I’ve never met a word 1 That couldn’t be replaced 2 With some captivating synonym 3 That just stared me in the face. 4 My friends call me a euphemism: 5 Mr. Big Vocabulary, 6 Because I make their simple words 7 more extraordinary. 8 When they say go forward, 9 I reiterate—“proceed” 10 When they say they’ve stuff for sale, 11 “merchandise,” they hear from me. 12 It’s not an obligation; 13 don’t misunderstand. 14 The right word’s always there (somewhere) 15 waiting patiently to stand 16 in a sentence or a paragraph— 17 perfection is the thing. 18 A guardian of language, 19 I make your statements sing. 20 I think it’s just good sportsmanship 21 to this notion, I subscribe: 22 that our words are exclamations 23 of the thoughts we wield inside. 24 And if I can be the bearer 25 of superior expressions, 26 then Warden of Vocabulary 27 is my chosen life profession. 28 In line 13, the word obligation means A) duty. B) enjoyment. C) possession. D) sentence.

Read the excerpt from act 3 of a doll’s house. mrs. linde: you seemed to me to imply that with me you might have been quite another man. krogstad: i am certain of it. mrs. linde: is it too late now? krogstad: christine, are you saying this deliberately? yes, i am sure you are. i see it in your face. have you really the courage, then—? mrs. linde: i want to be a mother to someone, and your children need a mother. we two need each other. nils, i have faith in your real character—i can dare anything together with you. krogstad [grasps her hands]. , , christine! now i shall find a way to clear myself in the eyes of the world. ah, but i forgot— how does the conflict in this passage develop a theme? mrs. linde creates a conflict by promising something she cannot give to krogstad, which develops the theme that empty promises can destroy relationships. krogstad continues the conflict by choosing clearing his name over having a life with mrs. linde, which develops the theme that you must often choose yourself over others. krogstad creates a conflict by deceiving mrs. linde about his intentions, which develops the theme that, in love, actions speak louder than words. mrs. linde resolves the conflict by committing to a new life with krogstad, which develops the theme that new beginnings are always possible.