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Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC - independent subject foundations study materials
Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC - independent subject foundations study resources

Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC - independent subject foundations practice questions

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Question 1Reading Literature and Informational Texts

Which statement identifies two central ideas of an argument that calls for licensing exotic-pet owners rather than banning ownership?

  1. Finding and maintaining good homes for large cats kept as pets can be a challenge, and licensing can help assure quality of life for these cats. Correct answer.
  2. The Bengal tiger population in India has decreased, and many tigers can be found in U.S. zoos.
  3. Owners grow weary of the animals quickly, and a big cat costs about the same as a purebred dog.
  4. Large cats are menacing to neighbors, and screening ensures only qualified owners are approved.

Explanation

Identifying central ideas requires capturing the two main points the whole text develops: that homing exotic cats responsibly is difficult AND that licensing can ensure their quality of life. The other options state supporting details rather than the overarching central ideas.

Question 2Reading Literature and Informational Texts

In an argumentative essay opposing private ownership of exotic pets, the author begins a paragraph by acknowledging that U.S. citizens are wary of government restrictions before arguing for a ban. This strategy is BEST described as:

  1. Recognizing a counterargument before refuting it Correct answer.
  2. Listing personal anecdotes from tiger owners
  3. Quoting experts who wrote state laws
  4. Concluding with statistics about endangered species

Explanation

By first acknowledging that citizens distrust government restrictions, the author addresses an opposing viewpoint (a counterargument) before arguing that a ban is still justified. Anticipating and answering counterclaims strengthens an argument's credibility.

Question 3Reading Literature and Informational Texts

Two argumentative passages disagree about whether to license or ban exotic-pet ownership. On which point would the authors of BOTH passages MOST likely agree?

  1. Keeping exotic cats as private pets often leads to inadequate care for the animals. Correct answer.
  2. Owning exotic cats should be completely unrestricted.
  3. Exotic cats make excellent and easy household pets.
  4. The Bengal tiger population is no longer a conservation concern.

Explanation

Even though one passage favors licensing and the other a ban, both agree that private ownership frequently results in poor care because owners cannot meet the animals' needs. Finding shared points across opposing texts is a key comparative-reading skill.

Question 4Reading Literature and Informational Texts

In a speech, a politician appeals to listeners by citing his decades of military service and reputation for honesty before stating his position. Which rhetorical appeal is he primarily using?

  1. Ethos Correct answer.
  2. Pathos
  3. Logos
  4. Kairos

Explanation

Ethos is an appeal based on the speaker's credibility, character, and trustworthiness. By emphasizing his service and honesty, the politician builds ethos. Pathos appeals to emotion and logos to logic and evidence.

Question 5Reading Literature and Informational Texts

Patrick Henry famously declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" This is BEST analyzed as an appeal to:

  1. Pathos Correct answer.
  2. Logos
  3. Ethos
  4. Anecdote

Explanation

Pathos appeals to emotion. By framing the choice as liberty or death, Henry stirs powerful feelings of patriotism and urgency rather than presenting logical evidence or establishing his own credibility.

Question 6Reading Literature and Informational Texts

An author satirizes a politician by writing an essay praising the leader's "brilliant" plan to solve traffic by banning all cars, knowing readers will recognize the absurdity. The author's primary purpose is to:

  1. Criticize the subject by exposing its flaws through mockery Correct answer.
  2. Provide objective factual information
  3. Offer sincere praise for the plan
  4. Explain a process in step-by-step detail

Explanation

Satire ridicules or scorns people, practices, or institutions to expose their failings, often using irony. By mock-praising an absurd plan, the author criticizes it through satire, expecting readers to perceive the underlying disapproval.

Question 7Reading Literature and Informational Texts

An author of an informational article presents data showing rising sea levels, cites peer-reviewed studies, and walks readers through cause-and-effect reasoning. The author's argument relies primarily on:

  1. Logos Correct answer.
  2. Pathos
  3. Ethos
  4. Hyperbole

Explanation

Logos is the appeal to logic, using facts, data, and reasoning. Presenting data, citing studies, and using cause-and-effect logic builds a logos-based argument. Pathos appeals to emotion and ethos to credibility.

Question 8Reading Literature and Informational Texts

An informational text opens: "Imagine waking up one morning to find the ocean had risen to your doorstep." The author's primary purpose in beginning this way is to:

  1. Engage readers with a vivid hook before presenting information Correct answer.
  2. Provide a formal definition of sea-level rise
  3. Cite a statistical source
  4. Conclude the argument with a call to action

Explanation

Opening with a vivid, imaginative scenario is a hook designed to grab readers' attention and draw them into the topic. This rhetorical move engages the audience before the writer presents facts and analysis.

Question 9Reading Literature and Informational Texts

An essayist writes about poverty using calm, balanced language and a respectful attitude toward those affected. The author's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice, is the essay's:

  1. Tone Correct answer.
  2. Setting
  3. Genre
  4. Climax

Explanation

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through diction and style. Calm, balanced, respectful language reveals a compassionate, serious tone. Tone reflects the writer's stance, unlike mood, which is the reader's feeling.

Question 10Reading Literature and Informational Texts

An author structures an essay by first describing a problem (rising student debt) and then proposing solutions. This organizational pattern is BEST described as:

  1. Problem and solution Correct answer.
  2. Chronological order
  3. Spatial order
  4. Compare and contrast

Explanation

A problem-and-solution structure presents an issue and then offers ways to address it. Describing rising student debt and then proposing solutions follows this pattern. Recognizing text structure helps readers anticipate how information is organized.

Question 11Reading Literature and Informational Texts

An author writes: "The factory closed, and the small town slowly emptied of families, hope, and the laughter of children." The phrase "emptied of...hope, and the laughter of children" works mainly by:

  1. Combining concrete and abstract loss for emotional effect Correct answer.
  2. Providing a precise statistic
  3. Defining a technical term
  4. Citing an authoritative source

Explanation

The list moves from a concrete loss (families) to abstract losses (hope, laughter), blending tangible and intangible to heighten the emotional impact of the town's decline. This combination is a craft move that appeals to the reader's feelings.

Question 12Reading Literature and Informational Texts

An author argues that a city should build more bike lanes, supporting the claim with traffic data, expert testimony, and a refutation of cost concerns. The refutation of cost concerns serves to:

  1. Address and weaken an opposing counterclaim Correct answer.
  2. Restate the thesis
  3. Provide sensory imagery
  4. Introduce a flashback

Explanation

Refuting cost concerns means addressing an opposing viewpoint (a counterclaim) and arguing against it, which strengthens the overall argument by showing the writer has considered objections. Effective argumentation acknowledges and rebuts counterclaims.

Question 13Reading Literature and Informational Texts

In an autobiographical essay, a writer describes how a teacher's encouragement changed the course of her life. This nonfiction account of true events from the author's own life belongs to which genre?

  1. Memoir Correct answer.
  2. Drama
  3. Sonnet
  4. Fable

Explanation

A memoir is a nonfiction account in which an author recounts true events and reflections from his or her own life. Describing a real, formative experience makes this a memoir. Drama, sonnet, and fable are different genres with distinct forms.

Question 14Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Read the sentence: "The trees sighed in the afternoon breeze." Which type of figurative language does this sentence use?

  1. Personification Correct answer.
  2. Simile
  3. Hyperbole
  4. Metonymy

Explanation

Personification gives human characteristics to nonhuman things. Trees cannot literally sigh, so attributing that human action to them is personification. This is a frequently tested figurative-language skill (ELAGSE11-12L5).

Question 15Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Which sentence contains a metaphor?

  1. Time is a thief that steals our youth without warning. Correct answer.
  2. Her smile was as bright as the morning sun.
  3. The classroom was quieter than a library.
  4. The old engine coughed and sputtered before it died.

Explanation

A metaphor makes a comparison without a linking word; one thing IS another. Saying time "is a thief" directly equates time with a thief, which is a metaphor.

Question 16Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In Mark Twain's "A Fable," each animal looks into the mirror and reports seeing only an animal like itself. What theme does this outcome MOST clearly develop?

  1. People often find in a text only what their own perspective brings to it. Correct answer.
  2. Animals are incapable of understanding human art.
  3. Honesty is always rewarded in the end.
  4. Beauty exists only in physical objects, never in ideas.

Explanation

The cat's closing moral states that you find in a text whatever you bring if you stand between it and the mirror of your imagination. Each animal sees only itself, dramatizing that readers project their own perspectives onto what they interpret.

Question 17Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Read the sentence from Mark Twain's "A Fable": "He said that when it took a whole basketful of sesquipedalian adjectives to whoop up a thing of beauty, it was time for suspicion." Based on context, what does sesquipedalian MOST LIKELY mean?

  1. Long-winded Correct answer.
  2. Concise
  3. Inapplicable
  4. Well-informed

Explanation

The donkey is skeptical because describing the picture took "a whole basketful" of adjectives. The context of excessive, wordy praise signals that sesquipedalian means long-winded or using overly long words.

Question 18Literary Analysis and Interpretation

The narrator says, "I just love cleaning up my room," while clearly resenting the chore. What kind of irony is this?

  1. Verbal irony Correct answer.
  2. Situational irony
  3. Dramatic irony
  4. Cosmic irony

Explanation

Verbal irony occurs when a speaker says the opposite of what is meant; it is also called sarcasm. Stating love for a disliked chore is verbal irony. Situational and dramatic irony involve events or audience knowledge rather than word choice.

Question 19Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator insists he is sane while describing how he murdered the old man and now hears the dead heart beating. The gap between the narrator's claims and the reader's understanding creates a(n):

  1. Unreliable narrator Correct answer.
  2. Omniscient narrator
  3. Objective narrator
  4. Second-person narrator

Explanation

An unreliable narrator's account cannot be fully trusted because of bias, mental state, or limited understanding. Poe's narrator insists on his sanity while describing irrational, guilt-driven hallucinations, making him classically unreliable.

Question 20Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock recurs as an image Gatsby reaches toward. What does this green light MOST clearly symbolize?

  1. Gatsby's hopes and his longing for an idealized future with Daisy Correct answer.
  2. The wealth Gatsby has already achieved
  3. The decay of the Valley of Ashes
  4. The narrator Nick's distrust of the rich

Explanation

The green light symbolizes Gatsby's hope and his yearning for an idealized future with Daisy, embodying the elusive American Dream. Its position across the bay reinforces that his goal is always just out of reach.

Question 21Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, the 1692 Salem witch trials are used to comment on the anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. A reference that connects a work to a historical or cultural event outside the text is a(n):

  1. Allusion Correct answer.
  2. Soliloquy
  3. Aside
  4. Epiphany

Explanation

An allusion is an indirect reference to a person, event, or work outside the text. The Crucible alludes to McCarthy-era hearings through its dramatization of the Salem witch trials, expecting readers to recognize the parallel.

Question 22Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the recurring description of soft things George and Lennie touch foreshadows the novel's tragic ending. Foreshadowing is BEST defined as:

  1. Hints or clues an author gives about events that will happen later Correct answer.
  2. A flashback to an earlier event
  3. The high point of a story's conflict
  4. The narrator's direct address to the reader

Explanation

Foreshadowing is an author's use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the narrative. Steinbeck's repeated motif of softness foreshadows the deadly outcome, building suspense and unity.

Question 23Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Read the sentence: "The novel's setting, a dusty Oklahoma farm during the Great Depression, shapes the family's desperate journey west." The word setting refers to:

  1. The time and place in which a story occurs Correct answer.
  2. The central message of the story
  3. The sequence of events in the plot
  4. The narrator's point of view

Explanation

Setting is the time and place in which a story occurs. In this sentence, the Dust Bowl-era Oklahoma farm establishes the setting that drives the plot, echoing works like The Grapes of Wrath.

Question 24Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In Ernest Hemingway's prose, short, simple, declarative sentences often reflect a character's restrained emotion. An author's deliberate arrangement of words and sentence length for effect is called:

  1. Syntax Correct answer.
  2. Diction
  3. Theme
  4. Genre

Explanation

Syntax is the arrangement of words in sentences, clauses, and phrases. Hemingway's choice of short, simple sentences is a use of syntax for effect, shaping tone and pacing. Diction refers specifically to word choice rather than sentence arrangement.

Question 25Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In a short story, the protagonist who wants to escape her small town is repeatedly blocked by her controlling father. The father functions as the:

  1. Antagonist Correct answer.
  2. Foil
  3. Narrator
  4. Confidant

Explanation

An antagonist is the character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates conflict. The controlling father, who blocks the protagonist's goal, is the antagonist. A foil simply contrasts with another character, which is a different role.

Question 26Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In a story, a wealthy but miserly character is placed next to a poor but generous character so the reader notices their opposite traits. The contrasting character is called a:

  1. Foil Correct answer.
  2. Protagonist
  3. Stereotype
  4. Archetype

Explanation

A foil is a character whose traits contrast with another's to highlight particular qualities. Pairing a miserly character with a generous one makes each trait more noticeable through contrast.

Question 27Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In a personal narrative, the writer reflects: "Looking back, I realize that losing the championship taught me more than winning ever could." The narrator's reconsideration of past events to draw meaning is called:

  1. Reflection Correct answer.
  2. Suspense
  3. Climax
  4. Dialogue

Explanation

Reflection is the mental process of analyzing the meaning and impact of past events or readings. The narrator looks back to find deeper significance in a loss, which is reflective writing common in narratives and personal essays.

Question 28Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Read these lines: "The fog comes / on little cat feet." The poet describes fog as if it moves like a cat. Beyond the obvious comparison, attributing the silent, creeping movement of a cat to fog also gives the fog a kind of:

  1. Personification through living, animal-like behavior Correct answer.
  2. Onomatopoeia imitating a sound
  3. Verbal irony mocking the weather
  4. Hyperbole exaggerating the fog's size

Explanation

Carl Sandburg's "Fog" gives the fog the living behavior of a cat creeping in silently, animating a nonliving thing. Treating fog as a moving creature is a form of personification (and metaphor), bringing the natural element to life.

Question 29Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In a Gothic short story, a decaying mansion with shadowy halls and a brooding storm sets a feeling of dread. This overall feeling or atmosphere created for the reader is the story's:

  1. Mood Correct answer.
  2. Plot
  3. Exposition
  4. Resolution

Explanation

Mood is the overall feeling or atmosphere a literary work evokes in the reader. The decaying mansion and brooding storm create a mood of dread. Mood is shaped by setting, imagery, and word choice, and differs from tone, which is the author's attitude.

Question 30Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In a novel, the chapter opens by describing the protagonist's childhood home and family history before the main events begin. This background information that sets up the story is called:

  1. Exposition Correct answer.
  2. Climax
  3. Falling action
  4. Denouement

Explanation

Exposition is the part of a narrative that introduces characters, setting, and background information needed to understand the story. Opening with the protagonist's home and family history is classic exposition that establishes context.

Question 31Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Read the sentence: "The aroma of fresh bread, the warmth of the kitchen, and the sound of laughter filled the home." By appealing to smell, touch, and hearing, the author primarily uses:

  1. Imagery Correct answer.
  2. Allusion
  3. Paradox
  4. Satire

Explanation

Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to the five senses to create vivid mental pictures. Aroma (smell), warmth (touch), and laughter (sound) are sensory details that build imagery, immersing the reader in the scene.

Question 32Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Read these lines from Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken": "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both." The diverging roads are widely understood to represent:

  1. Choices in life and their lasting consequences Correct answer.
  2. An actual hiking trail map
  3. The changing of the seasons
  4. A literal warning about getting lost

Explanation

The diverging roads symbolize the choices people face in life and the consequences of the paths they select. Frost uses the literal image of a fork in a wood to explore decision-making and its lasting impact, a hallmark of symbolic poetry.

Question 33Literary Analysis and Interpretation

In a story, a character says, "What a beautiful day," while standing in a freezing downpour. The contrast between the words and the reality is an example of:

  1. Verbal irony Correct answer.
  2. Foreshadowing
  3. Flashback
  4. Simile

Explanation

Verbal irony occurs when a speaker's words mean the opposite of their literal meaning. Calling a freezing downpour a "beautiful day" conveys sarcasm, the opposite of the stated meaning, which is verbal irony.

Question 34Poetry: Reading for Sense, Sound, and Structure

Read these lines from Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!": "O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, / The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won." The ship and the captain are used throughout the poem to stand for the nation and Abraham Lincoln. This sustained comparison is a(n):

  1. Extended metaphor Correct answer.
  2. Onomatopoeia
  3. Hyperbole
  4. Pun

Explanation

An extended metaphor develops a single comparison across multiple lines or an entire work. Whitman sustains the comparison of the ship to the post-Civil War United States and the captain to the assassinated Lincoln throughout the elegy.

Question 35Poetry: Reading for Sense, Sound, and Structure

In Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem," the speaker asks, "What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?" The comparison of a deferred dream to a drying raisin is a:

  1. Simile Correct answer.
  2. Metaphor
  3. Allusion
  4. Personification

Explanation

A simile compares two unlike things using like or as. Hughes compares a deferred dream to "a raisin in the sun" using "like," making it a simile. The vivid image suggests how unfulfilled dreams shrivel over time.

Question 36Poetry: Reading for Sense, Sound, and Structure

In a poem, the poet writes, "The silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain." The repetition of the soft 's' sound is an example of:

  1. Alliteration Correct answer.
  2. Onomatopoeia
  3. Rhyme
  4. Allusion

Explanation

Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words. The repeated 's' sounds in "silken, sad...rustling" create alliteration that mirrors the soft sound being described. This line echoes Poe's "The Raven."

Question 37Poetry: Reading for Sense, Sound, and Structure

Read the sentence: "The teacher asked the students to analyze the poem, which means to:"

  1. examine its parts closely to understand how they work together Correct answer.
  2. memorize it word for word
  3. summarize it in one sentence
  4. translate it into another language

Explanation

To analyze means to examine the parts of something closely to see how they work together to create meaning. Analyzing a poem involves breaking down its elements, such as imagery and structure, to interpret the whole. This is a general academic vocabulary term frequently used on the EOC.

Question 38Composition and Rhetoric

A writer describes a process: "The volunteer submerges the brown pelican in warm, soapy water and ladles the water over the bird as it snaps its bill, producing a loud popping sound." The specific, sensory facts in this passage are BEST described as:

  1. Concrete details Correct answer.
  2. Counterclaims
  3. Rhetorical questions
  4. Domain-specific jargon

Explanation

Concrete details are specific facts and information that appeal to the senses and help readers form a mental picture. The sensory specifics here (warm soapy water, ladling, snapping bill, popping sound) develop the explanation through concrete detail.

Question 39Composition and Rhetoric

A writer wants to maintain an objective tone in an informational essay. Which sentence BEST achieves this?

  1. One high school changed its starting time to 9:30 each morning. Correct answer.
  2. One smart high school made the wise choice to change its starting time to the perfect time of 9:30.
  3. Thankfully, one brilliant high school finally fixed its absurd starting time.
  4. It is obvious that 9:30 is the only sensible starting time any decent school would pick.

Explanation

An objective tone keeps the writer's attitude neutral and avoids loaded or evaluative language. The first sentence states the fact plainly without revealing the writer's feelings, while the others use judgmental words like "smart," "wise," "perfect," "brilliant," or "absurd."

Question 40Composition and Rhetoric

A research writer takes a fact from a peer-reviewed journal and restates it in her own words, then adds a citation. Restating a source's ideas in one's own words is called:

  1. Paraphrasing Correct answer.
  2. Quoting
  3. Plagiarizing
  4. Summarizing the entire source

Explanation

Paraphrasing is restating a source's ideas in one's own words while still citing the source; no quotation marks are used. Quoting copies the exact words inside quotation marks, and plagiarism omits attribution entirely.

Question 41Composition and Rhetoric

Which source would BEST be considered an authoritative source for a research essay on climate data?

  1. A peer-reviewed scientific journal article by climate researchers Correct answer.
  2. An anonymous post on a social media forum
  3. A friend's unverified opinion in a text message
  4. A satirical website parodying news stories

Explanation

An authoritative source is written by recognized experts and is reliable, such as a peer-reviewed journal, government website, or public record. A peer-reviewed scientific article by climate researchers meets this standard; the other options lack credibility or are not factual.

Question 42Composition and Rhetoric

In an informational essay, a writer organizes paragraphs into clearly labeled sections with headings so readers know what each part will discuss. This choice primarily improves the text's:

  1. Organization and clarity Correct answer.
  2. Use of figurative language
  3. Emotional appeal
  4. Word origin analysis

Explanation

Formatting an informational text into sections with headings helps readers follow the structure and locate information, improving organization and clarity. The EOC writing standards reward logical organization and effective formatting.

Question 43Composition and Rhetoric

An essay states: "While critics argue that standardized testing narrows the curriculum, supporters maintain that it ensures accountability." The structure of this sentence BEST demonstrates the writer's ability to:

  1. Present a claim and counterclaim in balanced contrast Correct answer.
  2. Define a domain-specific term
  3. Provide a concluding summary
  4. Insert a direct quotation from a source

Explanation

The sentence uses a "while...maintain" structure to present an opposing claim and a supporting claim in balanced contrast. Acknowledging counterclaims while advancing a position is a core argumentative-writing skill.

Question 44Composition and Rhetoric

Read the sentence: "After the long hike, the campers were exhausted; _______, they still gathered wood for a fire." Which transition BEST fits the relationship between the clauses?

  1. nevertheless Correct answer.
  2. therefore
  3. for example
  4. in addition

Explanation

The campers being exhausted yet still gathering wood signals a contrast, so a concessive transition like "nevertheless" fits. "Therefore" shows cause-effect, "for example" introduces an illustration, and "in addition" adds similar information.

Question 45Composition and Rhetoric

A writer must format a research paper and a works-cited list according to a recognized academic style such as MLA or APA. Following such a system is referred to as adhering to:

  1. Manuscript style Correct answer.
  2. Contested usage
  3. Connotation
  4. Parallel structure

Explanation

Manuscript style refers to formatting a paper according to academic conventions like MLA or APA, including how to cite sources and list references. The EOC Language standards expect students to recognize these formatting systems.

Question 46Composition and Rhetoric

Read the sentence: "The report claimed the bridge was perfectly safe; _______, it collapsed only weeks later." Which transition BEST signals the ironic contrast?

  1. ironically Correct answer.
  2. consequently
  3. similarly
  4. furthermore

Explanation

The bridge being declared safe and then collapsing is a contrast between expectation and outcome, which is situational irony. "Ironically" best signals this reversal. The other transitions indicate cause-effect, similarity, or addition.

Question 47Composition and Rhetoric

A writer revises a draft to replace the casual phrase "kids these days are glued to their phones" with "adolescents increasingly rely on smartphones." This revision primarily improves the writing's:

  1. Formal style and objective tone Correct answer.
  2. Use of figurative language
  3. Emotional intensity
  4. Number of rhetorical questions

Explanation

Replacing casual, slangy wording with precise, neutral language establishes a more formal style and objective tone appropriate for academic writing. The EOC writing standards reward maintaining a formal style and an objective tone in argumentative and informative texts.

Question 48Composition and Rhetoric

A student writes an argumentative essay and ends by reminding readers of the personal story she opened with, giving the piece a sense of closure. This concluding technique is BEST described as:

  1. Returning to an idea from the introduction for closure Correct answer.
  2. Introducing brand-new evidence
  3. Listing unrelated statistics
  4. Posing an unanswered counterclaim

Explanation

Returning to a theme, image, or story from the introduction is an effective concluding strategy that provides the reader with closure and unity. Circling back to the opening story ties the essay together, a technique rewarded by the EOC writing rubric.

Question 49Grammar and vocabulary through meaning and context

An expression such as "deafening silence" or "bittersweet" that combines two seemingly contradictory terms is called a(n):

  1. Oxymoron Correct answer.
  2. Euphemism
  3. Paradox
  4. Synecdoche

Explanation

An oxymoron places two contradictory terms together for effect, such as "deafening silence" or "bittersweet." It compresses the contradiction into a short phrase, unlike a paradox, which is a fuller statement.

Question 50Grammar and vocabulary through meaning and context

Which revision BEST improves the syntax of this sentence? "Edith Wharton was an American novelist, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and typically explored such themes as the limitations of social class and societal expectations."

  1. Edith Wharton, an American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner, typically explored such themes as the limitations of social class and societal expectations. Correct answer.
  2. As an American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner, limitations of social class and societal expectations were themes that Edith Wharton typically explored.
  3. An American novelist, Edith Wharton, a Pulitzer Prize winner, typically explored such themes as the limitations of social class and societal expectations.
  4. Typically exploring such themes as the limitations of social class and societal expectations, Edith Wharton was an American novelist, and she was a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Explanation

The original sentence is faulty because it joins two nouns (novelist, winner) with a verb phrase (explored), breaking parallel structure. Placing the descriptive phrase in an appositive ("an American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner") and keeping one main verb ("explored") produces a clear, grammatically parallel sentence.