GCSFE Review Packet #1 - Grade 12

Which statement best states the claim, or main point, that Bacon builds upon in this passage?

• Holding high office causes people to do evil.

• Holding high office is one of the noblest aspirations.

• Holding high office has costs as great as any of the benefits.

• Holding high office helps people serve others in many ways.

Which excerpt from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?

• Men in great places are thrice servants...

• It is a strange desire to seek power and to lose liberty...

• The rising unto place is laborious...

• The standing is slippery...

Which choice best expresses the essential message of the first three sentences of the passage?

• To gain power over others, you have to do so many bad things that you lose their respect.

• If you perform evil to gain power, others may perform the same evil to replace you.

• Gaining high office may take great effort, but ultimately it is worth the effort.

• Having power over others puts you in a position with little freedom yourself.

Which of the following is the best description of Bacon's chain of reasoning in this passage?

• He uses a thought experiment to show that seeking "great office" is a good way to serve others...

• He justifies his claim that seeking "great office" is not worthwhile by linking together examples...

• He asserts the contradictions between the reasons people desire "great office" and the actual...

• He offers facts to justify his claim that people who seek "great office" should first prepare themselves...

What is most clearly the impact of Bacon's use of the phrases "by pains...pains" and "by indignities...dignities"?

• The use of analogy emphasizes the challenges those running for office face.

• The use of repetition emphasizes the attractiveness of holding a high office.

• The use of parallelism emphasizes the ironies involved in running for office.

• The use of comparison emphasizes the similarities between officials and other people.

From the dialogue in the scene, what can you infer about Cordelia's attitude toward her father, King Lear?

• She refuses to forgive him.

• She loves him very much.

• She finds him a comical figure.

• She does not know who he is.

In which way does this scene most clearly illustrate a defining element of tragedy?

• It depicts a noble character experiencing calamity.

• It depicts an ambitious character punished for his striving.

• It depicts the conflict between fate, love, and suffering.

• It depicts characters regretting actions they have taken in the past.

If this excerpt were rewritten to reflect modern English usage, which words would most likely be replaced? Select two options.

• benediction

• foolish

• methinks

• ignorant

• be

Which theme, or central idea, is most clearly expressed in these stanzas?

• Nature is a better teacher of morality than the wisest people are.

• Children can sometimes show greater wisdom than adults do.

• People need to be less concerned with social status.

• Human beings must protect the environment.

Which emotions are conveyed by the spring-like image in line 1?

• sorrow and despair

• anger and defiance

• joy and abundance

• confusion and fear