Amercan literature test

We're the ideal place for homework help. If you are looking for affordable, custom-written, high-quality and non-plagiarized papers, your student life just became easier with us. Click either of the buttons below to place your order.


Order a Similar Paper Order a Different Paper

NEED perfect job on this paper.

1. A grotesque character can be defined as
a. one who has been twisted by some kind of obsession.
b. a physically unattractive character.
c. one who acts morally or lawfully.
____

2. The buzz saw in “Out, Out–” most likely symbolizes
a. uncontrollable technology.
b. nature in its unspoiled state.
c. order, discipline, and hard work.
____

3. Feld starts to moderate his feelings toward Sobel at the end of “The First Seven Years” because
a. Sobel deeply loves his daughter.
b. Sobel is just like him.
c. Sobel is only interested in working for more money.
____

4. What is the purpose of the following passage from “Chicago:” “Hog Butcher for the World / Tool Maker,
Stacker of Wheat, / Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler; / Stormy, husky, brawling, / City
of the Big Shoulders:” ?
a. The narrator is addressing Chicago by its various nicknames
b. The narrator is criticizing Chicago for its bad deeds.
c. The narrator is making a wish list for Chicago.
____

5. The plot of a short story is organized into distinct phases. Which phase does the following passage from
“The First Seven Years” represent? “Feld, the shoemaker, was annoyed that his helper, Sobel, was so
insensitive to his reverie that he wouldn’t for a minute cease his fanatic pounding at the other bench. He
gave him a look, but Sobel’s bald head was bent over the last as he worked he didn’t notice. The shoemaker
shrugged and continued to peer through the partly frosted window at the nearsighted haze of falling
February snow. Neither the shifting white blur outside, nor the sudden deep remembrance of the snowy
Polish village where he had wasted his youth could turn his thoughts from Max the college boy…he could not
help but contrast the diligence of the boy, who was a peddler’s son, with Miriam’s unconcern for an
education . . . when the opportunity arose for a college education, she had said no she would rather find a
job.”
a. exposition
b. falling action
c. resolution
____

6. Classic quest tales create one type of archetypal plot. All hero’s quest tales share similar elements. Which
element is represented by Phoenix needing some medicine for her grandson?
a. The hero is on a quest to obtain something of value.
b. The hero receives a benefit that is used to help others.
c. The hero’s journey symbolizes the journey through life.
____

7. True or False: The poem “One Art” is a villanelle, a highly structured poem consisting of nineteen lines, two
repeating end rhymes, and two refrains.
a. True
b. False
____

8. The hero’s quest is one type of archetypal plot. Certain elements appear in all quest tales. Which element of
the hero’s quest from “A Worn Path” is represented by the a scarecrow frightening Phoenix?
a. The hero receives a benefit that is used to help others
b. The hero encounters tests and obstacles.
c. The hero’s journey symbolizes the journey through life.
____

9. The line “ . . . his figure formed a crooked cross,” from “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” contains
which type of literary device?
a. simile
b. apostrophe
c. symbolism
____

10. Determine what a reader can most logically conclude about the old woman’s intentions from this line in “The
Life You Save May Be Your Own”: “The old woman watched from a distance, secretly pleased. She was
ravenous for a son-in-law.”
a. She plans to fall in love with Mr. Shiflet.
b. She has only the best interests of her daughter in mind.
c. She wants Mr. Shiflet to marry her daughter.
____

11. True or False: The “Beats” were a group of poets, authors, artists, and thinkers that developed in the 1950s
and were generally opposed to conformity.
a. True
b. False
____

12. Which of these statements most accurately describes the relationship between Feld and Sobel in “The First
Seven Years”?
a. Feld feels grateful for Sobel’s help but is irritated by his work habits.
b. Feld depends on Sobel but does not regard him highly.
c. Feld does not trust Sobel because he steals money from the till.
____

13. In “Filling Station,” the “somebody” of the poem is a person who contributes what to the life of the filling
station?
a. manual labor on a par with the father and sons
b. small touches of beauty and caring
c. cooking and cleaning and household errands
____

14. A theme of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is the struggle between the attractions of
a. duty and rest.
b. town and country.
c. the horse and the weather.
____

15. What is Kennedy requesting of Americans in this passage from his inaugural address: “And so, my fellow
Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country”?
a. to apply for government jobs
b. to join the armed forces
c. to put country before oneself
____

16. At the beginning of “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” how does Granny react to Doctor Harry’s presence?
a. She treats him with great respect.
b. She refuses to acknowledge that she is not well.
c. She thinks he is too old to be a doctor.
____

17. In “Mirror,” the “I” in the lines “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions” is a
a. lake
b. mirror
c. poet
____

18. Why does Gabriel treat John more harshly than the other children in “The Rockpile”?
a. John is not his biological child.
b. John needs to be taught to be careful.
c. John disobeys more than the others.
____

19. A character’s thoughts are presented as if they were coming directly from his/her ________________ in a
narrative technique called stream of consciousness.
a. mind
b. mouth
c. heart
____

20. What rhetorical device is used in the following passage from “Frederick Douglass”: “ . . . when it belongs at
last to all, when it is truly instinct, . . .; when it is finally won . . .”?
a. simile
b. metaphor
c. parallelism
____

21. Identify the figure of speech in this passage from “Courage:” “The child’s first step, / as awesome as an
earthquake.”
a. metaphor
b. simile
c. alliteration
____

22. True or False: Neither John F. Kennedy nor Martin Luther King, Jr., uses parallelism to emphasize this
arguments.
a. True
b. False
____

23. In “Constantly Risking Absurdity,” Ferlinghetti includes an extended metaphor comparing the poet to a(n)
a. acrobat
b. firefighter
c. comedian
____

24. The hero’s quest is one type of archetypal plot. Certain elements appear in all quest tales. Which element of
the hero’s quest from “A Worn Path” is represented by Phoenix joking about dancing with the scarecrow?
a. The hero receives a benefit that is used to help others.
b. The hero encounters tests and obstacles.
c. The hero overcomes tests and obstacles.
____

25. True or False: James Baldwin is the author of the quote “He was more depressed than ever as he drove on
by himself. The late afternoon had grown hot and sultry and the country had flattened out. Deep in the sky a
storm was preparing very slowly and without thunder as if it meant to drain every drop of air from the earth
before it broke. There were times when Mr. Shiftlet preferred not to be alone.”
a. True
b. False
____

26. Who or what stands on the highest level in “Constantly Risking Absurdity”?
a. Beauty
b. the poet
c. truth
____

27. When the neighbor in “Mending Wall” tells the speaker of the poem that good fences make good neighbors,
what does he mean?
a. He doesn’t want to get to know the speaker any better.
b. He doesn’t want the speaker on his property.
c. He has had problems with other landowners in the past.
____

28. Who is the author of the quote “He started to shout, Remember, you said five minutes! But one of Roy’s
friends was looking up at the fire escape. John looked down at his schoolbook: he became engrossed again
in the problem of the locomotive”?
a. Flannery O’Connor [“The Life You Save May Be Your Own”]
b. James Baldwin [“The Rockpile”]
c. John F. Kennedy [“Inaugural Address”]
____

29. Brooks repeats the word “somewhere” in the first stanza of “The Explorer” as she describes the explorer’s
search for peace. This repetition suggests that the explorer’s search is
a. successful.
b. exciting.
c. unfulfilled.
____

30. Classic quest tales create one type of archetypal plot. All hero’s quest tales share similar elements. Which
element is represented by the attendant giving Phoenix a nickel, which she plans to use to buy a gift for her
grandson in “A Worn Path”?
a. The hero is on a quest to obtain something of great value.
b. The hero encounters tests and obstacles.
c. The hero receives a benefit that is used to help others.
____

31. What is the explorer pursuing in “The Explorer”?
a. a new place to live
b. a path to follow in life
c. a specific person
____

32. Which of the following phrases from “Constantly Risking Absurdity” conflicts with the concept of the poet as
a starry-eyed visionary who is out of touch with reality?
a. “little charleychaplin man”
b. “super realist”
c. “balancing on eyebeams”
____

33. Which of the following statements from Letter from Birmingham City Jail serve as part of a parallel
construction that begins “I have no despair about the future”?
a. “ I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle.”
b. “ Before the Pilgrims landed, we were here.”
c. “ I’m sorry I can’t join you in your praise.”
____

34. True or False: John F. Kennedy is the author of the quote “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well
or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to
assure the survival and success of liberty.”
a. True
b. False
____

35. True or False: Carl Sandburg is the author of the quote “Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half- / Naked, sweating, proud to be a Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, / Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler / to the Nation.”
a. True
b. False
____

36. Letter from Birmingham City Jail includes which of the following examples to support the idea that the
Birmingham police department was undeserving of praise?
a. They were successful at keeping order while African Americans protested.
b. They have been disciplined in their public handling of the demonstrations.
c. They pushed, cursed, and used violent dogs against African Americans.
____

37. In Letter from Birmingham City Jail, why is King hopeful that his readers will agree with the need for
brotherhood and equality among people?
a. They are all police officers.
b. They are all lawyers.
c. They are all clergymen.
____

38. A quest tale follows a certain pattern as it develops one type of archetypal plot. In “A Worn Path” which
element of the hero’s quest is represented by the hunter telling Phoenix, “You must be a hundred years old,
and scared of nothing”?
a. The hero encounters tests and obstacles.
b. The hero is on a quest to obtain something of great value.
c. The hero’s journey symbolizes the larger journey of life.
____

39. True or False: Carl Sandburg is the author of the quote “Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house
is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here / To watch his woods fill up with snow.”
a. True
b. False
____

40. In which line from the poem “Chicago” does Sandburg use the literary device apostrophe?
a. “I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again.”
b. “Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth”
c. “And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true”
____

41. Which of the following events happens latest in Granny Weatherall’s life?
a. Granny remembers that she didn’t send wine to Sister Borgia.
b. Granny nurses the sick children.
c. Granny remembers that she needs to go through letters from George and John.
____

42. What problem does King identify in Letter from Birmingham City Jail that he and the protesters have been
struggling against?
a. segregation
b. nonviolence
c. justice
____

43. In “The First Seven Years,” why is Feld angry when he figures out that Sobel loves Miriam?
a. He realizes Miriam loves Max and not Sobel.
b. He feels deceived by Miriam.
c. He feels deceived by Sobel.
____

44. Which of the following statements made by Mr. Shiftlet in “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” reveals that
he is a grotesque character?
a. “I’d give a fortune to live where I could see me a sun do that every evening.”
b. “Nothing is like it used to be, lady. The world is almost rotten.”
c. “Maybe the best I can tell you is, I’m a man . . .”
____

45. True or False: Robert Frost is remembered for favoring pastoral settings in his poetry, while Carl Sandburg
is known for his industrial settings.
a. True
b. False
____

46. The epiphany that Feld has in “The First Seven Years” most likely makes him feel that
a. Education is not as important as love.
b. His dreams of Miriam marrying Max will come true.
c. Miriam will make her own choices about her life.
____

47. What is the meaning of the story of the boy who drowned in “The Rockpile”?
a. The boy had never liked the river.
b. The river was a sinful place to go.
c. The neighborhood is a place of danger.
____

48. Which of the following lines from “The First Seven Years” gives insight into how Feld responds to his
epiphany?
a. “. . . once outside, . . . he walked with a stronger stride.”
b. “The shoemaker . . . lapsed into silence.”
c. “He went slowly down the stairs . . .”
____

49. True or False: A “hero’s quest” is an archetypal plot that features a hero who experiences no difficulty in
accomplishing a goal because of super-human cunning or strength.
a. True
b. False
____

50. The overall meaning of “Frederick Douglass” is
a. heroes deserve statues, legends, and poems.
b. a hero leaves a legacy that lives on in others.
c. freedom can be won only by politicians

Writerbay.net

Do you need academic writing help? Our quality writers are here 24/7, every day of the year, ready to support you! Instantly chat with a customer support representative in the chat on the bottom right corner, send us a WhatsApp message or click either of the buttons below to submit your paper instructions to the writing team.


Order a Similar Paper Order a Different Paper
Writerbay.net