RL4 Meaning of Words and Phrases

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate ... we cannot consecrate ... we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

The BEST definition of both consecrate and hallow (from section four) is

• to make holy

• to make empty

• to work together

• to bury or forget

The other bank of the stream was open ground -- a gentle slope topped with a stockade of vertical tree trunks, loopholed for rifles, with a single embrasure through which protruded the muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the bridge.

What is the BEST meaning of the word muzzle as it is used in this sentence?

• a leather or wire restraining appliance

• a restraint on free movement or expression

• the forward discharging end of the barrel of a firearm

• the forward projecting part of the head of certain animals

To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.

Which is the BEST definition of the word sham as it it used in the above sentence from the passage?

• an honorary award

• a memorial service

• a fraud or mockery

• a historical event

If you know the post-office you must've seen Ethan Frome drive up to it, drop the reins of his hollow-backed bay and drag himself across the brick pavement to the white colonnade: and you must have asked who he was.

What does bay mean as used in this sentence from the passage?

• a horse

• a saddle

• a mailbox

• a well-worn chair

A lieutenant stood at the right of the line, the point of his sword upon the ground, his left hand resting upon his right. Excepting the group of four at the center of the bridge, not a man moved. The company faced the bridge, staring stonily, motionless. The sentinels, facing the banks of the stream, might have been statues to adorn the bridge. The captain stood with folded arms, silent, observing the work of his subordinates, but making no sign.

The sentinels, facing the banks of the stream, might have been statues to adorn the bridge. What is the meaning of the word adorn as used in this sentence from paragraph two?

• to please

• to equip

• to furnish

• to decorate

The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;

For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, ‘God is in my heart,’ but rather, ‘I am in the heart of God.’⁵

And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.

But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.¹⁰

To know the pain of too much tenderness.

To be wounded by your own understanding of love;

And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;¹⁵

To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

In this first sentence from the passage, what does naught mean?

• nicely

• never

• naughty

• nothing

The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;

For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, ‘God is in my heart,’ but rather, ‘I am in the heart of God.’⁵

And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.

But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.¹⁰

To know the pain of too much tenderness.

To be wounded by your own understanding of love;

And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;¹⁵

To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

In this line from the passage, what does the word ecstasy mean?

• delight

• misery

• memory

• sacrifice

The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;

For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, ‘God is in my heart,’ but rather, ‘I am in the heart of God.’⁵

And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.

But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.¹⁰

To know the pain of too much tenderness.

To be wounded by your own understanding of love;

And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;¹⁵

To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

In this sentence from the passage, the word directs most nearly means

• guides or leads.

• distracts or confuses.

• causes fear and despair.

• cheers up or encourages.

Sea Lullaby

Elinor Wylie

The old moon is tarnished

With smoke of the flood,

The dead leaves are varnished

With color like blood,

A treacherous smiler ⁵

With teeth white as milk,

A savage beguiler

In sheathings of silk,

The sea creeps to pillage,

She leaps on her prey; ¹⁰

A child of the village

Was murdered to-day.

She came up to meet him

In a smooth golden cloak,

She choked him and beat him ¹⁵

To death, for a joke.

Her bright locks were tangled,

She shouted for joy,

With one hand she strangled

A strong little boy. ²⁰

Now in silence she lingers

Beside him all night

To wash her long fingers

In silvery light.

Which lines from the poem show that the sea is cruel but has a facade of beauty and warmth?

• The dead leaves are varnished

  With color like blood

• The sea creeps to pillage,

  She leaps on her prey

• To wash her long fingers

  In silvery light

• A savage beguiler

  In sheathings of silk

Sea Lullaby

Elinor Wylie

The old moon is tarnished

With smoke of the flood,

The dead leaves are varnished

With color like blood,

A treacherous smiler ⁵

With teeth white as milk,

A savage beguiler

In sheathings of silk,

The sea creeps to pillage,

She leaps on her prey; ¹⁰

A child of the village

Was murdered to-day.

She came up to meet him

In a smooth golden cloak,

She choked him and beat him ¹⁵

To death, for a joke.

Her bright locks were tangled,

She shouted for joy,

With one hand she strangled

A strong little boy. ²⁰

Now in silence she lingers

Beside him all night

To wash her long fingers

In silvery light.

What sort of tone do the words "creeps, leaps, prey, murdered, choked," and "beat" help create for this poem?

• pleasant and calm

• solemn and serious

• cruel and terrifying

• humorous and satirical