Sample Keystone Questions

FICTION: LITERATURE and POETRY

  1. How does the poet’s use of personification help to communicate an idea in the following line from a poem?

“The yellow flowers turnred their happy faces toward the sun and smiled.”

  1. It establishes the speaker’s feelings about flowers.
  2. It conveys the speaker’s recollection of a memory.
  3. It shows the speaker’s observations about nature.
  4. It indicates the speaker’s need for acceptance.
  1. Which word is a synonym for enact?
  1. Accomplish
  2. Promote
  3. Understand
  4. Concentrate
  1. The prefix “in-“ helps the reader know that inexplicable means
  1. Explained again
  2. Explained incorrectly
  3. Not able to be explained
  4. Over explained
  1. “Carl helped Mr. Henderson pick up the books to alleviate the clutter in the room.” What does the word alleviate mean as used in the sentence?
  1. Lessen
  2. Produce
  3. Compile
  4. Expand
  1. “As Rafael read the first chapter of the book, he became famished to know the ending.” Which feeling/emotion is being suggested by the use of the word famished?
  1. Eagerness
  2. Compassion
  3. Selfishness
  4. Confusion
  1. “I look up at the birds as they glide in unison on the wind.” What is being suggested by the use of the word glide?
  1. Strength
  2. Effort
  3. Grace
  4. Speech
  1. “Javier’s fancy white shirt and blue-striped silk tie with a gold-rimmed gem shone brightly as he sat down at the dinner table among his commonly dressed family.” What is the effect of the imagery used to describe Javier’s clothes?
  1. It shows Javier feels superior to his family.
  2. It implies Javier feels uncomfortable around his family.
  3. It emphasizes the differences between Javier and his family.
  4. It suggests the time of year that Javier visits his family.
  1. Which stage directions taken from a play BEST reveal insight into a character’s personality?
  1. “(He rises from the chair.)”
  2. “(as he walks toward the door.)”
  3. “(with a certain solemnity.)”
  4. “(He turns and recites the words.)”
  1. “Sydney Harbor is shaped somewhat like an oak leaf—a roomy sheet of lovely blue water, with narrow off-shoots of water running up into the country on both sides between long fingers of land…” How does the author’s use of imagery in the sentence help to communicate an idea?
  1. It gives a vivid description that suggests vastness of landscape.
  2. It gives details that portray a rich city life.
  3. It gives bland description that suggests a dull population.
  4. It gives information that indicates great wealth.
  1. “Do you like blue?” In that line from a poem, what sound device is most apparent?
  1. Consonance
  2. Assonance
  3. Alliteration
  4. Onomatopoeia

Sample Fiction Reading Passage: Excerpts from “From the Journal of Hades”

NOTE: Hades: god of the underworldNOTE: Tartarus: the underworld

Day 1: So, great, here I am, down in Tartarus all by myself. Everybody else is way up on Mount Olympus, having a great old time, probably never giving me a thought…

Day 2: Things are looking up. I’ve got a pet! Good old Cerberus, I’ve decided to call him. I guess he’s what you’d call a mixed breed—he’s got three heads (and they all love being petted) and the tail of a dragon, so nobody messes with him! Such a hound—he’s a menace coming or going! He’s going to guard my gates, since the dead down here are always trying to sneak out when I’ve got my back turned. Why they think they want to go back is beyond me—they’re dead, don’t they get it?!? And the noise they can make, moaning and groaning—it’s enough to wake the dead, ha ha. Anyway, this pup I’ve got is a keeper, and he’ll be this god’s best friend, I’m sure.

Note to myself: Think about a white noise machine. Maybe I could just keep a fan running.

  1. How does the setting affect characterization?
  1. Because it takes place on Mount Olympus, Hades appears to be a privileged, respected figure.
  2. Because it takes place on Earth, Hades seems to be detached from reality since he is a god.
  3. Because it takes place in the underworld, Hades’ sarcasm seems understandable.
  4. Because it takes place in Cerberus, Hades seems to be ungrateful for all that he has.
  1. Review the “Day 1” entry; which of the following hints at Hades’ tone toward the other gods?
  1. Celebratory
  2. Confused
  3. Jealous
  4. Respectful
  1. What purpose does the colloquial/conversational style serve in developing Hades’ character?
  1. It highlights Hades as a bitter and lonely outcast.
  2. It presents Hades as a regular guy with a sense of humor.
  3. It reinforces Hades as a mythical dreamer.
  4. It hints at Hades’ deep suffering in an unpleasant environment.
  1. Which device is apparent in the line “And the noise they [the residents of Tartarus] can make, moaning and groaning—it’s enough to wake the dead, ha ha”?
  1. Symbolism
  2. Irony
  3. Meter
  4. Allusion
  1. Read the poem stanza below and identify the rhyme scheme.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

  1. AABBCC
  2. ABABAB
  3. ABCBBB
  4. ABCCAB
  1. Which of the following sentences transforms the following simile into a metaphor: “The ocean is like a blanket covers the sand and shells.”
  1. Like shells and sand, the ocean covers.
  2. Like a blanket covers a bed, the ocean covers sand and shells.
  3. The ocean is a blanket that covers sand and shells.
  4. Blankets cover beds, while oceans cover the sand and shells.

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NONFICTION

  1. Which statement below best supports the generalization that the sport of curling [which is like shuffleboard on ice] requires careful strategy?
  1. The weight of a thrown rock affects the amount of a curl, but a rock’s progress can be altered by judicious sweeping to polish the ice in front of it.
  2. You have to think several rocks ahead to make sure that, at the completion of each end of 16 rocks, your rocks are closest to the button, the center of the house.
  3. The team receives one point for each of their rocks that is within the house and is closer to the center than any of the opposition’s rocks.
  4. Added complications are that there are rocks in positions that block your access to the center of the target…
  1. How does an author’s use of autobiography as a literary form influence the meaning of a passage?
  1. The autobiography form requires the use of figurative language.
  2. The autobiography from suggests the use of facts to support opinions.
  3. The autobiography form permits instructions to be conveyed clearly.
  4. The autobiography form allows for a focus on the person’s life events.

Nonfiction Reading Passage: Excerpts from “A Taste of Italian Cuisine”

In the United States, when we think of Italian dishes, pizza and spaghetti probably spring to mind. While they are undeniably delicious examples of Italian cuisine, the country bursts with meals thatwill entice the senses and stimulate one’s appetite. Each region of Italy has developed its own signature style of cooking, which may depend on the location, what is grown there, and how people live there.

Through the many centuries of its history, Italian cuisine has varied from region to region. Some areas rely on a base of rice, some on break and many on pasta. Pasta is made from hard wheat flour and water, and,as it is estimated that over 300 varieties exist, it can come in an amazing array of shapes, thicknesses, and textures. There are noodles, flat and round, shells, spirals, wheels, stars, and the thinnest of strands, known as angels’ hair. While there is some dispute over whether pasta found its beginnings in Naples or to the south in Sicily, there is no doubt that it has been a building block of Italian cooking for thousands of years.

It would be an enormous task to describe the cuisines of all of Italy’s gastronomic regions. Perhaps better would be a selected sampling of a few of the regions, in order to gain an appetizing taste of the wonders to be found in Italian cooking.

  1. After reading the article’s opening paragraphs above, make an inference about the entire article’s focus.
  1. Pizza is a major staple of an Italian’s diet.
  2. Italian cuisine varies from region to region.
  3. More Italians cook with rice than with pasta.
  4. Recipes of Italians are complex and delicious.
  1. Which of the following is an example of an opinion?
  1. Pasta is made from hard wheat flour and water…
  2. Each region of Italy has developed its own signature style of cooking…
  3. …the country bursts with meals that will entice the senses and stimulate one’s appetite.
  4. … over 300 varieties exist, it can come in an amazing array of shapes, thicknesses, and textures.
  1. Which of the following is NOT a type of pasta mentioned in the passage?
  1. Shells
  2. Fusilli
  3. Stars
  4. Noodles
  1. If this article were written from a first-person point of view, it would most likely…
  1. Describe the travel conditions on the trip
  2. Include the author’s personal experiences with Italian cuisine
  3. Focus on a single region of Italy
  4. Describe the Italian people and how they treat Americans
  1. Based on the paragraphs, which of the following accurately describes the author’s tone towards Italian cuisine?
  1. Indifferent
  2. Disdainful
  3. Hopeful
  4. Appreciative
  1. Based on the third paragraph, what can you infer is most likely the organizational structure of the entire passage?
  1. Descriptive
  2. Cause and effect
  3. Compare and contrast
  4. Problem and solution
  1. In order to persuade the reader about the “appetizing taste of the wonders to be found in Italian cuisine,” what devices should be employed?
  1. Irony
  2. Imagery
  3. Allegory
  4. Setting