Literary Analysis (Targets 1, 2, & 5)
Which of these is a 7th-grade Theme rather than a 6th-grade Main Idea?
A) A boy learns to ride a bike.
B) Overcoming fear is the first step toward growth.
B (Themes are universal lessons; Main Ideas are plot-specific)
What is the mood of a story that uses words like shadowy, damp, muffled, and eerie?
Suspenseful or Gloomy
What is the difference between a fact and an interpretation?
A fact can be proven (dates/stats); an interpretation is how someone explains those facts
Which text structure describes a problem and then tells how it was fixed?
Problem and Solution
"Which sentence best supports..." means you should look for the evidence that is:
A) The most interesting.
B) The most directly related to the claim.
C) The longest sentence in the paragraph.
B
When an SBAC question asks how a character "responds or changes," what are they testing?
Character Development
Define the term "To stay objective" as it relates to a summary.
To remain neutral and free of personal opinions or bias.
If two authors write about the same topic but disagree, what should you look for to see who has the stronger argument?
The quality and quantity of their evidence
How do subheadings help a reader with understanding the central ideas of the text?
They break the text into smaller sections, each with its own "mini" central idea.
"Which statement is an inference that can be made about the character?"
A) The character wears a red hat.
B) The character lives in New York.
C) The character is lonely because he never leaves his house.
C (A and B are facts; C requires a "guess" based on behavior).
Target 5 asks how "elements of a story interact." How might a setting (like a blizzard) interact with a plot?
The setting creates the conflict or obstacle the character must overcome.
"The classroom was a zoo" is a metaphor. If the author changed it to "The classroom was a quiet library," how does the tone change?
It shifts from chaotic/wild to calm/orderly
What is a "relevant" piece of evidence?
Evidence that actually supports the specific claim being made.
A story uses flashbacks. What element is the author changing?
The plot structure or "Chronological Order."
What is the first step in "Analyzing within or across texts"?
Identify the main claim or theme of each individual text first.
A student is comparing a modern story about a hero saving a city to the ancient Greek myth of Perseus and Medea. To analyze the relationship between these two texts, what should the student look for?
A) If the characters have the same names and hair colors.
B) How the modern story modernizes a traditional "hero’s journey" pattern or theme.
C) Which story is longer and has more dialogue.
D) If the setting of both stories is in the same country.
B (Target 5 specifically focuses on how modern works of fiction draw on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths or traditional stories).
What does the Greek root "path" mean in words like empathy or pathetic?
Feeling or suffering
Define "Author's Purpose"
The reason an author writes (Persuade, Inform, Entertain, or Describe)
Why would an author use a Compare and Contrast structure in a science article about lizards and snakes?
To highlight the unique characteristics of each to help the reader distinguish between them.
In an SBAC "Multi-Select" question, if you only pick one answer when it says "Select Two," what happens?
You usually get 0 or half-credit (Score depends on the specific year's rubric)
Identify the "Central Idea" error: "The central idea of the story is that the main character is very tall." Why is this wrong?
That is a detail, not a central idea. A central idea must cover the entire scope of the text.
Context Clues: "The judge was known for being dispassionate, never letting his personal feelings influence his legal rulings." What does dispassionate mean?
Unbiased, calm, or impartial
You are reading two editorials about "Self-Driving Cars." Article A focuses on the safety statistics of AI drivers, while Article B focuses on the ethical dilemma of who the car should protect in an accident. How do these two authors' approaches to the topic differ?
A) Article A is written for scientists, while Article B is written for children.
B) Article A uses logical data (logos) to support the topic, while Article B uses ethical reasoning (ethos) to question it.
C) Article A disagrees with the technology, while Article B thinks it is the best invention ever.
D) There is no difference; both authors are writing about the same cars.
B (7th-grade Target 12 requires students to analyze how two authors writing about the same topic emphasize different evidence or interpret facts differently).
What is a group of lines in a poem called?
A stanza.
Describe "Strategic Thinking" (Level 3) questions on the Cognitive Matrix.
It involves reasoning, planning, and using evidence to explain why an author made a specific choice.