Passages with Part A and Part B

1. Part A: What does cooking represent in the passage?

• A. a feeling of control and competence

• B. a sense of time moving forward

• C. a connection to family and culture

• D. a chance for future happiness

2. Part B: Which two pieces of evidence from the passage best support the answer to Part A?

• A. “It was as if he discovered one of the lost

  varieties of the Andean potato: the one

  that belonged to him, wondering, at noon.”

  (paragraph 2)

• B. “When the chicken began to fry in the skillet, the

  boy returned, attracted by its

  aroma.” (paragraph 3)

• C. “The boy went for his Spanish reader and sat

  down at the kitchen table.”

  (paragraph 15)

• D. "The grass, all lit up, became an oblique field, a

  slope of tame fire seen from the

  window.” (paragraph 17)

• E. "Maybe his father had made these meals for

  him, in this always incomplete past,

  to celebrate the meeting of father and son.”

  (paragraph 19)

3. Part A: How does the author create tension in this

passage?

• A. through the boy’s inability to remember his own

  past

• B. through the boy’s problems with reading

  Spanish

• C. through the man’s reflections on his own father

• D. through the man’s interactions with the boy

4. Part B: Which phrase from the passage provides the

best evidence for the answer to Part A?

• A. “. . . amused himself with the child’s curiosity.”

  (paragraph 1)

• B. “‘I don’t remember them either.’” (paragraph 10)

• C. “. . . to help explain one thing or another.”

  (paragraph 15)

• D. ". . . had never properly acknowledged his

  father’s gesture . . .” (paragraph 20)

5. Part A: What is the most significant realization the father

has as he prepares the meal?

• A. His relationship with his son is based on his skill

  as a cook.

• B. His own past is reflected in the present moment.

• C. His mother supported his reaction at dinner.

• D. His father was hurt by his thoughtless behavior.

6. Part B: Which sentence from the passage provides the

best evidence to support the answer to

Part A?

• A. “But he soon found that if he tried to cook something, it passed the time, and he also amused himself with the child’s curiosity.” (paragraph 1)

• B. “There wasn’t much more to discover in them.”

  (paragraph 2)

• C. “As if it suddenly came back to him, he understood that he must have been six or seven when his father, probably forty years old, as he was now, used to cook at home on Sundays.” (paragraph 19)

• D. “His mother came to the kitchen and scolded

  him for what he had just done, a seemingly harmless act, but from then on an irreparable one.” (paragraph 20)

7. Part A: Which sentence best describes a theme of the

passage?

• A. Memories are often unreliable.

• B. Family relationships can be complex.

• C. Seeking new experiences is important.

• D. Expressing honest opinions is difficult.

8. Part B: Which piece of evidence from the passage

supports the answer to Part A?

• A. “‘I’m cooking another recipe now,’ he explained.” (paragraph 7)

• B. “‘I only remember the lion in the zoo.’” (paragraph 10)

• C. “The boy went for his Spanish reader and sat down at the kitchen table.” (paragraph 15)

• D. “Or did he suspect that one day his son’s meal would be refused by his own son when he served it?” (paragraph 20)

10. Part A: Which phrase best describes the tone of the

letter that the College of William & Mary received?

• A. mildly sarcastic

• B. slightly puzzled

• C. genuinely appreciative

• D. somewhat suspicious

11. Part B: Which quotation from paragraph 3 of the letter

best supports the answer to Part A?

• A. “. . . we thank you heartily.”

• B. “We have had some Experience. . . .”

• C. “. . . were instructed in all your Sciences . . .”

• D. “. . . to show our grateful Sense of it . . .”