Thursday, March 28, 2024

Would You Look Up in a Box? Would You with a Fox?

 

Read the following passage from We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach:


And then there was the setting, crepuscular and shadowy, everything about it perfectly calibrated for creativity, from the sultry red glow of the darkroom lights to the still and shallow pool in which her prints rested like dead leaves on the surface of a pond.

Based on the above passage, which of the following words is the best synonym for crepuscular?

a. Luminous
b. Cheerful
c. Lugubrious 
d. Darkened
 











Scroll down for the answer.






_____________________________
Answer: d. darkened. Crepuscular means "of, relating to, or resembling twilight; dim; indistinct." Since the author is discussing a photography dark room, darkened is the best synonym. The best wrong answer is c. lugubrious, because some do associate a gloomy quality with twilight. 



Thanks for the question, Ms. Parsons!  Now about that book cover.  For some reason, on the Internet, there are several book covers of other famous books with this title and author.  I'm not sure why.  If anyone knows, leave a comment!

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

What's Sacred to You?

Read this excerpt from All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque:

"Good God, what is there that is sacred to me?- such things change pretty quickly with us."



What is this passage an example of?

a) allusion

b) tone
c) metaphor
d) external conflict














Scroll down for the answer.







________________________________

a) allusion isn't the answer because nothing famous is referred to
b) Tone is the answer because the character's response is very disillusioned and depressed

c) metaphor isn't the answer because you aren't comparing one thing to another
d) external conflict isn't the answer because the two characters aren't in conflict here



Thanks to the ultra smart Miranda from Mrs. Stamey's class for this question.  Based on the quality of this question, I'm sure she is a die hard Carolina fan!  Go Heels!





Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Did You Ever Think as a Hearse Goes by...

Read the passage from All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque:

"I open my eyes- my fingers grasp a sleeve, an arm. A wounded man? I yell at him- no answer- a dead man. My hand gropes farther, splinters of wood- now I remember again that we are lying in the graveyard....I crawl still farther under the coffin, it shall protect me; though Death himself lies in it."


What literary device is used to show the speaker's determination?

a. alliteration
b. irony
c. metaphor
d. personification







Scroll down for the answer.






_____________________
The correct answer is d.  A key to noticing personification is when the thing personified (in this case Death) is written with a capital letter.  Here  the speaker won't even allow that to stop him.  
However, the best wrong answer is B, since there is some irony in a dead body being used to keep the speaker alive.  

The EOC will often use answer choices that appear in the passage, but do not directly answer the question.


Thanks, Ashley from Ms. Stamey's class, for a thoroughly gruesome story.  Now I'm going to have nightmares!

Monday, March 25, 2024

What Did He Get a PhD in?

Read the following headline:

Latverian Dictator Massacres Three Peace Protesters 

Based only on this headline, which of the following words best expresses the tone of the news reporter:

a. supportive          b. vindictive         
c. apathetic            d. disapproving






Scroll down for the answer.



















By the way, Latveria is the home country of Dr. Doom, but I am sure that you already knew that!






_______________________

Answers:

A, B, and C are incorrect.

D - disapproving - is correct.  Why?  You can tell by the choice of words.  Every word has a denotation - the actual dictionary definition.  Some words have a connotation, or an emotional feel for a word.  You can tell the tone sometimes by the connotation of the words chosen.  Here, the reporter chooses to use the term dictator instead of his actual govermental title.  The term dictator, while accurate, has a negative connotation.  The word massacre also has a negative connotation.  A lesser one may have been executed, but massacres sounds more evil.  Also choosing to include that it was during a peace protest also makes it seem more wrong.  All of these terms are accurate, but they show the reporter's viewpoint.  Here is the same headline slanted the other way:

Latverian President Executes Rebel Protesters



~

Friday, March 22, 2024

I Wonder Where She Got Them

 Read the following very short story:


My Daughter Learned to Count

My daughter woke me around 11:50 last night. My wife and I had picked her up from her friend Sally’s birthday party, brought her home, and put her to bed. My wife went into the bedroom to read while I fell asleep watching the Braves game.

“Daddy,” she whispered, tugging my shirt sleeve. “Guess how old I’m going to be next month.”

“I don’t know, beauty,” I said as I slipped on my glasses. “How old?”
She smiled and held up four fingers.

It is 7:30 now. My wife and I have been up with her for almost 8 hours. She still refuses to tell us where she got them.

What literary term does the author use to make this a horror story?

a. suspense
b. foreshadowing
c. imagery
d. situational irony










Scroll down for the answer.












________________________________________
a. is incorrect.  Suspense is often used to create horror stories, but not in this case.  
b. is incorrect.  There is nothing to hint at where the story is going.
c. is incorrect.  While imagery is often used in horror movies, it is not being used here
d. is correct.  It is unexpected that the little girl isn't just holding up the four fingers on her own hand. 

Want to read more freaky very short horror stories?  

Thursday, March 21, 2024

When You Wish upon a Star

Look at the picture below:



What literary term is this an example of?

a. personification
b. alliteration
c. pun
d. irony









Scroll down for the answer.







______________________

c. is the correct answer.  A pun is a play on words and this is a play on "Once upon a time."

Thanks to http://thatspunny.blogspot.com/ for the picture.
~

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Cry, the Beloved Country

Read this excerpt from Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

“There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it. The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa.”


What literary device is being utilized in this passage?

A. Pun
B. Allusion
C. Foreshadowing
D. Imagery








Scroll down for the answer.









_____________________________________

Answer- D- The visual portrayed here gives the reader, who may be unfamiliar with this terrain, a clear idea of what the land looks like. Although, foreshadowing may also be present, without any other information provided from the novel, you, the test taker, must utilize only the information that you are being given.



Thanks, Maggie, from Mrs. Stamey's class.  The title of this book speaks of crying and you know who else cries often?  State fans during basketball season.