Theme & Central Idea
Poetry
Fiction
The 5 Big Test-Taking Strategies
Nonfiction
Author's Purpose & Text Evidence
EOG Trivia
Terms to Know
100
Fill in the blanks below with "theme" and "central idea":
_______ is USUALLY found in fiction, while _______ is USUALLY found in nonfiction.
1. Theme
2. Central Idea
100
The narrator of a poem is called the ________.
Speaker
100
Which of the following is NOT an element of fiction?
Character, plot, conflict, claim, point of view, setting, style, theme
Claim
100
What is a strategy that you should use when you don't understand what you just read?
1. Reread the text
2. Use context clues
100
What of the following is NOT a reason that authors use text features (such as bold, italics, captions, diagrams, and headings)?
a) To grab the reader's attention or highlight something important
b) To make the text longer or more difficult to understand
c) To organize sections of information and make the text easier to navigate
d) To help readers visualize what the text is explaining or clarify an idea
b) To make the text longer or more difficult to understand
100
What are the THREE types of author's purpose?
1. To inform or teach
2. To entertain
3. To persuade or convince
100
The End-of-Grade (EOG) Reading Test is given to all public school students in Grade 3 through Grade __.
8
100
The person who tells the story is called a(n) ________.
Narrator
200
A _______ is more general and usually can be applied to real life, not just the text or story.
Theme
200
Read the excerpt from the poem below “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” (1947) by Dylan Thomas. What is the poem's central message?
1 Do not go gentle into that good night,
2 Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
3 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
4 Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
5 Because their words had forked no lightning they
6 Do not go gentle into that good night.
The poem encourages people who are dying—the sick and the elderly—to fight bravely against death. It also celebrates the vibrancy (liveliness) and energy of human life, even though it is fragile and short.
200
This image is an example of a ___________.
Plot Map / Plot Diagram
200
Fill in the blanks for the strategy below:
Look at the questions ________ reading the passage so you can create a “look for” list to use as you ________.
before, read
200
How is an essay organized?
Introduction (with focus statement)
Body Paragraphs/Reasons
Conclusion
200
What are TWO ways you can use text evidence in your writing?
1. Quote (author's words)
2. Paraphrase (your own words)
200
True or False?
The EOG includes "field test items," which are questions that will not be included as part of students’ final scores but will be used for developing items for future test forms.
True
200
________ means to express the author's words' meaning in different words, often to make it easier to understand.
Paraphrase
300
Which of the sentences below shows theme and which shows central idea or "The Lion King"?
_______ - A young lion cub rises up to defeat his evil uncle and reclaim the kingdom.
_______ - Everyone has to eventually leave childhood behind to face adult responsibilities.
1. Central Idea
2. Theme
300
Read the poem below "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. How does the speaker use TWO examples of imagery to support the central message that the reader should not give up on their dreams?
1 Hold fast to dreams
2 For if dreams die
3 Life is a broken-winged bird
4 That cannot fly.
5 Hold fast to dreams
6 For when dreams go
7 Life is a barren field
8 Frozen with snow.
The speaker tells the reader to hold on tightly to their dreams of the future because if they let their dreams die, life becomes a "broken-winged bird that cannot fly" (line 3), which is pretty depressing. In line 7, the speaker compares the loss of a dream to living in a cold and barren field where there's no life, no joy, and nothing grows.
300
What were some themes from Esperanza Rising?
importance of love and sacrifice for family and friends
perseverance
Justice and Judgment
Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
300
Name three things you should do before the test (besides studying)
Get good sleep
Eat a good breakfast
Get to school early
Bring a snack
Have a book ready to read
300
How does the speaker's point of view influence their writing? (Use our Jackie Robinson Unit to give examples).
What the narrator has experienced will change the events they write about.
Example: Sharon Robinson has the perspective of a daughter. This will provide different information than Jackie Robinson talking about his own life.
300
Why is it important to use text evidence?
To support your reasoning, explanation, or claim/argument.
300
You can have a maximum __ hours for the EOG. We will pause at ____.
3, 2
300
A technique that an author uses to try to persuade the reader towards considering a topic from a different perspective is called a ________ ________.
Rhetorical Device
400
Julia’s report card reflected poor grades. She felt she would get in trouble, so she hid her report card from her parents. When her parents discovered what her grades were, they grounded her for trying to hide the truth.
What is the theme of this paragraph?
The truth always comes out in the end
400
Read the poem below "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. Why is it important for the reader to know that it was published in 1920 after the end of World War I?
1 Some say the world will end in fire,
2 Some say in ice.
3 From what I’ve tasted of desire
4 I hold with those who favor fire.
5 But if it had to perish twice,
6 I think I know enough of hate
7 To say that for destruction ice
8 Is also great
9 And would suffice.
Because poem's message is that the world will end either by "fire" (people taking violent actions such as war) or "ice" (people taking no action at all).
400
A(n) ________ character is one who DOES NOT HAVE have any significant change in character, personality or perspective throughout a story, while a(n) _______ character DOES have a significant change in character, personality or perspective throughout a story
1. Static
2. Dynamic
400
What are some things should you annotate/highlight when reading a text?
1. Important information
2. Answers to questions
3. Your personal thoughts and opinions
400
"During one game, while my father stood in the batter's box, a Syracuse player tossed a black cat toward him yelling, "Hey Jackie, there's your cousin clowning on the field.... A few moments later a base hit sent him home with the winning run. As Dad rounded third base he shouted to the players on the Syracuse bench, "I guess that relative of mine is happy now, isn't he?"
How does this show Jackie Robinson's personal qualities, and which quality does it show?
By not responding with anger, Jackie is showing patience, self-control, and focus.
400
Read the short passage below. What is the author's most important purpose for writing the selection?
A wave is any movement that carries energy. Some waves carry energy through water. Others carry energy through gases, like air, or solid materials. If you drop a rock into a pool of water, a wave, or ripple of energy, skims across the pool's surface. In the same way, an underwater earthquake can release energy into ocean water. Then it carries a giant wave, or tsunami, across the surface until it hits land. If you hear a clap of thunder, sound waves (or vibrations) have carried the crashing BOOM to your ears. Sound waves speed through the air at about 1,100 feet (335 meters) per second. Light also travels through the air in waves. They travel at more than 186,000 miles (300 million meters) per second. So the light waves from a flash of lightning reach your eyes before that clap of thunder reaches your ears! Electrons travel in waves, too. They move back and forth in a solid wire, sending waves of electricity so you can turn on a light during the storm!
To inform readers about different kinds of waves
400
There are 4 achievement levels on the Reading EOG: Not Proficient, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5. The approximate "percent correct cutoffs" for each level are:
Not Proficient = 0% - ___%
Level 3 = ___% - 70%
Level 4 = 71% - 88%
Level 5 = 89% - 100%
Not Proficient = 0% - 66%
Level 3 = 67% - 70%
Level 4 = 71% - 88%
Level 5 = 89% - 100%
400
A conclusion reached using evidence and reasoning that is not clearly (explicitly) stated to the reader is called a(n) ________.
Inference
500
True or false? The "central idea" is also known as the "topic" of the text.
False!
Central ideas are explained in a full sentence, while topics are usually one word (such as "Courage," "Kindness," "Acceptance," or "Honesty).
500
Read the poem below "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. What does "fire" represent and what does "ice" represent?
1 Some say the world will end in fire,
2 Some say in ice.
3 From what I’ve tasted of desire
4 I hold with those who favor fire.
5 But if it had to perish twice,
6 I think I know enough of hate
7 To say that for destruction ice
8 Is also great
9 And would suffice.
Fire = Desire (and the noisy, violent destruction it causes)
Ice = Hatred (and the quiet, subtle destruction it causes)
500
The terms "Round" and "Flat" describe a character's complexity, layers, or personality, while the terms "static" and "dynamic" describe a character's __________________________________.
development over time (throughout the story).
500
Describe the paraphrase test taking strategy.
1. Read one paragraph at a time
2. Say the gist or main idea of the paragraph
3. Write down the gist
500
"Five days later. Dad played his first major league game at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers' stadium in Brooklyn, New York. An exuberant crowd watched the Dodgers beat the Boston Braves, 5-3." (Promises to Keep, pg. 36).
Using context clues, what does the word exuberant mean? To get the full 500 points, create your own sentence that also uses exuberant.
almost uncontrollably enthusiastic;
500
Fill in the blanks...
In nonfiction argumentative/persuasive writing, writers make ____ and support them with _____. As a reader, it is important to pause while reading and ask this question: "So what?
claims, evidence
500
The NC Standard Course of Study (also known as NCSCoS) for middle school Language Arts is divided into 4 different "strands," even though the EOG only focuses on reading. Can you guess the other 3?
1. Writing
2. Speaking and Listening
3. Language
500
A(n) ________ is the focus statement of an essay which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based upon.
Thesis