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Persuasive Essay
Revising/Edit
Comprehension Questions
STAAR Skills
STAAR Vocab
100
Why is it important to have a hook in your persuasive essay? Where does it belong?
The Hook grabs the reader's attention. It belongs in the intro. It is the first sentence in your intro!
100

There was once a grand city on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea near Egypt, known as Thonis. Some records indicate that Helen of Troy visited the area before the Trojan War. Founded around 700B.C., it thrived for centuries and then allegedly disappeared into the depths of the ocean.

What does the word it refer to?

The city of Thonis
100
What is the question asking for when it states, "pick the sentence that could be considered the Thesis"?
It is asking you to provide a sentence that tells the reader what the story is going to be out. Or a sentence that tells the reader the main idea.
100
When you come across a word that you do not know, what should you do?
Look it up in the dictionary or Thesaurus
100

The word Transition means...

To move from one idea to the next. To move from one thing to another.
200
What two things can your hook be?
A Bold-Statement or a Quote
200
You have just come across a question that states, "What change should be made in sentence ___". One of the answer choices says to change the spelling of a word. How can you easily determine if this is the correct answer choice or not?
Look up the spelling of the word in the dictionary or thesaurus
200

What does the word Theme mean?

The message or the overall idea(s) of the story. The subject
200
When writing the persuasive essay, it is important to come up two ideas for your thesis. Why do you come up with two ideas?
There are two body paragraphs
200

The song "Gucci Gang" is very redundant. It states the same song lyrics over and over again. Define Redundant.

unnecessary repetition

300
What is the outline of a Thesis statement?
Restate the question (prompt) because ______________________ & _________________.
300

In what instance would you add an 's to the end of a word?

Ex: Smith's

When showing possession

EX: Ms. Smith's diet consists of Chick-fil-a.

300
The tone of the story refers to:
The authors attitude toward the topic.
300
What answer choice can you almost always mark off as being the incorrect answer?
D) No Change
300

When students talk over Ms. Smith, she has to reiterate herself over and over again. Define reiterate.

to say something again and again, or multiple times
400
While looking at the page that your essay prompt is on during the STAAR test, how can you determine what the actual prompt is?
It will state, "Write an essay stating your position on..."
400

In what instance would you add an apostrophe (') after the s?

Example: Boys'

To show possession when the noun is plural.

Ex: The boys' jerseys were in the locker room. More than one boy has a jersey. The word Boy is plural (meaning more than one)

400
The mood of the story refers to:
the feeling that the reader gets when reading. The reader's reaction to the story. (Emotions the story makes us feel - happy, sad, angry)
400
If you come across a question and you are unsure about the answer, what should you do to come up with the answer?
Reread the story. Flip back to the story. Use context clues from the story to help you find the answer.
400

The children have always been quiet. In fact, they are so quiet and shy that they are unable to articulate their feelings.Define articulate

to express
500
Which part of your persuasive essay tells the reader what you are going to talk about?
The Thesis Statement
500

When is it ever okay to capitalize words like:

High School
President
Park

When the specific name is given.

Ex:

Grape Creek High School
President Abraham Lincoln
Olive Tree Park

500
Example Question:

1. For Mackenzie, the chestnut tree in paragraphs 15 and 16 symbolizes —

Define the term symbolizes. Why is this question different than a question that states "What object symbolizes Valentine's Day"?

to represent.

This question is asking us what the tree represents to Mackenzie, not just what the tree represents as a whole.

500

If you get a question like this:

In paragraph 14, the word asymmetrically means —
A lopsidedly
B luxuriously
C stylishly
D conspicuously

What tool can you use to help you find the synonym of the word?

A Thesaurus
500

A lot of extraneous information is put into your questions in order to trip you up. Define Extraneous

irrelevant or unrelated topics