World Literature Final Exam Practice

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.  The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one the fairest valleys of Africa.  About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld.  Below you is a valley of Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.  Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.  Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  Bur the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it.  Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and they stones cut under feet.  It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men.  The titihoya does not cry here anymore.

 

From what point of view is the passage written?

• 1st person

• 2nd person

• 3rd person limited

• 3rd person omniscient

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.  The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one the fairest valleys of Africa.  About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld.  Below you is a valley of Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.  Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.  Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  Bur the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it.  Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and they stones cut under feet.  It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men.  The titihoya not cry here anymore.

 

What is the author's purpose in the first paragraph?

• To describe the setting.

• To introduce the characters.

• To persuade the reader.

• To present the conflict

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.  The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one the fairest valleys of Africa.  About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld.  Below you is a valley of Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.  Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.  Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  Bur the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it.  Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and they stones cut under feet.  It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men.  The titihoya not cry here anymore.

 

In the second paragraph, what does the word unshod mean? There are context clues in the third paragraph as well.

• unburdened

• undressed

• without hope

• without shoes

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came for the Creator. Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men.

 

In this sentence, what does the word “it” refer to?

• the creator

• the grass

• the ground

• the men

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.  The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one the fairest valleys of Africa.  About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld.  Below you is a valley of Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.  Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.  Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  Bur the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it.  Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and they stones cut under feet.  It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men.  The titihoya not cry here anymore.

 

The same passage also has examples of which of the following?

 

• alliteration and auditory imagery

• personification and parallel structure

• rhythm and participial phrases

• simile and hyperbole

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.  The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one the fairest valleys of Africa.  About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld.  Below you is a valley of Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.  Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.  Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  Bur the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it.  Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and they stones cut under feet.  It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men.  The titihoya not cry here anymore.

 

 

Why does the author Alan Paton use repetition of phrases from the second paragraph in the third paragraph as well?

• to create a sense of urgency to action

• to hook the reader with flowery language

• to reiterate the beauty of the land and its people

• to show the stark differences in the lands

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.  The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one the fairest valleys of Africa.  About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld.  Below you is a valley of Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.  Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.  Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  Bur the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it.  Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and they stones cut under feet.  It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men.  The titihoya not cry here anymore.

 

The tone of the passage can best be described as__________________________.

• bitter and toxic

• cheerful and celebratory

• gloomy and dark

• honest and straightforward

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.  The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one the fairest valleys of Africa.  About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld.  Below you is a valley of Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil.  Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.  Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  Bur the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it.  Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and they stones cut under feet.  It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men.  The titihoya not cry here anymore.

 

Which of the following is the theme of the passage?

• Cattle and fires can be dangerous.

• Taking care of the land is important for the survival of man.

• The earth is here for man to use as he wishes.

• There is beauty all around us.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Unbreakable Codes: Native American Soldiers Used Their Language to Create Top-Secret Codes.

By: Phoebe Hunter

Early in World War II, an American marine radio operator who was stationed on an island in the Pacific heard over his headset something that sounded like gibberish.  "What's going on?" He asked, sounding confused.

What he didn't know at the time was the the Marine Corps was performing a top-secret experiment.  Specially trained soldiers from the Navajo tribe were sending coded messages back and forth in their own complex language to see if anyone could understand-or decode them.  The experiment proved a success: not a single non-Navajo speaker could break the code.  The language would soon be used by US forces to transmit confidential information-and ultimately helped the Americans and their allies win the second World War in 1945.

Unbreakable Codes

World War II wasn't the first  time that US forces used Native American languages in battle.  More then 25 years earlier, during World War I, US forces were in a fight against Germany and its allies.  During this war, US commanders had to communicate important information about battle plans, and locates of troops and supplies, over great distances.  They often transmitted this information via radio messages, but the messages were often intercepted by the Germans.  To keep the Germans from discovering their secret plans, US commander began transmitting  the messages in code.  However, the Germans often cracked the codes.  As a result, they learned where US supplies and troops were, and they planned their own attacks.

The US desparately needed a code that the Germans could not crack.  And Native American soldiers from the Choctaw found the perfect solution by creating a code using their native language.  Choctaw is one of many Native American languages.  Like the Navajo language, it is very complicated.  Few outside the tribal community speak the language, so it is almost completely unknown outside the United States.  Such factors make the Choctaw an excellent code language.  The Choctaw code was an amazing success.  The Germans never broke the code, and the US and its allies won the war.

Doing It Again

When World War II began, in 1939, military commanders remembered the Choctaw codes.  This time, the US and its allies fought against German, Japan, and Italy.  Once again, US commanders asked Native Americans to make secret codes-but this time, they used Navajo words instead of Choctaw, and Navajo code talkers delivered the messages.

Once again, the enemy could not break the codes.  The victory of the US and its allies in 1945 was due in part to the code talkers.  However, military leaders asked the code talkers to keep quiet about the codes. They wanted the codes to remain a secret in case the government needed to use them again.

Honoring the Code Talkers

Finally, in 1968, the US military retired the code and made the information public.  While code talkers were now allowed to openly discuss their contributions, there weren't officially recognized for their work until 14 years later, when President Ronald Reagan gave them a Certificate of Recognition.  Then in 2000, President Bill Clinton signed a law which awarded each code talker a Congressional Gold Medal-the highest honor awarded to a civilian by the US government.  The surviving code talkers received their medals in a formal ceremony held at the White House by President George W. Bush the following year.  These speakers of secret languages had finally gotten the recognition they deserved.

 

A writer has a reason for writing.  This reason is the writer's purpose.  What was this writer's purpose?

• to compare and contrast World War I and World War II.

• to call for more recognition of the code talkers.

• to explain and write and send coded messages.

• to explain how Native Americans helped the US win World War II.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

Unbreakable Codes: Native American Soldiers Used Their Language to Create Top-Secret Codes.

By: Phoebe Hunter

Early in World War II, an American marine radio operator who was stationed on an island in the Pacific heard over his headset something that sounded like gibberish.  "What's going on?" He asked, sounding confused.

What he didn't know at the time was the the Marine Corps was performing a top-secret experiment.  Specially trained soldiers from the Navajo tribe were sending coded messages back and forth in their own complex language to see if anyone could understand-or decode them.  The experiment proved a success: not a single non-Navajo speaker could break the code.  The language would soon be used by US forces to transmit confidential information-and ultimately helped the Americans and their allies win the second World War in 1945.

Unbreakable Codes

World War II wasn't the first  time that US forces used Native American languages in battle.  More then 25 years earlier, during World War I, US forces were in a fight against Germany and its allies.  During this war, US commanders had to communicate important information about battle plans, and locates of troops and supplies, over great distances.  They often transmitted this information via radio messages, but the messages were often intercepted by the Germans.  To keep the Germans from discovering their secret plans, US commander began transmitting  the messages in code.  However, the Germans often cracked the codes.  As a result, they learned where US supplies and troops were, and they planned their own attacks.

The US desparately needed a code that the Germans could not crack.  And Native American soldiers from the Choctaw found the perfect solution by creating a code using their native language.  Choctaw is one of many Native American languages.  Like the Navajo language, it is very complicated.  Few outside the tribal community speak the language, so it is almost completely unknown outside the United States.  Such factors make the Choctaw an excellent code language.  The Choctaw code was an amazing success.  The Germans never broke the code, and the US and its allies won the war.

Doing It Again

When World War II began, in 1939, military commanders remembered the Choctaw codes.  This time, the US and its allies fought against German, Japan, and Italy.  Once again, US commanders asked Native Americans to make secret codes-but this time, they used Navajo words instead of Choctaw, and Navajo code talkers delivered the messages.

Once again, the enemy could not break the codes.  The victory of the US and its allies in 1945 was due in part to the code talkers.  However, military leaders asked the code talkers to keep quiet about the codes. They wanted the codes to remain a secret in case the government needed to use them again.

Honoring the Code Talkers

Finally, in 1968, the US military retired the code and made the information public.  While code talkers were now allowed to openly discuss their contributions, there weren't officially recognized for their work until 14 years later, when President Ronald Reagan gave them a Certificate of Recognition.  Then in 2000, President Bill Clinton signed a law which awarded each code talker a Congressional Gold Medal-the highest honor awarded to a civilian by the US government.  The surviving code talkers received their medals in a formal ceremony held at the White House by President George W. Bush the following year.  These speakers of secret languages had finally gotten the recognition they deserved.

 

In World War II, Native American code talker developed a new code.  What was one effect?

• No one could crack American messages

• German forces began to study Navajo.

• The American military stopped using radios.

• American soldiers learned a new language.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.3

CCSS.RI.5.3

CCSS.RI.6.3

CCSS.RI.7.3

CCSS.RI.8.3