NYS English Exam

**Passage A**

Lines 1 through 7 introduce the family’s

• (1) tendency to gossip

• (2) experience with loss

• (3) process of adaptation

• (4) attempt to socialize

The description in lines 8 through 16 reinforces the

• (1) isolation of the deceased relatives

• (2) strangeness of the family’s situation

• (3) fearfulness of the insecure relatives

• (4) tension of the family’s interaction

The statement, “The only difference was that on the other side it was them instead of us” (lines 15 and 16) emphasizes a central idea of the

• (1) rivalry among different generations

• (2) continuity between life and death

• (3) conflict between tradition and change

• (4) respect among distant relatives

The use of the word “However” (line 25) signals a change in

• (1) the narrator’s perception of Clara’s place in the family

• (2) Clara’s understanding of the narrator’s submission to the family

• (3) the narrator’s resentment of Clara’s profession

• (4) Clara’s rejection of the family’s eccentricities

Clara’s title of “family oracle” (line 29) is most likely a result of her

• (1) assertive personality

• (2) disciplined character

• (3) warm demeanor

• (4) generous spirit

Lines 36 through 40 suggest that the mirror people are

• (1) an inconvenience to the living family

• (2) curious about the living family

• (3) welcomed by the living family

• (4) disturbed by the living family

The phrases “regrettable oversight” (line 46) and “funeral business” (line 55) imply that the narrator’s reaction to her cousin’s death can best be described as

• (1) indifferent

• (2) irritated

• (3) impulsive

• (4) irrational

Lines 75 through 77 suggest that the narrator

• (1) loses her identity

• (2) dislikes intrusions

• (3) distrusts her cousin

• (4) resents routines

Which detail best reveals Clara’s character?

• (1) “been with us by mistake” (line 25)

• (2) “waiting for a suitor” (line 27)

• (3) “gobbled up, smiling mischievously” (lines 50 and 51)

• (4) “collapsed against the mirror” (lines 53 and 54)

Which quotation best reflects a central idea in the text?

• (1) “the idea of moving the mirror to the dining room was hers” (line 34)

• (2) “There were about twenty of us sitting at the table every day” (line 40)

• (3) “We just watched her grow pale, then her smile faded away” (line 53)

• (4) “we became less and less sure about which side was life and which its reflection” (lines 64 and 65)