DTW GED PREP

QUESTIONS

Directions: Read the following text, which is excerpted from a speech by U.S. Congresswoman Patsy Mink on making English the official language of the United States. Then answer the questions.

        Mr. Chairman, this bill that we are considering is entitled “The English Language Empowerment Act.” I see nothing in this bill that empowers anybody in terms of becoming better acquainted with English or more proficient. There is not a penny being spent for education to promote English. We look at the education budget, and it is being cut. What this bill really is doing is to confine, to restrict the programs and opportunities for people who are not proficient in English and to prevent those people from participating in all the fullness and richness of this society. It really degrades the whole notion of our open society, accessible to everybody legally within its borders.

       The moment we say something cannot be printed in anything else other than English, we are punishing that small sector of our society who are not a threat to our democracy. Less than 5% of our people in the census said they were not proficient in English. They are not a threat at all. Yet we are seeking to deny access to the Government by refusing to allow Government agencies to print documents explaining how to get into programs, how to apply for business loans, how to really make themselves much more a part, an integral part, of this society.

       If we want to empower all these individuals in our community, regardless of what their ethnic origin is or where they came from, it seems to me that we have to find ways in which to embrace them, not to leave them out. This bill excludes opportunity contained in all the bills that we have passed; it says they are repealed. If we said anything previously about opening up government and creating access for people who are not proficient in English, those are repealed. There is a repealer paragraph in this bill.

       Mr. Chairman, this is not an empowerment. It is denial.

 1.   How does paragraph 2 influence the passage?

 A.   It stresses the punitive aspect of the bill.

 B.   It emphasizes the fact that there is no funding in the bill.

 C.   It focuses the passage on the need to promote the use of English.

 D.   It adds more information about people who do not speak English well.

2.   In paragraph 1, what is the meaning of degrades?

 A.   assists

 B.   hampers

 C.   lowers

 D.   questions

 3.   How does the last sentence influence the tone of the passage?

 A.   It makes the tone more insistent.

 B.   It has a calming effect on the tone.

 C.   It creates a sense of disbelief.

 D.   It changes the tone from tongue-in-cheek to ironic.

 4.   In paragraph 3, what effect does the word embrace have on the intent of the passage? It shows that the speaker wants to

 A.   hug people with limited English skills.

 B.   protect people with limited English skills.

 C.   reject people with limited English skills.

 D.   welcome people with limited English skills.

 Directions: Read the following text, which is excerpted from The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield. Then answer the questions.

       “And so you go back to the office on Monday, do you, Jonathan?” asked Linda.

       “On Monday the cage door opens and clangs to upon the victim for another eleven months and a week,” answered Jonathan.

       Linda swung a little. “It must be awful,” she said slowly.

       “Would ye have me laugh, my fair sister? Would ye have me weep?”

       Linda was so accustomed to Jonathan’s way of talking that she paid no attention to it.

      “I suppose,” she said vaguely, “one gets used to it. One gets used to anything.”

       “Does one? Hum!” The “Hum” was so deep it seemed to boom from underneath the ground. “I wonder how it’s done,” brooded Jonathan;

 “I’ve never managed it.”

       “It seems to me just as imbecile, just as awful, to have to go to the office on Monday,” said Jonathan, “as it always has done and always will do. To spend all the best years of one’s life sitting on a stool from nine to five, scratching in somebody’s ledger! It’s a strange use to make of one’s . . . one and only life, isn’t it? Or do I fondly dream?” He rolled over on the grass and looked up at Linda. “Tell me, what is the difference between my life and that of an ordinary prisoner. The only difference I can see is that I put myself in jail and nobody’s ever going to let me out. That’s a more intolerable situation than the other. For if I’d been—pushed in, against my will—kicking, even—once the door was locked, or at any rate in five years or so, I might have accepted the fact and begun to take an interest in the flight of flies or counting the warden’s steps along the passage with particular attention to variations of tread and so on. But as it is, I’m like an insect that’s flown into a room of its own accord. I dash against the walls, dash against the windows, flop against the ceiling, do everything, in fact, except fly out again. And all the while I’m thinking, like that moth, or that butterfly, or whatever it is, “The shortness of life! The shortness of life!’ I’ve only one night or one day, and there’s this vast dangerous garden, waiting out there, undiscovered, unexplored.”

 5.   How does the mention of jail influence the story? It suggests that Jonathan

 A.   should be punished.

 B.   feels stuck in his situation.

 C.   spent time in jail when he was younger.

 D.   thinks he has done something very wrong.

 6.   Which of the following best describes the tone of the excerpt?

 A.   inspirational

 B.   lighthearted

C.   theatrical

 D.   tranquil

ANSWERS

Passage 1: Patsy Mink Speech

1. How does paragraph 2 influence the passage?
✅ Answer: A. It stresses the punitive aspect of the bill.
Explanation:
Paragraph 2 highlights how the bill punishes non-English speakers by preventing them from accessing important government resources. Mink emphasizes that denying documents in other languages restricts participation in public programs, showing the bill’s punitive effects rather than empowerment.

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2. In paragraph 1, what is the meaning of degrades?
✅ Answer: C. lowers
Explanation:
The word “degrades” in this context refers to lowering the value or quality of the concept of an open and inclusive society. Mink argues the bill diminishes American ideals of accessibility and equality.

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3. How does the last sentence influence the tone of the passage?
✅ Answer: A. It makes the tone more insistent.
Explanation:
By stating bluntly, “this is not an empowerment. It is denial,” Mink underscores her passionate opposition to the bill. This sentence adds urgency and conviction to the tone, pushing the message forcefully to the reader.

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4. In paragraph 3, what effect does the word embrace have?
✅ Answer: D. welcome people with limited English skills.
Explanation:
The metaphorical use of “embrace” conveys inclusion, compassion, and support. Mink argues for integrating non-English speakers into society rather than excluding them, reinforcing the message of unity.

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Passage 2: The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

5. How does the mention of jail influence the story?
✅ Answer: B. feels stuck in his situation.
Explanation:
Jonathan compares his job to a prison, indicating his emotional entrapment and lack of freedom. This metaphor illustrates his despair and view of work as a self-imposed confinement without escape.

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6. Which of the following best describes the tone?
✅ Answer: C. theatrical
Explanation:
Jonathan speaks dramatically—“Would ye have me laugh, my fair sister?”—and uses extended metaphors. His over-the-top language and reflections reveal a tone of theatrical exaggeration rather than calm or purely inspirational expression.