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AP English Language and Composition 2.9 Passage Drill 274 Views


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Description:

AP English Language and Composition: Passage Drill 2, Problem 9. According to the speaker, which of the following facts would "dissipate the illusion"?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

[ musical flourish ]

00:03

And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by guilt.

00:07

We feel bad for even mentioning it.

00:09

All right. Check out the following passage. And we're reading...

00:12

[ mumbles ]

00:18

[ mumbling continues ]

00:26

Okay, we done? Come on. Come on.

00:29

All right, we're done.

00:30

According to the speaker, which of the following facts would "dissipate the illusion"?

00:35

See that on line 27? Hmm? Hmm?

00:37

All right, well here are the following answers. Pick one.

00:40

Hit your dartboard.

00:42

Close your eyes and... heave.

00:45

All right. So what's this question asking?

00:47

Well, it's giving us five "facts"

00:49

mentioned in the passage and wants to know which one would

00:52

"dissipate the illusion,"

00:54

as said in line 27.

00:56

If we wanna know what's dissipating, or destroying, the illusion,

01:00

uh, we should probably start by figuring out what the illusion is.

01:03

So let's get in touch with our inner David Copperfield.

01:06

Right now, line 27, it says that

01:08

"Charles felt assured of victory"

01:12

but "he might have discovered much to dissipate the illusion."

01:16

In other words, he thought he was gonna win the war no problemo,

01:20

but if he'd known what was really going on, he might not have been so cocky.

01:24

Okay, now, what is it exactly that the king

01:27

isn't taking into account?

01:29

Well, if we keep reading, it says,

01:31

"had he considered their habits or been acquainted with their real but unavowed sentiments."

01:36

Hmm. We're talking about the gentry here -

01:38

mucky mucks - and their ability to be successful in battle.

01:42

By suggesting that they have some [ clears throat ]

01:44

questionable habits and that their hearts may not be in the right place,

01:48

well, yeah, that would certainly be enough to dissipate the king's illusion.

01:52

Like his soldiers weren't as good as he thought they were.

01:55

And looking down the answer choices, bingo, answer E is just what we're looking for.

02:00

Abra cadabra.

02:02

[ woop ]

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