Text Structure
Test Vocab
Literary Elements
Question Types
Reading Comp
100
When I got home from school after a long boring day, I took out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread. After taking the lid off of the jars, I spread the peanut butter on one side of the bread and the jelly on the other, and then I put the two pieces of bread together. After that, I enjoyed it while watching “Cops” on the TV. I swear, that was the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ever ate.
What is sequence?
100
to discuss the differences between two things
What is to contrast?
100
Here and there his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper, and its pattern of darker brown was like wallpaper: shapes like full-blown roses stained and lost through age.
What is simile?
100
What is the effect of the details in the sentences?
What is cause and effect?
100
Read this quotation by Gail Devers. “Use me as an example.” Why is this quotation included in the article? A. to tell how proud Devers is of winning three gold medals B. to show that Devers hopes her experiences will inspire others C. to explain why Devers chooses to compete with other athletes D. to illustrate that Devers believes athletes should follow her routine
What is B.
200
There are many theories about why the dinosaurs vanished from the planet. One theory that many people believe is that a gigantic meteorite smashed into the Earth. Scientists believe that the meteorite was very big and that the impact may have produced a large dust cloud that covered the Earth for many years. The dust cloud may have caused plants to not receive sunlight and the large plant eaters, or herbivores, may have died off, followed by the large meat eaters, or carnivores. This theory may or may not be true, but it is one explanation as to why these giant reptiles no longer inhabit the Earth.
What is cause and effect?
200
to tell details or characteristics about something
What is to describe?
200
The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, dotted with tiny flowers in a riot of colors and trees coming alive with gaily chirping birds.
What is personification?
200
What does paragraph 13 reveal about Elizabeth?
What is characterization?
200
How does the author organize the article about Gail Devers? A. He presents the symptoms of Graves’ disease and then shows how Devers’ life and career were affected by it. B. He describes one of Devers’ successful races and then retraces the challenges she overcame to achieve her big win. C. He begins with a quotation from Devers about how important her Olympic medals are to her and then describes Devers’ Olympic feats in detail. D. He describes events in the order in which they happened, beginning with Devers’ early Olympic training and ending with her winning the gold medal.
What is B
300
The Cretaceous Period was filled with dangerous predators, but two of the most feared hunters were the tyrannosaurs rex and the velociraptor. The tyrannosaurs rex was one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth. He was 20 feet tall and weighed seven tons. His jaws could crush down with 3,000 lbs. of force, enough to smash the bones of his prey. The velociraptor was very small compared to rex. Raptors only stood three feet tall and were seven feet long, weighing merely 35 pounds. But the velociraptor was fast. Scientists think that raptors could run 24 miles per hour and turn on a dime. Both dinosaurs used their jaws to kill prey, but the raptor had a secret weapon: a retractable toe claw that he pulled out like a knife to slash at his prey. Both dinosaurs had eyes on the front of their heads, which helped them track prey. If these two dinosaurs had fought, it would be difficult to say which would win; however since raptors died over ten million years before the first tyrannosaurs was born, scientists don’t believe such a fight ever occurred.
What is compare and contrast?
300
a select passage taken from a book, story, drama, etc...
What is an excerpt?
300
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
What is metaphor?
300
According to paragraph 9, why did Perrault change the stories he published?
What is author's purpose?
300
What evidence best shows that people in sports were impressed by Devers? A. Devers was named Athlete of the Year in 1993. B. Devers was encouraged by friends and coaches to race. C. Devers was made a member of the Olympic relay team in 1996. D. Devers was awarded the gold medal for the 100-meter dash in 1992.
What is A
400
The fossil record can give us large amounts of knowledge, but there are many other ways that the fossil record is incomplete or misleading. For example, the brontosaurus is a type of dinosaur that never really existed. Many people still believe in the brontosaurus today, but the “brontosaurus” is actually the body of an apatosaurus with the head of a camarasaurus. The brontosaurus was made up from these two mismatched fossils. That’s why it is important to think critically about information that people tell you, even if it’s information you find on a book or in a worksheet. Keep these problems in mind when studying fossil records to come to conclusions about dinosaurs and their lifestyles.
What is description?
400
To make something clear and understandable
What is to explain/explanation?
400
Still, I like your spirit. Anyone who says, “Here’s my address, write me a poem,” deserves something in reply. So I’ll tell a secret instead: poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes, they are sleeping. They are the shadows drifting across our ceilings the moment before we wake up. What we have to do is live in a way that lets us find them.
What is metaphor?
400
Which sentence from the excerpt best indicates that the narrator survives his adventures on the island?
What is supporting detail?
400
What is most likely the reason why Arlene Bourgeois Molzàhn wrote this article about Gail Devers? A. to describe the challenges to overcoming a serious illness B. to entertain readers with a captivating story about a sports hero C. to illustrate how a person can overcome difficulties in life with perseverance D. to highlight the successes of an Olympic medalist who overcame many obstacles
What is C
500
Lightening and thunder are related events. Lightning is a sudden, violent flash of electricity that occurs between a cloud and the ground or between two clouds in the sky. A lightning bolt can be several miles long and can be straight or forked. It is very hot, with an average temperature of 34 000 degrees Celsius. This causes the air around the electric bolt to expand, producing lots of sound energy. It is this sound energy that we hear as thunder. So, lightning and thunder are caused by the same event, but lightning is light energy, or electromagnetic energy, whereas thunder is sound energy. Thus, we see lightning and hear thunder.
What is cause and effect?
500
having great importance or consequence
What is significant?
500
"We have just come from seeing the jail cells, including #5, where Nelson Mandela lived for twenty-five years, with its bucket and folded blanket on the floor, his cage."
What is symbolism? (the cage represents a loss of freedom)
500
How is the poem mainly organized?
What is text structure?
500
In the poem "Knowing How to Overcome Failure As Part of Being Successful," the poet states, "It isn’t the failure you experience that will determine your destiny, but your next step and then the next that will tell the story of your life." How would Gail Devers respond to this line from the poem? Use examples from the text to support your response.
Answers will vary
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