Last Spin & Sidewalk Bleeding
1. What shared theme best fits both passages?
A. Andy and Tigo both regret joining a gang.
B. The instinct to survive increases when facing death.
C. Succumbing to peer pressure can lead to regrets and consequences.
D. Healthy friendships are necessary to survive.
C. Succumbing to peer pressure can lead to regrets and consequences.
1. Which statement best expresses the central idea of the passage?
A. Smartphones have caused people to lose their ability to think creatively.
B. Boredom can provide opportunities for creativity, reflection, and personal growth.
C. People should avoid entertainment whenever they have free time.
D. Researchers believe boredom is necessary for every successful person.
B. Boredom can provide opportunities for creativity, reflection, and personal growth.
What should you do after reading the following question:
"What is the relationship between paragraph 4 and paragraph 5 in the passage?"
Go back and reread the paragraph.
1. Which change, if any, is needed to the underlined text? sailor “Water,
A. sailor: “Water,
B. sailor; “Water,
C. sailor . . . “Water
D. NO CHANGE
A. sailor: “Water,
Although Marcus was usually talkative, he became reserved when the conversation turned to his family.
A. Angry and argumentative
B. Quiet and unwilling to share
C. Excited and enthusiastic
D. Confused and distracted
B. Quiet and unwilling to share
2. What phrase from The Last Spin best supports the shared theme in Question 1?
A. “Here’s to Sunday,” he said. He grinned at Tigo. (paragraph 17)
B. “This is how the club said we should settle it…” “…I just happened to be picked for this, you know?” (paragraph 3)
C. He broke open the gun again, slipped in the second cartridge into the cylinder. “Now we got two cartridges in here,” he said. “Two cartridges, six chambers. That’s four-to-two…” (paragraph 11)
D. “No rest for the weary,” he said. “But Jesus you’ve got the heart. I don’t know if I can go through with it.” (paragraph 15)
B. “This is how the club said we should settle it…” “…I just happened to be picked for this, you know?” (paragraph 3)
2. Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that boredom can improve problem-solving?
A. "Whenever there is a quiet moment, many people immediately reach for their phones."
B. "This process, sometimes called mind-wandering, allows people to reflect on past experiences, imagine future possibilities, and develop new ideas."
C. "Excessive boredom can lead to frustration, especially when individuals feel they have little control over their circumstances."
D. "The key is finding a healthy balance between entertainment and moments of quiet reflection."
B. "This process, sometimes called mind-wandering, allows people to reflect on past experiences, imagine future possibilities, and develop new ideas."
____ is the big moral or lesson that we learn from a story or poem
Theme
2. Which change, if any, shows the best way to revise the underlined text?
In fact, most people would not be able to survive to make it much longer than two or three days without having water.
A. In fact, most would not survive to make it two or three days without having it.
B. In fact, most would not be able to survive any longer than two or three days without any water.
C. In fact, most people would not survive longer than two or three days without it.
D. NO CHANGE
C. In fact, most people would not survive longer than two or three days without it.
His apology seemed superficial because he offered a few polite words but showed no genuine understanding of the harm he had caused.
A. Deeply emotional
B. Unexpectedly sincere
C. Lacking depth or genuine feeling
D. Difficult to understand
C. Lacking depth or genuine feeling
3. What phrase from On the Sidewalk Bleeding best supports the shared theme in Question 1?
A. There were so many things to do. He wondered why he'd never thought of them before, wondered why the rumbles and the jumps and the purple jackets had always seemed so important to him before. Now they seemed like such small things in a world he was missing…
B. Why, they're afraid of the Guardians, Andy thought in amazement. By why should they be? I wasn't afraid of the Guardians.
C. He did not know he was dying. He lay on the sidewalk, bleeding, and he thought only: That was a fierce rumble. They got me good that time, but he did not know he was dying.
D. Someday he would marry Laura. Someday he would marry her, and they would have a lot of kids, and then they would get out of the neighborhood.
A. There were so many things to do. He wondered why he'd never thought of them before, wondered why the rumbles and the jumps and the purple jackets had always seemed so important to him before. Now they seemed like such small things in a world he was missing…
3. What does the word excessive most nearly mean as it is used in paragraph 4?
A. Unnecessary
B. Unexpected
C. Too much
D. Temporary
C. Too much
_____ is the author’s attitude about the text or topic. The author uses specific words to create the ______. (It's not what they say; it's how they say it)
(Same word)
TONE
3. Which change, if any, shows the best way to revise the underlined text?
caused by an array
A. fred up by a whole host
B. made possible by a wealth
C. brought to pass by an immensity
D. NO CHANGE
D. NO CHANGE
The teacher's directions were ambiguous, leaving students uncertain whether they should work independently or with a partner.
A. Open to more than one interpretation
B. Strict and unreasonable
C. Detailed and precise
D. Unrelated to the assignment
A. Open to more than one interpretation
4. What do the main characters in the two passages have in common?
A. They have a desire to maintain a respectable reputation.
B. They express remorse when reflecting on their life choices.
C. They want to take their relationships to the next level.
D. They want to create stronger friendships with other characters in the passage.
B. They express remorse when reflecting on their life choices.
4. What is the author's primary purpose in writing this passage?
A. To entertain readers with humorous examples of boredom.
B. To persuade readers to stop using smartphones completely.
C. To explain how boredom can have both positive and negative effects.
D. To argue that schools should provide students with more free time.
C. To explain how boredom can have both positive and negative effects.
What is the difference between a theme and central idea?
A theme is the moral or lesson that we learn from a story. It is universal and not specific to a story. A central idea is the main idea of the story. It summarizes the entire story and is specific.
4. Which change, if any, shows the best way to revise the underlined text?
when you are done with
A. when finished with
B. being done with
C. after
D. NO CHANGE
C. after
The speaker used a personal story to convey the importance of perseverance, helping the audience understand why determination matters.
A. Question the accuracy of
B. Communicate an idea
C. Distract attention from
D. Exaggerate the difficulty of
B. Communicate an idea
5. Select two central ideas shared by both passages.
A. The boys have an obsession with gang life.
B. The boys face death because of their gang affiliation.
C. The boys realize that they no longer want to be in gangs.
D. The boys are judged by others in the passage.
E. Death is the only way to fix your mistakes.
F. Our friends make us do things we don’t want to do.
B. The boys face death because of their gang affiliation.
C. The boys realize that they no longer want to be in gangs.
5. How does the author develop the claim that boredom can be beneficial?
A. By comparing the daily routines of children and adults.
B. By presenting research-based explanations and examples of potential benefits.
C. By describing the history of technology and entertainment.
D. By providing statistics showing how often people experience boredom.
B. By presenting research-based explanations and examples of potential benefits.
______ is when the author jumps back in time to show something that happened to a character previously. This is usually to explain the character’s motivation or create tension or suspense. ________ is when the author gives a hint about what is to come in the story.
-Flashback
-Foreshadow
5. Which change, if any, is needed to the underlined text? body, they
A. body: they
B. body; they
C. body they
D. NO CHANGE
B. body; they
The author's description of the abandoned house created an ominous atmosphere, making readers suspect something terrible was about to happen.
A. Peaceful and welcoming
B. Mysterious but humorous
C. Threatening or suggesting danger
D. Ordinary and unremarkable
C. Threatening or suggesting danger