Athletic Director's Speech
Welcome to Washington Middle School. This week, you will have an opportunity to register for many different clubs and activities. I would like to encourage everyone to sign up for a team sport this year, even if you have never played before. We all know that sports are a great way to stay healthy and fit. Just as important, though, playing a team sport can change what’s on the inside.
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A
Which sentence best states the speaker’s claim in the speech?
A. Playing a team sport is a good form of exercise.
B. Team sports can have a positive effect on personality.
C. A person must have certain qualities to play team sports.
B. Team sports can have a positive effect on personality.
Go to $200
Part B:
Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “It’s true that putting forth your best effort and practicing good sportsmanship are more important than the final score.” (paragraph 4)
B. “Clearly, when you play a sport you want to win, but losing can be just as valuable.” (paragraph 5)
C. “However, learning to lose gracefully and deal with disappointment are important skills to develop.” (paragraph 5)
the relationship between winning and losing
*On the surface, winning and losing are opposites, but the speaker compares them by showing that both are valuable in building character.
Electronic devices and digital media are a major part of modern life. They are not going to disappear any time soon. Completely doing away with screen time is probably not a reasonable goal for most individuals. However, young people should try to spend less time each day staring at a screen. Making this change can help them face life’s difficulties with more determination and build stronger friendships. Perhaps most important of all, it can make them happier people.
What claim does the author develop in the passage?
A. that young people spend a number of hours every day staring at screens
B. that limiting screen time can have a positive effect on young people’s lives
C. that young people would have more friends if there were no screens around
B. that limiting screen time can have a positive effect on young people’s lives
Just a Little Spider
Secretive spider on eight spindly legs
hides in the corner, hiding in gloom.
Jan spies the spider,
imagines its legs
running on skin,
and shudders with fear.
This won’t do, she thinks,
and rolling a newspaper,
she raises her arm,
like a hammer to a nail.
What theme is suggested by lines 3–10?
A. We may present a danger to the things we fear.
B. We give in too quickly to the things we fear.
C. We often ignore the things we’re afraid of.
A. We may present a danger to the things we fear.
Part A: Which sentence best states the main theme of the poem?
A. It is good to take time to think and not act too soon out of fear.
B. It is important to stand up for what you believe is right.
C. It can be difficult to face your fears.
A. It is good to take time to think and not act too soon out of fear.
(Paragraph 6)
As you can tell, when it comes to athletics for young people, I am a huge fan. I hope my speech has convinced at least some of you to visit the gym at lunch time and sign up to play this semester. You will grow as a person through team sports, and the things you’ll learn will stay with you forever.
Part B from $100
Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “We all know that sports are a great way to stay healthy and fit.” (paragraph 1)
B. “You will grow as a person through team sports, and the things you’ll learn will stay with you forever.” (paragraph 6)
C. “Playing sports can prepare you for this part of adult life.” (paragraph 2)
B. “You will grow as a person through team sports, and the things you’ll learn will stay with you forever.” (paragraph 6)
In this sentence, the phrase “You will grow as a person through team sports” focuses on various beneficial character traits that can be cultivated through playing team sports.
Part A
What sentence best states the main idea of paragraph 5?
A. The best basketball team in any state can lose a championship game.
B. Losing and dealing with disappointment can be beneficial for an athlete.
C. It is possible to get on with life when someone else gets what you want.
B. Losing and dealing with disappointment can be beneficial for an athlete.
Spending less time online and more time in the company of others can help people form stronger personal connections. Those who can relate well to others do not necessarily need to be told in words how someone else is feeling. They can figure it out by considering information in the form of facial expressions and body language. These types of signals are known as nonverbal cues. For instance, the raising or lowering of the corners of the mouth can show a person’s happiness or sorrow. As with many other skills, interpreting these signals requires practice.
What can the reader infer about the meaning of “nonverbal cues” beyond the examples given in the passage?
ANSWERS MAY VARY
Read lines 11–15 from the poem.
Yet Ben spies the spider,
and reflects on its life,
meaning no harm,
perhaps frightened, too . . .
Yes, frightened, too.
What is the effect of the break between lines 14 and 15?
A. It introduces a pause to heighten the reader’s surprise about the outcome.
B. It highlights the importance of the meaning of the single line.
C. It creates rhythm by forming two lines with the same number of syllables.
B. It highlights the importance of the meaning of the single line.
Part B: Which lines from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. lines 3–6
B. lines 11–14
C. lines 20–23
B. lines 11–14
Which organizational pattern does the speaker mainly use in paragraph 2?
A. cause and effect
B. advantages and disadvantages
C. definition
A. cause and effect
*The majority of the sentences in the paragraph describe cause and effect relationships.
Part B
How does the speaker support the main idea in paragraph 5?
A. by providing examples related to sports and other areas of life
B. by giving statistics that illustrate a common experience of athletes
C. by presenting the opinion of an expert in the form of a quote
A. by providing examples related to sports and other areas of life
Part A: Less screen time can increase grit. This term describes the ability to work through a challenging task without giving up. It is easy to see why grit is a valuable quality, as it could help an individual do practically anything, from mastering a new math skill to completing a marathon. Researchers at the Brown University School of Medicine wanted to answer the question of how to build grit in young people. To do this, they asked almost fifty thousand American parents about their children’s lives. The responses the researchers collected showed that higher amounts of screen time were connected with lower grit scores. Household chores appeared to increase a young person’s ability to conquer difficult tasks. So, a young man who hopes to one day climb Mount Everest might want to think about putting down his game controller and picking up a mop instead.
What is the central idea of the paragraph?
A. Researchers want to know how to build grit in young people.
B. Many people understand why grit is an important quality.
C. Reducing screen time can help young people develop grit.
C. Reducing screen time can help young people develop grit.
Read lines 36–39 from the poem.
She makes a promise to herself
(and maybe to all spiders)
that she will never be a hammer,
but instead she’ll build a bridge . . .
Which lie includes a metaphor?
A. “She makes a promise to herself” (line 36)
B. “(and maybe to all spiders)” (line 37)
C. “that she will never be a hammer,” (line 38)
C. “that she will never be a hammer,” (line 38)
How can the reader tell that the poem is written from third-person omniscient point of view?
Because the narrator shows us the thoughts and feelings from different characters.
Which two details best help to develop the idea that team sports can improve a person’s confidence?
A. “Success on the field can make you . . . willing to take on all sorts of challenges.” (paragraph 4)
B. “However, it’s also fair to say that when you help your team win and you know the victory was possible because of your hard work, it is a pretty wonderful feeling.” (paragraph 4)
C. “It’s true that putting forth your best effort and practicing good sportsmanship are more important than the final score.” (paragraph 4)
D. “You have probably all heard someone say, ‘It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. It’s how you play the game.’” (paragraph 4)
E. “Ask any athlete to tell you about an unforgettable triumph, and he’ll probably have plenty to say.” (paragraph 4)
A. “Success on the field can make you . . . willing to take on all sorts of challenges.” (paragraph 4)
*The willingness to take on all sorts of challenges is a characteristic of someone who is self-confident.
B. “However, it’s also fair to say that when you help your team win and you know the victory was possible because of your hard work, it is a pretty wonderful feeling.” (paragraph 4)
*The “wonderful feeling” referred to in the sentence could reasonably be referring to an athlete’s pride and confidence.
Reaching goals by working hard will naturally boost your self-esteem. You have probably all heard someone say, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. It’s how you play the game.” It’s true that putting forth your best effort and practicing good sportsmanship are more important than the final score. However, it’s also fair to say that when you help your team win and you know the victory was possible because of your hard work, it is a pretty wonderful feeling. Ask any athlete to tell you about an unforgettable triumph, and he’ll probably have plenty to say. Success on the field can make you a more confident person overall, one who is unflappable and willing to take on all sorts of challenges.
What meaning does the word unflappable suggest in paragraph 4?
Dictionary:
having or showing calmness in a crisis.
"I prided myself on being unflappable even in the most chaotic circumstances"
Part B
Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “The responses the researchers collected showed that higher amounts of screen time were connected with lower grit scores.”
B. “Stepping away from screens can provide a happiness boost.”
C. “The authors of the Emotion report created a diagram showing the relationship between different activities and levels of happiness.”
A. “The responses the researchers collected showed that higher amounts of screen time were connected with lower grit scores.”
Part A: How does the reader know that the problem in the poem is solved?
A. Jan comes to view the spider’s life as unimportant.
B. Jan tries to make Ben feel calm around the spider.
C. Jan shows that she is no longer afraid of the spider.
C. Jan shows that she is no longer afraid of the spider.
What did the itsy bitsy spider climb?
The water spout.
Part A:
Reaching goals by working hard will naturally boost your self-esteem. You have probably all heard someone say, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. It’s how you play the game.” It’s true that putting forth your best effort and practicing good sportsmanship are more important than the final score. However, it’s also fair to say that when you help your team win and you know the victory was possible because of your hard work, it is a pretty wonderful feeling. Ask any athlete to tell you about an unforgettable triumph, and he’ll probably have plenty to say. Success on the field can make you a more confident person overall, one who is unflappable and willing to take on all sorts of challenges.
Clearly, when you play a sport you want to win, but losing can be just as valuable. Picture this: after months of practice, your basketball team has made it all the way to the state championship. During the last game, which will decide which team is the best in Texas, every player tries her best. In spite of this, the final score is eighteen to thirty. You’re on the losing side. The coach assures your exhausted team that nobody could have worked any harder. Obviously, the outcome is not what anyone hoped for. However, learning to lose gracefully and deal with disappointment are important skills to develop. They can help you get on with life when someone else gets voted student council president, you can’t get tickets for a concert you were hoping to attend, or you don’t enjoy that summer job as much as you thought you would.
What relationship does the author point out in paragraphs 4 and 5?
A. the relationship between losing and one’s reputation
B. the relationship between winning and one’s self-esteem
C. the relationship between winning and losing
the relationship between winning and losing
How long should a classroom speech be?
20 minutes at most
The authors of the Emotion report created a diagram showing the relationship between different activities and levels of happiness. Remarkably, all of the screen activities the researchers looked at reduced happiness. These activities included playing video games, texting, and using social media. On the other hand, all of the activities that did not involve looking at a screen had a positive effect on happiness. Activities on this list included playing sports and spending time with others in person. Even doing homework made people happier than looking at a screen! Young people who want to feel truly content should stop texting images of smiling faces and spend time laughing alongside their friends.
Which organizational structure does the author mainly use in the paragraph to discuss the diagram included in the Emotion report?
A. cause and effect
B. sequence
C. classification
C. classification
Part B
Which lines from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. lines 1–2
B. lines 28–31
C. lines 32–35
C. lines 32–35
How many legs does a spider have?
8