ENGLISH B12

Read "XVII" by A. E. Housman.

Oh, when I was in love with you,
Then I was clean and brave,
And miles around the wonder grew
How well did I behave.

And now the fancy passes by,
And nothing will remain,
And miles around they’ll say that I
Am quite myself again.

This would be considered a lyric poem because of its

B. short length and musical quality.

Read the lines from "84" by Rabindranath Tagore.

The bees forget to sip their honey; drunken with light they foolishly hover and hum. . . .
Laughter floats in the air like foam on the flood.

The imagery used in the lines allows the reader to

B. imagine the sounds of the bees and laughter.

Speech directed toward someone who is absent or toward a thing that is personified is called

A. apostrophe

Read the lines from "The Gardner" by Rabindranath Tagore.

With a glance of your eyes you could plunder all the wealth of songs struck
from poets’ harps, fair woman!
But for their praises you have no ear, therefore I come to praise you
You could humble at your feet the proudest heads in the world.

The use of apostrophe in the excerpt causes the reader to

A. gain insight into the speaker’s feelings for the woman.

Read the line from "84" by Rabindranath Tagore.

Over the green and yellow rice-fields sweep the shadows of the autumn
clouds followed by the swift-chasing sun

What is the effect of the imagery used in these lines?

D. The reader can visualize the fields and the sky.

What do you call language that appeals to the senses and creates an impression

C. imagery

Which line most directly states the speaker’s feelings in "Song VII" by Rabindranath Tagore?

C. "My poet’s vanity dies in shame before thy sight."

Which of these are metaphors? Check all that apply.

She is the sun of my sky. Life is a roller coaster

Read the lines from "84" by Rabindranath Tagore.

Let none go back home, brothers, this morning, let none go to work
Let us take the blue sky by storm and plunder space as we run.

Which feature of a lyric poem does the repetition of the word let best illustrate?

A. the musical quality

Read the lines from "84" by Rabindranath Tagore.

Let none go back home, brothers, this morning, let none go to work.
Let us take the blue sky by storm and plunder space as we run.
Laughter floats in the air like foam on the flood.
Brothers, let us squander our morning in futile songs.

The use of apostrophe in the poem

C. helps define the speaker’s voice in relation to his "brothers," or community.

Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good night."

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Which lines from the excerpt are refrains? Check all that apply.

Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good night."

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Which statement best describes the effect of the refrains in this excerpt?

C. The refrains emphasize the importance of resisting death.

Read the line from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

A waste of breath the years behind

The meter, if any, from the line is

Iambic tetrameter

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

Which statement best describes how this excerpt contrasts with the main idea in "Do not go gentle into that good night"?

B. While the main idea in "Do not go gentle into that good night" is to fight death, the speaker in this excerpt claims that it does not matter whether a person lives or dies.

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;

Which statement best describes the effect of the parallelism in this excerpt?

D. The parallel structure of these lines emphasizes that the pilot does not have much emotion for his enemies or his countrymen.

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;

Which line best emphasizes the speaker’s idea of death?

A. I know that I shall meet my fate

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.

What does the parallelism in this excerpt emphasize?

A. The parallelism emphasizes the speaker’s Irish nationality.

Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good night."

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Which statement best describes the main idea of the excerpt?

D. Instead of giving in to death, people should fight against it.

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.

Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good night."

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Which statement best describes how the structure of these excerpts helps to develop the themes?

D. The parallelism in "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" emphasizes the idea that the speaker identifies himself as an Irishman, while the refrains in "Do not go gentle into that good night" emphasize the speaker’s vehement opposition to death.

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

Which statement best describes the effect of the repetition in this excerpt?

B. The repeated words highlight the idea that it doesn’t matter whether he lives or dies.

Read the excerpt from President Roosevelt’s State of the Union address.

I cannot prophesy. I cannot tell you when or where the United Nations are going to strike next in Europe. But we are going to strike—and strike hard.

The primary purpose behind Roosevelt’s words in this excerpt is to

C. convince the public of America’s strength.

What are President Roosevelt’s primary purposes in his State of the Union address? Check all that apply.

to convince the public to support an idea to encourage the public to unite to motivate the public to take action

Read the excerpt from Roosevelt’s State of the Union address and the poster below it.

As spokesmen for the United States Government, you and I take off our hats to those responsible for our American production—to the owners, managers, and supervisors, to the draftsmen and the engineers, and to the workers—men and women—in factories and arsenals and shipyards and mines and mills and forests—and railroads and on highways.

The speech connects factory work to the war by thanking workers in various American industries, whereas the poster relies heavily on

B. diction and images to convey this connection.

Read the excerpt from Roosevelt’s State of the Union address and the poster below it.

As spokesmen for the United States Government, you and I take off our hats to those responsible for our American production—to the owners, managers, and supervisors, to the draftsmen and the engineers, and to the workers—men and women—in factories and arsenals and shipyards and mines and mills and forests—and railroads and on highways.

What is a similarity between the speech and the poster?

C. Both relay the importance of American industries in the war effort.

Read the excerpt from President Roosevelt’s State of the Union address.

I cannot prophesy. I cannot tell you when or where the United Nations are going to strike next in Europe. But we are going to strike—and strike hard. . . .

Of course, there have been disturbances and inconveniences—and even hardships. And there will be many, many more before we finally win. Yes, 1943 will not be an easy year for us on the home front. We shall feel in many ways in our daily lives the sharp pinch of total war.

The repeated use of the word __________ reinforces the strength and power of the United Nations.

Strike

Read the excerpt from Roosevelt’s State of the Union address and the poster below it.

Fortunately, there are only a few Americans who place appetite above patriotism. The overwhelming majority realize that the food we send abroad is for essential military purposes, for our own and Allied fighting forces, and for necessary help in areas that we occupy.

Which is a difference between the speech and the poster?

C. The poster directly reminds civilians how they can contribute to the war effort, but the speech does not.

Read the excerpt from Roosevelt’s State of the Union address and the poster below it.

Fortunately, there are only a few Americans who place appetite above patriotism. The overwhelming majority realize that the food we send abroad is for essential military purposes, for our own and Allied fighting forces, and for necessary help in areas that we occupy.

Both the speech and the poster convey the importance of

A. conserving resources at home so troops can have more.

Look at the poster.

What is the effect of the rhetorical language that appears in this poster?

B. "Early stopping will make a late victory" stresses the idea that having lower levels of production means it will take longer to win the war.

Look at the poster.

During World War II, the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) program was created. Based on the image and the rhetorical language used, this poster was designed to

B. encourage women to join the armed forces.

Read the sentence.

We could choose one of three ice cream flavors that had strawberries: cherries; and blueberries; chocolate chips: peanut butter, and fudge; or almonds: walnuts and pecans.

What is the correct way to revise the punctuation in the sentence?

A. We could choose one of three ice cream flavors that had strawberries, cherries, and blueberries; chocolate chips, peanut butter, and fudge; or almonds, walnuts, and pecans.

Michael Jordan, the basketball player, won six championships for the Chicago Bulls.

The commas are used correctly in the sentence because the underlined element is

B. a nonrestrictive phrase.

A ________ is used to connect words or word parts.

Hyphen

Which types of punctuation can be used to set off a nonrestrictive element in a sentence? Check all that apply.

commas dashes parenthese

When a descriptive word, phrase, or clause is essential to the meaning of a sentence, that element is

D. restrictive.

Which sentences contain phrases that are hyphenated correctly? Check all that apply.

The recipe only uses one-sixteenth of a cup of sugar per thirty-two cupcakes. We planted forty-two trees, but the twenty-two apple trees were my favorites. We had to memorize twenty-one verses, which was only one-half of the poem

When separating items in a list, a writer should

D. add a comma before the "and" before the last item.

Read the sentence.

The entire first period class agreed that yesterday’s algebra homework which the teacher assigned was a really fun challenge.

How should the writer revise the punctuation in the sentence so that it is grammatically correct?

C. Insert commas around "which the teacher assigned" because it is a nonrestrictive element.

A writer should hyphenate a compound modifier that

C. comes before the noun it modifies.

Which lists are punctuated correctly? Check all that apply.

The plant came in three varieties: yellow, pink, and white flowers; orange, pink, and yellow flowers; and plain white flowers. I arranged my schedule so that I have study hall first thing in the morning on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Because Shira could sing, dance, and act, she decided to audition for the school’s annual spring musical

Prompt: Write an analytical essay in which you analyze and evaluate the British World War II propaganda directed at women.

Which statement is the strongest thesis for the writing prompt?

C. In order to convince women to join the war effort in some capacity, the government disseminated posters that depicted them as strong, capable, and necessary for Britain’s victory.

Read the sentence.

The advertisement has a specific persuasive technique—it shows a stylish celebrity to encourage the viewer to buy a certain hair product.

Which is the most accurate and precise replacement for the underlined word?

uses

____________ is a tool for communicating information to a large group of people.

Media

Hailey is writing an essay to analyze an advertisement for Clover Breads. Which is the most effective thesis statement?

C. The advertisement for Clover Breads includes images meant to evoke a sense of nostalgia in parents who at one time enjoyed this brand of bread, and may want to feed it to their children.

Read the sentence.

The advertisement suggests that other brands of microwaves are not as fast or cost effective.

Which is the most accurate and precise replacement for the underlined word?

D. efficient

What technique does this advertisement use to achieve its purpose?

A. It presents the positive association that everyone who purchases the radio will have years of happiness

The poster includes bright, pretty colors to catch the viewer’s attention and evoke a sense of joy.

Which is the most accurate and precise replacement for the underlined word?

vibrant

To evaluate a piece of media means to

C. judge the purpose and message in a thoughtful way.

Niko is analyzing a cereal advertisement that suggests a rival cereal brand uses artificial ingredients and an excess amount of sugar. What persuasive technique is being used

A. name-calling

Read the thesis from Alex’s media analysis essay.

The advertisement pushes young viewers to exercise by showing images of young people playing sports and listing for the viewers the benefits of exercise.

Which is the most accurate and precise way to rewrite this thesis?

A. The advertisement encourages young viewers to partake in physical activity by showing images of children playing soccer and basketball, and listing the benefits of exercise.

DeShawn is writing a media analysis essay about British propaganda during World War II, and one of his examples is this poster.

Which is the most effective topic sentence for his paragraph about this poster?

A. One poster uses an image of a family picnicking in a field with military planes flying overhead to equate the country’s safety with the safety of loved ones.

Which literary device attaches human qualities or actions to animals, objects, or abstract concepts?

C. personification

Read the lines from "Song VII" by Rabindranath Tagore.

My poet’s vanity dies in shame before thy sight.
O master poet, I have sat down at thy feet.
Only let me make my life simple and straight,
like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music.

What is the effect of the author addressing the poem to a master poet?

B. It makes the imagined addressee feel more present to the reader.

Which line from "Song VII" by Rabindranath Tagore is an example of personification?

B. "My poet’s vanity dies in shame before thy sight."

Ari is revising her essay to include more precise language. Which words should she replace? Check all that apply.

misused words repeated words vague words

In lyric poetry, a(n) ______ speaker expresses thoughts and emotions.

Single

The keyword "tyranny" in this poster is primarily used to

c. inspire viewers to support the war effort by portraying the enemy as a cruel and unfair political force.

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;

What grammatical structure is repeated in this excerpt? Check all that apply.

the use of "Those that I," followed by a verb the use of "I do not," followed by a verb

The advertisement shows a group of people on an assembly line helping to make a large piece of equipment.

Which is the most accurate and precise replacement for the underlined word?

C. manufacture

Nori is writing an essay to analyze an advertisement for a piece of athletic equipment. What elements should he include in order to write an effective analysis? Check all that apply.

the advertising techniques used to persuade the viewer what tools the advertiser uses to sell the product the purpose of the advertiser’s message

Which purpose might a political persuasive speech serve?

A. to convince the public to support an idea

Read the excerpt from Roosevelt’s State of the Union address and the poster below it.

As spokesmen for the United States Government, you and I take off our hats to those responsible for our American production—to the owners, managers, and supervisors, to the draftsmen and the engineers, and to the workers—men and women—in factories and arsenals and shipyards and mines and mills and forests—and railroads and on highways.

Which is a difference that arises as a result of the different ways in which the speech and the poster convey their intended messages?

A. The poster’s images portray only male factory workers, whereas the speech specifically acknowledges both male and female workers.

Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good night."

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Which best describes the effect of the rhyme in this excerpt?

A. The use of the rhyming words "bright" and "light" puts a focus on living rather than dying.

Which line is written in iambic pentameter?

D. I came to see a man about a horse.

Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;

Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good night."

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Which statement best describes how these two excerpts differ in how they address the topic of death?

D. The excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" reveals an acceptance of death, while the main idea in the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into the good night" is to fight death at all costs.

Read the excerpt from "Benin Plaque: The Oba with Europeans" and consider the accompanying photo.

There are several hundred Benin plaques now in European and American museums, and they offer us a remarkable picture of the structure of this West African kingdom. Their main subject is the glorification of the Oba and of his prowess as a hunter and soldier, but they also tell us how the people of Benin saw their first European trading partners.

Which statement best describes how the image reinforces the text?

A. The image adds interest to the text by offering a glimpse of the plaques.

What type of context clue offers a word with the same meaning as an unfamiliar word?

D. synonym

His neck is completely invisible – a series of large rings runs from his shoulders right the way up to his lower lip. In his right hand he holds up a ceremonial axe. To either side kneel two high-court functionaries, dressed very like the Oba, but with plainer headdresses and fewer neck-rings. They wear belts hung with small crocodile heads, the emblem of those authorized to conduct business with Europeans – and the heads and shoulders of two tiny Europeans can be seen floating in the background.

Which details are evident in both the excerpt and the image? Check all that apply.

ceremonial jewelry government leaders European traders

In the early 1900s, a handy invention lightened laundry loads by squeezing water out of garments. Homemakers could attach a clothes wringer to a bucket with built-in vice clamps and crank individual pieces of laundry through two sturdy rollers.

How does the image enhance the paragraph?

C. by reinforcing the description of the clothes wringer

As a maritime nation, the British were concerned with one problem in particular: they could make clocks that kept very good time as long as they stayed perfectly still but not when they were shaken about, and particularly not on board a rolling ship. If you wanted to sail, it was impossible to keep a precise record of time.

Based on the context clues, what is the meaning of the word maritime in the passage?

A. bordering the sea; nautical

My grandmother taught me to appreciate architecture. She grew up in Greece and photographed ancient ruins in her youth. She told me that people do not build things of beauty the way they used to, and her favorite example was Greek Ionic columns. As an architecture student today, I wonder if I will ever create anything as beautiful as these.

Which image would best enhance the paragraph?

C. a picture of Ionic columns

What type of context clue offers information about the function, features, or appearance of an unfamiliar word?

B. explanation

These were enormous and belief-shattering ideas for many people in the nineteenth century, but time was also changing in a much more day-to-day, or rather hour-to-hour, way. Thanks to clockmakers like Earnshaw, precise and reliable clocks and watches became ever more affordable. Before long the whole of Britain was running by the clock, and the measurement of time had been severed from the natural cycle of days and seasons. The clock ruled every aspect of life – shops and schools, pleasure and work. As Charles Dickens wrote, ‘There was even railway time observed in clocks, as if the sun itself had given in.’

C. As more people began to own clocks, society embraced standardized time.

Just as people adopted a common standard time, so numerous aspects of working and daily life were becoming rigidly fixed by the clock, from clocking on at work to school hours and tea-time – which is the subject of our next chapter.

What context clue best helps readers determine the meaning of the word standard?

B. "rigidly fixed"

It was not until around 1800 that two London clockmakers managed to simplify the chronometer mechanisms so that virtually any ship – and certainly the larger ships of the Royal Navy – could carry them as routine equipment.

Which statement best describes how the image reinforces the text?

D. The photograph enhances the explanation of the updated chronometer.

What factors affect an author’s viewpoint? Check all that apply

the author’s knowledge the author’s opinion the author’s worldview the author’s experience

Read the excerpt from "Hokusai’s The Great Wave" by Neil MacGregor.

The Japanologist Donald Keene, from Columbia University, sees the wave as a metaphor for the changes in Japanese society:

The Japanese have a word for insular which is literally the mental state of the people living on islands: shimaguni konjo. Shimaguni is ‘island nations’ konjo is ‘character’. The idea is they are surrounded by water and, unlike the British Isles, which were in sight of the continent, are far away. The uniqueness of Japan is often brought up as a great virtue. A new change of interest in the world, breaking down the classical barriers, begins to emerge. I think the interest in waves suggests the allure of going elsewhere, the possibility of finding new treasures outside Japan, and some Japanese at this time secretly wrote accounts of why Japan should have colonies in different parts of the world in order to augment their own riches.

The Great Wave, like the other images in the series, was printed in at least 5,000 impressions, possibly as many as 8,000, and we know that in 1842 the price of a single sheet was officially fixed at 16 mon, the equivalent of a double helping of noodles. This was cheap, popular art; but when printed in such quantities, to exquisite technical standards, it could be highly profitable.

Which line is a direct quotation from an external source?

B. "The Japanese have a word for insular which is literally the mental state of the people living on islands: shimaguni konjo."

Read the excerpt from "Early Victorian Tea Set."

So our tea set is really a three-piece social history of nineteenth-century Britain. It is also a lens through which historians such as Linda Colley can look at a large part of the history of the world:

It does underline how much empire, consciously or not, eventually impacts on everybody in this country. If in the nineteenth century you are sitting at a mahogany table drinking tea with sugar, you are linked to virtually every continent on the globe. You are linked with the Royal Navy, which is guarding the sea routes between these continents, you are linked with this great tentacular capital machinery through which the British control so many parts of the world and ransack them for commodities, including commodities that can be consumed by the ordinary civilian at home.

Which is the best summary of this excerpt?

C. MacGregor believes the antique tea set to be a symbol of British history. He includes a quotation from a historian to support his point.

A source is a(n) ________ an author can use to research and develop ideas in an informational text.

Outside publication

Read the excerpt from "Hokusai’s The Great Wave."

Hokusai has taken more than colour from the West – he has also borrowed the conventions of European perspective to push Mount Fuji far into the distance. It is clear that Hokusai must have studied European prints, which the Dutch had imported into Japan and which circulated among artists and collectors. So The Great Wave, far from being the quintessence of Japan, is a hybrid work, a fusion of European materials and conventions with a Japanese sensibility. No wonder this image has been so loved in Europe: it is an exotic relative, not a complete stranger.

What is the author’s viewpoint in this excerpt?

D. The Great Wave is popular because it includes both Japanese and European elements.

Read the excerpt from "Early Victorian Tea Set" by Neil MacGregor.

As it got cheaper, tea also spread rapidly to the working classes. By 1800, as foreigners remarked, it was the new national drink. By 1900 the average tea consumption per person in Britain was a staggering 6 lbs (3 kilograms) a year. In 1809 the Swede Erik Gustav Geijer commented:

Next to water, tea is the Englishman’s proper element. All classes consume it . . . in the morning one may see in many places small tables set up under the open sky, around which coal-carters and workmen empty their cups of delicious beverage.

How does Geijer’s comment support MacGregor’s point?

C. It illustrates the popularity of tea in Britain during the 1800s.

Read the excerpt from"Early Victorian Tea Set."

What could be more domestic, more unremarkable, more British, than a nice cup of tea? You could of course put the question the other way round and ask what could be less British than a cup of tea, given that tea is made from plants grown in India or China and often sweetened by sugar from the Caribbean. It is one of the ironies of British national identity – or perhaps it says everything about our national identity – that the drink which has become the worldwide caricature of Britishness has nothing indigenous about it, but is the result of centuries of global trade and a complex imperial history.

What is the author’s viewpoint in this excerpt?

D. It is ironic that tea is the symbol of Britain when tea does not come from Britain at all.

Which statement expresses a viewpoint?

B. Every child should visit an art history museum.

Read the excerpt from "Hokusai’s The Great Wave" by Neil MacGregor.

In the early nineteenth century Japan had been effectively closed off from the world for 200 years. It had simply opted out of the community of nations.

Kings are burning somewhere,

Wheels are turning somewhere,

Trains are being run,

Wars are being won,

Things are being done

Somewhere out there, not here.

Here we paint screens.

Yes . . . the arrangement of the screens.

This is Stephen Sondheim’s musical tableau of the secluded and calmly self-contained country in 1853, just before American gunships forced its harbours to open to the world. It is a witty caricature of the dreamy and aesthetic Japanese, serenely painting screens while across the seas Europe and America industrialize and political turmoil rages.

What type of outside source does MacGregor use in this excerpt?

C. musical lyrics

Read the excerpt from "Early Victorian Tea Set" by Neil MacGregor.

This is quite clearly mid-range pottery, simple earthenware of a sort that many quite modest British households were then able to afford. But the owners of this particular set must have had serious social aspirations, because all three pieces have been decorated with a drape of lacy hallmarked silver. The historian Celina Fox explains that tea-time had become a very smart event:

In the 1840s the Duchess of Bedford introduces the ritual of afternoon tea, because by this time dinner had become so late, seven-thirty to eight o’clock, that it was a bit of a gap for the British tummy between lunchtime and evening. For a while there was a revival of tea-drinking, as a sort of meal for sandwiches and so forth, around four o’clock.

Which line is a direct quotation from an external source?

D. "In the 1840s the Duchess of Bedford introduces the ritual of afternoon tea, because by this time dinner had become so late, seven-thirty to eight o’clock . . ."

But there are other ways of reading Hokusai’s Great Wave. Look a little closer and you see that the beautiful wave is about to engulf three boats with frightened fishermen, and Mount Fuji is so small that you, the spectator, share the feeling that the sailors in the boats must have as they look to shore – it’s unreachable, and you are lost. This is, I think, an image of instability and uncertainty. The Great Wave tells us about Japan’s state of mind as it stood on the threshold of the modern world, which the US was soon going to force it to join.

Which is the best summary of this excerpt?

A. The author suggests that The Great Wave is a symbol of Japan as it entered into international trade.

Which line would be best to include in a summary of "Early Victorian Tea Set"?

D. MacGregor shows that the British desire for tea changed many nations around the world.

Read the excerpt from "Hokusai’s The Great Wave" by Neil MacGregor.

Here’s a snatch of the letter from the president of the United States that Perry delivered to the Japanese emperor:

Many of the large ships-of-war destined to visit Japan have not yet arrived in these seas, and the undersigned, as an evidence of his friendly intentions, has brought but four of the smaller ones, designing, should it become necessary, to return to Edo in the ensuing spring with a much larger force.

But it is expected that the government of your imperial majesty will render such return unnecessary, by acceding at once to the very reasonable and pacific overtures contained in the president’s letter . . .

This was textbook gunboat diplomacy, and it worked. Japanese resistance melted, and very quickly the Japanese embraced the new economic model, becoming energetic players in the international markets they had been forced to join. They began to think differently about the sea that surrounded them, and their awareness of the possible opportunities in the world beyond grew fast.

What type of outside source does MacGregor use in this excerpt?

C. a historical letter

What must students use when summarizing an informational text? Check all that apply.

academic language an objective, formal tone a variety of sentence types

Read the excerpt from "Hokusai’s The Great Wave" by Neil MacGregor.

In the early nineteenth century Japan had been effectively closed off from the world for 200 years. It had simply opted out of the community of nations.

Kings are burning somewhere,

Wheels are turning somewhere,

Trains are being run,

Wars are being won,

Things are being done

Somewhere out there, not here.

Here we paint screens.

Yes . . . the arrangement of the screens.

This is Stephen Sondheim’s musical tableau of the secluded and calmly self-contained country in 1853, just before American gunships forced its harbours to open to the world. It is a witty caricature of the dreamy and aesthetic Japanese, serenely painting screens while across the seas Europe and America industrialize and political turmoil rages.

What is the purpose of the outside source used in this excerpt?

This is Stephen Sondheim’s musical tableau of the secluded and calmly self-contained country in 1853, just before American gunships forced its harbours to open to the world. It is a witty caricature of the dreamy and aesthetic Japanese, serenely painting screens while across the seas Europe and America industrialize and political turmoil rages.

A. to illustrate Japan’s isolation in the 1800s

Which line would be best to include in a summary of "Hokusai’s The Great Wave"

C. MacGregor explains that The Great Wave symbolizes Japan’s changing position in the world.

What does pausing before a certain word in the middle of a sentence provide for the listener?

C. a cue that an important word might follow

Read the paragraph.

Each year between April and October, millions of baseball fans head out to fields across America to watch their favorite teams compete against each other. But how and when did baseball become recognized as the national sport of the United States?

To engage the reader, the author

A. asks a thought-provoking question.

What could be more domestic, more unremarkable, more British, than a nice cup of tea? You could of course put the question the other way round and ask what could be less British than a cup of tea, given that tea is made from plants grown in India or China and often sweetened by sugar from the Caribbean.

The author hooks the reader by asking a question that

A. makes the reader think about the link between tea and Britishness.

Read the paragraph.

Each year between April and October, millions of baseball fans head out to fields across America to watch their favorite teams compete against each other. But how and when did baseball become recognized as the national sport of the United States?

Why does the author end the paragraph with a question?

B. to make the reader wonder how baseball became the national sport of the United States

Read the excerpt from A History of the World in 100 Objects.

This object has on it the image of a king, but this particular example has been appropriated by women – disfigured by a slogan as an act of female protest against the laws of the state. It is a British penny with King Edward VII in elegant profile, but his image has been defaced in what was then a criminal act. Stamped all over the king’s head in crude capitals are the words VOTES FOR WOMEN.

Why does the author include this description of the penny in beginning of the chapter?

C. to make the reader visualize the coin and become interested in learning more about the culturally significant artifact

Read the excerpt from A History of the World in 100 Objects.

Power is usually not willingly given, but forcefully taken; and in both Europe and America the nineteenth century was punctuated by political protest, with periodic revolutions on the continent, the Civil War in America and, in Britain, a steady struggle to widen the suffrage.

What would be a benefit of reading this text rather than listening to an audio version of it?

C. The reader could set his or her own pace and reread parts for clarity.

Read the excerpt from A History of the World in 100 Objects.

The drum was found by Kitchener’s army near Khartoum after the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of the city. Once again it was re-carved – or re-branded – to make a political statement: near the tail of the bush calf Kitchener added the emblem of the British Crown. It was then presented to Queen Victoria.

Which conclusion about historical significance can be drawn from this information?

C. The carving on the slit drum is representative of British rule over African territories.

Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, was one of the media stars of the First World War. The famous recruitment poster has him pointing straight at us in full uniform, finger in the foreground, handlebar moustache not far behind, with the words ‘Your country needs YOU’.

Which technique does the author use to engage the reader?

D. The author provides a description.

This object has on it the image of a king, but this particular example has been appropriated by women – disfigured by a slogan as an act of female protest against the laws of the state. It is a British penny with King Edward VII in elegant profile, but his image has been defaced in what was then a criminal act. Stamped all over the king’s head in crude capitals are the words VOTES FOR WOMEN. This suffragette coin stands for all those who fought for the right to vote.

What does the suffragette-defaced penny reveal about life in England during that time period?

D. that women wanted to change existing laws and gain the right to vote

When do listeners benefit from listening? Check all that apply

when the narrator emphasizes key words when the narrator pauses for effect when sound effects are used

Read the excerpt from A History of the World in 100 Objects.

What could be more domestic, more unremarkable, more British, than a nice cup of tea? You could of course put the question the other way round and ask what could be less British than a cup of tea, given that tea is made from plants grown in India or China and often sweetened by sugar from the Caribbean.

The author hooks the reader by asking a question that

A. makes the reader think about the link between tea and Britishness.

Read the paragraph.

Each year between April and October, millions of baseball fans head out to fields across America to watch their favorite teams compete against each other. But how and when did baseball become recognized as the national sport of the United States?

Why does the author end the paragraph with a question?

B. to make the reader wonder how baseball became the national sport of the United States

Read the excerpt from A History of the World in 100 Objects.

This object has on it the image of a king, but this particular example has been appropriated by women – disfigured by a slogan as an act of female protest against the laws of the state. It is a British penny with King Edward VII in elegant profile, but his image has been defaced in what was then a criminal act. Stamped all over the king’s head in crude capitals are the words VOTES FOR WOMEN.

Why does the author include this description of the penny in beginning of the chapter?

C. to make the reader visualize the coin and become interested in learning more about the culturally significant artifact

Power is usually not willingly given, but forcefully taken; and in both Europe and America the nineteenth century was punctuated by political protest, with periodic revolutions on the continent, the Civil War in America and, in Britain, a steady struggle to widen the suffrage.

What would be a benefit of reading this text rather than listening to an audio version of it?

C. The reader could set his or her own pace and reread parts for clarity.

The drum was found by Kitchener’s army near Khartoum after the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of the city. Once again it was re-carved – or re-branded – to make a political statement: near the tail of the bush calf Kitchener added the emblem of the British Crown. It was then presented to Queen Victoria.

Which conclusion about historical significance can be drawn from this information?

C. The carving on the slit drum is representative of British rule over African territories.

Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, was one of the media stars of the First World War. The famous recruitment poster has him pointing straight at us in full uniform, finger in the foreground, handlebar moustache not far behind, with the words ‘Your country needs YOU’.

Which technique does the author use to engage the reader?

D. The author provides a description.

This object has on it the image of a king, but this particular example has been appropriated by women – disfigured by a slogan as an act of female protest against the laws of the state. It is a British penny with King Edward VII in elegant profile, but his image has been defaced in what was then a criminal act. Stamped all over the king’s head in crude capitals are the words VOTES FOR WOMEN. This suffragette coin stands for all those who fought for the right to vote.

What does the suffragette-defaced penny reveal about life in England during that time period?

D. that women wanted to change existing laws and gain the right to vote

When do listeners benefit from listening? Check all that apply

when the narrator emphasizes key words when the narrator pauses for effect when sound effects are used

Read the excerpt from A History of the World in 100 Objects.

In 2001 the UK National Census recorded that more than 1 in 20 Londoners were of black African descent, a figure that has continued to rise in the years since. Modern British life and culture now have a strong African component. This development is merely the latest chapter in the history of relations between Africa and western Europe, and in that long and turbulent history the Benin Bronzes, as they used to be known, hold a unique place.

How does the author engage the reader?

C. by presenting a series of interesting facts that make the reader curious about the significance of the Benin Bronzes

In the future, which object will be historically significant as a representation of the 2000s?

A. Mp3 Players

This object has on it the image of a king, but this particular example has been appropriated by women – disfigured by a slogan as an act of female protest against the laws of the state. It is a British penny with King Edward VII in elegant profile, but his image has been defaced in what was then a criminal act. Stamped all over the king’s head in crude capitals are the words VOTES FOR WOMEN.

Why does the author include this description of the penny in beginning of the chapter?

C. to make the reader visualize the coin and become interested in learning more about the culturally significant artifact

Which quotation from A History of the World in 100 Objects best reveals the historical significance of the chronometer?

A. The chronometer for the first time allowed absolutely accurate charting of the oceans, with all that implied for establishing safe and rapid shipping routes.

Which techniques are used to engage a reader? Check all that apply.

using a quotation giving an anecdote presenting a series of interesting facts asking a thought-provoking question

Read the sentence.

Mr. Richardson is shopping for the perfect shelf on which to display his bowling trophy.

How could a writer best revise this sentence to avoid overly formal language?

c. by choosing to end the sentence in a preposition

Which sentence requires no revision?

C. Which bench will you be sitting on?

Which sentence contains a split infinitive?

D. Swimmers must be sure to completely follow all of the team guidelines.

Which sentence best creates emphasis specifically on water safety through the use of a split infinitive?

B. You will have to really watch the children at the beach because the current is very strong.

Read the sentence.

Jameson dropped and broke the cookie jar while his parents were on vacation.

What is the best explanation for why the writer would revise this sentence to use passive voice

C. The writer wants to conceal the identity of the person who broke the jar.

Read the sentence.

A tray of fresh watermelon slices was provided by the booster club.

How should the writer revise the sentence to use active voice?

C. The booster club provided a tray of fresh watermelon slices.

When a sentence uses ______ , the subject of the sentence performs the action of the verb.

the active voice

Which sentence must be revised to eliminate the preposition at the end?

C. Where are Katelyn and Ella walking to?

A decision was reached by scientists about when the experiment would begin.

Which revision changes the sentence so that it uses the active voice?

B. Scientists reached a decision about when to begin the experiment.

Which sentence contains an infinitive?

D. It is normal to make mistakes.

Which sentence uses passive voice?

D. We were given new toothbrushes by the hygienist.

Which sentence contains a split infinitive?

A. Young children seem to thoroughly enjoy playing with soap bubbles and shaving cream.

When she arrived at the concert hall, the singer walked through a crowd of cheering fans.

Which word is a preposition

AT

Writers should avoid splitting an infinitive when

the sentence is already clear. it sounds awkward to split the infinitive. too much information is inserted between the two parts of the infinitive.

Which sentence must be revised to eliminate the preposition at the end?

A. The museum had the throne where the king sat on.

Anthony is creating a webpage and sees this symbol next to a photograph he wants to use.

Is he permitted to use the image on his webpage?

A. Yes, it is available for personal or commercial use.

Brianna is creating her own virtual museum and sees this symbol next to a photograph she wants to use.

Is she permitted to use the image in her virtual museum?

D. Yes, as long as she follows the fair use principle.

Etta is taking notes to create a webpage about healthy eating.

What should she add to make these notes more organized?

C. the source of the information

Is recycling effective in the United States?

Why isn’t this research question effective? Check all that apply.

It is too broad. It lacks complexity It is not specific enough.

Read the paragraph about the judicial branch of the US government from whitehouse.gov.

Federal judges can only be removed through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction in the Senate. Judges and justices serve no fixed term — they serve until their death, retirement, or conviction by the Senate. By design, this insulates them from the temporary passions of the public, and allows them to apply the law with only justice in mind, and not electoral or political concerns.

Generally, Congress determines the jurisdiction of the federal courts. In some cases, however — such as in the example of a dispute between two or more U.S. states — the Constitution grants the Supreme Court original jurisdiction, an authority that cannot be stripped by Congress.

Which detail best helps answer the research question "Why are federal judges and justices appointed to life terms?"

C. "By design, this insulates them from the temporary passions of the public, and allows them to apply the law with only justice in mind, and not electoral or political concerns."

Which research question would be the most effective for researching bilingual education in elementary school?

D, How does learning another language affect elementary school students’ overall academic success?

Tiana is researching the effects of social media on adolescents’ interpersonal relationships. Which is the most credible source on her list?

C. the American Psychological Association’s website

Tyson is researching the benefits of solar energy. Which is the most credible source on his list?

B. a university’s website that provides information about a recent solar energy study

Jaime is creating a webpage about the life and career of Jackie Robinson.
Which information would be most useful for him to add next to the image?

A. Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

What are the characteristics of a strong and effective research question? Check all that apply.

It is answerable through investigation. It results in complex answers.

Which of these are credible sources? Check all that apply.

university or educational sites government sites museum websites

Ana is researching the history of jazz music in the United States. Which is the most credible source on her list?

B. the National Jazz Museum’s website

Hillarie is creating a webpage about the Amazon River.

Which information would be most useful for her to add next to the image?

C. Mangroves are trees and shrubs that thrive in tropical swamps close to the Amazon River in northern Brazil.

(1) Located on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory (USNO), the white 19th century house at Number One Observatory Circle in northwestern Washington, D.C., was built in 1893. (2) Originally intended for the superintendent of the USNO, the house was so lovely that in 1923, the chief of naval operations kicked out the superintendent so he could move in himself. (3) Historically, Vice Presidents and their families lived in their own homes, but the cost of securing these private residences grew substantially over the years. (4) Finally, in 1974, Congress agreed to refurbish the house at the Naval Observatory as a home for the Vice President.

Which sentence best helps answer the research question "Why do vice presidents reside at the Naval Observatory?"

C. sentence 3

Read the research question about the decreasing number of honey bees in the United Sates.

How many honey bee colonies have collapsed in the United States over the last decade?

What is ineffective about this research question?

B. It results in a single answer.

An author’s viewpoint is the way in which he or she .

Perceives a topic

A summary of an informational text must show the relationship between the author’s viewpoint and the

B. information presented.

The ______ significance of an object is what the object reveals about the daily life, beliefs, interests, and customs of a society during a specific time period.

cultural

When I turned fifteen, my uncle bought me a model rocket. I was skeptical at first, thinking it was a toy for a kid. But my uncle explained that it contained everything needed for a real launch, from an engine to a parachute.

How does the image enhance the paragraph?

B. by identifying the parts of the rocket

The slit drum began its life in Central Africa, in the region where Sudan and the Congo share a frontier, and it would have been part of the court orchestra of a powerful chief… The flanks of the drum have been carved to different thicknesses, so that a skilled drummer with a traditional drumstick can produce at least two tones and as many as four distinct pitches.

How would adding an audio version of what a slit drum sounds like enhance the listener’s experience of this part of the text?

C. It would make the listener more able to feel the same emotions as the people who had heard the drums in the past.

This suffragette coin stands for all those who fought for the right to vote. Recent objects have been about nineteenth-century mass production and mass consumption – this one is about the rise of mass political engagement.

To add emphasis to the idea that this object is different than other recent objects discussed, an audio version of this text could have a pause

D. before "this one is about."

Read the excerpt from "Hokusai’s The Great Wave" by Neil MacGregor.

Here’s a snatch of the letter from the president of the United States that Perry delivered to the Japanese emperor:

Many of the large ships-of-war destined to visit Japan have not yet arrived in these seas, and the undersigned, as an evidence of his friendly intentions, has brought but four of the smaller ones, designing, should it become necessary, to return to Edo in the ensuing spring with a much larger force.

But it is expected that the government of your imperial majesty will render such return unnecessary, by acceding at once to the very reasonable and pacific overtures contained in the president’s letter . . .

This was textbook gunboat diplomacy, and it worked. Japanese resistance melted, and very quickly the Japanese embraced the new economic model, becoming energetic players in the international markets they had been forced to join. They began to think differently about the sea that surrounded them, and their awareness of the possible opportunities in the world beyond grew fast.

What is the purpose of the outside source used in this excerpt?

A. to show how strongly the American president insisted Japan participate in international trade

A source that is a trustworthy authority on a subject is a _______ source.

Credible

Which research question would be the most effective in researching the effects of text messaging on adolescents?

A. Does text messaging affect adolescents’ ability to read and write?

Read the excerpt from "Early Victorian Tea Set."

Among the upper classes, tea had been popular since before 1700. It received celebrity endorsement from Charles II’s queen, Catherine of Braganza, and from Queen Anne. It came from China, it was expensive, refreshingly bitter and drunk in tiny cups without milk or sugar. People kept their tea in locked tea caddies, as if it were a drug; for those who could afford it, it often was. In the 1750s Samuel Johnson confessed himself a happy addict:

A hardened and shameless tea drinker, who has for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of this fascinating plant, whose kettle scarcely has time to cool, who with Tea amuses the evening, with Tea solaces the midnights, and with Tea welcomes the morning

Which is the best summary of this excerpt?

A. The author explains how tea was popular among the upper class. He quotes Samuel Johnson to illustrate its popularity.

Huck wrote this caption to accompany an image on his webpage.

The bases on a baseball field are oriented in the shape of a diamond.

Which image would be the most effective for his caption?

C

Donte is writing a research paper about the gray wolf, an endangered species in the United States. Which is the most effective research question?

C. How does the decline in numbers of gray wolves affect the ecosystem in the western United States?

Which sentence must be revised to eliminate a split infinitive?

C. Emily loves to noisily and cheerfully make breakfast for her family each day.

Which quotation from A History of the World in 100 Objects best reveals the cultural significance of the Benin plaque?

B. All European visitors were struck by the Oba’s position as both the spiritual and the secular head of the kingdom, and the Benin brass plaques are principally concerned with praising him.

Read the excerpt from "Ship’s Chronometer from HMS Beagle" and consider the accompanying image.

If you wanted to sail, it was impossible to keep a precise record of time. And at sea, if you can’t tell the time, you don’t know how far east or west you are. It is relatively easy to calculate latitude – your distance north or south of the equator – by measuring the height of the Sun above the horizon at noon; but this won’t let you calculate longitude – your position east or west.

Which statement best describes how the image reinforces the text?

B. The image aids readers’ understanding of key concepts.

Read the excerpt from The Fellowship of the Ring.

One morning the hobbits woke to find the large field, south of Bilbo’s front door, covered with ropes and poles for tents and pavilions. A special entrance was cut into the bank leading to the road, and wide steps and a large white gate were built there. The three hobbit-families of Bagshot Row, adjoining the field, were intensely interested and generally envied. Old Gaffer Gamgee stopped even pretending to work in his garden.

What do readers learn about the setting in this excerpt?

C. The hobbits live together near a great field.

Read the excerpt from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Bilbo Baggins called it a party, but it was really a variety of entertainments rolled into one. Practically everybody living near was invited. A very few were overlooked by accident, but as they turned up all the same, that did not matter. Many people from other parts of the Shire were also asked; and there were even a few from outside the borders. Bilbo met the guests (and additions) at the new white gate in person. He gave away presents to all and sundry—the latter were those who went out again by a back way and came in again by the gate.

How is Bilbo Baggins characterized in this excerpt?

B. as welcoming

Which line best helps readers identify a countryside setting?

C. Inside Bag End, Bilbo and Gandalf were sitting at the open window of a small room looking out west on to the garden.

Twelve more years passed. Each year the Bagginses had given very lively combined birthday-parties at Bag End; but now it was understood that something quite exceptional was being planned for that autumn. Bilbo was going to be eleventy-one, 111, a rather curious number, and a very respectable age for a hobbit (the Old Took himself had only reached 130); and Frodo was going to be thirty-three, 33, an important number: the date of his "coming of age". .

Which detail in the excerpt identifies it as fantasy?

B. Bilbo, a hobbit, is going to be 111.

Indirect characterization requires readers to _______ what a character is like.

infer

That was Gandalf’s mark, of course, and the old man was Gandalf the Wizard, whose fame in the Shire was due mainly to his skill with fires, smokes, and lights. His real business was far more difficult and dangerous, but the Shire-folk knew nothing about it. To them he was just one of the "attractions" at the Party. Hence the excitement of the hobbit-children. "G for Grand!" they shouted, and the old man smiled. They knew him by sight, though he only appeared in Hobbiton occasionally and never stopped long; but neither they nor any but the oldest of their elders had seen one of his firework displays—they now belonged to the legendary past.

How is Gandalf characterized in this excerpt?

B. as intriguing

Read the excerpt from The Fellowship of the Ring.

Then the weather clouded over. That was on Wednesday the eve of the Party. Anxiety was intense. Then Thursday, September the 22nd, actually dawned. The sun got up, the clouds vanished, flags were unfurled and the fun began.

Bilbo Baggins called it a party, but it was really a variety of entertainments rolled into one. Practically everybody living near was invited. A very few were overlooked by accident, but as they turned up all the same, that did not matter.

What do readers learn about the setting in this excerpt?

B. The community anxiously awaits the gathering.

Setting includes the time period, place, and _____ of a story.

Social environment

Which line best helps readers identify the community spirit of Hobbiton?

D. People became enthusiastic; and they began to tick off the days on the calendar; and they watched eagerly for the postman, hoping for invitations.

On this occasion the presents were unusually good. The hobbit-children were so excited that for a while they almost forgot about eating. There were toys the like of which they had never seen before, all beautiful and some obviously magical. Many of them had indeed been ordered a year before, and all the way from the Mountain and from Dale, and were of real dwarf-make.

Which detail in the excerpt identifies it as fantasy?

C. Some of the toys are magical.

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

Based on the word’s connotation, what does the speaker’s use of the word "straining" suggest?

B. that the father is working very hard in the flowerbeds

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

Read the haiku by Bashō.

Clear water—
a tiny crab
crawling up my leg.

Which statement best describes the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging" and the haiku

A. Both use alliteration to connect ideas and create interesting sounds.

Which phrases contain an example of assonance? Check all that apply.

the stars in the dark like the light thumb through the numbers

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.

Which statement best describes the effect of the alliteration in this excerpt?

C. The alliteration creates pleasing and interesting sounds.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

Read the haiku by Bashō.

A crow
has settled on a bare branch—
autumn evening.

How does the structure of these poems differ?

D. "Digging" has multiple stanzas of varying length, while Bashō’s haiku has only one stanza of three lines.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Which idea is typically associated with the word "spade"?

D. hard work

Read the excerpt from "Digging"

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

Read the haiku by Bashō.

On the way to the outhouse—
the white of the moonflower
by torchlight.

How does the structure of these poems differ?

B. "Digging" jumps from the present time to the past, while Bashō’s haiku captures a single moment in time.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests…

Which statement best describes the effect of the assonance in this excerpt?

C. The assonance creates a pleasing and interesting sound.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.
He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

Read the haiku by Bashō.

Early fall—
the sea and the rice fields
all one green.

Which sentence best explains the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging" and the haiku?

C. Both are concerned with the topic of farming.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Which words in the excerpt are linked by alliteration?

A. cold, curt, cuts

Which of these words has a negative connotation?

C. jealousy

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Which statement about the use of the "snug" in this excerpt is most accurate?

C. The positive connotation of the word emphasizes how comfortable the speaker is holding his pen.

Read the excerpt from "Digging"

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.

Read the haiku by Bashō.

When the winter chrysanthemums go,
there’s nothing to write about
but radishes.

What common concern do these poems share?

B. Both poems find a link between farming and the act of writing.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging

Which statement best explains the effect of the word "straining" in this excerpt?

A. It emphasizes that working in fields is difficult and strenuous.

Which lines from the poem "Digging" use assonance? Check all that apply

The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Bends low, comes up twenty years away Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods By God, the old man could handle a spade.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.

Which statement best explains the effect of the word "firmly" in this excerpt?

D. It shows that the father works with skill and control.

Which of these words has a negative connotation?

jealousy

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

Which statement about the use of the "snug" in this excerpt is most accurate?

C. The positive connotation of the word emphasizes how comfortable the speaker is holding his pen.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

Read the haiku by Bashō.

Clear water—
a tiny crab
crawling up my leg.

Which statement best describes the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging" and the haiku?

A. Both use alliteration to connect ideas and create interesting sounds.

Read the excerpt from "Digging"

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.

Read the haiku by Bashō.

When the winter chrysanthemums go,
there’s nothing to write about
but radishes.

What common concern do these poems share?

B. Both poems find a link between farming and the act of writing.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

Which statement best explains the effect of the word "straining" in this excerpt?

A. It emphasizes that working in fields is difficult and strenuous.

Which lines from the poem "Digging" use assonance? Check all that apply.

The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Bends low, comes up twenty years away By God, the old man could handle a spade. Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.

Which statement best explains the effect of the word "firmly" in this excerpt?

D. It shows that the father works with skill and control.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down

Read the haiku by Bashō.

Clear water—
a tiny crab
crawling up my leg.

Which statement best describes the similarities between the excerpt from "Digging" and the haiku?

A. Both use alliteration to connect ideas and create interesting sounds.

Read the excerpt from "Digging"

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.

Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.

Read the haiku by Bashō.

When the winter chrysanthemums go,
there’s nothing to write about
but radishes.

What common concern do these poems share?

B. Both poems find a link between farming and the act of writing.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
Stooping in rhythm through potato drills
Where he was digging.

Which statement best explains the effect of the word "straining" in this excerpt?

A. It emphasizes that working in fields is difficult and strenuous.

Which lines from the poem "Digging" use assonance? Check all that apply.

The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Bends low, comes up twenty years away By God, the old man could handle a spade. Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft
Against the inside knee was levered firmly.

Which statement best explains the effect of the word "firmly" in this excerpt?

D. It shows that the father works with skill and control.

Which sentence uses transitions most effectively?

D. Additional hours of road practice might delay driver licensure; however, new drivers would be better prepared to navigate the roads safely.

Which sentence is appropriate for a formal e-mail?

D. Schools should offer personal finance classes to teach basic economics.

Read the sentences.

Student drivers are required to keep a log of their supervised driving hours.
Not all students are diligent in their record-keeping.

Which transition should be used to combine these sentences?

D. however

Which heading best exemplifies the format for an e-mail subject line?

C. Consider a vote in favor of school uniforms.

Which statement best explains the function of an e-mail subject line?

C. The subject line states the purpose or topic.

What are the components of a formal tone? Check all that apply.

standard spelling a clear and direct purpose appropriate transitions

Read the claim.

A student tutoring program should be established so that peers can help one another.

Which statement best uses pathos to support this claim?

B. With careful student pairings, academics would improve and new friendships would form.

Which sentence uses transitions most effectively?

A. Reducing paper usage benefits the school; for example, money previously budgeted for paper could be spent on creative instructional materials.

Read the persuasive conclusion.

Bike paths should be added to Main Street to encourage commuters and establish a bike-friendly community downtown. The wide, unpaved shoulders of the road promise an easy transition to paved paths, and the employees of three local businesses have voiced an interest in biking to work.

Which sentence best completes this conclusion?

D. Contact your town council representative to voice your support for bike paths.

Which statement best describes the purpose of a conclusion in a persuasive letter?

B. The conclusion should summarize the claim and call readers to action.

Which are factors that influence a person’s perspective? Check all that apply.

age race gender nationality

Read the excerpt from Midsummer by Derek Walcott.

The leaf stems tug at their chains, the branches bending
like Boer cattle under Tory whips that drag every wagon
nearer to apartheid.

Based on the allusion to Tory whips, readers can infer that the speaker thinks that

C. there are many examples of oppression throughout history.

Based on the information in the poem Midsummer, what is the speaker’s perspective on England?

A. The speaker thinks that England has serious racial equality issues.

Read the excerpt from Midsummer by Derek Walcott.

With the stampeding hiss and scurry of green lemmings,
midsummer’s leaves race to extinction like the roar
of a Brixton riot tunneled by water hoses;
they seethe toward autumn’s fire—it is in their nature,
being men as well as leaves, to die for the sun.
Based on the excerpt, what is the speaker’s perspective on the riot?

B. The speaker thinks that the riot was somewhat inevitable.

What can allusions do? Check all that apply.

convey a lot of information quickly add layers of meaning to a text bring out specific feelings and emotions

Read the excerpt from Midsummer by Derek Walcott.

Praise had bled my lines white of any more anger,
and snow had inducted me into white fellowships,
while Calibans howled down the barred streets of an empire
Based on the allusion to Calibans, readers can infer that the speaker

d. feels that the rioters are similar to this Shakespearean character.

Allusions can help reveal a person’s

c. perspective

Based on the author’s allusions in Midsummer to "the child’s fairy tale," "fairy rings," and "thatched cottages fenced with dog roses," readers can tell that the speaker

d. feels that an idealized version of England does not exist.

Which words or phrases contain allusions? Check all that apply.

Canadians the streets of Santa Fe Maya Angelou’s books

Which quotation from Derek Walcott’s Midsummer contains an allusion?

d. in the alleys of Brixton

Why might an author include dialect in a story? Check all that apply.

to allude to a character’s regional background to add to the cultural context of a story’s setting to allude to a character’s social background to create a more genuine dialogue between characters

Which of these is a theme statement?

c. Hard work and perseverance pays off in the end.

Read the excerpt from "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe.

He had come out of the war with five inestimable blessings—his head, his wife Maria’s head and the heads of three out of their four children. As a bonus he also had his old bicycle—a miracle too but naturally not to be compared to the safety of five human heads.

Which theme does this passage convey?

D. Family is the most important thing in life.

At first he went daily, then every other day and finally once a week, to the offices of the Coal Corporation where he used to be a miner, to find out what was what. The only thing he did find out in the end was that that little house of his was even a greater blessing than he had thought. Some of his fellow ex-miners who had nowhere to return at the end of the day’s waiting just slept outside the doors of the offices and cooked what meal they could scrounge together in Bournvita tins. As the weeks lengthened and still nobody could say what was what Jonathan discontinued his weekly visits altogether and faced his palm-wine bar.

What effect does the setting have on Jonathan’s thoughts and feelings?

A. Jonathan becomes more grateful for his house and the new business he has started.

An informal variation on language is called

D. dialect.

As soon as the pound notes were placed in his palm Jonathan simply closed it tight over them and buried fist and money inside his trouser pocket. He had to be extra careful because he had seen a man a couple of days earlier collapse into near-madness in an instant before that oceanic crowd because no sooner had he got his twenty pounds than some heartless ruffian picked it off him.

What effect does the setting have on Jonathan’s actions?

B. He is cautious with the money because people got robbed more often after the war.

Which excerpt from the text best supports the theme "One must persevere through hard times"?

D. At the first sign of light as neighbours and others assembled to commiserate with him he was already strapping his five-gallon demijohn to his bicycle carrier and his wife, sweating in the open fire, was turning over akara balls in a wide clay bowl of boiling oil.

"Na tief-man and him people," came the cool reply. "Make you hopen de door."

Which is the best translation of the dialect in the excerpt?

A. "The thief and his people," came the cool reply. "Open the door."

A message that a text conveys about a topic is called a

C. theme.

Jonathan Iwegbu counted himself extraordinarily lucky. "Happy survival!" meant so much more to him than just a current fashion of greeting old friends in the first hazy days of peace. It went deep to his heart. He had come out of the war with five inestimable blessings—his head, his wife Maria’s head and the heads of three out of their four children. As a bonus he also had his old bicycle—a miracle too but naturally not to be compared to the safety of five human heads.

What can you most clearly determine about the story’s setting from this excerpt?

C. The story takes place right after a war.

What components should be included in a persuasive letter? Check all that apply.

a claim supporting reasons supporting evidence a counterclaim and a rebuttal

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep
To scatter new potatoes that we picked,
Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

By God, the old man could handle a spade.
Just like his old man.

My grandfather cut more turf in a day
Than any other man on Toner’s bog.
Once I carried him milk in a bottle
Corked sloppily with paper.

Read the haiku by Bashō.

Sickly,
but somehow the chrysanthemum
is budding.

Which statement best describes the difference between the excerpt from "Digging" and the haiku?

D. The excerpt from "Digging" shifts from one moment in time to another, while the haiku describes a single moment in time.

Read the excerpt from Midsummer by Derek Walcott.

that began with Caedmon’s raceless dew, and is ending
in the alleys of Brixton, burning like Turner’s ships.

What can be concluded about the speaker’s perspective by the allusion to Turner’s ships?

C. The speaker has knowledge of famous British artists.

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that ___________

does not depict the real world

Read the excerpt from Midsummer by Derek Walcott.

I was there to add some color to the British theater.
"But the blacks can’t do Shakespeare, they have no experience."

Based on the excerpt, what is the speaker’s perspective on British theater?

B. The speaker feels that British theater is not inclusive of all races.

What is the purpose of a persuasive letter?

C. to convince readers to take action or support a cause

What must a reader do to analyze diction? Check all that apply.

recognize important words determine the denotation of each word identify the connotations of words

Which line from The Fellowship of the Ring shows an element of fantasy?

D. He stepped down and vanished. There was a blinding flash of light, and the guests all blinked. When they opened their eyes Bilbo was nowhere to be seen.

Gardening can enhance lives and provide nourishment. Time spent outside in a garden boosts the body’s immune system, and a garden’s harvest can be a healthy, cost-saving supplement to any diet.

Which sentence best completes this conclusion?

C. Consider starting your own garden with some of your favorite vegetable seeds.

A reference in a text to another well-known text, person, event, or thing is called a(n)

C. allusion.

Read the excerpt from "Digging."

By God, the old man could handle a spade.

Which statement best describes the effect of the assonance in this excerpt?

A. It connects the man to the spade and the act of digging in the dirt.

Which sentence is appropriate for a formal e-mail?

B. Healthy alternatives should be added to the vending machines to promote good health.

Which line best highlights Frodo’s loyal nature?

C. [H]e realized suddenly that he loved the old hobbit dearly.

"Awright! We know say you no get plenty money. But we sef no get even anini. So derefore make you open dis window and give us one hundred pound and we go commot."
Which statement best summarizes the message conveyed in this dialect?

C. "We know you say you don’t have money, but we don’t have any, so give us yours and we’ll leave."

___________ Is the time, place, and environment in which the events of a text take place.

Setting