Sukhmann's+Questions


 * From __Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls__ by Katha Pollitt **

Theories of innate differences in behavior are appealing. They let parents off the hook -- no small recommendation in a culture that holds moms, and sometimes even dads, responsible for their children's every misstep on the road to bliss and success. They allow grown-ups to take the path of least resistance to the dominant culture, which always requires less psychic effort, even if it means more actual work: just ask the working mother who comes home exhausted and nonetheless finds it easier to pick up her son's socks than make him do it himself. They let families buy for their children, without too much guilt, the unbelievably sexist junk that the kids, who have been watching commercials since birth, understandably crave. But the thing the theories do most of all is tell adults that the adult world -- in which moms and dads still play by many of the old rules even as they question and fidget and chafe against them -- is the way it's supposed to be. A girl with a doll and a boy with a truck "explain" why men are from Mars and women are from Venus, why wives do housework and husbands just don't understand. The paradox is that the world of rigid and hierarchal sex roles evoked by determinist theories is already passing away. Three-year-olds may indeed insist that doctors are male and nurses female, even if their own mother is a physician. Six-year-olds know better. These days, something like half of all medical students are female, and male applications to nursing school are inching upward. When tomorrow's 3-year-olds play doctor, who's to say how they'll assign the roles? With sex roles, as in every area of life, people aspire to what is possible, and conform to what is necessary. But these are not fixed, especially today. Biological determinism may reassure some adults about their present, but it is feminism, the ideology of flexible and converging sex roles, that fits our children's future. And the kids, somehow, know this. That's why, if you look carefully, you'll find that for every kid who fits a stereotype, there's another who's breaking one down. Sometimes it's the same kid -- the boy who skateboards and takes cooking in his after-school program; the girl who collects stuffed animals and A-pluses in science. Feminists are often accused of imposing their "agenda" on children. Isn't that what adults always do, consciously and unconsciously? Kids aren't born religious, or polite, or kind, or able to remember where they put their sneakers. Inculcating these behaviors, and the values behind them, is a tremendous amount of work, involving many adults. We don't have a choice, really, about whether we should give our children messages about what it means to be male and female -- they're bombarded with them from morning till night. The question, as always, is what do we want those messages to be?

1. The overall tone of this passage is A. Resigned  B. Inquisitive  C. Dramatic  D. Sarcastic  E. Factual

2. The author uses the word chafe in paragraph 3 to indicate that many adults feel <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">A. Weary <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> B. Sore <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> C. Warm <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> D. Irritated <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> E. Rebellious

3. In paragraph 3, the quotation marks around the word “explain” serve to A. Indicate the use of a foreign term B. Emphasize the word C. Introduce a new concept that will later be defined D. Separate the dialogue from the narrative E. Imply sarcasm

4. The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements? A. Feminists often impose their agenda upon children B. Parents are the only people who can enforce beliefs and stereotypes upon children C. Gender roles are subject to change with time D. Gender roles are difficult to break down once established in the mind of a child E. Gender roles are resistant to the dominant culture

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. The line “men are from Mars and women are from Venus” is an example of which of the following? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">A. An allusion <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> B. Personification <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> C. Metaphor <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> D. Alliteration <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> E. Hyperbole

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">6. This author is most likely a/an A. Radical thinker B. Activist C. Misogynist D. Determinist E. Deviant

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. Which of the following best expresses the author's main argument? A. Adults should take caution when imposing gender roles upon young children B. Adults should adhere to gender stereotypes when raising young children C. Adults should punish their children for adhering to gender norms D. Adults should shelter their children in order to avoid external influence E. Children should know better than to listen two older generations for gender role advice

8. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">In paragraph 2, Pollitt implies that many parents are A. compliant B. obedient C. sexist D. wary E. servile


 * From __Shooting an Elephant__ by George Orwell**

When I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick--one never does when a shot goes home--but I heard the devilish roar of glee that went up from the crowd. In that instant, in too short a time, one would have thought, even for the bullet to get there, a mysterious, terrible change had come over the elephant. He neither stirred nor fell, but every line of his body had altered. He looked suddenly stricken, shrunken, immensely old, as though the frightful impact of the bullet had paralyzed him without knocking him down. At last, after what seemed a long time-it might have been five seconds, I dare say--he sagged flabbily to his knees. His mouth slobbered. An enormous senility seemed to have settled upon him. One could have imagined him thousands of years old. I fired again into the same spot. At the second shot he did not collapse but climbed with desperate slowness to his feet and stood weakly upright, with legs sagging and head drooping. I fired a third time. That was the shot that did for him. You could see the agony of it jolt his whole body and knock the last remnant of strength from his legs. But in falling he seemed for a moment to rise, for as his hind legs collapsed beneath him he seemed to tower upward like a huge rock toppling, his trunk reaching skyward like a tree. He trumpeted, for the first and only time. And then down he came, his belly towards me, with a crash that seemed to shake the ground even where I lay. I got up. The Burmans were already racing past me across the mud. It was obvious that the elephant would never rise again, but he was not dead. He was breathing very rhythmically with long rattling gasps, his great mound of a side painfully rising and falling. His mouth was wide open--I could see far down into caverns of pale pink throat. I waited a long time for him to die, but his breathing did not weaken. Finally I fired my two remaining shots into the spot where I thought his heart must be. The thick blood welled out of him like red velvet, but still he did not die. His body did not even jerk when the shots hit him, the tortured breathing continued without a pause. He was dying, very slowly and in great agony, but in some world remote from me where not even a bullet could damage him further. I felt that I had got to put an end to that dreadful noise. It seemed dreadful to see the great beast lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, and not even to be able to finish him. I sent back for my small rifle and poured shot after shot into his heart and down his throat. They seemed to make no impression. The tortured gasps continued as steadily as the ticking of a clock. In the end I could not stand it any longer and went away. I heard later that it took him half an hour to die. Burmans were bringing dahs and baskets even before I left, and I was told they had stripped his body almost to the bones by the afternoon. Afterwards, of course, there were endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant. The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing. Besides, legally I had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if its owner fails to control it. Among the Europeans opinion was divided. The older men said I was right, the younger men said it was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie. And afterwards I was very glad that the coolie had been killed; it put me legally in the right and it gave me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant. I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.

9. What is the main purpose of paragraph 1? A. To describe an experience from the narrator's perspective B. To establish the narrator's opinion on a controversial topic C. To explain a problem for which a solution is later proposed D. To introduce the narrator as a hunter E. To set up a backstory that will serve to justify the narrator's actions later on

10. What literary device is used toward the end of paragraph 1? A. Metaphor B. Similie C. Personification D. Alliteration E. Hyperbole

11. This passage was written in the form of a/an A. Persuasive essay B. Formal letter C. Fictional story D. Tragic soliloquy E. Informal conversation

12. The author uses juxtaposition in which of the following sentences? A. "They had stripped his body almost to the bones by the afternoon" B. "The frightful impact of the bullet had paralyzed him without knocking him down" C. "The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing" D. "An elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie" E. "The thick blood welled out of him like red velvet"

13. According to the passage, what are the Burmans' attitudes toward the shooting of the elephant? A. Anger B. Eagerness C. Impatience D. Apathy E. Frustration

14. What is the narrator's attitude regarding the shooting of the elephant? A. curiosity B. guilt C. anger D. embarrasment E. triumph

15. Which of the following lines indicates a shift in perspective? A. "I heard later that it took him half an hour to die" B. "There were endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant" C. "I felt that I had got to put an end to that dreadful noise." D. "The older men said I was right, the younger men said it was a damn shame" E. "The tortured gasps continued as steadily as the ticking of a clock"

16. It can be inferred that the narrator <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">A. Is a Burman native <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> B. Is in a position of power <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> C. Wanted to shoot the elephant <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> D. Is racist <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> E. Is a war veteran


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">From __On Cloning a Human Being__ by Lewis Thomas **

We are not ready for an experiment of this size, nor, I should think, are we willing. For one thing, it would mean replacing today’s world by an entirely identical world to follow immediately, and this means no new, natural, spontaneous, random, chancy children. No children at all, except for the manufactured doubles of those now on the scene. Plus all those identical adults, including all of today’s politicians, all seen double. It is too much to contemplate. Moreover, when the whole experiment is finally finished, fifty years or so from now, how could you get a responsible scientific reading on the outcome? Somewhere in there would be the original clone, probably lost and overlooked, now well into middle age, but everyone around him would be precise duplicates of today’s people and their same, duplicated problems, probably all resentful at having had to go through our whole thing all over, sore enough at the clone to make endless trouble for him, if they found him. And obviously, if the whole thing were done precisely right, they would still be casting about for ways to solve the problem of universal dissatisfaction, and sooner or later they’d surely begin to look around at each other, wondering who should be cloned for his special value to society, to get us out of all this. And so it would go, in regular cycles, perhaps forever. I once lived through a period when I wondered what Hell could be like, and I stretched my imagination to try and think of a perpetual sort of damnation. I have to confess, I never thought of anything like this. I have an alternative suggestion, if you’re looking for a way out. Set cloning aside, and don’t try it. Instead, go in the other direction. Look for ways to get mutations more quickly, new variety, different songs. Fiddle around, if you must fiddle, but never with ways to keep things the same, no matter who, not even yourself. Heaven, somewhere ahead, has got to be a change.

17. The author's main argument against cloning is that A. It inhibits change B. It's detrimental to politicians C. It's harmful to children D. It causes religious disputes E. It creates competition amongst humans

18. In paragraph 1, the author focuses primarily on A. The spontaneity of cloning B. The effects of cloning on adults C. The politics of cloning D. The manufacturing of clones E. The effects of cloning on children

19. This passage is most likely directed toward A. The scientific community B. The nonscientific community C. Politicians D. Children E. Religious people

20. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">The author’s tone can best be described as <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">A. Dry <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> B. Humorous <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> C. Cynical <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> D. Annoyed <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> E. Satirical

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> 21. In this passage, the author juxtaposes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> A. Adults and children <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> B. Heaven and hell <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> C. Mortality and immortality <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> D. Change and improvement <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> E. Thought and action

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> 22. What is the purpose of the final paragraph? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> A. To offer a solution to an identified problem <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> B. To summarize the passage <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> C. To refure an argument previously identified <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> D. To support the main argument with an example <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> E. To identify another reason for which cloning is wrong

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">23. What is the effect of the line "I never thought of anything like this"? A. Changes the tone of the passage B. Changes the perspective of the passage C. Compares cloning to Hell and damnation D. Relates more directly to the reader E. Indictes a lack of knowledge on the subject

24. In the final paragraph, the word "fiddle" most likely means A. Play the violin B. Touch or fidget C. Explore new ideas D. Cheat or falsify E. Waste time

25. The author likely wrote this passage with the assumption that A. Cloning is possible but highly unlikely B. Heaven and Hell most certainly exist C. There is no such thing as an "ideal" human being D. Clones will have the same hindrances as their clonees E. Cloning will make everyone happy


 * __ Answer Key __**

1. B 2. D 3. E 4. C 5. A 6. B 7. A 8. D 9. A

10.B

11.C

12.E

13.B

14.B

15.B

16.B

17.A

18.E

19.B

20.C

21.D

22.A

23.C

24.C

25.D