by Anna Quindlen
“America is an improbable idea, a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts , it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone.”
What does Anna Quindlen mean by America is an improbable idea?
by Anna Quindlen
“America is an improbable idea, a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts , it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone.”
What does America is an improbable idea mean?
America is an improbable idea. ... America is an improbable idea. A mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion , the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone.
What does Anna Quindlen believe about America?
In Anna Quindlen’s “A Quilt of a Country,” she explains how people view America. She writes that being an American is an idea that works despite that fact that it should not due to the diversity that exist in the country. Quindlen informs the reader that America was uniquely constructed on no precise culture or race.
What is a improbable idea?
The definition of improbable is something unlikely to happen or unlikely to be true . The idea that the sun spins around the Earth is an example of something that would be described as a improbable idea. When they are calling for a 90 percent chance of rain, this is an example of a time when sunshine is improbable.
How does Quindlen support her claim?
How do these words, and phrases support her argument? She mentions an improbable idea. She supports it by saying that we are all from different cultures . Quindlen uses many different types of evidence throughout the argument to support her claim, for example, facts, statistics, and quotations.
Why is Quindlen reluctant to define anything remotely resembling a national character What qualities does she propose are essentially American explain?
Why is Quindlen reluctant to define “anything remotely resembling a national character”? “The idea that the United States is ‘a mongrel nation,’ the result of many different ethnic groups that become unified as one, makes it pointless to try and isolate any one group as uniquely American. “
What opposing viewpoint does Quindlen want to address what phrases lead readers to infer that Quindlen wants to refute that viewpoint?
What opposing viewpoint does Quindlen want to address? What phrases lead readers to infer that Quindlen wants to refute that point? the viewpoint of “crown thy good with brotherhood ,” that amid all the failures is something spectacularly successful.
Ana Quindlen thinks that what unified America’s ethnic groups before the end of the Cold War was the common enemy that all of the US had . Everyone united to put off and fight against communism and war. ... In other words, the concept is still the same, but the ethnicity of people is what has changed.
What is the connotative meaning of electrified fence?
What is the connotative meaning of “electrified fence” in the passage? What does the use of this phrase reveal about how the author views communism? ✔ a fence with an electric current . ✔ something dangerous and painful . ✔ She believes that communism is oppressive.
How do you use improbable in a sentence?
- He knew that winning was improbable, but the man still liked to play the lottery.
- An improbable friendship between the dog and the goat was the talk of the farm.
- As improbable as it might sound, the woman truly believed that she was destined to be a movie star.
What is the synonym for improbable?
fanciful , implausible, rare, unbelievable, unlikely, doubtful, dubious, far-fetched, flimsy, iffy, inconceivable, questionable, slim, uncertain, unconvincing, unheard of, unimaginable, unsubstantial, weak.
What major event had occured in our Country that encouraged Anna Quindlen to write this essay?
A Quilt of a Country’ is a commentary written by Pulitzer-prize winning author Anna Quindlen for Newsweek following the devastation of the September 11, 2001, attacks on America .
What percent is improbable?
Research on verbal probabilities has shown that unlikely or improbable events are believed to correspond to numerical probability values between 10% and 30% .
What does it mean to be American According to a quilt of a Country?
According to “A Quilt of a Country,” how is the United States similar to a quilt? ... Americans accept new immigrants because they are a reminder of how Americans’ immigrant ancestors adapted to American life. An antonym is a word that means nearly the opposite of another word.
What is a quilt of a Country by Anna Quindlen about?
“A Quilt of a Country” is an essay written by American writer Anna Quindlen for Newsweek in the immediately aftermath of the September 11th attacks . ... Quindlen’s second paragraph traces a history of the United States that attends to its successes but its failures: slavery, bigotry, and socioeconomic prejudice.
What is Anna Quindlen’s claim position or viewpoint in a a quilt of a Country summarize her claim in your own words?
She claims that America have many people which are from different countries and different backgrounds , it can cause many kinds of problems but instead of causing problems it serves in making America strong and great Country.
What does Mario Cuomo mean when he calls the United States a community added to individualism?
According to Quindlen, how have people’s attitudes about mixed marriage change overtime? ... “community added to individualism” means people who have different individual interests, morals, and actions can have a brotherhood .
Why does Quindlen reluctant to define anything remotely resembling a national character?
In the text, Quindlen refuses to define anything remotely resembling a national character in America. This is because she believes America cannot be defined in these terms . America is a country that was born out of a combination of people from many different nations and cultures. It is a “mongrel” of a nation.
What does but tolerance is a vanilla pudding word mean?
Tolerance is the word used most often when this kind of coexistence succeeds, but tolerance is a vanilla-pudding word, standing for little more than the allowance of letting others live unremarked and unmolested .
What is the claim Quindlen is making in this essay?
In “A Quilt of a Country”, Anna Quindlen’s claim is America is like a quilt . Anna Quindlen states, “America is an improbable idea, a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts”(paragraph 1). ... Just like a quilt, America is made up of different races, ethnicity, and cultures.
What viewpoint does Quindlen suggesting By using this description vanilla pudding in connection with successful coexistence?
What viewpoint does Quindlen suggest by using this description in connection with successful coexistence? “Tolerance is a vanilla pudding word .” It is much more needed to become a community. Lines 97-103: What evidence does Quindlen use to restate her claim?
What is the counterclaim in a quilt of a country?
Counterclaim of Quilt of a Country. – Bigotry, slavery, sweatshops, ostracism. – America as a nation fails more than it succeeds . Claim – Main argument. Reason – Anything that supports the claim.
What did Anna Quindlen describe as being the second strain of behavior that promotes the concept of unity *?
Terms in this set (9)
-Born in Philadelphia .
Answer: Explanation: Anna Quindlen considers America to be “An improbable idea” Why? Because, mongrel nation was built and its has been changing disparate parts, it has created all men to be equal.
Which of the following is the effect that Quindlen creates by repeating the word enormous in this sentence from a quilt of a country?
What is the effect that Quindlen creates by repeating the word ENORMOUS in this sentence from the story? The effect is to help the reads shift from one idea, tragedy, to the opposite, blessings.
What does the use of the term fault lines reveal?
What does the use of the term fault lines reveal about how the author views world wars? She believes that world wars are harmful to people . ... Once these disparate parts were held together by a common enemy, by the fault lines of world wars and the electrified fence of communism.
How does Quindlen use rhetoric to advance that purpose?
How does Anna Quindlen use paradox to advance her purpose in “A Quilt of a Country”? Choices: By calling attention to the contrasting ideas that America was founded upon, the writer reinforces her main idea . By creating contrast and bringing opposing ideas together, the writer proves that American ideals are changing.
What main message is the writer trying to communicate in a quilt of a country?
What main message is the writer trying to communicate in “A Quilt of a Country”? The United States is very different from other countries. People in the United States value the idea that all people are created equal . It is amazing that a country made up of such diverse people can be united as one nation.
What is the electrified fence of communism?
The Iron Curtain was traced by an electrified barbed-wire fence that isolated the communist world from the West. It was an impenetrable Cold War barrier—and for some inhabitants of the Czech Republic it still is.
What statement best summarizes the central idea of this paragraph a quilt of a country?
Which statement best summarizes the central idea of this excerpt? The high number of horrors committed in our diverse nation makes it difficult to believe in a united people. Read the excerpt from “A Quilt of a Country.”
Why did Anna Quindlen write a quilt of a country?
What is the authors purpose? Anna Quindlen’s purpose is to help us to realize that the US as a whole , even though we are many different cultures and religions, we manage to find common ground as a whole. We speak of different conflicting cultures, yet we easily deal with one another on a daily basis.
What does improbable idea mean?
The definition of improbable is something unlikely to happen or unlikely to be true . The idea that the sun spins around the Earth is an example of something that would be described as a improbable idea. When they are calling for a 90 percent chance of rain, this is an example of a time when sunshine is improbable.
What does the prefix improbable mean?
Entries linking to improbable
word-forming element meaning “ not, opposite of, without ” (also im-, il-, ir- by assimilation of -n- with following consonant, a tendency which began in later Latin), from Latin in- “not,” cognate with Greek. ... Related: Probableness.
What does improbable cause mean?
1 adj Something that is improbable is unlikely to be true or to happen . oft it v-link ADJ that (=unlikely) (Antonym: probable, likely) ...a highly improbable coincidence...
What is improbable condition?
Improbable condition is a part of conditional clauses . This clause has sentences that express assumptions, possible, and impossible consequences. There are several types of conditionals: Zero – usually about set laws and facts. It is the situation that will happen in any case.
What is a antonym for the word improbable?
improbable. Antonyms: apparent , likely, presumable, probable, seeming. Synonyms: doubtful, dubious, unimaginable, unlikely.
What is the difference between improbable and impossible?
Improbable means something is unlikely to happen. Impossible means it definitely will not happen or cannot happen .
