Craft & Structure Mock Tests

Read the following excerpt from a novel set in postcolonial Nigeria: "The schoolmaster adjusted his glasses and looked at Chika with a mixture of pity and impatience. 'You must write in English,' he said, tapping the textbook. 'Your mother tongue will not get you anywhere in this world.' Chika nodded respectfully, but she felt a strange knot in her stomach — as if the words 'English' and 'world' were being forced together like two pieces that did not quite fit." What does Chika's reaction most strongly suggest about her identity?

In this excerpt from a travel essay about Japan: "Tokyo's Shibuya crossing is often called the busiest intersection in the world, and for good reason. During rush hour, hundreds of people surge forward from all four corners simultaneously, creating a choreographed chaos that somehow functions with remarkable efficiency. Each person moves with purpose, navigating the flow without conscious coordination — a metaphor, perhaps, for urban life itself." The author uses the word "metaphor" to suggest that the Shibuya crossing: a) literally directs traffic through a choreographed system b) represents the organized yet chaotic nature of city living c) serves as a popular subject for visual artists d) demonstrates the failure of urban planning in large cities

In this excerpt from a literary essay about poetry: "Emily Dickinson's poetry is often characterized by its brevity and its use of slant rhyme. Her poems frequently subvert traditional poetic forms, replacing grand declarations with intimate observations. A single Dickinson poem might explore the relationship between death and nature, using a graveyard scene to meditate on mortality. This compression of meaning, this ability to find the universal in the particular, is what makes her work endure." The author of the passage suggests that Dickinson's poetry endures because of its: a) adherence to traditional poetic forms b) long, elaborate descriptions of nature c) ability to express universal themes through specific details d) consistent use of perfect rhyme schemes

In this excerpt from a novel: "She stood at the window, watching the rain blur the city lights into streaks of gold and silver. The apartment was silent except for the ticking of the clock on the wall — a sound that seemed to grow louder with each passing minute." What is the tone of this passage?

In this excerpt from a novel, the narrator describes a childhood home: "The kitchen window faced east, and in the mornings the light fell across the scarred wooden table where my mother had pressed bills into neat piles. I used to think those piles were a kind of architecture — careful, deliberate, holding everything up. Now I see them for what they were: a desperate attempt to impose order on a world that was quietly falling apart." What does the narrator most likely imply about their mother?

Read the following excerpt from an opinion piece about social media: "We scroll through curated feeds of perfect vacations, flawless skin, and triumphant achievements. We compare our behind-the-scenes — the messy, uncertain, ordinary moments — to everyone else's highlight reel. No wonder we feel inadequate. Social media does not reflect reality; it performs it." The author's primary purpose in writing this passage is to:

The following sentence appears in an essay: "The company's quarterly earnings report, which exceeded all analyst predictions, was met with cautious optimism by investors who remembered the previous year's disappointing results." Which version of the underlined portion best maintains the formal tone of the essay while clarifying the relationship between the earnings report and investor reaction?

In this excerpt from a historical document: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness." What is the primary rhetorical function of the phrase "self-evident" in this passage?