Choosing Language — Unit test Answers

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Read the excerpt from Rudolfo Anaya’s essay “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry.”Tortillas and poetry. They go hand in hand. Books nourish the spirit, bread nourishes our bodies. Our distinct cultures nourish each one of us, and as we know more and more about the art and literature of the different cultures, we become freer and freer. . . .I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to sample different ethnic foods, the breads of many many groups; just as many of us enjoy sampling books from different areas of the world. I travel to foreign countries, and I know more about myself as I learn more about my fellow human beings. Censorship imposes itself in my path of knowledge, and that activity can be justified by no one. Which phrase from the excerpt best uses persuasion?

A
“about the art and literature of the different cultures”
B
“I travel to foreign countries, and I know more about myself”
C
“Our distinct cultures nourish each one of us”
D
“just as many of us enjoy sampling books from different areas”
2
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An effective thesis statement establishes the focus of a compare-and-contrast essay by

A
immediately relating important supporting details and information to the audience.
B
orienting and engaging the audience as well as setting the tone for the piece.
C
addressing any possible counter arguments against the piece’s main claim.
D
providing the writer’s viewpoint and two reasons why the argument is valid.
3

Read the excerpt from "Like Mexicans."We had lunch: sandwiches, potato chips, and iced tea. Carolyn and her mother talked mostly about neighbors and the congregation at the Japanese Methodist Church in West Fresno. Her father, who was in khaki work clothes, excused himself with a wave that was almost a salute and went outside. I heard a truck start, a dog bark, and the truck rattle away.How does Soto build a central idea of his story in the excerpt?

A
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is strange to him, Soto supports the idea that culture causes conflict between people.
B
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is boring to him, Soto supports the idea that people from different cultures do not share interests.
C
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is familiar to him, Soto supports the idea that people from different cultures can also share a culture.
D
By showing how Carolyn’s family lives in a way that is similar to him, Soto supports the idea that there are very few differences among cultures.
4

Read the sentence from a student’s critical analysis essay.In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson talks about independence through his use of big words and fancy argument skills.Which is the best revision to the sentence?

A
Thomas Jefferson put difficult words and strong argumentative abilities to work when he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
B
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson uses his command of the English language to make a powerful argument for American independence.
C
Thomas Jefferson uses fanciful words and great arguments to make a case for American independence in the Declaration of Independence.
D
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson talks using sophisticated words to make a good case so that Britain will give Americans their independence.
5

Read the excerpt from “First Generation” of Dreaming in Cuban.She considers the vagaries of sports, the happenstance of El Líder, a star pitcher in his youth, narrowly missing a baseball career in America. His wicked curveball attracted the major league scouts, and the Washington Senators were interested in signing him but changed their minds. Frustrated, El Líder went home, rested his pitching arm, and started a revolution in the mountains.Read the excerpt from “Like Mexicans.”We talked for an hour and had apple pie and coffee, slowly. Finally, we got up with Carolyn taking my hand. Slightly embarrassed, I tried to pull away but her grip held me. I let her have her way as she led me down the hallway with her mother right behind me. . . . Carolyn waved again. I looked, back, waving. . . . Her people were like Mexicans, only different.Which best states how the structures of the excerpts are similar?

A
Each relates an anecdote to appeal to the reader’s emotions.
B
Each presents factual evidence to appeal to the reader’s logic.
C
Each documents career credentials to appeal to the reader’s ethics.
D
Each discusses a political event to appeal to the reader’s logic.
6

Read the excerpt from Gary Soto’s story "Like Mexicans."We talked for an hour and had apple pie and coffee, slowly. Finally, we got up with Carolyn taking my hand. Slightly embarrassed, I tried to pull away but her grip held me. I let her have her way as she led me down the hallway with her mother right behind me. . . . Carolyn waved again. I looked back, waving . . . . Her people were like Mexicans, only different.Which best describes the irony in this excerpt?

A
The narrator is embarrassed about his own Mexican identity even though there is no reason to be.
B
Carolyn is exactly like a good Mexican girl even though her family is Japanese American.
C
After worrying about marrying a woman from a different culture, the narrator learns that her family is a lot like his own.
D
Although the narrator has dreamed about marrying a Mexican girl for most of his life, he finds a Japanese American girl instead.
7

Read the excerpt from Julia Ortiz Cofer’s poem "El Olvido."It is a dangerous thingto forget the climate of your birthplace,to choke out the voices of dead relativeswhen in dreams they call youby your secret name.Which statement best expresses Cofer’s point?

A
Although the United States has much to offer, it is a very dangerous place.
B
Immigrants must remember and preserve their own native cultures.
C
The voices of dead relatives may enter a person’s dreams at night.
D
Dead relatives will call people by secret names that no one else knows.
8

Read the passage from the poem "El Olvido" by Julia Ortiz Cofer.dangerousto disdain the plaster saintsbefore which your mother kneelspraying with embarrassing fervorthat you survive in the place you have chosen to live:a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls,a forgetting place where she fears you will dieof loneliness and exposure.What imagery in this passage creates a visual of the speaker’s heritage?

A
“loneliness and exposure”
B
“plaster saints,” “mother kneels praying”
C
“the place you have chosen to live,” “a forgetting place”
D
“a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls”
9

Read the excerpt from “Like Mexicans.”We talk for an hour and had apple pie and coffee, slowly. Finally, we got up with Carolyn taking my hand. Slightly embarrassed, I tried to pull away but her grip held me. I let her have her way as she led me down the hallway with her mother right behind me. . . . Carolyn waved again. I looked, back, waving. . . . Her people were like Mexicans, only different.Which best explains how Soto’s text structure helps establish his voice in the excerpt?

A
Soto compares his experience to his wife’s experience in order to criticize marriage in a multicultural society.
B
Soto lists a series of events to present guidelines on how to live in a multicultural society.
C
Soto relates a story from his life to make a point about what it means to live in a multicultural society.
D
Soto uses a cause-and-effect format to show how a person’s heritage can limit his or her marriage choices.
10

As you read a potential source for a compare-and-contrast paragraph, you should first assess

A
its argument’s claims, reasons, and evidence.
B
the writer’s future publishing plans.
C
its subjectivity and how it appeals to emotion.
D
your personal opinion on the subject.
11

Which statement best describes the role of the speaker in the poem "El Olvido" by Julia Ortiz Cofer?

A
The speaker is warning against forgetting one’s heritage.
B
The speaker is trying to reconnect with her own heritage.
C
The speaker is expressing regret over moving away from home.
D
The speaker is voicing embarrassment over her mother’s cultural traditions.
12

Read the excerpt from "How the Internet and Other Technologies Came About."Tanks and submarines were easily simulated, since looking through goggles wasn’t very much different from looking through a pair of binoculars or a periscope. Since the first head-mounted display was built for the Pentagon in 1968, primitive versions of virtual reality have since proliferated to video arcades around the country.Which information from the excerpt best supports the inference that certain video games resulted from issues related to national security?

A
There has been a marked increase in war-themed games since the military developed conflict-based simulators.
B
There has been a marked increase in the development of new forms of entertainment since cuts to military spending have occurred.
C
There has been a marked increase in virtual reality games since the military developed conflict-based simulators.
D
There has been a marked increase in new forms of entertainment since the military’s budget was increased.
13

Read the excerpt from “How the Internet and Other Technologies Came About.”In a scenario of two dazed boxers lying flat on their backs, slowly regaining consciousness, the winner of World War III would be that country which could stand on its feet first (and so go on to win World War VI). Therefore, the pentagon’s priority was to provide scientists with a way to rebuild the country as fast as possible, unimpeded by unnecessary restrictions.Which type of rhetoric is used most in this excerpt to convince readers of the author’s point of view?

A
an appeal to logic
B
an appeal to the author’s character
C
an appeal to emotion
D
an appeal to ethics
14

Read the passage from the poem "El Olvido," by Julia Ortiz Cofer.It is a dangerous thingto forget the climate of your birthplace,to choke out the voices of dead relativeswhen in dreams they call youby your secret name.Which best describes the tone of the passage?

A
confused
B
serious
C
mournful
D
angry
15

Which of the following lines from the poem "El Olvido," by Julia Ortiz Cofer, contains sensory imagery that expresses loneliness?

A
the clothes you were born to wear
B
weapons and sharp instruments you are not familiar with
C
the climate of your birthplace
D
a bare, cold room with no pictures on the walls
16

What best summarizes the central idea of the passage from "How the Internet and Other Technologies Came About"?

A
Technological advancement is a side effect of military efforts to win wars.
B
Technological advancement is a side effect of academic competition between countries.
C
Technological advancement is a side effect of economic competition between countries.
D
Technological advancement is a side effect of profit-driven corporations.
17

What best summarizes the central idea of the passage from "Like Mexicans"?

A
People from different ethnicities have a difficult time understanding each other.
B
People can be of different ethnicities and still have shared life experiences.
C
People should marry based on shared ethnicity to maintain their own cultures.
D
People should ignore their ethnicities to develop one common culture.
18

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?

A
art
B
religion
C
folklore
D
language
19

Read the excerpt from Thomas Paine’s work “The Crisis” No. 1.Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER,” and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. . . .. . . Neither have I so much of the infidel in me, as to suppose that He has relinquished the government of the world, and given us up to the care of devils; and as I do not, I cannot see on what grounds the king of Britain can look up to heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a highwayman, or a house-breaker, has as good a pretence as he.What is the denotation of the word “bound” in this excerpt?

A
trapped
B
connected
C
depended
D
aided
20

Read the statement.Because she didn’t have health insurance, my Auntie Gloria’s diabetes went untreated for a number of years; this led to more extensive and serious health problems.This statement uses what type of evidence to support a claim that a universal health care system is desirable?

A
a statistic that appeals to the reader’s sense of logic
B
a comparison of something familiar and unfamiliar
C
a survey to show the extent of the issue presented
D
an anecdote to illustrate a specific example

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