Entry Exam Category: College Admission Exams
Course: Accuplacer
Exam: Accuplacer Reading Comprehension Practice Test
Practice Question
Extract
During the Second World War, when the Wrigley Company discovered that it did not have the resources to produce enough chewing gum for both civilians at home and soldiers abroad—soldiers who relied on gum to avoid having dry mouths on the battlefield—the company immediately donated all of its gum to the war effort. After the war, Wrigley’s gum sales grew stronger than ever, as Americans clamored for the company’s “patriotic” chewing gum.
Why does the author place quotation marks around the word 'patriotic' (sentence 2)?
Answer Choices
- A: To attribute to postwar Americans the perception of Wrigley’s gum as patriotic
- B: To praise the patriotism the Wrigley Company demonstrated during wartime
- C: To show that American soldiers used the word 'patriotic' to describe Wrigley’s gum
- D: To reveal that the Wrigley Company changed the name of its gum to include the word 'patriotic'
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The quotation marks signal that 'patriotic' is a label applied by others, not necessarily a literal or official term. In this case, the author is highlighting that postwar Americans viewed Wrigley’s gum as patriotic because of the company’s decision to support soldiers during the war.