Summative Assessment- Using the blueprint you created in Unit 3, construct a summative assessment that you would give your students after you have fully taught your chosen standard. This test must be an appropriate length to fully assess your students’ mastery of your chosen standard. It should contain questions of at least three (3) varying levels of rigor and contain multiple question types. You should have a student copy that is ready for the student to complete and a teacher copy that contains an answer key and identifies what level of rigor each question represents. As you construct your assessment, you may realize that you need to add additional questions or increase/decrease rigor levels. If this happens, be sure to adjust your blueprint.
Standard:
RL. 6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
This is the only standard that is being assessed.
The minimum amount of questions is 25.
Unit Plan Topic, Competencies and Unwrapping the Standards
Next Step – Test Blueprint
Here is my unwrapped standard:
RL.6.4
Verb
Noun
DOK level
Closely read, analyze and annotate
Text for evidence of the meanings
2
Recognize
Words used in text
1
Identify
Phrases used in text
1
Close read, analyze and annotate
Text for evidence of the impact
2
Recognize
word choice on meaning
1
interpret
word choice on tone
2
Determine
Meaning
2
Recognize
Words based on context
1
Phrases based on context
Determine
Figurative Meaning
2
Recognize
Words based on context
1
Interpret
Phrases based on context
2
Determine
Connotative Meaning
2
Recognize
Words based on context
1
Interpret
Phrases based on context
2
Explain
Differences
2
Interpret
Words with similar denotative meanings that carry different connotations
2
Identify
Phrases with similar denotative meanings that carry different connotations
1
Provide
Analysis of Meaning
2
Cite evidence
Words of how an author’s word choice impacts the meaning
3
Cite evidence
Phrase of how an author’s word choice impacts the meaning
3
Provide
Analysis of Meaning
2
Cite evidence
Words of how author’s specific word choice impacts the tone
3
Cite evidence
Phrases of how author’s specific word choice impacts the tone
3
Provide
Analysis of Meanings
2
Cite evidence
Words of how an author’s word choice impacts the meaning and tone
3
Cite evidence
Phrase of how an author’s word choice impacts the meaning and tone
3
Items not in bold will be taught within the unit and assessed through formative measures. I only need to formally (summatively) assess the items in bold (not counting my last item, which was identified as being an introductory competency.
Competency
DOK 1
DOK 2
DOK 3
Closely read, analyze and annotate a text for evidence of the meanings of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
1
2
Closely read, analyze, and annotate a text for evidence of the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
1
1
1
Determine the meaning of words and phrases based on context.
1
2
Determine the figurative meaning of particular words and phrases based on context.
1
2
Determine the connotative meaning of particular words and phrases based on context.
2
1
Explain the differences between words and phrases with similar denotative meanings that carry different connotations (e.g., sulk/brood; ally/comrade/best friend) in literary texts.
1
2
Provide an analysis of the meaning of words or phrases and of how an author’s word choice impacts the meaning of a text.
2
1
Provide an analysis of the meaning of words or phrases and of how an author’s specific word choice impacts the tone of a text.
1
3
1
Provide an analysis of the meanings of words or phrases and of how an author’s word choice impacts the meaning and tone of a text.
3
1
· Provide an analysis of the meaning of words or phrases and of how an author’s specific word choice impacts the tone of a text.
· Provide an analysis of the meanings of words or phrases and of how an author’s word choice impacts the meaning and tone of a text.
References
Mississippi Department of Education. (2022, September 10)
Mississippi College-and Career-Readiness Standards. MDE. https://www.mdek12.org/OAE/college-and-career-readiness-standards
Sample
Summative Assessment:
Directions: Use the words in the box below to fill in the blank for 1 – 6.
Connotative Figurative Literal Meaning Technical Tone
1. The author’s attitude towards a topic is called the ____________________.
2. A word or expression that signifies how a word makes the reader feel in addition to the primary meaning is called its ____________________ meaning.
3. Reading is the process of looking at a series of written symbols and getting ____________________ from them.
4. ____________________ is taking words in their usual or most basic sense.
5. The ____________________ meaning of words are used in specific area like science or social studies.
6. When you describe something by comparing one thing to another, it is called ____________________ language.
Directions: On the line to the left of each example in Column A, write the alphabet of the type of figurative language from Column B that matches each example.
Column A
Column B
7. ____ Her long hair was a flowing golden river.
8. ____ This candy cane is in mint condition.
9. ____ Sally says Sara surfs in the summer.
10. ____ I have a million things to do today.
11. ____ Her dress was as bright as the sun.
12. ____ You hit the nail on the head.
13. ____ The bridge collapsed with a tremendous boom!
14. ____ The lightening danced across the sky._
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Idiom
D. Metaphor
E. Onomatopoeia
F. Personification
G. Pun
H. Simile
Directions: Read the poem and answer questions 15 – 20.
what love isn’t
By Yrsa Daley-Ward
2014
Yrsa Daley-Ward is a spoken word poet, self-published author, and actress of Jamaican and Nigerian
heritage. In this poem, Ward uses figurative language to explore what love is and is not. As you read, take note of how the poet uses figurative language to describe love and the effect it has on the overall theme.
1 It is not a five star stay. It is not
compliments and it is never ever
flattery.
It is solid. Not sweet but always
5 nutritious
always herb, always salt. Sometimes
grit.1
It is now and till the end. It is never a
slither, never a little
10 it is a full serving
it is much
too much and real
never pretty or clean. It stinks — you can
smell it coming
15 it is weight
It is weight and it is too heavy to feel
good sometimes. It is discomfort — it is
not what the films say. Only songs
get it right
20 it is irregular
it is difficult
and always, always
surprising.
1. a hard, sharp granule
(Daley-Ward,
what love isn’t 2014)
15. Which of the following phrases identifies love in lines 1 through 7?
A. It is never good enough.
B. It is easy to come by.
C. It is likely to cause conflict.
D. It is important but challenging.
16. Which of the following phrases describes how love feels in lines 8 through 14?
A. It is painful.
B. It is overwhelming.
C. It is exciting.
D. It is uplifting.
17. How is love portrayed in films and songs?
A. Films portray love as easy, while songs show how hard it can be.
B. Both films and songs portray love as easy, rather than the challenge it is.
C. Songs portray love as being passionate, while films show how difficult it is.
D. Neither songs nor films can accurately portray how hard love is.
18. Part A: Which of the following cited the tone of the poem?
A. Honest
B. Pessimistic
C. Mournful
D. Affectionate
19. Part B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “always herb, always salt.” (Line 6)
B. “It is now and till the end. It is never a / slither” (Lines 8-9)
C. “It is discomfort — it is / not what the films say.” (Lines 17-18)
D. “Only songs / get it right” (Lines 18-19)
20. Use clues from the text to show how the poet’s reference to the portrayal of love in films and songs contribute to the poem’s overall meaning (Lines 17-19)?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Read the poem “Mother to Son’ by Langston Hughes and answer the questions that follow.
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
5 And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
10 And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So, boy, don’t you turn back.
15 Don’t you set down on the steps
‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
20 And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
(Hughes,
Mother to son, 2002)
21. Analyze the text to determine who the speaker in the poem is.
A. The speaker is the mother.
B. The speaker is the son.
C. The speaker is the carpenter.
D. The speaker is the rich person.
22. Assess how the speaker describes her life in the first seven lines.
A. A luxurious and beautiful staircase
B. A difficult and painful climb
C. Flawless without pain
D. A bizarre or strange, spiral staircase
23. Infer what it would be like to climb a staircase in the dark?
A. Sad and devastating
B. Boring and unexciting
C. Exciting and adventurous
D. Frightening and confusing
24. Compare the connotation of the speaker’s tone at the beginning of the poem to the connotation of the speaker’s tone towards the end of the passage.
A. The speaker is happy at the beginning of the passage and is sad towards the end.
B. The speaker’s tone is optimistic and encouraging.
C. The speaker’s tone is gloomy about life.
D. The speaker’s tone is sad and then happy.
25. Determine the type of figurative language that this poem addresses.
A. Simile
B. Pun
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Metaphor
26. Which of the following best explains the significance of the staircase in the poem?
A. The narrator describes a tiring climb up a beat-up staircase, which represents her persistence through difficulties and challenges in life.
B. The narrator describes a crystal staircase, which symbolizes her goals and the hard work she has done to accomplish her dreams.
C. The narrator describes her climb up a dirty staircase that transforms into a crystal stair, which represents her ability to rise above difficulties.
D. The narrator describes herself going down a staircase that is falling apart, which represents her fleeing a difficult life.
27. In the poem, describe who the speaker is addressing and about what?
A. A mother is telling a story to her child about her own childhood.
B. A mother is describing for her son the climb up a crystal staircase.
C. A son is recounting a conversation with his mother about his struggle to earn a comfortable living.
D. A mother is warning her son about the difficulties of life and the struggle to persevere.
28. PART A: Which of the following statements best describes the overall tone of the poem?
A. Never forget your family.
B. Persevere when life isn’t easy.
C. Hope is the answer to all challenges.
D. Respect your elders.
29. PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “Well, son, I’ll tell you: / Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” (Lines 1-2)
B. “It’s had tacks in it, / And splinters, / And boards torn up, / And places with no carpet on the floor — / Bare.” (Lines 3-7)
C. “I’se been a-climbin’ on, / And reachin’ landin’s, / And turnin’ corners” (Lines 9-11) D. “So boy, don’t you turn back. / Don’t you set down on the steps / ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. / Don’t you fall now — / For I’se still goin’, honey” (Lines 14-18)
30. Analyze the poem and elaborate on one of the obstacles that the mother faced and what she did to overcome the obstacle.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summative Assessment Answer Key:
Directions: Use the words in the box below to fill in the blank for 1 – 6.
Connotative Figurative Literal Meaning Technical Tone
1. The author’s attitude towards a topic is called the
tone . (DOK1) (3.3 points)
2. A word or expression that signifies how a word makes the reader feel in addition to the primary meaning is called its
connotative meaning. (DOK1) (3.3 points)
3. Reading is the process of looking at a series of written symbols and getting
meaning from them. (DOK1) (3.3 points)
4.
Literal is taking words in their usual or most basic sense. (DOK1) (3.3 points)
5. The
technical meanings of words are used in specific area like science or social studies. (DOK1) (3.3 points)
6. When you describe something by comparing one thing to another, it is called
figurative language. (DOK1) (3.3 points)
Directions: On the line to the left of each example in Column A, identify the alphabet of the type of figurative language from Column B that matches each example. (DOK2)
Column A
Column B
7.
D Her long hair was a flowing golden river. (3.3 points)
8.
G This candy cane is in mint condition. (3.3 points)
9.
A Sally says Sara surfs in the summer. (3.3 points)
10.
B I have a million things to do today. (3.3 points)
11.
H Her dress was as bright as the sun. (3.3 points)
12.
C You hit the nail on the head. (3.3 points)
13.
E The bridge collapsed with a tremendous boom! (3.3 points)
14.
F The lightening danced across the sky._ (3.3 points)
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Idiom
D. Metaphor
E. Onomatopoeia
F. Personification
G. Pun
H. Simile
Directions: Read the poem and answer questions 15 – 20.
what love isn’t
By Yrsa Daley-Ward
2014
Yrsa Daley-Ward is a spoken word poet, self-published author, and actress of Jamaican and Nigerian
heritage. In this poem, Ward uses figurative language to explore what love is and is not. As you read, take note of how the poet uses figurative language to describe love and the effect it has on the overall theme.
1 It is not a five star stay. It is not
compliments and it is never ever
flattery.
It is solid. Not sweet but always
5 nutritious
always herb, always salt. Sometimes
grit.1
It is now and till the end. It is never a
slither, never a little
10 it is a full serving
it is much
too much and real
never pretty or clean. It stinks — you can
smell it coming
15 it is weight
It is weight and it is too heavy to feel
good sometimes. It is discomfort — it is
not what the films say. Only songs
get it right
20 it is irregular
it is difficult
and always, always
surprising.
1. a hard, sharp granule
(Daley-Ward,
what love isn’t 2014)
15. Which of the following phrases identifies love in lines 1 through 7? (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. It is never good enough.
B. It is easy to come by.
C. It is likely to cause conflict.
D. It is important but challenging.
16. Which of the following phrases describes how love feels in lines 8 through 14? (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. It is painful.
B. It is overwhelming.
C. It is exciting.
D. It is uplifting.
17. How is love portrayed in films and songs? (DOK 2) (3.3 points)
A. Films portray love as easy, while songs show how hard it can be.
B. Both films and songs portray love as easy, rather than the challenge it is.
C. Songs portray love as being passionate, while films show how difficult it is.
D. Neither songs nor films can accurately portray how hard love is.
18. Part A: Which of the following cited the tone of the poem? (DOK 3) (3.3 points)
A. Honest
B. Pessimistic
C. Mournful
D. Affectionate
19. Part B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? (DOK3) (3.3 points)
A. “always herb, always salt.” (Line 6)
B. “It is now and till the end. It is never a / slither” (Lines 8-9)
C. “It is discomfort — it is / not what the films say.” (Lines 17-18)
D. “Only songs / get it right” (Lines 18-19)
20. Use clues from the text to show how the poet’s reference to the portrayal of love in films and songs contribute to the poem’s overall meaning (Lines 17-19)? (DOK 2) (3.3 points)
Answers will vary: Students should discuss how the idea of what love is has been established by others such as in films and songs, however, the author believes that “Only songs get it right” in lines 18 -19. When the poet declares that love is discomfort, and immediately follows with “it is not what the films say,” in line 18, We can see that films have contributed to this inaccurate representation of love. As the poem is declaring what love is not, it becomes clear that the poet is negating things commonly associated with love that she doesn’t believe are actually true.
Directions: Read the poem “Mother to Son’ by Langston Hughes and answer the questions that follow.
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
5 And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
10 And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So, boy, don’t you turn back.
15 Don’t you set down on the steps
‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
20 And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
(Hughes,
Mother to son, 2002)
21. Analyze the text to determine who the speaker in the poem is. (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. The speaker is the mother.
B. The speaker is the son.
C. The speaker is the carpenter.
D. The speaker is the rich person.
22. Assess how the speaker describes her life in the first seven lines. (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. A luxurious and beautiful staircase
B. A difficult and painful climb
C. Flawless without pain
D. A bizarre or strange, spiral staircase
23. Infer what it would be like to climb a staircase in the dark? (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. Sad and devastating
B. Boring and unexciting
C. Exciting and adventurous
D. Frightening and confusing
24. Compare the connotation of the speaker’s tone at the beginning of the poem to the connotation of the speaker’s tone towards the end of the passage. (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. The speaker is happy at the beginning of the passage and is sad towards the end.
B. The speaker’s tone is optimistic and encouraging.
C. The speaker’s tone is gloomy about life.
D. The speaker’s tone is sad and then happy.
25. Determine the type of figurative language that this poem addresses. (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. Simile
B. Pun
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Metaphor
26. Which of the following best explains the significance of the staircase in the poem? (DOK3) (3.3 points)
A. The narrator describes a tiring climb up a beat-up staircase, which represents her persistence through difficulties and challenges in life.
B. The narrator describes a crystal staircase, which symbolizes her goals and the hard work she has done to accomplish her dreams.
C. The narrator describes her climb up a dirty staircase that transforms into a crystal stair, which represents her ability to rise above difficulties.
D. The narrator describes herself going down a staircase that is falling apart, which represents her fleeing a difficult life.
27. In the poem, describe who the speaker is addressing and about what? (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. A mother is telling a story to her child about her own childhood.
B. A mother is describing for her son the climb up a crystal staircase.
C. A son is recounting a conversation with his mother about his struggle to earn a comfortable living.
D. A mother is warning her son about the difficulties of life and the struggle to persevere.
28. PART A: Which of the following statements best describes the overall tone of the poem? (DOK2) (3.3 points)
A. Never forget your family.
B. Persevere when life isn’t easy.
C. Hope is the answer to all challenges.
D. Respect your elders.
29. PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A? (DOK3) (3.3 points)
A. “Well, son, I’ll tell you: / Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” (Lines 1-2)
B. “It’s had tacks in it, / And splinters, / And boards torn up, / And places with no carpet on the floor — / Bare.” (Lines 3-7)
C. “I’se been a-climbin’ on, / And reachin’ landin’s, / And turnin’ corners” (Lines 9-11) D. “So boy, don’t you turn back. / Don’t you set down on the steps / ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. / Don’t you fall now — / For I’se still goin’, honey” (Lines 14-18)
30. Analyze the poem and elaborate on one of the obstacles that the mother faced and what she did to overcome the obstacle. (DOK3) (3.3 points)
The mother faced several different obstacles. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses metaphor to describe the challenges and obstacles she’s had to overcome as a black woman: her life has been like climbing a dark, dangerous, poorly maintained staircase. The “crystal stair” is just the opposite of the staircase she’s had to use. Crystals are smooth, shiny, and beautiful; they suggest glamor, luxury, and ease. While she’s been struggling to climb up a treacherous and dingy set of stairs, other people have had an easy, even pleasant climb. These are just a few of the obstacles but all of the obstacles were overcome because the mother never gave up. She kept on persevering no matter what the issue was.
· How will I score the assessment?
The assessment is made up of the following test items: multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and essay. The entire assessment is worth 100 points. All questions are worth 3 points each. The essay questions are worth 8 points each. A rubric will be used to grade each essay. I will be looking for grammar and mechanics, as well as information throughout the essay that shows that the student’s knowledge of the topic and skills addressed. If the students address all points with no grammatical or mechanical errors, the student will receive full credit for the essay response.
· What will I do if students are unsuccessful?
If students are unsuccessful on the assessment, the teacher will look at the data to see where students struggled the most. The teacher will then plan to reteach those skills using a different strategy of teaching. The teacher will allow students to work in cooperative learning groups to come up with evidence that they have mastered the skill. The teacher will also give bell ringers and exit tickets on the skill to assess students. The teacher will frequently check for understanding throughout the lesson; at least two to three times during class. The teacher will ask multiple questions on the skill to check for understanding. If the teacher uses all of the strategies mentioned above, the students should be well prepared when it is time to reassess. The teacher will use a different document assessing the same skills.
References:
Daley-Ward, Y. (2014).
What love isn’t. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from
https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/what-love-isn-t
Hughes, L. (2002).
Mother to son. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47559/mother-to-son
2
Sample 2
Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions 1 – 9. Use complete sentences for questions that require a response.
from “The Fun of It”
by Amelia Earhart
1
When I left New York, I intended to follow up on medical research—that, at least, still greatly appealed to me in the field of medicine. But somehow, I did not get into the swing of the western universities before aviation caught me. The interest aroused in me in Toronto led me to all the air circuses in the vicinity. And, by dragging my father around and prompting him to make inquiries, I became more and more interested.
2
One day he and I were among the spectators at a meet at Long Beach.
3
“Dad, please ask that officer how long it takes to fly,” I said, pointing out a doggy young man in uniform.
4
“Apparently it differs with different people,” my good parent reported after some investigation, “though the average seems to be from five to ten hours.”
5
“Please find out how much lessons cost,” I continued.
6
“The answer to that is a thousand dollars. But why do you want to know?”
7
I wasn’t really sure. Anyway, such were the secondhand conversations I had with the patient pilots of those days. And, somehow or other, I felt in my bones that a hop would come soon.
8
The field where I first went up is a residential suburb of Los Angeles. Then it was simply an open space on Wilshire Boulevard, surrounded by oil wells. The pilot of the airplane has since become famous as one of the greatest exponents1 of speed in the world. His name is Frank Hawks, and he holds more records for fast flying than anyone else.
9
As soon as we left the ground, I knew I myself had to fly. Miles away I saw the ocean, and the Hollywood Hills seemed to peep over the edge of the cockpit as if they were already friends.
10
“I think I’d like to learn to fly,” I told the family casually that evening, knowing full well I’d die if I didn’t.
11
“Not a bad idea,” my father said just as casually. “When do you start?” It would need some investigation I told him, but I’d let him know shortly. Mother seemed equally non-combative.
12
There were no regular schools at the time, and instruction was mostly given by men who had returned from the war. Within a few days I had signed up for lessons and went home with the proposition that somebody pay for them.
13
“You really weren’t serious, were you?” my father said in surprise. “I thought you were just wishing. I can’t afford to let you have instruction.”
14
I saw if he had ever liked the idea, he was completely unsold then. Evidently, he thought that if he didn’t pay, I would not fly. But I was determined, and got my first job—in the telephone company, it was—to pay for the lessons I so dearly wanted.
15
From then on the family scarcely saw me for I worked all the week and spent what I had of Saturday and Sunday at the airport a few miles from town. The trip there took more than an hour to the end of the car line, and then a walk of several miles along the dusty highway. In those days it was really necessary for a woman to wear breeks and a leather coat. The fields were dusty and the planes were hard to climb into. Flyers dressed the part in semi-military outfits and in order to be as inconspicuous as possible, I fell into the same style.
16
One day as I was striding along the dusty road, a friendly motorist offered me a lift. My costume and destination explained my errand. There was a little girl in the car who became exceedingly excited when she found out for a certainty that I flew.
17
“But you don’t look like an aviatrix. You have long hair.”
18
Up to that time I had been snipping inches off my hair secretly, but I had not bobbed it lest people think me eccentric2. For in 1920, it was very odd indeed for a woman to fly, and I had tried to remain as normal as possible in looks in order to offset the usual criticism of my behavior.
19
My learning to fly was rather a long-drawn-out process, principally because—no pay, no fly and no work, no pay. However, when the time at last came to solo, the period of training seemed to banish nervousness. I went up five thousand feet and played around a little and came back.
20
“How did it feel?” the watchers on the ground wanted to know when I returned. “Were you scared?”
21
“I sang,” confessed one pilot who was standing nearby, “as loud as I could.”
22
I felt silly. I hadn’t done anything special. My first solo had come and gone without anything to mark it but an exceptionally poor landing.
23
“You didn’t do anything right but land rottenly,” said another pilot. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to be so ground shy you stay up until the gas tank runs dry?”
24
After I had really flown alone, Mother was good sport enough to help me buy a small secondhand plane. It happened to be the only one the builder had, so he and I worked out a scheme to use it jointly. For free hangar space to me, he was privileged to demonstrate with it. As both of us were equally fond of the little contraption and equally impecunious3, this arrangement worked very well. And I spent many hours in this and other planes I occasionally had a chance to fly.
25
If Mother was worried during this period, she did not show it. Possibly, except for backing me financially, she could have done nothing more helpful. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the cooperation of one’s family and close friends is one of the greatest safety factors a fledgling flyer can have.
Excerpt from “The Fun of It” by Amelia Earhart. Copyright 1932 by Amelia Earhart Putnum.
1exponents—people who are representatives, advocates, or symbols of something
2eccentric—different from what is considered to be normal or accepted; peculiar; odd
3impecunious—having little or no money
1.
Read paragraph 10.
“I think I’d like to learn to fly,” I told the family casually that evening, knowing full well I’d die if I didn’t.
How does the author use figurative language to impact the tone of Amelia Earhart? (2.5 points)
A. To show Amelia Earhart’s motivation to manipulate her parents to help her pursue flying.
B. To emphasize Amelia Earhart’s passionate interest in becoming a pilot.
C. To describes Amelia Earhart’s tendency to be dramatic when things are not going her way.
D. To clarify Amelia Earhart’s confidence in the support she knows her family will give her.
2.
Identify the phrase in paragraph 10 that shows figurative language. (2.5 points)
A. I’d like to learn to fly.
B. I told the family.
C. I think
D. I’d die if I didn’t.
3.
What is the technical meaning of the figurative language phrase used in paragraph 10? (2.5points)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
What form of figurative language identifies the phrase stated in paragraph 10? (2.5 points)
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Personification
D. Simile
5.
What is the meaning of the word privileged as it is used in paragraph 24? (2.5 points)
A. Enabled
B. Lucky
C. Scheduled
D. Compensated
6.
What is the connotative meaning of the word proposition as it used in paragraph 12? (2.5 points)
A. A negative word that means demand.
B. A neutral word that means suggestion.
C. A positive word that means demand
D. A negative word that means warning.
7.
Read the sentence from paragraph 9. (2.5 points)
Miles away I saw the ocean, and the Hollywood Hills seemed to peep over the edge of the cockpit as if they were already friends.
How does the author’s word choice in this sentence affect the meaning of the selection?
A. It emphasizes the desire to escape that Amelia Earhart feels when flying.
B. It emphasizes the comfort and familiarity that Amelia Earhart feels when flying.
C. It emphasizes the need for adventure and exploration that Amelia Earhart realizes when flying.
D. It emphasizes the isolation resulting from living in a small town that Amelia Earhart realizes when flying.
8.
What type of figurative language is used in paragraph 9? (2.5 points)
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Idiom
9.
Which of the following shows and example of personification? (2.5 points)
A. I saw the ocean.
B. The Hollywood Hills seemed to peep over the edge of the cockpit.
C. The trip there took more than an hour.
D. You have long hair.
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 10 – 17. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
Windshield Wipers—Mary Anderson
by Catherine Thimmesh
1
It was a dreadful day, weather wise. Snow and sleet pelted the pavement, and people burrowed deep within their coats. Hoping to catch the sights and escape the blustery cold, Mary Anderson of Birmingham, Alabama, climbed aboard a New York City streetcar. The year was 1902. It turned out to be a ride she would never forget, but not because of the scenery. Instead, the ride would inspire her to invent the very first windshield wiper simply because she felt sorry for the streetcar driver who struggled to see through the glass. The invention would not only improve conditions for all drivers, but would save countless lives as well.
2
Earlier, top-notch engineers had tackled the problem of poor visibility in bad weather and had come up with a solution. They split the windshield. Once the glass became covered with rain or snow, the streetcar driver could fling open the middle for a clear view. Trouble was, it didn’t work. At least not very well. Mary watched helplessly as the driver desperately tried to see. When he opened the split glass, he was greeted with a burst of icy cold air and a blast of heavy, wet snow.
3
“Why doesn’t someone create a device to remove the snow?” Mary reportedly asked the people around her.
4
“It’s been tried many times,” they told her. “Can’t be done.”
5
Nonsense, thought Mary, as she scribbled in her notebook. Why can’t there be a lever on the inside that would move an arm on the outside to swipe off the snow? To her, it seemed perfectly simple.
6
Later, when she returned to her home in Birmingham, she studied her sketches. She spent some time refining her drawings—making them more elaborate, adding more details. Satisfied at last, she brought her design to a small manufacturing company in Birmingham and hired the company to make a model. Then, she filed a patent application.
7
“My invention relates to an improvement in window-cleaning devices in which a radially-swinging arm is actuated by a handle from inside of a car-vestibule,” Mary stated in her patent specification.
8
In other words, a lever on the inside that would move an arm on the outside. Mary’s wiper was made of wooden strips and pieces of rubber. She designed it to be removed in good weather so that it would not interfere with the appearance of the streetcar. One of her most important elements was the addition of a counterweight.
9
This was used, she writes, “to provide means for maintaining a uniform pressure upon the glass throughout the entire area swept by my improved window-cleaning device.”
10
In other words, it would swipe off the snow. Mary was awarded a patent in 1903 for a window-cleaning device—a windshield wiper. Once the invention was protected by a patent, she wrote a large Canadian company offering to sell her rights. They weren’t interested. After reviewing her proposal, they decided that her invention had little, if any, commercial1 value. They simply didn’t think it would sell. They encouraged her, however, to submit any other “useful patents” she might have for their consideration.
11
Mary put the patent in a drawer and eventually it expired. Several years later, someone else revived her idea, patented it, sold it, and made a very large sum of money. Every day, lives are saved due to increased visibility during bad weather. Even in our high-tech society, the windshield wiper remains one of the greatest safety inventions of the modern-day automobile, and tourists can now see the sights despite the snow, sleet, or rain.
10.
Which of the following synonyms is closest to the meaning of the word
actuated in paragraph 7? (2.5 points)
A. Adapted
B. Connected
C. Moved
D. Started
11.
The word
greeted in paragraph 2 makes the tone of the passage ___________. (2.5 points)
A. Humorous
B. Sarcastic
C. Incorrect
D. Historic
12.
Read the sentence from Paragraph 10. (2.5 points)
They encouraged her, however, to submit any other
“useful patents” she might have for their consideration.
The tone of the phrase in paragraph 10 is best described as which of the following?
A. Unhappy
B. Sarcastic
C. Serious
D. Ironic
13.
Read the sentence from Paragraph 7. (2.5 points)
“My invention relates to an improvement in window-cleaning devices in which a radially-swinging
arm is actuated by a handle from inside of a car-vestibule,” Mary stated in her patent specification.
According to the passage, an arm is a metaphor because it compares the device to which of the following?
A. A door handle
B. A human limb
C. A window cleaner
D. An outdoor swing
14.
Without changing the meaning of the sentence, which of the following phrases could be used to replace the phrase, “Perfectly simple,” in paragraph 5? (2.5 points)
A. A piece of cake
B. Go with the flow
C. Jump to conclusions
D. Leave well enough alone
15.
In paragraph 8, what does the word counterweight mean in this selection? (2.5 points)
A. A weight that balances another weight.
B. A system of weights used for metals.
C. A weight that exceeds the limits.
D. The entire weight of an object.
16.
What does the connotation of paragraph 1 reveal about the mood of the character? (2.5 points)
A. Although the day started out with negative and dreary tone, it quickly ended up being a beautiful day that would inspire the character in the story.
B. Although the day was dreary, it was not a great day at all for the character in the story.
C. The character was cold and felt sorry for the street car driver.
D. The day was dreary and the streetcar driver was miserable.
17.
Read the sentence from paragraph 2 in the box below. (2.5 points)
Earlier, top-notch engineers had tackled the problem of poor visibility in bad weather and had come up with a solution.
What is the literal meaning of the sentence in the box above?
A. The engineers took the problem and knocked it to the ground.
B. The engineers fixed the problem.
C. The engineers ignored the poor visibility.
D. The engineers could not work in bad weather.
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 18 – 25. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
September 4, 2016
Kelly Rozelle
1765 Oceanside Drive
Epstein, CA 90900
Dear Ms. Blandford,
1
This past summer I read your new book,
The Incredible Pursuit, and I felt compelled to write you a letter of appreciation.
The Incredible Pursuit is one of those books that sticks with you long after the last page. I felt inspired by this work of historical fiction, and I am certain that many other readers must feel the same way.
2
Before reading your book, I had studied in my history classes about Arctic exploration in the mid-1800s, and your background information on this fascinating era seemed to be very accurate. Your impressive research and attention to detail are apparent on every single page. In addition to providing precise facts and figures, you have also included great insights into why some men were so driven to undertake risky expeditions into the Arctic. Your writing clearly conveys that although the quest for knowledge was important to these men, their own greed and desire for fame often overshadowed their search for answers.
3
The Incredible Pursuit, however, is much more than an adventure story. You have created strong characters that overcome extreme physical dangers and seemingly impossible emotional challenges. I became attached to your characters and imagined I was with them on their breathtaking adventures through the Arctic. Although I am not sure why, I felt most connected to the character of Robert Albright, the silversmith from Massachusetts whose attempts were foiled time and again. As I followed Albright’s journey, I found myself sharing his disappointments—especially when he became ill and considered ending his journey—and celebrating with him in his times of success. There was never a “convenient place” for me to put down the book, and I was continually anticipating the next episode.
4
I also found that the actions of the characters always seemed natural and real, even when I did not quite understand their motives or reasoning. I was not sure, for example, why David Glotham decided to leave his camp in the middle of the night and continue on by himself. It did not seem to me that he wanted to reach the destination ahead of all the others or that he preferred to travel alone. I was surprised by his decision, but I trusted his character; I enjoyed the way that his unique, unpredictable personality kept me guessing all the way to the end.
5
Thank you so much for all the research and creativity you put into
The Incredible Pursuit. I will definitely be checking my local bookstore for your next release.
Sincerely,
Kelly Rozelle
18.
Kelly Rozelle’s tone in her letter to Ms. Blandford is best described as which of the following? (2.5 points)
A. Critical and thankful
B. Detailed and appreciative
C. Informational and hesitant
D. Adventurous and apprehensive
19.
Read the sentence in the box below to answer questions 19 and 20.
Although I am not sure why, I felt most connected to the character of Robert Albright, the silversmith from Massachusetts whose attempts were
foiled time and time again. As I followed Albright’s journey, I found myself sharing his disappointments—especially when he became ill and considered ending his journey—and celebrating with him in his times of success.
In the given context, which sentence below has the same meaning as the word foil? (2.5 points)
A. The fox foiled the trail by running through the shallow creek.
B. Debra foiled each dish until it was time to eat at the picnic.
C. The knight used great skill and foiled the fearsome dragon, then rescued the princess.
D. Robbie wrapped the sandwiches while Chandra foiled the potato salad and the apple pie.
20.
Which of the words below have the same meaning as the word foil? (2.5 points)
A. Criticized
B. Permitted
C. Defeated
D. Overlooked
21.
Read paragraph 1 of the letter. (2.5 points)
This past summer I read your new book,
The Incredible Pursuit, and I felt compelled to write you a letter of appreciation.
The Incredible Pursuit is one of those books that sticks with you long after the last page. I felt inspired by this work of historical fiction, and I am certain that many other readers must feel the same way.
What type of connotation does the author set for the reader in paragraph 1?
A. A negative connotation because the book is historical fiction
B. A negative connotation because the book was long.
C. A positive connotation because Kelly read the book.
D. A positive connotation because Kelly is writing a letter of appreciation.
22.
Read the sentence from paragraph 3. (2.5 points)
I became attached to your characters and imagined I was with them on their breathtaking adventures through the Arctic.
The sentence in the box above shows an example of which of the following forms of figurative language?
A. Personification
B. Simile
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Imagery
23.
Read the sentence in the box below. (2.5 points)
There was never a “convenient place” for me to put down the book, and I was continually
anticipating the next episode.
Which word below is a synonym for anticipating?
A. Dreading
B. Looking forward to
C. Finding
D. Hoping to understand
24.
In the letter, Kelly Rozelle compared some parts of her life to the character in
The Incredible Pursuit. What form of figurative language is this called? (2.5 points)
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Alliteration
25.
Read the sentence in the box below. (2.5 points)
Your
impressive research and attention to detail are apparent on every single page.
What does the word impressive mean in this selection?
A. Impossible
B. Incorrect
C. Questionable
D. Remarkable
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 26 – 33. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
from The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire
from
The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire
by Charles Morris
The Great Disaster of 1906
1. That night, with their wonted1 equanimity, the people went to their beds, rich and poor, sick and well alike. Did any of them dream of disaster in the air? It may be so, for often, as the poet tells us, “Coming events cast their shadows before.” But, forewarned by dreams or not, doubtless not a soul in the great city was prepared for the terrible event so near at hand, when, at thirteen minutes past five o’clock on the dread morning of the 18th, they felt their beds lifted beneath them as if by a Titan hand, heard the crash of falling walls and ceilings, and saw everything in their rooms tossed madly about, while through their windows came the roar of an awful disaster from the city without.
1. It was a matter not of minutes, but of seconds, yet on all that coast, long the prey of the earthquake, no shock like it had ever been felt, no such sudden terror awakened, no such terrible loss occasioned as in those few fearful seconds. Again and again the trembling of the earth passed by, three quickly repeated shocks, and the work of the demon of ruin was done. People woke with a start to find themselves flung from their beds to the floor, many of them covered with the fragments of broken ceilings, many lost among the ruins of falling floors and walls, many pinned in agonizing suffering under the ruins of their houses, which had been utterly wrecked in those fatal seconds.
1. Those seconds of the reign of the elemental forces had turned the most careless city on the continent into a wreck which no words can fitly describe. Those able to move stumbled in wild panic across the floors of their heaving houses, regardless of clothing, of treasures, of everything but the mad instinct for safety, and rushed headlong into the streets, to find that the earth itself had yielded to the energy of its frightful interior forces and had in places been torn and rent2 like the houses themselves. New terrors assailed the fugitives as fresh tremors shook the solid ground, some of them strong enough to bring down shattered walls and chimneys, and bring back much of the mad terror of the first fearful quake. The heaviest of these came at eight o’clock. While less forcible than that which had caused the work of destruction, the goliath tremor added immensely to the panic and dread of the people and put many of the wanderers to flight, some toward the ferry, the great mass in the direction of the sand dunes and Golden Gate Park.
1. The spectacle of the entire population of a great city thus roused suddenly from slumber by a fierce earthquake shock and sent flying into the streets in utter panic is one that can scarcely be pictured in words. Some of the more vivid of these personal accounts will be presented later, but at present we must confine ourselves to a general statement of the succession of events.
1. The earthquake proved but the beginning and much the least destructive part of the disaster. In many of the buildings there were fires, banked for the night, but ready to kindle the inflammable material hurled down upon them by the shock. In others were live electric wires which the shock brought in contact with woodwork. The terror-stricken fugitives saw, here and there, in all directions around them, the alarming vision of red flames curling upward and outward, in gleaming contrast to the white light of dawn just showing in the eastern sky. Those lurid3 gleams climbed upward in devouring haste, and before the sun had fairly risen a dozen or more conflagrations were visible in all sections of the business part of the city, and in places great buildings broke with startling suddenness into flame, which shot hotly high into the air.
1. While the mass of the people was stunned by the awful suddenness of the disaster and stood rooted to the ground or wandered helplessly about in blank dismay, there were many alert and self-possessed among them who roused themselves quickly from their dismay and put their energies to useful work. Some of these gave themselves to the work of rescue, seeking to save the injured from their perilous situations. Meanwhile the glare of the flames brought the fire-fighters out in hot haste with their engines, and up from the military station at the Presidio, on the Golden Gate side of the city, came at double quick a force of soldiers, under the efficient command of General Funston, of Cuban and Philippine fame. These trained troops were at once put on guard over the city, with directions to keep the best order possible. Funston recognized at the start the necessity of keeping the lawless element under control in such an exigency4 as that which he had to face. Later in the day the First Regiment of California National Guards was called out and put on duty, with similar orders.
1wonted—usual; everyday; recurring
2rent—split; ripped
3lurid—bright; vivid; colorful
4exigency—emergency
26. What is the effect of the allusion “by a Titan hand” in paragraph 1
? (2.5 points)
0. It highlights the courage of the people of the city.
0. It highlights the power of the earthquake.
0. It highlights the mystery of the cause of the earthquake.
0. It highlights the mythical nature of the rescue workers.
27.
Part A
Read this sentence from paragraph 3. (2.5 points)
New terrors assailed the fugitives as fresh tremors shook the solid ground, some of them strong enough to bring down shattered walls and chimneys, and bring back much of the mad terror of the first fearful quake
What is the meaning of the word fugitives as it is used in this sentence?
0. Deserters
0. Escapees
0. Raiders
0. Thieves
28.
Part B
What two phrases from paragraph 3 support your answer to Part A. Write your response in the box below. (2.5 points)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
29. Find a statement from the passage that shows personification and write it below. Explain why the statement is personification.
(2.5 points)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30.
Part A
The overall tone of the story is best described as which of the following? (2.5 points)
0. Happy and despair
0. Fear and disaster
0. Fright and love
0. Rescue and happiness
31.
Part B
Which of the following best supports the overall tone of the story? (2.5 points)
0. “But, forewarned by dreams or not, doubtless not a soul in the great city was prepared for the terrible event so near at hand, when, at thirteen minutes past five o’clock on the dread morning of the 18th, they felt their beds lifted beneath them as if by a Titan hand, heard the crash of falling walls and ceilings, and saw everything in their rooms tossed madly about, while through their windows came the roar of an awful disaster from the city without.”
0. Some of the more vivid of these personal accounts will be presented later, but at present we must confine ourselves to a general statement of the succession of events.
0. These trained troops were at once put on guard over the city, with directions to keep the best order possible.
0. Later in the day the First Regiment of California National Guards was called out and put on duty, with similar orders
.
32.
Read the phrase from paragraph 2 below. (2.5 points)
The work of the demon of ruin was done.
What does the demon of ruin refer to in the passage?
0. The houses
0. The people
0. The earthquake
0. A tornado
33.
Explain why the disaster was referred to as the demon of ruin? (2.5 points)
A. It demon ruined the people.
B. The demon destroyed the city and killed a lot of people.
C. The demon woke people up.
D. None of the above
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 34 – 40. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
Dogs and Cats
by Alexandre Dumas
The French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was the son of a general in Napoleon’s army and the grandson of a Haitian slave. Although Dumas wrote many essays, stories, and plays, he is perhaps most famous for his novels, which include The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. —Ed.
1
Most people agree that the dog has intelligence, a heart; on the other hand, they declare that the cat is a traitor, a deceiver, an ingrate, a thief. How many persons have I heard say, “Oh, I can’t bear a cat! The cat has no love for its master; it cares only for the house.”
2
True, the cat is unpopular. Her reputation is bad, and she makes no effort to improve the general opinion that people have of her. She cares as little about your opinion as does the Sultan of Turkey. And—must I confess—this is the very reason I love her.
3
In this world, no one can long be indifferent to things, whether trivial or serious—if, indeed, anything is serious. Hence every person must, sooner or later, declare himself on the subjects of dogs and cats.
4
Well, then! I love cats.
5
Ah, how many times people have said to me, “What! do you love cats?”
6
“Certainly.”
7
“Well, don’t you love dogs better?”
8
“No, I prefer cats every time.”
9
“Oh, that’s very strange!”
10
The truth is, I would rather have neither cat nor dog. But when I am obliged to live with one of these beings, I always choose the cat. I will tell you why.
11
The cat seems to me to have the manners most necessary to good society. In her early youth she has all the graces, all the gentleness, all the unexpectedness that the most artistic imagination could desire. She is smart; she never loses herself. She is prudent, going everywhere, looking into everything, breaking nothing.
12
The cat steals fresh mutton just as the dog steals it, but, unlike the dog, she takes no delight in carrion1. She is fastidiously clean—and in this respect, she might well be imitated by many of her detractors. She washes her face, and in so doing foretells the weather2 into the bargain. You may please yourself by putting a ribbon around her neck, but never a collar; she has no true master.
13
In short, the cat is a dignified, proud, disdainful animal. She defies advances and tolerates no insults. She abandons the house in which she is not treated according to her merits. She is, in both origin and character, a true aristocrat, while the dog is and always will be a mere vulgar
parvenu.
1carrion: spoiled meat
2in so doing foretells the weather: It was once commonly believed that the wind would blow in the direction a cat turned when she washed her face.
34.
Part A
What tone does the author present throughout the story? (2.5 points)
A. Happy
B. Humorous
C. Sad
D. Angry
35.
Part B
What are some examples from the passage to support your answer of Dumas’ tone? Give at least two examples. (2.5 points)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
36.
Read the sentence from paragraph 2 to answer questions 36 and 37 (2.5 points)
She cares as little about your opinion as does the Sultan of Turkey.
The sentence above is an example of what type of figurative language?
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Alliteration
D. Imagery
37.
Why does the author compare the cat to the Sultan of Turkey? (2.5 points)
A. To show that cats are funny.
B. To show that cats are colorful.
C. To show that cats are great animals.
D. To show that cats are royal and dignified.
38. Find two synonyms from the story that show that cats are dignified and royal.
(2.5 points)
1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
39.
Read the sentence in the box below from paragraph 12. (2.5 points)
The cat steals fresh mutton just as the dog steals it, but, unlike the dog, she takes no delight in carrion.
Which word in the sentence is an antonym for the word mutton?
A. Carrion
B. Steals
C. Fresh
D. Delight
40.
Which word below means the same as the word prudent in paragraph 11? (2.5 points)
A. Mean
B. Wise
C. Evil
D. Manipulative
Standard: RI.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
Prerequisites: Students use context clues to determine what a word means in a given context (e.g., figurative, connotative). Determine the connotative meaning of particular words and phrases based on context Figurative language uses words in some way other than their literal meanings to make a comparison, add emphasis, or say something in a fresh and creative way. An exaggeration describes something as being greater, larger, more important, etc., than it really is – an extravagant statement that is not meant to be taken literally. A metaphor compares two unlike things to illuminate a particular quality or aspect of one of the two things. Metaphors directly state that one thing is something else and do not use the words like or as. A simile compares two unlike things using like or as to illuminate a particular quality or aspect of one of the two things. Figurative meanings refer to words and phrases meant to be interpreted beyond the literal meaning of the word or words. Literal language means exactly what the word or word say; whereas, nonliteral or figurative language does not mean exactly what the word or words say, but instead uses comparison or emphasis to imply something different.
Answer Key: All answers are highlighted.
Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions 1 – 9. Use complete sentences for questions that require a response.
from “The Fun of It”
by Amelia Earhart
1
When I left New York, I intended to follow up on medical research—that, at least, still greatly appealed to me in the field of medicine. But somehow, I did not get into the swing of the western universities before aviation caught me. The interest aroused in me in Toronto led me to all the air circuses in the vicinity. And, by dragging my father around and prompting him to make inquiries, I became more and more interested.
2
One day he and I were among the spectators at a meet at Long Beach.
3
“Dad, please ask that officer how long it takes to fly,” I said, pointing out a doggy young man in uniform.
4
“Apparently it differs with different people,” my good parent reported after some investigation, “though the average seems to be from five to ten hours.”
5
“Please find out how much lessons cost,” I continued.
6
“The answer to that is a thousand dollars. But why do you want to know?”
7
I wasn’t really sure. Anyway, such were the secondhand conversations I had with the patient pilots of those days. And, somehow or other, I felt in my bones that a hop would come soon.
8
The field where I first went up is a residential suburb of Los Angeles. Then it was simply an open space on Wilshire Boulevard, surrounded by oil wells. The pilot of the airplane has since become famous as one of the greatest exponents1 of speed in the world. His name is Frank Hawks, and he holds more records for fast flying than anyone else.
9
As soon as we left the ground, I knew I myself had to fly. Miles away I saw the ocean, and the Hollywood Hills seemed to peep over the edge of the cockpit as if they were already friends.
10
“I think I’d like to learn to fly,” I told the family casually that evening, knowing full well I’d die if I didn’t.
11
“Not a bad idea,” my father said just as casually. “When do you start?” It would need some investigation I told him, but I’d let him know shortly. Mother seemed equally non-combative.
12
There were no regular schools at the time, and instruction was mostly given by men who had returned from the war. Within a few days I had signed up for lessons and went home with the proposition that somebody pay for them.
13
“You really weren’t serious, were you?” my father said in surprise. “I thought you were just wishing. I can’t afford to let you have instruction.”
14
I saw if he had ever liked the idea, he was completely unsold then. Evidently, he thought that if he didn’t pay, I would not fly. But I was determined, and got my first job—in the telephone company, it was—to pay for the lessons I so dearly wanted.
15
From then on the family scarcely saw me for I worked all the week and spent what I had of Saturday and Sunday at the airport a few miles from town. The trip there took more than an hour to the end of the car line, and then a walk of several miles along the dusty highway. In those days it was really necessary for a woman to wear breeks and a leather coat. The fields were dusty and the planes were hard to climb into. Flyers dressed the part in semi-military outfits and in order to be as inconspicuous as possible, I fell into the same style.
16
One day as I was striding along the dusty road, a friendly motorist offered me a lift. My costume and destination explained my errand. There was a little girl in the car who became exceedingly excited when she found out for a certainty that I flew.
17
“But you don’t look like an aviatrix. You have long hair.”
18
Up to that time I had been snipping inches off my hair secretly, but I had not bobbed it lest people think me eccentric2. For in 1920, it was very odd indeed for a woman to fly, and I had tried to remain as normal as possible in looks in order to offset the usual criticism of my behavior.
19
My learning to fly was rather a long-drawn-out process, principally because—no pay, no fly and no work, no pay. However, when the time at last came to solo, the period of training seemed to banish nervousness. I went up five thousand feet and played around a little and came back.
20
“How did it feel?” the watchers on the ground wanted to know when I returned. “Were you scared?”
21
“I sang,” confessed one pilot who was standing nearby, “as loud as I could.”
22
I felt silly. I hadn’t done anything special. My first solo had come and gone without anything to mark it but an exceptionally poor landing.
23
“You didn’t do anything right but land rottenly,” said another pilot. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to be so ground shy you stay up until the gas tank runs dry?”
24
After I had really flown alone, Mother was good sport enough to help me buy a small secondhand plane. It happened to be the only one the builder had, so he and I worked out a scheme to use it jointly. For free hangar space to me, he was privileged to demonstrate with it. As both of us were equally fond of the little contraption and equally impecunious3, this arrangement worked very well. And I spent many hours in this and other planes I occasionally had a chance to fly.
25
If Mother was worried during this period, she did not show it. Possibly, except for backing me financially, she could have done nothing more helpful. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the cooperation of one’s family and close friends is one of the greatest safety factors a fledgling flyer can have.
1exponents—people who are representatives, advocates, or symbols of something
2eccentric—different from what is considered to be normal or accepted; peculiar; odd
3impecunious—having little or no money
1. Read paragraph 10. (2.5 points)
“I think I’d like to learn to fly,” I told the family casually that evening, knowing full well I’d die if I didn’t.
How does the author use figurative language to impact the tone of Amelia Earhart?
A. To show Amelia Earhart’s motivation to manipulate her parents to help her pursue flying.
B. To emphasize Amelia Earhart’s passionate interest in becoming a pilot.
C. To describes Amelia Earhart’s tendency to be dramatic when things are not going her way.
D. To clarify Amelia Earhart’s confidence in the support she knows her family will give her.
2. Identify the phrase in paragraph 10 that shows figurative language. (2.5 points)
A. I’d like to learn to fly.
B. I told the family.
C. I think
D. I’d die if I didn’t.
3. What is the technical meaning of the figurative language phrase used in paragraph 10? (2.5 points)
The phrase means that Earhart was very serious about flying and she would do
anything to learn to fly.
4. What form of figurative language identifies the phrase stated in paragraph 10? (2.5 points)
A. Alliteration
B. Hyperbole
C. Personification
D. Simile
5. What is the meaning of the word privileged as it is used in paragraph 24? (2.5 points)
A. Enabled
B. Lucky
C. Scheduled
D. Compensated
6. What is the connotative meaning of the word proposition as it used in paragraph 12? (2.5 points)
A. A negative word that means demand.
B. A neutral word that means suggestion.
C. A positive word that means demand
D. A negative word that means warning.
7. Read the sentence from paragraph 9. (2.5 points)
Miles away I saw the ocean, and the Hollywood Hills seemed to peep over the edge of the cockpit as if they were already friends.
How does the author’s word choice in this sentence affect the meaning of the selection?
A. It emphasizes the desire to escape that Amelia Earhart feels when flying.
B. It emphasizes the comfort and familiarity that Amelia Earhart feels when flying.
C. It emphasizes the need for adventure and exploration that Amelia Earhart realizes when flying.
D. It emphasizes the isolation resulting from living in a small town that Amelia Earhart realizes when flying.
8. What type of figurative language is used in paragraph 9? (2.5 points)
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Idiom
9. Which of the following shows and example of personification? (2.5 points)
A. I saw the ocean.
B. The Hollywood Hills seemed to peep over the edge of the cockpit.
C. The trip there took more than an hour.
D. You have long hair.
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 10 – 17. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
Windshield Wipers—Mary Anderson
by Catherine Thimmesh
1
It was a dreadful day, weather wise. Snow and sleet pelted the pavement, and people burrowed deep within their coats. Hoping to catch the sights and escape the blustery cold, Mary Anderson of Birmingham, Alabama, climbed aboard a New York City streetcar. The year was 1902. It turned out to be a ride she would never forget, but not because of the scenery. Instead, the ride would inspire her to invent the very first windshield wiper simply because she felt sorry for the streetcar driver who struggled to see through the glass. The invention would not only improve conditions for all drivers, but would save countless lives as well.
2
Earlier, top-notch engineers had tackled the problem of poor visibility in bad weather and had come up with a solution. They split the windshield. Once the glass became covered with rain or snow, the streetcar driver could fling open the middle for a clear view. Trouble was, it didn’t work. At least not very well. Mary watched helplessly as the driver desperately tried to see. When he opened the split glass, he was greeted with a burst of icy cold air and a blast of heavy, wet snow.
3
“Why doesn’t someone create a device to remove the snow?” Mary reportedly asked the people around her.
4
“It’s been tried many times,” they told her. “Can’t be done.”
5
Nonsense, thought Mary, as she scribbled in her notebook. Why can’t there be a lever on the inside that would move an arm on the outside to swipe off the snow? To her, it seemed perfectly simple.
6
Later, when she returned to her home in Birmingham, she studied her sketches. She spent some time refining her drawings—making them more elaborate, adding more details. Satisfied at last, she brought her design to a small manufacturing company in Birmingham and hired the company to make a model. Then, she filed a patent application.
7
“My invention relates to an improvement in window-cleaning devices in which a radially-swinging arm is actuated by a handle from inside of a car-vestibule,” Mary stated in her patent specification.
8
In other words, a lever on the inside that would move an arm on the outside. Mary’s wiper was made of wooden strips and pieces of rubber. She designed it to be removed in good weather so that it would not interfere with the appearance of the streetcar. One of her most important elements was the addition of a counterweight.
9
This was used, she writes, “to provide means for maintaining a uniform pressure upon the glass throughout the entire area swept by my improved window-cleaning device.”
10
In other words, it would swipe off the snow. Mary was awarded a patent in 1903 for a window-cleaning device—a windshield wiper. Once the invention was protected by a patent, she wrote a large Canadian company offering to sell her rights. They weren’t interested. After reviewing her proposal, they decided that her invention had little, if any, commercial1 value. They simply didn’t think it would sell. They encouraged her, however, to submit any other “useful patents” she might have for their consideration.
11
Mary put the patent in a drawer and eventually it expired. Several years later, someone else revived her idea, patented it, sold it, and made a very large sum of money. Every day, lives are saved due to increased visibility during bad weather. Even in our high-tech society, the windshield wiper remains one of the greatest safety inventions of the modern-day automobile, and tourists can now see the sights despite the snow, sleet, or rain.
10. Which of the following synonyms is closest to the meaning of the word
actuated in paragraph 7? (2.5 points)
A. Adapted
B. Connected
C. Moved
D. Started
11. The word
greeted in paragraph 2 makes the tone of the passage ___________.(2.5 points)
A. Humorous
B. Sarcastic
C. Incorrect
D. Historic
12. Read the sentence from Paragraph 10. (2.5 points)
They encouraged her, however, to submit any other
“useful patents” she might have for their consideration.
The tone of the phrase in paragraph 10 is best described as which of the following?
A. Unhappy
B. Sarcastic
C. Serious
D. Ironic
13. Read the sentence from Paragraph 7. (2.5 points)
“My invention relates to an improvement in window-cleaning devices in which a radially-swinging
arm is actuated by a handle from inside of a car-vestibule,” Mary stated in her patent specification.
According to the passage, an arm is a metaphor because it compares the device to which of the following?
A. A door handle
B. A human limb
C. A window cleaner
D. An outdoor swing
14. Without changing the meaning of the sentence, which of the following phrases
could be used to replace the phrase, “Perfectly simple,” in paragraph 5? (2.5 points)
A. A piece of cake
B. Go with the flow
C. Jump to conclusions
D. Leave well enough alone
15. In paragraph 8, what does the word counterweight mean in this selection? (2.5 points)
A. A weight that balances another weight.
B. A system of weights used for metals.
C. A weight that exceeds the limits.
D. The entire weight of an object.
16. What does the connotation of paragraph 1 reveal about the mood of the character? (2.5 points)
A. Although the day started out with negative and dreary tone, it quickly ended up being a beautiful day that would inspire the character in the story.
B. Although the day was dreary, it was not a great day at all for the character in the story.
C. The character was cold and felt sorry for the street car driver.
D. The day was dreary and the streetcar driver was miserable.
17. Read the sentence from paragraph 2 in the box below. (2.5 points)
Earlier, top-notch engineers had tackled the problem of poor visibility in bad weather and had come up with a solution.
What is the literal meaning of the sentence in the box above?
A. The engineers took the problem and knocked it to the ground.
B. The engineers fixed the problem.
C. The engineers ignored the poor visibility.
D. The engineers could not work in bad weather.
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 18 – 25. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
September 4, 2016
Kelly Rozelle
1765 Oceanside Drive
Epstein, CA 90900
Dear Ms. Blandford,
1
This past summer I read your new book,
The Incredible Pursuit, and I felt compelled to write you a letter of appreciation.
The Incredible Pursuit is one of those books that sticks with you long after the last page. I felt inspired by this work of historical fiction, and I am certain that many other readers must feel the same way.
2
Before reading your book, I had studied in my history classes about Arctic exploration in the mid-1800s, and your background information on this fascinating era seemed to be very accurate. Your impressive research and attention to detail are apparent on every single page. In addition to providing precise facts and figures, you have also included great insights into why some men were so driven to undertake risky expeditions into the Arctic. Your writing clearly conveys that although the quest for knowledge was important to these men, their own greed and desire for fame often overshadowed their search for answers.
3
The Incredible Pursuit, however, is much more than an adventure story. You have created strong characters that overcome extreme physical dangers and seemingly impossible emotional challenges. I became attached to your characters and imagined I was with them on their breathtaking adventures through the Arctic. Although I am not sure why, I felt most connected to the character of Robert Albright, the silversmith from Massachusetts whose attempts were foiled time and again. As I followed Albright’s journey, I found myself sharing his disappointments—especially when he became ill and considered ending his journey—and celebrating with him in his times of success. There was never a “convenient place” for me to put down the book, and I was continually anticipating the next episode.
4
I also found that the actions of the characters always seemed natural and real, even when I did not quite understand their motives or reasoning. I was not sure, for example, why David Glotham decided to leave his camp in the middle of the night and continue on by himself. It did not seem to me that he wanted to reach the destination ahead of all the others or that he preferred to travel alone. I was surprised by his decision, but I trusted his character; I enjoyed the way that his unique, unpredictable personality kept me guessing all the way to the end.
5
Thank you so much for all the research and creativity you put into
The Incredible Pursuit. I will definitely be checking my local bookstore for your next release.
Sincerely,
Kelly Rozelle
18. Kelly Rozelle’s tone in her letter to Ms. Blandford is best described as which of the following? (2.5 points)
A. Critical and thankful
B. Detailed and appreciative
C. Informational and hesitant
D. Adventurous and apprehensive
Read the sentence in the box below to answer questions 19 and 20.
Although I am not sure why, I felt most connected to the character of Robert Albright, the silversmith from Massachusetts whose attempts were
foiled time and time again. As I followed Albright’s journey, I found myself sharing his disappointments—especially when he became ill and considered ending his journey—and celebrating with him in his times of success.
19. In the given context, which sentence below has the same meaning as the word foil? (2.5 points)
A. The fox foiled the trail by running through the shallow creek.
B. Debra foiled each dish until it was time to eat at the picnic.
C. The knight used great skill and foiled the fearsome dragon, then rescued the princess.
D. Robbie wrapped the sandwiches while Chandra foiled the potato salad and the apple pie.
20. Which of the words below have the same meaning as the word foil? (2.5 points)
A. Criticized
B. Permitted
C. Defeated
D. Overlooked
Read paragraph 1 of the letter. (2.5 points)
This past summer I read your new book,
The Incredible Pursuit, and I felt compelled to write you a letter of appreciation.
The Incredible Pursuit is one of those books that sticks with you long after the last page. I felt inspired by this work of historical fiction, and I am certain that many other readers must feel the same way.
21. What type of connotation does the author set for the reader in paragraph 1?
A. A negative connotation because the book is historical fiction
B. A negative connotation because the book was long.
C. A positive connotation because Kelly read the book.
D. A positive connotation because Kelly is writing a letter of appreciation.
22 . Read the sentence from paragraph 3. (2.5 points)
I became attached to your characters and imagined I was with them on their breathtaking adventures through the Arctic.
The sentence in the box above shows an example of which of the following forms of figurative language?
E. Personification
A. Simile
B. Onomatopoeia
C. Imagery
23. Read the sentence in the box below. (2.5 points)
There was never a “convenient place” for me to put down the book, and I was continually
anticipating the next episode.
Which word below is a synonym for anticipating?
A. Dreading
B. Looking forward to
C. Finding
D. Hoping to understand
24. In the letter, Kelly Rozelle compared some parts of her life to the character in
The Incredible Pursuit. What form of figurative language is this called? (2.5 points)
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Alliteration
25. Read the sentence in the box below. (2.5 points)
Your
impressive research and attention to detail are apparent on every single page.
What does the word impressive mean in this selection?
A. Impossible
B. Incorrect
C. Questionable
D. Remarkable
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 26 – 33. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
from The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire
from
The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire
by Charles Morris
The Great Disaster of 1906
1 That night, with their wonted1 equanimity, the people went to their beds, rich and poor, sick and well alike. Did any of them dream of disaster in the air? It may be so, for often, as the poet tells us, “Coming events cast their shadows before.” But, forewarned by dreams or not, doubtless not a soul in the great city was prepared for the terrible event so near at hand, when, at thirteen minutes past five o’clock on the dread morning of the 18th, they felt their beds lifted beneath them as if by a Titan hand, heard the crash of falling walls and ceilings, and saw everything in their rooms tossed madly about, while through their windows came the roar of an awful disaster from the city without.
2 It was a matter not of minutes, but of seconds, yet on all that coast, long the prey of the earthquake, no shock like it had ever been felt, no such sudden terror awakened, no such terrible loss occasioned as in those few fearful seconds. Again and again the trembling of the earth passed by, three quickly repeated shocks, and the work of the demon of ruin was done. People woke with a start to find themselves flung from their beds to the floor, many of them covered with the fragments of broken ceilings, many lost among the ruins of falling floors and walls, many pinned in agonizing suffering under the ruins of their houses, which had been utterly wrecked in those fatal seconds.
3 Those seconds of the reign of the elemental forces had turned the most careless city on the continent into a wreck which no words can fitly describe. Those able to move stumbled in wild panic across the floors of their heaving houses, regardless of clothing, of treasures, of everything but the mad instinct for safety, and rushed headlong into the streets, to find that the earth itself had yielded to the energy of its frightful interior forces and had in places been torn and rent2 like the houses themselves. New terrors assailed the fugitives as fresh tremors shook the solid ground, some of them strong enough to bring down shattered walls and chimneys, and bring back much of the mad terror of the first fearful quake. The heaviest of these came at eight o’clock. While less forcible than that which had caused the work of destruction, the goliath tremor added immensely to the panic and dread of the people and put many of the wanderers to flight, some toward the ferry, the great mass in the direction of the sand dunes and Golden Gate Park.
4 The spectacle of the entire population of a great city thus roused suddenly from slumber by a fierce earthquake shock and sent flying into the streets in utter panic is one that can scarcely be pictured in words. Some of the more vivid of these personal accounts will be presented later, but at present we must confine ourselves to a general statement of the succession of events.
5 The earthquake proved but the beginning and much the least destructive part of the disaster. In many of the buildings there were fires, banked for the night, but ready to kindle the inflammable material hurled down upon them by the shock. In others were live electric wires which the shock brought in contact with woodwork. The terror-stricken fugitives saw, here and there, in all directions around them, the alarming vision of red flames curling upward and outward, in gleaming contrast to the white light of dawn just showing in the eastern sky. Those lurid3 gleams climbed upward in devouring haste, and before the sun had fairly risen a dozen or more conflagrations were visible in all sections of the business part of the city, and in places great buildings broke with startling suddenness into flame, which shot hotly high into the air.
6 While the mass of the people was stunned by the awful suddenness of the disaster and stood rooted to the ground or wandered helplessly about in blank dismay, there were many alert and self-possessed among them who roused themselves quickly from their dismay and put their energies to useful work. Some of these gave themselves to the work of rescue, seeking to save the injured from their perilous situations. Meanwhile the glare of the flames brought the fire-fighters out in hot haste with their engines, and up from the military station at the Presidio, on the Golden Gate side of the city, came at double quick a force of soldiers, under the efficient command of General Funston, of Cuban and Philippine fame. These trained troops were at once put on guard over the city, with directions to keep the best order possible. Funston recognized at the start the necessity of keeping the lawless element under control in such an exigency4 as that which he had to face. Later in the day the First Regiment of California National Guards was called out and put on duty, with similar orders.
1wonted—usual; everyday; recurring
2rent—split; ripped
3lurid—bright; vivid; colorful
4exigency—emergency
26. What is the effect of the allusion “by a Titan hand” in paragraph 1? (2.5 points)
0. It highlights the courage of the people of the city.
0. It highlights the power of the earthquake.
0. It highlights the mystery of the cause of the earthquake.
0. It highlights the mythical nature of the rescue workers.
27.
Part A
Read this sentence from paragraph 3. (2.5 points)
New terrors assailed the fugitives as fresh tremors shook the solid ground, some of them strong enough to bring down shattered walls and chimneys, and bring back much of the mad terror of the first fearful quake.
What is the meaning of the word fugitives as it is used in this sentence?
0. Deserters
0. Escapees
0. Raiders
0. Thieves
28. Part B
What two phrases from paragraph 3 support your answer to Part A. Write your response in the box below. (2.5 points)
The phrases “rushed headlong into the streets” and “put many of the wanderers to flight, some toward the ferry” are the phrases that show the meaning of the word fugitives.
29. Find a statement from the passage that shows personification and write it below. Explain why the statement is personification.
(2.5 points)
Any of the following are examples of personification: heaving houses, gleams climbed, the disaster stood, the flames glared, etc. The statements are personification because they are objects that are doing what humans do.
30. Part A
The overall tone of the story is best described as which of the following? (2.5 points)
0. Happy and despair
0. Fear and disaster
0. Fright and love
0. Rescue and happiness
31. Part B
Which of the following best supports the overall tone of the story? (2.5 points)
0. “But, forewarned by dreams or not, doubtless not a soul in the great city was prepared for the terrible event so near at hand, when, at thirteen minutes past five o’clock on the dread morning of the 18th, they felt their beds lifted beneath them as if by a Titan hand, heard the crash of falling walls and ceilings, and saw everything in their rooms tossed madly about, while through their windows came the roar of an awful disaster from the city without.”
0. Some of the more vivid of these personal accounts will be presented later, but at present we must confine ourselves to a general statement of the succession of events.
0. These trained troops were at once put on guard over the city, with directions to keep the best order possible.
0. Later in the day the First Regiment of California National Guards was called out and put on duty, with similar orders
.
32. Read the phrase from paragraph 2 below. (2.5 points)
The work of the demon of ruin was done.
What does the demon of ruin refer to in the passage?
0. The houses
0. The people
0. The earthquake
0. A tornado
33. Explain why the disaster was referred to as the demon of ruin? (2.5 points)
E. It demon ruined the people.
F. The demon destroyed the city and killed a lot of people.
G. The demon woke people up.
H. None of the above
Directions: Read the passage below and answer questions 34 – 40. Use complete sentences for answers that require a response.
Dogs and Cats
by Alexandre Dumas
The French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was the son of a general in Napoleon’s army and the grandson of a Haitian slave. Although Dumas wrote many essays, stories, and plays, he is perhaps most famous for his novels, which include The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. —Ed.
1
Most people agree that the dog has intelligence, a heart; on the other hand, they declare that the cat is a traitor, a deceiver, an ingrate, a thief. How many persons have I heard say, “Oh, I can’t bear a cat! The cat has no love for its master; it cares only for the house.”
2
True, the cat is unpopular. Her reputation is bad, and she makes no effort to improve the general opinion that people have of her. She cares as little about your opinion as does the Sultan of Turkey. And—must I confess—this is the very reason I love her.
3
In this world, no one can long be indifferent to things, whether trivial or serious—if, indeed, anything is serious. Hence every person must, sooner or later, declare himself on the subjects of dogs and cats.
4
Well, then! I love cats.
5
Ah, how many times people have said to me, “What! do you love cats?”
6
“Certainly.”
7
“Well, don’t you love dogs better?”
8
“No, I prefer cats every time.”
9
“Oh, that’s very strange!”
10
The truth is, I would rather have neither cat nor dog. But when I am obliged to live with one of these beings, I always choose the cat. I will tell you why.
11
The cat seems to me to have the manners most necessary to good society. In her early youth she has all the graces, all the gentleness, all the unexpectedness that the most artistic imagination could desire. She is smart; she never loses herself. She is prudent, going everywhere, looking into everything, breaking nothing.
12
The cat steals fresh mutton just as the dog steals it, but, unlike the dog, she takes no delight in carrion1. She is fastidiously clean—and in this respect, she might well be imitated by many of her detractors. She washes her face, and in so doing foretells the weather2 into the bargain. You may please yourself by putting a ribbon around her neck, but never a collar; she has no true master.
13
In short, the cat is a dignified, proud, disdainful animal. She defies advances and tolerates no insults. She abandons the house in which she is not treated according to her merits. She is, in both origin and character, a true aristocrat, while the dog is and always will be a mere vulgar
parvenu.
1carrion: spoiled meat
2in so doing foretells the weather: It was once commonly believed that the wind would blow in the direction a cat turned when she washed her face.
34. Part A
What tone does the author present throughout the story? (2.5 points)
A. Happy
B. Humorous
C. Sad
D. Angry
35.
Part B
What are some examples from the passage to support your answer of Dumas’ tone? Give at least two examples. (2.5 points)
1. She cares as little about your opinion as does the Sultan of Turkey. 2. The cat steals fresh mutton just as the dog steals it, but, unlike the dog, she takes no delight in carrion.
36. Read the sentence from paragraph 2 to answer questions 36 and 37.
She cares as little about your opinion as does the Sultan of Turkey.
The sentence above is an example of what type of figurative language? (2.5 points)
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Alliteration
D. Imagery
37. Why does the author compare the cat to the Sultan of Turkey? (2.5 points)
A. To show that cats are funny.
B. To show that cats are colorful.
C. To show that cats are great animals.
D. To show that cats are royal and dignified.
38. Find two synonyms from the story that show that cats are dignified and royal.
(2.5 points)
Aristocrat, prudent, dignified, proud
39. Read the sentence in the box below from paragraph 12. (2.5 points)
The cat steals fresh mutton just as the dog steals it, but, unlike the dog, she takes no delight in carrion.
Which word in the sentence is an antonym for the word mutton?
A. Carrion
B. Steals
C. Fresh
D. Delight
40. Which word below means the same as the word prudent in paragraph 11? (2.5 points)
A. Mean
B. Wise
C. Evil
D. Manipulative
· How will I score this assessment?
The assessment will be scored with equal amount of points for each question whether essay, fill in the blank, short answer, or multiple choice. Each question will be worth 2.5 points. Each short answer question may be given full points or partial points depending on if the student had any of the answers from the answer key and explained in details what needed to be explained.
· How will I integrate the results of this plan into my instructional lessons within the unit?
The data from the assessment will be used to guide my instruction during the unit on figurative language. I will start teaching the skills that students struggled the most on and teach for mastery of those skills. I will also integrate all of the skills to make sure that students do not forget how to use the skills that they are familiar with. Once skills have been taught a quiz will be given to assess if students have mastered the skills. Occasionally, I will give bell work and/ or exit tickets to continue assessing the standard.
References:
Encase Testing Bank. (2020) Retrieved September 5, 2020 from
https://encase.te21.com/Assessment/Print/53645fdb-a779-48da-b59d-c9e0ba595f76
** CONFIDENTIAL **
** Teacher’s Copy **
English Language Arts
Packet 4
Grade 6
Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for literary response and expression &
Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen, and
speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Page 2
ELA6Packet4 – – CONFIDENTIAL: TEACHER’S COPY – –
1. Which sentence serves as an example of alliteration?
A) The buzz of the alarm sounded in our ears.
B) The lone dove sang during the early morning hours.
C) The thorns on the thistles poked through the gloves.
D) There is a small brown moth flying outside.
ID Answer Points DifficultyBlooms BiserialP-Value
ETSHR-i-188231 C 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a
Looking for a Rainbow
1 Rain crashed against the brick wall of the library and pounded on the window behind me. Absorbed in a book, I
heard the rain subside and felt late afternoon sunlight warm the back of my neck. I finished my chapter.
2 Half an hour later I was slogging through puddles toward a faded yellow two-story house set back into the woods.
My cousins Sara, Jason, and Kendra stood in the doorway to greet me.
3 “Did you see the rainbow?” Kendra asked.
4 “It stretched all the way down to the horizon at both ends,” Jason said.
5 “The brightest colors you can imagine,” Sara added.
6 “No, I didn’t see the rainbow,” I said. I hadn’t seen a rainbow in at least two years. I love rainbows but usually only
hear about them after they disappear.
7 Seeing the disappointment on my face, Jason beckoned me into the house and said, “Don’t worry. We’ll show you a
rainbow
tomorrow.”
8 “What do you mean? You can’t store a rainbow away in a jar,” I objected.
9 “Wait and see. Come back tomorrow a little earlier than you did today.”
10 I took off my muddy shoes and set them by the door. “That makes no sense. The forecast doesn’t even say rain
tomorrow.”
11 “You just have to look in the right place,” Sara said with a twinkle. “We’ll show you where to look.”
Page 3
ELA6Packet4 – – CONFIDENTIAL: TEACHER’S COPY – –
12 “A rainbow isn’t in a place,” I replied.
13 “Of course it is. Everything is in a place,” argued Sara.
14 “That’s not true. Strength and honesty and bedtime stories and songs you’ve known all your life—lots of things
aren’t in a place.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and waited for her response.
15 “You can’t see those things. Everything you can see is in a place. A rainbow is in the sky, isn’t it?”
16 I knew she was teasing me, but I couldn’t find the flaw in her logic. Halfway up the stairs it struck me. I turned
triumphantly. “A rainbow is an optical illusion. The water in the air bends different parts of the sunlight at different
angles, separating the colors that the water reflects back to your eyes.”
17 “So?”
18 “So a rainbow isn’t really there in the sky. It’s the way the light reaches your eyes. If other people are standing
somewhere else, they’ll see the rainbow in a different position in the sky.”
19 Sara gave me the kind of look that only a cousin can give. “Are you trying to tell me that you create the rainbow by
looking at it? If everyone stops looking, does the rainbow cease to exist? Are you saying rainbows aren’t real?”
20 “They’re real; they’re just not really in the sky. They’re really in your eyes and mind, and in the light that comes to
you. I wish I’d been watching some of that light this afternoon,” I said.
21 “Come back tomorrow and we’ll show you,” Jason repeated. “Then you can decide where it is and whether it’s
real.”
22 That night I dreamed about rainbows: rainbows in the sky, rainbows reaching my eyes, groups of people standing
around with a slightly different rainbow for each of them. The next afternoon I walked back to my cousins’ house.
The day was sunny and clear, not rainbow weather at all.
23 “Keep your shoes on,” Kendra told me. They led me down a narrow path through the woods behind the house. The
trees were tall and dense. Pines as straight and tall as Greek columns stood contrasted with the gnarly, crooked
branches of ancient oaks. On our right, a fallen log offered a home for countless forest creatures. Tall ferns danced
around the end where the roots had pulled up out of the ground.
24 A haphazard pile of boulders to our left looked as if some giant had thrown them aside. A carpet of green softened
their shaded sides. Sara asked, “Now are you going to tell me you don’t see the moss, you just see the light from the
moss as it reaches your eyes?”
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25 “That’s different,” I said. “You can touch the moss. You can feel it. It’s really there on the rocks. You can’t feel a
rainbow.” Satisfied, or perhaps tiring of the game, my cousins led me on without comment.
26 Into the gentle sounds of chirping birds and creaking branches broke another sound: the gurgle of rushing water.
We emerged into a clearing at the base of a tall, narrow waterfall spilling into a gleaming pool. Droplets of water
splashed out from the stony ledge overhead. Jason drew me to a spot near the pool’s edge and pointed up to the
droplets, sparkling in the sunlight.
27 There near the top of the waterfall—or so it appeared to my delighted eyes—was a brilliant, beautiful, perfect
double rainbow.
2. Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that the narrator rarely sees rainbows?
A) “No, I didn’t see the rainbow,” I said.
B) I hadn’t seen a rainbow in at least two years.
C) “Don’t worry. We’ll show you a rainbow tomorrow.”
D) The day was sunny and clear, not rainbow weather at all.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-199840 B 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-2625 Looking for a Rainbow Both Gende Unknown801-1000 5 to 5.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a No
3. The setting at the end of the story is important because it shows that
A) people can see rainbows more clearly near waterfalls.
B) rainbows are difficult to see.
C) double rainbows only exist in the woods.
D) there are many places to see rainbows.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-194550 D 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-2625 Looking for a Rainbow Both Gende Unknown801-1000 5 to 5.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a No
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4. Why does the narrator miss the first rainbow?
A) She is not interested in it.
B) She does not believe it is real.
C) She can not see it from her house.
D) She is preoccupied with her book.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-186680 D 1 High Understanding n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-2625 Looking for a Rainbow Both Gende Unknown801-1000 5 to 5.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a No
5. The narrator and her cousins found a rainbow
A) in a jar.
B) in the sky.
C) on the rocks.
D) near a waterfall.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-192797 D 1 Low Remembering n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-2625 Looking for a Rainbow Both Gende Unknown801-1000 5 to 5.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a No
6. Which of the following best explains the narrator’s conflict in the story?
A) The narrator is confused about how rainbows are formed.
B) The narrator does not think a rainbow can be put into a jar.
C) The narrator is disappointed at not seeing a rainbow.
D) The narrator thinks that rainbows are real, but Sara does not.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-161236 C 1 Low Analyzing n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-2625 Looking for a Rainbow Both Gende Unknown801-1000 5 to 5.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a No
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Learning to Swim
by Kyoko Mori
1 I was determined to swim at least twenty-five meters in the front crawl. As we did every summer, my mother,
younger brother, and I were going to stay with my grandparents, who lived in a small farming village near Himeji, in
Japan. From their house, it was a short walk through some rice paddies to the river where my mother had taught me
how to swim when I was six. First, she showed me how to float with my face in the water, stretching my arms out in
front of me and lying very still so my whole body was like a long plastic raft full of air. If you thought about it that
way, my mother said, floating was as easy as just standing around or lying down to sleep. Once I got comfortable
with floating, she taught me to kick my legs and paddle my arms so I could move forward, dog-paddling with my
face out of the water.
2 Now I was too old to dog-paddle like a little kid. My mother had tried to teach me the front crawl the previous
summer. I knew what I was supposed to do—flutter kick and push the water from front to back with my arms, while
keeping my face in the water and turning sideways to breathe—but somehow there seemed to be too much I had to
remember all at once. I forgot to turn my head and found myself dog-paddling again after only a few strokes. This
summer, I thought, I would work harder and learn to swim as smoothly and gracefully as my mother. Then I would
go back to school in September and surprise my classmates and my teachers. At our monthly swimming test, I would
swim the whole length of our pool and prove myself one of the better swimmers in our class.
3 At our school, where we had monthly tests to determine how far each of us could swim without stopping, everyone
could tell who the best and the worst swimmers were by looking at our white cloth swimming caps. For every five or
ten meters we could swim, our mothers sewed a red or black line on the front of the cap. At the last test we had, in
late May, I had made it all the way across the width of the pool in an awkward combination of dog paddle and front
crawl, earning the three red lines on my cap for fifteen meters. That meant I was an average swimmer, not bad, not
great. At the next test, in September, I would have to try the length of the pool, heading toward the deep end.
“Learning to Swim” by Kyoko Mori from When I Was Your Age, copyright ©1999 by Kyoko Mori. Used by permission of Kyoko Mori.
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The Swimming Pool Pantoum*
by Sophie Hannah
A box of blue
With water in.
It calls to you
The waves begin.
5 With water in,
And a lid of light,
The waves begin.
Swim out of sight.
A lid of light,
10 Wobbly and cool.
Swim out of sight
Around the pool,
Wobbly and cool.
Little blue tiles
15 Surround the pool
For miles and miles.
Little blue tiles
Cover the floor
For miles and miles
20 And even more.
Cover the floor
With your bare feet
And even more,
Follow the beat,
25 With your bare feet
And your swimming cap,
Follow the beat
Of the water’s lap.
Your swimming cap
30 Keeps your head dry.
The waters lap
As you float by.
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Keep your head dry
And full of calm
35 As you float by.
Come to no harm.
Full of calm
And light as a wish,
Come to no harm,
40 Dream of green fish.
Light as a wish,
They swim in the waves.
Dream of green fish
In watery caves.
45 Swim in the waves
Like a long dream
Of watery caves
And the pool will seem
Like a long dream,
50 A bit like sleep.
The pool will seem
Lovely and deep.
A bit like sleep
It calls to you.
55 Lovely and deep,
A box so blue.
*Pantoum: a poem made up of stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of a stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the following stanza
“The Swimming Pool Pantoum” from The Box Room by Sophie Hannah, copyright © 2000 by Sophie Hannah. Used by permission.
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7. The actions of the narrators in “Learning to Swim” and “The Swimming Pool Pantoum” best express which
theme?
A) the peacefulness of water
B) the joys of swimming
C) the demands of winning a competition
D) the difficulties of trying something new
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-180530 B 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word count Flesch-Kincaid Stimulus Type Subtype Area Multicultural
NWEA-p-2629 Learning to Swim Female(s) Asian 401-600 9 to 9.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes
NWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No
8. Which is a theme common to both “Learning to Swim” and “The Swimming Pool Pantoum”?
A) Do not be afraid of a challenge.
B) Learning a new skill takes practice.
C) Do not be afraid of the water.
D) Wishes are dreams that come true.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-196888 B 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType SubtypeAreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-2629 Learning to Swim Female(s)Asian 401-600 9 to 9.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes
NWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No
9. The word pantoum describes a poem that contains
A) rhyming lines.
B) repeated lines.
C) short lines.
D) run-on lines.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-216321 B 1 Low Remembering n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No
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10. What does “a box so blue” in the poem describe?
A) the sky
B) a pool
C) the water
D) a wave
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-172489 B 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No
11. The poem could be used by students who are doing research about
A) swimming safety.
B) swimming contests.
C) swimming lessons.
D) swimming apparel.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-215319 C 1 High Evaluating n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulusType Subtype AreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-3559 The Swimming Pool Pantoum n/a n/a 0-200 n/a Reading Poetry Poems n/a No
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A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles
by Bette Bao Lord
1 Throughout the journey across the United States, Shirley stared out the window of the train. But she remembered
nothing of what she saw. Her thoughts were always with Father. Father, who knew how everything worked. Was he
not an engineer with a diploma from Shanghai to prove it? Had he not explained why the stars twinkled and how
submarines slunk beneath the seas? And he could fix anything. Lamps that refused to light. Doors that squeaked.
Even quarrels, except for the one between Grand-grand Aunt and Grand-grand Uncle.
2 How she missed him!
3 As the wheels of the train clacked along the tracks, they seemed to chant — Four more days, just four more days . . .
Three days, just three days . . . Only two, only two, only two . . . Tomorrow, tomorrow . . . Today!
4 At last it was the hour when their year-long separation would end. Shirley clutched her seat, afraid joy would launch
her through the ceiling and whisk her high above the clouds. She fixed her gaze on Mother, who twisted her
handkerchief nervously, smiling at someone who was not yet there.
5 “Can we go now?”
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6 “Better wait till the train has come to a stop. You wouldn’t want to fall and skin a knee just before you see Father.”
7 “I’ll be careful.”
8 “We will be there soon enough.”
9 “Now?”
10 “The train is slowing down. Soon.”
11 “Now?”
12 “Now.”
13 Hand in hand they made their way down the crowded aisle toward the exit, peering out the windows at the people
waiting on the platform.
14 “There he is!” Mother whispered.
15 “Where?”
16 “By the far pillar.”
17 “I see him. Father! Father!”
18 Shirley freed herself and burrowed through the passengers to the door. Leaping off the train, she ran to the dapper
man in a bow tie.
19 He lifted her into his arms and swung her about, hugging her tightly. “What disgraceful behavior!” he exclaimed in
a mocking tone so familiar that it made her teary. “Has your mother taught you no shame — embracing in public?
Who are you anyway?”
20 “Father, it’s me. Shirley. Shirley Temple Wong.”
21 He shook with laughter. “Shirley? Where did you get such a name?”
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22 She started to explain, but suddenly he was still. He set her down. Before them stood Mother. Her face looked so
solemn. His did too. Something was happening. Mother did not blink when a man smashed a bottle nearby. Father
did not react when another jostled him. For a long moment, Mother and Father simply glowed, as if they were
caught in a spell.
23 Father bowed. “It is good that you are here, my wife.”
24 “It is good to be here, my husband.” Mother, too, bowed.
25 Taking one of Father’s hands in her left and one of Mother’s in her right, Shirley jumped up and down. “Take us
home, Father. Take us home.”
26 Home was Brooklyn, New York, but Shirley would not know that for a while. To her, it was simply Mei Guo,
Beautiful Country.
From In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord, copyright © 1984 by Bette Bao Lord. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
12. Read the sentence from the story.
Hand in hand they made their way down the crowded aisle toward the exit, peering out the windows at the people
waiting on the platform.
At this point in the story, Mother and Shirley most likely walk hand in hand because they are
A) afraid of the motion of the train.
B) eager about their reunion with Father.
C) excited to see passengers in line for the train.
D) worried they have arrived too late to see Father.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-192946 B 1 High Analyzing n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender Ethnicity Word count Flesch-Kincaid Stimulus Type Subtype Area Multicultural
NWEA-p-3351 A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles Female(s) Asian 401-600 4 to 4.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes
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13. Paragraph 22 is mostly about
A) how Shirley behaves when she steps off of the train.
B) the way Mother and Father react when they meet.
C) the reason Mother is startled by a broken bottle.
D) why Father is jostled by someone in the crowd.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-199147 B 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulus Type SubtypeAreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-3351 A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles Female(s)Asian 401-600 4 to 4.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes
14. When she finally sees him again, how is Shirley affected by her Father’s teasing?
A) It upsets her because he is not friendly.
B) It reminds her of his usual manner with her.
C) It saddens her because he has not missed her.
D) It helps her forget about her fears of traveling.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-201725 B 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulus Type SubtypeAreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-3351 A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles Female(s)Asian 401-600 4 to 4.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes
15. What is the main setting of this story?
A) airport
B) California
C) Shanghai
D) train station
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-179087 D 1 Low Understanding n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulus Type SubtypeAreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-3351 A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles Female(s)Asian 401-600 4 to 4.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes
16. What type of writing style is used in this story?
A) narrative
B) persuasive
C) exposition
D) business writing
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-170531 A 1 Medium Applying n/a n/a
Associated Passages
ID PassageTitle Gender EthnicityWord countFlesch-KincaidStimulus Type SubtypeAreaMulticultural
NWEA-p-3351 A Journey of Ten Thousand Miles Female(s)Asian 401-600 4 to 4.9 Reading Literary Stories n/a Yes
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17. In which of these types of writing would suspense be most important?
A) article
B) comedy
C) mystery
D) autobiography
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-207105 C 1 Medium Analyzing n/a n/a
18. Which choice includes an example of onomatopoeia?
A) She finished reading that book in a snap.
B) He held down the fort until they returned.
C) I could hear the clatter of dishes being washed.
D) They laughed like hyenas when they heard the joke.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-185742 C 1 Low Analyzing n/a n/a
19. Read the sentence.
Kendra accepted the responsibility for planning the banquet, but she had the misfortune to have only one helper.
Which underlined word in the sentence has a prefix meaning “wrong or bad”?
A) accepted
B) responsibility
C) banquet
D) misfortune
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-163370 D 1 Medium Remembering n/a n/a
20. Which of the following characteristics would best indicate that a passage is poetry?
A) It uses the first-person point of view.
B) It is not very long.
C) It is arranged in a rhythmic pattern.
D) It discusses a serious subject.
ID Answer Points Difficulty Blooms Biserial P-Value
NWEA-i-168474 C 1 Medium Understanding n/a n/a
6
A Canoe’s Night Music
|
|
Our paddles clang the metal sides |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Turning the canoe into kettle drums |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Until we rest our arms and glide |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
And note how canoe and water hum. |
|
5 |
The sheet music we follow is the moon |
|
|
That shines our path on the lake. |
||
|
We listen to our booming tune, |
||
|
The music a canoe makes. |
|
The moon strikes the other shore. |
||
|
1 0 |
We aim our prow1 for that silver spot, |
|
|
Paddling so hard with wooden oars |
||
|
That we make the water shout. |
|
Clangs, splashes, and shouts—our chorus |
||
|
The rhythm of canoe and water—our band |
||
|
15 |
The finale waits on the shore before us |
|
|
As we land in rasping sand. |
|
Another light draws our feet |
||
|
A campfire crackles in a crowd, |
||
|
But still in our hearts we hear the beat |
||
|
2 0 |
Of our canoe’s music thrumming loud. |
|
Our friends clap for our performance |
|
We played our instrument with no flaws |
|
These friends have been our audience, |
|
And we bow to their applause. |
1prow: a projecting forward part, a boat’s hull
1. In the poem above, why do the author compares a canoeing to a band performance because (DOK
3
)
A. A canoe is far comparable a barrel.
B. Both are actions done with a regular beat.
C. The music ended by equally is different.
D. Both have spectators in reality.
2. What is the overall tone of the poem? (DOK 2)
A. Depressed
B. Nervous
C. Funny
D. Adventurous
3. The poet’s choice of word “hum in Line
4
creates a sense of (DOK 3)
A. Harmony
B. Uncertainty
C. Exhaustion
D. Enjoyment
4. What image is created in Stanza 5 of the poem? (DOK 2)
A. The sun is shining of the water.
B. Kids are playing in the sand.
C. The falling rain sounds like drums.
D. People are gathered around a campfire.
5. Read line 15 from the poem.
|
The |
What is the meaning of the underlined word as it is used in this line? (DOK 2)
A. Prize
B. Conclusion
C. Contentment
D. Festival
6. How does the mood change from the beginning of the poem to the end? (DOK 3)
A. Peaceful to anxious
B. Anticipation to prideful
C. Tension to cautious
D. Happy to dissatisfied
7
. How is the boat moving across the lake? (DOK 2)
A. It is touching accidentally and in numerous ways.
B. It is fluctuating with the current through the freshwater.
C. It is paddled quickly and rhythmically.
D. It is directed gradually and uselessly.
8
. Read the lines.
|
But still in our hearts we hear the beat Of our canoe’s music thrumming loud. |
What mood does the poet create in the lines? (DOK 2)
A. Satisfaction
B. Meaninglessness
C. Tediousness
D. Interest
9
. Read the line. (DOK 3)
The poet uses this phrases to help the reader understand _____________________.
A. how it feels to ride in the canoe
B. how it sounds to paddle the canoe
C. how the narrator looks in the canoe
D. how the narrator use paddles to guide the canoe
10
. In the poem, the moon is compared to (DOK 2)
A. Sheet music
B. Water hum
C. Silver spot
D. Campfire
11
. What image is created in Stanza 1 of the poem? (DOK 2)
A. A multitude is reassuring a canoe competition.
B. A group is singing flamboyant harmony.
C. A canoe is gliding through the water.
D. A singing group is humming from the piece of music.
12
. Read line
21
from the poem. (DOK2 )
| Our friends clap for our performance |
What is the meaning of performance as it used in this line?
A. The attractiveness of the stirring canoe
B. The struggle of a competition
C. The music made by the paddles
D. The building of the campfire
Drawing Horses
by Cerelle Woods
| 1 |
I’d give anything to draw horses the way Euphemia Tucker does. They’re always running wild and free, their manes swirling over her paper like clouds across the sky. |
| 2 |
Euphemia’s horses look so real you can almost feel their breath on your face. |
| 3 |
Luke Anderson, who sits next to me, says he can’t decide whether my horses look more like Great Danes or kitchen tables. He also calls me Messy. I prefer Marisa, which is my real name, to Missy, which is what everyone, except Luke, calls me. If I could draw like Euphemia, I’d sign all my pictures |
| 4 |
Today I sharpened my pencil and took a clean sheet of paper out of my desk. I closed my eyes and pictured one of Euphemia’s perfect horses rearing up and pawing the air with its sharp hooves. I could see it so clearly I was sure I’d be able to draw it this time. |
|
I started with what I do best: a big, billowing mane. Next I roughed in most of the body and drew a long tail streaming out behind. It really wasn’t turning out half bad until I got to the front-legs-pawing-the-air part, which looked more like two macaroni noodles with tiny marshmallows for hooves. |
| 6 |
I tried again, but the hooves still didn’t seem right, and rather than doing them over and over, I erased them and went on to the head. That was when I really ran into trouble. |
| 7 |
First I drew some great donkey ears, followed by sheep ears, pig ears, kangaroo ears, everything except horse ears. I erased again and again until I had rubbed a hole in the paper. That was when Luke Anderson poked his nose over my shoulder. |
| 8 |
“Hey, Messy,” he said. “What are you drawing? It looks like a |
| 9 |
I scratched a big X through my earless, macaroni-legged horse, wadded it up into a little ball, and stuffed it under the lid of my desk. |
|
I was still upset when I got off the school bus this afternoon. I walked past the neighbors’ horses standing in the field next to our house. They’ve been in the field for as long as I can remember. |
| 11 |
I brooded about it all through dinner. After I’d helped clear the dishes, I sat down with a stack of typing paper and a freshly sharpened pencil. Without Luke Anderson there to pester me, I hoped I’d have better luck. I practiced a few horses’ heads, trying to get the ears right. Then my mother walked by, carrying a basket of laundry. |
| 12 |
“Nice dogs, Missy,” she said. “Is that one a German shepherd?” |
|
13 |
I just put my pencil down on the table, and walked outside. The sun had just sunk below the horizon, feathering the whole sky with pink and orange wisps. Everything looked special in that light, even the horses next door. |
|
14 |
I dragged a lawn chair over to the fence and sat down to take a better look at them. They’d never be free spirits like Euphemia’s horses, but they did seem patient and strong. I noticed the curves of their muscles, the shadows on their faces, the shine along their backs. Their colors reminded me of dessert: rich chocolate, deep cinnamon, creamy caramel. |
|
I was just sitting there, feeling kind of dazzled by the unexpected beauty of it all, when I remembered the big box of pastels my grandmother had sent for my birthday. |
|
16 |
“For Marisa,” the card had said, “because she is such a bright and colorful person.” |
|
17 |
I hurried into the house, grabbed the pastels and some paper, and raced for the door. |
|
18 |
“Whoa, there, Missy,” my dad said. “What’s the rush?” |
|
19 |
“Gotta run,” I explained. “The sun is going down!” |
|
I choose a deep brown, pulling it across my paper in the shape of the chocolate horse. It comes out right the first time, even the legs and ears! Drawing horses is easier when they’re right in front of you, and I’ll say this for the ones next door—they hold their poses. |
| 21 |
The sky is turning out just as I’d hoped, too; all the pinks and reds blending together like a strawberry parfait, and I love the way the caramel horse’s mane is blowing, just barely, in the wind. |
|
22 |
It doesn’t look exactly like one of Euphemia’s horses, of course, but I already know that when this drawing is finished, I’ll be signing it |
Excerpt from “Drawing Horses” by Cerelle Woods from
Highlights, April 2000.
13. Read the sentence. (DOK2)
|
They’re always running wild and free, their manes swirling over her paper like clouds across the sky. |
Why does the author compare swirling manes to clouds?
A. The drawing has captured the movement of manes in the wind.
B. Euphemia draws manes that are shaped like clouds.
C. Euphemia draws manes that are bigger than the body of the horse.
D. The paper is blue, and the manes in the drawing are white like clouds.
14. What type of figurative language is used for the sentence below? (DOK 1)
| They’re always running wild and free, their manes swirling over her paper like clouds across the sky. |
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Hyperbole
D. Personification
15. Read the sentence from the passage. (DOK 2)
|
I brooded about it all through dinner. |
What does brooded mean as used in the sentence above?
A. Thought
B. Fell enthusiastic
C. Overlooked
D. Performed disordered
16. Why is Marisa’s drawing of the horse’s front leg described as “two macaroni noodles with marshmallows for hooves? (DOK 3)
A. To explain her resemblance of drawing
B. To explain her frustration with her inability to draw
C. To explain her happy-go-lucky boldness to drawing
D. To explain her propensity to hurry over her drawings
17. Read this sentence from “Drawing Horses.”
|
Without Luke Anderson there to pester me, I’d have better luck. |
What does the word pester mean?
A. Bother
B. Straight
C. Alarm
D. Provision
18. What word best describes the tone of the passage? (DOK 3)
A. Amusing
B. Shadowy
C. Hopeful
D. Calming
19. Based on the descriptions of Marisa, which word BEST describes the author’s attitude toward this character? (DOK 3)
A. Annoyance
B. Eagerness
C. Affection
D. Worry
20. Red the sentence from the story. (DOK 2)
| I closed my eyes and pictured one of Euphemia’s perfect horses rearing up and pawing the air with its sharp hooves. |
Which sentence uses the word sharp as it used in the sentence above?
A. We plan to meet on the playground at ten o’clock sharp.
B. I used the sharp scissors very carefully.
C. The sharp student pleased the teacher with her clever comment.
D. She listened to the band and noticed that the trumpet sounded sharp.
21. Which excerpt best reinforces the joyful mood at the end of story? (DOK 3)
A. “Whoa, there, Missy,” my dad said.
B. all of the pink and reds blending together like a strawberry parfait…
C. it doesn’t look exactly like of Euphemia’s horse
D. I choose a deep brown, pulling it across my paper…
22. Read the sentence from the passage. (DOK 2)
| Today I sharpened my pencil and took a clean sheet of paper out of my desk. |
Which sentence use the word clean the same way it is used in the sentence above.
A. The saw made a clean cut through the thick log.
B. We finally finished the laundry because we need clean clothes for school.
C. The new sports car looks great because of its clean line.
D. We made a clean sweep of the house hoping to find the missing shoe.
23. Read the sentence from the passage. (DOK 2)
| Next I roughed in most of the body and drew a long tail streaming out behind. |
A. to sketch a picture that is not complete
B. to press hard with a pencil or pen
C. to copy in detail
D. to draw using a ruler
24. The author repeatedly compares Marisa’s art to (DOK 3)
A. Clothes
B. Cards
C. Food
D. Animals
25. When the speaker signs the painting with “Marisa,” it symbolizes her (DOK 3)
A. Suspicion of Euphemia
B. Confidence in her abilities
C. Darling of all forms of art
D. Thoughtful of beauty
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