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Study Guide

Field 003: English Language Arts

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Sample Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0001 
Reading Literature

1. Read the passages below from The Awakening, a novel by Kate Chopin, and The Red Badge of Courage, a novel by Stephen Crane; then answer the question that follows.

A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her,—the light which, showing the way, forbids it.

At that early period it served but to bewilder her. It moved her to dreams, to thoughtfulness, to the shadowy anguish which had overcome her the midnight when she had abandoned herself to tears.

In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eight—perhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman.

But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. How few of us ever emerge from such beginning! How many souls perish in its tumult!

—Kate Chopin, The Awakening

He was emerged from his struggles, with a large sympathy for the machinery of the universe. With his new eyes, he could see that the secret and open blows which were being dealt about the world with such heavenly lavishness were in truth blessings. It was a deity laying about him with the bludgeon of correction.

His loud mouth against these things had been lost as the storm ceased. He would no more stand upon places high and false, and denounce the distant planets. He beheld that he was tiny but not inconsequent to the sun. In the space-wide whirl of events no grain like him would be lost.

With this conviction came a store of assurance. He felt a quiet manhood, nonassertive but of sturdy and strong blood. He knew that he would no more quail before his guides wherever they should point. He had been to touch the great death, and found that, after all, it was but the great death and was for others. He was a man.

—Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage

Which paragraph best describes how the two passages approach a similar theme?

  1. Opposing concepts of adulthood are explored in The Awakening and The Red Badge of Courage. Twenty-eight-year-old Mrs. Pontellier retreats to a world of fantasy and melodrama to avoid burdensome but essential responsibilities. In contrast, the young protagonist of The Red Badge of Courage demonstrates emotional maturity by accepting the responsibilities that accompany adulthood.
  2. The narrators of The Awakening and The Red Badge of Courage illustrate divergent views on how gender influences self-awareness. Whereas the narrator in The Awakening suggests that young women who gain self-awareness experience "shadowy anguish" and "exceedingly disturbing" chaos, the narrator in The Red Badge of Courage suggests that for young men, self-awareness leads to assurance of their invincibility.
  3. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin develops the theme of self-delusion by cynically portraying Mrs. Pontellier as foolish and naïve as she struggles with "a ponderous weight of wisdom." Stephen Crane develops a similar theme in The Red Badge of Courage by ironically describing a protagonist who believes he is "tiny but not inconsequent to the sun."
  4. As they question their individual roles in the universe, characters in The Awakening and The Red Badge of Courage demonstrate a fundamental conflict between religious faith and secular philosophy. Mrs. Pontellier receives "more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman," and the protagonist of The Red Badge of Courage recognizes "a deity laying about him with the bludgeon of correction."
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Correct Response: B. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate how two texts from the same period treat similar themes. The narrator in The Awakening describes Mrs. Pontellier's feelings with negative words and phrases such as "ponderous weight," "vague," "chaotic," and "dimly," while the narrator in The Red Badge of Courage uses phrases that suggest authority, such as "sturdy and strong blood" and "no more quail." While the narrator in The Awakening portrays a woman struggling for clarity, the narrator in The Red Badge of Courage shows a young man growing assured in his self-awareness.

Competency 0001 
Reading Literature

2. Read the passage below from American Woman, a novel by Susan Choi1; then answer the question that follows.

Red Hook is little more than the junction of a couple of roads, with a farm store, a church and graveyard, a diner. And the post office, a small square cement building with RED HOOK NY 12571 spelled out in metal letters across the flat gray façade. He keeps flying through this sparse nexus of structures, first along the south–north road, then, when he finally manages to slow down and make the turn, along the east–west. He has the idea that the rest of the town must lie just farther on, and that the diner and farm store and church and post office are a far-flung outpost, but he keeps ending up twenty-odd miles away in front of a sign welcoming him to a new town, and so he keeps turning back and retracing his route. He doesn't even see houses in Red Hook, just fence lines along the roads, a dirt drive sometimes winding away.

Which statement best describes how the author's use of minimizing descriptors contributes to the meaning of the passage?

  1. The phrase "little more than" suggests that Red Hook's entirety should be easy to grasp.
  2. The phrase "small square" suggests the old-fashioned charm of the town of Red Hook.
  3. The phrase "sparse nexus" conveys the grid-like quality of Red Hook's physical layout.
  4. The phrase "just fence lines" implies that Red Hook's residents distrust their neighbors.
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Correct Response: A. This question requires the examinee to analyze how an author's choices concerning how to frame specific parts of a literary text contribute to its overall structure, meaning, and aesthetic effect. The minimizing descriptor "little more than" contributes to the overall meaning of the passage by suggesting that, while the town's size should make it easy to navigate, the character's inability to perceive the town as a town makes it more difficult to navigate than it should be.

Competency 0002 
Reading Informational Text

3. Read the passage below from "Our Animal Natures," an essay by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers2; then answer the question that follows.

The more I learned, the more a tantalizing question started creeping into my thoughts: Why don't we human doctors routinely cooperate with animal experts?

We used to. A century or two ago, in some rural communities, animals and humans were cared for by the same practitioner. And physicians and veterinarians both claim the same 19th-century doctor, William Osler, as a father of their fields. However, animal and human medicine began a decisive split in the late 1800s. Increasing urbanization meant that fewer people relied on animals to make a living. Motorized vehicles began pushing work animals out of daily life.

Most physicians see animals and their illnesses as somehow "different." Humans have their diseases. Animals have theirs. The human medical establishment has an undeniable, though unspoken, bias against veterinary medicine.

While it rankles when M.D.'s condescend, most vets simply take a resigned approach to their more glamorous counterparts on the human side. Several have even confided to me a veterinarians' inside joke: What do you call a physician? A veterinarian who treats only one species.

Which assumption underlies the authors' argument in the passage?

  1. Veterinarians are highly educated, well-skilled medical professionals.
  2. Pet owners are equally concerned about the health of their family members and of their pets.
  3. The medical profession is a microcosm of the animal kingdom.
  4. Physicians in urban areas are more highly valued than physicians in rural areas.
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Correct Response: A. This question requires the examinee to delineate and evaluate the argument in a text. The passage's first paragraph expresses the central investigation of the text: "Why don't we human doctors routinely cooperate with animal experts?" By providing historical examples of how entwined animal and human medical professionals once were, the authors suggest that both professionals are trained and intelligent in their given fields and, in fact, those professionals "claim the same...William Osler, as a father of their fields."

Competency 0002 
Reading Informational Text

4. Read the passage below from "In the Company of Rock," an article by Leslie T. Sharpe3; then answer the question that follows.

It may seem odd to name rocks, but the formidable snags of bluestone on my land all have their own personality though they share the same history. "Woodchuck Rock," long and low, blotchy with pale lichens, provided a space beneath for the woodchuck to hibernate and in spring, a den for the red foxes to raise their family. "Old Blue," my favorite, wears a crown of wildflowers in its thin soil in summer, its unusual vertical layers falling away to reveal hues of dusty rose. "Turtleback," featuring a smaller rock sitting atop a larger bluestone, shaded by the graceful branches of the horse chestnut tree, offers an alluring place to read in summer. When I put my hand on Old Blue or my other companionable boulders, especially in summer, and feel the warmth of the sun permeating the rock, it's as if I am touching a living being, and I think of the Leni Lenape, who believed that spirit existed in everything.

In the passage, the author's primary purpose is to:

  1. explain how bluestones complement the landscape.
  2. illustrate the metaphysical qualities of bluestones.
  3. suggest that bluestones sustain diversity in nature.
  4. propose new naming conventions for bluestones.
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Correct Response: B. This question requires the examinee to determine an author's purpose. The author uses descriptive details and imagery to convey her deeply felt connection to the bluestones on her land. The author claims that making physical contact with these "companionable boulders" feels like "touching a living being," confirming the Leni Lenape belief "that spirit existed in everything."

Competency 0003 
Writing Arguments

5. Read the introductory paragraph below from the first draft of an essay; then answer the question that follows.

Wage discrimination based on gender has been illegal in the United States since passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963. Nevertheless, in 2010 U.S. women workers earned an average of 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The gender wage gap must be closed. Closing the gender wage gap would give women the wages they are legally entitled to while stimulating the economy at local, state, and national levels.

Which paragraph would provide the most relevant evidence to develop the writer's claim fairly and thoroughly in the essay?

  1. The Declaration of Purpose of the 1963 Equal Pay Act states that in "industries engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce," gender-based wages have negative results such as reductions in employees' living standards and increases in labor disputes, leading to obstruction of "the free flow of goods in commerce."
  2. Many women may not realize that they do not receive equal pay for equal work. According to a 2010 wage transparency survey conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, 61 percent of private sector employees reported that they were discouraged or prohibited from discussing wage and salary information at work. Federal government wages are more transparent, and the federal government's gender wage gap is half that of the economy as a whole.
  3. Women in New York State lose a total of 24.3 billion dollars each year due to the wage gap and more than 600 billion dollars over their careers (Goudreau, 2012). The income discrepancy would pay their mortgage and utility bills for 4 months. If New York State women deposited the amount of the wage discrepancy into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for a period of 25 years, each woman could save an additional 750,000 dollars toward retirement.
  4. In 1998, Lilly Ledbetter filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against her employer of 19 years because she was earning thousands of dollars less than her male counterparts. The Supreme Court declared her lawsuit invalid because she did not file it within 180 days of receiving her first unequal paycheck. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 ensures that an employee can file a lawsuit within 180 days of receiving any paycheck that reflects discriminatory practices.

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Correct Response: C. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of how to develop claims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each. In the introductory paragraph, the writer claims that if women were to receive wages equally to men, as per their legal entitlements, women would become more viable economic stimulators. By quantifying how much women lose each year left paren, double quote, 24.3 billion dollars, double quote, right paren, as well as how far this money would go toward personal financial obligations such as "mortgage and utility bills for 4 months," the writer uses targeted, specific examples that clearly support the claim set out in the introduction.

Competency 0003 
Writing Arguments

6. Read the introductory statement below from the first draft of an essay; then answer the question that follows.

As online retail steadily drives brick-and-mortar stores out of business, we are losing our physical marketplace, which has served as a critical venue for social and civic life since the beginning of civilization.

Which brief paragraph, if incorporated into the essay, would most effectively distinguish the claim from alternate or opposing claims?

  1. Competition is good for the consumer. Only the brick-and-mortar stores that attract and retain customers with quality merchandise and reasonable prices survive.
  2. The comfort, convenience, and low prices of online shopping come at the cost of social isolation. Shopping in brick-and-mortar stores encourages healthy social interactions.
  3. People can no longer afford to pay full retail prices. In the current economy, many people work multiple jobs, and online discounts help keep families afloat.
  4. As a central gathering place for merchants and shoppers, public marketplaces were the economic, cultural, and social hub of the local community. Now the Internet is the hub.
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Correct Response: B. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to introduce a precise, knowledgeable claim, establish its significance, and distinguish it from alternate or opposing claims. In the introductory statement, the writer claims that online retail has led to the loss of a critical venue for social and civic life. The writer distinguishes this claim from the alternate claim that shopping online is convenient and economical by noting that online shopping leads to social isolation, while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores encourages healthy social interactions.

Competency 0004 
Writing Informative and Explanatory Texts

7. A student is developing an analytical essay on the use of imagery in Elizabeth Bishop's poem "The Fish." As part of the essay, the student plans to make the claim that Bishop uses imagery to characterize the fish as dignified. Which excerpt from the poem would best support the student's claim?

  1. Here and there / his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper, / and its pattern of darker brown / was like wallpaper: / shapes like full-blown roses / stained and lost through age.
  2. I looked into his eyes / which were far larger than mine / but shallower, and yellowed, / the irises backed and packed / with tarnished tinfoil / seen through the lenses / of old scratched isinglass.
  3. I admired his sullen face, / the mechanism of his jaw, / and then I saw / that from his lower lip / —if you could call it a lip— / grim, wet, and weaponlike, / hung five old pieces of fish-line
  4. and a fine black thread / still crimped from the strain and snap / when it broke and he got away. / Like medals with their ribbons / frayed and wavering, / a five-haired beard of wisdom.

    Excerpt from "The Fish" from THE COMPLETE POEMS 1927 to 1979 by Elizabeth Bishop. Copyright 1979, 1983 by Alice Helen Methfessel. Used by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. CAUTION: Users are warned that this work is protected under copyright laws and downloading is strictly prohibited. The right to reproduce or transfer the work via any medium must be secured with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

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Correct Response: D. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of how to draw evidence from a work of literature to support analysis and reflection. Examining the connotations of Bishop's diction and imagery reveals her attention to visual and tactile detail. For example, by comparing the fishing line to a "fine black thread," Bishop evokes the slenderness of the fishing line as well as its quality. Images of "medals with their ribbons" and "a five-haired beard of wisdom" suggest both honor and sagacity.

Competency 0004 
Writing Informative and Explanatory Texts

8. Read the topic sentence below from the first draft of an informative essay; then answer the question that follows.

Music is emerging as a powerful form of therapy in the treatment of mental and physical ailments.

Which statement would best support the topic sentence?

  1. World-famous neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote about the healing powers of music in his book Musicophilia.
  2. When they hear music from their youth, people with dementia often become calmer, less anxious, and more communicative.
  3. A credentialed music therapist assesses a patient's emotional, physical, and social health through the patient's musical responses.
  4. Research has shown that listening to and creating music can elevate mood and reduce muscle tension in people.
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Correct Response: D. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of how to develop a topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. The statement about research findings that show music's positive effect on mood and muscle tension supports the topic sentence by providing concrete examples of music's therapeutic uses in the treatment of mental and physical ailments.

Competency 0005 
Writing Narratives

9. A student is developing a personal essay about learning to bake kolacky, an eastern European pastry. Which version of a sentence from the essay uses sensory language to convey a vivid impression of the student's experience?

  1. I stood by my grandfather's side, watching him make kolacky, my all-time favorite pastry, trying to imitate his technique on a practice batch.
  2. I learned to bake kolacky from my grandparents, who let me help knead the dough, peel and seed the fruit, and carefully fold the dough over the fruit filling.
  3. I inhaled the buttery aroma of apricot kolacky that filled my grandparents' kitchen, basking in the warmth of home-baked pastries and my grandparents' love.
  4. From a very young age, I loved to sit in my grandparents' kitchen, watching them prepare kolacky, a pastry filled with fruit preserves.
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Correct Response: C. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of how to use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of a character in a piece of narrative writing. The phrases "buttery aroma" and "basking in the warmth" appeal to the senses of smell and touch, respectively. The inclusion of these sensory details helps to paint a vivid picture of the student's experience learning to bake kolacky.

Competency 0005 
Writing Narratives

10. A writer is developing a short story about Mel, a movie lover. Which paragraph uses telling details most effectively to convey Mel's passion for cinema?

  1. Mel sat in the middle seat of the middle row. The other Tuesday matinee regulars were in their usual seats: the line cook from the corner coffee shop, the friends with matching haircuts, and the film students who aspired to be the next Steven Spielberg.
  2. When the opening credits began, Mel scrunched down in the lumpy seat. It was as lumpy as it had been last Tuesday and the Tuesday before that. Mel found it comforting and nostalgic to sit in a seat that had been a part of the theater since 1924.
  3. The red velvet curtain framing the screen was more subdued than Dorothy's shoes in The Wizard of Oz and Moira Shearer's ballet slippers in The Red Shoes. As the curtain opened that Tuesday, Mel felt like Charlton Heston parting the Red Sea in The Ten Commandments.
  4. Before becoming a member of the neighborhood art-house cinema, Mel thought the Tuesday matinee showings of classic films were an indulgence. But, in reality, the only indulgent thing about the run-down theater was the melted butter on the popcorn.
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Correct Response: C. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of how to engage and orient the reader by establishing a point of view and introducing a character. Point of view is the perspective from which a narrative is told: actions, characters, settings, and events are revealed through the point of view. Limited third-person point of view employs a narrator who, in addition to the overt events and dialogue, has access to a particular character's thoughts, feelings, and desires. In the paragraph, the writer uses details observed by the limited third-person narrator ("the red velvet framing the screen") to show Mel's love for movies such as the iconic films The Wizard of Oz and The Red Shoes. Mel's love for movies is further emphasized by the fact that as the curtain parts, Mel feels not like the biblical figure Moses parting the Red Sea, but like the actor Charlton Heston in the role of Moses in the film The Ten Commandments.

Competency 0006 
Researching to Build and Present Knowledge

11. After beginning research for an informative essay, a student is having trouble finding an answer to the research question, "What was the impact of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team's move to Los Angeles in 1958?" Which alternative research question would most likely lead to relevant information?

  1. What was the economy like in Brooklyn before and after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles?
  2. How did baseball fans in Brooklyn react when the Dodgers announced they were moving to Los Angeles?
  3. Why did the Brooklyn Dodgers move to Los Angeles in spite of having such a loyal Brooklyn fan base?
  4. Which baseball teams did Brooklyn residents support after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles?
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Correct Response: A. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of how to generate a research question, and how to narrow or broaden inquiry. The writer begins with an overly-broad question, as evidenced in the phrase "what was the impact." When the writer refines the question to focus on the economic impact that the Dodgers' migration had on Brooklyn, the idea of "impact" is clarified and refined. In addition, including a "before and after" clause in the question will allow the writer to seek out information for use in a comparative data analysis.

Competency 0006 
Researching to Build and Present Knowledge

12. Read the excerpt below from "7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables," a consumer update from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; then answer the question that follows.

1. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce.

2. If damage or bruising occurs before eating or handling, cut away the damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.

3. Rinse produce start uppercase BEFORE end uppercase you peel it, so dirt and bacteria aren't transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable.

4. Gently rub produce while holding under plain running water. There's no need to use soap or a produce wash.

5. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers.

6. Dry produce with a clean cloth or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present.

7. Remove the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage.

Which paragraph would most effectively integrate information from the news release into an informative essay on foodborne illness prevention?

  1. Follow safe handling procedures before consuming fresh produce. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises to "[r]inse produce start uppercase BEFORE end uppercase you peel it, so dirt and bacteria aren't transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable." Handling food carefully and avoiding foods that have been prepared improperly are the most effective ways to reduce the risk of illness.
  2. Because disease-causing germs from fresh produce pose a real and ongoing threat to consumer health worldwide, following safe food-handling procedures is crucial. Washing fruits and vegetables is the best way to remove germs. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, one should "[g]ently rub produce while holding under plain running water. There's no need to use soap or a produce wash."
  3. Do you know how to prevent consuming contaminated produce? Here are two tips: "Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce. If damage or bruising occurs before eating or handling, cut away the damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers other useful tips online.
  4. Food safety should be a priority for everyone, especially when handling fresh produce. Washing fruits and vegetables is an important part of food preparation, and there are simple ways to clean even the most thick-skinned produce. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises to "[u]se a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers."
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Correct Response: B. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to integrate information into a text selectively, in order to maintain the flow of ideas. The paragraph focuses on the importance of washing fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of disease-causing germs. The excerpt from the news release maintains the flow of ideas by providing specific instructions for washing fruits and vegetables.

Competency 0007 
Speaking and Listening

13. A teacher is planning to present information to colleagues about a new school policy intended to reduce student truancy. Given the teacher's audience and purpose, which strategy would be most effective for the teacher to use?

  1. beginning the presentation with an extensive review of the school's current policy
  2. presenting visual representations of data that show national truancy rates
  3. concluding the presentation by briefly restating key points for listeners to remember
  4. pausing during the presentation to ask listeners to share ideas for reducing truancy
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Correct Response: C. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to orally present information and convey a clear perspective using organization, development, and content that are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. Because the teacher is addressing an audience of colleagues whose role will be to implement the new school policy, a "[brief] restating [of] key points for listeners to remember" will best help the audience put this new policy into practice.

Competency 0007 
Speaking and Listening

14. Read the excerpt below from a speech by President Lyndon B. Johnson; then answer the question that follows.

This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose. The great phrases of that purpose still sound in every American heart, North and South: "All men are created equal"—"government by consent of the governed"—"give me liberty or give me death." Well, those are not just clever words, or those are not just empty theories. In their name Americans have fought and died for two centuries, and tonight around the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty, risking their lives.

Those words are a promise to every citizen that he shall share in the dignity of man. This dignity cannot be found in a man's possessions; it cannot be found in his power, or in his position. It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all others. It says that he shall share in freedom, he shall choose his leaders, educate his children, and provide for his family according to his ability and his merits as a human being.

In the first paragraph of the excerpt, Johnson uses the phrases "All men are created equal," "government by consent of the governed," and "give me liberty or give me death." These phrases serve primarily to remind listeners that they:

  1. share values and a responsibility to uphold them.
  2. have faced and overcome challenges in the past.
  3. exert a powerful influence over the nation's laws.
  4. may be revered or reviled by future generations.
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Correct Response: A. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of how to evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, and to assess a speaker's stance, premises, word choice, and tone. In the first paragraph, President Lyndon B. Johnson notes that the phrases "All men are created equal," "government by consent of the governed," and "give me liberty or give me death" are "still sound in every American heart," which indicates a sense of unity among Americans. Johnson then builds on this idea by noting that Americans died in combat for these values. In this way, Johnson's statement implies that those who fought for these values will have died in vain if these values are not upheld.

Competency 0008 
Language

15. Read the sentence below; then answer the question that follows.

I was told to take the afternoon train, but when I got to the station I found out there is no such thing, so I missed an important meeting.

In the sentence, use of the passive voice achieves which effect?

  1. expressing feelings of confusion
  2. conveying a sense of entitlement
  3. indicating a known information source
  4. suggesting a wish to avoid responsibility
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Correct Response: D. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the form and use of verbs in the active and passive voice, including how to use voice of verbs to achieve particular effects. By using the passive voice in the first clause of the sentence ("I was told to take the afternoon train"), the writer suggests that the unidentified provider of this information is responsible for any harm it caused. Beginning the last clause with "so" implies a cause-effect relationship between taking the afternoon train and missing the meeting. Use of the passive voice allows the writer to suggest that incorrect direction by an unidentified party, rather than a misunderstanding or error on the writer's part, caused the writer to miss the meeting.

Competency 0008 
Language

16. A student receives the following text message from a friend: "Sorry, but I have to take a rain check on our dinner plans tonight. I have a project due tomorrow morning, and it's going to take me all night to finish it. I'll call you tomorrow to reschedule." The student could best understand the meaning of the idiomatic expression "take a rain check" in this context by using which strategy?

  1. looking at the weather forecast for that evening
  2. recalling other idioms that refer to rain or checks
  3. determining how the words in the phrase are related
  4. considering the information delivered in the message
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Correct Response: D. This question requires examinees to demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings by interpreting figures of speech in context and analyzing denotative meanings of words. The student could best understand the idiomatic expression "take a rain check" by considering that the friend is canceling dinner plans at the last minute but will call the next day to reschedule. Given this information, the student could correctly guess that "take a rain check" means to postpone an activity until another time, whether the reason for postponement is rain, as in the case of a picnic or baseball game, or something else entirely.

Acknowledgments

footnote 1From American Woman by Susan Choi. Copyright 2004 by Susan Choi. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

footnote 2Excerpt(s) from ZOOBIQUITY: WHAT ANIMALS CAN TEACH us ABOUT HEALTH AND THE SCIENCE OF HEALING by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, copyright 2012 by Zoobiquity, LLC. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

footnote 3 Sharpe, Leslie T. "In the Company of Rock," Reprinted with permission of the author.