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AP Lang Unit 4 MCQ Formative Assessment

Total questions: 17

Worksheet time: 26mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Holland_Naps

The author introduces her essay by relating an anecdote from her vacation in France (paragraphs 1 and 2) primarily to

a)

praise the widespread custom of European napping

b)

establish a cultural comparison for her argument about napping

c)

confirm her audience’s suspicion that napping is inefficient

d)

offer advice to Americans traveling in rural France

e)

explain the daily routine of a French lockkeeper PA

2.

Holland_Naps

Which of the following statements most directly expresses the author’s thesis in the passage?

a)

“Napping is too luxurious.” (paragraph 4, sentence 1)

b)

“[Napping] seems to be a natural inclination.” (paragraph 4, sentence 2)

c)

“Americans are afraid of naps.” (paragraph 3)

d)

“Fighting off natural inclinations is a major Puritan virtue.” (paragraph 4, sentence 4)

e)

“[T]he process of falling asleep in the afternoon is quite different from bedtime sleep.” (paragraph 5, sentence 2)

3.

Hu_McDonald's

The author’s opening lines (“One of the first…packing our things”) capture the audience’s attention by

a)

stating factual details

b)

describing the opening of the restaurant

c)

setting up a contrast

d)

presenting a counter opinion

e)

appealing to readers who enjoy fast food

4.

Hu_McDonald's

In the second paragraph, the author contrasts the various attitudes toward McDonald’s primarily to

a)

emphasize how different cultures view fast food

b)

highlight the global prevalence of McDonald’s

c)

suggest that the cost of McDonald’s varies per country

d)

explain the timeline of McDonald’s openings across the world

e)

identify the similarities between Canadian and Chinese cultures

5.

Hu_McDonald's

In the third paragraph, the author describes the Filet-O-Fish primarily to

a)

argue why McDonald’s is her favorite fast-food restaurant

b)

justify why it is more expensive than other menu items

c)

explain its rise in popularity in China

d)

convey her cultural familiarity with the sandwich

e)

describe the taste to those unfamiliar

6.

Hu_McDonald's

Which of the following statements best encapsulates the author’s line of reasoning in the passage?

a)

“By 1965 the sandwich had gone national.” (paragraph 4)

b)

“...McDonald’s presented a different kind of comfort for my family and me.” (paragraph 2)

c)

“These days, the sandwich is more expensive than ever; it’s also less beautiful than I remember.” (paragraph 7, sentence 1)

d)

“Its appeal is inscrutable, perhaps out of proportion to its paltry constituent parts.” (paragraph 5)

e)

“Nowadays, a good Filet-O-Fish is hard to find.” (paragraph 7, sentence 6)

7.

Yoshino_Covering

In the second paragraph, the author compares his relationships with mathematics and English primarily to

a)

suggest how a desire to meet his teachers’ expectations influenced the author’s academic interests

b)

explain how his awareness of a cultural stereotype influenced his preference for one subject over the other

c)

imply that his determination to excel in mathematics was linked to a need to impress his classmates

d)

indicate that his approach to both subjects was equally informed by his love of language

e)

demonstrate the advantages of a multidisciplinary approach to high school education

8.

Yoshino_Covering

Which of the following statements from the first paragraph most directly expresses the author’s thesis in the passage?

a)

“The stereotype that plagued me the most was the portrait of the Asian-American as the perpetual foreigner.” (sentence 1)

b)

“[M]y own failure at Japanese gave me direct experience of illiteracy.” (sentence 7)

c)

“[M]y pleasure in language feels largely independent of any other identity.” (sentence 4)

d)

“I washed away this tincture of foreignness with language.” (sentence 3)

e)

“I collected English words like amulets.” (sentence 8)

9.

Yoshino_Covering

Which of the following statements best describes the function of the passage’s final paragraph?

a)

It examines the significance of the author’s argument in a broader cultural context.

b)

It restates the author’s thesis in a way that is designed to engage his audience’s attention.

c)

It answers an earlier objection to the author’s argument.

d)

It exhorts the audience to avoid making assumptions about strangers.

e)

It emphasizes the author’s desire to develop strategies for assimilation.

10.

Cats

Which of the following sentences, if placed before sentence 1, would best orient the audience and provide an engaging introduction to the topic of the first paragraph?

a)

The process of domestication varies by species.

b)

Domestication is the taming of an animal and then keeping it as a pet or as a farm animal.

c)

As any pet owner knows, dogs and cats are very different.

d)

The natural instincts of dogs and cats toward one another are usually antagonistic, but pet owners can help foster friendly relationships between their pets.

e)

The personalities of cat owners and dog owners are as different as the personalities of the pets they prefer.

11.

Cats

Which of the following versions of sentence 3 (reproduced below) best previews the line of reasoning in the passage?

Though so different, both species domesticated themselves by joining humans for their own benefit and providing benefits in return, thus ensuring their places beside humans.

a)

However, because cats and dogs are so dissimilar in their behaviors, many people prefer one animal to the other.

b)

Yet when we look further back in their history, both cats and dogs share a common ancestor: a mammal of the order Carnivora.

c)

While dogs may be the oldest companion species of humans, this does not necessarily mean that cats are less thoroughly domesticated than dogs are.

d)

Obtaining access to a steady supply of food is crucial to the story of domestication for both species.

e)

(As it is now)

12.

Cats

In sentence 14 (reproduced below), the writer wants to provide descriptive details that appeal to the audience’s emotions and experiences. 

The recent discovery at the site of a 5,500-year-old Chinese farming village of cultivated millet isotopes in the bones of both rodents (who ate the millet) and cats (who ate the rodents) proves that agriculture brought us more than just food.

Which of the following versions of the underlined text best achieves this purpose?

a)

food: it also brought us those graceful, warm, furry creatures who snooze contentedly in our homes and delight us with their playful antics

b)

food, although without agriculture, the development of civilization would never have been possible 

c)

food, the history of which is equally as fascinating as the history of the domestication of dogs and cats

d)

food; farmers continue to struggle with the problems of pests to this day, but the technology at their disposal is far greater than anything these early farmers could have imagined

e)

(As it is now)

13.

Marys Lamb

In sentence 6 (reproduced below), the writer is considering deleting the underlined text. 

However, strong evidence indicates that this event did not inspire the poem and that the author was in fact Sarah Josepha Hale, not Roulstone.

Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text?

a)

Delete it, because it contains unimportant information that distracts from the statement of the thesis.

b)

Delete it, because it contradicts the discussion of Roulstone’s childhood in the first paragraph.

c)

Keep it, because it indicates why the story of Roulstone’s composition is described as “charming” in sentence 5.

d)

Keep it, because it deepens the discussion in the passage by leading the reader to consider different ways a poem may be inspired

e)

Keep it, because it previews the way the rest of the passage will support the thesis about Hale’s authorship with evidence.

14.

Marys Lamb

In sentence 15 (reproduced below), which version of the underlined text produces a logical comparison between Hale and Roulstone in the controversy surrounding “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? 

Whereas Hale was a widowed mother of five, Roulstone was a ten-year-old boy who never published anything.

a)

(as it is now)

b)

delivered a moral message at the end of the poem about being kind to animals

c)

successfully petitioned for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday

d)

never knew of Roulstone until Sawyer claimed he was the author of the poem

e)

was a prolific author who wrote both novels and poems

15.

Pennies 

In sentence 10 (reproduced below), the writer wants to compare a specific difference between making pennies now and making pennies at an earlier time. 

In 2001, it cost 0.79 cents to make a penny, but now, with metal costs increasing, the cost has changed in a noteworthy way.

Which of the following versions of the underlined text most effectively accomplishes this goal?

a)

(as it is now)

b)

economists worry that the penny is unsustainable

c)

the cost has soared to 1.8 cents per penny

d)

the United States Mint has looked into less expensive metals

e)

the penny is made of only 2.5% copper

16.

Pennies 

In sentence 19 (reproduced below), the writer wants to change the conclusion by adding a direct quotation that both reinforces the main argument of the passage and places that argument in a broader context. 

In 2013, President Obama acknowledged that people have a sentimental attachment to the penny.

Which version of the underlined text best accomplishes this purpose?

a)

penny but argued that the coin is a sign of government inefficiency, calling it “a good metaphor for some of the larger problems that we’ve got.”

b)

penny, saying, “We remember our piggy banks and counting out all the pennies and then taking them in and getting a dollar bill or a couple of dollars from it.”

c)

penny and argued that discontinuing the penny “is not going to be a huge savings for government.”

d)

penny and, in an interview, said that the issue is “one of those things where I think people get attached emotionally to the way things have been.”

e)

penny and, when asked why the penny hasn’t been withdrawn from circulation yet, replied, “I don’t know.”

17.

School Start 

17. The writer wants to add a conclusion after sentence 14 that summarizes the argument of the passage. Which of the following sentences best achieves this purpose? 

a)

Critics of the movement to start the school day later stress that the change will place a burden on working families that cannot easily rearrange transportation and child care.

b)

If California passes a bill into law, it will become the first state to require all middle and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

c)

As sleep expert Dr. Carol Ash argues, “The cost of sleep loss is astronomical. It’s costing billions of dollars.  Poor academic performance, absenteeism at school. And federally funded dollars are attached to the absenteeism rate.”

d)

While some parents argue that teenagers should simply go to bed earlier, sleep experts say the solution is not that easy; adolescents are physiologically different from adults and have trouble falling asleep earlier.

e)

Hence, more schools should follow the trend of starting later in the morning if they want to see improved test scores, greater attendance numbers, and, most importantly, healthier, happier teens.