MTEL English Practice Test

1. Which of the following descriptions
of a car accident is written in the most
appropriate style for the lead of a
newspaper article?

The unmistakable sound of metalagainst metal was heard yesterdayas two cars smashed into each otherat the town's most dangerousintersection.

The given answer is the most appropriate style for the lead of a newspaper article because it provides clear and concise information about the car accident. It includes important details such as the location, number of cars involved, the number of people injured, and the impact on traffic. The language used is objective and neutral, focusing on the facts rather than personal opinions or emotions. This style is suitable for a news article as it informs readers about the incident efficiently.

Explanation

The given answer is the most appropriate style for the lead of a newspaper article because it provides clear and concise information about the car accident. It includes important details such as the location, number of cars involved, the number of people injured, and the impact on traffic. The language used is objective and neutral, focusing on the facts rather than personal opinions or emotions. This style is suitable for a news article as it informs readers about the incident efficiently.

2. Read the traditional Zen parable "The Tigers and the Strawberry" (ca. 1400 C.E.) below; then answer the question that follows. A man was walking across a field when he saw a tiger. He fled, but the tiger ran after him. Coming to the edge of a cliff, he spied the root of a wild vine. Grabbing on to it, he swung himself down over the edge, out of reach of the tiger. He was safe! The tiger came to the edge and sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down and saw another ferocious tiger prowling below. Only the thin vine held him. Two mice, one white and one black, scurried out of a nearby nest in the cliff and began gnawing at the vine. As they chewed, the man saw a luscious strawberry on a nearby ledge. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. Ah, how sweet it tasted! The above parable most reflects the Zen sensibility in its depiction of an individual:

Facing insurmountable challenges with resignation.

Finding joy and presence in the moment despite life’s dangers.

Attempting to escape inevitable death through desperate means.

Seeking enlightenment through contemplation and isolation.

The Zen parable "The Tigers and the Strawberry" illustrates the importance of living in the present moment and finding joy even amidst life's dangers and uncertainties. The man, despite being trapped between two tigers and the threat of the vine being gnawed away, chooses to savor the strawberry he finds. This reflects the Zen teaching of appreciating the present moment and experiencing life fully, regardless of the circumstances.

Explanation

The Zen parable "The Tigers and the Strawberry" illustrates the importance of living in the present moment and finding joy even amidst life's dangers and uncertainties. The man, despite being trapped between two tigers and the threat of the vine being gnawed away, chooses to savor the strawberry he finds. This reflects the Zen teaching of appreciating the present moment and experiencing life fully, regardless of the circumstances.

3. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight most
clearly reflects which of the following
concerns of the medieval period in
Britain?

The decline of feudalism

The ethical conduct of the nobility

The role of the Crusades

The authority of the Church

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, one of the main concerns of the medieval period in Britain that is reflected is the ethical conduct of the nobility. The poem explores the chivalric code and the expectations placed on knights to uphold virtues such as honor, loyalty, and integrity. Gawain's journey and his encounters with the Green Knight and Lady Bertilak test his moral character and highlight the importance of living up to one's word and maintaining one's honor. This theme of ethical conduct and the moral dilemmas faced by the nobility is a central focus in the poem.

Explanation

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, one of the main concerns of the medieval period in Britain that is reflected is the ethical conduct of the nobility. The poem explores the chivalric code and the expectations placed on knights to uphold virtues such as honor, loyalty, and integrity. Gawain's journey and his encounters with the Green Knight and Lady Bertilak test his moral character and highlight the importance of living up to one's word and maintaining one's honor. This theme of ethical conduct and the moral dilemmas faced by the nobility is a central focus in the poem.

4. In this excerpt, the narrator's attitude
toward the setting can best be
described as:

Nostalgia for the landscape thatdefined the narrator's childhood.

A combination of respect and dreadfor the power of the land.

Regret at failing to appreciate theprairie's underlying beauty.

Veneration of the scale and beauty ofthe prairie.

The narrator's attitude towards the setting can be inferred as a combination of respect and dread for the power of the land. This can be seen through the use of words like "respect" and "dread" which indicate a mixture of admiration and fear towards the landscape. The narrator's feelings towards the setting are not solely nostalgic, regretful, or venerating, but rather a combination of these emotions.

Explanation

The narrator's attitude towards the setting can be inferred as a combination of respect and dread for the power of the land. This can be seen through the use of words like "respect" and "dread" which indicate a mixture of admiration and fear towards the landscape. The narrator's feelings towards the setting are not solely nostalgic, regretful, or venerating, but rather a combination of these emotions.

5. The literature of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and other twentieth-century African writers frequently examines conflicts between:

Traditional values and modern Western ways of life.

Individual desire and conscience

Women's rights and traditional patriarchal society.

Government policy and tribal unity.

The literature of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and other twentieth-century African writers often explores the tensions and conflicts between traditional African values and the influences of modern Western ways of life. Their works delve into the impacts of colonialism, cultural changes, and the challenges of balancing heritage with contemporary societal shifts.

Explanation

The literature of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and other twentieth-century African writers often explores the tensions and conflicts between traditional African values and the influences of modern Western ways of life. Their works delve into the impacts of colonialism, cultural changes, and the challenges of balancing heritage with contemporary societal shifts.

6. Read the paragraph below; then answer the two questions that follow.

1Some writers produce early works that foreshadow future masterpieces. 2At the tender age of thirteen, H. G. Wells wrote an entire novella, The Desert Daisy, complete with a map and illustrations. 3Virginia Woolf, at age ten, wrote a journal entry and gave it the title "To the Lighthouse." 4As a nine-year-old, Helen Beatrix Potter's drawings of wild flowers won acclaim; by the time she was a teenager, Potter's descriptive prose was as beautiful as her drawings. 5By age sixteen, T. S. Eliot had written a South Seas vignette and a lovely poem called "A Lyric."

7. Which of the following sentences in the
paragraph shown above should be revised
to eliminate the use of a cliché?

Sentence 2

Sentence 3

Sentence 4

Sentence 5

Sentence 2 should be revised to eliminate the use of a cliché.

Explanation

Sentence 2 should be revised to eliminate the use of a cliché.

Mtel English Practice Test