Prose Passages

1. Content — of whole; of one paragraph; of one sentence

• The main subject of the passage is…
• The primary distinction made in the first paragraph is between…
• According to lines 3-7, which of the following is the chief…
• In the third paragraph, the author is chiefly concerned with….

2. Meaning of Words or Phrases

• As it is used in line 2, the word x can be best understood to mean….
• In line 7, the word x employs all of the following meanings EXCEPT…
• The phrase xyz is best understood to mean…

3. Grammar

• In the opening clause, the word "which" refers to…
• In line 12, the antecedent of "it" is…
• The subject of the long sentence that makes up the third paragraph is….

4. Figurative Language

• The comparison in lines 1-3 compares….
• The analogy of the second paragraph compares…
• The phrase xyz is best read as a metaphor relating to…
• The purpose of the astronomy metaphor in line 9 is to…

5. Rhetoric

• The rhetorical purpose of lines 1-6 is to…
• The argument of the passage can be best described as progressing from….
• Which of the following best describes the function of the last sentence?
• The effect of shifting from the past to the present tense in the third paragraph is….
• The happiness of the speaker is conveyed primarily by the use of….

6. Tone — of whole, of paragraph, of sentence

• The tone of the passage may be best described as….
• In discussing x in the second paragraph, the speaker adopts tone of…

7. Other Questions - may be on such topics as:

• Techniques — The phrase "silent scream" is an example of…
• Style — The style of the passage may be best described as…
• Structure — the last paragraph of the passage is related to the first chiefly by…
• Diction — The speaker’s anger is suggested by all of the following words

EXCEPT…