Assessment 5: STAAR Practice Review

The Story of Pixar

Uncovering a New Era

Picturing the Past

Paired Questions

100

35 The author uses a quotation from the movie Toy Story in the first paragraph to —

A explain to the reader what the movie is about

B establish the purpose of the selection for the reader

C describe one of the movie’s main characters for the reader

D gain the reader’s attention with a familiar saying

100

The author includes the description in paragraph 1 most likely to —

F illustrate the significance of what archaeologists hope to discover

G explain the tasks most commonly performed by archaeologists

H emphasize the difficulty archaeologists face when trying to locate ancient cities

J highlight the activities that take the most time for archaeologists to perform

F illustrate the significance of what archaeologists hope to discover

100

Read the dictionary entry below for the word mission.

mission \ ı mi-sh n\ n

_{1. a group of people sent to establish
relations with a foreign country}

_{2. a
special assignment}

_{3. a building for
carrying out religious or charity work}

_{4. a welfare organization established
for people in need}

Which definition represents the meaning of mission as it is used in paragraph 2?

F Definition 1

G Definition 2

H Definition 3

J Definition 4

G Definition 2

100

Dr. Sarah Parcak and Ben Kacyra would most likely agree about the importance of —

A discovering sites made famous in films

B using three-dimensional models to create images of landmarks

C making future generations aware of important cultural history

D allowing tourists to visit historical sites through the Internet

C making future generations aware of important cultural history

200

_{40 The photograph is included in the selection most likely to show —}

_{F how Pixar creates the characters for its animated movies}

_{G a digitally animated scene from one of Pixar’s award-winning movies}

_{H two of the characters that have made Toy Story so popular since its release}

_{J how Toy Story uses advanced technology to tell a story about friendship}

_{H two of the characters that have made Toy Story so popular since its release}

200

Parcak hopes that the use of modern technology in archaeology will —

A inspire more young people to become archaeologists

B help archaeologists better understand previous discoveries

C lead to more archaeological discoveries being used in movies

D one day allow archaeologists to find objects smaller than a meter in diameter

A inspire more young people to become archaeologists

200

Which sentence from the selection suggests that the author thinks CyArk’s work is important?

_{F It’s difficult to imagine a more majestic American landmark than Mount Rushmore, with
its imposing likenesses of former presidents carved in stone and rising dramatically above
the land.}

_{G CyArk has documented locations across the globe.}

_{H CyArk’s preservation process ensures that images of such sites will be available for future
generations, even if the site itself is permanently lost.}

_{J In 2010, Cedarleaf learned that the tombs had burned to the ground.}

H CyArk’s preservation process ensures that images of such sites will be available for future generations, even if the site itself is permanently lost.

200

_{How are the purposes of the technologies described in the selections different?}

_{F The technology in “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” is used mainly for re-creating
sites, while the technology in “Picturing the Past for the Future” is used mainly for
exploring sites.}

_{G The technology in “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” is used mainly for proving the
age of sites, while the technology in “Picturing the Past for the Future” is used mainly for
recording facts about sites.}

_{H The technology in “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” is used mainly for making
people aware of sites, while the technology in “Picturing the Past for the Future” is used
mainly for creating self-guided tours of sites.}

_{J The technology in “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” is used mainly for locating sites,
while the technology in “Picturing the Past for the Future” is used mainly for documenting
sites.}

300

_{36 How is the selection organized?}

_{F It describes the causes of the obstacles Pixar experienced and how these challenges affected the company.}

_{G It states general information about Pixar’s movies and then gives specific information about the software used to create the movies.}

_{H It relates the development of Pixar from its early stages to the present.}

_{J It compares the technology Pixar uses to the technology used by other film companies.}

_{H It relates the development of Pixar from its early stages to the present}

300

In paragraph 3, the author uses the example of the 3,000-year-old house in Tanis to —

F prove that satellites are constantly taking photographs to locate ancient cities

G demonstrate that sites once thought to be fictional have been proved to exist

H emphasize that satellite photography is powerful enough to find a single building

J suggest that previously discovered sites may be much older than originally thought

H emphasize that satellite photography is powerful enough to find a single building

300

Which emotion is the photograph most likely intended to evoke in the reader?

A Concern for the environment

B Awe at a magnificent monument

C Excitement about visiting South Dakota

D Disappointment in the condition of the monument

B Awe at a magnificent monument

300

What is similar about the types of technology discussed in the selections?

A Both require the use of satellites to locate sites.

B Both involve the use of recorded images.

C Both involve the creation of websites for educational purposes.

D Both require the sites to be surveyed before they are scanned.

B Both involve the use of recorded images.

400

_{39 How does the author support the claim that Pixar set the standard for animated films?}

_{A By explaining how the Pixar computer could be beneficial to society}

_{B By outlining the reasons Disney was interested in acquiring Pixar}

_{C By mentioning the people who were involved in the development of the Pixar computer}

_{D By describing the achievements that demonstrate Pixar’s status in the movie industry}

400

19 In paragraph 5, the examples of lost cities suggest that a major role of an archaeologist is to —

A explain why real locations are mentioned in ancient literature

B locate written accounts of powerful cities that no longer exist

C create replicas of historical buildings based on satellite images

D find clues that provide a better understanding of the past

400

Based on the information in the selection, which of these would CyArk most likely digitally preserve?

A Lambert Glacier, the largest glacier in Antarctica

B Eagle, the American lunar module used by the first astronauts to land on the moon

C Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America

D The Great Pyramid at Giza, an ancient pharaoh’s tomb in the Egyptian desert

400

Both Dr. Sarah Parcak and Ben Kacyra are interested in sites —

F located in countries around the world

G built during the current century

H thought to be lost cities

J at risk of being destroyed

F located in countries around the world

500

_{38 Which sentence from the selection explains why Pixar became involved in the film industry?}

_{F This computer, called Pixar, could make realistic three-dimensional images better and faster than any computer before it.}

_{G RenderMan made it possible to create pictures that looked almost like real photographs.}

_{H Jobs, who was very good at selling computers, wanted to sell the Pixar computer to hospitals.}

_{J However, since running Pixar was very expensive, Jobs agreed to the production of animated films in an effort to make Pixar profitable.}

500

What is the purpose of the road mapping strategy?

road mapping helps us to remember what happened in each paragraph, and it helps us to be able to easily navigate through the passage when we're looking for text evidence and correct answers.

500

Which sentence expresses an opinion?

F It is even harder to imagine the loss to our nation if time or the elements were to destroy this beloved landmark.

G Thanks to a company called CyArk, sites like Mount Rushmore can now be digitally preserved and explored for years to come.

H The team then uses these data to create high-definition images of the site for storage.

J Sites such as these are constantly at risk of destruction from continual exposure to water, sun, and wind or from natural disasters such as earthquakes.

F It is even harder to imagine the loss to our nation if time or the elements were to destroy this beloved landmark.

500

_{What is one difference between the selections?}

_{A “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” discusses discovering the unknown, while
“Picturing the Past for the Future” focuses on protecting what is known.}

_{B “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” focuses on future events, while “Picturing the Past
for the Future” focuses on the past.}

_{C “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” focuses on one occupation, while “Picturing the
Past for the Future” focuses on several different occupations.}

_{D “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” cites an expert to support the author’s claim,
while “Picturing the Past for the Future” relies on examples to express the author’s
opinion.}

_{A “Uncovering a New Era in Archaeology” discusses discovering the unknown, while “Picturing the Past for the Future” focuses on protecting what is known.}