Writing Workshop: Literary Analysis — Unit test Answers

Read the sentence. The audience watching the play knew the criminal was hiding behind the sofa, but the characters were unaware of this fact. This sentence describes an example of

Read the outline for an introduction to a literary analysis paper. I. Introduction: Samuel Johnson once said, “I would rather be attacked than unnoticed. For the worst thing you can do to an author is to be silent as to his works.” A. Interpret the quotation: B. Agree or disagree: C. Thesis statement: Which statement would best fit into part B of this outline?

Use the following definitions to answer the question.emerge:1. (verb) to come up, appearimmerge:1. (verb) to sink into, immerseWhich sentence contains correct word usage?

Read the excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko’s story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."Leon knocked at the old carved door with its symbols of the Lamb. While he waited he looked up at the twin bells from the king of Spain with the last sunlight pouring around them in their tower.What does the image of the Lamb above the priest’s door symbolize?

Read the excerpt from Wiesel’s All Rivers Run to the Sea.No, let us go no further. Decency and custom forbid it. I said it earlier, when speaking of my grandfather: In Jewish tradition a man’s death belongs to him alone. Let the gas chambers remain closed to prying eyes, and to the imagination. We will never know all that happened behind those doors of steel.Read the text and study the images from Spiegelman’s Maus.Which theme is addressed in both excerpts?

Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application.How does King support this claim?

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."I am a writer. And by that definition, I am someone who has always loved language. I am fascinated by language in daily life. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Those tests were constructed around items like fill-in-the-blank sentence completion, such as “Even though Tom was ______, Mary thought he was _____.” And the correct answer always seemed to be the most bland combinations of thoughts, for example, “Even though Tom was foolish, Mary thought he was ridiculous.” Well, according to my mother, there were very few limitations as to what Tom could have been and what Mary might have thought of him. So I never did well on tests like that. Which information from the excerpt best supports the inference that achievement tests ignore imagination as an element of language ability?

Which accurately describes a contrast between Wiesel’s All Rivers Run to the Sea and Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, Maus?

Use the following definitions to answer the question.emit:1. (verb) to produce, to voiceomit:1. (verb) to leave something out, to forgetWhich sentence contains correct word usage?

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?

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 this excerpt from "Talking Robots."Of course, neural networks still have a long way to go before they can model the human brain. As physicist Heinz Pagels has said: “The difference between a real neuron and the model neurons . . . is like the difference between a human hand and a pair of pliers.” But the fact that a simple neural network can speak at all is remarkable, indicating that perhaps human abilities can be simulated by electronics. . . . Which is the most accurate summary of Kaku’s argument?

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Yet some of my friends tell me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese. But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world. Which best summarizes the central idea of the excerpt?

Use the following definitions to answer the question.emanate:1. (verb) to come from, originateeminent:1. (adjective) of high standing, well-knownimmanent:1. (adjective) within something, innateimminent:1. (adjective) about to occur, pendingRead the sentence.The fire burning out of control put the neighborhood in __________ danger.Which word best completes the sentence?

Read the following passage, which is modeled after an encyclopedia entry about tortillas.A tortilla is a round flatbread that appears in most Mexican dishes, including tacos, enchiladas, and tostadas. Tortillas are made with cornmeal or sometimes wheat flour. Traditionally, the corn or wheat grains are ground on a stone. Next, the meal from these grains is formed into small pieces of dough and patted into thin circles by hand. Finally, the tortilla is baked on a griddle. Today, tortilla dough is usually mixed by machine, flattened into shape, and passed on a conveyor belt to cook over a flame. Tortillas can be purchased at most major grocery stores.Which best describes the purpose of this passage?

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 Elie Wiesel’s All Rivers Run to the Sea.It is unbelievable how fast people adapt. It hurts to admit it, but within hours of first breathing the cattle car’s nauseating air, we began to feel at home. ‘Home’ was the edge of the wooden plank I sat on as I dreamed of the Jewish exiles of antiquity and the Middle Ages. More curious than afraid, I thought of myself as their brother. Mixed into my sadness there was undeniable excitement, for we were living a historic event, a historic adventure.Which best describes the author at this point in his life?

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

What emotional truth is conveyed in both “Ambush” and “Facing It”?