From A Relic of the Rebellion [1891]
John H. Winston
Washington was thrown into an intense excitement a few minutes before eleven o’clock this evening, by the announcement that the President and Secretary Seward had been assassinated and were dead.
The wildest excitement prevailed in all parts of the city. Men, women, and children, old and young, rushed to and fro, and the rumors were magnified until we had nearly every member of the Cabinet killed. Some time elapsed before authentic data could be ascertained in regard to the affair.
The President and Mrs. Lincoln were at Ford’s theatre, listening to the performance of The American Cousin, occupying a box in the second tier. At the close of the third act a person entered the box occupied by the President, and shot Mr. Lincoln in the head. The shot entered the back of his head, and came out the temple.
The assassin then jumped from the box upon the stage and ran across to the other side, exhibiting a dagger in his hand, flourishing it in a tragical manner, shouting the same words repeated by the desperado at Mr. Seward’s house, adding to it, “The South is avenged,” and then escaped from the back entrance to the stage, but in his passage dropped his pistol and his hat.
Mr. Lincoln fell forward from his seat, and Mrs. Lincoln fainted.
The moment the astonished audience could realize what happened, the President was taken and carried to Mr. Peterson’s house, in Tenth street, opposite the theatre. Medical aid was immediately sent for, and the wound was at first supposed to be fatal, and it was announced that he could not live, but at half-past twelve he is still alive, though in a precarious condition.
Questions for Discussion
1. This passage is an example of which of the following modes of discourse?
A) Description
B) Exposition
C) Narration
D) Persuasion
E) Argument
2. Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?
A) Angry
B) Objective
C) Dramatic
D) Solemn
E) Emotional
3. The sentence from the second paragraph beginning “Men, women, and children, old and young, rushed
to and fro....” (paragraph 2) is an example of which of the following?
A) Parallelism
B) Simple sentence
C) Run-on sentence
D) Archaic English
E) Exaggeration
4. In the first two paragraphs, the writer’s rhetoric and syntax combine to create an impression of
I. excitement and chaos
II. fear and tragedy
III. terrible news and uncertainty
A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) I and II only
E) I and III only
5. In the fourth paragraph, what is the best meaning of the word “tragical”?
A) Sorrowful
B) Dramatic
C) Terrible
D) Threatening
E) Deadly
6. In this passage, which of the following rhetorical devices is most evident?
A) Appealing to authority
B) Massing of factual information
C) Abstract generalizations
D) Emotional appeal
E) Anecdotal information
7. Which of the following best summarizes the purpose of the passage?
A) To discuss the reason for the city’s excitement
B) To report the news of President Lincoln’s death
C) To clarify the report of the assassination attempt on President Lincoln
D) To report that President Lincoln is still alive
E) To give an account of the events at Ford’s Theatre
8. Reviewing the diction of the passage, which of the following best characterizes the writer’s style?
A) Informal diction
B) Colloquial diction
C) Slang diction
D) Formal diction
E) Pretentious diction
9. In this selection, which of the following patterns of organization is most in evidence?
A) Development by details
B) Chronology
C) Cause and effect
D) Analysis
E) Synthesis
10. In the last sentence of the last paragraph, what is the best meaning for the word “precarious”?
A) Risky
B) Dangerous
C) Vulnerable
D) Uncertain
E) Treacherous