1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
1:3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
1:4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
1:5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
1:7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
1:8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
1:10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
1:11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
The Old Testament, Eccelsiastes
18. The relationship between verses 1:4 to 1:11 and verses 1:2 is that of:
(a) Examples illustrating an argument.
(b) Counterarguments contrasting with a hypothesis.
(c) A logical argument following from a premise.
(d) A general conclusion following from a specific observation.
(e) An exposition following a narrative opening.
19. Verses 1:5, 1:6, and 1:7 illustrate which of the following main themes in the passage?
(a) Nature resists human attempts to tame it.
(b) As with the ceaseless, cyclical processes of nature, human effort does not result in a final goal or achievement, but simply goes on and on.
(c) We must take time to enjoy the beauty of nature.
(d) The mysteriousness of nature defies human attempts to understand it.
(e) The linear progress of nature reinforces the value of human attempts at progress.
20. How does verse 1:3 function with respect to verse 1:2?
(a) Verse 1:3 illustrates the paradox of 1:2 through rhetorical questioning.
(b) Verse 1:3 contradicts 1:2 by asking the reader to consider an alternate perspective.
(c) Verse 1:3 emphasizes the argument in 1:2 through rhetorical questioning.
(d) Verse 1:3 gives a specific example of the general assertion in 1:2.
(e) Verse 1:3 introduces a new idea after 1:2.
21. How does verse 1:2 function rhetorically?
(a) It appeals to the authority of "the Preacher" to give itself more validity.
(b) It uses alliteration to create a musical effect.
(c) It uses hyperbole to catch the reader's attention.
(d) It uses repetition to achieve emphasis and intensity, and to drive home the main theme to the reader.
(e) It uses an anecdote to illustrate the ideas that will be explained later in the passage.
22. A change in tone occurs after verse:
(a) 1:8.
(b) 1:10.
(c) 1:4.
(d) 1:3.
(e) 1:6.
23. Which rhetorical devices does the passage use for emphasis?
I. Parallelism
II. Metonymy
III. Repetition of nouns
IV. Assonance
V. Poetic imagery
(a) I, II, IV, and V
(b) II, III, IV, and V
(c) I, II, and V
(d) I, III, and V
(e) I and II
24. How does line 1:11 support the main argument of the passage?
(a) It points out that human effort can make life better for future generations.
(b) It points out that living for the future keeps people from living in the present.
(c) It argues that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the sons.
(d) It makes the argument that most people have no sense of history.
(e) It argues that the results of human striving will be forgotten by future generations and are therefore futile.
25. The passage makes all of the following assertions except:
(a) work and effort are always in vain.
(b) humans are never satisfied.
(c) no phenomena are new; everything has been done before.
(d) the future will remember neither us nor what people have accomplished.
(e) human life is meaningless