FSA Reading Practice 1

Select two phrases Ovid uses in Passage 1 to show that Pyramus and Thisbe experience a shared love.

• they were both inflamed, with minds equally captivated.

• the more, when so smothered, does it burn.

• you lovers (what does not love perceive?) first found one,

• and the accents of love used to pass through it in safety, with the gentlest murmur.

• and the breath of their mouths had been mutually caught by turns,

Answer explanation

A (blue): The descriptions of Thisbe’s and Pyramus’s behavior and state of mind reveal how they experience the same love for one another.

E (purple): The phrase shows that both Thisbe and Pyramus share their affection for one another.

This question has two parts.

First, answer Part A.

Then, answer Part B. Part A

Based on Pyramus and Thisbe’s situation, what is a theme of Passage 1?

• Lasting relationships depend upon affection.

• True love finds ways to overcome any obstacle

• The smallest defect can cause love to deteriorate

• Family disapproval can lead to desperate measures.

Answer explanation

Despite the obstacle of the wall, the love of Pyramus and Thisbe remains strong.

Part B Which detail from Passage 1 helps develop the theme in Part A?

• the setting of the city

• the structure of the wall

• the beauty of the characters

• the fathers of the characters

Answer explanation

Pyramus and Thisbe use a defect in the wall (which otherwise is an obstacle) in order to communicate, which they would not otherwise be able to do.

At the end of Passage 1, why does Ovid use the word “envious” to describe the wall?

• It is immune to the pain that Pyramus and Thisbe experience.

• It has a flaw that Pyramus and Thisbe associate with their love.

• It hears the opinions Pyramus and Thisbe have about each other.

• It experiences the physical contact that Pyramus and Thisbe desire.

Answer explanation

The use of the word “envious” refers to the idea that the wall is keeping Pyramus and Thisbe physically apart.

In Passage 2, how do sections 6–10 increase the tension of the passage as a whole?

• They show that Romeo is questioning his identity.

• They show that Juliet misinterprets Romeo’s motives.

• They raise the possibility that Juliet may reject Romeo.

• They emphasize the danger that Romeo faces if caught.

Answer explanation

The details about Juliet’s kinsmen and the violence they would perhaps inflict on Romeo pervade the rest of the passage, giving an underlying tension to the exchanges that follow.

Romeo and Juliet retells the Pyramus and Thisbe myth in the form of a play. In the excerpt provided in Passage 2, what does the play format help Shakespeare to emphasize about his characters? Select two options.

• the various threats they face

• the physical obstacles separating them

• the conflicting feelings they experience

• the way society views their relationship

• the reasons for their families’ disapproval

Answer explanation

Although Ovid only says that Pyramus’s and Thisbe’s fathers forbid their marriage, Shakespeare dramatizes the family disapproval by suggesting that they may kill Romeo if they find him there.

While Passage 1 presents the characters as having nearly identical sentiments, Romeo and Juliet’s exchanges are full of questions and mixed emotions

This question has two parts.

First, answer Part A.

Then, answer Part B.

Part A Which quotation from Passage 2 summarizes a theme of both passages?

• “The orchard walls are high and hard to climb; . . .” (section 6)

• “For stony limits cannot hold love out: . . .” (section 7)

• “Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face; . . .” (section 14)

• “I have no joy of this contract to-night; . . .” (section 20)

Answer explanation

Part A

This quote reveals the theme in both passages that love can overcome obstacles.

Part B How does Shakespeare dramatize this theme differently than Ovid does in Passage 1?

• by placing the characters in a definite setting

• by increasing the conflict between the characters

• by changing the type of obstacle the characters face

• by allowing the characters to engage in conversation

Answer explanation

Part B

Shakespeare removes the physical barrier that Ovid leaves between his characters and replaces it with the cover of darkness, thus opening up more dramatic possibilities in the scene.

Now answer Numbers 14 through 16. Choose the correct word or phrase for each of the following.

The Sun is able to inspire many feelings in people awe, wonder, and even delight.

• people:

• people,

• people;

• correct as is

Answer explanation

This option shows the correct use of a colon in a sentence to precede a list of ideas.

Refraction takes place when the Sun’s light rays are bent, reflected, and split into an arc of color as they pass through drops of water in the atmosphere.

• they split

• it splits

• splits

• correct as is

Answer explanation

This option shows the correct use of the verb in the sentence.