1.
Read the poem below, "song at the african middle class" by Molara Ogundipe-Leslie; thenanswer the question that follows.we charge through the skies of disillusion,seeking the widening of eyes, we gaze at chaos,speak to deadened hearts and ears stopped withcommerce. We drift around our region of clowns,walking on air as dreams fly behind our eyes.we forage among broken bodies, fractured mindsto find just ways retraced and new like beaten cloth.and if they come againwill they come again?and if they come againwill they dance this time?will the new egungun1 dance once moreresplendent in rich-glassed cloth?will they be of their people's needs,rise to those needs, settle whirling riftssalve, O, festering hearts?will they say when they comeO my people, O my people, how to love you delicately?1egungun: a masqueraded dancer who dances in a religious ritual with the intention of making contact with the supernaturalThis poem best addresses which of the following concerns of contemporary African writers?
A. 
The need to retain regional cultural and language differences in the face of African unification
B. 
The importance of spiritual leadership and political solidarity in opposition to tyrannical dictators
C. 
The matriarchal role of women in nurturing and healing future generations of Africans
D. 
The spiritual and emotional bankruptcy arising from the loss of traditional values and aspirations
of wealth
2.
Literary works by postmodern Britishwriters such as Angela Carter, SalmanRushdie, and Jeanette Wintersongenerally tend to share which of thefollowing characteristics?
A. 
The use of fragmented narrative
structures with multiple shifts in
consciousness, chronology, and
location
B. 
An emphasis on the rich universality
of life in cultures and
countries all over the world
C. 
A sense of sentimental nostalgia for
nineteenth- and early-twentiethcentury
life, typically expressed in
rueful, melancholic tones
D. 
The use of brief, economic literary
forms and a spare, astringent
literary style
3.
Read the passage below from Troilus and Cressida, a play by William Shakespeare; then answer the two questions that follow.In the following passage, the speaker is Ulysses, one of the Greek commanders in the war against the Trojans.When that the general is not like the hiveTo whom the foragers1 shall all repair,What honey is expected? . . .The heavens themselves, the planets, and this centre2Observe degree, priority, and place, . . .And therefore is the glorious planet Sol3In noble eminence enthron'd and spher'dAmidst the other; whose med'cinable4 eyeCorrects the [ill aspects] of [planets evil],And posts5 like the commandment of a king,Sans6 check, to good and bad. But when the planetsIn evil mixture to disorder wander,What plagues and what portents, what mutiny!1foragers: workers (drones)2this centre: the earth3Sol: the sun (king of planets)4med'cinable: healing, restorative5posts: speeds6sans: without3. This passage most clearly reflects theElizabethan world view in its assertionthat:
A. 
Reason is the source of all true
wisdom and is godlike in its power
to lead and inspire.
B. 
The world's civilizations are an
insignificant presence in a cosmos
ruled by forces beyond human
control.
C. 
Mankind is fundamentally evil and
civilization can be maintained only
by force.
D. 
Human society is part of a cosmic
hierarchy in which every element
has its proper role.
4.
The ideas suggested in this passage mostclearly reflect the political context ofShakespeare's time by:
A. 
Portraying a world that has been
torn apart by warring factions that
struggle to gain control.
B. 
Showing how real power depends
on the loyalty, sacrifice, and
dedication of the common man.
C. 
Demonstrating how laws of supply
and demand regulate the nature and
structure of power.
D. 
Affirming the power of central
authority as a unifying force to
prevent political fragmentation.
5.
Read the passage below from "An Ox Looks at Man," a poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade; then answer the question that follows.The narrator of the poem is an ox; in the passage below, the ox considers the place of humans in the world.All their1 expression lives in their eyes—and loses itselfto a simple lowering of lids, to a shadow.And since there is little of the mountain about them—nothing in the hair or in the terribly fragile limbsbut coldness and secrecy—it is impossible for themto settle themselves into forms that are calm, lasting,and necessary. . . .1their: throughout the passage, the third-person pronouns (their, them) refer to human beingsThis passage most clearly illustrateswhich of the following poetic devices?
A. 
Use of metaphor to stress the
similarities between human
experience and the life of animals
B. 
Use of personification to critique
humanity's disconnection from the
natural world
C. 
Use of conventions associated with
the genre of the animal fable to
satirize the comic foibles of human
beings
D. 
Use of irony to highlight the
thoughtless brutality of human
beings toward animals
6.
In ancient Greek drama, the techniqueof deus ex machina may best bedescribed as:
A. 
A method for solving the problems
of the characters through divine
intervention.
B. 
An efficient technique for transporting
and assembling stage
scenery.
C. 
A means to introduce new
characters into the plot of a play
without interrupting the action.
D. 
A way to effect the spiritual transformation
of a character in a play.
7.
Read the passage below from Deephaven, a novel by Sarah Orne Jewett; then answer the question that follows.In the novel, the narrator and her friend Kate, who live in Boston, spend the summer in a ruralcommunity where Kate spent time as a child. In the excerpt below, the friends travel to a small town nearby to see a small circus.The circus was like all other circuses, except that it was shabbier than most, and the performers seemed to have less heart in it than usual. They did their best, and went through with their parts conscientiously, but they looked as if they never had had a good time in their lives. The audience was hilarious, and cheered and laughed at the tired clown until he looked as if he thought his speeches might possibly be funny, after all. We were so glad we had pleased the poor thing; and when he sang a song our satisfaction was still greater, and so he sang it all over again. Perhaps he had been associating with people who were used to circuses.Which of the following best describes theuse of a literary device in this passage?
A. 
Figurative language helps convey
the subtle levels of emotional
interaction between the circus
performers and the audience.
B. 
Descriptive details emphasize
the cynical apathy of the circus
performers and their indifference
to the audience.
C. 
Use of the first-person point of
view stresses the urban observer's
sense of detachment from the
circus performers and rural
audience.
D. 
Comic irony highlights the delight
the narrator and her companion
take in observing the circus
performers and audience.
8.
Read the poem below, "I Am Through" by Nguyen Trai; then answer the question that follows.I am through living with others and their tricks.I stay in the country, care only to be left alone.Bamboo and plum trees do not betray you,Monkeys and cranes are tolerant of independent souls.I pick chrysanthemums, tend orchids:Their fragrance stays in my coat.I step on the moon in search of my plum trees,The snow wets my kerchief.My ears are attuned to the harp music of the brook.As for friends, a green mountain is enough for me.Which of the following best describes themood of the poem?
A. 
The speaker's vehement rejection of
urban life leaves him living a life of
rural deprivation.
B. 
The speaker's bitter anger persists
despite the temporary distractions
of seasonal change.
C. 
The speaker's initial loneliness and
sorrow are healed through an
ecstatic vision of cosmic unity.
D. 
The speaker's enhanced awareness
of nature's beauty eases his anger
and disappointment.
9.
Which of the following best describesa primary aim of postcolonial literarycriticism?
A. 
To investigate questions relating to
the cultural differences among texts
B. 
To analyze ways in which themes of
non-Western texts parallel themes
in the Western literary tradition
C. 
To consider how various texts
address universal aspects of human
experience
D. 
To examine factors relating to the
social and political background of
the authors of various texts
10.
A critic analyzing a text from a formalistperspective is likely to be concernedprimarily with the ways in which:
A. 
The text's individual literary
elements contribute to a coherent
whole.
B. 
The language of the text reflects the
cultural values of the society in
which the text originates.
C. 
The text subverts modernist
conceptions of history, reality,
and truth.
D. 
The language of the text is composed
of arbitrary signs and
symbols.
11.
A researcher often refers to documentsthat are available both in printed formand on the Internet. In which of thefollowing situations would it be mosthelpful for the researcher to access theelectronic version of a document?
A. 
The text has an extensive annotated
bibliography.
B. 
The researcher wants to locate
specific words or phrases in the
text
C. 
The text contains unfamiliar
technical jargon.
D. 
The researcher wants to focus on
the text's main ideas.
12.
Read the excerpt below from Patrick Henry's speech of March 23, 1775, to a meeting of his fellow Virginians; then answer the two questions that follow. I know of no way of judging the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House?Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation—the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motives for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been for so long forging.12. Which of the following is the main claimbeing advanced in the excerpt?
A. 
Traitors are undermining the
colonists' cause.
B. 
The conduct of the British reflects
their hostile intent
C. 
Memory is short and has a
tendency to deceive.
D. 
The British military is overwhelming
in its strength.
13.
In this passage Patrick Henry developsthe question-and-answer organizationof the speech by using rhetoricalquestions to:
A. 
Highlight the discrepancy between
the conciliatory manner of the
British and their warlike actions.
B. 
Compare and contrast the past
actions of the British with their
current policies.
C. 
Explore a variety of possible
interpretations of the current
actions of the British government.
D. 
Emphasize the power of American
colonists to triumph in an armed
conflict with the British.
14.
Which of the following best describes therole of revision in the writing process?
A. 
Revision is a discrete phase of the
writing process that should occur
after the initial drafting phase.
B. 
Substantive revisions should be
finalized during the second-draft
phase of the writing process.
C. 
Revision is a recursive activity that
may occur at any phase of the
writing process.
D. 
Substantive revision should occur
primarily during the editing phase
of the writing process.
15.
A draft research paper includes a passagethat is a direct quotation from a primarysource. When reviewing the draft, theresearcher decides to interject a phrase inthe quoted material to explain a term thatmay not be familiar to modern readers.Which of the following proceduresshould the researcher use to differentiatethe inserted phrase from the quotedmaterial?
A. 
Identify the inserted phrase in the
footnote for the quoted material.
B. 
Use ellipses to set off the inserted
phrase from the quoted material.
C. 
Add a footnote immediately after
the inserted phrase.
D. 
Enclose the inserted phrase in
brackets.