Read this excerpt from Chapter 1 of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and answer the question. When I was three and Bailey four, we had arrived in the musty little town, wearing tags on our wrists which instructed – ‘To Whom It May Concern’ – that we were Marguerite and Bailey Johnson Jr. … Negro passengers, who always traveled with loaded lunch boxes, felt sorry for ‘the poor little motherless darlings’ and plied us with cold fried chicken and potato salad.

Which of the following BEST describes the cultural context of this memoir?

life of African-Americans in rural South of 1940s
train travel in 1940s American rural South
cotton-picking methods in 1940s American rural South
voting traditions of African-Americans in 1940s American rural South

Select the quote that best shows character. “why should he disturb my peace? ” “excuse me, sir, i am not accustomed to listen to such expressions or to such a tone of voice. i want to hear no more.” “the dear lady may well have taken me for a brigand.” “then you won’t pay me now? eh? ”

"she is his achilles' heel" is an example question 3 options: a allusion b alliteration c simile d personification

Read the following excerpt from "dark tower" by claude mckay before you choose your answer. "we shall not always plant while others reap the golden increment of bursting fruit, nor always countenance, abject and mute, that lesser men should hold their brothers cheap; not everlastingly while others sleep shall we beguile their limbs with mellow flute, not always bend to some more subtle brute. we were not made eternally to weep. the night, whose sable breast relieves the stark, white stars, is no less lovely being dark; and there are buds that cannot bloom at all in light, but crumple, piteous, and fall. so in the dark we hid the heart that bleeds, and wait, and tend our agonizing needs." in context, the expression "the night, whose sable breast relieves the stark,/ white stars, is no less lovely being dark; " is best interpreted as a. the light of the stars overpowers the black of night b. the black of night overpowers the light of the stars c. black and white contribute equally to the beauty of the night sky d. black and white continuously compete for prominence in the night sky