Submit Test The unicorn of the sea
Analyzing Central Ideas: Mastery Test
hes
eric
2
Select the correct answer.
that it
What is a central idea of the passage?

the sentence does not violate the phrase structure second rule (introduced by noam chomsky) because noun phrases consist of a determiner such as a, the or every, and a noun. in the sentence, the noun phrase the cake includes a determiner (the) and a noun (cake).

on the other hand, the first rule indicates that a sentence encloses a noun phrase, followed by a verb phrase. the example sentence can be analysed as follows:

john (n) + ate (v) + the (det) + cake (n).

one thousand and one nights, also known as arabian nights is a collection of stories whose basic structure is that of embedded narrative. this technique refers to a main story which works as the common frame - or framing narrative - for the other stories, and then this series of stories which are connected to the main one. this technique can also be referred to as a story within a story. the stories stem from the original tale, some begin and end on their own, some are connected to the previous or following one, by means of questions that are answered in the subsequent tale, or characters which reappear.

first of all the mood needs to be defined: it is obviously a mood of deceitful relief and serenity. why? because the cape horn is one of the most violent maritime regions of earth and although it has been left behind, it is a personification of ahab’s delirium and the fact that the end of the passage speaks about it about being “hidden” but “raving” immediately conveys the feeling the calm is not permanent but fleeting.

furthermore, the oxymoron “mild stun'sails” is the first instance of such feeling as the adjective “mild” is associated with “stunned” underscoring the fleeting nature of this “tranquil” moment. and the contrasts keep piling up, with the opposition between “dark den” and “blessed light and air” to end with the final conclusion that leaves the reader with the uneasy knowledge that this is just a reprieve.