Read the following passage:And before we judge them too harshly we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals such as the vanquished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races.H. G. Wells, The War of the WorldsThis passage is from a science fiction story about an alien invasion of Earth that was written in 1898. What historical theme might create a strong emotional response in readers during that time?A.The tendency of religions of the time to judge othersB.The brutality of the experience of colonialismC.The experience of world warsD.The beginning of cloning experiments with animalsSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read the following passage:And before we judge them too harshly we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals such as the vanquished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races.H. G. Wells, The War of the WorldsThe passage is from a science fiction story about an alien invasion of Earth. What tone is created by the phrase "ruthless and utter destruction"?A.FunnyB.ConfusedC.GuiltyD.SuspensefulSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read this excerpt from H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds:No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter. It is possible that the infusoria under the microscope do the same. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days. At most terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise. Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. And early in the twentieth century came the great disillusionment.Which words best describe the tone of this passage?A.Excited and emotionalB.SatiricalC.Calm and matter-of-factD.Light-hearted

What evidence from the novel The War of the Worlds supports the theme that humans are too vain and shouldn't take their safety for granted?A.The Martians seem to have calculated their descent with amazing subtlety — their mathematical learning is evidently far in excess of ours — and to have carried out their preparations with a well-nigh perfect unanimity.B.We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its inferior races.C.It required a certain amount of scientific education to perceive that the grey scale of the Thing was no common oxide, that the yellowish-white metal that gleamed in the crack between the lid and the cylinder had an unfamiliar hue.D.No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of human danger, or thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read this passage:And invisible to me because it was so remote and small, flying swiftly and steadily toward me across that incredible distance, drawing nearer every minute by so many thousands of miles, came the Thing they were sending us, the Thing that was to bring so much struggle and calamity and death to the earth.H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, 1898Which word in the passage helps create a sense of fear and anxiety?A.smallB.earthC.thousandsD.deathSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read this passage:I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964Which technique does King most clearly use to emphasize his points in this passage?A.He repeats certain words over and over.B.He addresses the audience by saying "you."C.He compares freedom to "flotsam and jetsam."D.He describes how unimportant awards are.