Self Check Quiz
Standard
FCAT LA.A.2.4.8
Practice Test
1.
The Land Rush in Oklahoma
Hamilton S. Wicks
OVERVIEW
On April 22, 1889, the United States government opened 2 million acres of land in the Oklahoma Territory for settlement under the Homestead Act. About 50,000 people started out at noon to compete for the 160-acre tracts of free land. Excerpts from an account by Hamilton S. Wicks, who took part in the "land rush," appear here.
A city established and populated in half a day, in a remote region of country and many miles distant from the nearest civilized community, is a marvel that could have been possible in no age but our own, and in no land except the United States.
The opening of Oklahoma was indeed one of the most important events that has occurred in the development of the West. It marks an epoch in the settlement of the unoccupied lands owned by the government of the United States. Never before has there been such a general uprising of the common people seeking homesteads upon the few remaining acres possessed by Uncle Sam. The conditions and circumstances of the settlement of Oklahoma were widely different from those of the settlement of any other section of the United States. This new territory is surrounded by thoroughly settled and well-organized commonwealths. It is a region containing an area of 69,000 square miles, having an average width of 470 miles, and an average length of 210 miles, being much larger than Ohio, or Indiana, or Kentucky, or Illinois, or "the Virginias," or even the whole of New England.
No method can so clearly bring before the public the actual facts of this wonderful opening as the narration, by one who participated in it, of his experience….
As our train slowly moved through the Cherokee Strip, a vast procession of "boomers" was seen moving across the plains to the Oklahoma lines, forming picturesque groups on the otherwise unbroken landscape….Here, for instance, would be a party consisting of a "prairie schooner" drawn by four scrawny, rawboned horses, and filled with a tatterdemalion group, consisting of a shaggy bearded man, a slatternly looking woman, and several girls and boys, faithful images of their parents, in shabby attire, usually with a dog and a coop of chickens. In striking contrast to this frontier picture, perhaps a couple of flashy real estate men from Wichita would come jogging on a short distance behind, driving a spanking span of bays, with an equipage looking for all the world as though it had just come from a fashionable livery stable.
Our train, whirling rapidly over the prairie, overtook many such contrasted pictures. There were single rigs and double rigs innumerable; there were six-mule teams and four-in-hands, with here and there parties on horseback, and not a few on foot trudging along the wayside. The whole procession marched, rode, or drove, as on some gala occasion, with smiling faces and waving hands. Everyone imagined that Eldorado was just ahead, and I dare say the possibility of failure or disappointment did not enter into the consideration of a single individual on that cool and delightful April day. For many, alas, the anticipations were "April hopes, the fools of chance." …
And now the hour of twelve was at hand, and everyone on the qui vive for the bugle blast that would dissolve the chain of enchantment hitherto girding about this coveted land….All was excitement and expectation. Every nerve was on tension and every muscle strained. The great event for which these brawny noblemen of the West have been waiting for years was on the point of transpiring.
Suddenly the air was pierced with the blast of a bugle. Hundreds of throats echoed the sound with shouts of exultation. The quivering limbs of saddled steeds, no longer restrained by the hands that held their bridles, bounded forward simultaneously into the "beautiful land" of Oklahoma; and wagons and carriages and buggies and prairie schooners and a whole congregation of curious equipages joined in this unparalleled race, where every starter was bound to win a prize – the "Realization Stakes" of home and prosperity.
Here was a unique contest in which thousands participated and which was to occur but once for all time. Truly an historical event! We, the spectators, witnessed the spectacle with most intense interest. Away dashed the thoroughbreds, the broncos, the pintos, and the mustangs at a breakneck pace across the uneven surface of the prairie. It was amazing to witness the recklessness of those cowboy riders….This reckless riding was all very well at the fore part of the race, but it could not prevail against the more discreet maneuverings of several elderly "boomers" who rode more powerful and speedy horses.
…It took but a short time to solve this question of speed among the riders, and after a neck-and-neck race for half a mile or more, they spread like a fan over the prairie, and were eventually lost to our vision among the rolling billows of Oklahoma's far-expanding prairie….
The race was not over when you reached the particular lot you were content to select for your possession. The contest still was who should drive their stakes first, who would erect their little tents sooner, and then, who would quickest build a little wooden shanty.
The situation was so peculiar that it is difficult to convey correct impression of the situation. It reminded me of playing blindman's bluff. One did not know how far to go before stopping; it was hard to tell when it was best to stop; and it was a puzzle whether to turn to the right hand or the left. Everyone appeared dazed, and all for the most part acted like a flock of stray sheep. Where the boldest led, many others followed. I found myself, without exactly knowing how, about midway between the government building and depot. It occurred to me that a street would probably run past the depot.
I accosted a man who looked like a deputy, with a piece of white cord in his hands, and asked him if this was to be a street along here.
"Yes," he replied, "We are laying off four corner lots right here for a lumber yard." "Is this the corner where I stand?" I inquired.
"Yes," he responded, approaching me.
"Then I claim this corner lot!" I said with decision, as I jammed my location stick in the ground and hammered it securely home with my heel. "I propose to have one lot at all hazards on this town site, and you will have to limit yourself to three, in this location at least."
An angry altercation ensued, but I stoutly maintained my position and my rights. I proceeded at once to unstrap a small folding cot I brought with me, and, by standing it on its end, it made a tolerable center pole for a tent. I then threw a couple of my blankets over the cot and staked them securely into the ground on either side. Thus I had a claim that was unjumpable because of substantial improvements, and I felt safe and breathed more freely until my brother arrived on the third train, with our tent and equipments….
Ten thousand people had "squatted" upon a square mile of virgin prairie that first afternoon, and as the myriad of white tents suddenly appeared upon the face of the country, it was as though a vast flock of huge white-winged birds had just settled down upon the hillsides and in the valleys. Here indeed was a city laid out and populated in half a day. Thousands of campfires sparkled upon the dark bosom of the prairie as far as the eye could reach, and there arose from this huge camp a subdued hum declaring that this almost innumerable multitude of the brave and self-reliant men had come to stay and work and build in that distant Western wilderness a city that should forever be a trophy to American enterprise and daring.
How would the author describe his fellow settlers?
a.
manipulative and greedy
b.
courageous and self-sufficient
c.
angry and combative
d.
pessimistic and needy
2.
from
The Iroquois Constitution
Dekanawida:~
The Tree of the Great Peace
I am Dekanawida and with the Five Nations' Confederate Lords I plant the Tree of the Great Peace. I plant it in your territory, Adodarho, and the Onondaga Nation, in the territory of you who are Firekeepers.
I name the tree the Tree of the Great Long Leaves. Under the shade of this Tree of the Great Peace we spread the soft white feathery down of the globe thistle as seats for you, Adodarho, and your cousin Lords.
We place you upon those seats, spread soft with the feathery down of the globe thistle as seats for you, Adodarho, and your cousin Lords.
We place you upon those seats, spread soft with the feathery down of the globe thistle, there beneath the shade of the spreading branches of the Tree of Peace. There shall you sit and watch the Council Fire of the Confederacy of the Five Nations, and all the affairs of the Five Nations shall be transacted at this place.
Roots have spread out from the Tree of the Great Peace, one to the north, one to the east, one to the south, and one to the west. The name of these roots is the Great White Roots and their nature is Peace and Strength.
If any man or any nation outside the Five Nations shall obey the laws of the Great Peace and make known their disposition to the Lords of the Confederacy, they may trace the Roots to the Tree and if their minds are clean and they are obedient and promise to obey the wishes of the Confederate Council, they shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves.
We place at the top of the Tree of the Long Leaves an Eagle who is able to see afar. If he sees in the distance any evil approaching or any danger threatening, he will at once warn the people of the Confederacy.
The Care of the Fire
The Smoke of the Confederate Council Fire shall ever ascend and pierce the sky so that other nations who may be allies may see the Council Fire of the Great Peace.
You, Adodarho, and your thirteen cousin Lords shall faithfully keep the space about the Council Fire clean and you shall allow neither dust nor dirt to accumulate. I lay a Long Wing before you as a broom. As a weapon against a crawling creature I lay a staff with you so that you may thrust it away from the Council Fire.
The Laws of the Council
Whenever the Confederate Lords shall assemble for the purpose of holding a council, the Onondaga Lords shall open it by expressing their gratitude to their cousin Lords and greeting them, and they shall make an address and offer thanks to the earth where men dwell, to the streams of water, the pools, the springs and the lakes, to the maize and the fruits, to the medicinal herbs and trees, to the forest trees for their usefulness, to the animals that serve as food and give their pelts for clothing, to the great winds and the lesser winds, to the Thunderers, to the Sun, the mighty warrior, to the moon, to the messengers of the Creator who reveal his wishes and to the Great Creator who dwells in the heavens above, who gives all the things useful to men, and who is the source and the ruler of health and life.
All the business of the Five Nations' Confederate Council shall be conducted by the two combined bodies of Confederate Lords. First the question shall be passed upon by the Mohawk and Seneca Lords; then it shall be discussed and passed by the Oneida and Cayuga Lords. Their decisions shall then be referred to the Onondaga Lords (Firekeepers) for final judgment.
When the Council of the Five Nation Lords shall convene, they shall appoint a speaker for the day. He shall be a Lord of either the Mohawk, Onondaga, or Seneca Nation.
No individual or foreign nation interested in a case, question, or proposition shall have any voice in the Confederate Council except to answer a question put to him or them by the speaker for the Lords.
If the conditions which shall arise at any future time call for an addition to or change of this law, the case shall be carefully considered, and if a new beam seems necessary or beneficial, the proposed change shall be voted upon and, if adopted, it shall be called, "Added to the Rafters."
The Clans
Among the Five Nations and their posterity there shall be the following original clans: Great Name Bearer, Ancient Name Bearer, Great Bear, Ancient Bear, Turtle, Painted Turtle, Standing Rock, Large Plover, Little Plover, Deer, Pigeon Hawk, Eel, Ball, Opposite-Side-of-the-Hand, and Wild Potatoes. These clans, distributed through their respective Nations, shall be the sole owners and holders of the soil of the country, and in them is it vested as a birthright.
People of the Five Nations [who are] members of a certain clan shall recognize every other member of that clan, irrespective of the Nation, as relatives.
The lineal descent of the people of the Five Nations shall run in the female line. Women shall be considered the progenitors of the Nation. They shall own the land and the soil. Men and women shall follow the status of the mother.
The Leaders
The Lords of the Confederacy of the Five Nations shall be mentors of the people for all time. The thickness of their skin shall be seven spans – which is to say that they shall be proof against anger, offensive actions, and criticism. Their hearts shall be full of peace and good will and their minds filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people of the Confederacy. With endless patience they shall carry out their duty, and their firmness shall be tempered with a tenderness for their people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodgment in their minds, and all their words and actions shall be marked by calm deliberation.
The Festivals
The rites and festivals of each Nation shall remain undisturbed and shall continue as before because they were given by the people of old times as useful and necessary for the good of men.
The recognized festivals of Thanksgiving shall be the Midwinter Thanksgiving, the Maple or Sugar Making Thanksgiving, the Raspberry Thanksgiving, the Strawberry Thanksgiving, the Corn Planting Thanksgiving, the Corn Hoeing Thanksgiving, the Little Festival of Green Corn, the Great Festival of Ripe Corn, and the complete Thanksgiving for the Harvest.
The Symbols
A large bunch of shell strings, in the making of which the Five Nations' Confederate Lords have equally contributed, shall symbolize the completeness of the union and certify the pledge of the Nations represented by the Confederate Lords of the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca, that all are united and formed into one body or union called the Union of the Great Law, which they have established.
Five arrows shall be bound together very strong, and each arrow shall represent one nation. As the five arrows are strongly bound, this shall symbolize the complete union of the nations. Thus are the Five Nations united completely and enfolded together, united into one head, one body, and one mind. Therefore they shall labor, legislate, and council together for the interest of future generations.
Which U.S. document does the Iroquois Constitution most resemble?
a.
The Declaration of Independence
b.
The U.S. Constitution
c.
The Emancipation Proclamation
d.
The Magna Carta
3.
The Challenger Disaster
John Noble Wilford
OVERVIEW
On the morning of January 28, 1986, the worst disaster in United States space history took place. In full view of people on the ground and millions more on television, the space shuttle Challenger exploded just after its launch. Among the seven men and women on board was Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from a New Hampshire high school, who was scheduled to teach a lesson via satellite transmission. Excerpts from a piece written the same day by John Noble Wilford, space reporter for the New York Times, appear here.
Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 28 – In almost three decades, American astronauts and those who had watched them soar so often into space had grown used to success.
Indeed, modern society has come to live by the technology of its own creation and, over the years, the space shuttle program seemed to epitomize the very notion of technical imagination and excellence.
Yes, there had been disaster in the United States' space program: Three Apollo 1 astronauts died in a spacecraft fire on the launching pad in January 1967.
The shuttle program itself had setbacks. There were mishaps, delays, interruptions. Launchings were put off. Hardware malfunctioned. But no Americans had died in flight, and in 24 missions going back to April 1981, the United States space shuttles had made their way to and from orbit without one serious brush with disaster. It almost seemed that only time stood between space technology and its unfulfilled promises of the future.
REALIZATION OF VULNERABILITY
Today the almost casual acceptance of technology exploded in a fireball.
And suddenly, as a result, people are jolted into realizing once again the extreme vulnerabilities that all humans must inevitably subject themselves to when they attempt exploration, or even when they are simply willing to place their fates in the hands of technology.
The recent space flights were beginning to seem so matter-of-fact that the television networks ceased their live coverage of launchings and landings. Newspaper accounts were often relegated to the inside pages. The shuttles went up, and life went on with hardly a passing glance.
This was the way it was supposed to be. In promoting the shuttle project, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration promised that these reusable vehicles, combining the most advanced technologies of aviation and space flight, would eventually replace the conventional expendable rockets and make space travel more economical and relatively routine.
To underscore the increasingly routine nature of space flight NASA had moved to include non-astronauts on some missions, a senator, a congressman and now a schoolteacher.
Yet one needs no reminder now that those who take off for space in a shuttle are riding atop 2,000 tons of explosive fuel, the power needed to break the bonds of earth gravity and lift them above their world. . . .
"This is a day we have managed to avoid for a quarter of a century," said Senator John Glenn, who was the first American to orbit the earth. "We've talked about it before and speculated about it, and it finally has occurred. We hoped we could push this day back forever."
ASSESSING BARGAIN WITH TECHNOLOGY
At times like these, the nation is shaken into a reappraisal of the bargain modern society make in relying so much on advanced technologies. It has known these moments before. Nuclear power plants operate quietly and efficiently for years, generating electricity that runs our technological society, and then, at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, the system collapses and brings attention to the perils in our midst. Chemical factories go along processing the materials that have come to be expected in making lives easier, and then, at Bhopal in India, the system runs amok and brings death and contamination and other tragedies add to our feeling of vulnerability.
Still, there is no going back. The world's dependence on technology makes that impossible, and, it seems in the end, there is an enduring optimism that technology's benefits generally outweigh its ill effects and the disastrous moments that seem to make it undesirable.
The shuttles will no doubt fly again. There are three others in the fleet, Columbia, Discovery and Atlantis. But it could be months before space agency engineers can diagnose the cause of the catastrophe, devise and test the necessary corrections and feel confident enough to give the "go" for another countdown. . . .
Whenever shuttles are again prepared for launching, the nation will probably follow the countdown with a hushed dread. Reporters watching dozens of spaceships lift off in a burst of controlled energy follow the trail of smoke and fire and know that something catastrophic could happen at any second. But with the run of dazzling successes the dark thoughts have receded in our minds, as they seemed to do for all people. . . .
Astronauts rarely speak of the risks they know they take. It is part of the test-pilot tradition to put "your hide on the line" with a nonchalance belying the knowledge and expertise they bring to the task. This attitude and the safe journeys of so many astronauts over the years made the risks seem somehow unreal.
Seeing the Challenger, with its crew of seven on board, blow up in the sky in the full view of everyone at Cape Canaveral and all the other watching on television will leave an indelible impression in the national memory, like the moment of a Presidential assassination or the attack on Pearl Harbor. Americans will again put their trust in this bold new technology. Astronauts will fly the shuttles again because it is their calling, and they believe in what they are doing. Others, including journalists, will probably venture into space, too, no doubt approaching the adventure with a new respect, and some dread, with the image of the Challenger fireball in mind forever.
"Today the almost casual acceptance of technology exploded in a fireball." The preceding quote might be seen as ____________.
a.
overstating the case
b.
false information
c.
a misquote
d.
a dramatic insight
4.
Crisis in Little Rock
Dwight D. Eisenhower
OVERVIEW
In 1957 Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ordered National Guard troops to prevent nine African American students from entering the all-white Central High School in Little Rock. The troops were withdrawn by order of a federal judge, but screaming mobs kept the students from entering the high school. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered federal marshals into the city to restore order. That evening he spoke to the nation. Part of his speech appears here.
For a few minutes this evening I want to speak to you about the serious situation that has arisen in Little Rock. . . .
In that city, under the leadership of demagogic extremists, disorderly mobs have deliberately prevented the carrying out of proper orders from a federal court. Local authorities have not eliminated that violent opposition, and, under the law, I yesterday issued a proclamation calling upon the mob to disperse. This morning the mob again gathered in front of the Central High School of Little Rock, obviously for the purpose of again preventing the carrying out of the court's order relating to the admission of Negro children to that school.
Whenever normal agencies prove inadequate to the task and it becomes necessary for the executive branch of the federal government to use its powers and authority to uphold federal courts, the President's responsibility is inescapable. In accordance with that responsibility, I have today issued an executive order directing the use of troops under federal authority to aid in the execution of federal law at Little Rock, Arkansas. This became necessary when my proclamation of yesterday was not observed, and the obstruction of justice still continues.
It is important that the reasons for my action be understood by all our citizens. As you know, the Supreme Court of the United States has decided that separate public educational facilities for the races are inherently unequal, and, therefore, compulsory school segregation laws are unconstitutional. Our personal opinions about the decision have no bearing on the matter of enforcement; the responsibility and authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution are very clear. Local federal courts were instructed by the Supreme Court to issue such orders and decrees as might be necessary to achieve admission to public schools without regard to race – and with all deliberate speed. . . .
In May of 1955, the Little Rock School Board approved a moderate plan for the gradual desegregation of the public schools in that city. It provided that a start toward integration would be made at the present term in high school, and that the plan would be in full operation by 1963. Here I might say that, in a number of communities in Arkansas, integration in the schools has already started and without violence of any kind. Now, this Little Rock plan was challenged in the courts by some who believed that the period of time as proposed in the plan was too long.
The United States court at Little Rock, which has supervisory responsibility under the law for the plan of desegregation in the public schools, dismissed the challenge, thus approving a gradual rather than an abrupt change from the existing system. The court found that the School Board had acted in good faith in planning for a public-school system free from racial discrimination. Since that time, the court has, on three separate occasions, issued orders directing that the plan be carried out. All persons were instructed to refrain from interfering with the efforts of the School Board to comply with the law.
Proper and sensible observance of the law then demanded the respectful obedience which the nation has a right to expect from all its people. This, unfortunately, has not been the case at Little Rock. . . .
The proper use of the powers of the executive branch to enforce the orders of a federal court is limited to extraordinary and compelling circumstances. Manifestly, such an extreme situation has been created in Little Rock. This challenge must be met and with such measures as will preserve to the people as a whole their lawfully protected rights in a climate permitting their free and fair exercise. The overwhelming majority of our people in every section of the country are united in their respect for observance of the law – even in those cases where they may disagree with that law. They deplore the call of extremists to violence. . . .
I know that the overwhelming majority of the people in the South – including those of Arkansas and of Little Rock – are of goodwill, united in their efforts to preserve and respect the law even when they disagree with it. They do not sympathize with mob rule. They, like the rest of our nation, have proved in two great wars their readiness to sacrifice for America. . . .
At a time when we face grave situations abroad because of the hatred that Communism bears toward a system of government based on human rights, it would be difficult to exaggerate the harm that is being done to the prestige and influence, and indeed to the safety, of our nation and the world. Our enemies are gloating over this incident and using it everywhere to misrepresent our whole nation. We are portrayed as a violator of those standards of conduct which the peoples of the world united to proclaim in the Charter of the United Nations. There they affirmed "faith in fundamental human rights" and "in the dignity and worth of the human person" and they did so "without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion."
And so, with deep confidence, I call upon the citizens of the state of Arkansas to assist in bringing to an immediate end all interference with the law and its processes. If resistance to the federal court orders ceases at once, the further presence of federal troops will be unnecessary, and the city of Little Rock will return to its normal habits of peace and order, and a blot upon the fair name and high honor of our nation in the world will be removed. Thus will be restored the image of America and of all its parts as one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
President Eisenhower tells the nation, "The responsibility and authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution are very clear." Why does the high court have this responsibility?
a.
The system of checks and balances assigns the court this responsibility.
b.
Eisenhower was wrong; the court is not responsible.
c.
The Supreme Court is responsible not only for executing laws but also interpreting them.
d.
Eisenhower assigned this responsibility to the Supreme Court.
5.
How many U.S. troops were operating in Vietnam during the year that domestic opposition to the war reached its peak?
a.
600,000 troops
b.
400,500 troops
c.
about 200,000 troops
d.
approximately 150,000 troops
6.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
OVERVIEW
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel about slavery was first published in serial form in the National Era in 1851. When published in book form the next year, the novel had an enormous impact, selling 300,000 copies the first year and 3 million copies since. According to family legend, when Stowe visited President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, he said: "So this is the little lady who made this big war?" In the excerpts from the following chapter, the novel's slave hero, Uncle Tom, defies the slaveholder, Simon Legree.
Slowly the weary, dispirited creatures wound their way into the room, and with crouching reluctance, presented their baskets to be weighed.
Legree noted on a slate, on the side of which was pasted a list of names, the amount.
Tom's basket was weighed and approved; and he looked, with an anxious glance, for the success of the woman he had befriended.
Tottering with weakness, she came forward, and delivered her basket. It was of full weight, as Legree well perceived; but, affecting anger, he said, "What, you lazy beast! short again! stand aside, you'll catch it, pretty soon!"
The woman gave a groan of utter despair, and sat down on a board.
The person who had been called Misse Cassy now came forward, and, with a haughty, negligent air, delivered her basket. As she delivered it, Legree looked in her eyes with a sneering yet inquiring glance. She fixed her black eyes steadily on him, her lips moved slightly, and she said something in French. What it was, no one knew; but Legree's face became perfectly demoniacal in its expression, as she spoke; he half raised his hand, as if to strike – a gesture which she regarded with fierce disdain, as she turned and walked away.
"And now," said Legree, "come here, you Tom. You see, I telled ye I didn't buy ye jest for the common work I mean to promote ye, and make a driver of ye; and tonight ye may jest as well begin to get yer hand in. Now, ye jest take this yer gal and flog her; ye've seen enough on't to know how."
"I beg Mas'r's pardon," said Tom; "hopes Mas'r won't set me at that. It's what I an't used to – never did – and can't do, no way possible."
"Ye'll larn a pretty smart chance of things ye never did know, before I've done with ye!" said Legree, taking up a cow-hide, and striking Tom a heavy blow across the cheek, and following up the infliction by a shower of blows.
"There!" he said, as he stopped to rest; "now, will ye tell me ye can't do it?"
"Yes, Mas'r," said Tom, putting up his hand, to wipe the blood that trickled down his face. "I'm willin' to work night and day, and work while there's life and breath in me; but this yer thing I can't feel it right to do – and, Mas'r, I never shall do it – never!"
Tom had a remarkably smooth, soft voice, and a habitually respectful manner, that had given Legree an idea that he would be cowardly, and easily subdued. When he spoke these last words, a thrill of amazement went through every one; the poor woman clasped her hands, and said, "O Lord!" and every one involuntarily looked at each other and drew in their breath, as if to prepare for the storm that was about to burst.
Legree looked stupefied and confounded; but at last burst forth -- "What! ye blasted black beast! tell me ye don't think it right to do what I tell ye! What have any of you cussed cattle to do with thinking what's right? I'll put a stop to it! Why, what do ye think ye are? May be ye think ye'r a gentleman, master Tom, to be a telling your master what's right, and what an't! So you pretend it's wrong to flog the gal!"
"I think so, Mas'r," said Tom; "the poor crittur's sick and feeble; 'twould be downright cruel, and it's what I never will do, nor begin to. Mas'r, if you mean to kill me, kill me; but, as to my raising my hand again any one here, I never shall – I'll die first!"
Tom spoke in a mild voice, but with a decision that could not be mistaken. Legree shook with anger; his greenish eyes glared fiercely, and his very whiskers seemed to curl with passion; but, like some ferocious beast, that plays with its victim before he devours it, he kept back his strong impulse to proceed to immediate violence, and broke out into bitter raillery.
"Well, here's a pious dog, at last, let down among us sinners! – a saint, a gentleman, and no less, to talk to us sinners about our sins! Powerful holy critter, he must be! Here, you rascal, you make believe to be so pious – didn't you never hear, out of yer Bible, "Servants, obey yer masters"? An't I yer master? Didn't I pay down twelve hundred dollars cash, for all there is inside yer old cussed black shell? An't yer mine, now, body and soul?" he said, giving Tom a violent kick with his heavy boot; "tell me!"
In the very depth of physical suffering, bowed by brutal oppression, this question shot a gleam of joy and triumph through Tom's soul. He suddenly stretched himself up, and, looking earnestly to heaven, while the tears and blood that flowed down his face mingled, he exclaimed, "No! no! no! my soul an't yours, Mas'r! You haven't bought it – ye can't buy it! It's been bought and paid for, by one that is able to keep it – no matter, no matter, you can't harm me!"
"I can't!" said Legree, with a sneer; "we'll see – we'll see! Here, Sambo, Quimbo, give this dog such a breakin' in as he won't get over, this month!"
The two gigantic Negroes that now laid hold of Tom, with fiendish exultation in their faces, might have formed no unapt personification of the powers of darkness. The poor woman screamed with apprehension, and all rose, as by a general impulse, while they dragged him unresisting from the place.
Which of the following is true about Uncle Tom's Cabin?
a.
It was read by people who wanted to understand the politics of the day.
b.
It showed that life as an enslaved person in the South had its advantages.
c.
It illustrated the beginning of humane treatment of slaves.
d.
It is a fictional account of slavery that had a huge impact.
7.
The Roots of Hiphop
In the early 1970s, a music called hiphop (or rap, as it was also known) emerged from the South Bronx area of New York City. The teenagers of these neighborhoods did not have much money to buy musical instruments or go out to dance clubs, so they held parties instead and developed hiphop as a way to entertain themselves. Using only record players, records, and their imaginations, they created a new style of music. This music was based on two important elements: "rapping" (speaking in rhymes over a beat) and "mixing" (mixing sounds from different records using two or more turntables).
The minimum requirements to create a hiphop song are an MC (the Master of Ceremonies, or rapper); a sound system with at least two turntables; and a DJ to mix the records. It is the job of the DJ to choose and mix together the records that supply the underlying bed of sound over which the MC raps.
One of the first real hiphop DJs was Kool Herc. Herc came from Jamaica, where DJs entertained large crowds by mixing records together and "toasting" over the beat (toasting is the slower, Jamaican equivalent to rapping). Herc brought his revolutionary style to the streets of the Bronx where it immediately caught on. He toasted over the instrumental sections of classic funk, soul, and R&B tunes while playing multiple copies of the same album on several turntables. In this way, he could switch back and forth between the records and extend the length of the songs in order to accommodate his rap.
Joseph Saddler, whose nickname was "Grandmaster Flash," further developed the mixing techniques that Herc had introduced and added what would become two of hiphop's most defining features: cutting and scratching. Instead of just using the same song on multiple turntables to extend one groove, cutting involves mixing between different records to create a far more varied effect. Scratching is achieved by quickly rotating the record back and forth by hand, thereby forcing the record needle to produce a rhythmic, scratching sound.
Grandmaster Flash's innovations eventually led to the art of digital sampling, another of hiphop's trademarks. To sample a sound, a DJ takes a section from an existing record and adds it to the soundscape he has already created. At first, the practice of sampling music brought about many legal controversies. Musicians, record companies, and music publishers felt that if a sample of their song was included in a new composition then they were entitled to a percentage of the sales royalties generated from the new song. After years of legal debates, composers of samples are now being paid a percentage of royalties earned on hiphop composition, and it helps to keep that music alive by transmitting it to the next generation.
In the early days of hiphop, the art of rapping was extremely competitive. A rapper's ability to rhyme, combined with the content of his message were crucial to success. In many ways, hiphop was a reaction against disco music, which was viewed by inner city youth as musically and lyrically superficial. Rapping allowed for an opportunity to speak out in new, creative ways and to express opinions about politics, power struggles, and pride.
The sign of a great rapper has always been an ability to improvise (spontaneously invent) raps on the spot. In some cases, a rapper will prepare and memorize raps beforehand. It is not acceptable, however, for an MC to read lyrics from a piece of paper while rapping.
The first hiphop song to hit the mainstream was "Rapper's Delight," released in 1979 by the Sugar Hill Gang. This tune reached number 36 on the pop charts, no small achievement for a song from a noncommercial music genre. Since the release of that historic song, hiphop music has spread throughout the country and around the world. Once performed only by African American males, today there are female, white, and even Irish and Japanese hiphop artists. With their musical poetics and ingenious use of electronics, the first hiphop artists developed a unique contemporary music form that has left a strong impression on the face of modern music.
Which of the following BEST describes the author's feelings about hiphop?
a.
Hiphop is too violent to be appreciated by mainstream audiences.
b.
Because hiphop borrows heavily from other artists, it should not be taken seriously as a distinct musical form.
c.
The author is confused by hiphop's widespread commercial success.
d.
The author feels that hiphop is a creative and unique form of contemporary music.
8.
The Iran-Contra Affair
Jon Carroll, Ronald Reagan
OVERVIEW
On November 3, 1986, reports appeared abroad indicating that the United States had sent arms to Iran in violation of the government's policy. After many denials, President Ronald Reagan admitted the delivery of arms to Iran in the hope of obtaining Iranian help in freeing American hostages held in Lebanon. On November 25, Reagan announced that he had just discovered that money from the sale of those arms had been transferred to the contras, a rebel group, in Nicaragua. (A violation of a congressional ban on such financing.) Presented below is an article by Jon Carroll that appeared the day after President Reagan blamed the media for spoiling the plan to free the hostages. It is followed by the president's November 26 statement "serious questions of propriety."
JON CARROLL: REMEMBER THE PLUMBERS?
Remember the plumbers? They plugged the leaks in the Nixon White House. They were both secret and secretive. They planted the bug that led to the burglary that led to the arrests that led to the payoffs that led to the coverup that led to the hearings that led to the firings that led to the resignation that toppled the house that Dick built.
Cultural fallout from the event included events as diverse as the acting debut of G. Gordon Liddy and the founding of the Betty Ford Center.
So now we have the New Improved Plumbers. They don't have a cute name anymore; they have a nice bureaucratic title: the National Security Council.
But, like the Plumbers, they deal in paranoia. They don't trust anyone but a few presidential aides. They don't trust Congress; they don't trust the CIA; they don't trust the Defense Department; they don't trust the State Department.
They lie; they sneak; they deny.
Most of all, they don't trust the Constitution. The system of checks and balances central to the American government is perceived as a nuisance. They'd rather make policy by themselves; so much easier, so much more . . . efficient.
And when they get in trouble, they blame the press. Just like the original Plumbers.
So here's what the New Plumbers did. They shipped arms to Iran, despite our policy of not dealing with terrorists, despite our support of Iraq in its war with Iran, despite everything.
Then they got found out. So Larry Speakes, designated mouthpiece, announced that "speculative" press reports "dashed our hopes" of freeing more hostages.
Why? Surely not because the government of Iran was upset. The publicity for them was golden. The revelations proved that the American government was duplicitous; that it lied to its own people.
Not only that, it proved that terrorism does in fact work; that kidnapping Americans is a great way to get weapons and money. And it strengthened Iran's position within the Muslim world as a heroic nation capable of bending the mighty American Satan to its will.
No, the only folks hurt by the press revelations were the New Plumbers. Their ability to arrange secret deals was reduced; their accountability was increased. No wonder they were upset.
The Nixon plumbers, it turned out, were a bunch of insecure, brainless, creeps. The New Plumbers are the same, except more powerful and more dangerous.
They might have gotten their own way. They could have discussed the options with members of their own administration and with leading Republicans on Capitol Hill. They might even have carried the day; releasing hostages is a popular political stance.
But they were afraid of debate, afraid of dissent. Like their opposite numbers in the Kremlin, they prefer unilateral decisions and secret negotiations.
So once again, Americans are in the position of being ashamed of their own government. Once again, the White House stands in voluntary isolation from its own citizens. Even as it did during the Nixon years, the presidency straddles the line between farce and tragedy. Sad but true; true but sad; either; both.
THE PRESIDENT'S PRESS CONFERENCE, NOVEMBER 25
Last Friday, after becoming concerned whether my national security apparatus had provided me with a security, or a complete factual record with respect to the implementation of my policy toward Iran, I directed the Attorney General to undertake a review of this matter over the weekend and report to me on Monday.
And yesterday, Secretary Meese provided me and the White House chief of staff with a report on his preliminary findings. And this report led me to conclude that I was not fully informed on the nature of one of the activities undertaken in connection with this initiative. This action raises serious questions of propriety.
I've just met with my national security advisers and Congressional leaders to inform them of the actions that I'm taking today. Determination of the full details of this action will require further review and investigation by the Department of Justice.
Looking to the future, I will appoint a special review board to conduct a comprehensive review of the role and procedures of the National Security Council staff in the conduct of foreign and national security policy.
I anticipate receiving the reports from the Attorney General and the special review board at the earliest possible date. Upon the completion of these reports, I will share their findings and conclusions with the Congress and the American people.
Although not directly involved, Vice Adm. John Poindexter has asked to be relieved of his assignment as assistant in the Navy. Lieut. Col. Oliver North has been relieved of his duties on the National Security Council staff. I am deeply troubled that the implementation of a policy aimed at resolving a truly tragic situation in the Middle East has resulted in such controversy. As I've stated previously, I believe our policy goals toward Iran were well founded. However, the information brought to my attention yesterday convinced me that in one aspect, implementation of that policy was seriously flawed. While I cannot reverse what has happened, I am initiating steps, including those I've announced today, to assure that the implementation of all future, foreign and national security policy initiatives will proceed only in accordance with my authorization.
Over the past six years, we've realized many foreign policy goals. I believe we can yet achieve, and I intend to pursue, the objectives on which we all agree – a safer, more secure and stable world.
Which of the following best summarizes the issue addressed by the two documents?
a.
Lieut. Col. Oliver North was responsible for the Iran-Contra scandal.
b.
The Plumbers stole tapes because they did not trust the CIA.
c.
President Reagan did not consider the scandal an act of propriety.
d.
Both Carroll and Reagan were concerned by the implications of the affair.
