Constructed Response Rubrics (2x points)
Tell what the exam scorers are expecting to see in a 2/2 response for this question (excluding conventions):
What can the reader infer about Henry, based on paragraph 2?
-Show that you know what "infer" means
-Give an example of an inference about Henry
-Give a quote from paragraph 2 to support your inference
What does the simile in this text suggest?
You're as cold as ice; you're willing to sacrifice our love.
The person the singer is talking to is mean and doesn't care.
Malaria and Zika are both diseases spread by mosquitos. Malaria is deadly, and people have been fighting it for centuries. Zika, though, emerged more recently. Although symptoms of a Zika infection are usually milder than those of a malaria infection, Zika is associated with birth defects in the babies of infected mothers. Malaria and Zika are spread by two distinct types of mosquitos: malaria by the Anopheles mosquito, and Zika by the Aedes mosquito. This means that different prevention techniques are recommended. Because Anopheles bite at night, using mosquito netting over beds can help people avoid malaria. Aedes, however, bite during the day. In areas where Zika is a concern, experts recommend using insect repellents and covering the skin with clothing.
Compare-contrast
Since at least 4000 B.C., people have worn jewelry made of gold. These days, however, gold is used for reasons other than just decoration. Gold is malleable, so it can be molded into many forms. This makes gold ideal for use in many modern technologies.
Easily shaped/manipulated/soft
Tell what the exam scorers are expecting to see in a 2/2 response for this question (excluding conventions):
How does the author structure his essay? Give examples from the text to support your answer.
-Name the organizational structure
-Give specific examples (signal words) that tell you what the structure is
What does the personification in this text suggest?
Ten thousand daffodils saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The daffodils were moving in the wind.
In 1968, when the Democratic Party held its convention in Chicago to select a presidential candidate, the United States was at war in Vietnam. Thousands of Americans and Vietnamese had died in the war, giving rise to a growing anti-war movement. President Johnson, a Democrat, declined to run for reelection, in part because of the heavy opposition to his conduct of the war. Just months before the convention, both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, contributing to widespread unrest. Anti-war protesters wanted the Democratic Party to oppose the war, but they were excluded from the convention. This set off violent clashes between police and protesters on Chicago streets. The violence at the convention captured the nation's attention, strengthened the peace movement, and led to reforms in the nominating process.
Cause-effect
A typical human baby is born with around 300 bones, but by the time that baby reaches adulthood, it will have only 206. Initially, such a notable diminution in the number of bones may seem counterintuitive—shouldn't a skeleton need more bones, not fewer, as it grows? The explanation lies in the way bones grow and develop.
different from what's expected
Tell what the exam scorers are expecting to see in a 2/2 response for this question (excluding conventions):
How does the poet use literary devices to support the theme?
-You know what a literary device is (and give 2 examples from the text of them)
-You know what a theme is (and what the theme of the poem is)
-You can show a connection between the examples you chose and the theme of the poem
What does the simile in this text suggest?
The politician said that his belief in freedom of expression is as solid as the ground we stand on.
The politician's belief is firm and will not change.
People have different learning styles, and it can be helpful to understand your own. For example, if you're a visual learner who acquires knowledge most easily by reading or seeing, the best study methods for you may be using flash cards, writing things down, or color-coding information to remember it more easily. On the other hand, if you're an auditory learner, you tend to learn best by hearing and listening. If that's the case, you may study more effectively by reading new materials aloud or having someone else read stories, directions, assignments, or questions to you.
Compare-contrast
The 1993 movie Jurassic Park explores dangers that can arise from using technology to resurrect extinct species. In the film, scientists extract dinosaur DNA from prehistoric mosquitoes preserved in amber and use it to create living dinosaurs for an island theme park. However, the dinosaurs prove to be less tractable than predicted. They escape from their enclosures and begin attacking the humans, creating chaos on the island. The movie serves as a warning about the revival of extinct species—a process known as de-extinction.
easy to control
Tell what the exam scorers are expecting to see in a 2/2 response for this question (excluding conventions):
Why does the author choose to end the passage with a rhetorical question?
-The author's purpose
-The central idea
-Show that you know what a rhetorical question is, and give the example from the passage
What does the idiom in this text suggest?
Mandy submitted her suggestions to Bryan; now the ball is in his court.
Bryan has to act next, not Mandy.
In the 1990s, a group of women in the African country of Gambia organized to take action on plastic bags. Lacking any recycling programs, people had been throwing their used plastic bags on the ground, along with other trash. Because plastic doesn't decompose the way other waste does, piles of bags accumulated. What could they do? The women came up with a novel answer for the plastic bag puzzle. They collected and cleaned old bags, then reused them by cutting them into strips and crocheting or knitting items such as purses from the plastic. Selling their handiwork at markets, the women raised money for additional recycling programs, which enabled them to further reduce plastic litter.
Problem-solution
Although many sea creatures are bioluminescent—capable of producing light through a chemical reaction—this was the first time one had been found that could biofluoresce, or absorb and re-emit preexisting light. The discovery of the eel was only the beginning for Dr. Sparks and his team. Subsequent trips to the Bahamas and the Solomon Islands eventually revealed over 180 fish species capable of transmuting the blue light of the ocean into brilliant red, green, and orange hues.
Converting/changing
Tell what the exam scorers are expecting to see in a 2/2 response for this question (excluding conventions):
How does the author use language to convey the tone?
-"Language" = diction or literary devices
-Tone = the author's attitude
-What the author's tone is
-Specific examples (quotes) of how the author uses diction or lit. devices to convey tone
What does the euphemism in this text suggest?
The Benton family donated a number of gently loved books and toys to a local shelter.
The donated items were not new.
Ancient Egypt's history was thousands of years long and involved three major kingdoms with intermediate periods of disorganization in the intervening years. The Old Kingdom ruled Egypt from 2686 to 2181 B.C. During this time, powerful pharaohs completed great pyramids. The kingdom collapsed into chaos and was followed by the First Intermediate Period. In 2055 B.C., the Middle Kingdom arose. It collapsed in 1786 B.C., the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period. The New Kingdom, which included King Tutankhamun's short rule, ran from 1567 to 1085 B.C. Egypt never returned to its former glory, and Alexander the Great of Macedonia conquered it in 332 B.C.
Chronological
When people think about the Medieval period in Europe, also known as the Middle Ages or Dark Ages, they often conjure up images of war, plague, and famine. This conception of the Middle Ages is largely inaccurate, however. The Medieval period saw the founding of the first universities in Europe as well as the construction of impressive cathedrals such as the Notre-Dame of Paris. A number of scientific inventions, such as eyeglasses and mechanical clocks, improved everyday life considerably during this time. The use of heavy ploughs, horse collars, and water mills also increased agricultural productivity. There was no paucity of literary genius, either; many poetic masterpieces, such as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Dante's Divine Comedy, were written during the Middle Ages.
Shortage