Wyoming practice passage MCQs

The author most likely chose to introduce her argument by way of a personal anecdote in order to

• share the perspective of someone usually regarded as a typical Wyoming resident

• invite the audience to empathize with the difficulties she faced growing up in Wyoming

• challenge her audience’s assumptions about Wyoming residents

• avoid having to incorporate historical and statistical data into her argument

• disclose events that might have made her unintentionally biased

Answer explanation

The passage addresses the larger topic of Wyoming’s identity as a state. Choosing to introduce this topic via a personal anecdote enables the author to draw on her own biography and perspective as an Asian American woman to challenge stereotypes about the “typical Wyoming person.” Moreover, the introduction establishes that the author is using the personal essay form, which is particularly appropriate for her broader purpose, that is, to change Wyoming’s reputation as a white, conservative state. As someone who is Asian American and yet identifies Wyoming as the place “where [she is] from,” the author is in a good position to use her own story to establish a place for immigrants and minorities in Wyoming’s cultural identity.

At the end of the second paragraph (“And yet . . . India”), the author includes a series of clauses that serve to

• support the claim that Wyoming’s homogeneity promotes inclusiveness

• qualify the argument that Wyoming’s political culture lacks diversity

• provide evidence of a long tradition of feminism in Wyoming

• reveal the strong influence of liberal thinkers on Wyoming politics

• correct an assumption about the size of the Asian American population in Wyoming

Answer explanation

To qualify an argument is to soften or limit it. In the second paragraph, the author first summarizes an argument about Wyoming’s homogeneous identity, noting, for instance that the state is “90 percent white” and “largely Republican.” In the last sentence, however, the author uses the words “And yet” to introduce a series of clauses with evidence suggesting that Wyoming is not as conservative or politically homogeneous as it might seem, including the fact that the state was early to elect an Indian-born person to the state legislature. By introducing this counterevidence, the author qualifies the initial argument about Wyoming’s homogeneity

In the sixth sentence of the third paragraph (“She campaigned . . . and to her”), the author uses the dash primarily to

• stress a significant connection

• clarify a potential ambiguity

• introduce a minor detail

• qualify a sweeping assertion

• fend off a likely objection

Answer explanation

The author discusses her mother’s election in order to stress the commonality between her mother’s priorities and those of the Wyoming voters who elected her, an important piece of evidence for her argument. In this sentence, the author strategically inserts a dash between the phrases “to Wyoming people” and “and to her.” By creating a significant pause between the two phrases, the dash effectively emphasizes the phrase following the dash (“and to her”), allowing the author to underscore the convergence between her mother’s values and those of her supporters.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

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CCSS.RL.7.2

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

In the context of the passage as a whole, the sixth paragraph (“Since that . . . 90 percent white”) primarily serves to

• reveal the author’s concern about how diversity is represented in Wyoming politics

• demonstrate that Wyoming’s legislature is proportionally diverse

• redefine diversity in terms of ideological differences rather than ethnic heritage

• propose that people concerned about diversity should focus on local, not state, elections

• suggest that voting may not be an effective method for promoting diversity in Wyoming

Answer explanation

. In the sixth paragraph, the author expresses concern about how diversity is represented in Wyoming politics, acknowledging that “it’s hard to see much diversity representing the state.” By avoiding absolute terms, this admission helps to demonstrate the author’s complex relationship with Wyoming: earlier in the passage, she celebrates Wyoming’s openness to electing immigrants, whereas in this paragraph she acknowledges that there is—in spite of this openness—a lack of ethnic diversity in the Wyoming state government.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

In the sentence toward the middle of the final paragraph (“But if Wyoming . . . choose to live here”), the author uses subordination to

• highlight the difficulty of attracting minorities to rural states

• propose a strategy for enticing young people to live in Wyoming

• emphasize that statewide changes depend on individual choices

• suggest that diverse states may nevertheless be poorly integrated

• explain the underlying cause of a statewide trend

Answer explanation

Writers frequently use subordination to signal an imbalance or inequality between ideas. In the sentence toward the middle of the final paragraph, the author uses the subordinate clause “if Wyoming is going to be a more diverse place” to identify a situation that could exist in the future. She then uses an independent clause to reveal the condition that must be met for this situation to exist—“people have to choose to live” there. By organizing the sentence this way, the author places an emphasis on what individuals must do in order to change the state of Wyoming as a whole.

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CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

In the closing lines of the passage (“I love the mountains . . . the space”), the author affirms her sense of attachment to Wyoming by

• noting how Wyoming’s climate facilitates outdoor activities

• acknowledging the exceptional nature of her family’s experiences

• praising the Wyoming legislature’s focus on environmental issues

• suggesting the economic potential of Wyoming’s natural resources

• offering a poetic description of Wyoming’s natural beauty

Answer explanation

The author closes the passage by poetically describing the natural beauty of Wyoming’s landscape—including its “mountains,” “lodgepole pine,” and “bright blue sky”—which, she says, is her reason for choosing to live in the state. By ending the passage this way, the author leaves her audience with a series of compelling images of Wyoming; such positive images transcend the stereotypes about the state and its people, mentioned in the first two paragraphs, that the author aims to dispel in the passage as a whole.

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CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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CCSS.RL.6.2