All SAT II Literature Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Meaning Of Specified Text: Drama
PROSPERO:
- Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves,
- And ye that on the sands with printless foot
- Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him
- When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
- By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
- Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime
- Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
- To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid,
- Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd
- The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
- And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault
- Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
- Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
- With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
- Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
- The pine and cedar: graves at my command
- Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth
- By my so potent art. But this rough magic
- I here abjure, and, when I have required
- Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
- To work mine end upon their senses that
- This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
- Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
- And deeper than did ever plummet sound
- I'll drown my book.
The turning point in the speech occurs when Prospero announces his plan to _______________.
give up his magical powers
take revenge on his enemies
become a hermit in the wilderness
destroy the spirits who have served him
go willingly to his death
give up his magical powers
Prospero describes his magical feats at great length. Then he suddenly states: “But this rough magic I here abjure.” (lines 18-19.) He intends to finish one last spell, then say goodbye forever to his magician’s staff and book. “Give up his magical powers” is the correct answer. He says nothing about becoming a hermit, destroying his helper spirits, or going to his death. Though he’s casting a spell on his enemies, he is not planning to take revenge on them.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)
Example Question #32 : Meaning Of Specified Text
PROSPERO:
- Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves,
- And ye that on the sands with printless foot
- Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him
- When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
- By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
- Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime
- Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
- To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid,
- Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd
- The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
- And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault
- Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
- Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
- With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
- Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
- The pine and cedar: graves at my command
- Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth
- By my so potent art. But this rough magic
- I here abjure, and, when I have required
- Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
- To work mine end upon their senses that
- This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
- Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
- And deeper than did ever plummet sound
- I'll drown my book.
In the context of the passage, “spurs” (line 15) most nearly means ___________________.
branches
needles
tips
roots
heels
roots
Prospero is talking about using magic to uproot pines and cedars. Once we know we’re talking about trees, we can eliminate “heels” as an answer choice. Clearly we’re not talking about literal spurs that are worn on boots. Instead, Prospero means something resembling spurs, and related to trees. Bare tree roots that have just been pulled out of the ground may be spur-shaped, and their location on the tree is analogous to the location of a spur on a human being. “Roots” is the correct answer.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)
Example Question #11 : Meaning Of Specified Text: Drama
RAPHAEL
The Sun, in ancient guise, competing
With brother spheres in rival song,
With thunder-march, his orb completing,
Moves his predestin'd course along;
His aspect to the powers supernal
Gives strength, though fathom him none may;
Transcending thought, the works eternal
Are fair as on the primal day.
GABRIEL
With speed, thought baffling, unabating,
Earth's splendour whirls in circling flight;
Its Eden-brightness alternating
With solemn, awe-inspiring night;
Ocean's broad waves in wild commotion,
Against the rocks' deep base are hurled;
And with the spheres, both rock and ocean
Eternally are swiftly whirled.
MICHAEL
And tempests roar in emulation
From sea to land, from land to sea,
And raging form, without cessation,
A chain of wondrous agency,
Full in the thunder's path careering,
Flaring the swift destructions play;
But, Lord, Thy servants are revering
The mild procession of thy day.
(1808)
Which of these terms does not describe an characteristic of nature as described in the passage?
The ability to be mysterious to humans
The ability to appear in a different form
The ability to assist the powers of heaven
The ability to move about independently
The ability to outshine other planetary bodies
The ability to move about independently
Since the sun is moving on a "predestind course," it cannot not choose its own course nor move independently.
Passage adapted from Johann von Goethe's Faust (1808)
Example Question #11 : Meaning Of Specified Text: Drama
Caliban: This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strokedst me and madest much of me, wouldst give me
Water with berries in't, and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee
And show'd thee all the qualities o' the isle,
The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile:
Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest o' the island.
The lines: "and teach me how/ To name the bigger light, and how the less,/ That burn by day and night" most likely describe ________________.
a buried treasure
Caliban's emotional state
the sun and the moon
Caliban's mother
how to build a fire
the sun and the moon
This description of Caliban being taught to name the "bigger light" and "the less" is a description of him learning the names for the sun and the moon. The elaboration that the lights "burn by day and night" should make it clear to students that that is what is being described. Students who do not read closely or struggle with comprehension may choose one of the other answers, but the passage contains no direct evidence to support those answers.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611).
Example Question #13 : Meaning Of Specified Text: Drama
Passage adapted from Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (1897)
Translated by Gladys Thomas and Mary F. Guillemard (in public domain)
[Cyrano speaks to Roxane.]
CYRANO:
- Ay, true, the feeling
- Which fills me, terrible and jealous, truly
- Love,--which is ever sad amid its transports!
- Love,--and yet, strangely, not a selfish passion!
- I for your joy would gladly lay mine own down,
- --E'en though you never were to know it,--never!
- --If but at times I might--far off and lonely,--
- Hear some gay echo of the joy I bought you!
- Each glance of thine awakes in me a virtue,--
- A novel, unknown valor. Dost begin, sweet,
- To understand? So late, dost understand me?
- Feel'st thou my soul, here, through the darkness mounting?
- Too fair the night! Too fair, too fair the moment!
- That I should speak thus, and that you should hearken!
- Too fair! In moments when my hopes rose proudest,
- I never hoped such guerdon. Naught is left me
- But to die now! Have words of mine the power
- To make you tremble,--throned there in the branches?
- Ay, like a leaf among the leaves, you tremble!
- You tremble! For I feel,--an if you will it,
- Or will it not,--your hand's beloved trembling
- Thrill through the branches, down your sprays of jasmine!
In the context of the passage, the meaning of “so late” (line 11) is most likely ______________.
until recently
at long last
in the end
too late
so late at night
at long last
Here, “so late” means “at long last”. Lines 15-16 tell us that Cyrano has loved Roxane for a long time.
Try plugging the other answer choices into the sentence. When we realize that Cyrano's tone is hopeful, "at long last" is the only choice that makes sense, because it's expressing his hope that his dream may finally be coming true.
Example Question #161 : Overall Language Or Specific Words, Phrases, Or Sentences
Passage adapted from Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (1897)
Translated by Gladys Thomas and Mary F. Guillemard (in public domain)
[Cyrano speaks to Roxane.]
CYRANO:
- Ay, true, the feeling
- Which fills me, terrible and jealous, truly
- Love,--which is ever sad amid its transports!
- Love,--and yet, strangely, not a selfish passion!
- I for your joy would gladly lay mine own down,
- --E'en though you never were to know it,--never!
- --If but at times I might--far off and lonely,--
- Hear some gay echo of the joy I bought you!
- Each glance of thine awakes in me a virtue,--
- A novel, unknown valor. Dost begin, sweet,
- To understand? So late, dost understand me?
- Feel'st thou my soul, here, through the darkness mounting?
- Too fair the night! Too fair, too fair the moment!
- That I should speak thus, and that you should hearken!
- Too fair! In moments when my hopes rose proudest,
- I never hoped such guerdon. Naught is left me
- But to die now! Have words of mine the power
- To make you tremble,--throned there in the branches?
- Ay, like a leaf among the leaves, you tremble!
- You tremble! For I feel,--an if you will it,
- Or will it not,--your hand's beloved trembling
- Thrill through the branches, down your sprays of jasmine!
The word “guerdon” (line 16) is best understood as ______________.
reward
hubris
suffering
imprisonment
treachery
reward
“Guerdon” means “reward”. Even if you don’t know the word, you can still home in on the correct answer if you understand that Cyrano is exclaiming about something positive. He’s saying something like, “Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined anything as wonderful as this [guerdon] that I’m getting now!”
The other answer options — “suffering”, “imprisonment”, “hubris”, and “treachery” — are all negative and don’t make sense in the context.
Example Question #15 : Meaning Of Specified Text: Drama
Passage adapted from Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (1897)
Translated by Gladys Thomas and Mary F. Guillemard (in public domain)
[Cyrano speaks to Roxane.]
CYRANO:
- Ay, true, the feeling
- Which fills me, terrible and jealous, truly
- Love,--which is ever sad amid its transports!
- Love,--and yet, strangely, not a selfish passion!
- I for your joy would gladly lay mine own down,
- --E'en though you never were to know it,--never!
- --If but at times I might--far off and lonely,--
- Hear some gay echo of the joy I bought you!
- Each glance of thine awakes in me a virtue,--
- A novel, unknown valor. Dost begin, sweet,
- To understand? So late, dost understand me?
- Feel'st thou my soul, here, through the darkness mounting?
- Too fair the night! Too fair, too fair the moment!
- That I should speak thus, and that you should hearken!
- Too fair! In moments when my hopes rose proudest,
- I never hoped such guerdon. Naught is left me
- But to die now! Have words of mine the power
- To make you tremble,--throned there in the branches?
- Ay, like a leaf among the leaves, you tremble!
- You tremble! For I feel,--an if you will it,
- Or will it not,--your hand's beloved trembling
- Thrill through the branches, down your sprays of jasmine!
Cyrano says, “Naught is left me/ But to die now!” (lines 16-17) because _____________.
he has reached a moment of supreme happiness
he understands that his death will benefit Roxane
he is in despair because Roxane will never love him
he is approaching old age.
the intensity of his love is killing him.
he has reached a moment of supreme happiness
Lines 13-16 reveal that Cyrano has reached a moment of supreme happiness. He’s exclaiming that he may as well die now because life can’t possibly get better than this.
Looking at the lines immediately preceding, we see that Cyrano is not despairing or facing literal death. He is talking about his greatest possible joy: the hope that Roxane might hear and understand:
"Each glance of thine awakes in me a virtue,--
A novel, unknown valor. Dost begin, sweet,
To understand? So late, dost understand me?
Feel'st thou my soul, here, through the darkness mounting?"
Though he said earlier that he would gladly sacrifice his own happiness for Roxane's, there is no clear connection between that image and his ecstatic, "Naught is left me
But to die now!"
Example Question #12 : Meaning Of Specified Text: Drama
Passage adapted from Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (1897)
Translated by Gladys Thomas and Mary F. Guillemard (in public domain)
[Cyrano speaks to Roxane.]
CYRANO:
- Ay, true, the feeling
- Which fills me, terrible and jealous, truly
- Love,--which is ever sad amid its transports!
- Love,--and yet, strangely, not a selfish passion!
- I for your joy would gladly lay mine own down,
- --E'en though you never were to know it,--never!
- --If but at times I might--far off and lonely,--
- Hear some gay echo of the joy I bought you!
- Each glance of thine awakes in me a virtue,--
- A novel, unknown valor. Dost begin, sweet,
- To understand? So late, dost understand me?
- Feel'st thou my soul, here, through the darkness mounting?
- Too fair the night! Too fair, too fair the moment!
- That I should speak thus, and that you should hearken!
- Too fair! In moments when my hopes rose proudest,
- I never hoped such guerdon. Naught is left me
- But to die now! Have words of mine the power
- To make you tremble,--throned there in the branches?
- Ay, like a leaf among the leaves, you tremble!
- You tremble! For I feel,--an if you will it,
- Or will it not,--your hand's beloved trembling
- Thrill through the branches, down your sprays of jasmine!
The word “hearken” (line 14) most nearly means __________________.
reject
ignore
grieve
listen
beware
listen
“Hearken” means “listen”. Even if you don’t know the word, you can still home in on the correct answer if you understand that Cyrano is exclaiming about something that Roxane might do to give him joy. Try plugging in all the answer choices. "Listen" is the only one that makes sense in the context.
Example Question #17 : Meaning Of Specified Text: Drama
Passage adapted from Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (1897)
Translated by Gladys Thomas and Mary F. Guillemard (in public domain)
[Cyrano speaks to Roxane.]
CYRANO:
- Ay, true, the feeling
- Which fills me, terrible and jealous, truly
- Love,--which is ever sad amid its transports!
- Love,--and yet, strangely, not a selfish passion!
- I for your joy would gladly lay mine own down,
- --E'en though you never were to know it,--never!
- --If but at times I might--far off and lonely,--
- Hear some gay echo of the joy I bought you!
- Each glance of thine awakes in me a virtue,--
- A novel, unknown valor. Dost begin, sweet,
- To understand? So late, dost understand me?
- Feel'st thou my soul, here, through the darkness mounting?
- Too fair the night! Too fair, too fair the moment!
- That I should speak thus, and that you should hearken!
- Too fair! In moments when my hopes rose proudest,
- I never hoped such guerdon. Naught is left me
- But to die now! Have words of mine the power
- To make you tremble,--throned there in the branches?
- Ay, like a leaf among the leaves, you tremble!
- You tremble! For I feel,--an if you will it,
- Or will it not,--your hand's beloved trembling
- Thrill through the branches, down your sprays of jasmine!
The word “mine”(line 5) refers to ____________________.
Cyrano’s life
Cyrano’s feeling
Cyrano’s passion
Cyrano’s joy
Cyrano’s rage
Cyrano’s joy
The word “mine” refers to Cyrano’s own joy. “I for your joy would gladly lay mine own down” means, “I would gladly sacrifice my own joy for yours.”
The archaic syntax of this sentence makes it tricky to parse. The verb is “would lay down”. The subject of that verb (i.e., the doer of the action) is “I”. In modern English, the subject and verb would be right next to each other: “I would lay down . . .” Here, a prepositional phrase — “for your joy” — has been stuck in between. We have to keep reading the end of the sentence to find out what that phrase means, and what it has to do with the verb.
Contrasting words or phrases are usually a big clue to meaning. Here, Cyrano is contrasting his own joy with Roxane’s:
“I for YOUR joy would gladly lay MINE OWN down.”
This is the quickest way to see that “joy” is what the two contrasting elements have in common. Therefore, that’s what they’re both referring to.