English Exam – Kasie Witherspoon



Selection 1 – American Non-Fiction Document

Address Delivered at the Dedication of the Cemetery at Gettysburg

Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the selection?

a. to dedicate and consecrate the land to those who died during the civil war

b. to expose the truth of the war’s injustice

c. to persuade listeners to devote themselves to renewed freedom

d. to describe the death of civil war soldiers

2. What is the effect of referring to “our fathers” in paragraph one?

a. it connects to a nostalgic pre-war past

b. it emphasizes the passage of time since the start of the war

c. it demonstrates that the fathers were misguided in assembling so many together

d. it indicates that people deserve freedom

3. Which of the following best describes the sequence of the speech?

a. cause, effect

b. past, present, and future

c. future, present, past

d. summary, then dialogue

4. What is the effect of personification in the following lines?

“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.

a. it shows the Gettysburg battlefield regrets the bloodshed

b. it shows the dead men wish they could return from their final resting place

c. it supports the theme that the nation is reborn through the death of others

d. it demonstrates the love the speaker has for those who died

5. What does the author mean when he states the following lines?

“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”

a. the world will write small notes to remember the speech, but their actions don’t need notes

b. the burial and dedication will be remembered for eternity, but his words won’t

c. the brutality of war will be forgotten in time, and the world will recall false words

d. the words of the present will fade, while the actions of the past will remain

6. Why does the author include the following sentence?

“… Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

a. it emphasizes the importance of the people

b. it immortalizes the soldiers

c. it discusses the political heritage of the United States

d. in implies the necessity of government for stopping needless bloodshed

7. How does the figurative meaning of “conceived in Liberty” compare with the author’s main idea in the final paragraph?

a. it discusses the beliefs of the founding fathers

b. it mentions liberty in both sections

c. it hints at the motif of birth and rebirth

d. it suggests the scientific advancement of the time

8. Based on the context, which of the following best replaces the word “perish” in the last paragraph?

a. arrive

b. fade

c. relieve

d. believe

9. What is the tone of the speech?

a. respectful

b. ironic

c. disdainful

d. fearful

10. In 2-3 sentences describe how Lincoln uses language to advance his point of view? Use evidence from the selection to support your answer. Record your answer below.

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Selection 2 – World Poetry

Memories by Marya Zaturensky

Lower New York City at noon hour

There is a noise, and then the crowded herd

Of noon-time workers flows into the street.

My soul, bewildered and without retreat,

Closes its wings and shrinks, a frightened bird.

Oh, I have known a peace, once I have known

The joy that could have touched a heart of stone—

The heart of holy Russia beating still,

Over a snow-cold steppe and on a hill:

One day in Kiev I heard a great church-bell

Crying a strange farewell.

And once in a great field, the reapers sowing

Barley and wheat, I saw a great light growing

Over the weary bowed heads of the reapers;

As growing sweeter, stranger, ever deeper,

From the long waters sorrowfully strong,

Came the last echoes of the River Song!

Here in this alien crowd I walk apart

Clasping remembered beauty to my heart!

11. Which lines from the poem best support the theme?

a. “. . . once I have known / The joy that could have touched a heart of stone—”

b. “One day in Kiev I heard a great church-bell / Crying a strange farewell.”

c. “From the long waters sorrowfully strong, / Came the last echoes of the River Song!”

d. “Here in this alien crowd I walk apart / Clasping remembered beauty to my heart!”

12. How does the author’s use of rhyme scheme enhance the theme of the poem?

a. The rhyming couplets in the stanzas about Russia are rhythmic and soothing.

b. The different rhyme patterns are jarring, and mirror the noise of the city.

c. The rhyming lines are subtle in comparison to the growing light.

d. The rhyme pattern mimics the songs of the birds in the country.

13. In line 18, what is the meaning of the phrase “clasping remembered beauty”?

a. imagining future events c. creating current events

b. recalling past events d. forgetting past events

14. How has the speaker changed between the first and last stanzas of the poem?

a. She is less meek after remembering beautiful moments from her days in Russia.

b. She is even more overwhelmed by her hectic surroundings in New York City.

c. She is more aggressive toward the other people in the street.

d. She is now confidently intermixing with her fellow walkers.

15. How does the speaker’s cultural background affect her perception of the noon-time

workers of New York?

a. The speaker dislikes the country life and is energized by the people of New York.

b. The speaker’s experiences in Russia lead her to expect New York workers to

be wealthy and benevolent people.

c. Because the speaker grew up in a large Russian city, she feels at home

among the people of New York.

d. The speaker’s rural Russian upbringing causes her to view the workers of

New York as a herd of animals.

16. What does the speaker achieve in the poem with her description of New York?

a. She forges a connection with the audience’s sense of gratitude.

b. She presents a stark contrast to the beauty of her homeland.

c. She describes how to pass time during the hectic rush hour.

d. She confesses her feelings of bitterness and remorse.

17. How does the speaker’s point of view affect her impression of the bustle of New York?

a. The speaker feels welcomed and embraced by the citizens of New York.

b. The speaker is excited by the differences between home and the new city.

c. The speaker feels excluded in a strange and frightening place.

d. The speaker is cautious and curious about life in a large, new city.

Poem 144 Poem 70

The crookedness of the serpent As a mother runs

is straight enough for the snake-hole. Close behind her child

with his hand on a cobra or a fire,

The crookedness of the river

is straight enough for the sea. the lord of the meeting rivers

stays with me

And the crookedness of our Lord’s men every step of the way

is straight enough for our Lord! And looks after me.

- Basavanna - Basavanna

18. Which of the following words best describes the mother in Basavanna’s poem #70?

a. manipulator c. interferer

b. protector d. provider

19. What type of figurative language is used in poem #70?

a. metaphor c. simile

b. apostrophe d. hyperbole

20. Which of these best describes the nature of “the lord of the meeting rivers” in Basavanna’s \

poem #70?

a. omnipotent; having unlimited power

b. omniscient; having unlimited knowledge

c. omnipresent; having unlimited presence

d. vengeful; destroying everything

21. Which of these words is the best synonym for the word “crookedness” in line 5 of Basavanna’s

poem #144?

a. imperfection and deficiencies c. curving and slanting

b. poison and danger d. slyness and aloofness

22. Which pair of descriptions best describes the unifying theme of Basavanna’s two poems?

a. the lord offers comfort and acceptance c. animals and humans always live together

b. suffering and danger are requisites of life d. companionship is good when traveling

Selection 3 – Non-Fiction Document

The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli

CHAPTER XVII

Concerning Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether It Is Better To Be Loved Than Feared

COMING now to the other qualities mentioned above, I say that every prince ought to desire to be considered clement and not cruel. Nevertheless he ought to take care not to misuse this clemency. Cesare Borgia was considered cruel; notwithstanding, his cruelty reconciled the Romagna, unified it, and restored it to peace and loyalty. And if this be rightly considered, he will be seen to have been much more merciful than the Florentine people, who, to avoid a reputation for cruelty, permitted Pistoia to be destroyed. Therefore a prince, so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not to mind the reproach of cruelty; because with a few examples he will be more merciful than those who, through too much mercy, allow disorders to arise; for these are wont to injure the whole people, whilst those executions which originate with a prince offend the individual only.

And of all princes, it is impossible for the new prince to avoid the imputation of cruelty, owing to new states being full of dangers. Hence Virgil, through the mouth of Dido, excuses the inhumanity of her reign owing to its being new, saying:

Res dura, et regni novitas me talia cogunt

Moliri, et late fines custode tueri. 1

Nevertheless he ought to be slow to believe and to act, nor should he himself show fear, but proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence may not make him incautious and too much distrust render him intolerable.

Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that prince who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

Nevertheless a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their women. But when it is necessary for him to proceed against the life of someone, he must do it on proper justification and for manifest cause, but above all things he must keep his hands off the property of others, because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony. Besides, pretexts for taking away the property are never wanting; for he who has once begun to live by robbery will always find pretexts for seizing what belongs to others; but reasons for taking life, on the contrary, are more difficult to find and sooner lapse. But when a prince is with his army, and has under control a multitude of soldiers, then it is quite necessary for him to disregard the reputation of cruelty, for without it he would never hold his army united or disposed to its duties.

Among the wonderful deeds of Hannibal this one is enumerated: that having led an enormous army, composed of many various races of men, to fight in foreign lands, no dissensions arose either among them or against the prince, whether in his bad or in his good fortune. This arose from nothing else than his inhuman cruelty, which, with his boundless valour, made him revered and terrible in the sight of his soldiers, but without that cruelty, his other virtues were not sufficient to produce this effect. And shortsighted writers admire his deeds from one point of view and from another condemn the principal cause of them. That it is true his other virtues would not have been sufficient for him may be proved by the case of Scipio, that most excellent man, not of his own times but within the memory of man, against whom, nevertheless, his army rebelled in Spain; this arose from nothing but his too great forbearance, which gave his soldiers more license than is consistent with military discipline. For this he was upbraided in the Senate by Fabius Maximus, and called the corrupter of the Roman soldiery. The Locrians were laid waste by a legate of Scipio, yet they were not avenged by him, nor was the insolence of the legate punished, owing entirely to his easy nature. Insomuch that someone in the Senate, wishing to excuse him, said there were many men who knew much better how not to err than to correct the errors of others. This disposition, if he had been continued in the command, would have destroyed in time the fame and glory of Scipio; but, he being under the control of the Senate, this injurious characteristic not only concealed itself, but contributed to his glory.

Returning to the question of being feared or loved, I come to the conclusion that, men loving according to their own will and fearing according to that of the prince, a wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in that of others; he must endeavor only to avoid hatred, as is noted

23. What is the author’s purpose in writing this selection?

a. he desired to discuss Scipio’s fame and glory when winning against the Locrians

b. he desired to show the boundless valor of the senate when dealing with Scipio

c. he wants to depict the necessity of being feared as a leader

d. he wants to show the manipulators the flaws of their ways

24. Which of the following best replaces the bold word temperate from paragraph 4?

a. moderate c. hateful

b. adoring d. warm

25. What happened with Scipio in the last paragraph of the selection?

a. he was deceived by the Senate’s leader, Fabius Maximus

b. he led an incredibly disciplined military because he was an excellent man

c. he concealed his glory from all around

d. he was too merciful with his soldiers so they rebelled

26. What is the effect of using multiple allusions to past leaders (like Scipio) and anecdotes about

past governments in the selection?

a. they contradict the selections central idea

b. they underscore the importance of writing Latin inscriptions

c. they give support for his claim

d. they show the flaws of a system that panders to its citizens

27. Which of the following best replaces the bolded word insolence in the last paragraph?

a. anger c. objection

b. disrespect d. pleasure

28. The selection’s essential question is: “Is it better to be loved than feared?” Based on the selection, what can you infer Machiavelli believes is the answer to this question? Use evidence from the selection to support your answer. Record your answer below in 2-3 sentences.

Selection 4 – Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Sonnet 30

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

I summon up remembrance of things past,

I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,

And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:

Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,

For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,

And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe,

And moan the expense of many a vanish'd sight:

Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,

And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er

The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,

Which I new pay as if not paid before.

But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,

All losses are restored and sorrows end.

29. Who is the intended audience of this poem?

a. people who are working through grief c. people with incredible success

b. those with overdrawn accounts d. a friend

30. How does the setting contribute to the poem’s overall meaning?

a. it creates a frenzied mood that is supported in the final couplet

b. it creates a contemplative mood for expressing a personal sentiment

c. it creates a gloomy mood that is supported by the final couplet

d. it creates an aggressive mood to ward off grief

31. What is the effect of repetition in this poem?

a. it describes the friend’s importance to the speaker

b. it shows that sorrow will end for the speaker

c. it emphasizes the redundancy of negative memories for the speaker

d. it illustrates that time is wasting as the poem is read

32. Which of the following best paraphrases these lines?

“And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er

The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan

Which I new pay as if not paid before”

a. the speaker sadly goes through past grief again

b. the speaker moans from his weakened accounts he didn’t pay

c. the speaker tells others about his heavy accounts and new pay

d. the speaker goes through woe by telling others to pay

33. Which of the following lines contains hyperbole?

a. “I summon up remembrance of things past”

b. “And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er”

c. “But if the while I think on thee, dear friend”

d. “Then can I drown and eye, unused to flow”

34. Which of the following lines contains alliteration?

a. “I summon up remembrance of things past”

b. “And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er”

c. “But if the while I think on thee, dear friend”

d. “Then can I drown and eye, unused to flow”

35. What is the theme of sonnet 30?

a. life needs silent moments to cope with grief

b. silent moments lead to woe and tears

c. close friends allow grief to disappear

d. sorrow occurs throughout life

Sonnet 73

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou see'st the twilight of such day

As after sunset fadeth in the west;

Which by and by black night doth take away,

Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the deathbed whereon it must expire,

Consumed with that which it was nourished by.

This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

36. What is the primary metaphor in the first quatrain (four lines)?

a. the speaker’s life is compared to the seasons

b. the birds are compared to the poor, bare choir singers

c. the speaker’s life is compared to ruined churches

d. the speaker’s life is compared to the birds that chirp

37. What is the primary metaphor in the second quatrain (four lines)?

a. the idea of death is compared to rest

b. the speaker’s life is compared to the time of day

c. death is compared to his second self

d. the speaker’s life is compared to night time

38. What is the primary metaphor in the third quatrain (four lines)?

a. the speaker’s life is compared to an expiration date

b. the speaker’s life is compared to a roaring fire

c. the speaker’s life is compared to ashes

d. the deathbed is compared to nourishing meals

39. What is the purpose of including the three different metaphors above?

a. each metaphor characterizes an aspect of Shakespeare’s British countryside

b. each metaphor supports the idea that fire and frost are dangerous for life

c. each metaphor establishes credibility for the final two lines

d. each metaphor contradicts the final line

40. Considering your answers to the questions 36-39 and the final couplet (2 lines) what is the theme of Sonnet 73? Use evidence from the text to support your claim. Record your answer below in 2-3 sentences.

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