501 Critical Reading Questions

(Sean Pound) #1

  1. c. Todeclaremeans to make known formally or officially. Topro-
    claimis its synonym, with a slightly different connotation. It
    implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively.

  2. e. The last sentence offers a view in opposition to the points made ear-
    lier in the passage supporting the Supreme Court’s power to inter-
    pret the Constitution.

  3. c. According to the passage, the Second Confiscation Act passed by
    Congress in 1862 provided the desired signal(line 7), encouraging him
    to pursue his plan of a proclamation.

  4. b.The speechless(line 14) reaction of Secretaries Seward and Welles
    implies that they were surprised by the plan and were concerned
    about its political and military consequences.

  5. e. One meaning of qualifiedis fitted by training or experience for a
    given purpose (“he is qualified for the job”). Another meaning is
    having complied with specific requirements (“she qualified for the
    marathon”). In this context, qualifiedmeans limited or modified in
    some way.

  6. a. The author calls the Emancipation Proclamation the crowning
    achievement(line 32) of Lincoln’s administration.

  7. a. Lines 14–15 state that political cartoons can serve as a vehicle for swaying
    public opinion and can contribute to reform.

  8. e. The consonance in the string of verbs provoke, poke, and persuadein
    line 3, as well as the verb choice skeweringin line 4 expresses a play-
    fulness of tone. The author’s description of the cartoon images of
    Bill Clinton and George W. Bush (lines 9–12) also mirrors the play-
    fulness of the art of caricature.

  9. e. One meaning of vehicleis a way of carrying or transporting some-
    thing. In this context, vehiclerefers to a medium, or the means by
    which an idea is expressed.

  10. d.The author cites Thomas Nast’s symbols for Tammany Hall and
    the Democratic and Republican Parties as examples of images that
    have entered the public consciousness and are still in currency today
    (line 19).

  11. b.The passage illustrates several protest strategies used in the civil
    rights movement. Choices cand eare true statements but are too
    specific to be the primary focus of the passage. Choices aand dare
    not described in detail in the passage.

  12. c. The passage states that Rosa Park’s actions and arrest set off a train of
    events that generated a momentum the civil rights movement had never
    before experienced(lines 10–12).

  13. e. One meaning of totestis to apply a test as a means of analysis or
    diagnosis. In this context, testrefers to putting something to a test or
    challenging something.

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