1. I will only accept answers as direct responses to the test email. DO NOT ATTACH WORD DOCUMENTS!!! Just write your answers DIRECTLY IN THE EMAIL!! This will speed up my grading considerably as I won't have to download, open and convert the files (I don't have Word on my computers, I refuse to buy Microsoft products).
2. I will no longer try to decipher answers that are incomplete sentences and match them up to the question. If you don't indicate in your answer what the question was, it's going to be marked incorrect. Period.
3. I will no longer try to decipher unnumbered, or otherwise sloppy tests. It takes forever...if you don't care enough about your grade to be neat, then I don't see that it's my job to compensate for your carelessness. Do it right. (Helpful hint: the Answer Key below offers a pretty good example of what your test response ought to look like...look it over and emulate the formatting as best you can.)
Stats on the tests:
2nd period- High score: 35 Average: 20.4 (58.3%)
3rd period-- High score: 38 Average: 22.4 (58.9%)
6th period- High score: 32 Average: 18 (56%)
This is not encouraging. I'm hoping these poor results are because the testing environment was so chaotic and distracting, which is why I hope the at-home test will be good for everyone. Quarter grades will be due in another two weeks. Time is getting short.
REMINDER: If you aren't able to do the test at home on Monday morning, you MUST let me know VIA EMAIL asap!!!
The Answer Key is below:
1. Does this article suggest that "assiduous string saving" is a valuable writing technique?
http://eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED258205&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED258205
Yes, the article says that good writers save strings assiduously to help stimulate ideas.
2. Is the title of this blog an oxymoron?
http://carnalzen.com/
Yes, the title of the blog is an oxymoron.
3. Can you aver that you handwrote your vocabulary notes?
Yes, you should be able to swear that your notes are handwritten.
4. What is the main root word in "amanuensis," and why?
"Manu" means "by hand," which is how a secretary used to write.
5. In this article, is the phenomenon of online avatar usage given a positive or negative spin?
http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/psyav.html
Avatars are presented as a positive alternative to revealing one's actual identity online.
6. Explain why the headline of this article is a painful pun
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUST27298320080822
"Ashen-faced" mourners when urns full of ashes are stolen? Yuck.
7. Does this site live up to its name? Why?
http://www.baleful.org/
Yes, the website is dark and foreboding.
8. Is the name of this software appropriate for its purpose?
http://freshmeat.net/projects/banal/
Yes, bookkeeping is generally tedious, repetitive work.
9. Does this roller coaster live up to its name?
http://behemoth.canadaswonderland.com/public/news/
Yes, it sure is a very large rollercoaster.
10. If you google "Kennedy assignation," what do you get? Why?
You get all these pages on the Kennedy ASSASSINATION because stupid
conspiracy theorists don't know how to spell.
11. From this article, what can we deduce about Heather MacDonald's position on the question?
http://www.thecatholicthing.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=552&Itemid=2
Presumably, based on this response, Heather MacDonald does NOT think God is beneficent.
12. Why might Miss Prism require a capacious handbag for her manuscript?
Since it is manuscript for a three-volume novel, it must be pretty big.
13. Which vocabulary word best describes this photograph?
Carapace. It's a turtle...duh.
14. Based on the information given here:
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/Phys/class/refln/u13l3g.html
what is the result of the aberration in spherical mirrors?
The image is blurry and unfocused.
15. Is this a good name for this company?
http://www.kyowashokai.co.jp/caparison-eng/e-top.html
Yes, the guitars are quite ornate.
16. Which two publishers collaborated to create Amalgam Comics?
Marvel & DC created Amalgam Comics.
17. Why would one name a coffeehouse "Anodyne?"
http://www.anodynecoffeehouse.com/
It's not a bad name for a coffeehouse because coffee is a kind of anodyne, it kills the pain of mornings.
18. When Henry Higgins compares Eliza Doolittle to a "bilious pigeon," which personal characteristic is he referring to? Is it complimentary?
Higgins is saying her voice or manner of speech sounds like a pigeon throwing up so, no...that is not a compliment.
19. Based on the logo at http://www.amplitude.com/ what can you assume they do?
The soundwaves on the logo indicates the company does something with sound, speakers, probably.
20. How are the literal and metaphoric meanings of "canard"
illustrated on this website? http://www.canardenchaine.com/
There is an actual picture of a duck--a literal canard--and the stories are apparently fake.
21. How do the creators of
http://www.anathemamagazine.com/
subvert the common meaning of the word?
Instead of avoiding or denouncing unacceptable ideas, they pursue/embrace them.
22. In photography, does a wider aperture make your photograph sharper or softer?
A wider aperture should make your photograph softer as the light is less tightly focused.
23. Why is this an odd name for this restaurant?
http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining.html
Since it is a fancy restaurant in a fancy hotel, it's unlikely that too many people go there on a whim.
24. Look at the crest, what connection can you make between the esquire helm and the name?
http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/benison-family-crest.htm#About-Family-Crests
The crest implies that the Benison family was knighted at some point in its history, knighting is a type of blessing from the king.
25. What has Frost lost?
http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/robertfrost/12137
Frost has lost everything except his faith.
26. Go to
http://www.theabattoirmovie.com/
and read the synopsis. Based on the description, explain the title of the movie.
Presumably, the "traumatizing rite of passage" the protagonist suffered in his childhood involved some sort of slaughter/bloodshed.
27. What genre of music does this band most likely play?
http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/acrid
The name "Acrid" implies that the band's music is harsh and discordant, probably metal, punk, or some other heavy rock.
28. Explain the painful irony of this article and its headline:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,883024,00.html
The story tells how, in the lead-up to Hitler's invasion of Poland, the US was open to helping Jewish refugees. But we know that in actuality, the US did very little to help Jews escaping Nazi oppression at that time.
29. Is assimilation assumed to be a desirable phenomenon in this article? Why?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-05-13-assimilation_N.htm
Assimilation is assumed to be desireable because conventional wisdom expects everyone to want to "belong."
30. Go to http://www.amorphous.net/main.htm and explain what the company does.
It's hard to tell what this company does, as the descriptions appear to be deliberately amorphous.
31. Find a real-life example of atavism, describe it.
Some people are born with a little tail...cute. But since this characteristic is a throwback to a prior stage of evolution, it is atavistic.
32. Why might the title of the movie have confused the writer of the comment here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469683/
Are you confused by it? Can you offer a plausible interpretation?
It is a really stupid name for a zombie movie, but it implies that the zombies are created through some sort of transfusion from a non-thinking yet independently active being. The comments indicate, however, that that explanation is not supported by the movie, so, yeah, I'm confused, too.
33. What is the legal definition of "bifurcate," as it relates to a trial?
To bifurcate legally means to separate the penalty phase of a trial
from the verdict.
34. Is http://www.abstemious.org/ appropriately named? Why?
Abstemious is a very appropriate name for a rehab clinic website,
since recovering addicts should abstain.
35. Was this a successful billet assignment?
http://www.firstworldwar.com/diaries/inabillet.htm
Yes, this assignment seems successful because the soldier and the
little old lady seemed to get along very well.
36. Do you agree with the letter writer or the columnist?
http://blogs.chron.com/cityhall/archives/2007/10/bucolic_colic_1.html
I would hope that everyone in AP English will agree with the
columnist, because "bucolic" is not a terribly high level vocabulary
word.
37. According to http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/a/alchemy.htm
why was alchemical theory destined to fail?
Because science simply does not support alchemica theory, which is
more like magic.
38. Who coined this aphorism?
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a
revolutionary act."
-George Orwell.
39. Does this blogger use "bibulous" correctly with relation to the
subject of his entry?
http://thegezafracas.blogspot.com/2008/07/am-i-bibulous.html
No, the entry has nothing to do with drinking, just the bible.
40. Why might http://www.argot.org/ be completely empty?
Because the website's creator never finished it. (This is kind of a
trick question...but the answer is kind of OBVIOUS, isn't it?)
41. Which vocabulary word best describes this nose?
Bulbous...a big blobby bulbous bloated bumpy buffoonish schnoz.
42. Why do you think Lightspeed blocks the Cacophony Society's website?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacophony_Society
Because the Cacophony Society promotes subversive, adult-themed pranks.
43. Is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj38gVSn9gA an example of
antiphonous music?
Yes, Billy Idol and the chorus call back and forth during the refrain.
44. Is this article generally positive or negative in its description
of Premier Wen?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/world/asia/21wen.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
It seems generally positive about Premier Wen, but some criticisms are voiced.
45. Read the summary at
http://www.amazon.com/FATHERS-ARCANE-DAUGHTER-E-L-Konigsburg/dp/068982680X
and explain which daughter the title refers to.
It looks like it could refer to either of the daughters, as one has
come back from years of being "missing" and the other has a disability
that makes her difficult to understand.
46. Take a look at the questions at:
http://www.severe-social-anxiety.com/Agoraphobia_Online_Test.html .
Would an agoraphobic answer "yes" or "no" to most of them?
Most agoraphobics would probably answer "yes" to most of the questions
on the site.
47. Does this scientific research have a practical application?
http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/epubs/bolide/ancient_cataclysm.html
It may be useful in determining mining techniques and weather research.
48. Is the "rising antipathy" reported on in this article considered
a positive or negative development?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/world/europe/18pew.html
Given the state of world affairs, more prejudice and distrust between
religious groups is not a positive development.
49. Does the headline use "avuncular" literally or metaphorically?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/06/TRCF11ETRL.DTL
It is literal, the author is addressing his niece and nephew.
50. According to
http://www.peakbagger.com/pbgeog/worldrev.aspx
what is our antipode?
Our antipode is somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Posts
2 comments:
ms t, are you going to curve this vocab test since the scores for all the classes were so low? and in addition to the scores being low, the class was disrupted by the emergency evacuation during 6th.
This vocab test is curved by period, the high score is posted above. The average, however, is low even with the curve.
I'm hoping for better outcomes on this second test.
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