Card 0 of 8
Passage adapted from "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville (1853)
I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener of the strangest I ever saw or heard of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done. I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory biography of this man. It is an irreparable loss to literature. Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report which will appear in the sequel.
Ere introducing the scrivener, as he first appeared to me, it is fit I make some mention of myself, my employees, my business, my chambers, and general surroundings; because some such description is indispensable to an adequate understanding of the chief character about to be presented.
Imprimis: I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace. I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. All who know me, consider me an eminently safe man. The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion. I will freely add, that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor's good opinion.
What theme is established in the third paragraph?
The third paragraph sees a turn, from a discussion of storytelling in general and Bartleby the scrivener in particular, to a broader, more personal (for the narrator) discussion of the narrator's "profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best," and the ways in which this conviction has put him into direct contrast with most of his "energetic and nervous" profession. The narrator directly frames himself as an "eminently safe man," asserting that safety, or caution, is his first priority. The narrator goes to great lengths to frame himself as a cautious person, in contrast to other more passionate and possibly ambitious lawyers. But, the introduction of the figure of John Jacob Astor, reveals that the narrator is, in fact, quite ambitious and vain, not only about his cautious nature but his professional accomplishments as well. "Social class and its tense relationship with the professional world of lawyers" is a tempting option, except that there is no "tension" obvious in the narrator's description of this relationship, he unambiguously seems to feel proud of it. Since he has bragged about both is lack of passion and his professional success, we can eliminate the option that frames a lack of passion as leading to failure. In spite of the narrator's profession there is literally no mention of justice anywhere in the passage.
The only answer that accurately reflects the theme introduced in the paragraph is "caution and its relationship to ambition." Important to note here is that this is an answer that, in addition to mentioning the two main ideas introduced here, makes no ambitious claims about the relationship between these ideas, merely that such a relationship exists.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
Which of these options accurately reflects the relationship between seasonal re-birth and death in the poem?
The central message of the poem is reliant on the interrelation of the two themes mentioned in the question "seasonal re-birth and death." Seasonal re-birth is a common trope in poetry, notably in pastoral poetry, and death is obviously a dominant force towards which are all inexorably progressing each day, and as such is a common subject of poetic verse.
In typical pastoral poetry, springtime and the seasonal re-birth it brings are treated as exclusively positive, regenerative forces. The imagery of spring is rarely associated directly with death, that is usually reserved for winter poems. This poem goes against this trope, asserting that the sense of new life that is associated with springtime is ultimately an illusion, and that death is certain.
As the poem states, the coming of springtime "is not enough" to compensate for impending death.
The message of the poem is not that one should "seize the day" or that life is meaningful and precious, because life is ultimately considered to be nothing (see 13-15), regardless of how it is lived. It cannot be said that the rebirth of spring proves that life overcomes death, because the writer gives concrete evidence of the finality of death in lines 11-12. For the same reason, there is little support for the idea of immortality in the poem.
Outside of seeing the specific textual evidence directly supporting the correct answer, you could have selected it based on an accurate understanding of the overall tone and language of the poem. This is a negative, dark poem, not a hopeful or inspiring one. A thorough, accurate reading of the literal content of this poem was enough to answer this question accurately, as was a closer reading of the imagery.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Passage adapted from "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville (1853)
I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener of the strangest I ever saw or heard of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done. I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory biography of this man. It is an irreparable loss to literature. Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report which will appear in the sequel.
Ere introducing the scrivener, as he first appeared to me, it is fit I make some mention of myself, my employees, my business, my chambers, and general surroundings; because some such description is indispensable to an adequate understanding of the chief character about to be presented.
Imprimis: I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace. I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. All who know me, consider me an eminently safe man. The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion. I will freely add, that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor's good opinion.
What theme is established in the third paragraph?
The third paragraph sees a turn, from a discussion of storytelling in general and Bartleby the scrivener in particular, to a broader, more personal (for the narrator) discussion of the narrator's "profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best," and the ways in which this conviction has put him into direct contrast with most of his "energetic and nervous" profession. The narrator directly frames himself as an "eminently safe man," asserting that safety, or caution, is his first priority. The narrator goes to great lengths to frame himself as a cautious person, in contrast to other more passionate and possibly ambitious lawyers. But, the introduction of the figure of John Jacob Astor, reveals that the narrator is, in fact, quite ambitious and vain, not only about his cautious nature but his professional accomplishments as well. "Social class and its tense relationship with the professional world of lawyers" is a tempting option, except that there is no "tension" obvious in the narrator's description of this relationship, he unambiguously seems to feel proud of it. Since he has bragged about both is lack of passion and his professional success, we can eliminate the option that frames a lack of passion as leading to failure. In spite of the narrator's profession there is literally no mention of justice anywhere in the passage.
The only answer that accurately reflects the theme introduced in the paragraph is "caution and its relationship to ambition." Important to note here is that this is an answer that, in addition to mentioning the two main ideas introduced here, makes no ambitious claims about the relationship between these ideas, merely that such a relationship exists.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
Which of these options accurately reflects the relationship between seasonal re-birth and death in the poem?
The central message of the poem is reliant on the interrelation of the two themes mentioned in the question "seasonal re-birth and death." Seasonal re-birth is a common trope in poetry, notably in pastoral poetry, and death is obviously a dominant force towards which are all inexorably progressing each day, and as such is a common subject of poetic verse.
In typical pastoral poetry, springtime and the seasonal re-birth it brings are treated as exclusively positive, regenerative forces. The imagery of spring is rarely associated directly with death, that is usually reserved for winter poems. This poem goes against this trope, asserting that the sense of new life that is associated with springtime is ultimately an illusion, and that death is certain.
As the poem states, the coming of springtime "is not enough" to compensate for impending death.
The message of the poem is not that one should "seize the day" or that life is meaningful and precious, because life is ultimately considered to be nothing (see 13-15), regardless of how it is lived. It cannot be said that the rebirth of spring proves that life overcomes death, because the writer gives concrete evidence of the finality of death in lines 11-12. For the same reason, there is little support for the idea of immortality in the poem.
Outside of seeing the specific textual evidence directly supporting the correct answer, you could have selected it based on an accurate understanding of the overall tone and language of the poem. This is a negative, dark poem, not a hopeful or inspiring one. A thorough, accurate reading of the literal content of this poem was enough to answer this question accurately, as was a closer reading of the imagery.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Passage adapted from "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville (1853)
I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener of the strangest I ever saw or heard of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done. I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory biography of this man. It is an irreparable loss to literature. Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report which will appear in the sequel.
Ere introducing the scrivener, as he first appeared to me, it is fit I make some mention of myself, my employees, my business, my chambers, and general surroundings; because some such description is indispensable to an adequate understanding of the chief character about to be presented.
Imprimis: I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace. I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. All who know me, consider me an eminently safe man. The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion. I will freely add, that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor's good opinion.
What theme is established in the third paragraph?
The third paragraph sees a turn, from a discussion of storytelling in general and Bartleby the scrivener in particular, to a broader, more personal (for the narrator) discussion of the narrator's "profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best," and the ways in which this conviction has put him into direct contrast with most of his "energetic and nervous" profession. The narrator directly frames himself as an "eminently safe man," asserting that safety, or caution, is his first priority. The narrator goes to great lengths to frame himself as a cautious person, in contrast to other more passionate and possibly ambitious lawyers. But, the introduction of the figure of John Jacob Astor, reveals that the narrator is, in fact, quite ambitious and vain, not only about his cautious nature but his professional accomplishments as well. "Social class and its tense relationship with the professional world of lawyers" is a tempting option, except that there is no "tension" obvious in the narrator's description of this relationship, he unambiguously seems to feel proud of it. Since he has bragged about both is lack of passion and his professional success, we can eliminate the option that frames a lack of passion as leading to failure. In spite of the narrator's profession there is literally no mention of justice anywhere in the passage.
The only answer that accurately reflects the theme introduced in the paragraph is "caution and its relationship to ambition." Important to note here is that this is an answer that, in addition to mentioning the two main ideas introduced here, makes no ambitious claims about the relationship between these ideas, merely that such a relationship exists.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
Which of these options accurately reflects the relationship between seasonal re-birth and death in the poem?
The central message of the poem is reliant on the interrelation of the two themes mentioned in the question "seasonal re-birth and death." Seasonal re-birth is a common trope in poetry, notably in pastoral poetry, and death is obviously a dominant force towards which are all inexorably progressing each day, and as such is a common subject of poetic verse.
In typical pastoral poetry, springtime and the seasonal re-birth it brings are treated as exclusively positive, regenerative forces. The imagery of spring is rarely associated directly with death, that is usually reserved for winter poems. This poem goes against this trope, asserting that the sense of new life that is associated with springtime is ultimately an illusion, and that death is certain.
As the poem states, the coming of springtime "is not enough" to compensate for impending death.
The message of the poem is not that one should "seize the day" or that life is meaningful and precious, because life is ultimately considered to be nothing (see 13-15), regardless of how it is lived. It cannot be said that the rebirth of spring proves that life overcomes death, because the writer gives concrete evidence of the finality of death in lines 11-12. For the same reason, there is little support for the idea of immortality in the poem.
Outside of seeing the specific textual evidence directly supporting the correct answer, you could have selected it based on an accurate understanding of the overall tone and language of the poem. This is a negative, dark poem, not a hopeful or inspiring one. A thorough, accurate reading of the literal content of this poem was enough to answer this question accurately, as was a closer reading of the imagery.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Passage adapted from "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville (1853)
I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener of the strangest I ever saw or heard of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done. I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory biography of this man. It is an irreparable loss to literature. Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report which will appear in the sequel.
Ere introducing the scrivener, as he first appeared to me, it is fit I make some mention of myself, my employees, my business, my chambers, and general surroundings; because some such description is indispensable to an adequate understanding of the chief character about to be presented.
Imprimis: I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace. I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. All who know me, consider me an eminently safe man. The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. I do not speak it in vanity, but simply record the fact, that I was not unemployed in my profession by the late John Jacob Astor; a name which, I admit, I love to repeat, for it hath a rounded and orbicular sound to it, and rings like unto bullion. I will freely add, that I was not insensible to the late John Jacob Astor's good opinion.
What theme is established in the third paragraph?
The third paragraph sees a turn, from a discussion of storytelling in general and Bartleby the scrivener in particular, to a broader, more personal (for the narrator) discussion of the narrator's "profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best," and the ways in which this conviction has put him into direct contrast with most of his "energetic and nervous" profession. The narrator directly frames himself as an "eminently safe man," asserting that safety, or caution, is his first priority. The narrator goes to great lengths to frame himself as a cautious person, in contrast to other more passionate and possibly ambitious lawyers. But, the introduction of the figure of John Jacob Astor, reveals that the narrator is, in fact, quite ambitious and vain, not only about his cautious nature but his professional accomplishments as well. "Social class and its tense relationship with the professional world of lawyers" is a tempting option, except that there is no "tension" obvious in the narrator's description of this relationship, he unambiguously seems to feel proud of it. Since he has bragged about both is lack of passion and his professional success, we can eliminate the option that frames a lack of passion as leading to failure. In spite of the narrator's profession there is literally no mention of justice anywhere in the passage.
The only answer that accurately reflects the theme introduced in the paragraph is "caution and its relationship to ambition." Important to note here is that this is an answer that, in addition to mentioning the two main ideas introduced here, makes no ambitious claims about the relationship between these ideas, merely that such a relationship exists.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
Which of these options accurately reflects the relationship between seasonal re-birth and death in the poem?
The central message of the poem is reliant on the interrelation of the two themes mentioned in the question "seasonal re-birth and death." Seasonal re-birth is a common trope in poetry, notably in pastoral poetry, and death is obviously a dominant force towards which are all inexorably progressing each day, and as such is a common subject of poetic verse.
In typical pastoral poetry, springtime and the seasonal re-birth it brings are treated as exclusively positive, regenerative forces. The imagery of spring is rarely associated directly with death, that is usually reserved for winter poems. This poem goes against this trope, asserting that the sense of new life that is associated with springtime is ultimately an illusion, and that death is certain.
As the poem states, the coming of springtime "is not enough" to compensate for impending death.
The message of the poem is not that one should "seize the day" or that life is meaningful and precious, because life is ultimately considered to be nothing (see 13-15), regardless of how it is lived. It cannot be said that the rebirth of spring proves that life overcomes death, because the writer gives concrete evidence of the finality of death in lines 11-12. For the same reason, there is little support for the idea of immortality in the poem.
Outside of seeing the specific textual evidence directly supporting the correct answer, you could have selected it based on an accurate understanding of the overall tone and language of the poem. This is a negative, dark poem, not a hopeful or inspiring one. A thorough, accurate reading of the literal content of this poem was enough to answer this question accurately, as was a closer reading of the imagery.
Compare your answer with the correct one above