AP English Language and Composition 3.8 Passage Drill

[ mumbles ]

Huxley...

[ mumbles ] Chessboard... chessboard...

All right, which of the following most accurately rephrases

Helps' observation about stars,

"Ah... elsewhere"?

Yeah, lines 34 through 38.

All right, and here are the potential answers.

Yeah, you can just read it for yourself.

We're not gonna mumble.

Okay, let's get to it.

Well, in the preceding sentence, the author explains

how contemplating the universe can give us

a more reasonable perspective on a terrible, horrible, no-good,

very bad day.

In the following sentence, the author says that

the stars' knack for therapy is a bigger deal than

their ability to guide ships.

Well, this is obviously a person who's never been lost at sea.

Choice A definitely does not get it.

Helps' main point isn't that the stars' morale boosting power is

lesser known than their power to help us navigate.

He's simply saying that the whole morale-boosting thing is more important.

Option D is a nice thought.

It'd be swell if everybody in the world would look up at

the stars and all be magically unified.

That's not what Helps is saying, though.

Even he is more of a pessimist than that.

Choice B and E are the closest we've had yet, but they take

the story too far.

They both seem to think that the stars have some kind of mind control

powers over human beings. Scary prospect.

Just imagine what they might make us do.

Actually, don't imagine that.

All right, in the end, choice C is the best answer.

"Navigation, shmavigation," says Helps.

The important thing is that the stars help us see that

our everyday concerns are nothing in the face of

the great, big everything that's all around us.

We bet if Helps were lost and starving at sea, he might

be a little less into deep thoughts

and a little more into finding the nearest port with fresh water

and a Denny's.

[ noise ]