Multiple Choice Station 4

Which choice best describes what takes place in the passage?

• One character makes increasingly urgent attempts to convince another character to agree to a decision.

• One character tries unsuccessfully to distract another character from a plan of action.

• Two characters have a heated argument in which they both become increasingly angry at one another.

• Two characters engage in a tense discussion about a future inevitability and eventually agree on a plan to address it.

As used in paragraph 6 ("She sold ... now"), "big" most nearly means

• heroic.

• prominent.

• mature.

• robust.

Ralph's response in paragraph 10 ("It ain't . . . truth”) mainly serves to

• show that Ralph accepts Penelope's concern and provides a different way of thinking about it.

• indicate that Ralph refuses to allow Penelope to dismiss the topic with her teasing.

• illustrate that Ralph believes that Penelope has insulted him.

• directly appeal to Penelope's sense of compassion.

Based on paragraph 13 ("Penelope ... place"), it can most reasonably be inferred that Penelope feels

• optimistic about the future because she believes that Ralph's health is likely to improve soon.

• frustrated with her father because he focuses more on the behavior of other people than on improving his own situation.

• unsympathetic to her father's love for his neighborhood because she does not like Brooklyn.

• wary of receiving her father's house because she is concerned that doing so would restrict her options.

As used in paragraph 14 (“It's better. . . property"), "take over" most nearly means

• borrow.

• steal.

• assume control.

• watch over.

Ralph's comments in paragraph 18 ("Me and ... for you") mainly serve to

• demonstrate an emotional appeal in which he attempts to convince Penelope that inheriting the house would be in her best interest.

• suggest that he is willing to resort to manipulation in order to force Penelope into accepting his version of the events he has talked about in the passage.

• appeal to Penelope's sense of reason by showing her that inheriting the house is the most practical next step in establishing herself as an adult.

• illustrate that Ralph's attachment to his house is primarily motivated by his sentimentality about his relationship with Penelope's mother.

It can most reasonably be inferred from paragraphs 19 and 20 ("Penelope ... Pop") that Penelope

• sees her decision to move back to Brooklyn to help her father as a mistake.

• thinks that she will ultimately change her mind about the house but wants to put off the decision.

• wants her father to believe that she is willing to put the house in her name.

• does not think it worthwhile to pursue more than one argument at a time with her father.

The clue word for this box is the answer to this question:

Question: What is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally?