Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary
Mixed Bag
Revising and Editing
Test Vocabulary
100
"We could see Tio Nano coming from the highway by the courthouse two blocks away, stooped from the weight of two suitcases full of clothes to be sold to the people living in the south Texas ranches." We can infer that Tio Nano's occupation is most likely that of a... A. Salesman B. Bus Driver C. Rancher D. Lawyer
What is A. Salesman We know this because the passage says "two suitcases full of close to be sold to the people"
100
"The uncles had clubbed together to buy her the house, because she was their little sister, they had all grown up on a farm together, they were close." The word CLUBBED has the connotation of... A. friendliness B. snobbery C. violence D. unity
What is D. unity We know this because they "clubbed together" and they are a close family.
100
Vocabulary: "Galveston has been on a building binge, with more than $6 million in recent development- even after Hurricane Katrina showed the risks of the Gulf Coast." A synonym for the word BINGED is... A. bridge B. design C. overindulgence D. slowdown
What is C. overindulgence We know this because binge is to over do something and they were building $6 million dollars worth of buildings.
100
"Many people aren't aware of challenge faced by designers who customize rooms." What change, if any, should be made in this sentence? A. Insert AN before challenge B. Change CHALLENGE to CHALLENGES C. Insert a comma after designers D. Make no change
What is B. Change CHALLENGE to CHALLENGES We know this because if challenge was singular it would need to have "the" or "a" before it so the only correct answer is B because it makes challenges plural.
100
Mood and Tone
Mood: What is the reader's feelings towards the text. Tone: What is the speaker/author's feelings/attitude towards the topic.
200
"Then came the depression, and my grandmother grew tired of feeding and housing so many people, especially Tio Nano, who at enough for two men." What motivates the grandmother to change her feelings about feeding Tio Nano? A. Tio Nano's appetite seems to increase everytime he visits. B. The depression has made it harder for her to feed and house her relatives. C. There is no room for Tio Nano and his two heavy suitcases. D. She is tired of cooking all day long for the children.
What is B. The depression has made it harder for her to feed and house her relatives. We know this because the passage says "Then the depression came".
200
"The uncles would look at their wives with baffled reproach. You could not turn your own flesh and blood out on the streets to starve. Susanna knew this because she heard an uncle saying it as he lumbered down the front walk to his car." Which word has nearly the same connotation as the word LUMBERED? A. Marched B. Trudged C. Staggered D. Walked
What is B. Trudged We know this because the uncles are baffled and trudge conveys a lack of gaiety that matches being baffled.
200
Reading comprehension: "She was a war widow; she was still getting over the loss. The uncles had clubbed together to buy her the house, because she was their little sister, they had all grown up on a farm together, they were close. The aunts had a hard time forgiving this." Which generalization is true about the uncles? A. They expect family members to help one another. B. They have no disappointments in their lives. C. The Sunday dinners are their favorite weekly event. D. They sympathize with their wives' disapproval.
What is A. They expected family members to help one another. We know this because the uncles buy their sister a house.
200
(1) Sometimes designers put on jumpsuits, gloves, and glasses to test a room. (2) There's a reason why they do this. (3) They want people with physical limitations to have functional homes. What is the most effective way to rewrite sentence 2 as an interrogative sentence? A. Why do they do this? B. There's a reason why they do this! C. They do this for a reason. D. Do this for a reason.
What is A. Why do they do this? We know that interrogative sentences are ones that ask questions. A is the only one that asks a question.
200
Annotate (4 ways)
What is to add notes to a text (interact with the text) by asking questions, making a comment, explaining the text or expressing an emotion.
300
"She grabbed for two dirty hand towels to grasp the pot of boiling beans and rushed with it into the bathroom. She came running out of the bathroom and snatched the plate of tortillas and raced it to the bathroom. As she was running back out, she said, "Tell him I'm gone. Tell him I left." The grandmother reacts to news of Tio Nano's arrival by... A. preparing a big meal to welcome him into the house B. Getting sick and running out to the doctor's office C. sending the children out to play for the afternoon D. hiding the food and asking the children to say she's gone
What is D. hiding the food and asking the children to say she's gone. We know this because she puts the food in the bathroom and because she says "Tell him I'm gone. Tell him I left."
300
"We dropped everything and ran home. My grandmother was in the kitchen when we arrived. "What in Heaven's name happened to you?" she asked. "Tio Nano," Cota managed to spit out before going to the faucet to get a drink of water." The word SPIT has the connotation of... A. anger B. disrespect C. sloppiness D. urgency
What is D. urgency We know this because Cota needs to drink water- he's probably thirsty- and needs to quickly say something before getting the water.
300
Revising and Editing: "(1) At 2:20 pm on November 9th 1975 the Fitzgerald departed Superior, Wisconsin, destined for Detroit. (2) The National Weather service issued gale warnings to the area." Which transitional word or phrase could be added to the beginning of the second sentence? A. Consequently B. Naturally, C. Shortly afterward, D. As a result,
What is C. Shortly afterward, We know this because the transition helps to make a connection between the two events. If they already know of the warning they may have waited for the storm to pass before leaving.
300
"The National Weather Service issued gale warnings in the area. Waves came onto the deck." What is the best example of a vivid verb to replace the phrase CAME ONTO? A. battered B. propelled C. pushed D. stirred
What is A. battered We know this because battered means hit and the waves were hitting the deck.
300
Infer
What is a logical assumption (conclusion, explanation) that is based on evidence and facts from the text.
400
"And suddenly they were crying. The tears rolled softly down their faces and fell into the material upon which their fingers twitched." The mood of the passage is... A. Cheerful and hopeful B. Tense and fearful C. Sick and angry D. Peaceful and loving
What is B. Tense and fearful because they are crying and their hands are twitching.
400
We could see him coming from the highway by the courthouse two blocks away, stooped from the weight of two suitcases full of clothes to be sold to the people living in the south Texas ranches." The connotation of the word STOOPED suggest that Tio Nano... A. looked down on other people B. had a submissive personality C. was weary from his work D. was a weak person
What is C. was weary from his work We know this because he is walking a long way and carrying heavy suitcases so he is bound to be tired
400
Vocabulary: "It would come up at the dinner table, in oblique references to how you had to scrimp to meet two sets of mortgage payments." The Latin word "ob" means "toward" and the root "liqu" means "slanting." In the sentence above the word oblique means... A. dishonest B. exact C. indirect D. misunderstood
What is C. indirect. We know this because in the context we can tell that they don't talk about the topic directly.
400
"Suddenly she hears a crackle and realizes the tea bag has caught fire." What is the most effective way to rewrite the sentence as an exclamatory sentence? A. Insert a comma before AND B. Change the final punctuation C. Change REALIZES to SCREAMS D. Make no change
What is B. Change the final punctuation We know this because an exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation point (!)
400
Main Idea
What is the main point that the rest of the text always refers back to. It can be a thesis or a main idea sentence. It isn't always stated directly.
500
The dark porch air in the late afternoon was full of needle flashes...The three women's mouths twitched over their work...Each woman looked to her own hands, as if quite suddenly she had found her heart beating there. "What time is it?" "Ten minutes to five."" In this passage the women are expecting... A. a day like any other day B. a dinner party later that night C. something unknown to happen at five o'clock D. an important visitor
What is C. Something unknown to happen at five o'clock. We know this because they are anxious (mouths twitching) and ask about the time.
500
The word DIFFICULT contains the root of the Latin word -facilis- and the prefix dif-. If dif- means "not" in the word difficult, what does -facilis- mean? A. Challenging B. Dizzy C. Easy D. Fake
What is C. Easy We know this because "not easy" means difficult.
500
Reading Comprehension: "Once in a while Susanna's mother would make an appearance on the porch. "Susanna, don't show off," she would say, or, "Susanna, don't pester your uncles." Then an uncle would say, "She's no trouble." Mostly Susanna's mother stayed in the kitchen." What can you infer about the relationship between Susanna and her uncles? A. She annoys them B. They get along well C. The uncles ignore her D. The don't talk much
What is B. They get along well We know this because the uncles tell Susanna's mother that she "is no problem"
500
"Seventeen years later, the ship would sink in Lake Superior." What is a more effective way to rewrite the sentence in a more somber tone? A. Seventeen years later, the doomed ship would sink in Lake Superior. B. Seventeen short years later, the ship would plunge below the surface of Lake Superior. C. Seventeen productive years later, the ship would finish its journey in Lake Superior. D. Seventeen years later, the hefty ship would dive into Lake Superior.
What is A. Seventeen years later, the doomed ship would sink in Lake Superior. We know this because the adjective "doomed" adds a serious and gloomy feeling.
500
Symbolism /Symbolizes /Symbol Example: In Night (the book) night symbolizes the bad things that happen to Elie and his father even though night's denotative meaning is the time after the sun sets. Example 2: A white dove is a bird that represents (or symbolizes) peace.
What is a person, place, object, or activity (something) that stands for something beyond itself.
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