Choosing Vocabulary — Unit test Answers

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Which best explains why Melville begins Chapter 41 of Moby-Dick with a detailed description of the White Whale?

A
Melville begins the chapter with a description of the White Whale because he wants readers to sympathize with it.
B
Melville begins the chapters with a description of the White Whale so that readers can understand Ahab’s motivation to pursue it.
C
Melville begins the chapter with a description of the White Whale so that readers can understand the whale species.
D
Melville begins the chapter with a description of the White Whale because he wants readers to recognize its lack of intelligence.
24

Read this excerpt from chapter 41 of Moby-Dick using comprehension strategies.If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark; so that far from having lost his strength, Ahab, to that one end, did now possess a thousand fold more potency than ever he had sanely brought to bear upon any one reasonable object.What is the meaning of this excerpt?

A
Though Ahab is physically weakened, his will for revenge has strengthened him.
B
Ahab’s anger has increased his physical strength, and he is ready to fire his cannon.
C
Ahab has always been physically strong, but his desire for revenge has weakened him.
D
Though Ahab has lost his ability to seek revenge, he still harbors anger and resentment.
26

Which are root words? Select three answers.

A
anti
B
con
C
cred
D
graph
E
post
F
vis
27

Read the excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 1 of Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.SQUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen havingasked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, fromthe beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of theisland, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, Itake up my pen in the year of grace and go back to the time whenmy father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with thesabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.Which best explains Stevenson’s reason for beginning the chapter with this paragraph?

A
Stevenson creates confusion in the reader with a narrator who explains that he is writing a story because he has been asked to do so by several other characters.
B
Stevenson creates interest in the reader with mention of still undiscovered treasure and the arrival of a mysterious character in the narrator’s life.
C
Stevenson creates unease in the reader with a detailed account of the problem the main character has to overcome to reach a solution.
D
Stevenson creates a clear visual picture in the reader’s head with a strong description of the story’s setting without giving its actual location.
28

Read this excerpt from chapter 2 of The Scarlet Letter.Lastly, in lieu of these shifting scenes, came back the rude market-place of the Puritan settlement, with all the townspeople assembled and levelling their stern regards at Hester Prynne,—yes, at herself,—who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom!What is the effect of the underlined words in this excerpt?

A
They impart a mood of distress and shame.
B
They impart a mood of nostalgia and self-reflection.
C
They provide a visual image of the violent setting.
D
They provide historical insight into the Puritan setting.
29

Read the excerpt from a short story.From the porch, the cabin looked as quaint and rustic as the website had promised. I hoisted my duffel to my hip, unlocked the door with the key I’d been sent, and stepped into the warm air of the mountain home. The floorboards creaked a welcome as I investigated. I admired the piney living room, noting the stone hearth and the dappled afternoon light on the walls. Then I made my way toward the sole bedroom at the end of the hall. I glanced at the eyelet bedcover, the mantle clock, and the antique mirror. Wait. I glanced again at the mirror and impulsively brushed my hair from my eyes, balking at the coloring of the wayward wisps. How could it be? My hand touched my skin—the image I faced was a much older version of myself. I backed away, watching my wrinkled face retreat. I tripped on the doorjamb, stubbed my toe on an errant nail, and nearly toppled over my own luggage as I lunged for the door.What technique does the author use to build suspense in the excerpt?

A
darkening the word choice
B
quickening the pace of the story
C
intentionally omitting setting details
D
making the outcome of events uncertain
30

An advertisement for a video game would most likely use what type of language?

A
formal
B
informal
C
jargon
D
academic
31

Read the passage.Novels, poetry, and drama are all genres, or types, of literature. These genres can reveal important insights about human nature, as well as protest injustices in the world or make social criticisms. The authors of literary pieces use characters, setting, and plot to analyze themes such as love, maturity, and death. The author’s use of vocabulary in this passage helps to

A
persuade the reader to write
B
inform the reader about
C
criticize the elements of
D
express feelings or attitudes about
32

Which best explains the symbolism behind Melville’s comparison of Ahab to a solid bronze cast in Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick?

A
Melville is symbolizing the impermanent nature of Ahab’s character.
B
Melville is symbolizing the intellectual nature of Ahab’s character.
C
Melville is symbolizing the inflexible nature of Ahab’s character.
D
Melville is symbolizing the impolite nature of Ahab’s character.
33

Read the definition.egomania: excessive preoccupation with oneselfWhat is the root word in egomania?

A
eg
B
ego
C
man
D
mania
34

Which event described in chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter takes place as the story begins?

A
Officials lock the jail door.
B
A rose bush is planted.
C
A crowd gathers at the jail.
D
Puritans visit the cemetery.
35

Read this excerpt from chapter 2 of The Scarlet Letter using comprehension strategies.“Goodwives,” said a hard-featured dame of fifty, “I’ll tell ye a piece of my mind. It would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne. What think ye, gossips? If the hussy stood up for judgment before us five, that are now here in a knot together, would she come off with such a sentence as the worshipful magistrates have awarded?”What is the meaning of this excerpt?

A
The speaker believes that she and her peers ought to be in charge of assigning sentences in cases like Hester’s.
B
The speaker believes she and her peers ought to be acknowledged for their good standing in the community.
C
The speaker believes that the older women of the church ought to be allowed to serve as magistrates.
D
The speaker believes that the magistrates have been too strict in their handling of Hester’s case.
36

Which event described in chapter 2 of The Scarlet Letter occurs after Hester leaves the jail?

A
Hester voices her discomfort on the long walk to the scaffold.
B
A military procession organizes the crowd and proceeds to the scaffold.
C
Old women march Hester to the scaffold, voicing their disapproval.
D
Young children run heedlessly before Hester to the scaffold.
37

Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter.Certain it is, that, some fifteen or twenty years after the settlement of the town, the wooden jail was already marked with weather-stains and other indications of age, which gave a yet darker aspect to its beetle-browed and gloomy front. The rust on the ponderous iron-work of its oaken door looked more antique than any thing else in the new world.The author most likely includes the words “darker aspect,” “beetle-browed,” “gloomy,” and “ponderous” in order to

A
impart a melancholy mood.
B
impart a mysterious mood.
C
establish a formal, civilized setting.
D
establish an old-fashioned setting.
38

In Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick, which ailment of humankind is best symbolized by Ahab’s plight?

A
obsession with the past
B
fear of the future
C
respect for nature
D
dependency on others
39

Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter using comprehension strategies.In accordance with this rule, it may safely be assumed that the forefathers of Boston had built the first prison-house, somewhere in the vicinity of Cornhill, almost as seasonably as they marked out the first burial-ground, on Isaac Johnson's lot, and round about his grave, which subsequently became the nucleus of all the congregated sepulchres in the old church-yard of King's Chapel.What is the meaning of this excerpt?

A
The prison and cemetery were built early, with the cemetery expanding in size from its original plot.
B
The prison was built near Cornhill, and the cemetery was built on an important man’s property.
C
Just as Puritans gathered at the prison, they also gathered at the cemetery and the church.
D
The forefathers of Boston chose the two most famous landmarks: the prison and the cemetery.
40

Which excerpt from "The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture" conveys the playful tone of the passage?

A
The attention of the company was immediately turned to me; if my face had been pale the moment before, it now glowed almost to burning.
B
I tried to laugh, but could only make a grimace; and found all the muscles of my face twitching at sixes and sevens.
C
There is a picture in the room in which I was put last night, that has had an effect upon me the most singular and incomprehensible.
D
“A picture!” said the old gentleman with the haunted head. “A picture!” cried the narrator with the waggish nose. “A picture! a picture!” echoed several voices.

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