Scholars have been able to piece together William Shakespeare’s likely biography from sources like official records, his will, his marriage certificate and his tombstone. Shakespeare was likely born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He probably attended a free school, where he studied Latin plays. At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, and they went on to have three children, one of whom died of black plague. For several years after the birth of his children, Shakespeare disappeared from all records. Scholars call these his “Lost Years.” Records then show that by 1594, Shakespeare was an established actor and writer in London with his popular company, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. He’d hold these positions for 20 years. Shakespeare is thought to have died on April 23, 1616—his likely birthday—at age 52. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A
to recount key events in William Shakespeare’s life

B
to provide a theory about what happened during William Shakespeare’s “Lost Years”

C
to explain where William Shakespeare got the ideas for his plays

D
to describe William Shakespeare’s work with The Lord Chamberlain’s Men

This passage recaps William Shakespeare's life story. It highlights key events in his life. In this case, your most likely answer is A.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)