How to approach sophisticated multiple-choice questions

Question Types:

1. Situation

• who? to whom? (poetry)

• subject of 3rd Paragraph (prose)

2. Structure

• poetry: how stanzas relate

• what word in ______ relates back to ______

• what divisions represent its structure

• prose: how one paragraph relates to another

• progression of thought and overall structure

3. Theme

• whole and parts

4. Grammar and Word Meaning

• poetry: specific word choice definitions within context

• pronoun references/antecedents

• paraphrase word choice

• prose: subject of long sentence is…

5. Diction

• poetry: Use of _______ indicates

• poet’s idea of _________ is suggested by _______

• prose: choice of verbs in paragraph 4 suggests _______

• speaker’s anger is implied by ________

6. Images/ Figurative language/ Literary Technique

• which one? Where else in work?

• Purpose of a metaphor

• analogy in 2nd paragraph

7. Tone (perhaps metrics in poetry)

8. Rhetoric (mostly in prose)

• function of last sentence

• effect of shift in point of view

 Styles of Questioning:

A.  FACTUAL

• phrase presents example of…

• all are Figurative language except

• Man in line ___ is pictured mainly in his role as ___

• in line ___ the ___ is seen chiefly as …

• in line ___ the speaker regards himself as …

• beginning in ___ speaker does which …

• excerpt is written in …

• according to the speaker, …

• “they” in line ___ refers to …

• the object of “to” in line ___ is …

B.  MAIN IDEA

• ______ hated ______ because _____

• parable of _______ serves to _______

• _______ believed human nature is ________

• which best describes ______ at the end

• tone

• which describes how ____ felt about …

• passage is concerned with …

• relation between line ____ and line ___ is best described as …

• main point about ___ is …

• line ___ speaker attempts to …

• style is characterized by …

• irony rests chiefly on ______

C.  HIDDEN IDEA

• ____ interpreted to mean

• phrase evokes ______

• image of _______ refers to …

• ________ most likely represents ______

• can be inferred

• in line ___ the phrase “ ____” means _____

• line ___ suggests that …

• can be inferred speaker would agree with …

*  REASONS ANSWERS ARE WRONG

1. Irrelevant to the question

2. Contradictory to the passage

3. Unreasonable (the “Huh?” choice)

4. Too general or too specific

5. Never addressed in the passage

6. Look for the SPECIFIC WORDS that make the answer wrong. Remember the difference between a right answer and the BEST (credited) answer. More than one can be right; look for the best. Avoid distractions!