Vocab
Theme
Determine the Main Idea
Inferences
100
Select the word that means to trick or fool others.
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, author Mark Twain created the quick-witted and incorrigible character of Tom Sawyer. Whatever his Aunt Polly tells Tom to do, Tom wants to do the opposite. One fine Saturday, Aunt Polly orders Tom to paint their front fence with whitewash. Tom is desperate to get out of the chore and quickly figures out how to bamboozle the neighborhood boys into doing it for him. By acting absorbed in his task and feigning reluctance to let anyone else take the paintbrush from him, Tom makes the job appear quite desirable. Before long, the other boys have fallen for the deceit and are begging to do Tom's chore.
bamboozle
100
Read the quotations below from Louis Sachar's Holes. Which quotation matches the theme that progress is gradual?
A. "Every day you will carry the pig up the mountain. It will get a little bigger, but you will get a little stronger.
B."If Stanley and his father weren't always hopeful, then it wouldn't hurt so much every time their hopes were crushed.
C. Stanley and his parents didn't believe in curses, of course, but whenever anything went wrong, it felt good to be able to blame someone.
A. "Every day you will carry the pig up the mountain. It will get a little bigger, but you will get a little stronger.
100
Indian singer Asha Bhosle began her career at the age of 10, when she recorded a song for the 1943 movie Majha Bal. She started out as a “playback singer” for movies.
Not all movie actors can sing as well. They need playback singers like Bhosle to sing their songs for them. Bhosle first sang songs for bad girl characters in small movies. Singers like her older sister, Lata Mangeskar, sang songs for bigger and more popular movies.
Bhosle’s career took off when she began singing in more popular films in 1950. From there, she went on to record over 12,000 songs in 20 different languages. She also sang in over 1,000 movies. Bhosle made her debut as an actor in the movie Mai in 2013.
What is the central idea of this passage?
A. Asha Bhosle is a well-known Indian singer.
B. Asha Bhosle’s singing career began in 1943.
C. Asha Bhosle has sung in over 1,000 movies.
D. Asha Bhosle can sing in different languages.
A. Asha Bhosle is a well-known Indian singer.
100
Jenna was shocked when she opened the door to her apartment. There were long rips in the couch, as though someone had run knives down the front of it. A lamp was shattered on the floor. Some picture frames were hanging crookedly, some of them had fallen off the wall and the door to her cat's travel cage was open. Not only that, but the door to the birdcage was swinging back and forth and there were feathers on the floor. She could have sworn that she had locked her cat in the travel cage before she left for work. At first Jenna thought it might have been burglars. Oh no, she thought. Someone broke into my apartment, trashed the place, and stole my cat! Then she heard the cat meowing in her bedroom. She ran to the bedroom and saw the cat patting one of Jenna's favorite shoes with its claws. "That's it!" Jenna yelled. "I'm done with this." She threw the cat back into its travel cage and tried to shut the door, but the lock wouldn't catch. Jenna huffed and then grabbed some duct tape.
Why is there an empty birdcage in Jenna's apartment?
Jenna's cat got out and ate it :/
200
Select the word that means exposed as false.
Do you believe that toilet bowls flush counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere? You may have heard that the Coriolis effect, caused by the rotation of the earth, makes toilets flush in different directions in toilet bowls above and below the equator. Scientists have debunked this myth, though, explaining that the Coriolis effect controls the direction of water flow only in much larger bodies of water, hundreds of miles in diameter. The direction of your toilet's flush simply depends on how the manufacturer designed it.
Submit
debunk
200
Read the quotations below from Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Which of the following quotes matches the theme that the human instinct to survive is strong
A. "When death captures me," the boy vowed, "he will feel my fist in his face.
B. "Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out.
C. Yes, the Führer decided that he would rule the world with words. "I will never fire a gun," he devised. "I will not have to."
A. "When death captures me," the boy vowed, "he will feel my fist in his face.
200
There was a time when Casey Kasem was best known for being the voice of top-40 radio. After all, he hosted America’s Top 40 and other popular radio shows for over 39 years. Today, most people know his voice from somewhere else.
Kasem began voicing the character Norville Rogers on the TV cartoon Scooby-Doo in 1969. Norville Rogers is Shaggy’s real name. He continued being Shaggy’s voice in Scooby-Doo cartoons until he stopped voice acting in 2009.
During those 40 years of voice acting, he did voices for many other cartoons including Josie and the Pussycats, Batman, and Transformers.
Though Kasem is no longer on the radio, his voice lives on through 40 years of cartoons that kids of all ages never seem to grow tired of.
Which key detail in the passage supports the central idea?
A. Kasem did voices for the cartoons Josie and the Pussycats, Batman, and Transformers.
B. Kasem was the host of America’s Top 40 and other popular radio shows for more than 39 years.
C. Norville Rogers is the real name of the character Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo cartoons.
D. People who are familiar with Kasem’s work on cartoons do not know that he was a radio host.
A. Kasem did voices for the cartoons Josie and the Pussycats, Batman, and Transformers.
200
"I'm home!" Earl shouted as he walked in the door. His wife Gail came bounding down the stairs. She hadn't seen him since he had left to go on his silly fishing trip two weeks ago. "I missed you, Husband. Did you catch anything?" Gail reluctantly asked, knowing that Earl was not a very good fisherman. Earl scratched his head and responded, "You're not going to believe what I'm bringing home." Earl unzipped a cooler and pulled out several perfectly filleted salmon steaks. "Wow, Earl, I didn't know that you could fillet a fish like that." Earl looked around the room a little bit and scratched his head, "Uh, yeah, Jeff taught me how." Gail looked at him suspiciously. "Well, let me help you unpack." As Gail was helping Earl unpack his truck, she found a receipt from the grocery store. It was dated from that morning. What she saw was both disappointing and unsurprising.
Why was Gail disappointed and unsurprised with what she saw
She saw Earl bought the salmon from the store. She wasn't surprised by that because he isn't a very good fisherman.
300
What is the meaning of acquiesce as it's used in the following sentence?
Angela did not want to go to the party. She wanted to study for the exam, but her sister nagged her so much that Angela finally acquiesced and agreed to go
To accept or agree to something, often unwillingly
300
Read the quotations below from Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Match the quotation to the theme
You have to stand up for the things that are yours.
A. The boys and I would wear threadbare clothing washed to dishwater color; but always, the taxes and the mortgage would be paid up.
B. "Still," he said, "I want these children to know we tried, and what we can't do now, maybe one day they will."
C. "Then if you want something and it's a good thing and you got it in the right way, you better hang on to it and don't let anybody talk you out of it."
D. No matter how low the pantry supplies, each family always managed to contribute something, and . . . hard times were forgotten at least for the day.
C. "Then if you want something and it's a good thing and you got it in the right way, you better hang on to it and don't let anybody talk you out of it."
300
There was a time when Casey Kasem was best known for being the voice of top-40 radio. After all, he hosted America’s Top 40 and other popular radio shows for over 39 years. Today, most people know his voice from somewhere else.
Kasem began voicing the character Norville Rogers on the TV cartoon Scooby-Doo in 1969. Norville Rogers is Shaggy’s real name. He continued being Shaggy’s voice in Scooby-Doo cartoons until he stopped voice acting in 2009.
During those 40 years of voice acting, he did voices for many other cartoons including Josie and the Pussycats, Batman, and Transformers.
Though Kasem is no longer on the radio, his voice lives on through 40 years of cartoons that kids of all ages never seem to grow tired of.
What is the central idea of this passage?
A. Casey Kasem has been the voice of many cartoon characters.
B. Very few people are familiar with Casey Kasem’s voice acting.
C. Casey Kasem had a radio show before he acted in cartoons.
D. After 39 years, Casey Kasem stopped hosting radio shows.
A. Casey Kasem has been the voice of many cartoon characters.
300
"Gus, I need to see you in my office," said Mr. Matthews. Gus nervously shut the door to Mr. Matthews' office behind him and took a seat. Mr. Matthews' office was so high up that Gus had to angle his chair awkwardly so that he couldn't see out of the window. Mr. Matthews pointed his finger at Gus and began talking, "You have been fitting in great over here, and that's one of the most important things you can do in this company." Gus let out a sigh of relief. Mr. Matthews continued speaking. "Gus, I want to invite you on a company trip. We will be taking a private jet to Colorado." Gus's eyes widened and his heart began thumping rapidly. "Wow, Mr. Matthews! I don't know what to say," Gus replied honestly. Mr. Matthews continued, "Then we will be climbing up a mountain to a private cabin." Gus loosened his tie a bit a gulped. He was hoping that it would be over but Mr. Matthews continued, "After completing some team building activities, we will take a hot air balloon ride over the mountains!" Gus's heart was now pounding so hard that he was worried that Mr. Matthews might see it thumping through his shirt. He was sweating excessively. Mr. Matthews slapped him on the shoulder, "So what do you say Gus?" Gus did not know what to say.
How does Gus really feel about his boss's invitation? Why does he feel this way
The invitation makes the Gus nervous because he is afraid of heights and the trip includes activities involving heights.
400
What's the meaning of magnanimous as it's used in the following passage?
The magnanimous judge released the young offender who had been caught stealing bread by saying, "Everybody has to eat," and slamming down his gavel.
generous or forgiving
400
Read the quotations below from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Match the quotation to the theme that people often resist change
A. "The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see."
B. "Don't worry. They're all against me. But I have one advantage: they don't know what they want. I do."
C. "The great creators—the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors—stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed."
D. "It's the hardest thing in the world—to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage."
C. "The great creators—the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors—stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed."
400
The Missing Patent
Wilbur and Orville Wright's official patent for their "flying machine," submitted in 1903, is an important slice of American history. The patent was supposed to be stored in the National Archives, where historical treasures are housed. However, in 2000, officials discovered that it seemed to have vanished. Researchers looked through storage vaults, filing cabinets, and archives around the country, to no avail. Some wondered whether the document had been stolen. Finally, Chris Abraham, newly assigned to the National Archives' document recovery program, volunteered to solve the puzzle. Abraham suspected that the patent might have been mistakenly sent to a huge storage facility in Kansas where other, less important patent documents were kept. Abraham was right: after searching through boxes and boxes of documents, he found the patent on March 22, 2016.
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. A researcher with the National Archives' document recovery program offered to track down a missing patent.
B. In 2000, researchers discovered that the Wright Brothers' historic 1903 airplane patent had been lost or stolen.
C. A National Archives researcher solved the mystery of the missing Wright Brothers' 1903 airplane patent.
C. A National Archives researcher solved the mystery of the missing Wright Brothers' 1903 airplane patent.
400
Brenda reached for the box of tissue. She blew her nose with a thunderous force and then tried breathing through it again. It was still clogged. She stood up and got a head rush that almost knocked her back down to the bed, but she regained her balance. As she tottered over to the phone on her dresser, all of her muscles ached. She located the contact labeled "Work" and pressed send. A couple of rings later, a familiar voice answered the phone, "Happy Fun Land, this is Deidra speaking. How can I help you have a happy fun day?" Brenda moaned, "Oh, Deidra, it's Brenda." Deidra responded with pep, "Hey, Brenda! I can't wait to see you this afternoon." Brenda grunted and replied, "Yeah, well, actually, I need to talk to the manager."
What is Brenda going to talk about with the manager? _____________________________________
She needs to call in sick
500
What is the meaning of the following word melodramatic as it's used in the following sentence?
When Kiki got a tiny cut on her pinky finger, she got all melodramatic and began sobbing and demanding a doctor.
Overdramatic
500
Read the quotations below from Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The quote to the following theme:
Where we come from is part of who we are
A. The cloth smelled of Johnny, warm and cigarish. But it was a comforting thing. . . . It smelled of protection and love.
B. Pipe dreams, he thought to himself, even while he was telling her. . . . But oh, how wonderful, he thought, if everything you talked about could come true!
C. Even Neeley said . . . she might get rid of her Brooklyn accent that way. But Francie didn't want to get rid of it any more than she wanted to get rid of her name.
D. "Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. . . . It's strong because its hard struggle to live is making it strong."
C. Even Neeley said . . . she might get rid of her Brooklyn accent that way. But Francie didn't want to get rid of it any more than she wanted to get rid of her name.
500
The Impact of Arts Programs
Art museums around the country host programs for teens every year. Are these programs worthwhile? Four museums around the country conducted a study to determine their effects. More than three hundred past participants, ranging in age from eighteen to thirty-six, were asked to rate their experiences. Three-quarters of respondents said that the arts programs had a more positive impact on their lives than school, neighbors, or family. Two-thirds said that the experience had an effect on their later ideas and actions. According to the study, nearly all of the participants continued to visit art museums, and nearly a third worked in arts-related fields.
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. A study found that teen arts programs have a lasting positive influence on the participants' lives.
B. A study was conducted to determine what effects teen arts programs have on the participants.
C. A study found that about one-third of students who participate in arts programs at museums go on to work in the arts.
A. A study found that teen arts programs have a lasting positive influence on the participants' lives.
500
Mr. Johnson looked up at the sky. It was clear as far as the eye could see, except for the cruel sun. The insatiable sun drained the land of all moisture. He cursed the sun. Mr. Johnson ran his fingers through one of the rows of dirt and grabbed a handful. It was bone dry, almost powdery. He let the dirt sift through his fingers and it turned to dust in the wind. Mr. Johnson put his hands on his hips and surveyed the field. It was well seeded, that he knew. He had seeded it himself, yet nothing sprang from the dirt. "Well, there's only one thing left to do," he said to himself. Mr. Johnson headed to church.
Why does Mr. Johnson go to church at the end of the passage?
He realizes he needs a miracle/some rain for his crops to grow.