Atsi+Shah+and+Emily+Howarth

Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it. Our civilization is decadent and our language -- so the argument runs -- must inevitably share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aero planes. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes. Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible. Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble Each of these passages has faults of its own, but, quite apart from avoidable ugliness, two qualities are common to all of them. The first is staleness of imagery; the other is lack of precision. The writer either has a meaning and cannot express it, or he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not. This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing. //Dying metaphors //. A newly invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically "dead" (e.g. //iron resolution//) has in effect reverted to being an ordinary word and can generally be used without loss of vividness. But in between these two classes there is a huge dump of worn-out metaphors which have lost all evocative power and are merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves. Some metaphors now current have been twisted out of their original meaning without those who use them even being aware of the fact. For example, //toe the line// is sometimes written as //tow the line//. Another example is //the hammer and the anvil//, now always used with the implication that the anvil gets the worst of it. In real life it is always the anvil that breaks the hammer, never the other way about: a writer who stopped to think what he was saying would avoid perverting the original phrase. (1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. (2) Never use a long word where a short one will do. (3) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. (4) Never use the passive where you can use the active. (5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. (6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
 * Politics and the English Language **

 __Mimics on Shooting an Elephant__ 1. The chief topic of this selection is  (A) Becoming a cop  (B) The durability of chains <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) Wild Elephants <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) Imperialism <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) Catching Wild Elephants <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. This passage is primarily concerned with <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) To discuss what it is like to be a police officer in Moulmein <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) Explain how the views of Imperialism changed due to an elephant <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) Explain how they chain up elephants <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) To discuss the poor education <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) To show Imperialism is an evil thing <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. Which of the following best expresses one of the author’s goals? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) To expand ones knowledge on the town Moulmein <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) To introduce how they work with wild elephants <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) To explain how he went on a search for a Wild Elephant <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) To discuss why you should not be a cop in Moulmein <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) Educate readers on the British Empire <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. The author advocates which of the following actions? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) That killing wild elephants is necessary <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) That they need to create stronger chains <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) They should have called about the elephant the night before <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) You should not kill a wild elephant <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) Imperialism is horrible thing <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. The general tone of this passage <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) Humorous <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) Influential <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) Daring <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) Persuasive <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) Inviting <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. George Orwell would agree with which of the following statements? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) You should never become a cop in Moulmein <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) Opinions can change in a heartbeat <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) If there education was better they would find a way to have elephants <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) You should never live in England due to their Empire <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) If you want to be a cop don’t let anyone tell you can’t <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. In the third paragraph the author identifies that under what circumstance you should do what <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) When a chain breaks you should purchase a new one <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) When an elephant is coming to your car you should run <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) Moulmein should invest in weapons <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) When a wild elephant is on the lose you should kill it <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) When a wild elephant is on the lose you should go on a search for it <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. What do you think the author will think will happen if Moulmein allowed weapons? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) The violence rate will increase <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) The number of animals will decrease <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) Gun shops will grow a sufficient profit <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) No person would buy the weapons <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) Cops will be more important <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. What is the best paraphrase for the following sentence: “One day something happened which in a roundabout way was enlightening,” (line 30)? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) That one something happened that changed his views on Imperialism

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) That it was enlightening to go around the roundabout

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) That in a quick instance his views changed in a good way

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) That your views are most likely to change while going around a roundabout

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) You can change your opinion

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Answers to Shooting an Elephant __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. C <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. B <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. C <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. B <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. B <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. B <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. E <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. D <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. C

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mimics on Politics and English __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. From details in the passage we can infer that <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) The undermining of a language can cause problems in other fields <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) The English Language needs to be taught better <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) We have the freedom to speak through our personality <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) English is reversible <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) If you speak clearer your thoughts will become clearer <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. From the passage, we can infer that the author is <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) A graduate from an English Major

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) Thinks that the English Language should be forgotten about

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) An English teacher

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) An advocate for trying to improve the English Language

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) Trying to improve the Language <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. From details in the passage, we can infer that it was written <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) In a way to influence people to improve their English

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) In a persuasive tone

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) To show the poor use of the Language

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) In a non- helpful tone

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) Because nobody else cares to write about the matter <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. The chief topic of this selection is <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (A) Politics

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (B) English

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (C) Improvement on English

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (D) How nobody wants to improve on their English

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (E) How English and Politics rely on each other <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. From the details in the passage we can infer that <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A) Language is manipulated for one's purposes <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(B) The article criticizes and blames individuals with incorrect grammar for the downfall of English <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(C) Imagery and precision have little to no impact on how good a prompt could be <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(D) Metaphors describe images using description and illustration <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(E) The more vague the writing, the better it is for the English language <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 6. Based on the passage we can tell <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A) Always use the passive voice over active <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(B) Use a simile when you are used to seeing it in print <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(C) Use scientific jargon to help illustrate your point <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(D) Cut out any unnecessary words if you can <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(E) Use long words over short words

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. This passage is not used to… <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A) Inform others about proper political writing <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(B) Explain that the English language is not what it is due to simply a few individual people <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(C) Describe flaws within modern English <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(D) Give tips on writing better English <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(E) Belittle works of other writers

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. The English language declining due to… <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">i. …Is declining only due to political causes <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">ii. ...slovenliness of our country <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">iii. …due to economic causes, however it is not the only cause <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A) i <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(B) ii <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(C) iii <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(D) i & ii <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(E) iii & ii

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Answers to English and Politics __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. A <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. D <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. A <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. E <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. A <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. D <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. E <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. E

__**Reading Lolita in Tehran**__ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif;"> What could she do? She did not believe in politics and did not want to marry, but she was curious about love. That day, she explained why all the normal acts of life had become small acts of rebellion and political insubordination to her and to other young people like her. All her life she was shielded. She was never let out of sight; she never had a private corner in which to think, to feel, to dream, to write. She was not allowed to meet any young men on her own.. Her family not only instructed her on how to behave around men, but seemed to think they could tell her how she should feel about them as well. What seems natural to someone like you, she said, is so strange and unfamiliar to me. Again she repeated that she would never get married. She said that for her a man always existed in books, that she would spend the rest of her life with Mr. Darcy-even in the books, there were few men for her. What was wrong with that? She wanted to go to America, like her uncles, like me. Her mother and her aunts had not been allowed to go, but her uncles were given the chance. Could she ever overcome all the obstacles and go to America? Should she go to America? She wanted me to advise her; they all wanted that. But what could I offer her, she who wanted so much more from life than she had been given? There was nothing in reality that I could give her, so I told her instead about Nabokov’s “other world.” I asked her if she had noticed how in most of Nabokov’s novels, there was aways the shadow of another world, one that was attainable only through fiction. It is this world that prevents his heroes and heroines from utter despair, that becomes their refuge in a life that is consistently brutal. Take Lolita. This was the story of a twelve-year-old who had nowhere to go. Humbert had tried to turn her into his fantasy, into his dead love, and he had destroyed her. The desperate truth of Lolita’s story is not the rape of a twelve-year-old by a dirty old man but the confiscation of one individual’s life by another. We don’t know what Lolita would have become if Humbert had not engulfed her. Yet the novel, the finished work, is hopeful, beautiful even, a defense not just of beauty but of life, ordinary everyday life, all the normal pleasures that Lolita like Yassi, was deprived of. Warming up and suddenly inspired, I added that, in fact, Nabokov had taken revenge against our own solipsizers; he had taken revenge on the Ayatollah Khomeini and those like him. They had tried to shape others according to their own dreams and desires, but Nabokov, through his portrayal of Humbert, had exposed all solipsists who take over other people’s lives.

1. Why is it that Azar Nafisi finds a man in the books and is comfortable with him? a. She can connect with them personally unlike reality b. She doesn’t like men in Tehran c. She is too shy to talk to men around her d. She has never met men in real life e. None of the above

2. Why are the normal acts of life viewed as rebellions? a. They are too extreme for Azar and her family’s views b. Her family shields her from the Western world’s normal acts c. The acts rebel against the government d. Both A and B e. All of the above

3. What consists of Nabokov’s other world? a. Shadow of another world b. The world was only attainable through fiction c. Prevented the hero’s from despair d. It is a refuge for people e. All of the above

4. Why is it that Azar wanted to escape her reality? a. Her reality felt like a prison to her b. Her family kept a close eye on her at all times c. She had no freedom or privacy d. She was never allowed to achieve what she wanted in life e. All of the above

5. How does Azar’s friend help Azar in what way? a. They rebel against Azar’s family by going clubbing b. The friend takes her to America c. The friend gives her a fashion magazine to read d. The friend gives her a book to read e. They go shopping at a high end mall for some retail therapy

6. What is the truth of Lolita’s story?a. Rape of a 12 year old by a dirty man b. The confiscation of one individual’s life by another c. How Lolita’s brothers eventually beat that man up d. Both A and C  e. None of the above

7. What can you the reader infer about Azar? a. She is curious about the world b. She wants to learn about love, men and the world around her c. She wants to overcome her obstacles d. None of the above e. Only A,B and C

8. How does the author describe the book Lolita?a. Very humorous and entertaining b. Boring and mundane c. Hopeful, beautiful d. Witty e. Satirical

Answer Key


 * A
 * D
 * E
 * E
 * D
 * B
 * E
 * C