Name_________________Date_____________

English 11 American Literature Final Exam 2014 Ford Total Points: 100 Points

I. Literary Terms and Reading Comprehension: Read the below article and answer the questions that follow.

Budget Mix-Up Provides Nation's Schools With Enough Money To Properly Educate StudentsMay 9, 2011 | ISSUE 47•19

Members of Congress say they are “mortified” to be associated with a bill that gives more money to schools.WASHINGTON—According to bewildered and contrite legislators, a major budgetary mix-up this week inadvertently provided the nation's public schools with enough funding and resources to properly educate students.

Sources in the Congressional Budget Office reported that as a result of a clerical error, $80 billion earmarked for national defense was accidentally sent to the Department of Education, furnishing schools with the necessary funds to buy new textbooks, offer more academic resources, hire better teachers, promote student achievement, and foster educational excellence—an oversight that apologetic officials called a "huge mistake."

"Obviously, we did not intend for this to happen, and we are doing everything in our power to right the situation and discipline whoever is responsible," said House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), expressing remorse for the error. "I want to apologize to the American people. The last thing we wanted was for schools to upgrade their technology and lower student-to-teacher ratios in hopes of raising a generation of well-educated, ambitious, and skilled young Americans.""That's the type of irresponsible misspending that I've been focused on eliminating for my entire political career," Ryan added.

Ryan went on to tell reporters that the $80 billion budget slip-up will "unfortunately" help schools nationwide to supply students with modernized classrooms and instructional materials. Struggling to control his frustration, Ryan said he prayed the costly mistake would not allow millions of American students to graduate with strong language skills.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called for a full investigation into how the nation's schools were able to secure the necessary funds to monitor teachers and pay salaries based on performance.

"The fact that this careless mistake also ended up financing new teacher training programs, allowing educators to become more than just glorified babysitters, is disgraceful," Reid said. "Now we are left with a situation where schools can attract talented professionals who really want to teach our children, which will in turn create smarter and more motivated students who wish to one day make a contribution to society."

"In all my years in government I have never seen such a shameful error," Reid added. "Our appropriations process has gone horribly awry and I for one demand to know how it happened."House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) echoed congressional leaders and vowed to do "everything in [his] power" to resolve the costly error that led to schools updating their curriculums to emphasize math, science, and language arts, and provided students with instruction on how to use newly purchased computers to aid their research.

"Once these kids learn to read and think critically, you can never undo that," Boehner said. "In 20 years, we could be looking at a nightmare scenario in which vast segments of our populace are fully prepared to compete in the new global marketplace."

"It could take a whole generation to cancel out the effects of this," Boehner added.Congressional leaders also stressed that providing the nation's students with an adequate education that prepared them for college or supplied them with a solid grasp of basic knowledge could also have a devastating impact on the economy by creating a new class of citizens uninterested in settling for fast food meals and useless plastic knickknacks.

"And politicians will be adversely affected as well," Boehner said. "What will our nation do if the next generation knows that all we care about is our own selfish interests and pandering to the wealthy elite? Is that the future you want? Not me."

Objective: Guided by your knowledge of satire, students will be able to infer the satirical message based on the context clues with 80% accuracy.1

1. Sources in the Congressional Budget Office reported that as a result of a clerical error, $80 billion earmarked for national defense was accidentally sent to the Department of Education, furnishing schools with the necessary funds to buy new textbooks, offer more academic resources, hire better teachers, promote student achievement, and foster educational excellence—an oversight that apologetic officials called a "huge mistake."

1. The passage ends by stating it is a “huge mistake.” This satirical passage has a _________________. a. simile b. hyperbole c. metaphor d. understatement

2. "Obviously, we did not intend for this to happen, and we are doing everything in our power to right the situation and discipline whoever is responsible," said House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), expressing remorse for the error.Remorse in the described passage mostly closely means

a. happinessb. sadnessc. humord. anger

3. Struggling to control his frustration, Ryan said he prayed the costly mistake would not allow millions of American students to graduate with strong language skills.This verbal irony represents ___________________.

a. allusionb. personificationc. paradoxd. sarcasm

4. "In all my years in government I have never seen such a shameful error," Reid added. "Our appropriations process has gone horribly awry and I for one demand to know how it happened."Awry most nearly means a. right b. wrong

5. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) echoed congressional leaders and vowed to do "everything in [his] power" to resolve the costly error that led to schools updating their curriculums to emphasize math, science, and language arts, and provided students with instruction on how to use newly purchased computers to aid their research.The tone of the passage reflects ___________________ a. anger b. humor c. sadness d. affection

6. "Once these kids learn to read and think critically, you can never undo that," Boehner said. "In 20 years, we could be looking at a nightmare scenario in which vast segments of our populace are fully prepared to compete in the new global marketplace."This satirical passage infers that kids in 20 years will ____________________________________. a. rely on the government b. rely on families c. develop independence skills d. develop educational skills

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7. Congressional leaders also stressed that providing the nation's students with an adequate education that prepared them for college or supplied them with a solid grasp of basic knowledge could also have a devastating impact on the economy by creating a new class of citizens uninterested in settling for fast food meals and useless plastic knickknacks.From this passage, the reader can conclude that ___________________________. a. fast food is a wonderful option for eating b. society will love fast food eating decades from now c. society-- decades from now—will choose better food options d. society will be greener and energy conscious

8. "What will our nation do if the next generation knows that all we care about is our own selfish interests and pandering to the wealthy elite?This statement contains a(n) a. simile b. metaphor c. rhetorical question d. personification

II. Compare/Contrast Questions (Synthesis/Paired Passage SOL): Choose the best answer. 9. Huckleberry Finn is narrated from Huck’s point of view in a novel format; however, Raisin in the Sun is a play told in third person omniscient. Which piece of literature allows the reader to better understand several characters’ inner conflicts? a. Huckleberry Finn b. Raisin in the Sun

10. The universal theme of race inequality is portrayed in both Huck Finn (set in the 1800s) and Raisin in the Sun (set in the 1900s). In what way is race inequality similar in both texts?

a. White people are mostly employed as service people (i.e. maids and chauffeurs)b. African American homes are in the inner cities, and white people live in the suburbsc. African Americans must buy their familiesd. White people have more money and power than African Americans

11. In Huck Finn, Jim has a conflict with his antagonist - society. In Raisin in the Sun, the main antagonist to the Younger family is society as well. Which character best represents “society” in Raisin in the Sun as the Younger’s antagonist?

a. George Murchinsonb. Willy Harrisc. Bobo d. Karl Linder

12. Society always controls how people view major social issues; thus, how are African Americans viewed differently in Huck Finn (Jim in 1800s) compared to Raisin in the Sun (Walter in 1900s)?

a. Jim is respected by society, but Walter is not b. Walter has the same opportunities as a white man, but Jim does notc. Jim can find a new job, but Walter can notd. Jim has to buy his family, Walter does not

13. In Raisin in the Sun, Walter wants to own a business. In Huck Finn, Jim wants his independence. Despite the different time periods, both reflect _________________________.

a. personal valuesb. family valuesc. governmental valuesd. material values

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14. Why were the women characters stronger (important) in Raisin in the Sun than in Huck Finn ?a. Womens’ roles are more valued in 1900s compared to the 1800s.b. Women were more educated in the 1800s, but not in the 1900s.c. Women had equal rights in both the 1800s and the 1900sd. Women did not have equal rights in the 1800s and the 1900s.

15. Jim in Huck Finn and Walter Younger in Raisin in the Sun lived very different lives, yet they both pursued their American dream. Which of the following three adjectives is most true of both Jim and Walter Younger?

a. ambitious, trusting, sophisticatedb. dreamer, ambitious, trustingc. family-oriented, sophisticated, optimisticd. trusting, ambitious, realist

16. Mama and Beneatha from Raisin in the Sun _______________.a. both are independent, modern womenb. differ in that Mama values happiness, while Beneatha only values education.c. both focus on the happiness of othersd. differ in that Beneatha is doesn’t recognize limitations in life, while Mama does.

III. Literary Terms and Examples: Choose the best literary term relating to the quotations from Huck Finn.

17. When Pap confronts Huck about getting an education, he is quite unhappy. Pap says, "You think you're better than me now, don't you? You drop that school, you hear?" (Twain 13).

a. oxymoronb. metaphorc. rhetorical questiond. euphemism

18. Twain writes, "But by and by, Pap got too handy with his hickory switch" (Twain 19).a. euphemismb. alliterationc. oxymorond. dramatic irony

19. In this quote, Twain uses figurative language. “The wind screamed along. Every second or two, there come a glare that lit up the whitecaps for half a mile around. You’d see islands looking dusty through the rain, and trees thrashing around in the wind” (Twain 101).

a. simileb. oxymoronc. personificationd. metaphor

20. Blodgett and Bridgewater’s “performance” was nothing like anyone expected. “[Bridgewater] went up on the stage, stood before the curtain, and said that people was about to see a thrilling spectacle. Then he rolled up the curtain. The next minute Blodgett come prancing out on all fours, naked. He was painted all over with different color stripes” (Twain 105).

a. dramatic ironyb. conflictc. situational ironyd. hyperbole

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21. After this “performance” described in #30, the townspeople decide they don’t want to look foolish to the other people in town. “We’ve been swindled, but we don’t want to be laughingstocks of this town and never hear the end of this. No. What we should do is go out of here quiet and talk up this show. Sell the rest of the town on it. Then we’ll all be in the same boat” (Twain 106).

a. dramatic ironyb. conflictc. situational ironyd. characterization

22. When Tom tells the Phelps all about how Tom and Huck helped Jim escape, Mrs. Phelps exclaims, “You turned everybody’s wits clean inside out and scared us all almost to death” (Twain 166).

a. euphemismb. hyperbolec. alliterationd. metaphor

23. Twain’s writing demonstrates his love for nature. “Sometimes we had that whole river all to ourselves for the longest time. Yonder, across the water, was the banks and the islands—and maybe a spark, which was a candle in a cabin window” ( Twain 95). “…It’s lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars” (Twain 95).These quotes identify the writing period/style as __________________.

a. Modernismb. Romanticism/Transcendentalismc. Industrialismd. Post-Modernism

24. “I’d done a low-down thing, but I’d been fine with it as long as I could hide it. The more I thought about this, the more my conscience went to grinding me, and the more wicked I got to feeling. Suddenly it hit me: here was the plain hand of God slapping me in the face and letting me know that my wickedness was being watched all the time from up there in Heaven. I’d stole the nigger of a poor old woman that hadn’t ever done me no harm” (Twain 113).In this quote, Huck is struggling with what type of conflict?

a. man vs. manb. man vs societyc. man vs natured. man vs self

25. Jim says, “Remember de house dat was floatin’ down de river? Remember dere was a man in dere, covered up, an’ I went in an’ uncovered him and didn’t let you come in? Well, you can git your money when you wants it because dat was your pap” (Twain 171).What kind of irony does this quote from the final chapter represent?

a. Situationalb. Dramaticc. Verbald. It is not irony.

26. "There was heaps of old greasy cards scattered over the floor and old whisky bottles. All over the walls was the ignorantest kind of words and pictures made with charcoal..." (Twain 47).How is the information given about the house in the quote organized?

a. chronologicallyb. compare/contrastc. cause/effectd. spatially

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IV. Research Directions: Read the report and answer the questions that follow. The following is a draft of a report written by a tenth-grade student for his geography class.

Jason Wong Wong 1Mrs. JeffersonWorld Geography16 April 2009

The Mysterious Creature of Lake Champlain1 When we think of lake monsters, most of us think of Nessie, the long-neckedserpent that allegedly resides in the waters of Scotland’s Loch Ness; however, we might have our own lake serpent right here in North America! Over hundreds of years, numerous recorded sightings of monsters have occurred at Lake Champlain.2 Lake Champlain, located between New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Vermont’s Green Mountains, empties into the St. Lawrence River in Canada. According to reports, a prehistoric monster named Champ, strikingly reminiscent of Nessie, may live in this lake. In 1609 the French adventurer Samuel de Champlain explored the lake and reportedly saw the monster (Stephenson 30). Before him, however, the native people in the area had long been familiar with the lake’s unusual inhabitant. “The mythology of the Iroquois Indians, who lived on the western shores of Lake Champlain, included a belief in giant underwater serpents” (Tiburon 49). One of these storied creatures, the “Great Horned Serpent” (50), has similarities to some of the later eyewitness descriptions of Champ. Both were reported to have long necks and ears or horns at the tops of their heads.

3 During the 1800s trying to catch a glimpse of Lake Champlain’s monster was a popular pastime. The famous showman P. T. Barnum wanted “to display the creature in his museum, [and] offered a $50,000 reward to anyone who could capture the creature and deliver it to him” (Bernelli 51). Needless to say, the reward was never paid. However, the offer attracted many monster hunters to the lake.

4 Interest in Champ during the twentieth century was primarily limited to these devoted monster pursuers and the people who lived near the lake or visited it for recreational purposes. On July 5, 1977, though, an event occurred that would increase the scope of Champ’s notoriety. Standing at the edge of Lake Champlain near St. Albans, Vermont, a young woman named Sandra Mansi noticed a disturbance in the water. “I was scared to death,” Mrs. Mansi said later, but at the time she managed to gather her wits about her and snap a picture of what she saw (Stephenson 30). The developed photograph showed a long-necked creature emerging from the water.

5 Concerned that people would consider her either crazy or dishonest, Mrs. Mansi chose to keep the photograph a secret. As more and more sightings continued to be reported during the early 1980s, Mrs. Mansi finally decided to reveal her amazing photograph. It appeared in The New York Times in June of 1981.

6 Photographs of Champ are rare; the Mansi photograph is considered the classic. An expert who examined the photograph could find no evidence of tampering, so it appears to be legitimate. “The image is in color, and it is fairly clear; however, because it was taken with an Instamatic camera, it is too small to reveal any details” (Drummond 10). There are two additional factors preventing any in-depth investigation of the photograph. First, Mrs. Mansi cannot recall with certitude exactly where she was standing when she took the picture. Second, the negative has, unfortunately, been lost.

7 Are the Champ sightings all part of a perpetrated hoax? This is highly unlikely because “it would have required collusion among pranksters, seemingly otherwise unrelated, scheming together secretly across several generations” (Drummond 17). This leaves two other possibilities. The first possibility is that the monster is a fantasy or an illusion—what anthropologist Aaron Drummond prefers to call an “honest misinterpretation” (17). One might say that the idea that a wide variety of people, over several hundred years, would experience the same illusion or fantasy is as unlikely as the idea that a wide variety of people worked together to create a grand hoax. The only remaining theory—perhaps the only possibility that warrants serious consideration—is that some sort of mysterious creature actually does live in the cold, deep waters of beautiful Lake Champlain.

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Works Cited

Bernelli, Gwendolyn. In Search of Monsters. Atlanta: Simms, 1997.

Drummond, Aaron. “Is Champ Illusion or Reality?” Quest for Truth. July 1996: 7+.

Stephenson, Mark. “Lake Monsters.” Mysteries and Wonders. Nov. 1996: 27–35.

Tiburon, Charlotte. Iroquois Legends. New York: Fremont, 1995.

27. The first quotation in paragraph 2 refers to —A a belief held by TiburonB a time-honored Iroquois legendC the attraction in P. T. Barnum’s circusD the founder of Lake Champlain

28. The writer of this report uses the sources in paragraph 2 to —A provide statisticsB summarize informationC show historical backgroundD compare and contrast ideas

29. Which question is answered in paragraph 3?A When did P. T. Barnum withdraw his reward?B Why did P. T. Barnum offer a reward for Champ?C Why did P. T. Barnum become famous as a showman?D How did P. T. Barnum plan to display Champ?

30. Which of the following would be the best heading for paragraph 4?A Woman Scared to DeathB Famous Lake ChamplainC A Photograph of ChampD Twentieth-Century Sightings

31. From information found in paragraphs 4 through 6, the reader may best infer that —A Sandra Mansi wanted to become famousB Lake Champlain is not open to the publicC Vermont advertises many sights that attract tourists to the stateD Instamatic cameras cannot capture specific features from a distance

32. From the context of this report, the reader can determine that collusion in paragraph 7 means —A urgencyB conspiracyC efficiencyD accuracy

33. The writer includes enough information in this report to show that —A Mrs. Mansi was proud of her photograph of Champ and showed it to everyoneB Champ became an overnight attraction after Mrs. Mansi’s 1977 photograph of himC Champ is real because of Mrs. Mansi’s ability to recall exact descriptions of himD Mrs. Mansi’s photograph might be questionable evidence of Champ’s existence

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34. What is the most likely reason that the writer of this report cites Drummond more often than the other three authors?A Drummond is more famous than other noted researchers.B Drummond’s article is specifically about the topic.C Drummond is published more than the other authors.D Drummond’s work is more general than the other authors’ works.

35. After reading this report, the reader may best conclude that people —A go to great lengths to catch sight of a lake monsterB invent stories of strange events to entertain othersC have feared lake monsters throughout historyD are curious about occurrences they cannot explain

36. Which sentence from this report is most likely an opinion rather than a fact?

A Lake Champlain, located between New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Vermont’s Green Mountains, empties into the St. Lawrence River in Canada.B In 1609 the French adventurer Samuel de Champlain explored the lake and reportedly saw the monster.C It appeared in The New York Times in June of 1981.D Photographs of Champ are rare; the Mansi photograph is considered the classic.

Directions: Determine the most appropriate answer.

37. A sentence that is directly pulled from another source must be __________________. a. in quotation marks with an internal citationb. italicize with an internal citationc. bolded with an internal citationd. in parenthesizes with an internal citation

38. Should a student record the web address after the citation? Should it look like this sentence? “The language in the media impacts teenagers” (www.smith.org).

a. yes b. no

39. In a research paper, it is important to include a counterargument in order to _______________.a. acknowledge the other viewpoint and disprove it.b. show the reader that you haven’t yet made your decision about the topicc. fully explore all elements of the topic with examplesd. have a copious (large) amount of data

40. After presenting a counterargument in your research paper, you should refute it.a. true b.false

41. Which of the following sources cannot be used in a research paper?a. an articleb. bookc. Wikipediad. a magazine

42. You see (Redelmeier and Tibshirani 453) in a research paper. What is this called?

a. a sourceb. an internal citationc. primaryd. secondary

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43. In a works cited page you read the following: Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. Boston: Bedford, St. Martin’s Publishing Co., 2004.

Is this from a magazine, article, book, or website?a. a magazineb. an articlec. a bookd. a website

44. Always place your sources in _____________________.a. order the internal citation appears in the research paperb. order of importance to your topicc. backwards order of importance to your topicd. alphabetical order by the first letter of the citation

45. A research paper should end with a _______________.a. call to action b. the thesis sentence c. a quote from an expert d. a transition sentence

46. When writing a research paper, one should consider the following:

a. appeals b. claims c. authorities d. all of the above

V. Literary Analysis: Directions: Read the poem and answer the following questions.

“Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry upLike a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

47. The following poem was weaved into the play A Raisin in the Sun. The poem connects dreams to desires. This is a ____________________ of the American Dream.

a. conflictb. themec. hyperboled. simile

48. The poem line Does is dry up Like a raisin in the sun is an example of a(n) _______.a. archetypeb. personification

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c. similed. metaphor

49. The author of the poem referenced that dreams deferred can sometimes ignite ________.a. Benevolence (happiness)b. Malevolence (bitterness)c. Comedy d. Ignorance

50. This poem was written during the ________________ era.a. Romantic b. Segregation c. Puritan d. Revolutionary

VI. Reading Comprehension (61, 62, 63) =11th GradeDirections: Read the following passage and respond to the following questions.

The Historical BarbecueDuring warm weather, a favorite American form of entertainment is the barbecue. Families light up the charcoal

and cook chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs to eat “alfresco.” Did you know that barbecues have been held for over four hundred years?

The Carib Indians in the West Indies and in northern South America had wooden grills on which they broiled, smoked and dried meat and fish. They called these grills barbacoas. The idea was introduced in the United States around 1700.

A barbecue originally was simply the roasting or broiling of a large animal, such as a hog or an ox, over an open pit. Later, it came to mean an open-air social or political gathering. George Washington often attended barbecues in Virginia.

Perhaps the biggest barbecue on record was held in 1923, when John Calloway Walton gave a barbecue for 100,000 people, to celebrate his election as governor of Oklahoma. A mile-long trench was dug to roast the beef, pork, mutton, buffalo, bear, reindeer, antelope, squirrel, opossum, coon, rabbit, chicken, goose and duck that was on the menu. In addition, a massive amount of bread and coffee was served. The coffee was made in urns that held 10,000 gallons each. All in all, it was quite a feast.

51. Select the main idea ______________a. Americans today enjoy barbecues.b. Americans like to entertain.c. The barbecue is an American tradition of long standing.

52. This selection is mainly about ______________________.a. the many foods eaten at barbecuesb. the history of the barbecuec. a Carib Indian’s dietd. the biggest barbecue ever

53. At original American barbecues, large animals were roasted _____________.a. in an ovenb. over a large firec. on a spitd. over an open pit

54. The passage implies that _____________________.a. only Americans have barbecuesb. barbecues are held only on holidaysc. no one went hungry at Calloway’s barbecued. traditions don’t last long

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55. The author shows the history of the barbecue through ______________.a. inductive reasoningb. comparison and contrastc. historical factd. lively description

56. An urn is a _____________________.a. utensil for filling cupsb. large containerc. small bowld. barrel

Directions: Read the following passage and respond to the following questions.

How Hollywood Went “Hollywood”The land of tinsel and glitter hasn’t always shone as brightly as it does today. For most people, Hollywood means

movies, glamour and fast living. Yet, this commonly held image of the city of the stars could not be farther from what the town’s founders intended.

Horace Wilcox, the leader of the Temperance Society, was one of the early developers of the area. His wife gave Hollywood its name. After acquiring the land for the community in 1887, Wilcox established an orchard, built homes and churches, and planned for parks and libraries. Intending the village to be a model community, Wilcox and the Society declared that only those who abstained from alcohol could settle there.

Hollywood existed as its founders intended for over twenty years. In 1900, there were fewer than 500 residents. No one carried firearms and there was no jail, as crime was practically nonexistent. The mayor served without pay, as a public service, and the town’s trustees met only once a year.

But this quiet and bliss was destined to end. In 1910, the residents voted to join with the city of Los Angeles, in order to gain access to the city’s water supply. The following year, the first motion picture studio was established, and from then on the industry grew rapidly.

Hollywood today is universally considered the movie capital of the world. With its population of over 200,000 and its image of opulence and excess, the city is a far cry from the model temperance community of its origins.

57. Select the main idea ________________.a. In the early 1900s, Hollywood was a small town.b. Hollywood has become a very different community from what its founders intended.c. Like many towns that were once small, Hollywood has changed.

58. The best alternate title for the passage would be ____________.a. Horace Wilcox, Founder of Hollywoodb. Hollywood-Then and Nowc. The Temperance Movementd. Hollywood-Movie Capital of the World

59. Hollywood was named by _________________.a. Horace Wilcoxb. Members of the Temperance Societyc. The early residents of the townd. Horace Wilcox’s wife

60. According to the passage, what event seems to have opened the way for movie studios in Hollywood?a. The expansion of the movie industryb. Horace Wilcox’s deathc. The residents’ vote to join the city of Los Angeles

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d. A sudden growth in Hollywood’s population

61. As used in the first paragraph, yet indicated _______________.a. an explanationb. a contrasting ideac. a similar eventd. an example

62. Abstained means ______________.a. didn’t sellb. didn’t like the taste ofc. refrained from drinkingd. used wisely

Directions: Read the following passage and respond to the following questions.

Why Do They Do It?Why would an animal commit suicide? It seems a strange question, and yet it is one that has intrigued some

people for a long time. For there is a kind of rodent, called the lemming, which periodically commits mass suicide, and no one knows just why!

These small creatures, which inhabit the Scandinavian mountains, sustain themselves on a diet of roots and moss, and live in nests they burrow underground. When their food supply is sufficiently large, the lemmings live a normal, undisturbed rodent life.

However, when the lemmings’ food supply becomes too low to support the population, a singular migration commences-the lemmings leave the burrows en masse, forming huge hordes. Great numbers of the rodents begin a trek across the Scandinavian plains. The journey may last weeks. The lemmings devour everything in their path, continuing their destructive march until they reach the sea.

The reason for what follows remains an enigma for zoologists and naturalists. Upon reaching the coast, the lemmings do not stop. They swim by the thousands into the surf. They stay afloat for only a short time before they tire, sink, and drown. Thousands upon thousands of little animals die in this rush to the sea.

A common theory for this mass suicide is that the lemmings do not realize that the ocean is such a huge body of water. In their cross-country journey, the animals must traverse many smaller bodies of water, such as rivers and small lakes. They may assume that the sea is just another such “swimmable” obstacle. But no final answer has been found to the mystery.

63. Select the main idea _____________________. a. it is unusual for animals to commit suicide. b. Lemmings periodically march to the sea and inexplicably drown themselves in vast numbers. c. Lemmings go on a long march when their food supply gets too low.

64. This passage is about ________________.a. how lemmings find foodb. the concept of animal suicidec. the phenomenon of the lemming “suicide”d. the food supply in the Scandinavian mountains

65. A reason for the lemmings’ self-destruction might be that they _______________.a. go mad from a lack of food

b. hope to find fish for foodc. decide to thin out the population

d. think they can cross the sea

66. Scientists are intrigued by the lemmings’ behavior because __________.a. they are the only rodents that live in Scandinaviab. it is very unusual for animals to commit suicidec. of the amount of food they can eat on their march to the sead. they can gather together in such huge numbers

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67. The word However, in the first sentence of the third paragraph, signals that the information that follows is _________________.

a. merely a detailb. in contrast to preceding informationc. similar to preceding informationd. an example related to preceding information

68. In this passage singular means ______________.a. unusual

b. solitaryc. temporary

d. individual

IX. Random Multiple Choice Questions 69. English 11 students study _____________________.

a. American Literatureb. World Literaturec. British Literatured. Asian Literature

70. English 11 students learned _______________ from their teachers.a. writing skills b. vocabulary skills c. transitions skills d. research skills e. all of the above

X. Composition Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a composition about one of the following topics. Be sure to include all of the components of a smooth-flowing composition. It should be a five-paragraph composition. We love transitions!

A. A persona consists of the qualities of a person or character that are shown through speech or actions. Write an essay about three powerful traits that were developed in a character in either Huck Finn or Raisin in the Sun.

B. Think about the role of independence in the novels that we read in class. How do certain characters react to this idea? Select three characters and one example (for each character) of his/her independent spirit.

30-24 Points 23-17 Points 16-0 PointsFour/Five Detailed Paragraphs Three Paragraphs Two Paragraphs WrittenStrong Counter Arguments Refuted

Weak Counter Arguments or Counter Arguments not refuted

No Counter Arguments

Minimal Grammar Errors (semi-colon used properly)

A Few Grammar Errors Several Grammar Errors

Minimal Spelling Errors A Few Spelling Errors Several Spelling ErrorsFour Transitions Used Two Transitions Used Weak Transitions Used

English 11 Students,It has been a pleasure teaching all of you! We hope you have a safe and restful summer vacation! Keep

reading!

Warm Regards,

Mrs. Ford

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