Mastery Connect English

The first official observance of Labor Day was Tuesday September 5, 1882 in New York City. The holiday was created by the Central Labor Union to recognize the contributions of the American worker. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected to be the annual day of celebration. The Central Labor Union tried to encourage groups in other cities to follow the example of a “workingmen’s holiday.” The government first began recognizing the holiday through ordinances in 1885 and 1886. The first bill to become a law recognizing Labor Day was passed in Oregon in February of 1887. By June of 1894, the majority of states had recognized the holiday, so the federal government passed a law making the observance of Labor Day each first Monday in September a legal holiday. The holiday is celebrated by workers and others nationwide in street parades and festivals.

Which organizational pattern did the author use for this passage?

• A. chronological order

• B. compare/contrast

• C. description

• D. cause and effect

Read the first two paragraphs of an essay about endangered animals. What is the relationship between the two paragraphs?

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, 30 to 50 percent of all endangered animals may be extinct within the next 30 years. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 works to protect endangered species by making it illegal to capture, harm, or shoot any animal that is endangered. Unfortunately, human activity continues to be one of the leading causes of extinction.

Tigers are on the endangered species list. There were roughly 100,000 tigers around the world in the early 1900s. Now there are fewer than 4,000. With tiger poachers, undocumented tigers in captivity, and tiger products on sale in the black market, the tiger population will continue to decline.

• A. The second paragraph offers a solution for the problem in the first paragraph.

• B. The first and second paragraphs show events happening in sequential order.

• C. The first paragraph describes the cause, and the second paragraph explores the effect.

• D. The first paragraph provides background information for the second paragraph.

1. Which scenario provides an example of dramatic irony?

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• A. Two characters wearing masks at a costume party meet, have a brief conversation, and go their separate ways. Each believes that the other is a stranger, but the reader knows that they’re good friends.

• B. One character is riding her bike to school when she sees a friend. She speeds up on her bike, zips past him, and then screeches to a stop in front of him. “Going my way?” she asks.

• C. Two characters, a teenage boy and his little sister, are at the shopping mall waiting for their grandmother to come out of a shoe store. The boy turns to his sister and says, “I bet Grandma already has a thousand pairs of shoes at home.”

• D. One character reveals to the reader that she has a secret wish to visit Paris, France, someday. Another character, her friend, reveals to the reader that she loves the food at French restaurants.

How does a soliloquy differ from an aside?

• A. A soliloquy is a conversation between two or more characters, while an aside is just a single character expressing his or her thoughts about the actions of other characters.

• B. A soliloquy is a stage direction during which all the characters exit the stage, while during an aside, they’re instructed to move to different sides of the stage.

• C. During a soliloquy, only the character making the speech is present onstage, while during an aside, others characters may be present onstage.

1. Which statement best describes the difference between a monologue and a soliloquy?

• A. A monologue is a speech given by one character to other characters, while a soliloquy is spoken by a character who is thinking aloud.

• B. A monologue is a speech not meant to be heard by another character, while a soliloquy is a speech made to other characters in a play.

• C. A monologue is speech made by a single character, while a soliloquy is a dialogue among several characters in a play.

• D. A monologue is a speech made in the presence of other characters, while a soliloquy is always made when the character is alone.

1. What gives poetry its musical quality?

• A. Rhyme and meter give poetry its musical quality.

• B. Use of themed stanzas gives poetry its musical quality.

• C. Use of figurative language gives poetry its musical quality.

• D. Grammar and punctuation give poetry its musical quality.

1. Which line from "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe uses the sound device assonance?

• A. And he dances, and he yells

• B. From the molten-golden notes

• C. While the stars that oversprinkle

• D. All the heavens, seem to twinkle

1. Which statement best defines theme?

• A. the subject of a literary work

• B. the underlying message in a literary work

• C. the underlying conflict in a story

• D. the details of a plot

Read this excerpt from Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:

We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had found ourselves in the morning. Our cabs were dismissed, and, following the guidance of Mr. Merryweather, we passed down a narrow passage and through a side door, which he opened for us. Within there was a small corridor, which ended in a very massive iron gate. This also was opened, and led down a flight of winding stone steps, which terminated at another formidable gate. Mr. Merryweather stopped to light a lantern, and then conducted us down a dark, earth-smelling passage, and so, after opening a third door, into a huge vault or cellar, which was piled all round with crates and massive boxes.

What does the author mostly reveal about the setting?

• A. the location and scenery

• B. the time and social conditions

• C. the weather and scenery

• D. the location and social conditions