AP English Literature and Composition Unit 6: Longer Fiction or Drama II — Free with Answer Explanations

Header banner

Unit 6: Longer Fiction or Drama II

0 of 12 answered

~7 min left

Question 1

Passage 1 (from Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884 — public domain).

Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely. Here is the way we put in the time. It was a monstrous big river down there — sometimes a mile and a half wide; we run nights, and laid up and hid daytimes; soon as night was most gone we stopped navigating and tied up — nearly always in the dead water under a towhead; and then cut young cottonwoods and willows, and hid the raft with them. Then we set out the lines. Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off; then we set down on the sandy bottom where the water was about knee deep, and watched the daylight come. Not a sound anywheres — perfectly still — just like the whole world was asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe.

Passage 2 (from Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920 — public domain).

In matters intellectual and artistic New York was, in comparison with London, a small provincial city; but having no acknowledged metropolis nearer than Boston, the inhabitants of New York saw no reason to put up with a comparison to anyone else. They were satisfied with what they had, and would have been even more so if they had ever known what they had.

The Wellands' party arrived at the Opera with that air of being slightly later than was "the thing," a punctuality so mathematical that it would have placed them inside the music room a quarter of an hour after the curtain rose. They had been the last to leave; for it was understood, in their set, that all really fashionable people arrived at the Opera not too soon.

Passage 3 (from William Shakespeare, Hamlet, c. 1600 — public domain). Hamlet speaks alone.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die — to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.

Across Passages 1, 2, and 3, which technique do ALL THREE authors use most distinctively?

A.Embedded use of figurative language to deliver thematic claims.B.Detailed historical exposition.C.Direct address to the reader.D.Dialogue dominating the passage.

Question 2

Passage 2 (from Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920 — public domain).

In matters intellectual and artistic New York was, in comparison with London, a small provincial city; but having no acknowledged metropolis nearer than Boston, the inhabitants of New York saw no reason to put up with a comparison to anyone else. They were satisfied with what they had, and would have been even more so if they had ever known what they had.

The Wellands' party arrived at the Opera with that air of being slightly later than was "the thing," a punctuality so mathematical that it would have placed them inside the music room a quarter of an hour after the curtain rose. They had been the last to leave; for it was understood, in their set, that all really fashionable people arrived at the Opera not too soon.

Based on Passage 2, the rule that fashionable people arrive at the Opera "not too soon" most chiefly functions as a:

A.Practical scheduling tip for opera patrons.B.An arbitrary social signal that confers status by displaying knowledge of the unwritten rule.C.A legal requirement.D.A theater management policy.

Question 3

Passage 3 (from William Shakespeare, Hamlet, c. 1600 — public domain). Hamlet speaks alone.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die — to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.

Based on Passage 3, the line "To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there's the rub" most chiefly serves to:

A.Introduce the consideration that even death may not bring peace, complicating the prior reasoning.B.Settle the question in favor of action.C.Comment on bed quality.D.Announce a new character's entrance.

Question 4

Passage 3 (from William Shakespeare, Hamlet, c. 1600 — public domain). Hamlet speaks alone.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die — to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.

Which choice best describes the dramatic form of Passage 3?

A.Dialogue between two characters.B.Soliloquy — a single character's spoken thought alone on stage.C.Choric commentary.D.Letter being read aloud.

Question 5

Passage 2 (from Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920 — public domain).

In matters intellectual and artistic New York was, in comparison with London, a small provincial city; but having no acknowledged metropolis nearer than Boston, the inhabitants of New York saw no reason to put up with a comparison to anyone else. They were satisfied with what they had, and would have been even more so if they had ever known what they had.

The Wellands' party arrived at the Opera with that air of being slightly later than was "the thing," a punctuality so mathematical that it would have placed them inside the music room a quarter of an hour after the curtain rose. They had been the last to leave; for it was understood, in their set, that all really fashionable people arrived at the Opera not too soon.

Based on Passage 2, the phrase "so mathematical" most chiefly creates:

A.An ironic contrast between exact precision and the social arbitrariness it serves.B.A literal claim about opera scheduling computations.C.A criticism of mathematics.D.An indication that the Wellands have a clock.

In-content ad

Question 6

Passage 1 (from Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884 — public domain).

Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely. Here is the way we put in the time. It was a monstrous big river down there — sometimes a mile and a half wide; we run nights, and laid up and hid daytimes; soon as night was most gone we stopped navigating and tied up — nearly always in the dead water under a towhead; and then cut young cottonwoods and willows, and hid the raft with them. Then we set out the lines. Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off; then we set down on the sandy bottom where the water was about knee deep, and watched the daylight come. Not a sound anywheres — perfectly still — just like the whole world was asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe.

Based on Passage 1, Huck's narrative VOICE chiefly conveys:

A.A formal, educated style.B.An unschooled, observant child narrator using local idiom.C.A detached omniscient narrator.D.An adult looking back from many years later.

Question 7

Passage 1 (from Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884 — public domain).

Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely. Here is the way we put in the time. It was a monstrous big river down there — sometimes a mile and a half wide; we run nights, and laid up and hid daytimes; soon as night was most gone we stopped navigating and tied up — nearly always in the dead water under a towhead; and then cut young cottonwoods and willows, and hid the raft with them. Then we set out the lines. Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off; then we set down on the sandy bottom where the water was about knee deep, and watched the daylight come. Not a sound anywheres — perfectly still — just like the whole world was asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe.

Based on Passage 1, the comparison "like the whole world was asleep" chiefly creates:

A.An impression of profound stillness that brackets the river off from waking society.B.An indication of how late it is.C.A claim that all humans actually sleep at the same time.D.A criticism of laziness.

Question 8

Passage 3 (from William Shakespeare, Hamlet, c. 1600 — public domain). Hamlet speaks alone.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die — to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.

Based on Passage 3, the extended metaphor in "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" most directly:

A.Recasts fortune's blows as projectile attacks one might endure or repel.B.Indicates a literal battlefield.C.Suggests Hamlet has been physically wounded.D.Argues that fortune favors the strong.

Question 9

Passage 2 (from Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920 — public domain).

In matters intellectual and artistic New York was, in comparison with London, a small provincial city; but having no acknowledged metropolis nearer than Boston, the inhabitants of New York saw no reason to put up with a comparison to anyone else. They were satisfied with what they had, and would have been even more so if they had ever known what they had.

The Wellands' party arrived at the Opera with that air of being slightly later than was "the thing," a punctuality so mathematical that it would have placed them inside the music room a quarter of an hour after the curtain rose. They had been the last to leave; for it was understood, in their set, that all really fashionable people arrived at the Opera not too soon.

Based on Passage 2, the phrase "they would have been even more so if they had ever known what they had" chiefly suggests that:

A.New Yorkers were self-satisfied without fully understanding their own situation.B.New Yorkers had been deceived about their wealth.C.New Yorkers were ashamed of their city.D.New Yorkers compared themselves only to other Americans.

Question 10

Passage 2 (from Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920 — public domain).

In matters intellectual and artistic New York was, in comparison with London, a small provincial city; but having no acknowledged metropolis nearer than Boston, the inhabitants of New York saw no reason to put up with a comparison to anyone else. They were satisfied with what they had, and would have been even more so if they had ever known what they had.

The Wellands' party arrived at the Opera with that air of being slightly later than was "the thing," a punctuality so mathematical that it would have placed them inside the music room a quarter of an hour after the curtain rose. They had been the last to leave; for it was understood, in their set, that all really fashionable people arrived at the Opera not too soon.

The NARRATOR'S TONE in Passage 2 is best described as:

A.Wholly admiring of New York's social rituals.B.Subtly satirical — both familiar with the rituals and amused by their absurdities.C.Openly hostile and bitter.D.Defensive about New York's status.

In-content ad

Question 11

Passage 1 (from Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884 — public domain).

Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely. Here is the way we put in the time. It was a monstrous big river down there — sometimes a mile and a half wide; we run nights, and laid up and hid daytimes; soon as night was most gone we stopped navigating and tied up — nearly always in the dead water under a towhead; and then cut young cottonwoods and willows, and hid the raft with them. Then we set out the lines. Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off; then we set down on the sandy bottom where the water was about knee deep, and watched the daylight come. Not a sound anywheres — perfectly still — just like the whole world was asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe.

Based on Passage 1, the rhythm of the prose ("and slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely") chiefly reinforces:

A.The lazy, drifting pace of life on the raft.B.The danger of the river current.C.Huck's confusion.D.An urgent flight from pursuers.

Question 12

Passage 1 (from Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884 — public domain).

Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely. Here is the way we put in the time. It was a monstrous big river down there — sometimes a mile and a half wide; we run nights, and laid up and hid daytimes; soon as night was most gone we stopped navigating and tied up — nearly always in the dead water under a towhead; and then cut young cottonwoods and willows, and hid the raft with them. Then we set out the lines. Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off; then we set down on the sandy bottom where the water was about knee deep, and watched the daylight come. Not a sound anywheres — perfectly still — just like the whole world was asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe.

In Passage 1, the SETTING (the Mississippi at night and dawn) most chiefly functions to:

A.Provide background description with no thematic role.B.Establish the river as a sanctuary outside the world Huck has fled.C.Show that Huck and Jim are lost.D.Indicate Huck's fear of the river.