English Literature and Composition Exam 2024

1. The function of the adjectives “picturesque” (line 7), “quaint” (line 12), and “amusing” (line 17) is primarily to (A) introduce a sense of the town’s fanciful residential design (B) inject comedy into the description of the town (C) define the character of the town’s leading families (D) call the supposed modernity of the town into question 2. The main purpose of the repetition of negative diction in lines 21-27 (“and with . . . friends”) is to emphasize the difference between the (A) grand mansions and the small-town setting (B) natural light and the artificial light (C) aristocracy and the middle class (D) welcoming homes and the dangerous streets 3. Which of the following statements best conveys the effect of the sentences in lines 30-34 (“The broad . . . paces”)? (A) The imagery reinforces a sense of the vulnerability of the pedestrians. (B) The candid tone removes blame from the owners of the houses. (C) The exaggerated diction undercuts the danger mentioned in the previous sentence. (D) The parallel structure emphasizes the unity among the townspeople. 4. In relation to the second paragraph (lines 6-40), the third paragraph (lines 41-53) represents a shift from (A) the town’s history to the narrator’s own history (B) a character’s perspective to an omniscient narrator’s perspective (C) a primarily realistic account to a fantastical portrayal (D) a detailed description to a philosophical commentary 5. The sentence in lines 44-50 (“The daily . . . conventionalities”) reveals that the narrator (A) appreciates tradition (B) deplores the town’s immorality (C) admires self-determination (D) condemns the aristocracy 2024 6. Based on the second and third paragraphs (lines 6-53), which of the following can be reasonably inferred regarding the narrator’s understanding of individual “character” (line 44)? (A) The inner lives of individuals develop independently of the political climate they are born into. (B) The environment that individuals live and work in exerts a subtle but powerful influence on their inner lives. (C) Moral virtue depends on rigorous discipline and careful instruction. (D) Not even a rich inner life can compensate for wretched living conditions. 7. The metaphor of “chains” (lines 46 and 51) chiefly serves to emphasize the (A) power of one’s circumstances (B) pull of one’s moral beliefs (C) limitations of geography (D) continuity of time 8. In lines 67-69 the statement in parentheses (“bend . . . hear”) most clearly conveys a sense of (A) petty gossip (B) respect for the dead (C) awe of powerful men (D) mock fear 9. The narrator’s perspective throughout the passage might best be described as that of (A) an enthusiastic investigator (B) a fantastical storyteller (C) an interested commentator (D) a former resident 10. In relation to the first sentence (lines 1-5), the remainder of the passage serves primarily to (A) explain why the assize-town is no longer a popular tourist destination (B) explore the circumstances that account for the assize-town’s great political and social prominence (C) justify the claim that the visitor would be surprised by the history of the assize-town (D) document the living conditions in the assize-town prior to the Tudor era 2024 Questions 11 through 19 refer to the following. Read the following carefully before you choose your answers. Marge Piercy’s poem “To be of use” was published in 1973. To be of use The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight. 5 They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls. I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, 10 who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again. I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along, 15 who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out. The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. 20 But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums but you know they were made to be used. 25 The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real. 11. The poem as a whole is best understood as a (A) plea for work to be less burdensome (B) vindication of the humanity of workers (C) celebration of earnest work and workers (D) defense of unusual types of work and workers 12. In context, “dallying in the shallows” (line 3) most nearly means (A) waiting for worthwhile work (B) lingering over satisfying labor (C) pretending to complete a job (D) hesitating to perform a task 2024 13. In line 5, “that element” refers to both (A) water and work (B) love and labor (C) mud and muck (D) wind and tides 14. Which best describes the difference in the way the “people” (lines 1 and 8) are characterized in stanza one versus stanza two? (A) Supple grace versus undisciplined power (B) Eager activity versus plodding exertion (C) Measured patience versus hopeless resignation (D) Innate enthusiasm versus thoughtful neutrality 15. In the poem, the term “parlor generals” (line 15) most probably refers to individuals who (A) behave with unrelenting valor on the battlefield (B) have retired from illustrious careers, only to be forgotten (C) have performed deeds because they sought public praise (D) hold forth as experts on work they have never accomplished 16. The word “submerge” (line 12) most clearly echoes which earlier line from the poem? (A) Line 2 (“jump . . . first”) (B) Line 8 (“I love . . . cart”) (C) Line 9 (“who pull . . . patience”) (D) 17. One effect of the shift in the speaker’s focus in the third stanza is to (A) introduce the idea that dedication to a task is a quality valued by most people (B) argue that it is better to be a follower than a leader (C) emphasize the value that the speaker puts on the act of collaboration (D) lament the speaker’s own tendency toward thought instead of action 18. In lines 20–21, the speaker suggests which of the following about work? (A) It can have aesthetic value. (B) It may bind people together. (C) It is rarely well done. (D) It should express the workers’ feelings. 2024 19. The speaker mentions “wine or oil” (line 22) and “corn” (line 23) to highlight the (A) useful commodities supplied by work (B) functional nature of some venerated objects (C) enigmatic purpose of certain historical artifacts (D) artistry implicit in mundane items 2024