The Language of Literature: American Literature Mid-Year Test Directions: Read the short essay below. Then answer the questions that follow. from The Crisis, Number 1 Thomas Paine These are the times that try men s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods, and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, had declared that she has a right not only to tax, but to bind us in all cases whatsoever ; and if being bound in that manner is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious, for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.... I have as little superstition in me as any man living, but my secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction, or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so repeatedly sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which wisdom could invent. Neither have I so much of the infidel in me as to suppose that He has relinquished the government of the world, and given us up to the care of devils; and as I do not, I cannot see on what grounds the king of Britain can look up to heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a highwayman, or a housebreaker has as good a pretense as he.... I once felt all that kind of anger which a man ought to feel against the mean 1 principles that are held by the Tories. 2 A noted one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at his door, with as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with this unfatherly expression, Well! give me peace in my day. Not a man lives on the continent, but fully believes that a separation must sometime or other finally take place, and a generous parent should have said, If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace ; and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty. Not a place upon earth might be so happy as America. Her situation is remote from all the wrangling world, and she has nothing to do but to trade with them. A man can distinguish 1 small-minded 2 those colonists who sympathized with the British MID-YEAR TEST 97
himself between temper and principle, and I am as confident as I am that God governs the world, that America will never be happy till she gets clear of foreign dominion. Wars, without ceasing, will break out till that period arrives, and the continent must in the end be conqueror; for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.... The heart that feels not now is dead; the blood of his children will curse his cowardice who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light. Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to kill me, or those that are in it, and to bind me in all cases whatsoever to his absolute will, am I to suffer it? What signifies it to me whether he who does it is a king or a common man; my countryman or not my countryman; whether it be done by an individual villain, or an army of them? If we reason to the root of things we shall find no difference; neither can any just cause be assigned why we should punish in the one case and pardon in the other.... 98 FORMAL ASSESSMENT, GRADE 11
A. The following items test your understanding of the selection. Circle the letter of the response that best completes the sentence. 1. In this essay, the times Paine refers to are the years just before the a. Civil War. b. establishment of slavery. c. arrival of the Pilgrims. d. American Revolution. 2. According to Paine, being bound by Britain s laws in all cases whatsoever is the same as a. slavery. b. rebellion. c. murder. d. liberty. 3. As used in the first paragraph, the word impious means a. related to the supernatural. b. confusing. c. without respect for God. d. dishonest. 4. Paine compares the king s actions to those of a. a housebreaker. b. Satan in hell. c. a summer soldier. d. God in heaven. 5. In Paine s view, the Colonies will not be happy until they are a. trading with Britain. b. ruled by a different king. c. involved in a war. d. free of foreign control. 6. Paine thinks that the colonists should rebel against Britain in order to a. increase trade with other countries. b. set an example for others. c. make things better for their children. d. enforce their own laws. B. The following items check your understanding of the way in which the selection is written. Circle the letter of the response that best completes the sentence. 7. The main purpose of this essay is to a. persuade readers to fight for freedom. b. describe the many injustices committed by Britain. c. compare Britain and the Colonies. d. explain the meaning of bravery. 8. In this essay, Paine expresses his ideas mainly through a. allusions. b. the use of irony. c. persuasive argument. d. the use of allegory. 9. Stating that a line of reasoning is as straight and clear as a ray of light is an example of a. irony. b. hyperbole. c. simile. d. personification. 10. In this essay, Paine reveals his own bias against a. soldiers. b. children. c. patriots. d. loyalists. MID-YEAR TEST 99
C. The following items check your understanding of the way in which the selection is written. Write your response after each item. 11. Write a brief analysis of how Paine organizes and presents ideas in this essay. 12. Explain why the author relates the anecdote about the tavern owner in the third paragraph. 13. How does the author use references to God to strengthen his argument? Give examples from the essay. D. The following items check your ability to analyze and evaluate the selection. Circle the letter of the response that best completes the sentence or answers the question. This exercise is continued on the next page. 14. Which proverb best states a theme expressed in the first paragraph of this essay? a. A fool and his money are soon parted. b. That is best which costs the most. c. Nothing succeeds like success. d. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 15. In the second paragraph, Paine implies that the colonists have the right to rebel because a. they have tried every reasonable way to avoid war. b. Britain has sent murderers and highwaymen to the Colonies. c. they are destined to be free. d. the people of Britain are infidels. 16. Which word best describes the tone of this essay? a. resentful c. righteous b. cautious d. enthusiastic 100 FORMAL ASSESSMENT, GRADE 11
17. In which statement does Paine use an emotional appeal to a person s conscience rather than an appeal to reason? a. I love the man that can smile in trouble.... b.... the blood of his children will curse his cowardice who shrinks back... c. What signifies it to me whether he who does it is a king or a common man...? d. If we reason to the root of things we shall find no difference.... E. The following items check your ability to analyze and evaluate the selection. Write your response after each item. 18. According to Paine, what kind of relationship should the Colonies have with the rest of the world? 19. Why, do you think, does the author draw a comparison between Britain and a house thief in the last paragraph? 20. In your opinion, how persuasive is Paine s argument in this essay? Explain why you think it is persuasive or not. MID-YEAR TEST 101
Writing Exercise The following activity is designed to assess your writing ability. The prompt asks you to explain something. Think of your audience as being any reader other than yourself. When scorers evaluate your writing, they will look for evidence that you can: respond directly to the prompt; make your writing thoughtful and interesting; organize your ideas so that they are clear and easy to follow; develop your ideas thoroughly by using appropriate details and precise language; stay focused on your purpose for writing by making sure that each sentence you write contributes to your composition as a whole; and communicate effectively by using correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, usage, and sentence structures. Prompt: According to Paine,... he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. How might this quotation apply to one of the writers or characters you have read about? Choose one of the characters or writers you have read about, such as Jonathan Edwards; John Proctor, Giles Corey, or Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible; Patrick Henry; or Henry David Thoreau. Or think about a time in your own life when conscience and principles affected what you did. Write a short essay explaining how this quotation might apply to the character or writer you choose or to your own life. Use the bottom of the page to organize your ideas. Then write your essay on a separate sheet of paper. 102 FORMAL ASSESSMENT, GRADE 11
Revising/Editing The purpose of the following exercise is to check your ability to proofread and revise a piece of writing in order to improve its readability and presentation of ideas. Read the following paragraph. Then, for each underlined section, circle the letter of the revision below that most improves the writing. Or, if the section is best left as it is, circle letter d. In our modern world, it is difficult to understand how early colonists in Salem massachusetts, could have executed people for witchcraft. In 1692, 1. for example, 20 people was convicted of being witches and put to death. 2. How did the judges try these cases? How did the judges decide who was 3. guilty? One method of evaluating women suspected of being witches was to tie them to the dunking stool. The suspect then lowered into the water. 4. 5. If she drowned, she was innocent. Those who survived was declared a 6. witch and executed. Either way, the end result was the same. 1. a. Salem, massachusetts b. Salem Massachusetts c. Salem, Massachusetts 4. a. to be tied b. to tie her c. to have tied 2. a. is convicted b. were convicted c. been convicted 3. a. How did the judges try these cases, and how did they decide who was guilty? b. How did the judges try these cases and how did they decide who were guilty? c. How did the judges try these cases, but how did they decide who was guilty? 5. a. The suspect then lowering into the water. b. The suspect was then lowered into the water. c. The suspect, then lowered, was into the water. 6. a. Them b. All c. Anyone MID-YEAR TEST 103