English 1 Review

Inferences

100

Anastasia sat by the fountain in the park with her head in her palms. She was weeping mournfully and wearing all black. In between gasps and sobs, Anastasia cried out a name: “Oh... John…” And then her cell phone beeped. Her hand ran into her purse and her heart fluttered. The text message was from John. She opened up the message and read the few bare words, “I need to get my jacket back from you.” Anastasia threw her head into her arms and continued sobbing. Q: Why is Anastasia upset?

John dumped her

200

Kyle ran into his house and slammed the door behind him. He paused with his back to the wall and tried to catch his breath. The puppy in his coat struggled to get out. Kyle looked out the window worriedly, but he saw that nobody was coming. Then he let the puppy out of his jacket. The puppy yelped while Kyle took the collar off of him. He threw the collar in an old soup can in the trash, carefully flipping over the can. The dog looked around nervously. Q: Where did Kyle get the dog?

He stole it.

300

Everyday after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch. Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat. He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning. On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up stairs to the shower as he was instructed. He would eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often said. Q: What type of job does Paul work?

Farmer, construction worker, something dirty

400

Today would not be a good day for Vernon, co-owner of Vernon and Vernon’s Fry Shack, for the health inspector had just walked through the screen door that had no screen. The flies scattered. Vernon thought about the mousetraps in the back and wondered if they had been emptied. “Mr. Vernon?” inquired the health inspector. “We’ve received an anonymous tip about some unsanitary practices going on in the back.” The cashier stared fearfully at the inspector, while the fry cook quickly looked down. Mr. Vernon replied, “Well, our doors are always open to you, Inspector.” The inspector took the cap off of his pen. Q: Who reported the restaurant to the health inspector?

The fry cook and the cashier.

500

Chris was upset that the teacher made the new kid sit with him. He liked to sit by himself, and he didn’t want to make any friends. While the teacher was passing out papers, the new kid made the first move, “Hi, my name’s Sean.” Chris replied brusquely, “That’s nice,” without looking up from the notebook on which he was doodling. Sean paid Chris’s lack of manners no mind. Instead, he stole a glance at the notebook on which Chris was drawing. Sean noticed that Chris was drawing a guitar with skulls on it. Sean asked politely, “What’s your favorite band?” Chris ignored him. Sean continued, “My favorite band is The Lords of Death.” Chris looked up at him for the first time. “Hello, Sean, my name is Chris. I believe that we are going to be great friends.” Sean smiled. Q: Why is Chris suddenly nice to Sean?

They have the same favorite band.

Main Idea/Supporting Details

100

"A penny for your thoughts? If it’s a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars. In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for World War II, so the 1943 copper penny is ultra-rare. Another rarity is the 1955 double die penny. These pennies were mistakenly double stamped, so they have overlapping dates and letters. If it’s uncirculated, it’d easily fetch $25,000 at an auction. Now that’s a pretty penny." Q: What is the main idea?

Some rare pennies are worth thousands of dollars.

200

"When one hears the term “reality” applied to a television show, one might expect that the events portrayed occurred naturally or, at the least, were not scripted, but this is not always the case. Many reality shows occur in unreal environments, like rented mansions occupied by film crews. Such living environments do not reflect what most people understand to be “reality.” Worse, there have been accusations that events not captured on film were later restaged by producers. Worse still, some involved in the production of “reality” television claim that the participants were urged to act out story lines premeditated by producers. With such accusations floating around, it’s no wonder many people take reality TV to be about as real as the sitcom." Q: List 3 supporting points.

Unreal environments, restaged events, act out storylines

300

"It is estimated that over twenty million pounds of candy corn are sold in the US each year. Brach’s, the top manufacturer, sells enough candy corn to circle the earth 4.25 times if each piece were laid end to end. That’s a lot of candy corn, but that’s nothing compared to Tootsie Roll production. Over 64 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day! But even Tootsie Rolls have got nothing on the candy industry’s staple product, chocolate. Confectioners manufacture over twenty billion pounds of chocolate in the United States each year. Now that’s a mouthful!" Q: What is the main idea?

There is a lot of candy made in the US each year.

400

"Sometime in December of 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a gym teacher at the YMCA College in Springfield, Massachusetts was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He wanted a vigorous game that would keep his students moving. After rejecting a few other ideas because they were too rough or not suited for the walled-in gym, Naismith wrote out the rules for a game with peach baskets fixed to ten-foot elevated tracks. Naismith’s students played against one another, passing the ball around and shooting it into the peach baskets. Dribbling wasn’t a part of the original game, and it took a while to realize that the game would run more smoothly if the bottoms of the baskets were removed, but this game grew to be one of the most popular sports in America today." Q: What sport did Naismith invent? Give 2 details to support your answer.

Basketball; dribbling, baskets, passing and shooting

500

"There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but perhaps no stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few venomous mammals. Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs that incapacitates victims with excruciating pain. Stranger still, the platypus is the only mammal that uses electroreception. What this means is that the platypus uses its bill to sense the electricity produced by the muscular movements of its prey. The platypus neither sees, hears, nor smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through electroreception. Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young. The platypus is an odd creature indeed." Q: What is the main idea? Give 3 supporting details.

The platypus is an unusual animal; it is one of a few venomous mammals, it uses electroreception, it is the only mammal that lays eggs

Summarizing

100

"When a driver pushes on the brake pedal, it initiates a process that causes the vehicle to stop in motion. You literally trust automotive braking systems with your life every time you get into a vehicle or cross at a busy intersection, but how does this process work? It begins when the pedal is pushed. At this moment brake fluid is released into the area where the breaking mechanisms are. As the fluid collects, this creates a leverage, which causes a friction to be applied. If the breaking system is functioning properly, this friction will create a force that will cause the wheels to stop and allow you to reach your destination safely."

This article explains how a car's braking system works.

200

"Before you put on that Angry Birds costume and exhaust yourself roving from door to door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on the tradition in which you are taking part. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1 st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts, so they celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be candy fueled costume ball that we know today."

This article explains the history of Halloween.

300

"Yellowstone National Park is mainly located in Wyoming, although three percent is located in the state of Montana. The Continental Divide of North America runs diagonally through the southwestern part of the park. The park sits on the Yellowstone Plateau, which is an average elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level. This plateau is bounded on nearly all sides by mountain ranges. There are 290 waterfalls that are at least fifteen feet in the park, the highest being the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, which falls 308 feet." Q: Summarize this passage in one sentence.

This passage is a description of Yellowstone National Park.

400

"The key to making perfect cookies is merely a matter of preparation and precision. To begin with, read your cookie recipe thoroughly before baking. Make sure that you have all of the necessary ingredients before you continue. Next, use good tools and utensils. Sometimes, the craftsperson is only as good as his or her tools. By using good tools you can minimize mistakes and improve the quality of your product. Lastly, you should use top quality ingredients. Unlike in the fairytales, you can’t turn lead into gold. If you use poor quality materials, you’ll create an inferior product. So, to make perfect cookies you should use the highest quality materials available."

This article gives advice on how to make perfect cookies.

500

"Automation is the use of machines to reduce the need for human labor. In other words automation is when jobs done by people become jobs done by robots. Automation can be a good thing. Because of automation, clothing, cars, and other manufactured products are available at good prices and in large supply. But automation can also be a bad thing. Because of automation, there are over 700,000 robots in America alone that do jobs once performed by humans. The way of automation may not be best for humanity, but it is the course we are taking."

This article describes uses of automation.