TSI Literary and Informational Texts 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A poet describes grief as "a stone lodged behind the ribs." Which literary device is being used?
- Metaphor (Correct answer)
- Hyperbole
- Onomatopoeia
- Alliteration
Correct answer: Metaphor
Grief is compared directly to a stone without using 'like' or 'as,' which is a metaphor.
Question 2: An informational article opens by listing the rising costs of college tuition over ten years before arguing for reform. What is the purpose of this opening?
- To establish context and build the case for the argument (Correct answer)
- To entertain the reader with a story
- To define an unfamiliar technical term
- To contradict the author's main point
Correct answer: To establish context and build the case for the argument
Presenting the trend first gives readers the background needed to accept the argument that follows.
Question 3: In a short story, the narrator knows the thoughts of every character. Which point of view is this?
- Third-person omniscient (Correct answer)
- First person
- Third-person limited
- Second person
Correct answer: Third-person omniscient
An all-knowing narrator with access to every character's thoughts is third-person omniscient.
Question 4: A passage states, "The senator's plan, though well-intentioned, ignores basic economics." The phrase "though well-intentioned" primarily serves to:
- Acknowledge a point before criticizing it (Correct answer)
- Praise the plan fully
- Introduce a new topic
- Define the word 'economics'
Correct answer: Acknowledge a point before criticizing it
The concession acknowledges good intentions before the writer raises a criticism.
Question 5: Two authors write about the same hurricane: one a personal diary entry, the other a government report. The diary is most likely to emphasize:
- Subjective emotional experience (Correct answer)
- Statistical wind speeds
- Federal funding allocations
- Objective casualty counts
Correct answer: Subjective emotional experience
A personal diary focuses on the writer's own feelings and lived experience.
Question 6: An essay repeats the phrase "We must act now" at the start of three consecutive paragraphs. This repetition is meant to:
- Create emphasis and a sense of urgency (Correct answer)
- Confuse the reader deliberately
- Provide statistical evidence
- Define an unfamiliar term
Correct answer: Create emphasis and a sense of urgency
Repeating a phrase for rhetorical effect emphasizes the message and heightens urgency.
Question 7: A reader infers that a character is nervous because the text says her hands trembled and she avoided eye contact. This conclusion is an example of:
- An inference drawn from textual evidence (Correct answer)
- A direct statement by the narrator
- An author's biography
- A summary of the whole plot
Correct answer: An inference drawn from textual evidence
Drawing a conclusion from details rather than an explicit statement is making an inference.
TSI Literary and Informational Texts 2
A poet describes grief as "a stone lodged behind the ribs." Which literary device is being used?