Academic Language
The definition of "topic"
The subject (usually one or two words).
A flat structure alongside a body of water where ships dock. What is this?
Wharf
Which sentence from the passage best shows the sisters are competitive with one another?
Answer choices for the above question
A. “She had begun this waiting at home, getting up a half-hour before Moon Orchid’s plane took off in Hong Kong.”
B. “You’re an old woman,” said Brave Orchid.
C. “Fat women are more beautiful than skinny women.”
D. “The children pulled them out of the doorway.”
C
The following passage (paragraphs 38–45) adds to the development of the text mainly by .
All the children remain quiet a moment. Several do math on their fingers. Then they raise their hands as one. “Can we see it?”
“No.”
“Not even open the first door?”
“No.”
“Have you seen it?”
“I have not.”
“So how do you know it’s really there?”
“You have to believe the story.”
Answer choices for the above question
A. implying that the warder wants to test the children’s gullibility
B. hinting that the warder thinks the Sea of Flames is actually real and inherently valuable
C. showing that the warder thinks the story has value, whether or not it is true
D. suggesting that the warder is not a reliable source since he has not personally seen the stone
C
Showing that the warder thinks the story has value, whether or not it is true
What is most closely the central idea of Chapter 1?
Answer choices for the above question
A. Eliezer and his family had a good, normal life before the Nazis came to Sighet and eventually forced them to leave.
B. Eliezer and his family should have run away from the Germans before they were sent to the concentration camps.
C. Eliezer is going to escape from the train and make his way to the United States before learning about his family’s demise.
D. Eliezer and Moishe have a very special relationship because they discuss the Kabbalah and its teachings together.
A
Eliezer and his family had a good, normal life before the Nazis came to Sighet and eventually forced them to leave.
The definition of "refine"
To improve (something) by making small changes, in particular make (an idea, theory, or method) more subtle and accurate.
Which of the following best describes why Ishmael and his friends decide to return to their war-torn village?
Answer choices for the above question
A. They want to bury their families.
B. They want to reunite with their families.
C. They want to save their families from the rebels.
D. They want to apologize for abandoning their families.
B
Which inference can be best made about Brave Orchid’s son who is a soldier?
Answer choices for the above question
A. He is brave and has a sense of honor.
B. He is a spy.
C. He enjoys tropical environments.
D. He is the oldest of the children.
A
Which meaning of deity most closely matches its meaning in the following excerpt (paragraph 24)?
“The stone came to be known as the Sea of Flames. Some believed the prince was a deity, that as long as he kept the stone, he could not be killed. But something strange began to happen: the longer the prince wore his crown, the worse his luck became. In a month, he lost a brother to drowning and a second brother to snakebite. Within six months, his father died of disease. To make matters even worse, the sultan’s scouts announced that a great army was gathering in the east.”
Answer choices for the above question
A. noun | divine being
B. noun | superhero
C. noun | blessing
D. noun | sorcerer
A
noun | divine being
What is the central idea of Chapters 2-3?
Answer choices for the above question
A. Eliezer and the other Jews of Sighet endure a horrific train ride to Auschwitz where many are sent to the crematorium and the rest become prisoners in the concentration camp.
B. Eliezer is disturbed by the delusional rantings of Mrs. Schächter's because they turn out to be true once they arrive at Auschwitz where his mother and sister are sent to the crematorium.
C. Eliezer’s father forces him to eat the disgusting soup every night because he needs to maintain his strength in order to attempt to escape Auschwitz.
D. Eliezer does not understand how his life changed so much in one week and why his whole family was sent to the crematorium and not him.
A
Eliezer and the other Jews of Sighet endure a horrific train ride to Auschwitz where many are sent to the crematorium and the rest become prisoners in the concentration camp.
The definition of "main idea"
The point the author wants to make about a topic.
The dominant impression or the universal, generic truth found in the story.
Which selection from the excerpt best supports the correct that Ishmael's grandmother is kind and friendly?
Answer choices for the above question
A. “She was tall and her perfectly long face complemented her beautiful cheekbones and big brown eyes. She always stood with her hands either on her hips or on her head.”
B. “At Kabati, we ate, rested a bit, and started the last six miles. Grandmother wanted us to spend the night, but we told her that we would be back the following day.”
C. “She followed us to the edge of the village and watched as we descended the hill, switching her walking stick to her left hand so that she could wave us off with her right hand, a sign of good luck.”
D. “‘How is that father of yours treating you these days?’ she asked in a sweet voice that was laden with worry. ‘Why are you going to Mattru Jong, if not for school? And why do you look so skinny?’”
D
What is most likely meant by this sentence in the last paragraph of the passage?
“You’re wearing an old mask to tease me.”
Answer choices for the above question
A. Moon Orchid believes her sister Brave Orchid should express herself better.
B. Moon Orchid cannot tell when her sister Brave Orchid is joking with her.
C. Moon Orchid thinks her sister Brave Orchid is wearing a costume.
D. Moon Orchid still thinks of her sister as a young woman.
D
According to the fable, which of the following best explains why the prince decides to keep the Sea of Flames?
Answer choices for the above question
A. He does not believe the priest’s dream.
B. He believes it will make him rich.
C. He desires to live forever.
D. He has become hypnotized by it.
C
He desires to live forever.
Which of the following sentences best explains how the older men convinced their sons not to revolt?
Answer choices for the above question
A. The older men argue that the war will end soon and they will be liberated, but if they fight back now they will be killed.
B. The older men argue that it is already too late, and they will be sent to the crematorium no matter what they do.
C. The older men remind the younger men that the sages taught them never to give up hope even when the sword is above their necks.
D. The older men would like to fight with the younger men, but they are too worn down from the terrible journey to Auschwitz.
C
The older men remind the younger men that the sages taught them never to give up hope even when the sword is above their necks.
The definition of "rhetoric"
The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other techniques.
What is most closely the purpose of the passage below (paragraph 9)?
For more than three hours, we stayed at the wharf, anxiously waiting and expecting either to see our families or to talk to someone who had seen them. But there was no news of them, and after a while we didn’t know any of the people who came across the river. The day seemed oddly normal. The sun peacefully sailed through the white clouds, birds sang from treetops, the trees danced to the quiet wind. I still couldn’t believe that the war had actually reached our home. It is impossible, I thought. When we left home the day before, there had been no indication the rebels were anywhere near.
Answer choices for the above question
A. The passage conveys Ishmael’s great shock and his difficulty processing the terrible news.
B. The passage reveals that Ishmael secretly wishes to join the rebel army one day.
C. The passage implies that Ishmael’s family did not survive the attacks on his hometown.
D. The passage explains that Ishmael wasn’t able to find out information regarding his family.
A
Which two sentences from the excerpt show Brave Orchid’s belief in a unique gift:
“‘If I see one that looks Chinese,’ she thought, ‘I’ll go over and give him some advice.’”
“Brave Orchid would add her will power to the forces that keep an airplane up.”
“She unbundled a blanket and spread it out to make a bed for herself.”
“Carefully she split her attention, beaming half of it to the ocean, into the water to keep him afloat.”
“Carefully she split her attention, beaming half of it to the ocean, into the water to keep him afloat.”
&
“Brave Orchid would add her will power to the forces that keep an airplane up.”
Which sentence from the excerpt best supports that Marie-Laure is skeptical?
Answer choices for the above question
A. “Marie-Laure holds out an open palm. The sparrow tilts his head, considering. Then it flaps away.”
B. “Marie-Laure frowns. It is just an iron door with a brass keyhole.”
C. “Every child leans forward, Marie-Laure along with them.”
D. “‘Are you sure this is true?’ asks a girl.”
B
“Marie-Laure frowns. It is just an iron door with a brass keyhole.”
Wiesel’s reaction to the others says the Jewish prayer for the dead adds to the development of theme mainly by fill in the blank___________.
Answer choices for the above question
A. showing that he no longer believes his God at all because of what is happening to them.
B. demonstrating the change in his relationship with God from complete faith to doubt and anger
C. detailing how excited Eliezer is to die so that he can finally be closer to God as he has always wanted
D. listing all of the people who are praying the Kaddish because they believe that they will be killed soon.
B
demonstrating the change in his relationship with God from complete faith to doubt and anger
The definition of "thesis"
A thesis statement expresses the writer’s main idea about a topic.
What is most closely the central idea of the passage below (paragraph 7)?
According to the teachers, the rebels had attacked the mining areas in the afternoon. The sudden outburst of gunfire had caused people to run for their lives in different directions. Fathers had come running from their workplaces, only to stand in front of their empty houses with no indication of where their families had gone. Mothers wept as they ran toward schools, rivers, and water taps to look for their children. Children ran home to look for parents who were wandering the streets in search of them. And as the gunfire intensified, people gave up looking for their loved ones and ran out of town.
A. The rebel army was cruelly violent and indifferent to people’s suffering.
B. The civil war happened due to an unstable government and corrupt leader.
C. The sudden, violent attack led to chaos and a separation of families.
D. Panicking during wartime often leads to families getting separated.
C
What does the author mean when she describes the sisters as “two old women with faces like mirrors”?
Answer choices for the above question
A. The sisters see well even though they are old.
B. The sisters are unable to hide their emotions.
C. The sisters resemble each other.
D. The sisters miss each other.
C
The sisters resemble each other.
Which selection from the excerpt best supports that the prince wants to live forever?
Answer choices for the above question
A. “‘The curse was this: the keeper of the stone would live forever, but so long as he kept it, misfortunes would fall on all those he loved one after another in unending rain.’”
B. “‘So the prince, now sultan, thought for three days and three nights and finally decided to keep the stone. It had saved his life; he believed it made him indestructible.’”
C. “‘But when the river dried up, and the prince plucked it out, the goddess became enraged. She cursed the stone and whoever kept it.’”
D. “‘Some said the stone was recut into many smaller stones; others said the prince still carried the stone, that he was in Japan or Persia, that he was a humble farmer, that he never seemed to grow old.’”
B
“‘So the prince, now sultan, thought for three days and three nights and finally decided to keep the stone. It had saved his life; he believed it made him indestructible.’”
Which of the following statements best describes the author’s purpose for concluding the book with Eliezer looking at himself in the mirror?
Answer choices for the above question
A. To show that he survived the war even though his father did not
B. To compare and contrast Eliezer’s current physique to how he looked when he left the ghetto
C. To tell the reader that Eliezer is still haunted by his experiences today
D. To describe the enduring strength of the human spirit in desperate times
C
To tell the reader that Eliezer is still haunted by his experiences today