Category: Writing

Which statement should be revised for a more formal tone? O Poseidon, god of the sea, and Athena, goddess of war, fought for the city of Athens. Poseidon threw his spear, which produced the Spring of Acropolis. O Amaltheia was kind of like a goat who fed Zeus, which Zeus was really happy about. In fact, he turned the goat’s horn into the horn of plenty. O Chronos was the ancient Greek symbol of time. His appearance, a wise old man with a long beard, is similar to a current symbol, Father Time. O Sisyphus displeased the gods by disclosing secrets. He found himself forced to roll a heavy stone uphill, only to see it roll back once it reached the peak.

#20 Which of the following sentences effectively uses formal language?
A- In the climax of the story, the protagonist is no longer traveling up the mountain, a fact that is symbolic of a shift in the journey.
B- If you didn’t know, authors use setting to reflect things in a story, just like the mountains stand for something in this novel.
C- The mountains are an amazing addition to the story because they represent the ups and downs of our lives.
D- You can’t miss the symbolism of the mountain ranges; they obviously stand for something important.
#22 Read the excerpt from
The Great Gatsby
. Then answer the question that follows.
I couldn’t sleep all night; a foghorn was groaning incessantly on the Sound, and I tossed half-sick between grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams. Toward dawn I heard a taxi go up Gatsby’s drive, and immediately I jumped out of bed and began to dress—I felt that I had something to tell him, something to warn him about, and morning would be too late.
What is the effect of the bolded figurative language on the passage?
A- The alliteration reveals the repetitive nature of the speaker’s nightmares.
B- The metaphor reflects the sad sound of the taxi going up the driveway.
C- The personification emphasizes the distressed and melancholy mood of the speaker.
D- The simile compares the sound of the foghorn to a nightmare.
#24 Read the excerpt from
The Great Gatsby
. Then answer the question that follows.
I couldn’t sleep all night; a foghorn was groaning incessantly on the Sound, and I tossed half-sick between grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams. Toward dawn I heard a taxi go up Gatsby’s drive, and immediately I jumped out of bed and began to dress—I felt that I had something to tell him, something to warn him about, and morning would be too late.
What is the effect of the bolded figurative language on the passage?
A- The alliteration reveals the repetitive nature of the speaker’s nightmares.
B- The metaphor reflects the sad sound of the taxi going up the driveway.
C- The personification emphasizes the distressed and melancholy mood of the speaker.
D- The simile compares the sound of the foghorn to a nightmare.
#25 Read the excerpt from
The Jester’s Sword
by Annie Fellows Johnston. Then answer the question that follows.
But in the night a storm swept down the mountain pass with sudden fury, uprooting trees a century old, and rending mighty rocks with sword thrusts of its lightning. And when it passed Aldebaran lay prone upon the earth borne down by rocks and fallen trees. Lay as if dead until two passing goat-herds found him and bore him down in pity to their hut.
Long weeks went by before the fever craze and pains began to leave him, and when at last he crawled out in the sun, he found himself a poor misshapen thing, all maimed and marred, with twisted back and face all drawn awry and foot that dragged. One hand hung nerveless by his side. Nevermore would it be strong enough to use the Sword. He could not even draw it from its scabbard.
The connotation of the bolded words and phrases creates a certain mood in this passage. Which word best represents that mood?
A- Confidence
B- Difficulty
C- Happiness
D- Silliness
#26 Patty is reading a novel, and he notices the author uses a lot of words with a negative connotation. Patty has taken note of the author’s
A- syntax
B- diction
C- figurative language
D- symbolism
#27 Read the excerpt from
The Great Gatsby
. Then answer the question that follows.
In one of the windows over the garage the curtains had been moved aside a little, and Myrtle Wilson was peering down at the car. So engrossed was she that she had no consciousness of being observed, and one emotion after another crept into her face like objects into a slowly developing picture.
What is the effect of the bolded figurative language device on the passage?
A- The metaphor illustrates the amount of time it took to see the car.
B- The personification emphasizes the car creeping slowly into the garage.
C- The simile compares the curtains moving to a picture developing.
D- The simile illustrates the realization that Myrtle has after peering into the car.
#30 Read the following excerpt from a speech given by Emily. Then answer the question that follows:
Baking at home improves one’s quality of life in a number of ways. According to Culinary University, baking is a meditative process that allows the baker to have a sense of fulfillment and instant gratification when the dish is done. In addition, psychology has shown that culinary art therapy has lasting effects on improving mood and behavior.
Emily has used a rhetorical appeal in this excerpt. How does the appeal strengthen her claim?
A- Her use of ethos establishes her expertise in the area of baking because she attended a culinary university.
B- Her use of logos provides facts about the benefits of baking, which strengthens her claim.
C- Her use of pathos evokes empathy in the listener, making them want to bake goods for community bake sales.
D- Her use of pathos describes her learning to bake with her grandmother, which makes her a credible source.
#31 Marcus is revising an essay, and he noticed he used the word “repulsive.” He wants to replace the word with one that is less harsh. He wants to change the word based on its
A- connotation
B- denotation
C- figurative language
D- syllables

How is boldness reflected in the characters of Rebecca Harding Davis’s story? Choose two characters from “Life in the Iron Mills” and explain how boldness applies to them in the story. Include two properly integrated and cited direct quotations (one related to each character: Mitchell and Deborah)

“Exiles” by Juan Felipe Herrera, begins with an epigraph by Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch, an explanation for his most famous painting, “The Scream”; he was on walk when the sunset turned red “and [he] heard an unending scream from nature.” How does this epigraph relate to Herrera’s poem?
What do you make of the title, “Exiles”? How is it a representative theme for the poem?
Is there a storyline? If so, describe. If not, what is the poem about?
Point to two specific examples of literary devices from your handout of terms.
Now, read “Borderbus” by Herrera. How does Spanish function in the poem? Examine his word choice.
Is there a storyline? A persona? Or what is the poem about?
What do the details in the poem indicate about the subject and theme?
Compare and contrast “Borderbus” also by Juan Felipe Herrera, with “Exiles”.
Do you see any of Juan Felipe Herrera’s biography reflected in either poem?

Select the correct text in the passage.
Read the following paragraph from a book review. Which sentence contains loaded language?
An enthusiastic friend of mine recently convinced me that I needed to read Rachel Carson’s book,
Silent Spring
. I spent several hours working my way through the confusing and contradictory book over the weekend. I disagree with several of the arguments that Carson lays out in her book. I’m not convinced that DDT is as harmful to humans and animals as she claims it is. I wonder if Ms. Carson intends to invent a replacement for DDT before she manages to have it banned completely.