Language and Vocabulary
We got right to work, but setting up a tent in the dark was hard.
What would be a more exact word for hard in this sentence?
A. weird
B. boring
C. strange
D. exhausting
What is exhausting?
Research Report Plan Topic: the Taj Mahal, one of the Wonders of the World
Audience: history class
Purpose: to inform
Research Question: How did people create such a grand building almost five hundred years ago?
The student needs to find a credible, or trustworthy, source. Which website is the best source for the information needed for the report?
A. www.gotajmahal.com -Share my month-long journey to the Taj Mahal, the most beautiful building in the world.
B. www.awe-inspiringindia.com/taj mahal -Enjoy images of some of India’s most beautiful locations, including the grand Taj Mahal.
C. www.tajmahaltreasuresintact.gov.in -Article by Department of Arts and Culture that includes images of precious stones inlaid in the building.
D. www.featsofarchitecture.com/taj mahal -The story of the construction of the Taj Mahal, from planning to the laying of the immense white marble stones.
What is D, www.featsofarchitecture.com/taj mahal?
Choose the sentence with no errors in spelling.
A. I like to put cookies or chocolate syrup in my milkshakes.
B. I like to put cookies or chocolate syrrup in my milkshakes.
C. I like to put cookies or choclate syrup in my milkshakes.
D. I like to put cookies or chocolate syrop in my milkshakes.
What is A?
Astronaut Bill Oefelein
Listen to the presentation. Then answer the questions. In the following presentation you will learn about a man who grew up in the Alaskan wilderness and eventually became a space shuttle astronaut. Listen to the presentation and then answer the questions that follow. Bill Oefelein didn't plan to become an astronaut. But what better way is there to do the two things he wanted to do -- fly and explore? "I grew up in Alaska," Oefelein said. "I was in the Scouts and did a lot of camping and hiking. As I got older, given the vastness of the state and the lack of roads and all, it became apparent to me the best way to get out and explore was by flying airplanes. So I worked hard and got a pilot's license. I started thinking, 'Well, maybe somebody will actually pay me to fly airplanes for them.'" He became a test pilot, and, later, an instructor at the United States Naval Test Pilot School. "A lot of folks who do that test pilot work also go on to fly space shuttles," he explained. "I never really, as a kid, wanted to become an astronaut. I just wanted to fly airplanes and explore. About 10 years ago I said to myself, 'Hey, I can use all this background of test aviation and exploration, and maybe help fly a space shuttle for NASA someday.'" Oefelein was selected as an astronaut in 1998.
What is the central idea of this presentation?
A. Curiosity and the need to explore can lead to exciting careers.
B. Test pilots are skilled individuals who help make planes safer.
C. The work of astronauts contributes to scientific exploration.
D. Flying airplanes is a great way to explore space.
What is A. Curiosity and the need to explore can lead to exciting careers?
The salad bar, in particular, has increased the type of fruits and vegetables that students are eating.
I know that after I eat a healthy lunch, I can do better in my afternoon lessons.
Choose the best two words to replace the words.
A. appeal B. forms C. variety D. concentrate E. try F. understand
What is variety and concentrate?
A student is writing a research report for his teacher about silver mining in Colorado. The student must use sources that are credible, trustworthy, and relevant for the topic. Choose two credible, or trustworthy, sources that are most likely relevant for the topic.
A. Colorado Silver Mine Tours -www.cosilverminetours.com - Take a step back in time. Ride restored mining cars through the tunnels of one of the most productive silver mines of the last century. Daily tours are available.
B. Silver Mining Historical Society -www.silvermininghs.org - Silver mines in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and other western states brought people and established towns. Mining still plays a role in many of these towns. Find out more here.
C. Mining for Silver and Gold - www.mcgill/silverandgoldmining.com -In search of fortune and adventure, John McGill set off to Colorado to become a miner. He faced many challenges along his route, including claim jumpers and bears. Read a selection from the latest novel in the John McGill series here.
D. Colorado History—Silver Mining www.coloradohistory.gov/mining -Along with farming and tourism, silver mining has been at the center of Colorado business for many years. However, silver production throughout the world has had a lasting effect on the silver industry here. Find facts about mining and other industries in our state.
E. In a Colorado Silver Mine www.inacoloradosilvermine.com -After a long hike along the Great Divide, I found myself in Creede, Colorado, where I toured the mining museum. My experience there and on my whole vacation was life changing. I offer my journal and pictures from that trip here in hope that they touch your life too.
F. The Silver Mining Exchange -www.silverminingexchange.net Some people are excited about the increase in silver prices. This increase may mean that the silver-mining industry in Colorado and elsewhere will thrive. What do you think? Join the discussion here with others who share your enthusiasm for—and interest in —mining.
What are B and D?
Write the sentence that is correctly punctuated.
Whales are known to be the largest living animals in the world. The blue whale is the largest existing whale weighing 130 tons, and measuring 115 feet in length. Imagine the length of approximately three school buses parked end to end and you will have the size of a whale. Blue whales are known to be larger than any dinosaur, that lived years ago.
What is Whales are known to be the largest living animals in the world?
The following question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.
Which statement best describes Bill Oefelein’s viewpoint about becoming an astronaut?
Part A
A. It was a lifelong dream.
B. It was an exhausting battle.
C. It was a welcome challenge.
D. It was an unexpected achievement.
Which detail from the presentation best supports your answer in part A?
Part B
A. He overcame several obstacles on his way to success.
B. He always looked for new ways to put his skills to use.
C. He developed a love of exploring when he was just a boy.
D. He never thought about becoming an astronaut as a child.
Part A: D
Part B: D
Michael did not like to watch his younger brothers. They were often bad when his parents went out, and they did not listen.
Choose two words that would be more precise to replace “bad” and “listen”
A. awful B. naughty C. wrong D. hear E. notice F. obey
What is naughty and obey?
A student is writing a research report on the history of the penny. Read the sentences from his report and the directions that follow.
The one-cent coin, commonly known as the penny, was the first form of money of any type that the United States gave permission to use. For over two centuries, the penny’s design has represented the spirit of the nation with images from the Statue of Liberty to Abraham Lincoln. The design for the first one-cent coin was suggested by Benjamin Franklin. The original one-cent coin was over five times heavier and almost 50% larger than it is today. The word “penny” comes from the original British coin of the same name. Over 300 billion one-cent coins, with 11 different designs, have been minted, or created, since 1787.
Which source would most likely give the student more information for the paragraph from his report?
A. a catalog that shows different collections of World War II pennies
B. www.saveapenny.com This online guide gives tips on how to save money, even if it starts with a penny.
C. an encyclopedia entry that lists the different materials used to make pennies
D. a poster in social studies class of a timeline that has pictures of the different styles of pennies since the late 1700s
What is D, a poster in social studies class of a timeline that has pictures of the different styles of pennies since the late 1700s?
Write the two sentences that are punctuated correctly.
It was a cloudy stormy afternoon. Two children walked along a twisty narrow country road. Suddenly, a tall woman with black hair and brown eyes ran up to the children. The children were surprised to see, that it was their mother. She urged, the children, to hurry. She explained that a cold driving rain was coming. The children quickly headed toward their warm, dry house.
What are Suddenly, a tall woman with black hair and brown eyes ran up to the children. AND The children quickly headed toward their warm, dry house?
Which additional information could be added to the presentation to support the claim that airplane test pilots often become astronauts?
Select two options.
A. a description of the flight schedule of a test pilot
B. a description of the early careers of several astronauts
C. an interview with astronauts who have flown space shuttles
D. a description of skills test pilots and astronauts have in common
E. an interview with instructors from the United States Naval Test Pilot School
What is B and D?
Frederic Chopin was born in Poland in 1810. At the age of six, he began formal piano instruction and just a year later would make his first musical works. Later in life, Frederic would leave his native country, eventually settling in Paris, France, where he would become something of a celebrity.
What is a more specific word to replace the word make?
A. compose B. create C. invent D. write
What is compose?
A student is writing a research report about blue whales. Read the sentences from her report and the directions that follow.
Blue whales are the largest mammals on Earth. Their average size is 70 to 90 feet long, which is about the length of three school buses! Their average weight is between 200,000 and 300,000 pounds. That’s 100 to 150 tons! Females are larger than males. Blue whales swim by themselves, in pairs, or in small groups called pods. These giant mammals eat small, shrimp-like creatures called krill. During the feeding season, they eat from two to four tons of krill per day.
Choose two sources that would most likely give the student more information for the paragraph from her report.
A. Whale Sounds and Songs -www.bluewhalesounds.com- Listen to the haunting sounds of the giant blue whale.
B. Whale Conservation- www.conserveourwhales.com -We are dedicated to raising money to support whale populations. Every dollar counts.
C. Famous Whales -www.whalesinhistory.edu- Moby Dick is not the only famous whale in history. Read all about other famous whales.
D. The Marine Mammal Organization -www.marinemammalorg.org- The MMO provides complete facts and information about marine mammals and their habitats.
E. Whale-Watching Tours- www.watchingwhales.net -Tours depart daily on the hour during whale-watching season. Online reservations are available.
F. Blue Whale Information -www.oceananimalfacts.org- Blue whales are found in every ocean of the world. They belong to the group of whales called baleen whales.
What are D and F?
A student wrote a sentence that contains errors in punctuation. Write the two words that should be followed by a comma.
Although the teacher planned a fun creative lesson using technology the Internet connection was down that
What is fun and technology?
Space Tours to Aid Earth
Listen to the presentation. Then answer the questions.
In the following presentation, you will learn about a former astronaut's ideas about Earth and space tourism. Former astronaut John Grunsfeld remembers the awe he felt the first time he saw Earth from space. He also remembers the changes he saw on the planet each time he saw it from a space shuttle. From 1995 to 2009, Grunsfeld says he saw the rainforests of the Amazon shrinking. He could find the borders of national parks-where the parks ended, so did the trees. He saw smoke blowing from China across the ocean. "We humans are rapidly changing the planet," he told the journal Nature. Grunsfeld worried as he saw these changes. He knew he was among a very few who could actually see them happening. Later, when he became the head of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, he had an idea. People might care more about the planet if they, too, could see it from space. Grunsfeld and others think space tourism-letting people pay to visit space in loworbit spacecraft-could open people's eyes to Earth's beauty. Seeing it from space might make them more interested in keeping the planet Page 4 of 13 © 2025 The Regents of the University of California clean and healthy. At a recent celebration of science and technology, Grunsfeld said, "Ultimately, my vision is that lots of people get to go to space."
Which conclusion is best supported by evidence from the presentation?
A. Grunsfeld hopes to raise money to help study Earth from space. B. Grunsfeld believes that changes on Earth could benefit humans. C. Grunsfeld wants to find ways to help protect Earth from harm. D. Grunsfeld thinks that Earth looks more beautiful from space
What is C. Grunsfeld wants to find ways to help protect Earth from harm?
My friend Jason is a good student at Lakewood Middle School. He deserves the citizenship award because he sets a good example for other students. He is polite and respectful in class and goes out of his way to help others.
Choose the best two words to replace the words good and good.
A. great B. lively C. nice D. marvelous E. remarkable F. sparkling
What is marvelous, and remarkable?
A student has made a plan for research. Read the plan and the directions that follow.
Research Report Plan Topic: renewable energy
Audience: my class
Purpose: to inform
Research Question: Is wind power the best solution to our country’s energy problem?
The student needs to find a credible, or trustworthy, source. Which of these is the best source for the information most likely needed to answer the research question?
A. a newspaper article by a concerned citizen on the opening of a new wind farm
B. a chapter from a book by a research analyst that explains how energy is gathered and stored on a wind farm
C. an online newsletter posted by a designer of wind farms that reports on laws related to operating a wind farm
D. a magazine article by an environmental scientist comparing risks and rewards of different sources of energy such as wind farms
What is D. a magazine article by an environmental scientist comparing risks and rewards of different sources of energy such as wind farms?
Select the two sentences that are correctly punctuated.
A. Robert Frost, a famous American poet, wrote a poem for President John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration in 1961.
B. Frost spent the first ten years, of his life, in San Francisco, California.
C. After several years as a teacher, Frost moved to New England he wrote many poems there and lived on a farm.
D. He published his first book of poems, at the age of forty.
E. He won the Pulitzer Prize four times, he was very proud of that accomplishment.
F. One of Frost’s most famous poems, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” is often studied in school.
What is A and F?
Which of the following best describe the central ideas of the presentation? Select two options.
A. John Grunsfeld was awed by Earth’s beauty on his first trip to space.
B. John Grunsfeld traveled to space several times throughout his career.
C. John Grunsfeld was at a recent celebration of science and technology.
D. John Grunsfeld is one of the few people who have seen Earth from space.
E. John Grunsfeld saw worrisome changes on Earth during his trips to space.
F. John Grunsfeld thinks space tourism will inspire appreciation for Earth’s beauty.
What is E and F?