Show:
Inferences in Literature
Inferences in Informational Text
Theme
Main Idea
Technical Meaning
100
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows She hadn’t heard from Javier in two days, and he hadn’t come by her locker or called or texted since Tuesday. Before that, they had at least talked on the phone every day for three months since Augustina’s party on Valentine’s Day. They had met at the mall a dozen times, and he had given her his letterman jacket. They had spent hours in the park, listening to music. They had made wonderful plans for the summer, but now nothing. Her stomach felt hollow and in a knot at the same time. She whispered “Javie,” her nickname for him, over and over, wanting to believe the repetition would make him appear. Then, her cell phone beeped in her hand, and it startled her, so that she almost dropped it in surprise. She hoped it was a text from Javier. It was! Her heart skipped a beat. Before her relief could turn into excitement, a doubt clouded her mind: Why didn’t he just call? Suddenly, she was not so excited to hear from Javie. She felt the weight of the phone in her hand and pondered what a text meant. Finally, she opened the message and read the few words, “I need to get my jacket back.” Without closing the text, she dropped the phone into her backpack, buried her head in her hands, and started sobbing. Question: Based on the story, which of these is true about Javier? A. He does not like the nickname Javie. B. He is running late for their date. C. He wants to break up with Jennifer. D. He is cold, and he needs his jacket.
What is C. He wants to break up with Jennifer.
100
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows The earliest record of the use of bath institutions dates back over 5,000 years. At this time, baths were mostly used for religious reasons, but they were also part of normal life in what would become Europe, America, and Asia. As the years passed, both the Greeks and Romans became big fans of baths. The Romans, who met with friends and enjoyed entertainment at public baths, made efforts to make baths a part of their everyday lives. Soap was first produced in the Middle Ages. This was an interesting time in history. The number of people bathing in public baths dropped off in the West until the 1500s, around the time that people realized that water carried diseases. The number of people bathing in the West continued to drop until the 1900s, when it began to grow again because more people had access to clean, germ-free water. Question: Which textual evidence most strongly suggests that bathing was an important part of Roman life? A. Romans used their public baths for meetings and entertainment. B. Romans lived in Europe, an area that has a long history of bathers. C. The Romans developed baths around the same time as the Greeks. D. The popularity of Roman baths led to the first production of soap.
What is A. Romans used their public baths for meetings and entertainment.
100
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows There once was a fish fanatic who feasted each day on fried haddock When his wife took a bite She jumped up in fright And proclaimed, “This is terribly bad—ick!” Haddock: pronounced had-uhk; a type of white fish Question: What is the theme of the passage? A. Try to always keep an open mind. B. Everyone has different tastes. C. It is important to face one’s fears. D. Do not judge a book by its cover.
What is B. Everyone has different tastes.
100
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Immortal jellyfish, known by the scientific name T. dohrnii, can be found around the world. This species of jellyfish is unique because it is able to reverse its life cycle. When threatened by starvation or another danger, the adult jellyfish can change all of its cells into a younger form. During this process, an adult jellyfish becomes a clump of cells called a polyp. At this stage, the jellyfish is at the beginning of its lifecycle. It then grows into an adult again. Because of this, the immortal jellyfish could theoretically live forever. Most of them, however, will live and die like any other species of jellyfish. Theoretically: something that is known to be possible based on facts, but is not always true in reality. A theoretical idea can be possible, but might never happen. Question: How does the author develop the central idea of this passage? A. By explaining the process of an adult jellyfish becoming a polyp B. By explaining the cause of the immortal jellyfish’s reverse lifecycle C. By describing how the polyp is less helpless than the adult jellyfish D. By describing the process of a jellyfish aging and dying naturally
What is A. By explaining the process of an adult jellyfish becoming a polyp
100
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Understanding how gas burners work in stovetops can be difficult. The part that concerns us starts with an external natural gas line that connects to the stove. From there, the stove’s gas line moves the gas into the stove and mixes it with air. The stove’s gas line branches off to the burners and the oven. When you turn a stovetop's burner on, a branch of the gas line moves the gas to a pilot light that ignites the gas, creating the flame. Once the flame is lit, you can adjust the burner’s settings, which adjusts the amount of gas that flows to the burner and controls the intensity of the flame. Question: Choose the word that best defines external. A. Outside B. Continuous C. Attached D. Reverse
What is A. Outside
200
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows She hadn’t heard from Javier in two days, and he hadn’t come by her locker or called or texted since Tuesday. Before that, they had at least talked on the phone every day for three months since Augustina’s party on Valentine’s Day. They had met at the mall a dozen times, and he had given her his letterman jacket. They had spent hours in the park, listening to music. They had made wonderful plans for the summer, but now nothing. Her stomach felt hollow and in a knot at the same time. She whispered “Javie,” her nickname for him, over and over, wanting to believe the repetition would make him appear. Then, her cell phone beeped in her hand, and it startled her, so that she almost dropped it in surprise. She hoped it was a text from Javier. It was! Her heart skipped a beat. Before her relief could turn into excitement, a doubt clouded her mind: Why didn’t he just call? Suddenly, she was not so excited to hear from Javie. She felt the weight of the phone in her hand and pondered what a text meant. Finally, she opened the message and read the few words, “I need to get my jacket back.” Without closing the text, she dropped the phone into her backpack, buried her head in her hands, and started sobbing. Question: Which detail from the passage suggests Jennifer feels something bad is going to happen? A. Then, her cell phone beeped in her hand, and it startled her, so that she almost dropped it in surprise. B. She hoped it was a text from Javier. It was! Her heart skipped a beat. C. Before that they had at least talked on the phone every day for three months, since Augustina’s party on Valentine’s Day. D. She was trying hard not to cry, but she was only half succeeding.
What is D. She was trying hard not to cry, but she was only half succeeding.
200
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows The earliest record of the use of bath institutions dates back over 5,000 years. At this time, baths were mostly used for religious reasons, but they were also part of normal life in what would become Europe, America, and Asia. As the years passed, both the Greeks and Romans became big fans of baths. The Romans, who met with friends and enjoyed entertainment at public baths, made efforts to make baths a part of their everyday lives. Soap was first produced in the Middle Ages. This was an interesting time in history. The number of people bathing in public baths dropped off in the West until the 1500s, around the time that people realized that water carried diseases. The number of people bathing in the West continued to drop until the 1900s, when it began to grow again because more people had access to clean, germ-free water. Question: Which of these can the reader infer from the text? A. The people who lived 5,000 years ago were cleaner than the people who lived during the 1600s B. The very first company that produced and sold soap for bathing was established during the Middle Ages. C. Today, in the early-21st century, people all over the world have easy access to clean germ-free water. D. Beginning in the 1500s, some people bathed less because they feared that bath water might make them sick.
What is D. Beginning in the 1500s, some people bathed less because they feared that bath water might make them sick.
200
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows I’ve always worked while other kids had fun, at babysitting jobs and paper routes, instead of playing in the summer sun. I worked all through high school and college, nearly every spare second of the day. I guess I took it to an extreme, never stopping to relax and play. I thought it was all that really mattered— how much money in the bank I had. The years passed by, and I wondered why I often felt so sad. Then, one day, I saw my reflection— an old woman I hardly knew. I had worked away my entire life, and now, my days left were few. Today, I mostly play with my grandchildren, so glad that I finally found out, I’d been missing the joyful moments, the best of what life is about. Question: One major theme of this poem is A. life is difficult to manage. B. life is meant to be enjoyed. C. working hard is satisfying. D. education is important.
What is B. life is meant to be enjoyed.
200
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Immortal jellyfish, known by the scientific name T. dohrnii, can be found around the world. This species of jellyfish is unique because it is able to reverse its life cycle. When threatened by starvation or another danger, the adult jellyfish can change all of its cells into a younger form. During this process, an adult jellyfish becomes a clump of cells called a polyp. At this stage, the jellyfish is at the beginning of its lifecycle. It then grows into an adult again. Because of this, the immortal jellyfish could theoretically live forever. Most of them, however, will live and die like any other species of jellyfish. Theoretically: something that is known to be possible based on facts, but is not always true in reality. A theoretical idea can be possible, but might never happen. Question: Choose the sentence that best restates the passage’s main idea. A. Some species of jellyfish live longer than others. B. T. dohrnii are found in oceans around the world. C. Almost all jellyfish can reverse the aging process. D. The jellyfish T. dohrnii can, in theory, live forever.
What is D. The jellyfish T. dohrnii can, in theory, live forever.
200
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Understanding how gas burners work in stovetops can be difficult. The part that concerns us starts with an external natural gas line that connects to the stove. From there, the stove’s gas line moves the gas into the stove and mixes it with air. The stove’s gas line branches off to the burners and the oven. When you turn a stovetop's burner on, a branch of the gas line moves the gas to a pilot light that ignites the gas, creating the flame. Once the flame is lit, you can adjust the burner’s settings, which adjusts the amount of gas that flows to the burner and controls the intensity of the flame. Question: What does ignite mean? A. To turn on stove B. To cook something C. To allow gas to flow D. To catch fire
What is D. To catch fire
300
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows As Anaya came through the door, she looked anxiously around the gym. She was fighting feelings of incompetence because after three weeks of class, she still couldn’t do a simple cartwheel. Her inability to do something that simple perturbed her. The chaotic state of the gym put her somewhat at ease. Anaya sighed with relief because that could only mean one thing: Mr. Blevins had not yet arrived. He would never put up with kids running all over the place, screaming like barbarians. Anaya quickly headed toward the locker room to change into her gym suit. Just then, a loud whistle rang out, and all 50 kids turned toward the piercing sound. Mr. Blevins dropped his left hand, which was over his head, slowly to create a dramatic effect. With a whoosh, everybody sat down wherever they were, petrified. You could have heard a pin drop. Mr. Blevins’s steady eyes surveyed the gym before resting on Anaya. “Stand up,” he said walking over to her. He circled her, all the while looking her up and down. “Is this a new style of gym suit?” he asked, each word sounding as powerful as a bolt of lightning. Anaya could feel her face turning red. Why didn’t I sign up for that acting class? she thought. Question: Which of these can the reader infer from the story? A. Anaya wants to be a dancer. B. Anaya is not very athletic. C. Anaya wears nice clothes. D. Anaya likes Mr. Blevins.
What is B. Anaya is not very athletic.
300
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows The aluminum can that is so common today was first introduced in 1957. Before then, food and beverage cans were made out of steel. These steel cans were made up of two or three pieces that made steel cans heavy, hard to produce, and expensive. Also, they could be dangerous. Early steel cans were sealed with lead, which caused many people getting lead poisoning. The first aluminum cans were made through a process in which most of the can was easily stamped out of a single piece of lightweight aluminum. After that, the top was attached, and the can was finished. Unlike opening steel cans, opening aluminum cans did not require a can opener. The top of aluminum cans could be easily removed using a pull-tab. Question: Based on the text, which of these is true about aluminum cans? A. Aluminum cans have changed little since 1957. B. Aluminum cans have fewer pieces than steel cans. C. Aluminum cans weigh much less than steel cans. D. Aluminum cans cost the same as steel cans do.
What is C. Aluminum cans weigh much less than steel cans.
300
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Bus to Nowhere Characters: DYLAN MARIELLE BENJAMIN [The curtain rises on a bus shelter. On the bench sit Marielle and Benjamin. Marielle reads a book, and Benjamin is listening to music with headphones. Dylan enters stage left.] DYLAN: (looking at his watch) Aw, I missed the 8:22. (turns to Marielle and Benjamin) Excuse me; do you know when the next bus comes? MARIELLE: It’ll be by in a while. DYLAN: (confused) Uh, okay. (paces, looks up the street) BENJAMIN: (taking off headphones) Relax, man. Like Marielle said, it’s gonna be awhile! DYLAN: (getting frustrated) What do you mean? Is the bus held up? Was there an accident? I need to get to work by 9:00, downtown! MARIELLE: Well, you’re not going to make it. This bus doesn’t go downtown. DYLAN: (panicking) What do you mean? I take it all the time! This is the bus #14, to downtown! BENJAMIN: (shaking his head) No, it isn’t. It’s the bus to nowhere. DYLAN: (very confused) Bus to nowhere? Is that just a funny way of saying the bus isn’t coming? MARIELLE: Will you explain it to him, Benjamin? He doesn’t understand. BENJAMIN: Okay, see, the bus will come in a while, but if you get on it, it’ll just take you back here. We sometimes get on it for the heck of it, but other times we let it go by, since it doesn’t go anywhere. DYLAN: (furious) Then, why do you sit here at the bus stop? MARIELLE: (shrugging) I never really thought about it. We started waiting here a while back, and there hasn’t been a good enough reason to stop. DYLAN: (giving up) I think I better walk to work. [Dylan exits, stage right. As the curtain falls, a bus can be heard pulling up and the doors opening.] Question: One of the play’s themes is that things are not always what they seem. How does the author develop this theme throughout the play? A. The other two characters try to fool Dylan into thinking his bus will never come. B. Dylan’s character starts out calm but becomes frustrated by the play’s end. C. The bus #14 usually comes in time to take Dylan to work but is late this time. D. It is gradually revealed that the bus #14 stop is really for the bus to nowhere.
What is D. It is gradually revealed that the bus #14 stop is really for the bus to nowhere
300
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows A videogame begins on a storyboard. Someone thinks of an idea for a new game, and then many writers and artists work together to create sketches and plan the game. One of the most important steps is to create realistic characters. Characters are made one at a time, and it can take days to perfect a single major character. They are sketched, scanned into a computer, and turned into digital copies that can be animated. Sometimes, characters are animated using special clothes worn by real people. These clothes have sensors on them. The sensors tell the computer how to move the character, which makes the movements look extremely realistic. After a character is made, code is written that tells the computer how to make the character move. Animated: cartoons created using computers Code: a computer language, or the software that tells a computer what to do Question: What is the main idea of this passage? A. Sensors are used to animate videogames in order to make them fun. B. It takes many steps to make videogame characters realistic. C. The process of making videogames from start to finish is difficult. D. Videogame characters are made entirely through computer code.
What is B. It takes many steps to make videogame characters realistic.
300
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Turtles seem pretty simple. After all, they’re kind of like other animals, only they have shells. However, a turtle’s shell is quite different from other animals with shells. For starters, most people think of as a turtle’s shell as only being the part that they see. This is not entirely true. The rounded, knobby, segmented carapace that we see in a walking turtle is only part of the shell. If you flipped the turtle over, you would see its plastron, which is a lot flatter than the carapace, and for a good reason. It would be hard for the turtle to walk if it had a rounded plastron scraping the ground all the time. Also, a turtle’s shell isn’t like a clam’s shell. It’s not just two pieces that close. Rather, the carapace and plastron are held together by parts of the shell called the bridge. These parts give the turtle extra protection on its side between its front and back legs. Question: What is the meaning of the word plastron in this passage? A. The section of turtle’s shell that protects its legs B. The part of a turtle’s shell that covers its belly C. The most flexible part of a turtle’s shell D. The place where the turtle’s shell joins together
What is B. The part of a turtle’s shell that covers its belly
400
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows As Anaya came through the door, she looked anxiously around the gym. She was fighting feelings of incompetence because after three weeks of class, she still couldn’t do a simple cartwheel. Her inability to do something that simple perturbed her. The chaotic state of the gym put her somewhat at ease. Anaya sighed with relief because that could only mean one thing: Mr. Blevins had not yet arrived. He would never put up with kids running all over the place, screaming like barbarians. Anaya quickly headed toward the locker room to change into her gym suit. Just then, a loud whistle rang out, and all 50 kids turned toward the piercing sound. Mr. Blevins dropped his left hand, which was over his head, slowly to create a dramatic effect. With a whoosh, everybody sat down wherever they were, petrified. You could have heard a pin drop. Mr. Blevins’s steady eyes surveyed the gym before resting on Anaya. “Stand up,” he said walking over to her. He circled her, all the while looking her up and down. “Is this a new style of gym suit?” he asked, each word sounding as powerful as a bolt of lightning. Anaya could feel her face turning red. Why didn’t I sign up for that acting class? she thought. Question: Read this sentence from the passage. “Mr. Blevins dropped his left hand, which was over his head, slowly to create a dramatic effect. With a whoosh, everybody sat down wherever they were, petrified.” Based on this detail, the reader can infer that Mr. Blevins A. likes a noisy classroom. B. is in control of his students. C. prefers people to sit down. D. is relaxed about discipline.
What is B. is in control of his students.
400
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows The aluminum can that is so common today was first introduced in 1957. Before then, food and beverage cans were made out of steel. These steel cans were made up of two or three pieces that made steel cans heavy, hard to produce, and expensive. Also, they could be dangerous. Early steel cans were sealed with lead, which caused many people getting lead poisoning. The first aluminum cans were made through a process in which most of the can was easily stamped out of a single piece of lightweight aluminum. After that, the top was attached, and the can was finished. Unlike opening steel cans, opening aluminum cans did not require a can opener. The top of aluminum cans could be easily removed using a pull-tab. Question: Which of these can the reader understand based on the text? A. Steel cans were always sealed with dangerous lead. B. Steel cans are harder to use than aluminum cans. C. Steel cans are much stronger than aluminum cans. D. Steel cans were no longer used after the year 1957.
What is B. Steel cans are harder to use than aluminum cans.
400
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Bus to Nowhere Characters: DYLAN MARIELLE BENJAMIN [The curtain rises on a bus shelter. On the bench sit Marielle and Benjamin. Marielle reads a book, and Benjamin is listening to music with headphones. Dylan enters stage left.] DYLAN: (looking at his watch) Aw, I missed the 8:22. (turns to Marielle and Benjamin) Excuse me; do you know when the next bus comes? MARIELLE: It’ll be by in a while. DYLAN: (confused) Uh, okay. (paces, looks up the street) BENJAMIN: (taking off headphones) Relax, man. Like Marielle said, it’s gonna be awhile! DYLAN: (getting frustrated) What do you mean? Is the bus held up? Was there an accident? I need to get to work by 9:00, downtown! MARIELLE: Well, you’re not going to make it. This bus doesn’t go downtown. DYLAN: (panicking) What do you mean? I take it all the time! This is the bus #14, to downtown! BENJAMIN: (shaking his head) No, it isn’t. It’s the bus to nowhere. DYLAN: (very confused) Bus to nowhere? Is that just a funny way of saying the bus isn’t coming? MARIELLE: Will you explain it to him, Benjamin? He doesn’t understand. BENJAMIN: Okay, see, the bus will come in a while, but if you get on it, it’ll just take you back here. We sometimes get on it for the heck of it, but other times we let it go by, since it doesn’t go anywhere. DYLAN: (furious) Then, why do you sit here at the bus stop? MARIELLE: (shrugging) I never really thought about it. We started waiting here a while back, and there hasn’t been a good enough reason to stop. DYLAN: (giving up) I think I better walk to work. [Dylan exits, stage right. As the curtain falls, a bus can be heard pulling up and the doors opening.] Question: How does the author use the characters to support the theme of people often doing things out of habit? A. Marielle reads a book, which she has likely done for as long as she has sat there. B. Dylan is certain this bus will take him to work because it has done so in the past. C. Dylan breaks from his normal pattern of waiting by deciding to walk to work. D. Benjamin and Marielle only wait at the stop because they have always done so.
What is D. Benjamin and Marielle only wait at the stop because they have always done so.
400
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows A videogame begins on a storyboard. Someone thinks of an idea for a new game, and then many writers and artists work together to create sketches and plan the game. One of the most important steps is to create realistic characters. Characters are made one at a time, and it can take days to perfect a single major character. They are sketched, scanned into a computer, and turned into digital copies that can be animated. Sometimes, characters are animated using special clothes worn by real people. These clothes have sensors on them. The sensors tell the computer how to move the character, which makes the movements look extremely realistic. After a character is made, code is written that tells the computer how to make the character move. Animated: cartoons created using computers Code: a computer language, or the software that tells a computer what to do Question: The key details in paragraph three support the passage’s main idea by A. explaining how difficult it is for an actor to recreate a character’s movements. B. describing the process of creating the sensors used to animate characters. C. explaining how sensors and actors are used to animate videogame characters. D. describing the process of writing the code to animate a videogame character.
What is C. explaining how sensors and actors are used to animate videogame characters.
400
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Turtles seem pretty simple. After all, they’re kind of like other animals, only they have shells. However, a turtle’s shell is quite different from other animals with shells. For starters, most people think of as a turtle’s shell as only being the part that they see. This is not entirely true. The rounded, knobby, segmented carapace that we see in a walking turtle is only part of the shell. If you flipped the turtle over, you would see its plastron, which is a lot flatter than the carapace, and for a good reason. It would be hard for the turtle to walk if it had a rounded plastron scraping the ground all the time. Also, a turtle’s shell isn’t like a clam’s shell. It’s not just two pieces that close. Rather, the carapace and plastron are held together by parts of the shell called the bridge. These parts give the turtle extra protection on its side between its front and back legs. Question: Choose the phrase that best defines the word carapace. A. The holes that a turtle’s legs stick out of B. The top part of a turtle’s shell C. The square segments that make up a turtle’s shell D. The bony knobs on a turtle’s shell
What is B. The top part of a turtle’s shell
500
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows There were bags of leaves on half the curbs in the neighborhood. Mr. Parsons had hired Bruno and Tommy to rake his leaves and clean his beds. He had two giant maple trees, and the leaves were everywhere. Tommy and Bruno got to work on Saturday morning. First, they raked all the leaves out of the flowerbeds, and then they raked all the leaves into four big piles. Tommy pulled out a bag from the box and started wrestling leaves into it. “Don’t do that. Bagging leaves is too much work,” Bruno said. “But, Mr. Parsons said to bag the leaves,” Tommy objected. “No, he said ‘get rid of these leaves,’ and that’s what we’re going to do,” Bruno said. “We have to bag the leaves, or we won’t get paid!” Tommy fretted. Bruno went into the garage and came out with a lawnmower. “Watch this,” he said and ran over each pile about a dozen times. In no time, the leaves were minced into tiny pieces, which Bruno and Tommy raked into one pile. “That’s awesome,” Tommy said as he opened a plastic leaf bag. “I told you we aren’t bagging any leaves,” Bruno said. He went back in the garage and came out with a wheelbarrow. Together, they filled it with the minced leaves. “Now, we make the leaves disappear,” Bruno said. He guided the wheelbarrow to Mr. Parson’s flowerbeds and spread the ground up leaves in all the beds. “Chopped up like this, these leaves will decompose in a few weeks and fertilize these beds,” Bruno said. “Next spring, Mr. Parsons will have the prettiest flowers in the neighborhood—without using fertilizer!” Question: Read this sentence from the story. “But, Mr. Parsons said to bag the leaves, Tommy objected.” What can the reader infer from this detail? A. Tommy thinks Bruno wants to cheat Mr. Parsons. B. Tommy and Bruno have often disagreed about things. C. Tommy thinks Bruno doesn’t listen to his ideas. D. Tommy has gotten in trouble before because of Bruno.
What is A. Tommy thinks Bruno wants to cheat Mr. Parsons.
500
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows The Bermuda Triangle is said to be in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. According to the first written account of the Bermuda Triangle’s location, the points of the triangle are located in Miami, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the island of Bermuda. Different writers have given the triangle different locations over the years. All of those locations have been in the Atlantic Ocean. Books and stories about the triangle were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Writers such as Vincent Gaddis and John Wallace Spencer claimed that the area is dangerous. They said that many ships and planes passing through it disappeared. Among the causes of the disappearances were bad weather, supernatural forces, and UFOs. Research librarian Larry Kusche researched the Bermuda Triangle and then released a book about his findings in 1975. He showed that many of the claims about disappearances were exaggerated or just untrue. While he agreed that some planes and ships went missing in the Bermuda Triangle, he showed that the number was not greater than the number of missing planes and ships in other areas. Interest in the Bermuda Triangle fell following the release of Kusche’s book. However, writers like Gian Quasar are still trying to solve the Bermuda Triangle’s “mysteries” today. Question: Based on the text, which of these is true about the Bermuda Triangle? A. It is the site of the disappearance of planes and ships. B. It is located in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda. C. Its mysteries are no longer investigated by writers. D. Its bad weather is the cause of most disappearances.
What is A. It is the site of the disappearance of planes and ships.
500
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Professor Marvelous stood at the podium, addressing a roomful of scientists. “Ladies and gentlemen, no one believed me when I said the machine I was building would harness the weather. Now, before your eyes, I will demonstrate my success.” He signaled to his assistant to lift the curtain behind him, and there stood a machine the size of an automobile, with buttons and switches and a computer screen. “Gaze out the window,” he directed the audience, “and you will notice that snow is falling, though it won’t be for long! I am about to change the weather to my bidding, to command it to be sunny!” The crazed professor dashed over to his machine and began flipping switches and pressing buttons. The machine whirred and squeaked and rumbled. “Look, the snowstorm has stopped!” yelled one gentleman in the audience, and the crowd gasped as the sun began to peek through the cloud cover. Just then, a blinding flash occurred, followed by a horrible crash. A bolt of lightning shattered the ceiling of the auditorium above the stage. The machine was crushed in the rubble, and the professor just barely escaped, crying, “My machine, my precious machine!” Outside, the sky had turned black as the angry thunderstorm raged. Question: How is Professor Marvelous’s personality help develop a theme in the story? A. He summons his courage to try and overcome his shyness. B. His boasts about his abilities end up embarrassing him. C. He behaves in a reckless manner and gets into trouble. D. His belief in his own abilities gets him through a crisis.
What is B. His boasts about his abilities end up embarrassing him.
500
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Learning to run for a long distance can be hard, but it’s possible to train to run three miles in just nine weeks! Setting out to run for the first time will work best if an inexperienced runner takes breaks from his or her jog to walk. This is called interval running because the jogger runs for a period of time, then walks for a period of time. The very first time a person runs, he or she should jog for one-minute intervals, and then walk for one and a half minute intervals, until 20 minutes have passed. When this can be done comfortably, usually after a week, the jogger can switch to jogging for one and a half minutes, then walking two minutes. By week three, a beginning runner will be able to jog for one and a half minutes, then the same length of time, before jogging again. Slowly increasing the length of the jog and decreasing the time spent walking each week will produce good results. Soon, running will be less of a chore and something to look forward to! Question: The key details in paragraph three and four support the main idea by A. detailing reasons why running is beneficial. B. explaining the necessity of pushing oneself. C. giving examples of interval running. D. describing the process of warming up.
What is C. giving examples of interval running.
500
Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows Though all ships are different, they share the same piece of naval technology, the lightweight hull, or body. Without a body that is lighter than the water it displaces, a ship would sink. However, a hull that is too light can be dangerous, too. A ship’s weight affects its buoyancy. A ship that is too light will be too buoyant, which will cause it to stay afloat on the water. That can make a ship less stable and more likely to lean to one side. If it leans far enough, the ship will capsize. A ship that is too heavy will not be buoyant enough, which will cause it to sit too low in the water. As a result, the ship is more likely to strike rocks or reefs. Buoyancy is maintained through ballast. Ballast is placed at the lowest point in the ship’s hull in order to weigh the ship down and lower its center of gravity. Today, most ships use water for ballast. The water is pumped in and out of a ballast tank depending on how heavy or light a ship needs to be. Without ballast, ships would be more dangerous and harder to operate. Question: Choose the word that best defines capsize. A. Sink B. Rock C. Overturn D. Shatter
What is C. Overturn