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Welcome to our deep dive into the "EST June 2022 Literacy I Passage 1 of 4 Explanation." As part of our June 2022 resource series, we're offering detailed explanations and analyses to help you grasp the nuances of each passage and excel in your test preparation. Whether you're tackling the full mock test or focusing on individual passages, our insights will provide you with the clarity and understanding you need to succeed.

In this blog, we'll break down the first passage of the Literacy I section, offering a thorough explanation of its content, context, and the skills it tests. From the life of Abraham Lincoln to the intricacies of language and comprehension, we'll guide you through each line and question, ensuring you're well-prepared to tackle similar challenges.

Join us as we explore the rich content and critical thinking required for the EST, supplemented with additional resources to boost your skills in vocabulary, reading, and beyond. Whether you're a student aiming for excellence or an educator seeking resources, this explanation will enhance your literacy skills and deepen your understanding of the test's demands.

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TEST EXPLANATION

The Everyday Life of Abraham Lincoln By Francis Fisher Browne

The year (1) 1809—that year which gave William E. Gladstone to England—was in our country the birth-year of him (2) when wears the most distinguished name that (3) has yet been wrote on the pages of American history—ABRAHAM LINCOLN. In a (4) quaint cabin in a clearing, in the wilds of that section which was once the hunting-ground and later the battle-field of the Cherokees and other war-like tribes, and which the Indians (5) ourselves had named Kentucky because it was "dark and bloody ground," the great War President of the United States, after whose name History has written the word "Emancipator," first saw the light. Born and nurtured in penury, inured to hardship, coarse food, and scanty clothing,—the story of his youth is full of (6) pathos.

1. The author is considering removing the dashes in the underlined portion. Should he do so?

A.     Yes, the dashes are inconsistent with the style of the passage. 

B.      Yes, the information between dashes is restrictive. 

C.     No, the dashes emphasize the modifier. 

D.     No, the dashes serve to break from the flow of the passage to introduce new ideas. 

1. The author is considering removing the dashes in the underlined portion. Should he do so?

Answer: D. No, the dashes serve to break from the flow of the passage to introduce new ideas.

Explanation: The dashes in "1809—that year which gave William E. Gladstone to England—" serve an important purpose. They allow the author to break from the main idea of the sentence (the birth year of Abraham Lincoln) to introduce additional context (the birth of William Gladstone in England the same year). This digression adds interesting background information without disrupting the core meaning.

EST Shortcut: Dashes can effectively introduce related ideas or context without derailing the main point.

EST Tip: When you see dashes in an EST passage, consider whether the information they contain adds meaningful context or can be removed without changing the primary meaning.

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2.A. NO CHANGE

B.      who 

C.      which 

D.     whose 

2. The underlined section is "when wears the most distinguished name". The correct answer option is "B. who".

Explanation: In this sentence, "when" is incorrectly used to refer to a person, Abraham Lincoln. To refer to a person, the relative pronoun "who" should be used instead. "Who" connects the description "wears the most distinguished name" to the person it describes, Lincoln.

EST Shortcut: Who = person; which/that = thing.

EST Tip: Whenever a pronoun refers to a person in an EST question, "who" will likely be the correct relative pronoun to use. Don't get tricked into picking an incorrect option like "when"!

Keywords: EST test, relative pronouns, who, refers to a person

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3.A. NO CHANGE

B.      yet been written 

C.      had yet been written 

D.     has yet been written 

3. The underlined section is "has yet been wrote". The correct answer option is "D. has yet been written".

Explanation: This underlined phrase contains an error in verb form. The verb "wrote" is in simple past tense, but it needs to be in past participle form ("written") to work with "has" in the present perfect tense. The present perfect "has yet been written" expresses an action that started in the past and continues into the present, which matches the intended meaning that Lincoln's name is the most distinguished in American history up to now.

EST Shortcut: Present perfect tense = has/have + past participle verb form.

EST Tip: When you see a verb underlined in an EST exam question, first identify the intended verb tense. Then make sure the verb form matches that tense.

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4. The writer wants to express crudeness. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

A. NO CHANGE

B. massive

C. primitive

D. solemn

4. The writer wants to express crudeness. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

Answer: C. primitive

Explanation: The word "quaint" implies something charming or attractively old-fashioned. This does not match the "crudeness" the writer wants to express. Of the choices, "primitive" best captures a sense of crudeness, suggesting something basic, unsophisticated, or unrefined. "Massive" focuses on size, while "solemn" means serious or formal, so neither captures crudeness.

EST Shortcut: Primitive = crude, unsophisticated. Quaint = charming, old-fashioned.

EST Tip: When an EST question asks about expressing a certain tone or meaning, look for the word that most closely aligns with that intention. Don't be tempted by familiar words that don't quite fit.

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5.A. NO CHANGE

B. themselves

C. herself

D. himself

5. The underlined section is "ourselves". The correct answer option is "B. themselves".

Explanation: In this sentence, "Indians" is the subject performing the action of naming Kentucky. To refer back to the subject, the reflexive pronoun "themselves" should be used. "Ourselves" would only be correct if "we" were the subject, but the passage is describing the actions of the Indians, not us.

EST Shortcut: Reflexive pronouns must match their antecedent (subject). Singular: himself, herself, itself, yourself. Plural: ourselves, yourselves, themselves.  

EST Tip: For EST pronoun questions, first identify the subject doing the action. Then choose the pronoun that refers back to that specific subject.

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6.A. NO CHANGE

B. triumph

C. abuse

D. hope

6. The underlined section is "pathos". The correct answer option is "A. NO CHANGE".

Explanation: The word "pathos" means a quality that evokes pity or sadness. This fits perfectly with the description of Lincoln's youth as full of "hardship, coarse food, and scanty clothing." The other options like "triumph," "abuse," and "hope" do not capture the sense of pity and suffering suggested by the details in the sentence.

EST Shortcut: Pathos = pity, sadness, suffering.

EST Tip: When an EST question asks about a single underlined word, consider the meaning of that word and how it fits the context of the sentence and paragraph. Don't get distracted by other words that seem related but don't quite match the meaning.

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(7) Small wonder that when asked in his later years to tell something of his early life, he replied by quoting a line from Gray's Elegy:

"The short and simple annals of the poor."

 Lincoln's ancestry has been traced with tolerable certainty through five generations to Samuel Lincoln of Norfolk County, England. Not many years after the landing of the "Mayflower" at Plymouth—perhaps in the year 1638—Samuel Lincoln's son Mordecai had (8) run to Hingham, Massachusetts. Perhaps (9) although he was a Quaker, a then persecuted sect, he did not remain long at Hingham, but came westward as far as Berks County, Pennsylvania. His son, John Lincoln, went southward from Pennsylvania and settled in Rockingham County, Virginia. Later, in 1782, while the last events of the American Revolution were in progress, Abraham Lincoln, son of John and grandfather of President Lincoln, moved into Kentucky and took up a tract of government land in Mercer County. In the Field Book of Daniel Boone, the Kentucky pioneer, (now in possession of the Wisconsin Historical Society), appears the following note of purchase:

"Abraham Lincoln enters five hundred acres of land on a Treasury warrant on the south side of Licking Creek or River, in Kentucky."

7. The author is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?

A.     Kept, the sentence provides details about the preceding sentence. 

B.      Kept, the sentence provides an important contradiction to the previous sentence. 

C.      Deleted, the sentence is unrelated to the rest of the paragraph. 

D.     Deleted, the sentence provides details that should not be presented at the end of the paragraph. 

7. The author is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?

Answer: A. Kept, the sentence provides details about the preceding sentence.

Explanation: The underlined sentence provides a poignant detail (Lincoln quoting Gray's Elegy) that directly relates to and illustrates the preceding sentence about the "hardship" and "penury" Lincoln experienced in his youth. This relevant detail enhances the paragraph's description of Lincoln's humble upbringing, so it should be kept.

EST Shortcut: Relevant, illustrative details should be kept. Irrelevant, repetitive, or contradictory details can be deleted.

EST Tip: For EST "keep or delete" questions, analyze how the sentence relates to the ideas before and after it. Does it provide useful elaboration, transition, or relevant detail? If so, keep it.

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8.A. NO CHANGE

B.      emigrated 

C.      flown 

D.     hurried 

8. The underlined section is "run to Hingham, Massachusetts". The correct answer option is "B. emigrated".

Explanation: The phrasal verb "run to" is informally used to mean "escape" or "flee to," which is not the meaning intended here to describe Mordecai Lincoln's relocation. The word "emigrated" precisely describes Mordecai's action of leaving his home country to settle in another, making it the best choice.

EST Shortcut: Emigrate = leave one's country to live in another. Immigrate = enter another country to live there.

EST Tip: EST questions often test the subtle differences between similar words. Pick the word that most precisely matches the sentence's intended meaning, not just the most familiar word.

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9.A. NO CHANGE

B.      dueto 


C.      as a result of 


D.     because 


9. The underlined section is "Perhaps although he was a Quaker, a then persecuted sect". The correct answer option is "D. because".

Explanation: The sentence sets up a cause-and-effect relationship: Mordecai didn't stay long in Hingham because he was a Quaker facing persecution. "Because" clearly expresses this causation. "Although" sets up a contrast, which doesn't fit since being a persecuted Quaker is a direct reason for leaving rather than a point of opposition.

EST Shortcut: "Because" expresses cause and effect. "Although" expresses contrast or opposition.

EST Tip: In EST questions involving "although" or "because," identify whether the underlined clause is expressing a cause or a contrast to the main idea of the sentence. This will guide you to the correct word choice.

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At this time Kentucky was included within the limits and jurisdiction of Virginia. In 1775 Daniel Boone had built a fort at Boonesborough, on the Kentucky river, and it was not far from this site that Abraham Lincoln, President Lincoln's grandfather, located his claim and put up a rude log hut for the shelter of his family. The pioneers of Kentucky cleared small spaces and erected their humble dwellings. (10) They had to contend not with only the wild forces of nature, and to defend themselves from the beasts of the forest,—more to be feared either than were the hostile Indians. (11)

10.A. NO CHANGE

B. They had to contend not only with the wild forces of nature, but to defend themselves from the beasts of the forest,—more to be feared than either were the hostile Indians. 

C. They had to contend not only with the wild forces of nature, and to defend themselves from the beasts of the forest,—more to be feared either than were the hostile Indians. 

D. They had to contend not with only the wild forces of nature, and to defend themselves from the beasts of the forest,—more to be feared than either were the hostile Indians. 

10. The underlined section is a long sentence describing the hardships faced by Kentucky pioneers. The correct answer option is "B. They had to contend not only with the wild forces of nature, but to defend themselves from the beasts of the forest,—more to be feared than either were the hostile Indians."

Explanation: The original phrasing contains several errors: "not with only" should be "not only with," the infinitive "to defend" needs to be parallel with "to contend," and the awkward "more to be feared either than" should be simplified. Choice B corrects these issues while maintaining parallel structure and clear comparative language to describe the relative threats of nature, beasts, and Native Americans.

EST Shortcut: Parallel structure is key in lists and comparisons. All items in a list or comparison should match in structure and verb form.

EST Tip: For EST questions with long underlined sections, break down the sentence piece by piece, checking that the phrases are parallel, verb tenses are consistent, and comparisons are logically phrased.

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11. Which of the following best adds onto the writer’s sense of danger?

A. The settlers were filled with terror of these stealthy foes. 

B.      It was such experiences as these that made of the pioneers the sturdy men they were. 

C.      Their senses became sharpened. 

D.     "He was naturally a man of considerable genius," says one 
who knew him. 


The correct answer option is "A. The settlers were filled with terror of these stealthy foes."

Option A adds to the writer's sense of danger by describing the settlers' fear of their enemies, who are characterized as "stealthy foes". This option effectively conveys the danger that the settlers faced and the fear that they experienced.

Option B is incorrect because it focuses on the character of the pioneers rather than the danger they faced. Option C is incorrect because it describes a consequence of the danger rather than the danger itself. Option D is incorrect because it introduces a new character and does not directly relate to the sense of danger described in the paragraph.

In summary, option A is the best choice because it effectively adds to the writer's sense of danger by describing the settlers' fear of their enemies.

 

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More June 2022 Resources:

Writing, Literacy I:

Take the Full Mock Test for June 2022 + Report HERE

Passage 1 Explanation HERE

Passage 2 Explanation HERE

Passage 3 Explanation HERE

Passage 4 Explanation HERE

Reading, Literacy II:

Passage 1 Explanation HERE

Passage 2 Explanation HERE

Passage 3 Explanation HERE

Passage 4 Explanation HERE

Passage 5 Explanation HERE

More Resources to Boost your Skills:

Practice EST Vocabulary HERE

Practice EST Reading Skills HERE

Practice Real EST Reading Passages with Explanations HERE

-Improve your EST Reading Skills with Passages from Level 1 HERE

 

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