Show:
Open Response Parts
Open Response Scoring
Characteristics of Open Response Questions
Open Response strategies
Forming an answer
100
After answering the open response question, you must immediately provide this to back up your assertion.
What is textual evidence?
100
For each open response question, you can earn a maximum of this many points.
What is 4?
100
Since all open response questions are Level 2 questions, every question will require you to make one of these about the text.
What is an inference?
100
When a passage has an open response question, it's a good idea to do this before reading the passage.
What is read the open response question?
100
Answer this prompt using vocabulary: "Explain why people attend school."
People attend school because...
200
The open response question is asking about an article about ninjas. You are really excited! You know so much about ninjas already. You can't wait to start writing everything you know. What MCAS Man trap have you fallen into?
What is using your outside knowledge?
200
All open response questions have this type of answer, even though different students can write it in different ways.
What is a correct answer?
200
Open responses are designed to test your comprehension of the text. That means they will always ask you to find these in the text.
What are details/evidence?
200
Before you write your open response in your answer booklet, you should always...
What is make a rough draft?
200
Answer this prompt using vocabulary: "Describe the appearance of this classroom."
The appearance of this classroom can be described as...
300
No matter how much textual evidence you have, and no matter how well you explain the evidence, if you don't begin your open response with this, you cannot succeed.
What is the answer?
300
Some people believe that the more you write in your open response, the better score you will earn. They write a bunch of opinions and outside knowledge on their open responses. Sadly for those people, the scorers do this to all opinions and outside knowledge in an open response.
What is cross them out?
300
One of MCAS Man's most common open response traps is to ask a question that has more than one of these.
What are parts?
300
One way to keep your answer organized is to make one of these before writing your answer.
What is a graphic organizer?
300
Answer this prompt using vocabulary: "Analyze the reasons why open responses are difficult."
Open responses are difficult because...
400
On the MCAS, you have to read the most BORING story ever. Then, to make it worse, the open response question is asking you what makes the story engaging. "Nothing at all!" you think. Too bad, you just fell into an MCAS Man trap! What does MCAS Man absolutely NOT care about?
What is your opinion about the text?
400
The ELA MCAS open response questions are worth approximately this much of your total MCAS score.
What is 1/3 or 33%?
400
Open responses are designed to test this skill.
What is reading comprehension?
400
After you read the question, what is the first thing you must do?
What is re-read the question to make sure you understand it?
400
Answer this prompt using vocabulary: "Compare and contrast the Yankees and the Red Sox."
The Yankees and the Red Sox are similar and different in many ways...
500
Once you've answered the open response question correctly and given textual evidence to support your answer, you still need to do this to your evidence.
What is explain how it supports your answer.
500
If you want to earn a perfect "4" on an open response question, you have to make sure your answer is these three things. (Hint: cl___r, c_____ete, and acc_______te)
What is clear, complete, and accurate?
500
Open responses require the ability to write this type of paragraph.
What is literary analysis?
500
If you truly understand what the open response question is asking, you should be able to do this.
What is paraphrase the question in your own words?
500
Answer this prompt using vocabulary: "Compare and contrast how you behave at school and at home."
I behave at home and in school in many similar and different ways...