Professor J.

Aaron Gonzalez Valdez 1

COMPREHENSION READING
Read the whole passage before you begin to answer the questions.

The words to "The Star-Spangled Banner," the national anthem of the United States, were
created by Francis Scott Key, lawyer by trade and poet at heart. For these memorable
words to have been written in the manner that they were, required both his training as a
lawyer and his poetic soul.

At the time of the War of 1812 against the British, Key had a successful law practice in
Washington, D.C. During a series of attacks by the British in 1814, the British occupied
Washington, D.C., burned public buildings, including the White House, withdrew from
Washington, and sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to attack Baltimore. As the British were
withdrawing from Washington, they arrested local physician Dr. William Beanes and
forced him to accompany them.

Some friends of Beanes' visited the lawyer Key and asked him to try to negotiate for Dr.
Beanes' release from the British. Key, accompanied by a U.S. government official for
prisoners of war, sailed out to the British fleet on Chesapeake Bay. Key was able to
negotiate a promise from the British to release the doctor. However, since their attack on
Baltimore was imminent, the British decided to detain the Americans on board until after
the attack so that they would not have the chance to get word back to the American forces
about the British plan to attack.

All through the night of September 13, the British navy bombarded one of the American
forts guarding Baltimore, Fort McHenry. In the first light of dawn, Key, standing on the
deck of a British warship, was overcome with emotion at the sight of the U.S. flag with its
stars and stripes still flying over the fort. On seeing the flag, he was inspired to write the
poem that begins "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light...." This quickly written
poem was immediately printed on handbills and widely circulated.

Key only wrote the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner." Key did not write the music, nor
did anyone else write music specifically to accompany Key's poem. Ironically, the music to
today's "The Star-Spangled Banner" was an old English drinking song that far preceded the
words that Key wrote. Later, after Key's poem had achieved prominence, it was set to a
well-known song that had actually originated in the country of the enemy, and eventually
Key's words, set to the tune of a British drinking song, became the national anthem of the
United States.
Professor J. Aaron Gonzalez Valdez 2

Please select the option that best answers the question.

1. This passage is mainly about the events leading up to
a. The War of 1812
b. The realization of Key's famous poem
c. The arrest of Dr. Beanes
d. The attack on Baltimore


2. The word "trade" in paragraph 1 could best be replaced by which of the following?
a. Exchange
b. Barter
c. Profession
d. Training


3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as an activity of the British in the
United States in 1814?
a. Occupation of the capital city
b. Setting the White House on fire
c. An assault on Baltimore
d. The blockading of Chesapeake Bay


4. According to the passage, how successful was Key's attempt to secure Dr. Beanes' release?
a. Key secured an assurance of Dr. Beanes' release
b. The British would not negotiate with Key until after the attack on Baltimore
c. Key was able to negotiate the immediate release of Dr. Beanes
d. Dr. Beanes was returned to England as a prisoner of war


5. The word "chance" in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by
a. Gamble
b. Intent
c. Opportunity
d. Risk




Professor J. Aaron Gonzalez Valdez 3

6. The word "deck" in paragraph 4 is most probably a
a. Type of weapon
b. Flat surface
c. Military flag
d. Wooden ladder


7. What did Key see when the sun first rose?
a. A fort with a U.S. flag aloft
b. A fort flying a British flag
c. A flag on the ground outside the fort
d. A fort flying a white flag of surrender


8. It can be inferred from the passage that the British
a. Tried to prevent Key from writing the poem
b. Never actually attacked Fort McHenry
c. Raised the U.S. flag on their own warship
d. Were not successful in their attack on Fort McHenry


9. The word "circulated" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
a. Encircled
b. Printed
c. Spread around
d. Read aloud


10. The pronoun "it" in paragraph 5 refers to
a. Poem
b. Prominence
c. Song
d. Country







Professor J. Aaron Gonzalez Valdez 4

11. Where in the passage does the author describe what happened with Key's poem just after
it was written?
a. The third sentence in paragraph 3
b. The first sentence in paragraph 4
c. The third sentence in paragraph 4
d. The third sentence in paragraph 5


12. Which paragraph describes Key's role as an intermediary?
a. The second paragraph
b. The third paragraph
c. The fourth paragraph
d. The fifth paragraph