2017 Practice Test Question 1 Item 1

2017 Practice Test Question 1 Item 1 Read the following poem carefully before you choose your answers. This poem, set in the rural South, was first published during the Harlem Renaissance. November Cotton Flower Boll-weevil’s* coming, and the winter’s cold, Made cotton-stalks look rusty, seasons old, And cotton, scarce as any southern snow, Was vanishing; the branch, so pinched and slow, (5) Failed in its function as the autumn rake; Drouth fighting soil had caused the soil to take All water from the streams; dead birds were found In wells a hundred feet below the ground — Such was the season when the flower bloomed. (10) Old folks were startled, and it soon assumed Significance. Superstition saw Something it had never seen before: Brown eyes that loved without a trace of fear, Beauty so sudden for that time of year. “November Cotton Flower,” from CANE by Jean Toomer. Copyright 1923 by Boni & Liveright, renewed 1951 by Jean Toomer. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation. 1. Which description best characterizes the poem? a. A meditation on a disappointing outcome b. A recollection of a remarkable occurrence c. A lament for a vanished way of life d. An analysis of a momentous decision e. An invitation to celebrate a hard-fought victory boll-weevil is a beetle that feeds on cotton buds. 2. The primary purpose of lines 1-8 is to a. Re-create a contentious situation. b. Develop a comparison between two time periods c. Foreshadow the poem’s implied conclusion d. Provide a context for the poem’s central image e. Undermine the credibility of the speaker 3. Which best describes the technique used in lines 4-8 (“the branch . . . ground”)? a. Cases of deprivation are traced back to a single incident. b. Details of agricultural setbacks provide historical context. c. Accounts of successive catastrophes establish the poem’s central meaning. d. Descriptions of hardships among humans mirror those in the animal world. e. Examples of dearth in nature accumulate to provide emphasis. 4. In line 5, “Failed in its function as” is best understood to mean a. became obsolete as b. had lost its appeal as c. would never again be used as d. was useless as e. was misused as 5. The statement in line 9 serves to emphasize that the blooming of the flower was a. Unnecessary b. Fleeting c. Incongruous d. Misunderstood e. Anticipated 6. For the “Old folks” (line 10), the blooming of the flower was a. A festive and celebratory event b. A surprising and disheartening symbol c. An unusual and controversial discovery d. An unwelcome and alarming premonition e. An unexpected and profound revelation 7. If the context of the poem is interpreted broadly, the cotton flower most likely symbolizes a. The possibility of miraculous change b. The superficiality of beautiful objects c. A vision of extravagant opulence d. Attainment of personal ambitions e. Commitment to a false ideal 2019 Practice Exam MCQ Questi