HELP PLEASE! Question 8
Which excerpt from "Rip Van Winkle" best shows that Washington Irving finds humor in the Van Winkles' relationship?

A. "Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was incessantly going, and every thing he said or did was sure to produce a torrent of household eloquence."

B. "But it would have been worth any statesman's money to have heard the profound discussions that sometimes took place…"

C. "…in a word, Rip was ready to attend to any body's business but his own; but as to doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, it was impossible."

D. "For a long while he used to console himself, when driven from home, by frequenting a kind of perpetual club of the sages, philosophers, and other idle personages of the village…"

Question 9
In "Old Ironsides," Oliver Wendell Holmes writes in a style that is .

A. similar to the style used by many European poets

B. complex and nearly impossible to understand

C. distinctive and unique to American literature

D. full of experimental techniques and language

Question 10
Why did Oliver Wendell Holmes write about the USS Constitution when rumors held that the ship was going to be scrapped?

A. The ship was one on which Holmes had served during the War of 1812.

B. The ship was a link to the nation's history and a symbol of its strength.

C. Holmes agreed with the decision to scrap the USS Constitution.

D. Holmes regularly wrote about the military history of the United States.

Question 11
Read this excerpt from the first stanza of "Old Ironsides":

Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar;—
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.

What do the images of war in this excerpt suggest to readers?

A. the immorality of war

B. the chaos and danger of war

C. the natural beauty of war

D. the technical challenges of war

Question 12
When Holmes refers to the ship as the "eagle of the sea" in the poem's second stanza, he is .

A. using hyperbole to poke fun at those who celebrate warships

B. literally suggesting that Old Ironsides is able to fly through the air like an eagle

C. symbolically associating Old Ironsides with the strength of the United States

D. figuratively describing the wings painted on the hull of Old Ironsides

Question 13
By writing "Old Ironsides," Oliver Wendell Holmes asserted that the United States .

A. was a nation of pious and industrious citizens and a place of great possibility

B. was too young to be considered among the great nations of the world

C. was every bit as strong, proud, and important as the older nations of Europe

D. would be conquered by the nations of Europe if it scrapped Old Ironsides

Question 14
In the first stanza of "The Village Blacksmith," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow highlights the central figure's .

Question 14 options:

A. physical strength

B. unending curiosity

C. great intelligence

D. sense of humor

Question 15
The lines "His brow is wet with honest sweat, / He earns whate'er he can" tell readers that the blacksmith is .

A. cautious

B. courageous

C. pious

D. industrious

Question 16
The description of the blacksmith wiping the tears from his eyes after thinking about his late wife shows that he may be physically strong, but he is .

A. bitter and disillusioned

B. sensitive and caring

C. discouraged by the actions of the government

D. fundamentally flawed

Question 17
Why does Longfellow thank the blacksmith in the poem's final stanza?

A. The blacksmith's life serves as an example for Longfellow and others to follow.

B. The blacksmith's strength and industriousness have made life easier for Longfellow.

C. The blacksmith is someone who helped Longfellow in his time of need.

D. The blacksmith is someone who Longfellow has hired to work "at the flaming forge of life."

Question 18
Why is "The Village Blacksmith" a part of America's national mythology?

A. The blacksmith represents the proud military history of the United States and its willingness to stand up to tyrants.

B. The blacksmith embodies many core American values and is the backbone of a typical American community.

C. The blacksmith represents the technological advances that sparked America's growth and industrialization.

D. The blacksmith embodies the vast untapped potential and possibility of America as opposed to the limitations of Europe.