AP MC Practice 10/17

The author's primary purpose of the passage is to

• show how behavior that is widely condemned as vicious is a source of national prosperity
• express resignation about the resistance of successful liars to attempt to reform them
• trivialize the friendships of a self-serving political elite
• disparage a vice and explain how it has flourished

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

The words "ought" and "necessary" (lines 2-3) convey the author's sense of 

• shame
• obligation
• defiant zeal
• cynical pragmatism

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

The author's attitude in describing "a certain great man" (line 12) is best characterized as

• wistfully admiring
• openly fascinated
• mockingly contemptuous
• ironic yet compassionate

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

The "talent" mentioned in line 13 refers most nearly to a 

• facility with financial matters
• flexibility of conviction
• pronounced physical agility
• mediocre performance

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

In line 15, the phrase "nice affairs" refers to 

• sumptuous entertainments
• familial relationships
• conscientious preparations
• matters requiring tactful handling

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

In context, the phrase "unparalleled generosity" (line 19) serves as 

• decisive refutation of an argument
• categorical support for a gesture
• deceptively unpretentious rhetoric
• hyperbolic sarcasm

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

In lines 23-27, the statement " so that...or no" emphasizes which of the following qualities of liars?

• Their prepossessing appearance
• Their inscrutability
• Their reasonableness
• Their eloquence

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

The author suggests that people hear "inarticulate sounds (line 28) when they listen to the speaker because the words are so 

• self-glorifying
• self-contradictory
• frightening
• conventional

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The primary function of the second paragraph (lines 37-53) is to

• contradict the position taken in the first paragraph
• reveal the error in a particular belief
• develop the chracter of the "great man" introduced in the first paragraph
• parody the way in which liars exploit rhetoric for their own purposes

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

What is the primary function of the statement "Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it" (lines 47-48)?

• It uses an ad hominem argument to convey the author's contempt for liars
• It personifies falsehood to evoke sympathy for those accused of lying.
• It creates a visual contrast to emphasize the power of lies.
• It uses hyperbole to undermine its literal meaning.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3