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100

At the opening of the selection from An Invisible Thread, Maurice makes a toast to Laura. Which statement best describes Maurice and Laura on that occasion?

  • A. Maurice is still a young boy, and Laura is a young working woman.
  • B. Maurice has just gotten married, and Laura is attending the wedding.
  • C. Maurice is a grown man, and Laura is celebrating her fiftieth birthday.
  • D. Maurice and Laura have reunited after many years to recall their youth.

 

  • C. Maurice is a grown man, and Laura is celebrating her fiftieth birthday.
100

How does someone behave if she shows resilience in the face of a problem?

  • A.She completely ignores the problem.
  • B.She able to recover from the problem.
  • C.She feels helpless about the problem.
  • D.She blames someone else for the problem.
  • B.She able to recover from the problem.
100

According to the selection from An Invisible Thread, what main effect does Maurice believe Laura has had on him?

  • A.She changed the direction of his life.
  • B.She taught him the true value of money.
  • C.She helped him get along with other people.
  • D.She taught him to value what he already had.

A.She changed the direction of his life.

100

The word equal means "not varying from one person or part to another." The word equality is formed by adding the Latin suffix -ity to the word equal. Based on your knowledge of -ity, which is the best example of equality?

  • A.a manager and a staff member wearing different uniforms
  • B.a team that includes only players who are above a certain age
  • C.a man and woman who receive the same pay for the same work
  • D.a plane's seating divided into first, business, and economy classes

C.a man and woman who receive the same pay for the same work

100

In which of these main ways does the selection from An Invisible Thread expand on the information in "A Simple Act"?
Choose two options.

  • A.It describes Maurice's reaction to appearing in Laura's book.
  • B.It shares Maurice's view of and feelings about the day he met Laura.
  • C.It gives more details about the hotel Maurice lived in when he met Laura.
  • D.It explains the significance that a large dining room table has for Maurice.
  • E.It provides more information about Maurice's visit to Laura's sister on Long Island.
  • F.It shares Laura's personal observations and captures her personality through her word choice.
  • B.It shares Maurice's view of and feelings about the day he met Laura.
  • F.It shares Laura's personal observations and captures her personality through her word choice.
200

According the selection from An Invisible Thread, what did Maurice ask Laura for on the day they met?

  • A.food
  • B.work
  • C.money
  • D.friendship

C.money

200

What kind of person most clearly displays perseverance?

  • A.a lazy person
  • B.an impatient person
  • C.a hard-working person
  • D.an old-fashioned person

C.a hard-working person

200

How does Laura mainly feel as she listens to Maurice's toast in the selection from An Invisible Thread?

  • A.brave
  • B.foolish
  • C.confused
  • D.emotional
  • D.emotional
200

The word diverse means "showing variety." Based on this information and your knowledge of the suffix -ity, choose the sentence that uses the word diversity correctly.

  • A.The neighborhood, marked by its cultural diversity, consisted almost solely of immigrants from Eastern Europe.
  • B.The members of the staff wore uniforms of great diversity, all of them dressed in the same black pants and white shirts.
  • C.Singers, dancers, musicians, actors, painters, and even a juggler—the performers in the talent show displayed great diversity.
  • D.The owner realized that her business needed to focus on making one extraordinary thing—the company needed diversity in its product.

C.Singers, dancers, musicians, actors, painters, and even a juggler—the performers in the talent show displayed great diversity.

200

What does "A Simple Act" explain that is not explained in the selection from An Invisible Thread?

  • A.the significance of Maurice in Laura's life
  • B.the significance of Laura in Maurice's life
  • C.the significance of the toast the Maurice makes
  • D.the significance of the title An Invisible Thread
  • D.the significance of the title An Invisible Thread
300

According to the selection from An Invisible Thread, what did Laura do for Maurice on the day they first met?
Choose two options.

  • A.She gave him a lot of money.
  • B.She invited him home for a meal.
  • C.She introduced him to her family.
  • D.She played some games with him.
  • E.She helped him with his schoolwork.
  • F.She bought him a meal in a restaurant.
  • D.She played some games with him.
  • F.She bought him a meal in a restaurant.
300

Which of these people most clearly displays generosity?

  • A.someone who says one thing but does the opposite
  • B.some who displays many different skills and talents
  • C.someone who bores others with endless talk on a topic
  • D.someone who donates a lot of time and money to charity
  • D.someone who donates a lot of time and money to charity
300

According to the selection from An Invisible Thread, in what main way did Maurice teach Laura about the gift of love?

  • A.by the example of his marriage
  • B.by giving Laura someone to love
  • C.by always remembering his mother
  • D.by showing what a child's love is like
  • B.by giving Laura someone to love
300

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

Which word in this sentence is an adjective, and which word does it modify?

The grateful man warmly thanked the woman who had helped him.

  • A.The adjective is grateful. It modifies man.
  • B.The adjective is warmly. It modifies thanked.
  • C.The adjective is who. It modifies woman.
  • D.The adjective is helped. It modifies him.

A.The adjective is grateful. It modifies man.

300

What does the selection from An Invisible Thread show that “A Simple Act” is unable to show because of the difference in point of view?

  • A.Laura's actual feelings
  • B.Maurice as a grown man
  • C.Laura's first meeting with Maurice
  • D.Maurice's relationship with his wife

A.Laura's actual feelings

400

Which of these statements best portrays Maurice and Laura's relationship, as presented in the selection from An Invisible Thread?

  • A.Maurice benefited from the relationship much more than Laura did.
  • B.Laura benefited from the relationship much more than Maurice did.
  • C.Laura and Maurice both benefitted enormously from the relationship.
  • D.Neither Laura nor Maurice benefitted very much from the relationship.

C. Laura and Maurice both benefitted enormously from the relationship.

400


In the selection from An Invisible Thread, what is one main difference in the points of view that Laura and Maurice express?

  • A.Laura is focused primarily on the past, but Maurice is focused primarily on the present.
  • B.Maurice focuses on the importance of her birthday, but Laura focuses on their relationship.
  • C.Maurice thinks he should be grateful to Laura, but Laura thinks she should be grateful to Maurice.
  • D.Maurice has warm feelings for everyone attending the dinner, but Laura feels awkward among those people.

C.Maurice thinks he should be grateful to Laura, but Laura thinks she should be grateful to Maurice.

400

Which of these characteristics of the selection from An Invisible Thread specifically show that it is written from the first-person point of view?
Choose two options.

  • A.The author uses the pronoun I to refer to herself.
  • B.The author recounts events that really happened.
  • C.The author uses the pronoun he to refer to Maurice.
  • D.The author is involved in the events being recounted.
  • E.The author recounts events that happened some time ago.
  • F.The author gives thoughts and feelings of more than one person.

A.The author uses the pronoun I to refer to herself.

D.The author is involved in the events being recounted.

400

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

How many adjectives does this sentence contain?

Two good friends helped that young man find a job.

  • A.one
  • B.two
  • C.three
  • D.four
  • D.four
400

What point of view is "A Simple Act" told from?

What Point of view is "An Invisible Thread" told from?

3rd

1st

500

Where in the following sentence should a comma be added to separate coordinate adjectives?

She wore a light blue evening gown to the lovely memorable ceremony.

  • A.after light
  • B.after blue
  • C.after lovely
  • D.after memorable

C.after lovely

500

Define or use the following words in a sentence.

Resilience

Persevere

Generosity  

Resilience: the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. 

Persevere:  to keep at something in spite of difficulties, opposition, or discouragement. 

Generosity: the quality of being kind and generous. 

500

How does Laura Schroff, the author and first-person narrator of An Invisible Thread, mainly share Maurice's thoughts and feelings about their relationship?

  • A.by describing his actions at the dinner
  • B.by describing his appearance at the dinner
  • C.by providing the conversation that he and she had
  • D.by providing a direct quotation of the toast he made
  • D.by providing a direct quotation of the toast he made
500

Which words in this sentence are cumulative adjectives?

The tall, impressive speaker in the dark brown suit handed out a very important award.

  • A.tall and impressive
  • B.dark and brown
  • C.handed and out
  • D.very and important
  • B.dark and brown
500

What is the greatest gift of all according to Laura?

Being loved and being able to love someone

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