Theme/Central Idea
Samantha wanted a new cell phone. She worked all summer at the local Dairy Queen. She wasn't able to attend parties, movies, or beach trips because she worked so many hours. By September 1st she had enough money to buy the phone. When she got it home, she realized it wasn't much different than the one she had.
Which is the best theme?
A. Work hard to achieve goals in life.
B. A young girl works all summer for a cell phone.
C. People should never work summer jobs.
D. Be careful what you wish for.
What is D. Be careful what you wish for?
(1) She didn't mind that she sat on the bus all day. (2) Her daily work was not of the sitting-down kind, so it was a good break. (3) She started this trip on a Sunday at nine in the morning. (4) Because of the waiting times between busses, it took her until about two in the afternoon to arrive in Dublin. (5) Doree had to take the bus to Dublin.
These sentences are out of order. What is the correct order?
What is 5 Doree had to take the bus to Dublin., 3 She started this trip on a Sunday at nine in the morning., 4 Because of the waiting times between busses, it took her until about two in the afternoon to reach Dublin., 1 She didn't mind that she sat on the bus all day., 2 Her daily work was not of the sitting-down kind, so it was a good break.?
Which element of plot adds complications to the conflict and increases reader interest?
A. Resolution
B. Conflict
C. Exposition
D. Falling Action
E. Rising Action
What is E. Rising Action?
Anna Margolis, President of Charities in America, asked for substantial donations. What does this mean?
A. Donations from all family members.
B. Donations that are tax deductible.
C. Donations in large amounts.
D. Donations for children in need.
What is C. Donations in large amounts?
If you want to write a story from multiple points of view, which would be the BEST narration to use?
A. 1st person
B. 3rd person objective
C. 3rd person limited
D. 3rd person omniscient
What is D. 3rd person omniscient?
Open heart and open mind,
On a journey of a lifetime.
Love and respect all,
Get back up when you fall.
Which word BEST sums up the central idea of the poem?
A. Integrity
B. Vacation
C. Encouragement
D. Candor
What is A. Integrity?
I come with no wrapping or pretty pink bows.
I am who I am, from my head to my toes.
I tend to get loud when speaking my mind.
Even a little crazy some of the time.
I'm not a size 5 and don't care to be.
You can be you and I can be me.
Which word BEST describes the speaker of the poem?
A. Charitable
B. Despondent
C. Devious
D. Confident
What is D. Confident?
Also known as denouement, this element of plot ties up loose ends.
A. Resolution
B. Conflict
C. Exposition
D. Falling Action
E. Rising Action
What is A. Resolution?
(1) My school bus is as slow as molasses in winter. (2) It takes forever to get to my stop in the morning. (3) My teeth chatter as I wait in subzero temperatures for it to arrive. (4) It is the bane of my existence. (5) If I could drive at 13 years of age, my life would be much easier.
Which sentence has an example of onomatopoeia?
What is (3) My teeth chatter as I wait in subzero temperatures for it to arrive?
"Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works." Virginia Woolf
(1) Born into a privileged English household in 1882, author Virginia Woolf was raised by free-thinking parents. (2) She began writing as a young girl and published her first novel, The Voyage Out, in 1915. (3) She used her own experiences with depression as a major source. (4) In 1981, Louis DeSalvo published an alternate version of The Voyage Out under another title.
Which sentence from the excerpt BEST verifies the ideas behind the quote from Virginia Woolf?
What is (3) She uses her own experiences with depression as a major source?
We've all had that spark of inspiration where we've wanted to do something that will outlast our physical form. Then we share the idea with a friends, family, and work colleagues and get told to quit while we are ahead. I'm telling you not to quit. I'm telling you that you are capable of making a worldwide change. I began blogging in 2014 and thought it was going to be a side hobby that was a bit of fun. Fast forward to now and I'm reaching millions of people a month and inspiring people to live a better life while helping others along the way. If I can do it, you can too.
Which is the BEST summary of this excerpt?
A. People should blog about their personal feelings.
B. Ordinary people can make a difference in the world.
C. People who try to stop you from doing something are usually jealous.
D. Everyone needs to commit themselves to a long-term project.
What is B. Ordinary people can make a difference in the world?
Tom grabbed his lunch and went to the back of the room. Bill sat down with him, hitting Ben on the head along the way. Andrew knocked his napkin off the table, and stole Ted's money on the way back up. Ted didn't notice. He laughed about a joke that no one thought was funny.
Which boy can be considered "devious"?
A. Tom
B. Bill
C. Andrew
D. Ted
What is C. Andrew?
(1) The story opens in Topeka, Kansas, during WWI. Sarah Elizabeth wants the right to vote. (2) She cannot understand why she is denied this right. (3) She participates in many protests over the years. (4) In 1920, women were given the right to vote with the 19th Amendment. (5) Eventually, women were given additional rights. (6) Sarah Elizabeth died in 1990, content with the role she played many years earlier for women's suffrage.
Which sentence represents the climax?
What is (4) "In 1920, women were given the right to vote with the 19th amendment."?
Juan decided he didn't want to hang around with Bert anymore, because Bert is too capricious.
What does "capricious" mean?
A. impulsive
B. tedious
C. fragile
D. uncoordinated
What is A. impulsive?
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you-Nobody-Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! They'd advertise - you know!
How dreary - to be - Somebody!
How public - like a Frog-
To tell one's name-the livelong June-
To an admiring Bog!
Emily Dickinson
Choose two character traits that BEST describe the speaker of the poem.
A. introspective
B. cooperative
C. impulsive
D. independent
E. quarrelsome
What are A. introspective and D. independent?
In The Battle of the Bogarts, the three Bogart children battle the wicked King of Summerlin, who steals from the poor. It took three long and challenging battles, but the children defeated the king in the end. The oldest child, Meredith, led the final rebellion with a team of overzealous ostriches. At the end, she was crowned queen. Peace reigned in the City of Emerald for years to come.
What is the theme?
A. There is never a good reason to fight.
B. The importance of being crowned king or queen.
C. In the end, good triumphs over evil.
D. A girl leads a battle.
What is C. In the end, good triumphs over evil?
In the course of her discussion, teacher and journalist, Caryn Windell, observes, "Thirty years ago people who thought they had a story to tell sat down and wrote a novel. Today they sit and write a memoir." She does not try to explain this shift towards personal narrative, but concentrates instead on what distinguishes a successful memoir from a failed one.
What trend did Caryn Windell point out about writing?
A. Teachers assign more memoirs today.
B. Students are nervous about writing novels today.
C. In the past, students never wrote memoirs.
D. Today, people prefer to write memoirs over novels.
What is D. Today, people prefer to write memoirs over novels?
(1) The story opens in San Francisco, California. (2) Carol and Bob live in a lovely home. (3) They planned a trip to Japan. (4) Since they are unable to have children of their own, they are going to Japan to adopt a little girl. (5) They were shocked by the amount of children in the orphanage. (6) Instead of adopting one little girl, they came home with three!
Which sentence represents the conflict of the story?
What is (4) "Since they are unable to have children of their own, they are going to Japan to adopt a little girl."?
"Life is a Highway that takes us through green pastures, vast deserts, and rocky mountains. Sometimes your car breaks down or you run out of gas, and sometimes you get lost. Friends are the roadmaps that help you get where you are going."
What is this paragraph an example of?
A. hyphenated modifiers
B. historical allusion
C. extended metaphor
D. literary allusion
What is C. extended metaphor?
In Macbeth, the main character hears of his wife's death and gives this soliloquy:
Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
What is Macbeth emphasizing in this soliloquy?
A. Life is sad, but it is silly to want a longer life.
B. Life is short and meaningless
C. Life is fun, but we all have to go sometime.
D. Life is lonely without adventure.
What is B. Life is short and meaningless?
We are the dry wind,
but broken shadows of our former selves.
Left with nothing
but the jealousy in our hearts.
What is the overall tone of this poem?
A. Bitter
B. Excited
C. Formal
D. Humble
What is A. Bitter?
The dresser in the cellar caught my interest. Somewhere along the way, it had been painted blue. It looked small and cheap. I remembered it being a much bigger and heavier piece of furniture-more substantial. I recalled standing on the pulls of the bottom drawer to reach the top. Which explained why some of the pulls were missing. I smiled thinking of how I have seen my son scale his dresser in the same way.
Which word BEST explains how the narrator is feeling?
A. Disappointed
B. Nostalgic
C. Annoyed
D. Euphoric
What is B. Nostalgic?
If you wrote a murder mystery, during which element of plot would the clues start to pile up?
What is the rising action?
The way I look at it, someone needs to start doing something about diseases. What's the big deal? People are dying. But the average person doesn't think twice about it until it affects them or someone they know.
Which is the BEST word to describe the tone of this excerpt?
A. formal
B. critical
C. hopeless
D. enthusiastic
What is B. critical?
"Momma was the only one who wasn't born in Flint so the cold was coldest to her. All you could see were her eyes too, and they were shooting bad looks at Dad. She always blamed him for bringing her all the way from Alabama to Michigan, as state she called a giant icebox. Dad was bundled up on the other side of Joey, trying to look at anything but Momma. Next to Dad, sitting with a little space between them, was my older brother Byron." - Christopher Paul Curtis
Which of these BEST describes how Dad is feeling?
A. angry
B. bored
C. nervous
D. distracted
What is C. nervous?