1. The specific-line question

Which of the following is being referred to by the abstract term “characteristics” (line 9)?1. “boiler, smokestack, valve boxes” (line 4)2. “The tender” (line 5)3. “a number of elaborate scrolls” (lines 7–8)4. “Steam engines” (line 9)5. “a printing press” (line 11)

Strategies:1. Always go back to the text2. Consider every answer

2. The passage-wide questionThe development of the passage can best be described as the1. presentation of two conflicting ideas followed by a resolution2. explanation of an historical issue leading to the examination

of the same issue in contemporary society3. chronological examination of an aspect of design during a

particular time period4. movement from European to United States views of the topic5. examination of technological advances at a particular point in

time

Strategies:1. Think back on your long read, and skim

passage again to pick from your top choices2. Consider every answer

3. The footnote questionWhich of the following is an accurate reading of footnote 2?1. An article by John F. Kasson appears on page 427 of

Engineering.2. “Machine Tools at the Philadelphia Exhibition” was published

in New York.3. The article “Engineering” can be found on page 427 of

“Machine Tools at the Philadelphia Exhibition.”4. “Machine Tools at the Philadelphia Exhibition” is an article

published in the May 26, 1876, issue of Engineering.5. Engineering is an article cited by John F. Kasson.

Strategies:1. Pay attention to answers’ distinctions among

genre, dates, etc. You’re being tested for how well you can decipher MLA style.

4. The extraction question

In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the reader can infer that1. One2. Two, etc.

Strategies:1. This question asks you to infer something or

has you apply something in the passage to something outside of it.

2. Think back on your long read, and skim passage again to pick from your top choices

3. Consider every answer

5. The multiple-multiple choice question

In the Gettysburg Address, “dedicate” and “dedication” refer to

I. The purpose of our nationII. The consecration of the Gettysburg battlefieldIII. The audience’s vow to support the war aims

1. II only2. I and II3. II and III4. I and III5. I, II, and III

Strategies:1. Decide matters on the Roman

numeral level first2. The consider every possible

combination

6. The inverted question

In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the concept of dedication refers to all of the following except:1. The purpose of our nation2. The consecration of the Gettysburg

battlefield3. The audience’s vow to support the war

aims4. The audience’s collective memory5. The soldiers’ commitment

Strategies:1. Consider every answer2. Remember the inverted effect: what’s right is

wrong, and what’s wrong is right!