Craft & Structure
A mystery story begins with a dark, empty street and a broken streetlight. The author describes the setting before introducing the crime.
What is the most likely purpose of this opening?
A. To explain how streetlights work
B. To create a mood of suspense
C. To introduce the detective's family
D. To explain the history of the neighborhood
B. To create a mood of suspense
A crime causes a victim to lose money, feel unsafe, and struggle emotionally.
What does this show about the effects of crime?
A. Crime only causes physical injuries.
B. Crime can cause many different types of harm.
C. Crime only affects the person who commits it.
D. Crime always causes the same type of damage.
B. Crime can cause many different types of harm.
Choose the correct verb:
Each of the detectives ______ a different job at the crime scene.
A. have
B. having
C. has
D. were
C. has
Choose the best transition:
The detective collected fingerprints from the scene. ______, she photographed the evidence.
A. However
B. Next
C. In contrast
D. Nevertheless
B. Next
A witness says:
“I saw a person wearing a red jacket run away from the store.”
What type of information is this?
A. Evidence
B. Opinion
C. Prediction
D. Theme
A. Evidence
A story is told by a police officer investigating a crime. The officer describes the evidence carefully but does not know what the suspect is thinking.
How does this point of view affect the story?
A. Readers know everything the suspect knows.
B. Readers experience the investigation from the officer's perspective.
C. Readers know the ending immediately.
D. Readers see the story from the victim's perspective.
B. Readers experience the investigation from the officer's perspective.
An offender says, “Nobody was really hurt. I only stole money from a company.”
What idea does this statement demonstrate?
A. The offender understands the victim's experience.
B. The offender may be distancing themselves from the people affected by the crime.
C. The offender wants to become a police officer.
D. The offender believes stealing is always legal.
B. The offender may be distancing themselves from the people affected by the crime.
Choose the best punctuation:
The detective collected the evidence ______ it was sent to the laboratory.
A. evidence,
B. evidence;
C. evidence
D. evidence:
B. evidence;
Choose the best transition:
The suspect claimed that he was innocent. ______, the security footage showed him entering the building.
A. Similarly
B. For example
C. However
D. In addition
C. However
A student reads:
The neighborhood became quiet whenever the police car drove down the street.
What can the reader reasonably infer?
A. The police car was broken.
B. The police presence may have made people feel more cautious.
C. Everyone in the neighborhood was a criminal.
D. The police car caused the neighborhood to move.
B. The police presence may have made people feel more cautious.
Read the sentence:
The witness gave a vivid description of the suspect, remembering his bright red jacket, muddy shoes, and nervous expression.
What does vivid most nearly mean?
A. Detailed and clear
B. Quiet and boring
C. Uncertain and confused
D. Short and incomplete
A. Detailed and clear
A teenager lives in a neighborhood where gunshots and violence are common. Because they are constantly worried about staying safe, they have difficulty concentrating in school.
What can be inferred?
A. Crime can affect young people's education even when they are not direct victims.
B. Students who live in dangerous neighborhoods never attend school.
C. Stress always improves academic performance.
D. Crime has no effect on people who are not directly attacked.
A. Crime can affect young people's education even when they are not direct victims.
Choose the correct verb:
The defendant ______ to testify during the trial.
A. choose
B. choosing
C. chosen
D. chose
D. chose
A student has these notes:
Which sentence best combines the information?
A. Robbery and burglary are both crimes.
B. Robbery and burglary are often confused, but robbery involves taking something from a person by force while burglary involves illegally entering a building.
C. Burglary happens inside buildings.
D. Robbery can be a serious crime.
B. Robbery and burglary are often confused, but robbery involves taking something from a person by force while burglary involves illegally entering a building.
A school study finds that students who regularly experience stressful situations have more difficulty concentrating.
Which statement is best supported by this evidence?
A. Stress can make it harder for students to focus.
B. Stress makes students smarter.
C. Students cannot learn when they are stressed.
D. Every student reacts to stress in exactly the same way.
A. Stress can make it harder for students to focus.
Text 1: Security cameras can discourage criminals from committing crimes.
Text 2: Constant surveillance can make people feel as though they are always being watched.
How would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Text 1?
A. Surveillance is always completely useless.
B. Safety benefits may come with a cost to people's privacy and comfort.
C. Cameras should be placed in every home.
D. Criminals never notice security cameras.
B. Safety benefits may come with a cost to people's privacy and comfort.
A hate crime targets one person because of their identity. Members of that person's community become afraid that they could be targeted too.
Why can hate crimes affect more than one victim?
A. The crime may create fear among others who share the victim's identity.
B. Hate crimes always involve multiple physical injuries.
C. Police automatically arrest everyone in the community.
D. The victim is always a public figure.
A. The crime may create fear among others who share the victim's identity.
Choose the sentence with correct punctuation.
A. There are three types of evidence physical, testimonial, and circumstantial.
B. There are three types of evidence; physical, testimonial, and circumstantial.
C. There are three types of evidence: physical, testimonial, and circumstantial.
D. There are three types of evidence, physical; testimonial; and circumstantial.
C. There are three types of evidence: physical, testimonial, and circumstantial.
A student is writing about victim impact statements.
Their notes say:
Which sentence best uses the notes to make a balanced point?
A. Victim impact statements are always good.
B. Victim impact statements should never be allowed.
C. Victim impact statements can give victims a voice, although their emotional impact may sometimes influence legal decisions.
D. Victims sometimes speak in court about crimes.
C. Victim impact statements can give victims a voice, although their emotional impact may sometimes influence legal decisions.
A town participates in a yearly tradition that harms one person. Most people know the tradition is cruel, but they continue participating because “that's how we've always done it.”
What larger idea does this situation demonstrate?
A. Traditions are always beneficial.
B. People may participate in harmful actions when those actions have become normalized.
C. Communities should never have traditions.
D. People only hurt others when they are forced to.
B. People may participate in harmful actions when those actions have become normalized.
A crime story is told from the victim's point of view rather than the detective's.
Which effect would this choice most likely have?
A. It would focus more on the victim's emotions and personal experience.
B. It would give readers every detail of the police investigation.
C. It would make the victim seem completely objective.
D. It would prevent readers from understanding the crime.
A. It would focus more on the victim's emotions and personal experience.
A newspaper repeatedly publishes stories about a famous crime. The victim's family keeps seeing photographs and interviews about their loved one and struggles to return to a normal life.
What does this example suggest about media coverage?
A. Media coverage always helps families heal.
B. Media coverage can prolong the suffering of people involved in a crime.
C. Families of victims never care about privacy.
D. News organizations are responsible for solving every crime.
B. Media coverage can prolong the suffering of people involved in a crime.
Choose the best answer:
After reviewing the security footage, ______ that the suspect entered through the back door.
A. the detective realized
B. it was realized by the detective
C. the realization occurred
D. the back door was shown
A. the detective realized
Read the paragraph:
1.The city wants to install more security cameras. 2.Supporters believe the cameras could discourage crime. 3.Critics worry about privacy. 4.The cameras would cost millions of dollars to install. 5.The debate raises an important question about how communities should balance safety and privacy.
Which sentence should be removed because it is least relevant to the main focus?
A. Sentence 1
B. Sentence 2
C. Sentence 3
D. Sentence 4
D. Sentence 4
A company employee secretly steals small amounts of money from thousands of customers. No one is physically attacked, but many victims can no longer afford important expenses.
Which statement is best supported?
A. A crime must involve physical violence to cause serious harm.
B. Financial crimes can cause serious suffering even when there is no physical violence.
C. White-collar crimes only affect wealthy people.
D. People who lose money in a crime are not considered victims.
B. Financial crimes can cause serious suffering even when there is no physical violence.