A - Dead Languages
What is the definition of theme?
Theme is the life lesson the author wants to teach the reader.
from The Lake of Dead Languages
(7) In paragraphs 9 and 10 of the passage from The Lake of Dead Languages, how does the author develop Jane’s point of view about Latin?
A. by suggesting that Jane thinks studying Latin is useless
B. by explaining that Jane’s mother insisted she study Latin
C. by explaining Jane’s father’s experience with learning Latin
D. by suggesting that Jane believes Latin will be an easy class
B. by explaining that Jane’s mother insisted she study Latin
Jane’s ambivalence (mixed feelings) toward Latin is developed through her mother’s attitude toward Latin: Jane should take Latin for no other reason than to meet interesting people, and not “from any belief” (paragraph 9) in Jane’s talents or abilities. C Incorrect. Although Jane’s f
The definition of central idea?
It is a one sentence summary that wraps the writing up into a neat little bow!
(The unifying element of a piece of a text )
Part A How does the structure of the passage from Flowers in the Sky most contribute to its meaning?
A. By including Nina’s conversation with the boy, the author emphasizes that Nina makes poor decisions.
B. Through the dialogue with other students, the reader understands Nina’s feelings about herself.
C. Through the conflict between Nina and the other students, the reader sees Nina’s struggle to be polite.
D. By including Nina’s thoughts during her first days at school, the author reveals Nina’s inner conflicts.
D. By including Nina’s thoughts during her first days at school, the author reveals Nina’s inner conflicts.
Nina’s inner conflicts are revealed through her thoughts to herself on her first days at a new school.
In paragraph 5, Nina overcomes her natural shyness, noting that she “shouldn’t be so quick to say no,” and accepts Bunny’s offer of a makeover; and, in paragraph 20, she wishes she “was more like Bunny, laughing and joking about everything, instead of being so serious all the time.”
Part A How do paragraphs 1 and 2 most develop a central idea of the passage from Flowers in the Sky?
A. They show how important making friends is to Nina.
B. They show how interested other students are in Nina.
C. They reveal that Nina is uncomfortable at her new school.
D. They reveal that Nina is eager to show others her learning.
C. They reveal that Nina is uncomfortable at her new school.
The paragraphs develop the central idea that Nina is uncomfortable at the strange, new school. She describes the “pretty teenagers” who act “like animals” (paragraph 1) and despite trying “to hide in the back” (paragraph 2), Nina is forced to sit in front and be introduced to her new classmates.
from The Lake of Dead Languages
10. How does the text structure of the passage from The Lake of Dead Languages best help the reader to understand Jane?
A. The dialogue makes the reader view Jane, Lucy, and Matt in a negative way.
B. The nervousness Jane feels about going to school makes the reader feel suspense.
C. The shifts back and forth in time help the reader understand why Jane did not speak truthfully to her friends.
D. The use of flashback helps the reader understand why Jane discussed school with her parents.
C. The shifts back and forth in time help the reader understand why Jane did not speak truthfully to her friends.
This is the best explanation of how the text structure helps the reader understand Jane. The shifts back and forth between the conversation with Matt and Lucy and the conversation Jane has had with her parents reveal what Jane is thinking as she talks to Lucy and Matt, along with the reason she chooses not to explain to them why she is taking Latin. D Incorrect
from The Lake of Dead Languages
(8) What does the phrase blathered on mean as it is used in paragraph 14 of the passage from The Lake of Dead Languages?
A. talked without making sense
B. tried without succeeding
C. described in great detail
D. avoided by distraction
A. talked without making sense
This is the best explanation of the meaning of the phrase “blathered on.” The context in paragraph 12 indicates that Jane tries to think of something to talk about (“I searched my head for anything I knew about Latin”). Then, in paragraph 14, Jane feels she is talking on and on without really knowing too much about what she is saying.
from Flowers in the Sky
1. In paragraph 1 of the passage from Flowers in the Sky, what does the comparison to a pot boiling over with excitement suggest about the school?
A. The school is hot.
B. The school is lively.
C. The school is messy.
D. The school is frightening
B. The school is lively.
The context in paragraph 1 supports the idea that the school is lively. The narrator, Nina, describes the “overly bright colors,” the “noises that popped and fizzled,” and the “pretty teenagers acting like animals.”
Part B Which evidence best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “‘You are so pretty,’ she declared in a bubbly voice. ‘You could be a model!’” (paragraph 4)
B. “I started to shake my head, but then I stopped.” (paragraph 5)
C. “‘No thanks.’ I was too shocked to say anything else.” (paragraph 18)
D. “That was the exact question I asked myself every morning in this new world, but I didn’t say that to him.” (paragraph 23)
D. “That was the exact question I asked myself every morning in this new world, but I didn’t say that to him.” (paragraph 23)
This sentence reveals an important inner conflict of Nina’s: who she is in “this new world” (paragraph 23). This evidence supports the idea that describing Nina’s thoughts during her first days at school contributes to the meaning of the passage.
Part B Which evidence from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “After the emptiness of Darrio’s apartment . . .” (paragraph 1)
B. “I tried to hide in the back of my classes. . . .” (paragraph 2)
C. “. . . gave me tests and quizzes to see what I knew . . .” (paragraph 2)
D. “. . . at least ten kids had asked me if I had just arrived. . . .” (paragraph 2)
B. “I tried to hide in the back of my classes. . . .” (paragraph 2)
This evidence is the best answer because it directly states that Nina is trying to hide from the other students and suggests that she is uncomfortable in her new school, which is a central idea developed in paragraphs 1–2.
from The Lake of Dead Languages
(6) PART A: Which statement best describes a theme developed in the passage from The Lake of Dead Languages?
A. Sometimes it is necessary to be untruthful
B. Prejudices often affect choices people make
C. The simplest questions are often the hardest to answer
D. Parents sometimes impose their dreams on their children.
D. Parents sometimes impose their dreams on their children.
Paragraph 10 includes Jane’s father’s explanation that Jane’s mom was not able to pursue certain opportunities because her mother would not allow her to do so. Jane’s mother’s insistence that Jane take Latin shows that her mother wants Jane to have those opportunities she didn’t have, which contributes to the theme of parents imposing their dreams on their children.
from The Lake of Dead Languages
Part A
What does the dialogue in paragraphs 14–19 of the passage from The Lake of Dead Languages reveal about Matt and Lucy?
A. They are competing to get into the same school.
B. They are eager to learn all they can in Latin class.
C. They are also as confused about learning Latin as Jane is.
D. They are getting increasingly nervous about studying mythology.
B. They are eager to learn all they can in Latin class.
Throughout the dialogue in paragraphs 14–19, Matt and Lucy indicate that they are excited about learning Latin, and despite all of the “grunt work with declension endings and conjugations” (paragraph 19), they are confident that if they study hard, Domina Chambers will let them “read extra bits” (paragraph 19).
(BOTH) How do Bunny in the passage from Flowers in the Sky and Lucy in the passage from The Lake of Dead Languages affect the plots of the stories?
A. Both characters help a new student with schoolwork.
B. Both characters start a friendship with a new student.
C. Both characters give a new student advice about teachers.
D. Both characters introduce a new student to a group of friends.
B. Both characters start a friendship with a new student.
Bunny and Lucy start friendships with Nina and Jane, respectively, and the friendships affect the plots of both stories. Bunny’s interactions with Nina help her become more involved with other students, and Lucy’s friendship with Jane makes her feel she could follow her anywhere.
Part A How does the setting of the passage from Flowers in the Sky influence Nina’s decision described in paragraph 5?
A. by encouraging her to make new friends
B. by forcing her to see herself as others do
C. by challenging her to behave like other people do
D. by showing her that reality matches her expectations
A. by encouraging her to make new friends
Because Nina is in a new school, she knows she needs to make an effort to meet new people and make new friends. Evidence for this is in paragraph
5, when Nina realizes that she “shouldn’t be so quick to say no” when a girl offers to do a makeover for her.
Part A What does the conversation in paragraphs 17–20 of the passage from Flowers in the Sky most reveal about Nina?
A. Nina misses the snacks she used to eat in her home country.
B. Nina envies the way her new friend behaves in social situations.
C. Nina prefers to know people better before becoming their friend.
D. Nina wishes her classmate would leave her alone so she can read.
B. Nina envies the way her new friend behaves in social situations.
In paragraph 20, Nina thinks about what Bunny might have done in response to the boy’s offer, and she wishes she could be as socially confident as Bunny is.
from The Lake of Dead Languages
(6) Part B:
Which evidence from the passage supports the answer to Part A? (Part A was - Parents sometimes impose their dreams on their children.)
A. “‘So why did you sign on?’ he asked.” (paragraph 7)
B. “‘French and Spanish are common. . . .’” (paragraph 9)
C. “‘She wants those things for you because her mother wouldn’t let her try for anything. . . .’” (paragraph 10)
D. "Of course I couldn't tell Matt and Lucy any of this." (paragraph 110
C. “‘She wants those things for you because her mother wouldn’t let her try for anything. . . .’” (paragraph 10)
This statement by Jane’s father directly states the reason she is taking Latin and provides the best support for the theme that parents sometimes impose their dreams on their children.
from The Lake of Dead Languages
(9) Part B:
Which evidence best supports the answer to Part A? (Part A was: They are eager to learn all they can in Latin class.)
A. “‘The gods and all and those stories of people turning into something else . . .’” (paragraph 14)
B. “‘Of course we won’t get to it first year.’” (paragraph 18)
C. “‘. . . Domina Chambers says if we study hard she’ll let us read extra bits.’” (paragraph 19)
D. “‘. . . she’ll help us study for the Iris Scholarship for Heart Lake. . . .’” (paragraph 19)
“‘. . . Domina Chambers says if we study hard she’ll let us read extra bits.’” (paragraph 19)
This evidence shows that Matt and Lucy are eager to learn more than is required of them, which supports the idea that the dialogue in paragraphs 14–19 shows how eager these characters are to learn all they can in Latin class.
(BOTH) Which common theme is developed in the passage from The Lake of Dead Languages and the passage from Flowers in the Sky?
A. Confidence makes other people notice you more.
B. Experiences that challenge us make us better people.
C. Kindness from others makes a difficult situation easier.
D. Advice from others can make some problems faster to solve.
C. Kindness from others makes a difficult situation easier.
Bunny’s kindness toward Nina in developing a friendship with her helps Nina begin to relax. This is expressed clearly in paragraph 14 when Nina states, “Bunny and I walked down the hallway laughing, and it felt so good to be able to laugh over something silly.” In the excerpt from The Lake of Dead Languages, Lucy and Matt’s kindness toward Jane in seeking her out and talking with her about Latin class helps make her feel more comfortable. Jane states, “I think that if they had been asking me to join the foreign legion instead of only inviting me to study Latin with them, I would have followed them into the desert willingly” (paragraph 21).
PART B: Which evidence from the passage supports the answer to Part A? (Part A was: by encouraging her to make new friends)
A. “American high school was just like the television shows. . . .” (paragraph 1)
B. “As the new girl I couldn’t hide for long. . . .” (paragraph 2)
C. “I told her over and over that I was not interested. . . .” (paragraph 15)
D. “I was shy and read at lunch. . . .” (paragraph 16)
B. “As the new girl I couldn’t hide for long. . . .” (paragraph 2)
Realizing that she couldn’t hide in the setting of a new school forces Nina to make new friends. This supports Nina’s decision in paragraph 5 to talk with Bunny.
Part B Which evidence from the passage supports the answer to Part A? (Nina envies the way her new friend behaves in social situations.)
A. “. . . a boy I’d never noticed before sat right next to me and offered me a chocolate Pop-Tart from his shirt pocket.” (paragraph 17)
B. “I stared at the shiny foil wrapper in silence.” (paragraph 17)
C. “The boy acted as if we’d known each other forever.” (paragraph 18)
D. “. . . I wished I was more like Bunny, laughing and joking about everything, instead of being so serious all the time.” (paragraph 20)
D. “. . . I wished I was more like Bunny, laughing and joking about everything, instead of being so serious all the time.” (paragraph 20)
This evidence, a direct statement of Nina’s desire, best supports the idea that the conversation in paragraphs 17–20 shows how Nina envies the way her new friend Bunny handles social situations.