SAT reading

What does the author suggest the purpose might be for the rosebush in the courtyard?

• To serve as a juxtaposition against the crimes that had been committed by the prisoners

• To commemorate the founders of the new colony who planted it

• to separate the section designated for the cemetery and the prison

• To pity the prisoner who came by and offer beauty in the time of dispair

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

As used in line 20, the word "darker" most nearly means....

• having less light

• more tragic

• more secretive

• more sinister

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

The author's description of the trees that once grew near the flower bush in lines 39-40 ("gigantic pines...overshadowed it") are meant to provide

• tense foreshadowing in advance of the story

• a celebration of the strength of the trees

• visual irony when viewed against the delicacy of a flower

• sound cues that convey frustration

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

The contrast between the first paragraph and the last can best be described as

• unhappy people who live in a place that contains beauty

• a bleak opening to a dark story that nonetheless contains hope

• a dark prison in a place peopled by heroes

• sadness in the face of happiness

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

The central idea of the passage is that

• a gloomy prison bears a hopeful symbol of comfort to prisoners and readers of this story

• nature finds a way to take a bleak and gloomy place and make it more pleasant

• founders of a new colony allotted a dismal plot of land to both a prison and a cemetery

• a rosebush has stood outside a prison for many centuries

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

Which situation is most similar to the one described in lines 24-25 ("it seemed never to have known a youthful era")

• a playful bear cub

• a bitter old king

• a wandering fortune teller

• a naïve little child

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Why does the prison convey a feeling of doom, despite the beautiful rosebush near its entrance?

• The building itself looked menacing

• A throng of prisoners has gathered in front of its door

• The building is old and from another era

• It was built in a declining section of Boston

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Which choice provides the best evidence for the question....Why does the prison convey a feeling of doom, despite the beautiful rosebush near its entrance?

• Lines 4-5 ("a wooden edifice...timbered with oak")

• Lines 10-14 ("In accordance...first burial-ground")

• Lines 19-21 ("the wooden jail...and gloomy front")

• Lines 23-25 ("Like all...youthful era")

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

By using the phrase "pluck one of its flowers, and present it to the reader" (line 47), the author

• indicates that the reader is about to hear a charming tale.

• implies that the reader is a saint, like Ann Hutchinson

• suggest that the reader may have committed crimes

• involves the reader as a participant in the story

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

The rosebush in the story can be most closely compared to

• A splash of water on a hot day

• a flat tire on a getaway car

• a painting in a museum

• the first crocus of spring time

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.4