"Pleasant, pleasant country," sighed the enthusiastic gentleman, as he opened his lattice window. "Who could live to gaze from day to day on bricks and slates who had once felt the influence of a scene like this? Who could continue to exist where there are no cows but the cows on the chimney-pots, nothing redolent of Pan but pan-tiles, no crop but stone crop? Who could bear to drag out a life in such a spot? Who, I ask, could endure it?" and, having cross-examined solitude after the most approved criteria, at considerable length, Mr. Pickwick thrust his head out of the lattice and looked around him.The rich, sweet smell of the hay-ricks rose to his chamber window, the hundred perfumes of the little flower-garden beneath scented the air around, the deep-green meadows shone in the morning dew that glistened on every leaf as it trembled in the gentle air, and the birds sang as if every sparkling drop were to them a fountain of inspiration.1Select the correct answer.Which statement best describes the mood as it is portrayed in the image compared to the way it is portrayed in the excerpt? A. The excerpt portrays an irritated mood, while the image portrays a serious mood. B. The excerpt portrays a blissful mood, while the image portrays a gloomy mood. C. The excerpt portrays a serious mood, while the image portrays an intense mood. D. The excerpt portrays an anxious mood, while the image portrays a mournful mood.

During a dull, dark, and soundless day in autumn, when the clouds hung oppressively low, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country. At length I found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it was but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I looked upon the scene before me; upon the mere house, and the simple landscape—upon the bleak walls—upon the vacant eye-like windows, upon a few rank marsh plants, and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation. What was it, I paused to think, what was it that so unnerved me about the House of Usher? It was possible, I reflected, that a mere different arrangement of the scene, of the details of the picture, would be sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression. Then, acting upon this idea, I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid lake near the dwelling, and gazed down upon the warped reflection of the marsh plants, and the ghastly tree-stems, and the vacant eye-like windows.     Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom I now proposed to take a sojourn of several weeks. Its proprietor, Roderick Usher, had been one of my friends in boyhood. Although, many years had passed since we last met. A letter, however, had reached me in a distant part of the country. A letter from him, which had required nothing less than a personal reply. Usher's letter spoke of illness,of a mental disorder which oppressed him and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best and indeed his only personal friend. His desire being, that through my cheerfulness, I could help to alleviate his malady. It was the way in which it was said, it was the heart that went with his request, which allowed me no room for hesitation; and I accordingly obeyed forthwith.3Which detail from the passage develops the theme that true friends can always be counted upon in times of need? A. A letter, however, had reached me in a distant part of the country. B. Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom I now proposed to take a sojourn of several weeks. C. Its proprietor, Roderick Usher, had been one of my friends in boyhood. D. Usher's letter spoke of illness,of a mental disorder which oppressed him and of an earnest desire to see me . . .

Select the correct answer.Which detail best develops the idea that having time in solitude will result in happiness? A. "The sky was full of stars, and the garden of scents, and the borders of wallflowers and sweet, sly pansies." (paragraph 3) B. "I shall watch the things that happen in my garden, and see where I have made mistakes." (paragraph 1) C. "I had some visitors here a fortnight ago who left after staying about a week and clearly not enjoying themselves."(paragraph 25) D. "Wouldn't it be perfect to get up every morning for weeks and feel that you belong to yourself and to nobody else?" (paragraph 11)

As expressed in "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," what was one main result of the speaker's first visit to the abbey?Group of answer choicesIt brought him comfort when he returned to a more urban setting.It made him realize how much he needed human companionship.It helped him better understand the hard lives of farmers.It made him a more timid and easily frightened person.

Read the excerpt from the passage.I know not how it was but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I looked upon the scene before me; upon the mere house, and the simple landscape—upon the bleak walls—upon the vacant eye-like windows, upon a few rank marsh plants, and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation.How does the author's word choice evoke a sense of place? A. The author's word choice suggests that the House of Usher is old. B. The author's word choice suggests that the House of Usher is grotesque. C. The author's word choice suggests that the House of Usher is desolate. D. The author's word choice suggests that the House of Usher is terrifying.

Select the correct text in the passage.Which detail builds on the themes that a person's environment can shape his or her view of life and that people can bear difficult circumstances for a long time?adapted from Life in the Iron Millsby Rebecca Harding Davis     A cloudy day—do you know what that is in a town of iron works? The sky sank down before dawn—muddy, flat, and immovable; the air is thick—clammy with the breath of crowded human beings, and it stifles me. I open the front window and can scarcely see through the rain the grocer's shop opposite, and I can detect the scent through all the foul smells ranging loose in the air.     The idiosyncrasy of this town is smoke as it rolls sullenly in slow folds from the great chimneys of the iron foundries and settles down in black, slimy pools on the muddy streets. Smoke on the wharves, smoke on the dingy boats, on the yellow river clinging in a coating of greasy soot to the house, the two faded poplars, the faces of the passerby—smoke everywhere! A dirty canary chirps desolately in a cage beside me; its dream of green fields and sunshine is a very old dream—almost worn out, I think.     From the back window, I can see a narrow brickyard sloping down to the riverside, where the river—dull and tawny-colored—drags itself sluggishly along, tired of the heavy weight of boats and barges. When I was a child, I used to fancy a look of weary, dumb appeal upon the face of the river, bearing its burden day after day. Something of the same idle notion comes to me today, when I look on the slow stream of human life creeping past, night and morning, to the great mills. Masses of men with dull, besotted faces bent to the ground, sharpened here and there by pain or cunning; skin and muscle and flesh begrimed with smoke and ashes; stooping all night over boiling cauldrons of metal; breathing from infancy to death an air saturated with grease and soot—vileness for soul and body. What do you make of a case like that, amateur psychologist? You call it an altogether serious thing to be alive: to these men it is a jest, a joke—horrible to angels perhaps, but to them commonplace enough.