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(06.06 MC)Read “The Lost Path” by Lois Bates.   A boy named Eric was coming home from school. There were two ways that he could take—one was a path through the fields, and the other was a winding road. It was winter time, and there was snow on the ground. Eric chose the field path, for it was the shorter of the two, but he had not gone far when it began to snow very fast. The snow-flakes were so large, and fell so quickly, that there was very soon quite a thick carpet on the ground, and before long Eric found that he could not see the path, and he scarcely knew where he was. If he had only turned round just then, he could have seen his own footprints in the snow, and following them, would have got back to the road safely, but he did not want to do this, so he went on and on until he was lost entirely, and had not the least idea as to which was the way home.   Then he determined to turn back, and try to reach the road, but where are his footprints? All covered up with snow. Eric felt ready to cry, but he struggled on as long as he could, and then a great drowsiness came over him, and he fell down in the snow.   When Eric did not come home from school his parents became very anxious, and his father accompanied by the dog went out to seek him. First, he took the way by the road, then he came over the field-path, and the dog ran sniffing about in the snow, until he came to what looked like a white mound, and there was Eric half-buried in the snow. You can imagine how pleased the father was when he had his boy safe in his arms, and how gladly he carried him home, for if Eric had not been found quickly, he must have died.Match each theme from the story with the evidence from the text that supports it.

(5.03, 6.02 MC) Read the following speech excerpt and then select the correct answer to the question below: President George W. Bush’s speech to the troops on the USS Abraham LincolnOur mission continues. Al-Qaida is wounded, not destroyed. The scattered cells of the terrorist network still operate in many nations, and we know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free people. The proliferation of deadly weapons remains a serious danger. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and neither are we. Our government has taken unprecedented measures to defend the homeland — and we will continue to hunt down the enemy before he can strike. The war on terror is not over, yet it is not endless. We do not know the day of final victory, but we have seen the turning of the tide. No act of the terrorists will change our purpose, or weaken our resolve, or alter their fate. Their cause is lost. Free nations will press on to victory. Other nations in history have fought in foreign lands and remained to occupy and exploit. Americans, following a battle, want nothing more than to return home. And that is your direction tonight. After service in the Afghan and Iraqi theaters of war — after 100,000 miles, on the longest carrier deployment in recent history — you are homeward bound. Some of you will see new family members for the first time — 150 babies were born while their fathers were on the Lincoln. Your families are proud of you, and your nation will welcome you. Why does this part of the speech end with “Your families are proud of you, and your nation will welcome you”? (3 points)

(04.02 MC)Read the passage. Then, respond to the question that follows.from “Kites: Birds of Glory”As a rule, raptors, or birds of prey, are among the most admired and adored birds in the world. From the California condor to the snowy owl, few birds compare to the tigers of the air: the great hunters whose beauty and skill have inspired art and literature for centuries. The most glorious feathers of the peacock or the vibrant plumage of a bunting cannot compete with the power of a peregrine falcon or the determination of an osprey. Included in this group of hunters, however, is one bird of prey that is little known but equally impressive. The kites of the world are generally smaller than most raptors, but just as astonishing in skill and grace as any other hunter of the skies.Determine which text below is a paraphrase and which is a summary of the original passage. Match the text to the correct answer.

(05.02 LC)A line of poetry that moves on to the next line without ending a sentence uses

(05.01 MC)Match each narrative description to the type of conflict it represents.

 [LC] The Fall of the House of UsherBy Edgar Allan Poe Noticing these things, I rode over a short causeway to the house. A servant in waiting took my horse, and I entered the Gothic archway of the hall. A valet, of stealthy step, thence conducted me, in silence, through many dark and intricate passages in my progress to the studio of his master. Much that I encountered on the way contributed, I know not how, to heighten the vague sentiments of which I have already spoken. While the objects around me—while the carvings of the ceilings, the sombre tapestries of the walls, the ebon blackness of the floors, and the phantasmagoric armorial trophies which rattled as I strode, were but matters to which, or to such as which, I had been accustomed from my infancy—while I hesitated not to acknowledge how familiar was all this—I still wondered to find how unfamiliar were the fancies which ordinary images were stirring up. On one of the staircases, I met the physician of the family. His countenance, I thought, wore a mingled expression of low cunning and perplexity. He accosted me with trepidation and passed on. The valet now threw open a door and ushered me into the presence of his master. Roderick Usher’s poemBy Edgar Allan Poe In the greenest of our valleys,  By good angels tenanted,Once a fair and stately palace—  Radiant palace—reared its head.In the monarch Thought’s dominion—  It stood there!Never seraph spread a pinion  Over fabric half so fair. Banners yellow, glorious, golden,  On its roof did float and flow;(This—all this—was in the olden  Time long ago);And every gentle air that dallied,   In that sweet day,Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,A winged odor went away.                … And, round about his home, the glory  That blushed and bloomedIs but a dim-remembered story  Of the old time entombed. And travellers now within that valley,  Through the red-litten windows seeVast forms that move fantastically  To a discordant melody;While, like a rapid ghastly river,  Through the pale door,A hideous throng rush out forever,  And laugh—but smile no more. Which line from the poem is most like the paragraph from The Fall of the House of Usher? (5 points)

 [LC] The Fall of the House of UsherBy Edgar Allan Poe Shaking off what must have been a dream, I scanned more narrowly the real aspect of the building. Its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive antiquity. The discoloration of ages had been great. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves. Yet all this was apart from any extraordinary dilapidation. No portion of the masonry had fallen; and there appeared to be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptation of parts, and the crumbling condition of the individual stones. In this there was much that reminded me of the specious totality of old wood-work which has rotted for long years in some neglected vault, with no disturbance from the breath of the external air. Beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability. Perhaps the eye of a scrutinizing observer might have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which, extending from the roof of the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction, until it became lost in the sullen waters of the tarn. Roderick Usher’s poemBy Edgar Allan Poe In the greenest of our valleys, By good angels tenanted,Once a fair and stately palace— Radiant palace—reared its head.In the monarch Thought’s dominion— It stood there!Never seraph spread a pinion Over fabric half so fair. Banners yellow, glorious, golden, On its roof did float and flow;(This—all this—was in the olden Time long ago);And every gentle air that dallied, In that sweet day,Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,A winged odor went away.           … And, round about his home, the glory That blushed and bloomedIs but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed. And travellers now within that valley, Through the red-litten windows seeVast forms that move fantastically To a discordant melody;While, like a rapid ghastly river, Through the pale door,A hideous throng rush out forever, And laugh—but smile no more. What is a key difference between these pieces of literature? (5 points)

 [LC] The Fall of the House of UsherBy Edgar Allan Poe Shaking off what must have been a dream, I scanned more narrowly the real aspect of the building. Its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive antiquity. The discoloration of ages had been great. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves. Yet all this was apart from any extraordinary dilapidation. No portion of the masonry had fallen; and there appeared to be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptation of parts, and the crumbling condition of the individual stones. In this there was much that reminded me of the specious totality of old wood-work which has rotted for long years in some neglected vault, with no disturbance from the breath of the external air. Beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability. Perhaps the eye of a scrutinizing observer might have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which, extending from the roof of the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction, until it became lost in the sullen waters of the tarn. Roderick Usher’s poemBy Edgar Allan Poe In the greenest of our valleys, By good angels tenanted,Once a fair and stately palace— Radiant palace—reared its head.In the monarch Thought’s dominion— It stood there!Never seraph spread a pinion Over fabric half so fair. Banners yellow, glorious, golden, On its roof did float and flow;(This—all this—was in the olden Time long ago);And every gentle air that dallied, In that sweet day,Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,A winged odor went away.            … And, round about his home, the glory That blushed and bloomedIs but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed. And travellers now within that valley, Through the red-litten windows seeVast forms that move fantastically To a discordant melody;While, like a rapid ghastly river, Through the pale door,A hideous throng rush out forever, And laugh—but smile no more. Which two words accurately reflect the description provided in each excerpt? (5 points)

 [MC] Roderick Usher’s poemBy Edgar Allan Poe In the greenest of our valleys,  By good angels tenanted,Once a fair and stately palace—  Radiant palace—reared its head.In the monarch Thought’s dominion—  It stood there!Never seraph spread a pinion  Over fabric half so fair.   Banners yellow, glorious, golden,  On its roof did float and flow;(This—all this—was in the olden  Time long ago);And every gentle air that dallied,   In that sweet day,Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,A winged odor went away.                … And, round about his home, the glory  That blushed and bloomedIs but a dim-remembered story  Of the old time entombed.   And travellers now within that valley,  Through the red-litten windows seeVast forms that move fantastically  To a discordant melody;While, like a rapid ghastly river,  Through the pale door,A hideous throng rush out forever,  And laugh—but smile no more. Read this line from Roderick Usher’s poem: Once a fair and stately palace Based on this line, what is the meaning of the word fair? (5 points)

 [MC] Roderick Usher’s poemBy Edgar Allan Poe In the greenest of our valleys,  By good angels tenanted,Once a fair and stately palace—  Radiant palace—reared its head.In the monarch Thought’s dominion—  It stood there!Never seraph spread a pinion  Over fabric half so fair.   Banners yellow, glorious, golden,  On its roof did float and flow;(This—all this—was in the olden  Time long ago);And every gentle air that dallied,   In that sweet day,Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,A winged odor went away.           … And, round about his home, the glory  That blushed and bloomedIs but a dim-remembered story  Of the old time entombed.   And travellers now within that valley,  Through the red-litten windows seeVast forms that move fantastically  To a discordant melody;While, like a rapid ghastly river,  Through the pale door,A hideous throng rush out forever,  And laugh—but smile no more. Read this line from Roderick Usher’s poem: Is but a dim-remembered story   Of the old time entombed. What does the phrase dim-remembered mean? (5 points)