What effect of the Great Depression is described in the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
d. The men who had built and fed the nation and fought in World War I were abandoned and struggling to survive.
I was walking along the street at that time, and you'd see the bread lines. The biggest one in New York City was owned by William Randolph Hearst. He had a big truck with several people on it, and big cauldrons of hot soup, bread. Fellows with burlap on their shoes were lined up all around Columbus Circle, and went for blocks and blocks around the park, waiting. Which statement explains the irony of Harburg's description of the bread line?
a. While millions of Americans were suffering from the effects of poverty, Hearst remained one of the wealthiest individuals of his time.
What led Harburg to write the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
c. the able-bodied men he saw begging for money and standing in bread lines in the streets of New York
Which sentence best summarizes the central idea of the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
b. The men begging for money on the street helped build and protect our country, and they deserve a better lot than they have been given.
In this excerpt, Harburg explains that his song is giving a voice to
b. the working class and the veterans.
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell, Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum, Half a million boots went sloggin' through Hell, I was the kid with the drum. What reality of the Great Depression does the excerpt convey?
d. disillusioned returning veterans
Everybody picked up the song in '30 and '31. Bands were playing it and records were made. When Roosevelt was a candidate for President, the Republicans got pretty worried about it. Some of the network radio people were told to lay low on the song. In some cases, they tried to ban it from the air. But it was too late. The song had already done its damage. Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of American history, which statement is most accurate?
d. Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, won the election of 1932.
They used to tell me I was building a dream, And so I followed the mob— When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear I was always there—right on the job. Which best restates the main idea of these lines?
c. The heroic men standing in line for food were used to build and fight for the American dream.
Which excerpt from the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" best emphasizes the idea that average Americans felt abandoned by the wealthy elite and the government?
c. Say, don't you remember, they called me Al— It was Al all the time. Why don't you remember, I'm your pal— Buddy, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a railroad, made it run, Made it race against time. Once I built a railroad, Now it's done— Which idea is conveyed in the excerpt?
d. The speaker used to have work, but now there isn't any.
How does the figurative language used by Mr. Shiftlet develop his character?
d. The imagery underscores Mr. Shiftlet's restlessness and his reluctance to remain in one place.
Which best describes the irony of the excerpt?
d. Mrs. Crater claims that she would not give her daughter away for anything, when in fact she gives her away for nothing at all.
What is ironic about Mr. Shiftlet's comments?
c. He speaks about morals after having just abandoned his wife at a roadside diner.
The simile in this excerpt compares
d. the ugly words to a group of buzzards.
Which excerpt from "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" contains an example of a simile?
a. After a few minutes there was a guffawing peal of thunder from behind and fantastic raindrops, like tin-can tops, crashed over the rear of Mr. Shiftlet's car.
Which excerpt from "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" contains an example of figurative language?
a. She was ravenous for a son-in-law.
Mr. Shiftlet was so shocked that for about a hundred feet he drove along slowly with the door stiff open. A cloud, the exact color of the boy's hat and shaped like a turnip, had descended over the sun, and another, worse looking, crouched behind the car. Mr. Shiftlet felt that the rottenness of the world was about to engulf him. He raised his arm and let it fall again to his breast. "Oh Lord!" he prayed. "Break forth and wash the slime from this earth!" Which best describes the irony of the excerpt?
a. Mr. Shiftlet has just deceived an old woman for personal gain, and yet he does not think he's part of the "rottenness of the world."
How does the simile in the sentence develop Lucynell's character?
b. The description of Lucynell's hair and eyes lends her an image of angelic innocence.
Which type of Southern gothic character is represented in O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"?
b. isolated lower class
How does the simile in the sentence develop the Southern gothic character of Mr. Shiftlet?
b. The image emphasizes that Mr. Shiftlet lives in an uncaring world.
How does the simile in the sentence develop Lucynell's character?
b. The description of Lucynell's hair and eyes lends her an image of angelic innocence.
The daughter could not see far in front of her and continued to play with her fingers. Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly to the side as if the breeze were pushing him. He had on a black town suit and a brown felt hat that was turned up in the front and down in the back and he carried a tin tool box by a handle. He came on, at an amble, up her road, his face turned toward the sun which appeared to be balancing itself on the peak of a small mountain. What technique does O'Connor use in the paragraph to create compelling characters?
a. detailed descriptions
He was more depressed than ever as he drove on by himself. The late afternoon had grown hot and sultry and the country had flattened out. Which best describes the irony in the excerpt?
d. Mr. Shiftlet has the car he wanted and managed to rid himself of his wife, but he still is not happy.
The boy bent over her and stared at the long pink-gold hair and the half-shut sleeping eyes. Then he looked up and stared at Mr. Shiftlet. "She looks like an angel of Gawd," he murmured. "Hitch-hiker," Mr. Shiftlet explained. "I can't wait. I got to make Tuscaloosa." The boy bent over again and very carefully touched his finger to a strand of the golden hair and Mr. Shiftlet left. Which statement most accurately represents the excerpt's larger idea?
b. Beauty and truth appear in unexpected places.
Which phrase connects these characters to the Southern gothic genre?
a. half an arm
He was more depressed than ever as he drove on by himself. The late afternoon had grown hot and sultry and the country had flattened out. Deep in the sky a storm was preparing very slowly and without thunder as if it meant to drain every drop of air from the earth before it broke. There were times when Mr. Shiftlet preferred not to be alone. He felt too that a man with a car had a responsibility to others and he kept his eye out for a hitch-hiker. Occasionally he saw a sign that warned: "Drive carefully. The life you save may be your own." Which statement most accurately represents the excerpt's larger idea?
c. Getting what you want may not make you happy.
The daughter could not see far in front of her and continued to play with her fingers. Although the old woman lived in this desolate spot with only her daughter and she had never seen Mr. Shiftlet before, she could tell, even from a distance, that he was a tramp and no one to be afraid of. His left coat sleeve was folded up to show there was only half an arm in it and his gaunt figure listed slightly to the side as if the breeze were pushing him. The characters in the excerpt are an example of
d. people with disabilities.
Unaware of the change in the week's work schedule, the loyal customers saw Marquis arrive to work a day early. What is the best revision for the sentence?
1
Which strategy is the best way to improve clarity in a wordy sentence?
c. Eliminate redundancies.
Mrs. Nguyen explained to the class that they did __________ on their achievement exams. Which word belongs in the blank?
b. well
Which of the following sentences can be revised to eliminate redundancies?
b. Juan was costumed in disguise when he entered the room.
Floating in the pool, Sarah saw a bee trying to dry its wings. What is the best way to revise this sentence?
a. Sarah saw a bee floating in the pool trying to dry its wings.
When we returned to school after summer vacation, our teacher asked us to be prepared to share about our summer activities. Mark told us about his amazing visit to the Great Wall of China on Friday. What is the best way to revise the underlined sentence?
b. On Friday, Mark told us about his amazing visit to the Great Wall of China.
After sampling a few cake samples, the woman who is getting married picked the flavor of cake that she liked the best.
b. After tasting cake samples, the bride picked the best flavor.
Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier?
a. After walking to school, the bus slowly passed by.
The group of friends came to a consensus about which movie they would agree to see together. What is the best way to rewrite the sentence to avoid repetition?
c. The group of friends came to an agreement about the movie they would see together.
The audience rose up and graciously applauded the guest speaker with a standing ovation. What is the best way to revise this sentence to eliminate wordiness?
a. Graciously, the audience rose up and applauded the guest speaker.
Which of the following sentences can be revised to eliminate redundancies?
d. The tall skyscrapers in New York City maximize the space of a small area.
Patty and Maureen took the long drive to their high school reunion. The women were excited about the prospect of seeing old friends at the ranch. The group had quite a past history to reminisce about. The weekend was sure to be full of stories and laughter! Which sentence should be revised to eliminate redundancy?
c. Sentence 3
Which of the following is a redundant pair?
vast openness
My daily routine—the things I do every day—consists of studying, exercising, and working. What is the best way to rewrite the sentence to avoid repetition?
a. My daily routine consists of studying, exercising, and working.
Which excerpt from Black Boy best illustrates the effect that society has on Wright's father?
d. From the white landowners above him there had not been handed to him a chance to learn the meaning of loyalty, of sentiment, of tradition.
Finally I heard my mother's name called; she rose and began weeping so copiously that she could not talk for a few moments; at last she managed to say that her husband had deserted her and her two children, that her children were hungry, that they stayed hungry, that she worked, that she was trying to raise them alone. Then my father was called; he came forward jauntily, smiling. He tried to kiss my mother, but she turned away from him. I only heard one sentence of what he said. "I'm doing all I can, Your Honor," he mumbled, grinning. It had been painful to sit and watch my mother crying and my father laughing and I was glad when we were outside in the sunny streets. Wright uses this personal experience to establish
a. his mother's desperation.
Black Boy. We left. I had the feeling that I had had to do with something unclean. Many times in the years after that the image of my father and the strange woman, their faces lit by the dancing flames, would surge up in my imagination so vivid and strong that I felt I could reach out and touch it; I would stare at it, feeling that it possessed some vital meaning which always eluded me. Based on this excerpt, how did Wright feel about his final boyhood encounter with his father?
c. as if he had unfinished business
If the civil and political rights of both races be equal, one cannot be inferior to the other civilly or politically. If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane. How does this relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
a. The Brown case questions whether separate schools based on race inherently render one inferior to the other.
In each of the cases other than the Delaware case, a three-judge federal district court denied relief to the plaintiffs on the so-called "separate but equal" doctrine announced by this Court in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537. The Supreme Court cites these cases because it seeks to
c. establish the existing legal standard for education.
. . . requiring the officer of the passenger train to assign each passenger to the coach or compartment assigned for the race to which he or she belong; and imposing fines or imprisonment upon passengers insisting on going into a coach or compartment other than the one set aide for the race to which he or she belongs. How does the excerpt relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
b. The Brown case addresses whether public institutions can legally be divided by race.
Laws permitting, and even requiring, their separation in places where they are liable to be brought into contact do not necessarily imply the inferiority of either race to the other, and have been generally, if not universally, recognized as within the competency of the state legislatures in the exercise of their police power. How does this relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
c. The Brown case addresses whether these laws inherently deny certain citizens equal protection under the law.
What is the fundamental idea behind the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which is mentioned in Brown v. Board of Education?
b. The Fourteenth Amendment secures the rights of citizenship to all Americans.
Which movement followed the Brown v. Board of Education decision?
d. desegregation
Because these are class actions, because of the wide applicability of this decision, and because of the great variety of local conditions, the formulation of decrees in these cases presents problems of considerable complexity. Why does the Supreme Court describe these considerations?
d. to emphasize the challenges inherent in determining a ruling for a varied nation
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States . . . How does the excerpt relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
b. The Brown case addresses whether education systems separated by race limit citizens' privileges.
What is the plaintiffs' main concern about the state of public schools in Brown v. Board of Education?
c. The schools were racially segregated, which led to a lower quality of education for some students in Topeka.
Which policy do the plaintiffs disagree with in Brown v. Board of Education?
a. separate but equal
We must consider public education in the light of its full development and its present place in American life throughout the Nation. Why does the Supreme Court make this distinction?
a. The court recognizes that the current delivery of education might compromise citizens' rights.
In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Why does the Supreme Court assert this fact?
c. to highlight the significance of equal access to education
They are premised on different facts and different local conditions, but a common legal question justifies their consideration together in this consolidated opinion. Based on this excerpt, The Supreme Court chose to consider the case due to
b. a legal issue shared by a number of cases.
That petitioner was a citizen of the United States and a resident of the State of Louisiana, of mixed descent . . . on June 7, 1892, he engaged and paid for a first class passage on the East Louisiana Railway . . . and thereupon entered a passenger train, and took possession of a vacant seat in a coach where passengers of the white race were accommodated; that such railroad company was incorporated by the laws of Louisiana as a common carrier, and was not authorized to distinguish between citizens according to their race. But, notwithstanding this, petitioner was required by the conductor, under penalty of ejection from said train and imprisonment, to vacate said coach and occupy another seat in a coach assigned by said company for persons not of the white race. How does this relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
d. The Brown case addresses whether facilities separated by race are permissible by law.
Why did the Supreme Court take jurisdiction of Brown v. Board of Education?
c. The implications of the case were important and widespread.
Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake. King uses this allusion to
d. forge a connection with familiar figures of faith.
I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. What is King's purpose for including this sentence?
c. to establish his professional credentials
You suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children. What is the author's purpose for including this sentence?
b. to emphasize his personal connection to segregation
Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. What is the author's purpose for including this sentence?
a. to condemn the insincerity of his critics' advice
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. How does King support this claim?
a. by describing his own experience with waiting for civil rights
I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the "do nothingism" of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. How does King support this claim?
b. by describing nonviolent direct action as a peaceful middle ground
To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Why does King use this allusion?
d. to encourage a consideration of ethics
It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative. How does King support this claim?
d. by describing Birmingham's record of injustice
You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. How does King rebut his critics' claim?
b. by questioning the fairness of the laws in a counterclaim
In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law, as would the rabid segregationist. King includes this sentence to
c. distinguish himself from radicals.
In Anthem, the narrator's name, Equality 7-2521, helps to develop a theme that
b. individuality is lost in a collective society.
Ayn Rand, author of Anthem, would most likely agree with which statement?
a. The rights of an individual are more important than the rights of a group.
The imagery of servitude and sacrifice reinforces the theme that the moral purpose of a person's life is to
a. seek his or her own happiness.
But what is freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. This and nothing else. Based on the philosophical concepts expressed in the excerpt, the narrator would most likely support a government that
b. allows man to make his own decisions and live with the consequences.
How does the excerpt reflect Rand's philosophy of Objectivism?
b. It supports the idea that man is truly in control of his own thoughts and actions.
Based on the excerpt, it can be inferred that the narrator believes that
b. men surrendered to conformity and gave up their own freedom.
The imagery of "the heart" suggests what relationship between the society the narrator plans to build on the mountain and the outside world?
d. News of the new society on the mountain will gradually spread to the outside world, and the independent thinkers will come to it.
What connection does the narrator make between collectivism and human invention?
b. People who prefer collective thought are unable to contribute new ideas to mankind's progress.
I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned. Which best explains the philosophical concept reflected in the excerpt?
d. This excerpt reflects capitalism, because it emphasizes an exchange based on free will.
According to the themes in Anthem, which word is the most destructive to human progress?
c. we
Which condition is considered most dangerous by George and Hazel Bergeron in "Harrison Bergeron"?
d. competition
Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains. How could this excerpt serve as a warning about the consequences of forced uniformity?
c.by implying that forced uniformity interferes with individuals' intellectual development
Which of the following excerpts from "Harrison Bergeron" best illustrates irony?
b. "He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous."
A police photograph of Harrison Bergeron was flashed on the screen—upside down, then sideways, upside down again, then right side up. This excerpt is an example of satire because it humorously
a. exposes the incompetence that this society views as normal.
In "Harrison Bergeron," Vonnegut includes the character of Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, to
c. represent the real dangers of an oppressive government.
And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains. How is this excerpt an example of irony?
a. Handicapping intelligence contradicts expectations because intelligence is normally considered a positive attribute.
In "Harrison Bergeron," why is Harrison Bergeron's character considered a danger to society?
a. He is physically and intellectually superior to others and threatens their sense of equality.
How does Harrison Bergeron's physical description help to create satire?
b. The absurdity of Harrison's exaggerated handicaps ridicules society's obsession with equality.
He tried to think a little about the ballerinas. They weren't really very good—no better than anybody else would have been, anyway. They were burdened with sash-weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in. George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn't be handicapped. This excerpt best illustrates Kurt Vonnegut's message that
d. absolute equality prevents personal freedoms of expression.
The musicians scrambled back into their chairs, and Harrison stripped them of their handicaps, too. "Play your best," he told them, "and I'll make you barons and dukes and earls." The music began. It was normal at first—cheap, silly, false. But Harrison snatched two musicians from their chairs, waved them like batons as he sang the music as he wanted it played. He slammed them back into their chairs. How does Vonnegut use irony in this excerpt?
b. The normal music is described as the opposite of what is expected.
Which excerpt from "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" is an example of an allusion?
c. Suspiros, Merengues, the stale candy of everyone's childhood
I am of Latinoamerica, rooted in the history of my continent: I speak from that body. In these two lines, the speaker is showing how In these two lines, the speaker is showing how
c. culture is embedded in a person's identity.
I am not african. Africa is in me, but I cannot return. I am not taína. Taíno is in me, but there is no way back. I am not european. Europe lives in me, but I have no home there. What does this passage reveal about the speaker of the poem?
c. It shows that she embraces all parts of her heritage by refusing to be classified as one in particular.
I am new. History made me. My first language was spanglish. I was born at the crossroads and I am whole. The author's word choice helps to reflect a tone of
a. pride.
In the poem "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica," which description suggests that the speaker is fond of the shopkeeper?
c. the woman's look of maternal interest as others talk
she is the Patroness of Exiles... who spends her days selling canned memories while listening to the Puerto Ricans complain that it would be cheaper to fly to San Juan than to buy a pound of Bustelo coffee here, and to Cubans perfecting their speech of a "glorious return" to Havana... to Mexicans who pass through, talking lyrically of dólares to be made in El Norte— The Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Mexicans in the passage help to create the image that
d. Latin American culture is very diverse.
I am not african. Africa is in me, but I cannot return. I am not taína. Taíno is in me, but there is no way back. I am not european. Europe lives in me, but I have no home there. How does the repetition of the phrase "I am not" help to establish the author's tone?
c. It expresses a confidence in her identity of mixed heritage.
I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is in my flesh, ripples from my tongue, lodges in my hips: the language of garlic and mangoes, the singing in my poetry, the flying gestures of my hands. The words "garlic and mangoes" in this passage are
a. sensory images illustrating the speaker's island heritage.
I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is in my flesh, ripples from my tongue, lodges in my hips: the language of garlic and mangoes, the singing in my poetry, the flying gestures of my hands. Based on the imagery in the passage, how does the speaker feel when she is speaking Spanish?
b. proud and expressive
all wanting the comfort of spoken Spanish, to gaze upon the family portrait of her plain wide face, her ample bosom resting on her plump arms, her look of maternal interest as they speak to her and each other of their dreams and their disillusions— Which best describes the role of the speaker?
a. The speaker is describing a scene in the third person as a sentimental observer.
What imagery from "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" helps develop the woman who runs the bodega as a "mother figure" to people of various ages and cultures?
d. She is a woman typically found in any "family portrait."
I am a child of the Americas, a light-skinned mestiza of the Caribbean, a child of many diaspora, born into this continent at a crossroads. How does the word "crossroads" help to develop the author's tone?
a. It is imagery that describes the merging of different cultures.
And sure enough, the following week there we were in front of this astonished stockbroker, and I was sitting there red-faced and quiet, and my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting at his boss in her impeccable broken English. The inference suggested by this excerpt is that nonstandard forms of English
2
And here you would be presented with a list of four possible pairs, one of which showed the same kind of relationship: red is to stoplight, bus is to arrival, chills is to fever, yawn is to boring. Well, I could never think that way. I knew what the tests were asking, but I could not block out of my mind the images already created by the first pair, "sunset is to nightfall"—and I would see a burst of colors against a darkening sky, the moon rising, the lowering of a curtain of stars. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?
c. Tan discusses achievement tests to support the idea that language cannot be separated from the personal meanings and experiences attached to it.
I've heard other terms used, "limited English," for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people's perceptions of the limited English speaker. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?
b. Tan expresses an opinion to support the idea that people who speak nonstandard forms of English are unfairly judged in negative ways.
Which elements are included in this PSA? Check all that apply.
an appealing image, ,a slogan, a call to action
What is one reason the first PSA could be considered more effective than the second one?
a. It includes an engaging image.
the one with the kid in the picture. This PSA is addressing a
social issue.
Which image would be best to use in a PSA promoting seatbelt safety?
3rd
If the creator of this PSA wanted to encourage kids to read more by featuring an important fact or statistic about the benefit of reading, which would be the best fact or statistic to add?
a. Research has found a direct link between the amount of time children read for pleasure and their academic reading achievement.
In a print PSA promoting the use of seatbelts, which font would be best to use, and why?
b. A simple, legible font, which makes the information in the PSA easier to read.
the smoking one. This PSA is addressing a
b. safety procedure.
A public service announcement attempts to
b. persuade people to take action on an important issue.
Read the following evidence and viewpoint. Evidence: Studies have shown that sending or receiving a text message diverts a driver's attention for an average of 4.6 seconds. Viewpoint: Cell phones should never be used while driving.
d. One major distraction that should be eliminated while driving is cell phones, as studies have shown that sending or receiving a text message diverts a driver's attention from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds.
Which elements are most likely to be included in public service announcements? Check all that apply.
facts or statistics, diagrams or charts, appealing images
The next morning I told Mom that I couldn't go to school, because I was too sick. It was the first lie that I had to tell. She put her hand on my forehead and said, "You do feel a bit hot." I said, "I took my temperature and it's one hundred point seven degrees." That was the second lie. She turned around and asked me to zip up the back of her dress which she could have done herself, but she knew that I loved to do it. What assumption does the narrator make in this excerpt?
b. that his mom will trust him
Which line from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close reveals a nostalgic tone?
d. We used to Greco-Roman wrestle on the floor in there, and tell hilarious jokes, and once we hung a pendulum from the ceiling and put a circle of dominoes on the floor to prove that the earth rotated.
Which line from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close reveals a despondent tone?
c. I zipped myself all the way into the sleeping bag of myself, not because I was hurt, and not because I had broken something, but because they were cracking up.
Which line from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close reveals a melancholy tone?
c. I wanted to tell her she shouldn't be playing Scrabble yet. Or looking in the mirror. Or turning the stereo any louder than what you needed just to hear it. It wasn't fair to Dad, and it wasn't fair to me.
I wanted to tell her she shouldn't be playing Scrabble yet. Or looking in the mirror. Or turning the stereo any louder than what you needed just to hear it. What assumption does the narrator make in this excerpt?
a. that his mother's activities suggest an end to her grief
His tuxedo was over the chair he used to sit on when he tied his shoes, and I thought, Weird. Why wasn't it hung up with his suits? Had he come from a fancy party the night before he died? But then why would he have taken off his tuxedo without hanging it up? Maybe it needed to be cleaned? But I didn't remember a fancy party. I remembered him tucking me in.... How does the narration
c. Oskar's attempts to recall the events build suspense.
In bed that night I invented a special drain that would be underneath every pillow in New York, and would connect to the reservoir. Whenever people cried themselves to sleep, the tears would all go to the same place.... And when something really terrible happened—like a nuclear bomb, or at least a biological weapons attack—an extremely loud siren would go off, telling everyone to get to Central Park to put sandbags around the reservoir. What assumption does the narrator make in this excerpt?
c. that many people express their grief through tears
I knew I could never let Mom hear the messages, because protecting her is one of my most important raisons d'être, so what I did was I took Dad's emergency money from on top of his dresser, and I went to the Radio Shack on Amsterdam. What assumption does the narrator make in this excerpt?
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes, but I couldn't sleep, not after hours, and it made my boots lighter to be around his things, and to touch stuff that he had touched, and to make the hangers hang a little straighter, even though I knew it didn't matter. How does the narration affect Oskar's credibility in this excerpt?
b. His efforts to heal render him earnest and genuine.
Which line from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close reveals a sentimental tone?
a. I couldn't sleep, not after hours, and it made my boots lighter to be around his things, and to touch stuff that he had touched, and to make the hangers hang a little straighter, even though I knew it didn't matter.
There is a tale, "The Ring of Gyges," that Feldman sometimes tells his economist friends. It comes from Plato's Republic. A student named Glaucon offered the story in response to a lesson by Socrates—who, like Adam Smith, argued that people are generally good even without enforcement. Glaucon, like Feldman's economist friends, disagreed. He told of a shepherd named Gyges who stumbled upon a secret cavern with a corpse inside that wore a ring. When Gyges put on the ring, he found that it made him invisible. With no one able to monitor his behavior, Gyges proceeded to do woeful things—seduce the queen, murder the king, and so on. Glaucon's story posed a moral question: could any man resist the temptation of evil if he knew his acts could not be witnessed? Glaucon seemed to think the answer was no. But Paul Feldman sides with Socrates and Adam Smith—for he knows the answer, at least 87 percent of the time, is yes. The example in the excerpt helps the authors arrive at which of the following conclusions?
b. The majority of people are honest.
There is a tale, "The Ring of Gyges," that Feldman sometimes tells his economist friends. It comes from Plato's Republic. A student named Glaucon offered the story in response to a lesson by Socrates—who, like Adam Smith, argued that people are generally good even without enforcement. Glaucon, like Feldman's economist friends, disagreed. He told of a shepherd named Gyges who stumbled upon a secret cavern with a corpse inside that wore a ring. When Gyges put on the ring, he found that it made him invisible. With no one able to monitor his behavior, Gyges proceeded to do woeful things—seduce the queen, murder the king, and so on. Glaucon's story posed a moral question: could any man resist the temptation of evil if he knew his acts could not be witnessed? Glaucon seemed to think the answer was no. The excerpt serves as which of the following in relation to the authors' argument?
d. a counterclaim to the idea that most people are moral
Which of the following statements support the claim in Freakonomics that "people are generally good even without enforcement"?
d. Many people enjoy using the honor system.
In the beginning, Feldman left behind an open basket for the cash, but too often the money vanished. Then he tried a coffee can with a money slot in its plastic lid, which also proved too tempting. In the end, he resorted to making small plywood boxes with a slot cut into the top. The wooden box has worked well. Each year he drops off about seven thousand boxes and loses, on average, just one to theft. This is an intriguing statistic: the same people who routinely steal more than 10 percent of his bagels almost never stoop to stealing his money box—a tribute to the nuanced social calculus of theft. From Feldman's perspective, an office worker who eats a bagel without paying is committing a crime; the office worker probably doesn't think so. This distinction probably has less to do with the admittedly small amount of money involved (Feldman's bagels cost one dollar each, cream cheese included) than with the context of the "crime." The same office worker who fails to pay for his bagel might also help himself to a long slurp of soda while filling a glass in a self-serve restaurant, but he is very unlikely to leave the restaurant without paying. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of this paragraph?
b. The definition of crime is subjective and depends on who commits the crime and what type is committed.
Driving around the parks that encircle Washington, he solicited customers with a simple pitch: early in the morning, he would deliver some bagels and a cash basket to company's snack room; he would return before lunch to pick up the money and the leftovers. It was an honor-system commerce scheme, and it worked. Within a few years, Feldman was delivering 8,400 bagels a week to 140 companies and earning as much as he had ever made as a research analyst. He had thrown off the shackles of cubicle life and made himself happy. Based on the excerpt, which statement best strengthens Feldman's claim that people are mostly honest?
b. Feldman's payment system was largely successful.
A key fact of white-collar crime is that we hear about only the very slim fraction of people who are caught cheating. Most embezzlers lead quiet and theoretically happy lives; employees who steal company property are rarely detected. With street crime, meanwhile, that is not the case. A mugging or a burglary or a murder is usually tallied whether or not the criminal is caught. A street crime has a victim, who typically reports the crime to the police, who generate data, which in turn generate thousands of academic papers by criminologists, sociologists, and economists. But white-collar crime presents no obvious victim. In this excerpt, the authors present
c. a contrast between different types of crime.
Despite all the attention paid to rogue companies like Enron, academics know very little about the practicalities of white-collar crime. The reason? There are no good data. A key fact of white-collar crime is that we hear about only the very slim fraction of people who are caught cheating. Most embezzlers lead quiet and theoretically happy lives; employees who steal company property are rarely detected. With street crime, meanwhile, that is not the case. A mugging or a burglary or a murder is usually tallied whether or not the criminal is caught. A street crime has a victim, who typically reports the crime to the police, who generate data, which in turn generate thousands of academic papers by criminologists, sociologists, and economists. But white-collar crime presents no obvious victim. From who, exactly, did the masters of Enron steal? And how can you measure something if you don't know to whom it happened, or with what frequency, or in what magnitude? The excerpt helps the authors support their conclusion by
a. evaluating a logical fallacy.
He also believes that employees further up the corporate ladder cheat more than those down below. He got this idea after delivering for years to one company spread out over three floors—an executive floor on top and two lower floors with sales, service, and administrative employees (Feldman wondered if perhaps the executives cheated out of an overdeveloped sense of entitlement. What he didn't consider is that perhaps cheating was how they got to be executives.) Which best describes the type of reasoning the excerpt uses?
c. Feldman uses inductive reasoning because he formulates a generalization based on specific examples.
He had also—quite without meaning to—designed a beautiful economic experiment. From the beginning, Feldman kept rigorous data on his business. So by measuring the money collected against the bagels taken, he found it possible to tell, down to the penny, just how honest his customers were. Did they steal from him? If so, what were the characteristics of a company that stole versus a company that did not? Under what circumstances did people tend to steal more, or less? Based on the excerpt, which of the following best explains why the authors included Feldman in their study?
b. Feldman kept rigorous data on his business.
If morality represents the way we would like the world to work and economics represents how it actually does work, then the story of Feldman's bagel business lies at the very intersection of morality and economics. Yes, a lot of people steal from him, but the vast majority, even though no is watching over them, do not. This outcome may surprise some people—including Feldman's economist friends, who counseled him twenty years ago that his honor-system scheme would never work. But it would not have surprised Adam Smith. In fact, theme of Smith's first book, the Theory of Moral Sentiments, was the innate honesty of mankind. "How selfish soever man may be supposed," Smith wrote, "there are evidently some principles in his nature which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it." Which best describes the authors' purpose in using a quotation from Adam Smith's book The Theory of Moral Sentiments?
d. to lend credibility and additional support to their conclusion
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. The excerpt is an example of inductive reasoning because the authors
c. formulate a generalization by studying specific examples.
There is a tale, "The Ring of Gyges," that Feldman sometimes tells his economist friends. It comes from Plato's Republic. A student named Glaucon offered the story in response to a lesson by Socrates—who, like Adam Smith, argued that people are generally good even without enforcement. Glaucon, like Feldman's economist friends, disagreed. He told of a shepherd named Gyges who stumbled upon a secret cavern with a corpse inside that wore a ring. When Gyges put on the ring, he found that it made him invisible. With no one able to monitor his behavior, Gyges proceeded to do woeful things—seduce the queen, murder the king, and so on. Glaucon's story posed a moral question: could any man resist the temptation of evil if he knew his acts could not be witnessed? Glaucon seemed to think the answer was no. But Paul Feldman sides with Socrates and Adam Smith—for he knows the answer, at least 87 percent of the time, is yes. Compared with Feldman's argument, the tale of "The Ring of Gyges" is best described as a
b. counterclaim.