MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. MULTIPLE CHOICE READING STRATEGIES TYPES OF QUESTIONS STRATEGIES FOR SOLVING

2. READING STRATEGIES: • Understand both surface & deeper-level meanings • Determine how the following contribute to meaning: • Structural patterns • Grammatical & syntactical relationships • Metaphorical language, etc. • Describe how such features function rhetorically • Multiple choice is textual analysis-Use same strategies • for writing

3. The Exam • Passages are from17th C to Present • Usually 4 sets of questions(4 passages) • Balance of genre, time period,& individual style

4. GENERAL STRATEGIES • Bracket by reading the questions first and bracketing the corresponding section for each question • Before reading the answer choices jot down your initial response to the question then select the answer choice that best matches your response. • Questions are not in order of difficulty, so answer easy ones first • Questions USUALLY (but not always) follow the order of the passage.

5. GENERAL STRATEGIES Process of Elimination—This is the primary tool, except for direct knowledge of the answer. • Read the five choices. • If no choice immediately strikes you as correct, you can — eliminate any which are obviously wrong; — eliminate those choices which are too narrow or too broad; — eliminate illogical choices; — eliminate answers which are synonymous; — eliminate answers which cancel each other out. • If two answers are close, — find the one general enough to contain all aspects of the question OR — find the one limited enough to be the detail the question is seeking.

6. GENERAL STRATEGIES Substitution/Fill in the Blank • Rephrase the question, leaving a blank where the answer should go. • Use each of the choices to fill in the blank until you find the one that is the best fi t. Using Context • Use this technique when the question directs you to specific lines, words, or phrases. • Locate the given word, phrase, or sentence and read the sentence before and after the section of the text to which the question refers. Often this provides the information or clues you need to make your choice.

7. GENERAL STRATEGIES Anticipation • As you read the passage for the first time, mark any details and ideas that you would ask a question about. You may second-guess the test makers this way. Intuition/The Educated Guess • You have a wealth of skills and knowledge in your language and composition subconscious. A question or a choice may trigger a “remembrance of things past.” This can be the basis for your educated guess. Have the confidence to use the educated guess as a valid technique. Trust your own resources.

8. A Survival Plan If time is running out and you haven't finished the last selection, 1. Scan the remaining questions and look for: - the shortest questions; and/or - the questions that point you to a line These two types of questions are relatively easy to work with and to verify. 2. Look for specific detail/definition questions. 3. Look for self-contained questions. Ex: "The jail sentence was a bitter winter for his plan" is an example of -- C. an analogy. You did not have to go to the passage to answer this question

9. M/C Question Analyses/Protocols The following slides illustrate the following: • Strategies for determining the SKILL needed to answer a M/C question • Strategies for ELIMINATING WRONG ANSWER choices • Strategies for SELECTING THE CORRECT RESPONSE In essence, what follows are several examples of the type and depth of thinking that SHOULD be evident in Protocols. Read through them then follow the directions on the last slide.

10. M/C Question Analysis“Death of a Moth” from Holy the FirmbyAnnie Dillard

11. All of the following are present in the opening sentence EXCEPT:a. subordinate clausesb. an objective tonec. elements in a seriesd. a typical narrative openinge. more verbs than nouns or adjectives

12. This is a FACTUAL question.The answers address:-grammar-tone-syntax/organization-mode/organization-parts of speech

13. Factual questions areeitherRIGHT or WRONG!Info is IN TEXT.

14. The correct answer is “A” • STRATEGY: -Reread the opening sentence, as question is about that sentence only

15. Choice a., subordinate clause, can immediately be eliminated.Since the question is for EXCEPT, check the remaining items quickly to ensure they all fit.

16. Answer b., objective tone, fits. The first sentence has no emotional content or subjective information. “I” begins in the second sentence.

17. Answer c., elements in a series, fits also. A series of verbs is listed: “flew”, “caught”, “burnt”, and “held”.

18. Answer d., a typical narrative opening, also fits.Narrative uses attention getting techniques and tells a story. The sentence definitely arouses curiosity and tells a story.

19. Finally, answer e., more verbs than nouns or adjectives also fits.The series is a list of verbs. In fact, there are no adjectives except “one”.

20. 2. The “fried” in line 8 derives force from which of the following?I. Its commonplace associationsII. Its location in the sentenceIII. Its alliterative associations with the verbs that precede ita. II; b. I & II ; c. I & III ; d. II & III ; e. I, II, & III

21. This question asks about DICTION.These type of I, II, or III questions may be time consuming.STRATEGY: Decide if you can answer the question based on the stem: if not, make an educated guess.

22. This question is about diction, which you can probably figure out: Take the time to answer it.STRATEGY:Reread line 8.Apply each choice to the selection -

23. First: Its commonplace associations:Yes. Fried immediately conjures a sound, and heat, and something that if alive, is no longer. It’s forceful. I is likely part of the answer.

24. Next: Its location in the sentence.“Fried” is the last verb. It creates a strong image due to its finality. II is in as well.

25. Now III: Its alliterative associations with the verbs that precede it.Absolutely. Not only is it rhythmic (a triad) but it has cadence. III is also in.

26. Go back to the question and find the letter of all 3 choices:“E” is the correct answer.

27. 3. The objects of the verb “creating” (line 10) combine to form an impression ofa. familiar reality imposed on an unfamiliar localb. sudden color in a formerly monochromatic scenec. miraculous isolation in a hostile environmentd. ominous fragility in a threatening episodee. supernatural inspiration of creative thought

28. This is a grammatical question and a rhetorical question: what is the effect of the objects of the verb?

29. STRATEGY:-Reread line 10-Identify the objects of the verb: “blue sleeves”, “green leaves”, “red trunk”

30. All the objects involve color.“B” involves color.Try to quickly eliminate the remaining answers before choosing “B”.

31. A. - Eliminate. It’s not an unfamiliar locale.

32. C. While the sudden burst of visuals in the previous darkness may be interesting, it is not described as ‘miraculous’, nor are the pine and leaves described as “hostile”. Eliminate.

33. D. The death of the moth is perhaps highlighting the moth’s fragility, and the fragility of life, but it is not “ominous” or “threatening”.Eliminate.

34. E. No hint of the “supernatural” or of “inspiration” in this section.Eliminate and choose “B” as the correct answer.

35. Remember: All that elimination needsto be donein a few seconds!!!

36. 4. The phrase “gone the long way of her wings and legs” (line 22) emphasizes thea. unusual proportions of the mothb. unexpected course of the moth’s deathc. irrevocable disappearance of the moth’s headd. rapidity with which the fire consumed the mothe. foulness of the lingering smoke and burned head.

37. This question addresses rhetoric (and comprehension).STRATEGY:Reread line 22.Use the process of elimination if you cannot determine the correct answer right away.

38. & E. Can be eliminated almost immediately, as proportions are not discussed, and no foulness is indicated.

39. B. The death itself is not unexpected; perhaps the head going last is, but the passage doesn’t emphasize the unexpectedness.Eliminate

40. C. The head is GONE: this answer has potential. Quickly check D before selecting.Circle the answer in your test booklet as you check the last two answers.

41. D. The death may have been rapid, but the description is detailed and methodical, indicating a kind of suspension of time, not “rapidity”. Eliminate.

42. C. Is the best choice.

43. 5. All of the following are true of the sentence “She kept burning” (lines 30-31) EXCEPT:a. its brevity makes it emphaticb. in context, its tone is one of awed fascinationc. in context, the word “burning” means “avenging”d. the feminine pronoun links the image to the specificity of the previous paragraphe. the feminine pronoun humanizes the moth, in preparation for references to martyrs

44. Type of question: rhetorical function of a sentence.Strategy:-Reread lines 30-31-Eliminate-D & E require reading before & after sentence to place in context

45. Glance through the choices to see if one appears less likely than the others.

46. All choices seem logical, but “C” has an odd connotation or perhaps inappropriate meaning for “burning” - check “C” first.

47. “Avenging” doesn’t make sense in this context.

48. Choice “C” also focuses on diction, and the question asks about a sentence.

49. Choices “E” & “D” require reading backwards and forwards to determine their correctness - and because this is an EXCEPT question, if the answer is correct, it’s not the right answer. (!)

50. “D” & “E” are correct.The meaning progresses from objective detail in the preceding paragraph to metaphorical meaning after this sentence.