Practice Test Answers

Read the excerpt from "Lather and Nothing Else." And so, which will it be? Murderer or hero? My fate hangs on the edge of this razor blade. I can turn my wrist slightly, put a bit more pressure on the blade, let it sink in. The skin will yield like silk, like rubber, like the strop. There is nothing more tender than a man’s skin, and the blood is always there, ready to burst forth. A razor like this cannot fail. It is the best one I have. But I don’t want to be a murderer. No, sir. You came in to be shaved. And I do my work honorably. I don’t want to stain my hands with blood. Just with lather, and nothing else. Which conflict is revealed in this excerpt?

Read the line from "Lather and Nothing Else." “Are you going to punish all of them?” I timidly ventured.

Read this excerpt from Part 2 of "The Most Dangerous Game,” by Richard Connell. "Nerve, nerve, nerve!" he panted, as he dashed along. A blue gap showed between the trees dead ahead. Ever nearer drew the hounds. Rainsford forced himself on toward that gap. He reached it. It was the shore of the sea. Across a cove he could see the gloomy gray stone of the chateau. Twenty feet below him the sea rumbled and hissed. Rainsford hesitated. He heard the hounds. Then he leaped far out into the sea. . . . Now read the second excerpt. A man, who had been hiding in the curtains of the bed, was standing there. "Rainsford!" screamed the general. "How in God's name did you get here?" "Swam," said Rainsford. "I found it quicker than walking through the jungle." The general sucked in his breath and smiled. "I congratulate you," he said. "You have won the game." Rainsford did not smile. "I am still a beast at bay," he said, in a low, hoarse voice. "Get ready, General Zaroff." The general made one of his deepest bows. "I see," he said. "Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford." . . . He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided. Readers must revise their predictions about Rainsford after reading the second excerpt because initially it would seem that he plunges to his death, but he actually

Read the excerpt from The Dark Game . On several occasions Room 40 received an unexpected but welcome gift when a German codebook was recovered after a sea battle and presented to the British code breakers. One such gift was a codebook from the German ship Magdeburg, a light cruiser that ran aground on an island off of Finland. When Russian ships quickly bore down on the cruiser, the captain of the stranded ship immediately did what all naval officers were taught to do: he ordered his signalman to bring him the ship's codebook so he could throw the book, wrapped in lead covers, into the sea. But before the signalman could deliver the book to his captain, he was killed by Russian guns. When the Russians recovered his body, the sailor was still clutching the codebook in his arms. Which pieces of textual evidence support the inference that the codebook was of high importance? Choose two correct answers.

Read this excerpt from The Dark Game . Another thing that changed very little in the years between the wars was the means of obtaining military intelligence. Although the use of photography and the telegraph brought some technological advances, the craft of spying on the enemy's army still relied on fieldwork. In the rest of the text, how does the author develop this central idea that spying during the Civil War still involved mostly fieldwork?

Read the excerpt from The Dark Game: True Spy Stories from Invisible Ink to CIA Moles . Yet, by the time Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses Grant at Appomattox, Virginia, some four years later, about 620,000 soldiers had died on the battlefields, more than American battle deaths in all other wars from the Revolution through the Vietnam War. What is the author’s primary purpose for including this detail?

Read this paragraph from The Dark Game . It may seem surprising that no Confederate sympathizers took action against Van Lew, given her strong and public views on secession and slavery. Surely there were suspicions, especially among her upper-crust neighbors, but the matter never went beyond those suspicions. Historians have suggested that the secessionists were victims of their own cultural bias, believing that no aristocratic person, and certainly not a lady, would ever consider taking part in anything as impolite as spying. A true lady managed her servants, prepared parties and gatherings, and blindly supported her husband. Such attitudes worked in Van Lew's favor, diverting suspicion from her. What central idea is implied in this paragraph?

Based on the evidence provided in the excerpt, Rainsford most likely will

Read the excerpt from "The Most Dangerous Game." "Dear me," said the general, quite unruffled, "again that unpleasant word. But I think I can show you that your scruples are quite ill founded." "Yes?" "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth—sailors from tramp ships—lascars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels—a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them." What does Zaroff say to show that he places little value on human life?

Read the excerpt from "The Most Dangerous Game." "You'll have a cocktail, Mr. Rainsford," he suggested. The cocktail was surpassingly good; and, Rainsford noted, the table appointments were of the finest—the linen, the crystal, the silver, the china. They were eating borsch, the rich, red soup with whipped cream so dear to Russian palates. Half apologetically General Zaroff said, "We do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here. Please forgive any lapses. We are well off the beaten track, you know. Do you think the champagne has suffered from its long ocean trip?" The details of this excerpt show that Zaroff wants to appear

Read the passage. The town council of Hopewell has proposed that the vacant lot at the end of Elm Street be converted into a parking lot. While this unused land may seem like a suitable location, the nearby residents have many objections. For example, the youth in nearby neighborhoods enjoy using the lot for recreation. Many pet owners appreciate the undeveloped land because it allows dogs a place to run. Adding cars and pavement to this cherished natural area would be a grave error. The town council should observe the lot and all its uses before taking action. Which phrase best reveals the author’s viewpoint?