of Valentine’s Day is also lousy, as is the week straddling April 15. There are, however, a few good holidays: the weeks that include the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Columbus Day. The difference in the two sets of holidays? The low-cheating holidays represent little more than an extra day off from work. The high-cheating holidays are fraught with miscellaneous anxieties and the high expectations of loved ones.Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of this paragraph?

Different emotional states affect people’s honesty.

Some holidays cause people to be less honest.

Cold weather causes an increase in dishonesty.

Holidays and cold weather may cause anxiety.

Which of the following excerpts from Fast Food Nation best provides evidence that fast food restaurants are designed for using unskilled labor?

Her family’s modest townhouse sits beside a busy highway on the south side of Colorado Springs, in a largely poor and working-class neighborhood.

The ovens at Pizza Hut and at Domino’s also use conveyor belts to ensure standardized cooking times.

The restaurant opens for business at seven o’clock, and for the next hour or so, Elisa and the manager hold down the fort, handling all the orders.

Throughput is all about increasing the speed of assembly, about doing things faster in order to make more.

Read the following scene from Trifles.COUNTY ATTORNEY. Let’s talk about that later, Mr. Hale. I do want to talk about that, but tell now just what happened when you got to the house. HALE. I didn’t hear or see anything; I knocked at the door, and still it was all quiet inside. I knew they must be up, it was past eight o’clock. So I knocked again, and I thought I heard somebody say, “Come in.” I wasn’t sure, I’m not sure yet, but I opened the door—this door (indicating the door by which the two women are still standing), and there in that rocker—(pointing to it) sat Mrs. Wright. (They all look at the rocker.) What would be one advantage of watching this scene as opposed to reading it?

The audience would not have to infer the characters’ moods, which could make the characters seem more genuine.

The audience would actually see what the characters look like, which could alleviate unnecessary mystery.

The audience would not have to interpret the setting, which could make the conflict of the story more evident.

The audience would actually watch all of the characters turn to stare at the rocker, which could enhance the mood of the scene.

Read the following scene from Trifles.MRS. HALE (abruptly moving toward her.) Mrs. Peters? MRS. PETERS. Yes Mrs. Hale? (At upstage right door.)MRS. HALE. Do you think she did it? MRS. PETERS (in a frightened voice.) Oh, I don’t know. What is one possible advantage of hearing the characters’ voices as opposed to silently reading the scene?

It helps readers visualize what each woman is wearing.

It helps listeners keep track of which woman is speaking.

It helps listeners envision the movements of each woman.

It helps readers conclude what each woman is thinking.

Read the lines from "Harlem."Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Read the lines from "The Weary Blues."He did a lazy sway . . .He did a lazy sway.Which best describes the relationship between these lines?

The lines from "Harlem" provide sensory details, and the lines from "The Weary Blues" do not.

The lines from "Harlem" and the lines from "The Weary Blues" both provide details through personification.

The lines from "Harlem" provide details using the sense of sight, and the lines from "The Weary Blues" provide details using the sense of touch.

The lines from "Harlem" and the lines from "The Weary Blues" both provide details using the sense of sight.

Read the excerpt from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry.”In other cases, the censoring has been direct and brutal. On February 28, 1981 the morning newspaper carried a story about the burning of my novel, Bless Me, Ultima. The book was banned from high school classes in Bloomfield, New Mexico, and a school board member was quoted as saying: “We took the books out and personally saw that they were burned.”Which type of rhetoric used most shows how the powerful use censorship to silence the powerless?

an appeal to emotion

an appeal to ethics

an appeal to logic

an appeal to the author’s character

Read the stanza from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."In my hungry fatigue, and shopping for images, I went into the neon fruit supermarket, dreaming of your enumerations! Which statement best reflects the feeling conveyed in this stanza?

The oversized store and numerous visuals create a confused feeling.

The colorful signage and fresh produce create an energetic feeling.

The superficial lighting and large market create a feeling of isolationism.

The huge market and bright images create a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application.How does King support this claim?

by citing the 1954 Supreme court decision

by describing the fairness of moral laws

by describing a law about parade permits

by defining illegal segregation statutes

Read this excerpt from "Talking Robots."Of course, neural networks still have a long way to go before they can model the human brain. As physicist Heinz Pagels has said: “The difference between a real neuron and the model neurons . . . is like the difference between a human hand and a pair of pliers.” But the fact that a simple neural network can speak at all is remarkable, indicating that perhaps human abilities can be simulated by electronics. . . . Which is the most accurate summary of Kaku’s argument?

The simulated speech of neural networks suggests the potential for other electronic simulations.

Neural networks are vastly inferior to the human brain, and critics question whether they can speak at all.

Neural networks are vastly different from the human brain, just as pliers are different from the human hand.

Electronic simulation of speech suggests that technological ability will eventually exceed human potential.

Read the excerpt from part two of Trifles.COUNTY ATTORNEY (as one turning from serious things to little pleasantries). Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt it or knot it?MRS. PETERS. We think she was going to--knot it.COUNTY ATTORNEY. Well, that’s interesting, I’m sure. (Seeing the birdcage.) Has the bird flown?MRS. HALE (putting more quilt pieces over the box.) We think the--cat got it.Which idea is suggested by this excerpt?

The women are beginning to feel superior to the men because they do not think the men are capable of solving the case.

The women still have no idea about what really happened between Mr. and Mrs. Wright.

The women are going to hide what they have discovered to protect Mrs. Wright.

The women believe that the men should be taught a lesson in sensitivity, so they keep information from the men.

Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education.Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.Why does the Supreme Court conclude that the plaintiffs have been denied their rights?

The plaintiffs’ schools have neglected their responsibilities.

The Fourteenth Amendment fails to reference education.

Segregation is inherently unequal and unfair.

The plaintiffs’ children have endured racial stereotyping.

In part two of Trifles, what symbolic impact is made when Susan Glaspell includes quilting as a part of Mrs. Wright’s lifestyle?

It reinforces the idea that Mrs. Wright fulfilled many of the roles considered common for women during this time.

It characterizes Mrs. Wright as someone who truly enjoyed the domestic duties expected of women during this time.

It casts doubt on the idea that Mrs. Wright could have killed her husband by making her appear innocent and content.

It heightens the tension by creating a scene of domestic bliss that would conflict with the murder being investigated.

Did you find these answers helpful?

Cumulative Exam Answers

More from this Course

TRY EDGENUITY HACKS