Multiple Choice A Blessing Grade Ten

Transcription

1 2-10th pages /6/04 11:41 AM Page 208 Multiple Choice A Blessing Grade Ten Skill Focus Grammar Composition Reading Strategies Determining Author s Purpose Determining Main Idea Generalization Inference Literary Elements Character epiphany motivation Detail Diction connotation denotation vocabulary Imagery Plot conflict Point of View person perspective Setting Theme Tone tone determined through diction, imagery, detail, point of view, and syntax vocabulary associated with tone Figures of Speech Metaphor Metonomy Paradox Personification Simile Synecdoche Literary Techniques Allusion Argumentation comparison/contrast Hyperbole Literary Forms Verse Levels of Thinking Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Mechanics Punctuation Analysis of a Text Meaning and Effect related to parts of speech, phrases, clauses, sentences, and syntax Materials and Resources Lesson: Peeling Back the Layers A Blessing Lesson Introduction Remember when multiple choice questions and tests were just busy work? They most often consisted of three different types: fact-based questions (What is the name of the main character in Lord Jim?) nit-picky gotcha questions (What three items did Boo Radley put in the tree?) 208

2 2-10th pages /6/04 11:41 AM Page 209 interpretive questions where the right answer was based on the teacher s own opinion of the work s meaning (The symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter is. ) Well, times have changed and so have multiple choice questions. With the right kind of training, teachers can write multiple choice questions that allow students to practice the higher levels of thinking applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating, as well as remembering and understanding. Practice with high-level multiple choice questions is extremely valuable for students who are beginning to learn to interpret literature, not just read it superficially. But writing challenging multiple choice questions based on critical thinking may involve quite a shift in mindset for teachers who are used to writing only those questions that emphasize what a student remembers and understands. A good source for teachers who want to find out more about writing AP-style multiple choice questions is The AP Vertical Teams Guide to English. In the final section, Modification of Advanced Placement Examination Questions, the book s editors have provided for the teacher a clear explanation of how, why, and when to choose a multiple choice format for testing. In this chapter, teachers will find examples of each type of multiple choice question, sample stems and types of answer choices, and a list of errors that teachers typically make when trying to construct challenging, appropriate multiple choice questions. Among the skills that can be tested using a multiple choice format are the following: diction inference point of view figures of speech syntax main idea/purpose function (reason for the writer s choices) tone literary techniques vocabulary in context grammar literary elements Questions of theme, or meaning, are best addressed in an essay format because interpretations of the work s meaning will vary, and what matters most when addressing theme is the way the student supports his or her answer with textual evidence. Following this introduction, you will find examples of some multiple choice questions based on the annotated passages for a particular grade level. It is best to focus questions on a particular short passage meant for close, intense reading. Students who practice these skills through multiple choice questions become more sharply focused on the text and are prepared to think on a high level while reading. Should multiple choice be the only format a teacher uses to test his or her students? Of course not; open-ended, analytical, and argumentative essays are of equal or even greater value in teaching students to think on a high level while reading and writing. But there is certainly a place for high-level multiple choice questions in classes using Pre-AP strategies. Practice with AP-style multiple choice questions is one tool in the workshop of teachers hoping to prepare their students to be close readers who interpret literature with subtlety and precision. Key to Multiple Choice 1. D 2. C 3. E 4. B 5. C 6. C 7. E 8. B. 9. E 10. E 11. C 12. A 13. D 14. D 15. E 209

3 2-10th pages /6/04 11:41 AM Page 210 Multiple Choice A Blessing Grade Ten Use the poem from A Blessing to answer the questions that follow. 1. Through the use of the first person point of view in this poem, the narrator A. approximates the conditions of real life B. describes what his friend does at the scene C. provides a sense of distance from his friend D. outlines carefully what he observes and feels E. shifts focus from a larger perspective to a closer view 2. The first line of the poem serves to A. clarify the title B. personify the speaker C. establish the setting D. introduce the main idea E. provide the inciting incident 3. Lines 2 and provide examples of the poet s use of A. metaphor and personification B. personification and simile C. paradox and hyperbole D. allusion and paradox E. metaphor and simile 4. The punctuation in line 8 ( Where they have been grazing all day, alone. ) serves mainly to A. convey the poet s intensity B. suggest the horses need for attention C. interrupt the description of the horses D. extend the range of the poet s observations E. divulge the horses specific activities 5. A visual image is reinforced by alliteration in A. Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass (line 2) B. And the eyes of those two Indian ponies / Darken with kindness (lines 3 4) C. We step over the barbed wire into the pasture / Where they have been grazing (lines 7 8) D. They love each other. / There is no loneliness like theirs (lines 11 12) E. I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms, / For she has walked over to me (lines 15 16) 210

4 2-10th pages /6/04 11:41 AM Page Two words in the poem that best reinforce one another are A. bounds (line 2) and softly (line 2) B. Indian (line 3) and ponies (line 3) C. gladly (line 5) and welcome (line 6) D. loneliness (line 12) and home (line 13) E. walked (line 16) and nuzzled (line 17) 7. That the poet values his experience is most evident in the words A. To welcome my friend and me (line 6) B. They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness (line 9) C. I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms (line 15) D. For she has walked over to me / And nuzzled my left hand (lines 16 17) E. That if I stepped out of my body I would break / Into blossom (lines 23 24) 8. The poet s attitude toward the subject of the poem is A. philosophical B. appreciative C. questioning D. frivolous E. complacent 9. With the words munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness (line 14), the poet uses A. personification B. synecdoche C. metonymy D. allusion E. metaphor 10. The poet s attitude toward his experience is made most evident through the use of the word A. kindness (line 4) B. gladly (line 5) C. nuzzled (line 17) D. caress (line 20) E. blossom (line 24) 11. In lines 15 to 21, the narrator s views are conveyed by a tone that is A. whimsical B. lethargic C. wishful D. passionate E. haughty 211

5 2-10th pages /6/04 11:41 AM Page In the context of the whole poem, the poet s main purpose is to A. express the emotional impact of the experience he has had B. detail the many activities of the two Indian ponies C. convey the objective significance of the experience he has had D. explore a fascination with the effects of bonds between people and animals E. narrate an interesting and creative story about people and animals 13. The connotation associated with the poem s title is one of A. good wishes B. divine inspiration C. a special grace D. a spiritual experience E. a mistake that has a good result 14. The last three lines of the poem serve most effectively to A. refute the narrator s views B. contrast with the experience of most people C. reinforce the value of being kind to living beings D. illustrate an epiphany for the narrator E. suggest the bond that exists between living beings 15. In this poem, the poet mainly acknowledges the A. importance of paying attention to inconsequential events B. significance of the natural world for all people in modern society C. distinction between the animal and human worlds D. emotions that animals and humans possess in common E. revelation brought about by an encounter with animals 212

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