Frederick Douglass's "Learning To Read And Write"
AP multiple choice questions on this piece. You only have five minutes and two separate tries to ace it! Good luck!
- 1.The overall organization of this excerpt can be best described as:
- A.
A. chronological sequence
- B.
B. a first-person narrative with little analytical commentary by the speaker
- C.
C: an angry polemic against the evils of slavery
- D.
D: a statement of the narrator's accomplishment followed by an explanation of how he reached it
- E.
E: a sympathetic portrayal of a system that victimized both the oppressor and the oppressed.
- 2.The final sentence in paragraph 1 includes which of the following:I. understatementII. figurative languageIII. complex sentence
- A.
A. I only
- B.
B. II only
- C.
C: I and II only
- D.
D: II and III only
- E.
E: I, II, and III
- 3.In paragraph 2, Douglass uses all of the following except:
- A.
A. metonymy
- B.
B. personification
- C.
C. anaphora
- D.
D. allusion
- E.
E. connotation
- 4.What does Douglass mean by his descrition of his mistress as "an apt woman" in paragraph 2?
- A.
A. admirable
- B.
B. appropriate
- C.
C. deceptive
- D.
D. intelligent
- E.
E. shrewd
- 5.What is the rhetorical purpose of paragraph 3?
- A.
A. to qualify points made int eh previous paragraph
- B.
B. to emphasize how Douglass's reactions turned to actions
- C.
C. to offer a counterargument to the one presented in the previous paragraph
- D.
D. to qualify Douglass's understanding of the importance of learning to read
- E.
E. to provide a transition from Douglass's past experiences to those in the present
- 6.What is Douglass's attitude toward young boys he describes in paragraph 4?
- A.
A. angry reproach
- B.
B. studied indifference
- C.
C. condescending pity
- D.
D. reflective appreciation
- E.
E. grudging respect
- 7.In the context of this passage, all of the following are examples of irony EXCEPT:
- A.
A. "lacked the depravity" par 1
- B.
B. "the simplicity of her soul" par 2
- C.
C. "anxious to do better" par 2
- D.
D. "first step had been taken" par 3
- E.
E. "I was much better off in this regard" par 4
- 8.The primary audience that Douglass is addressing in this excerpt is/are:
- A.
A. slaveholders
- B.
B. Master Hugh's family
- C.
C. sympathizers to the abolitionist cause
- D.
D. other ex-slaves
- E.
E. readers of The Columbian Orator
- 9.Whic of the following best describes Douglass's tone throughout paragraphs 1-4?
- A.
A. sympathetic and reflective
- B.
B. respectful but firm
- C.
C. sarcastic and angry
- D.
D. passionate and determined
- E.
E. irate but carefully judicious
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