This excerpt from J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard University Commencement speech includes which special occasion introductory element: “I have wracked my mind and heart for what I ought to say to you today… I have come up with two answers… I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure. And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called ‘real life,’ I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination.”Group of answer choicesThematic identificationMessage inclusivenessEvent significanceSpeaker relationship

Memorable special occasion speeches do which of the following?Group of answer choicesConnect to a central value or themeAlways employ a presentation aidAlways employ humorAre read entirely from a script

Multiple Choice (1 point):In On Writing, this element of storytelling is crucial in defining (and identifying) characters in a story:Group of answer choicesDialogueBehaviorBackstoryTheme

Why is the dialogue important in the excerpt?Group of answer choicesIt shows what the other students are thinking.It helps the narrator fit in better.It suggests the students are surprised.It explains why she is sitting with other students.

Part AWhich of the following states a central theme in the text?Answer choices for the above questionStanding in society depends on one’s social rank.Human beings are valuable not based on their appearance, but based on their internal qualities.Inability to cope with life’s unexpected events leads to misery.For every setback in one’s plans, there is usually a compensating piece of good luck.Part BWhich quotation best supports this major theme in the text?Answer choices for the above question“He wrapped himself up in his cloak, and held his handkerchief to his face as though his nose bled.”“A carriage drew up at the entrance; the carriage door was opened, and a gentleman in uniform came out and hurried up the steps.”“And indeed how was it possible that the nose, which only yesterday he had on his face, and which could neither walk nor drive, should wear a uniform?”“I am acquainted with ladies of high position—Madame Tchektyriev, wife of a state-councillor, and many others.”

The information presented by the speaker was not only relevant to the topic of the discussion but also ... to this sphere.importantsignificantapplicableexciting