The Black Beast of ARRRRGGGHHH!

 Watch this clip from Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail:

What literary term is shown in this clip:

a. rhetorical device

b. personification

c. allusion

d. deus ex machina

Scroll down for the answer.

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The correct answer is d. deus ex machina.  Why? The term literally means "God in a machine" and is used to describe when the characters are in a bind and there is no way to get them out of it, so the writer just makes up something to save them all.

Haiku

Read the following poem by Basho:


It is deep autumn
My neighbor
How does he live, I wonder.


What is most likely the meaning of this poem?


a. The speaker worries about how his neighbor is going to make it through the cold nights
b. The speaker is approaching death and is now beginning to concern himself with the welfare of those around him
c. The speaker has just realized he knows nothing about his neighbor's life
d. The speaker cannot understand how the neighbor is still alive.




















Scroll down for the answer.










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Since this is a poem, a short one at that, we must look for clues to see if there is more to this than meets the eye.  The only clue we are given is that it is autumn.  Autumn is an archetype that means approaching old age and death.  With this in mind, the correct answer is b.

What Did He Get a PhD in?

Read the following headline:

Latverian Dictator Massacres Three Peace Protesters 

Based only on this headline, which of the following words best expresses the tone of the news reporter:

a. supportive          b. vindictive         
c. apathetic            d. disapproving

Scroll down for the answer.

By the way, Latveria is the home country of Dr. Doom, but I am sure that you already knew that!






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Answers:

A, B, and C are incorrect.

D - disapproving - is correct.  Why?  You can tell by the choice of words.  Every word has a denotation - the actual dictionary definition.  Some words have a connotation, or an emotional feel for a word.  You can tell the tone sometimes by the connotation of the words chosen.  Here, the reporter chooses to use the term dictator instead of his actual govermental title.  The term dictator, while accurate, has a negative connotation.  The word massacre also has a negative connotation.  A lesser one may have been executed, but massacres sounds more evil.  Also choosing to include that it was during a peace protest also makes it seem more wrong.  All of these terms are accurate, but they show the reporter's viewpoint.  Here is the same headline slanted the other way:

Latverian President Executes Rebel Protesters



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Hero or Menace?

Read the following (slightly modified) excerpt taken from an article published by the NCHSAA:

Recently an assistant swimming coach was fired for pulling a student’s hair at the end of her swim because he felt she had deliberately disqualified herself - obviously an indefensible reaction. However, what was most surprising was the differences in the reaction of the parents of the kids on the team. One group of parents wants the coach to be prosecuted for assault while the other group applauded the coach’s behavior.

This split in opinion speaks volumes for the need for coaches to be able to effectively communicate with their parents and athletes about expectations and resolving differences.

The author of this article feels that the pulling of hair was:

a. justifiable

b. clearly wrong

c. O.K. if the parents are O.K. with it

d. unbiased either way

Scroll down for the answer.

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Because of the comments, "obviously an indefensible reaction," and "the need for coaches to be able to effectively communicate . . . about . . . resolving differences," we know that the author does not agree with the hair pulling tactic.  The correct answer is b.

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When Was That?

Read this excerpt from Hatchet:


He had been riding his ten-speed with a friend named Terry.  They had been taking a run on a bike trail and decided to come back a different way, a way that took them past the Amber Mall.  Brian remembered everything in incredible detail.  Remembered the time on the bank clock in the mall, flashing 3:31, then the temperature, 82, and the date.  All the numbers were a part of his memory, all of his life was a part of the memory.


What is the purpose of leaving out the date when the other details are given?


a. The author wants to avoid giving too much detail which might bore the reader.
b. The author doesn't want the book to go too long.
c. The author wants the book to seem like modern day to the reader.
d. The date is not important.
















Scroll down for the answer.








a. is incorrect.  Details are important here to show that Brian remembers everything.
b. is incorrect.  Giving a date would not make the book noticeably longer.
c. is correct.  By not giving a date (specifically the year) the reader assumes it is modern day.  This is a common technique for authors.
d. is incorrect.  The date is just as important as the time and the temperature.

The film "A Cry in the Wild" was made based on this novel.  Here's the movie trailer clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Lx2V6gNZQ

Verily, A New Hope

 Read the following passage from William Shakespeare's Star Wars:

C3P0:
Now is the summer of our happiness
Made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!
Our ship is under siege, I know not how.

In the above passage, the word 'winter' is used to mean:
a. a season of cold weather
b. an ending
c. a new hope
d. an attack from an opposing force

Scroll down for the answer.

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a. is incorrect.  If the state test asks you about something that seems really easy, look again.  Chances are that is a false answer.

b. is correct.  Winter ends summer, just like this attack ends their happiness.  Congratulations!  You just figured out a metaphor.  These can be tricky sometimes.

c. is incorrect.  

d. is incorrect.  There is an attack being referenced, but it is not what winter is meaning.

Night - Chapter 7

 Read the quote from chapter 7 of Elie Wiesel's Night:

  
“I went to look for him. Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind. If only I didn't find him! If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care only of myself…. Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever”


The __________ helps to convey Elie Wiesel's characterization:

a. simile

b. internal conflict

c. verbal irony

d. hyperbole

Scroll down for the answer 

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The struggle going on here is a type of character vs. self conflict.  Conflict comes in two forms - external conflict and internal conflict.  Character vs. Self happens in the characters mind, heart, or soul - so that makes it internal.  The correct answer is B.

Thanks to Ms. Willis - that awesome teacher from Manteo High School for this question.  You rock, Ms. Willis!