| Question | Correct Answer | Your Answer | Result | Explanation |
| 1 | D | 0 | 0 | Coyle is bringing up bills from various merchants who are going to take action against Sir Edward because he hasn’t paid them, so a judge’s decision and a court order are the best paraphrase (D). No one is being branded a criminal (A). The actions are real, not just moral (B). There is no suggestion of a partnership (C). There is no reference to a search of the property (E). |
| 2 | A | 0 | 0 | Coyle manages Sir Edward’s accounts as his “agent” or money manager (A). He is not a lawyer (B). Although Coyle is employed by Sir Edward, he is not a servant (C). Sir Edward’s father was a benefactor for Coyle’s father, but the current generation does not have this arrangement (D). Coyle and Sir Edward are not related, although Coyle wants to marry Sir Edward’s daughter (E). |
| 3 | A | 0 | 0 | Coyle’s father lent Sir Edward’s father money and took a property as an assurance that he would pay Coyle’s father back, which never happened. In this situation, the property is collateral (A). “Agreement” does not describe the role of the property (B), nor does assurance have the precise meaning (C). Security does not mean “welfare” (D), nor is the property a prize (E). |
| 4 | C | 0 | 0 | Sir Edward calls the debts “extortion,” which means he thinks they are unfair (C). “Infernal” is merely an insult, not a comment on the fairness of the bills (A). “Confound” is an expletive like “darn” (B). “Impudence” describes Coyle’s attitude, not the situation (D). “Unencumbered” in this context means “available to mortgage,” which does not fit the situation (E). |
| 5 | B | 0 | 0 | Coyle offers to keep “the Ravensdale estate in the family” if Sir Edward will give Coyle his daughter (B). Coyle does not offer to pay off the creditors—his offer extends only to Ravensdale (A). Coyle wants to marry Sir Edward’s daughter, not marry her to a resident of Ravensdale (C). Coyle does not want to marry Sir Edward’s daughter to prevent her financial ruin (D). There is no love affair between Coyle and Sir Edward’s daughter (“Florence detests him”) (E). |
| 6 | D | 0 | 0 | Sir Edward appears to argue with himself, here, voicing both sides of the argument to accept or deny Coyle’s offer. The lines are not quite a monologue, nor do they express doubt (A). Just because the character is talking to himself does not mean he’s going mad (B). The character is not addressing the audience (C). The lines do not explain a plot point; they merely follow Sir Edward’s reasoning. |
SAT Literature Practice Test 9
Directions: This test consists of selections from literary works and questions on their content, form, and style. After each passage or poem, choose the best answer to each question.
FYI, this is from Our American Cousin, by Tom Taylor.
1. The phrase “judgment and execution” (line 6) most likely means
A. a sentence and the death penalty
B. the moral high ground
C. an official breakup of a partnership
D. a judge’s decision and a court order
E. a search and seizure of property
2. Coyle and Sir Edward’s relationship is that of
A. money manager and client
B. lawyer and defendant
C. servant and master
D. benefactor and recipient
E. uncle and nephew
3. The word “security” (line 62) most nearly means
A. collateral
B. agreement
C. assurance
D. welfare
E. prize
4. Which of Sir Edward’s choice of words makes it clear that he considers the bills from his creditors to be unfair?
A. infernal (line 15)
B. confound (line 14)
C. extortion (line 19)
D. impudence (line 32)
E. unencumbered (lines 43-44)
5. What is the deal Coyle wants to strike with Sir Edward?
A. He will pay off the creditors in exchange for allowing him to marry Sir Edward’s daughter.
B. He will keep Ravensdale in the family if he is allowed to marry Sir Edward’s daughter.
C. He will arrange the marriage of Sir Edward’s daughter to the current residents of Ravensdale.
D. He will marry Sir Edward’s daughter to prevent her at least from financial ruin.
E. Because Sir Edward is without money, Sir Edward will have to sanction the love affair between Coyle and his daughter.
6. Sir Edward’s final lines, “A beggar, Sir Edward Trenchard a beggar, see my children reduced to labor for their bread, to misery perhaps; but the alternative, Florence detests him, still the match would save her, at least, from ruin. He might take the family name, I might retrench, retire, to the continent for a few years. Florence’s health might serve as a pretence. Repugnant as the alternative is, yet it deserves consideration” (lines 80-87), are an example of
A. a monologue expressing doubt
B. a character dissolving into madness
C. a character addressing the audience
D. a character voicing both sides of an argument to himself
E. a speech explaining a plot point to the audience
