Why do MCQs?
A. They will make me smarter
B. They are easy
C. They take very little time to complete
D. They will make me a better reader
E. MCQs are for primary school children
(emphasis on “children”)
Rationale
Read texts with understanding and develop skills
(e.g. reading for the big picture, close reading)
Identify the author’s intention and use of rhetorical
strategies and techniques
Examine how stylistic effects are achieved by the
writer’s linguistic choices
MCQs help students focus on rhetoric, which addresses
the relationship between purpose, audience, writer
Strategies
Read closely (punctuation, syntax, diction, pacing,
organisation)
Read for meaning and intent
Use all information given in the passage (title, author,
date of publication, footnotes)
Don’t spend too much time on one question
Consider all choices
‘Process of elimination’ technique
Eliminate these answers:
Those which are obviously wrong; Illogical choices
Those which are too narrow or too broad
Synonymous answers
Answers which cancel each other out
If two answers are close:
a. Find one general enough to contain all aspects of
the question
b. Find one limited enough to be the detail the question
is seeking
1. The thesis of the entire passage can be
found in line(s)
A. 1-2
B. 8-9
C. 20
D. 25-26
E. 30-32
The entire passage is
concerned with the concept
of family in general, not just
the Roman and pre-modern
era family.
2. The purpose of the first paragraph is to
Through humour, exaggeration,
common allusions and rhetorical
A. criticize historians questions, the author invites
readers for a scholarly
examination of the roots of the
B. define family
word family.
C. prove the author’s scholarly intent
D. ease the reader into a scholarly topic
E. establish the time frame of the passage
3. Footnote 3 is an example of a(n)
The footnote identifies a case that
some readers may not be familiar with.
A. primary source No sources are cited or referenced.
The footnote is strictly informative.
B. secondary source
C. assumption of the reader’s background
D. author’s aside
E. link to other sources
4. The opening sentence of the passage is
an example of a(n)
A. cautionary tale
B. analogy
C. paradox
D. ad hoc argument
E. interrogative
5. The primary rhetorical technique (types of
exposition) employed by the author to develop this
passage is
A. cause and effect
B. classification
C. definition
D. process
E. definition
Each piece of information
provided in the passage is given
in terms of defining what a family
is.
The passage
first paragraph
establishes
the
6. The tone of the
can
be most
conversational tone with its lighthearted
references. However,
the author’s use of
accurately be described
as
footnotes, direct quotations from experts,
and historical references all indicate a
presentation.
A. sarcastic andscholarly
vituperative
B. conversational and scholarly
C. formal and pedantic
D. erudite and exhortative
E. humorous and detached
7. According to the passage, today’s modern family
most resembles that found in
A. Rome in the time of the emperors
B. Bologna in the thirteenth century
C. Pre-eighteenth century western Europe
D. Great Britain between the sixteenth and
nineteen centuries
E. Pre-modern northern Europe
8. Lines 29-30 “historians...universally.” can be
read as a reinforcement of a concept expressed in
lines
A. 2-4
B. 8-9
C. 20-21
D. 25-26
E. 38-39
The word family does not have a
universal definition. Each culture and
time period defines it according to its
own circumstances.
9. The author’s anticipation of readers’ questions
is demonstrated by her use of
A. diction
B. rhetorical questions
C. direct questions
D. parentheticals
E. ellipsis
Although examples of all the
options are present in the
passage, only the
parentheticals come
immediately after a word or
phrase that could raise
question from a reader.
10. Which of the following was not critical in the
evolution of the historical definition of family?
A. common living quarters
B. proprietary rights
C. inheritance
D. economic needs
E. sanguinity