H2O

 "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge is an excellent poem about some freaky things that happen to this guy while on a boat on the ocean.  Currently, he and his crew are thirsting to death.

Read the following excerpt:

“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”

What is the above an example of?

a. hyperbole

b. imagery

c. situational irony

d. unreliable narrator

Scroll down for the answer.

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a. is incorrect.  While it might seem like he is exaggerating, he really does have water everywhere as he is floating on the ocean.

b. is incorrect.  You can make an argument that there is some description that is going on with the boards a shrink and all, but it is not the best answer here.

c. is correct.  You would think that if you were floating on an ocean that lack of water would be the least of your worries (you've got 99 worries and water ain't one), but since you can't drink the salt water, lack of water is very much indeed a problem (O.K., you've got 100 problems).

d. is incorrect.  We do not have enough to go on to determine if this narrator is reliable or not.

Look Closely

Look at the following logo:

This is an example of:

a. archetype
b. hyperbole
c. allusion
d. alliteration








Scroll down for the answer.








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c. is correct.  The winged foot in the middle is a reference to Hermes, Greek god of messengers.  He is really, really fast and so it Goodyear.

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The Stars and Stripes

Read the first stanza from "The Star Spangled Banner."

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

According to this stanza, where is the flag?

a. flying proudly over the fort
b. flying proudly over the land of the free and the home of the brave
c. destroyed by a bomb that burst in mid air
d. the author doesn't know where the flag is




















Scroll down for the answer.




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See that question mark at the end of the stanza?  The author is asking if the flag is still up.  Therefore the correct answer is d.


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Freebie - Ace the State Test

 Hello teachers!  Never fear, your daily question is just a downwards scroll away, but I wanted to give you a chance to grab the Last Minute EOC Tips presentation.  You can get it by going to https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Extreme-English-Teacher and grabbing the Free Download (should see it at the top right, but if not, just scroll the products until you see it).  I hope it helps!  If it does, please consider leaving a review.

A Sad Love Story

Read the passage below:

She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but she had to break it off.

This is an example of a(n):

a. alliteration             
b.  pun        

c. hyperbole
d. personification 










Scroll down for the answer
























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a. is incorrect - alliteration means repeating the same sounds at the beginning of words

b. is correct - a pun is a play on words.  Here, break it off has a double meaning that makes you think she may have needed to break his wooden leg, rather than break off the dating relationship

c. is incorrect - a hyperbole is an exaggeration used to make your point

d. is incorrect - personification gives something not human some human-like qualities ("The moon looks sad tonight," is an example.  The moon cannot look sad, it is a big hunk of green cheese floating in space)

By the way, if you like that pun, try reading the short story, "Good Country People."

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.

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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?  

http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/boo-scared-you#.xxeP7A8k32

You Get My Meaning

Read the following:

The Bundle of Sticks



An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundle," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father.


What is his meaning?
a. together you are stronger
b. you will all die like me one day no matter how strong you are
c. life stinks
d. it is a shame to break good things








Scroll down for the answer.










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a. is the correct answer