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Common Test Questions & Vocab
Common Test Questions & Vocab
Reading the
Passages
Multiple Choice Test Questions
Short Answer Questions & The Essay
100
What is the THEME of a story?
the message, moral or lesson
100
"Which of the following details least supports the central idea of the passage?" In this question I have to find the answer choice that does NOT really ______________the central idea.
support
100
What are at least 2 things you should do BEFORE reading each passage?
1. Read the directions 2. Read the questions you will have to answer. 3. Read the title of the article, story or poem 4. Read the subheadings 5. Look at any pictures and captions
100
What should you do if you are not sure what answer choice is the correct one? a) Don't bubble in any answer and leave it blank b) Spend 15 minutes trying to decide on an answer c) Eliminate the obvious wrong answer choices and then make an educated guess
C
100

How can you get full credit (2 out of 2) on your short answer questions? In other words, what model should you do when you are answering the short answer questions?

TS- Topic Sentence

1- Evidence

2- Elaboration

3-Evidence

4- Elaboration

C-Concluding

200
"How does paragraph 4 CONTRIBUTE to the development of ideas in the text?" In this question, I am being asked how paragraph 4 _____________ the development of ideas in the passage.
adds to, builds on
200
"What do the character’s actions in paragraph 3 REVEAL about him?" The word reveal means ______________.
shows, uncovers, unveils
200
True or False: you shouldn't chunk and code the passages as you read because it is distracting and wastes time.
FALSE! You SHOULD annotate the text because it helps you better understand what you are reading and will help you answer the questions. Also, the test is not timed, so you can take as long as you need to!
200
Why should you underline or circle key words in the questions?
To help you understand EXACTLY what each question is asking you and help you know what to focus on when you read the passage. The questions are often tricky and if you don't read them carefully and focus on the key words you might make a careless mistake when answering the question!
200

True or False: You should always reread what you wrote before moving on to the next question. Why or why not?

TRUE! You should always reread what you wrote as your answer to make sure that... 1. You didn't make any careless mistakes in spelling, punctuation or grammar that would make it difficult for someone to understand. 2. You made an inference in your answer and provided TWO pieces of evidence. 3. You actually answered the EXACT question you are being asked to answer

300

If a question says, in paragraph 2, what does the author mean by...? 

What do you do to the paragraph? 

reread paragraph 4 and highlight it! Or for short answer use that paragraph for evidence only. 

300
“What can you INFER about the main character based on the information in paragraph 3?" The word infer means _________________________
to make an education guess or conclusion based on evidence, prior knowledge (background knowledge), and logical reasoning.
300

TRUE OR FALSE. If a story has a chart or context before the story, do you read it? 

YES! It provides background information and can be used in questions. 

300
True or False: You should read all the answer choices, even if the first or second answer sounds correct to you.
TRUE! Almost every question will have 2 answer choices that are somewhat easy to eliminate and then 1 answer choice that is there to trick you! So you should read and reread each answer choice carefully and check back to the text to make sure you are choosing the correct answer and not the trick answer!
300

How do you make a topic sentence?

-Restate the prompt. (What is being asked!)

400
"Which of the sentences from the passage best supports the author’s central idea?" In this question the word best tells me that all the answer choices could be _____________, but I have to find the ______________ answer.
correct best
400
"Which sentence from the article best reveals the author's POINT OF VIEW?" The authors "point of view" means the author's __________
perspective, viewpoint, opinion
400
What are at least 3 things you can do to annotate/code the passages you are reading?
1. Underline or highlight important words and sentences. 2. Circle words you don't know and use context clues to try to figure out what the words mean. 3. Write questions and notes in the margins.
400
Your teachers always tell you to "go back and check your work" when you are done. How should you "check your work" on the state test?
Reread each question carefully and the answer you chose, and check the text again to make sure you still think that is the right answer. Also, make sure you have bubbled in ALL the questions on your scantron
400

How many paragraphs should your essay have?

4 paragraphs!! One topic, two body, and one conclusion

500
"How does the author’s ALLUSION to Pandora’s Box contribute to the meaning of paragraph 4?" The word allusion means _________________
Allusion means "reference". Eg: In a story one of the characters may ask his friend, "Why did you jump off the roof? Were you trying to be Superman?!" The character is making an ALLUSION or reference to another story/movie (Superman). You may also see a question that uses the word "alludes". ("Why does the author allude to Pandora’s Box in paragraph 4?"). This is the verb form of allusion.
500

If the question says, "How does Paragraph 4 relate to overall structure of the story?" 


What does structure mean? 

Structure is why the author chose to write about it. What purpose does it have in the story? 

500
What is literal vs. figurative language?

Literal - it actually happens. (actually raining cats and dogs.)

Figurative- raining really hard. (An exaggeration) 

500

What are some ways you can use your planing page before starting to write your essay?

(1) Make a T-chart, a Venn Diagram or a 3-Column chart for compare & contrast essays. (2) Jot down notes about what you plan to write in each paragraph of your essay. (3) Look back at the text and then write down all the possible pieces of evidence you might want to use (that way you can choose from those pieces of evidence while writing your essay).