La Rin

The author of “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” implies that early stories about the amount of gold available may have been exaggerated. Which excerpt from the text best supports this idea?

• Down the centuries, the quest for El Dorado has held the South American continent in thrall, luring generations of fortune hunters to its far reaches.

• The geologic exuberance known as the Cordillera of the Andes has yielded a fount of treasure….

• Nowhere has Peru’s frenzy for gold been so fevered as in the mountains that surround Lake Titicaca.

• Gold no longer rolls from the mountain in chunks the size of a man’s head (if indeed it ever did).

In “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” the La Rinconada miners do backbreaking work in hopes of becoming rich. What does the author think of their chances of striking it rich?

• It could happen if a worker is extremely lucky.

• It is no longer possible because gold is so rare.

• It is more likely to happen in a different country.

• It is possible only for the hardest of the workers.

What detail from “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” best supports the answer to Part A?

• Mount Ananea has been a source of gold since the days of the Inca.

• International companies have come to the area and hired miners to work in safer operations.

• Miners work for thirty days and are paid with whatever gold they are able to find on the thirty-first.

• One traveler in the 1500s described a heavy gold block the size of a horse’s head that had been given to a Spanish king.

Which statement from “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” best supports the answer to Part A?

• With so much poverty about, it is hard to believe that Sleeping Beauty harbors riches….

• Peru’s economy boasts one of the highest growth rates in the world.

• In the past six years, its annual growth has hovered between 6 and 9 percent, rivaling the colossal engines of China and India.

• Here is a country alive with investment and tourism, a hive of construction, home to a rising and robust middle class.

A reader of “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” can conclude that the company overseeing mining at La Rinconada does not care about the workers there. Which details from the text best support this conclusion? Choose three options.

• Multinational companies are setting up mining operations in other places.

• The king’s mines from the 1700s collapsed under the weight of glaciers.

• Usually mild-mannered locals expressed rage about mining conditions in the area.

• Mined ore is washed with cyanide and pounded with mercury.

• Electricity was installed only to fuel the mine machinery.

Read this excerpt from "In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness."

I suddenly saw the tin rooftops gleam like a mantle of diamonds. As the sun moved over the snow, the ravished mountain seemed to ripple with ribbons of color.

To which sense do these details appeal?

• taste

• sight

• smell

• touch

What important idea do the sensory details in this excerpt convey most clearly?

• There is beauty to be found in all places.

• The demand for gold is leading to global violence.

• La Rinconada and its people pay a high price for others luxury.

• The government of Peru has abandoned the people of La Rinconada.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'La Rin' correctly in context?

• A) La Rin is a famous mountain in Peru known for its gold mines.

• B) The novel 'La Rin' explores themes of beauty and ugliness.

• C) La Rin is a traditional dance performed in South America.

• D) The La Rin festival is celebrated annually in Spain.

In the context of the article 'In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,' what does 'La Rin' most likely refer to?

• A) A type of gold mining technique.

• B) A fictional character in a novel.

• C) A location associated with mining.

• D) A traditional Peruvian dish.

Which literary device is most evident in the phrase 'La Rin, a place of dreams and despair'?

• A) Metaphor

• B) Simile

• C) Alliteration

• D) Personification