"This is Water" by David Foster Wallace

The story in paragraph 1, beginning "There are these two young fish swimming along," is an example of

• euphemism

• hyperbole

• onomatopoeia

• parable

• fable

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

The primary way the speaker establishes his authority is by

• supporting his argument with scientific evidence and thorough citation

• anticipating the audience's reaction and addressing counterarguments

• using only academic language and grammatically correct sentences

• clearly stating the essay's organizing principle at the beginning of the speech

• relying on well-established cultural norms and conveying long-held principles

The phrase "banal platitude" (para. 2) can best be defined as a(n)

• hackneyed saying

• overblown euphemism

• hyperbolic metaphor

• nonsensical paradox

• literary trope

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

Why does the speaker claim to be "wrong and deluded" in the third paragraph?

• to gain sympathy from the audience

• to reveal his own obstinancy

• to discredit the educational system

• to distance himself from the audience

• to foreshadow a shift in perspective

The speaker reinforces the term "automatically" in the third paragraph with the later use of

• "immediate" (para. 3)

• "natural" (para. 3)

• "default-setting" (para. 3)

• "literally" (para. 3)

• "self-centered" (para. 3)

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

In the sentences that begin "Probably the most dangerous thing about college education" and "Paying attention to what's going on" (para. 5), the speaker uses which of the following literary techniques for emphasis?

• stream of consciousness

• symbolism

• pathetic fallacy

• repetition of words or phrases

• sensory detail

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The speaker suggests that the audience can do which of the following by "[l]earning how to think" (middle of para. 5)?

• construct meaning from day-to-day existence

• cultivate an ironic worldview

• prove themselves superior to other people

• find beauty in commonplace objects

• create order from the chaos of life

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The phrase "you will be totally hosed" (middle of para. 5) is an example of

• formal diction

• colloquial language

• ironic commentary

• technical jargon

• common cliché

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The overall tone of the selection can best be described as

• scholarly and condescending

• abstract and allusive

• informal and anecdotal

• sentimental and nostalgic

• blunt and hypercritical

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4