AP Bronte's Shirley M/C practice

"An abundant shower of curates" is an example of

• Satire

• Metaphor

• Oxymoron

• Irony

• Paradox

Answer explanation

In context, "abundant shower of curates" means that curates are as abundant as raindrops in a rain shower. The correct answer is therefore (B), metaphor. Both (A) and (D), satire and irony, may tempt you slightly as they are in the passage. But they aren't in the phrase, so cross them off. It's not (C), an oxymoron, because the phrase doesn't represent opposites. (It represents unlike things, but that's par for the course for metaphor.) The phrase doesn't contradict itself, so it is not a paradox (E).

The lines 6-9, "present years are dusty, sunburst, hot, and, we will evade the noon, forget it in siesta, pass the midday in slumber, and dream of dawn," most likely serve all of the following purposes EXCEPT

• disengaging the reader from the present that opens the passage

• exerting a hypnotic spell on the reader via parallelism

• equating novel reading with sleep and dreaming

• exercising authorial control

• characterizing the past as arid and dusty

Answer explanation

Remember that this is an EXCEPT/LEAST/NOT QUESTION. It's the present that is characterized as arid and dusty, so (E) is the correct choice.

The tone of the description of the curates in paragraphs 1 and 2 is

• realistic

• admiring

• surprised

• arch

• fearful

Answer explanation

This is a classic question for Process of Elimination (POE). Is the description in paragraphs 1 and 2 realistic? The narrator tells you that the representations will be "real," but do you know they are? So much of the language is fanciful. Hmm. Hold that thought and don't choose that one right off the bat. Is it admiring? Line 4, they "ought to be doing a great deal of good" holds the idea of their doing good in suspension rather than firmly stating that they do it-so not admiring. Definitely not a tone of surprise, so eliminate C. Is it arch? Arch means mischievous or saucy. Keep this one. Are the paragraphs fearful? Definitely no, so (D) it is .

What literary device is the narrator using in line 47, "You shall see them, reader"?

• Aphorism

• Apostrophe

• Euphemism

• Soliloquy

• Aside

Answer explanation

The narrator is addressing the audience. Remember, an aside is used in plays, not novels.

What does "lowly" in line 14 most nearly mean in context?

• Mean

• Poor

• Prosaic

• Meek

• Humble

Answer explanation

This is a tough one. Context is all here; reread the lines surrounding the word. They imply that the tale will be without passion, stimulus, or melodrama; it will be, by contrast, real, cool, and solid. Mean could be defined as miserly, which isn't really close. Same with poor. Prosaic means commonplace, every day, even dull. That seems to match. Does meek work? It's not as close as prosaic and neither is the last choice humble. POE leads us to prosaic.

Which of the following best conveys the effect of the reference to curates in lines 30-37, "successors of the apostles," "disciples of Dr. Pusey and tools of the Propaganda," "specially sanctified successor of St. Paul, St. Peter, or St. John" in the context of paragraph 4?

• They reinforce the earlier reference to Passion Week and Easter.

• The tone is admiring of the effort to keep religious beliefs alive in the current day.

• The phrases use parallelism and alliteration to convey the progression of religious life through history.

• The exalted comparisons mock curates in the current day.

• The curates are ennobled by comparison with religious figures.

Answer explanation

This is a tough passage, but you don't need to know who is being referenced in order to think through the answers. Think of the effect. Is it A? Could be. Is it B? Well...people often admire religion. But is that the effect of these passages in context? C is very broad - beware of the overly broad answers. D makes sense, as we know, from previous questions, that the tone is mocking. E is wrong, as the passage pokes fun at curates; it does not ennoble them.

The narrator's perspective in this passage is

• disinterested journalist

• diffident investigator

• ironic chronicler

• sentimental storyteller

• nonplussed resident

Answer explanation

The narrator is not disinterested, diffident or sentimental. There is definitely an ironic tone, so C is the best response.

The word "affluent" in line 28 most nearly means

• abundant

• wealthy

• liquid

• streaming

• opulent

Answer explanation

While affluent today is often used to describe wealthy people, a look at the line cited will clue you in: that's not the case here, so B is not a correct answer choice. And while "affluent" does have a meaning of river tributary, context will tell you it's also not C or D. Choice E, opulent, is a synonym for lush and wealthy, so you can cross that one off. Choice A is correct.

What do the last two paragraphs indicate about the characters of the curates Mr. Donne, Mr. Malone, and Mr. Sweeting?

• They are virtually indistinguishable from each other.

• They are exuberant and boisterous.

• They are devoted to their duties.

• They are dull and monotonous.

• They are sociable with each other.

Answer explanation

While there is a parallelism in the language that introduces the three, we don't have enough evidence to know if A is true or not. They are exuberant, but we don't know if they are boisterous. They are definitely not devoted to their duties, nor are they dull or monotonous. Those adjectives are applied to certain duties, not to the people. The correct response is then E, they are "rushing backwards and forwards, amongst themselves, to and from their respective lodgings - not a round, but a triangle of visits." (lines 70-72).