However, It's a Loud Party Everyday on the Eastern Front

Read this passage from All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

“Wearily I stand up and look out the window. Then I take one of the books, intending to read, and turn over the leaves. But I put it away and take out another. There are passages in it that have been marked. I look, turn over the pages, take up fresh books. Already they are piled up beside me. Speedily more join the heap, papers, magazines, letters.
    I stand there dumb. As before a judge.
    Dejected.
    Words, Words, Words- they do not reach me.
    Slowly I place the books back in the shelves.
    Nevermore.
    Quietly, I go out of the room.”


What is Remarque’s purpose for using repetition of “Words, Words, Words?”

A. Speaker wants to demonstrate his poetic prowess
B. Speaker’s mindset is joyful because he gets to read again
C. Speaker is bored as he’s stuck in his room
D. Speaker is frustrated that he cannot find what he is searching for amongst his books

Scroll down for the answer.

_______________________

Answer- D- The speaker is hastily picking up book after book to find something. Words like wearily and dejected demonstrate his negative state of mind. Option C does suggest negativity, but because he is frantically jumping from one book to the next, Option D’s suggest of searching for an unknown entity is the best option.

Thanks to Lydia and Kris, two extremely bright students from Mrs. Stamey's class that I am sure will get a scholarship to UNC someday. 

Auntie Em!

Read the following passage from www.wral.com:

Lee County estimates tornado damage at $57 million

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SANFORD, N.C. — Lee County officials say damage to homes and businesses from the tornado earlier this month total at least $57 million.
Emergency Management Director Shane Seagroves presented the damage totals to county commissioners Monday.
Commissioner Jim Womack says the damage could "easily" exceed $100 million, counting damaged and destroyed vehicles and property in homes and businesses.
Two people died in the storm in Lee County.
Officials say at least 457 structures were damaged, including 99 homes and 17 businesses that were destroyed.


The tone of this passage is:


a. informational
b. jaded
c. sensationalistic
d. biased


















Scroll down for the answer.












_______________________
a. is correct.  The passage only seeks to inform the readers about the tornado damage.
b. is incorrect.  Jaded means that you are no longer moved by things that once got a reaction from you.
c. is incorrect.  WRAL is not trying to make the news story seem bigger than it is.
d. is incorrect.  There seems to be no slant in the story to make you take one side over another.




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Nothing Good Happens after 11:00 Anyway

Read the following passage:


I was late coming home and missed my curfew only by about 30 minutes or so.  My mother was so angry.  She had stayed up to wait for me to come home.  When I got in, she didn't ask if I was O.K. or if there was a wreck.  Instead she yelled, "I've told you a million times not to be late!"  I guess she was worried about me, but I still hate being yelled at.




What is the purpose of the hyperbole in the above statement?


a. to set the scene and introduce the characters
b. to make the point that the narrator should have known better
c. to contrast between the irritation of the narrator and the exasperation of the mother
d. to provide an ironic twist to the story
























Scroll down for the answer.


















___________________________
A hyperbole is an exaggeration used to make a point.  In this case, it's the being told "a million times."  The mother really wouldn't have asked that a million times, but is exaggerating to show that she has expressed this rule enough for the narrator to know what was expected.  The answer is B.

Wat did 'e say?

Read the following quotes taken from the Harry Potter books.  All quotes are from Hagrid, the giant friend of Harry and his pals who lives outside the castle at Hogwarts and is not allowed to use magic like the rest of the characters.

"I'm not blamin' yeh...but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all."

"What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does."

"Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."

"Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that."

"Gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"


"Yer' great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."
 

What is the most likely reason that the author uses this dialect?
 
a. to show Hagrid is not like everyone else
b. to confuse the reader anytime Hagrid speaks
c. to show that Hagrid isn't as intelligent since he didn't finish his education
d. it foreshadows that Hagrid is not to be trusted
 
 
 

 











 
 
Scroll down for the answer.
 
 
 
 
_____________________
a. is correct.  Everything about Hagrid is to make him different.  He's big, he has no fashion sense, he lives in a small house outside the castle, he can but doesn't normally use magic, he speaks differently from the others, etc.
 
Note that you do not need to have read or watched the movies to get this question correct.  The EOC will give you everything you need to know in the little blurb before the passage.

It's Really All About Location, Location, Location

Read the following passage from Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does a Man Need?"

Pakhom went on running, his soaking shirt and trousers stuck to him and his mouth parched. His breast was working like a blacksmith's bellows, his heart was beating like a hammer, and his legs were giving way as if they did not belong to him. Pakhom was seized with terror lest he should die of the strain.

What is the mood of this passage?

a. joyful
b. panicked
c. exhuberated
d. exasperated















Scroll down for the answer.

________________________
a) incorrect; because unless Pakhom is extremely masochistic, being seized with terror would not make you joyful
b) correct; Pakhom is freaking out
c) incorrect; because Pakham is clearly exhausted
d) incorrect; because there is nothing particularly irritating Pakhom


Thanks to Liz and Ava from Ms. Stamey's class - not only for the question, but also for the image of that wonderful Running Man movie.

Abra Cadabra!

Look at this movie poster:

If you look carefully, you'll see that the title is not Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but instead, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  This is the original title by the book's author, J. K. Rowling.  When this book was published in England, the title was kept.  When the book was published in the United States, the title was changed to the Sorcerer's Stone.  What is the best reason why this change was made?


Answer choices are not needed here.  Think it out and come up with an explanation.













Scroll down for the answer.












________________________

The correct answer is: the book publishers thought American kids would not be familiar with the philosopher's stone, would think it is a boring title, and therefore would not buy it.  

What is more important that getting this question right or wrong is the process that you used to figure out the answer.  Many high school students accept that they just do not know something and do not try to guess at an answer.  You cannot take the approach on the EOC and expect to pass it.  You WILL run into questions that you do not know the answer to.  Also, as in the constructed response questions, your answer is more based on your rationale rather than your being correct.






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Not Sure If Lady Macbeth Is Evil or If Macbeth Is Just Whipped

 Read the following passage from Macbeth.  This takes place right after Macbeth kills the king, a man he admires.  He is a bit upset that his hands are covered in the king's blood.

“Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”


What literary term is being used to express Macbeth's inability to deal with his guilt?

a. imagery

b. verbal irony

c. juxtaposition

d. hyperbole

Scroll down for the answer.

_____________________________

a. is incorrect.  While it does describe the blood, it is not being used to express guilt.

b. is incorrect. There is no irony in this passage.

c. is incorrect.

d. is correct.  Macbeth is saying that the whole ocean does not have enough water in it to wash away all the blood on his hands.