Practice Test Answers

Read the excerpt from Black Boy . A quarter of a century was to elapse between the time when I saw my father sitting with the strange woman and the time when I was to see him again. . . . I stood before him, poised, my mind aching as it embraced the simple nakedness of his life, feeling how completely his soul was imprisoned by the slow flow of the seasons, by wind and rain and sun, how fastened were his memories to a crude and raw past, how chained were his actions and emotions to the direct, animalistic impulses of his withering body. Wright’s purpose telling this anecdote is to illustrate his father’s

Which excerpt from Black Boy best reflects the way in which Wright’s knowledge of history and culture influence his views on his father?

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. How does King support this claim in the rest of his letter?

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. What is the author’s purpose for including these sentences?

Which source would best support an argumentative essay on the importance of protective gear for those playing sports?

Which topic would prompt an argumentative essay?

Read the passage from Etiquette , by Emily Post. New York's bad manners are often condemned and often very deservedly . Even though the cause is carelessness rather than intentional indifference, the indifference is no less actual and the rudeness inexcusable. What is the closest meaning of the underlined phrase as it used in the excerpt?

Read the lines from "The Weary Blues." Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor. He played a few chords then he sang some more. The repetition of the word "thump" is an example of what literary device?

The speaker in "The Weary Blues" is most likely

Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education . [T]here are findings below that the Negro and white schools involved have been equalized, or are being equalized, with respect to buildings, curricula, qualifications and salaries of teachers, and other "tangible" factors. The Supreme Court is most likely interested in these findings because it hopes to determine whether

What are the plaintiffs seeking for their children in Brown v. Board of Education ?

Which strategy does the author use in her choice of language to convey her message?