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27 multiple-choice questions and 23 flashcards on Craft and Structure: Word Choice, Author's Purpose, about 18% of the 7th Reading: Literature & Informational bank. Every one carries a written rationale.
Craft and Structure: Word Choice, Author's Purpose is one of 5 chapters in CoStudy's 7th Reading: Literature & Informational bank, and it holds 27 of the bank's 150 multiple-choice questions — roughly 18% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.
Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.
10 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.
'The puppy bounded across the yard, ears flapping wildly.' Which is the MOST accurate description of the mood?
Answer: C — Joyful and energetic
C) 'Bounded' + 'wildly' creates energy and joy. A) Wrong tone. B) Too serious. D) Wrong tone — opposite of melancholy.
In 'The bees buzzed busily by the blossoms,' which figurative device is used?
Answer: C — Alliteration
C) Repeated 'b' sound = alliteration. A) Not exaggerated. B) No direct comparison. D) Bees buzzing is literal, not humanized.
'The CEO announced layoffs while smiling broadly.' What does the author's juxtaposition of these details suggest?
Answer: D — The author may want readers to view the CEO's behavior as cold or insincere
D) Smiling during bad news creates a critical impression. A) Wrong tone. C) Too literal. B) True-but-irrelevant.
In the line 'The old clock ticked patiently in the hallway,' which word is an example of personification?
Answer: D — Patiently
D) 'Patiently' attributes a human virtue to the clock. A) Adjective without personification. B) Place noun. C) Sound the clock literally makes.
In 'Her voice was a clear bell ringing in the night,' the figurative device is:
Answer: D — Metaphor
D) Voice IS a bell — direct comparison without 'like/as.' A) No 'like/as.' C) Bells aren't being humanized. B) Not exaggeration.
In context: 'The terrain was treacherous, with loose rocks and steep drops on every side.' What does 'treacherous' MOST nearly mean?
Answer: D — Dangerous
D) Loose rocks + steep drops = dangerous. A) Wrong tone. C) Contradicts 'steep drops.' B) Not mentioned.
'The new policy will cost taxpayers millions, drown small businesses in paperwork, and crush economic growth.' What does the author's word choice suggest?
Answer: D — The author has a strongly negative view of the policy
D) Loaded verbs ('drown,' 'crush') reveal negative bias. A) Tone opposes support. C) Word choice shows clear bias. B) The author is decisive, not uncertain.
Identifying text structure (e.g., cause/effect, compare/contrast) helps the reader:
Answer: D — Anticipate how ideas relate so the text is easier to follow
D) Structure signals organization. A/B/C) Don't engage with structure.
'The ancient oak groaned in the wind, its bare arms reaching toward the gray sky.' Which figurative language device is used MOST prominently?
Answer: C — Personification
C) Giving the oak human traits (groaning, arms reaching) is personification. A) No 'like/as.' B) Not exaggeration. D) No sound-imitating words.
'She moved as silently as a shadow.' Which figurative device is used?
Answer: D — Simile
D) 'As silently as' = simile. A) No human qualities to non-human. B) No sound word. C) Metaphors don't use like/as.
4 cards from the 23 in this chapter.
Define 'simile'.
Comparison using 'like' or 'as'.
What is 'rising action'?
Events that build tension and develop the conflict.
Define 'irony'.
When the opposite of what's expected occurs (or is said).
What is the 'climax'?
The most intense or pivotal point — turning point of the story.
These are a sample. The full Craft and Structure: Word Choice, Author's Purpose chapter runs 50 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
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