Topic Test Answers

Read the excerpts from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” and “Speaking Arabic.”My friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. He took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of Spanish, English, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. At a neighborhood fair in Texas, somewhere between the German Oom-pah Sausage Stand and the Mexican Gorditas booth, I overheard a young man say to his friend, “I wish I had a heritage. Sometimes I feel—so lonely for one.” And the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head.Which structural element is used in the excerpt by Anaya but not in the excerpt by Nye?

Read the excerpts from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” and “Speaking Arabic.”My friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. He took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of Spanish, English, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. At a neighborhood fair in Texas, somewhere between the German Oom-pah Sausage Stand and the Mexican Gorditas booth, I overheard a young man say to his friend, “I wish I had a heritage. Sometimes I feel—so lonely for one.” And the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head.Which best states how the word choice is similar in both excerpts?

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 best describes the rhetorical appeal used to illustrate the destructive nature of censorship?

Read this excerpt from "Why No Policeman on the Block?"Only in the last decade, with the ending of the Cold War, have these technologies finally been fully released to the public domain.What is the meaning of the underlined term?

Read the excerpt from Sandra Cisneros’s story "Mericans."I want to be a flying feather dancer too, but when he circles past me he shouts, “I’m a B-Fifty-two bomber, you’re a German,” and shoots me with an invisible machine gun. What does this detail reveal about the children?

An online store allows sells song downloads for $1.50 each. You have a gift card for $25. Which expression represents the total number of songs you can purchase?

The number of songs that can be purchased for $1.50 each based on the amount of the gift card is represented by the function . Which graph represents this situation?

Based on the demand graph and the supply graph shown above, what is the price at the point of equilibrium?

According to this article, what ended the civil war in Sudan?

According to the article, why is the region of Abyei contested?

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 most shows how powerful people use censorship to silence the powerless?

How does Michio Kaku establish the sense of urgency that compelled the development of the Internet in "How the Internet and Other Technologies Came About"?

According to this passage, what territorial challenge does South Sudan face?

A store’s supply/demand graph for ceiling fans is shown above. If the price is at the equilibrium point, how much money will the store make selling ceiling fans?

Read this excerpt from "Choreographers of Matter, Life, and Intelligence."With Newton’s mechanics came powerful machines, and eventually the steam engine, the motive force which reshaped the world by overturning agrarian society, spawning factories and stimulating commerce. . . .What is the meaning of the underlined term?

Read the excerpt from Gary Soto’s story "Like Mexicans."My grandmother gave me bad advice and good advice when I was in my early teens. For the bad advice, she said that I should become a barber because they made good money and listened to the radio all day. “Honey, they don’t work como burros,” she would say every time I visited her. She made the sound of donkeys braying. “Like that, honey!” For the good advice, she said that I should marry a Mexican girl. “No Okies, hijo”—she would say— “Look, my son. He marry one and they fight every day about I don’t know what and I don’t know what.” Which element of cultural heritage is revealed in this excerpt?

Suppose that Ireland has placed a tariff of 12% on its exports and a tariff of 21% on its imports. If Ireland has tariff revenue worth (equivalent US dollars) $9,148,200 and a balance of trade of $7,100,000, what are its exports and imports worth?

Read the excerpts from “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry” and “Speaking Arabic.”My friend had concluded that if he took his language and culture out of his poetry, he stood a better chance of receiving a fellowship. He took out his native language, the poetic patois of our reality, the rich mixture of Spanish, English, pachuco and street talk which we know so well. In other words, he took the tortillas out of his poetry, which is to say he took the soul out of his poetry. At a neighborhood fair in Texas, somewhere between the German Oom-pah Sausage Stand and the Mexican Gorditas booth, I overheard a young man say to his friend, “I wish I had a heritage. Sometimes I feel—so lonely for one.” And the tall American trees were dangling their thick branches right down over his head.Which best states how the structures of both excerpts support ideas about cultural diversity?

Read this excerpt from "How the Internet and Other Technologies Came About."The Pentagon wanted to ensure that their pilots would be able to fly their jets and bombers in the most unpredictable, hostile environments, including the presence of huge winds whipped up by nuclear fireballs. To accomplish this, the Pentagon developed flight simulators, in what was the birth of virtual reality. The pilots would sit in chairs with goggles placed over their eyes and use joysticks to control the simulated computer image in their headset. Select the most accurate summary of Kaku’s argument.

Read the excerpt from Sandra Cisneros’s story "Mericans."There are those walking to church on their knees. Some with fat rags tied around their legs and others with pillows, one to kneel on, and one to flop ahead. There are women with black shawls crossing and uncrossing themselves. There are armies of penitents carrying banners and flowered arches while musicians play tinny trumpets and tinny drums. What cultural element is revealed in this excerpt?