Theme
Mary had practiced her recital piece for an hour. She still couldn’t get it right. She threw her music to the floor and stormed from the room. She told her mother that she was just going to quit piano because she would never learn to play her recital piece. Her mother told her to give it time. She explained that it took more than one practice session to learn a piano piece. She told her that if she would practice her piece every day, eventually she would learn it. Mary wasn’t sure she agreed, but for the next week she practiced every day. To her surprise one day, she realized that she had played her piece perfectly. Her mom had been right after all.
Which of the following is the theme of the passage?
A. We create our own happiness?
B. Knowledge is powerful.
C. Practice makes perfect.
D. Enjoy life while you can.
Read the sentence from paragraph 1.
Born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Johnson’s love for mathematics was inherent, an impulse she had from birth. Based on the context of the sentence, which words mean the same as inherent?
A. To beg someone for something
B. To ask someone for something
C. To yell at someone
D. To ask someone to do something for you so you don't have to do it
All Victor ever wanted to do with his life was be a singer. He didn’t pay attention in school and he spent all of his time at home watching music videos online and impersonating his idols. His mother tried to teach him the value of getting an education and having a backup plan, but Victor would respond the same way every time, “Mom, I won’t need to know any of that boring old stuff when I’m famous. You’ll see.” But there was one major problem with Victor’s plan: he wasn’t any good at singing. Victor wanted to be a singer so badly, that he didn’t notice the pained look on the faces of those who endured his singing. Because he wanted to be a singer so badly, when honest people told him to find something else to do with his life, he accused them of being “jealous haters” and ignored their advice. After Victor dropped out of high school to focus on his music career, the years passed and the doors never opened.
Part A
A. Good triumphs over evil.
B. Never pursue a music career.
C. Bullies can be overcome.
D. It's important to listen to other's advice.
Read the sentence below. Based on the context, what does the idiom "lend me a hand mean?" I called my sister on the phone to ask her if she could lend me a hand.
A. To tell someone how to do something
B. To ask for assistance
C. To give them your hand
D. To take on all of the responsibility for doing the work
All Victor ever wanted to do with his life was be a singer. He didn’t pay attention in school and he spent all of his time at home watching music videos online and impersonating his idols. His mother tried to teach him the value of getting an education and having a backup plan, but Victor would respond the same way every time, “Mom, I won’t need to know any of that boring old stuff when I’m famous. You’ll see.” But there was one major problem with Victor’s plan: he wasn’t any good at singing. Victor wanted to be a singer so badly, that he didn’t notice the pained look on the faces of those who endured his singing. Because he wanted to be a singer so badly, when honest people told him to find something else to do with his life, he accused them of being “jealous haters” and ignored their advice. After Victor dropped out of high school to focus on his music career, the years passed and the doors never opened.
Part B. Explain what evidence from the text supports your theme.
Grandpa's Tales
by Tina Tocco
By dusk there is little to do.
The horses are bedded down.
The barn is tired from its long day.
The chickens retire to their coops.
Our bones agree.
We sit on the porch
or the grass
or the couch.
We listen to Grandpa tell his tales.
They are olden tales we can
only imagine.
His tales are birds taking flight.
They are beautiful and quick.
They have wings and a destination.
His tales are like flowing rivers.
They rage and they turn.
They are strong.
They have endings we need to reach.
Which of the following is an example of a metaphor from the poem?
A. His tales are like flowing rivers.
B. The chickens retire from their coop.
C. The barn is tired from its long day.
D. His tales are birds taking flight.
Money Mark was born rich. He never had to work a day in his life and he got everything handed to him on a silver platter. When he was six, Money Mark wanted to go to a basketball game.
His father paid the starting five of the Bulls and Celtics to play a private game of Nerf-ball in Money Mark’s bedroom. When Money Mark turned thirteen, he wanted to start a band. His father hired the Mountain Boys to play with him every Saturday at the family’s private concert hall, though his family was never there. By the time he was twenty-one, Money Mark was bored with life. He was surrounded by a bunch of possessions that he didn’t appreciate. Nothing was new or exciting to him. Despite his vast wealth, Money Mark never found happiness.
Penny Petal was born poor. Her family hardly had anything to eat, but they loved each other. Penny Petal appreciated every thing she got. When she was six, her father walked her around the United Center before the Bulls played the Celtics. She was excited by the crazy fans and feeling in the air. She looked forward to the day that she could see a real game. When she was thirteen, she learned to play the buckets. She was an extremely talented musician, a natural percussionist. Everyone on the block loved the rhythms that poured from her palms. By the time she was twenty-one, Penny was a successful businesswoman. Soon she had everything that she had ever dreamed of having. She loved to share her wealth and happiness with her family, who had supported her through the hard times.
Which of the following is the theme of the passage?
A. Money can't buy happiness.
B. It is best to give than receive.
C. Mark should have given the money to charity.
D. Penny should have lost a of her money.
Select the sentence that contains an example of personification.
In 1918, soldiers at Fort Riley Kansas, became ill with the Spanish flu. Some died within two days. Troops fighting in World War I unknowingly carried the sickness all over the world. The flu ignored efforts to stop its spread. When it disappeared a year later, 20 million people had died.
Which of the following is an example of personification?
A. Some died within two days.
B. The flu ignored efforts to stop its spread.
C. 20 million people had died.
D. Some unknowing carried the sickness all over the world.
Blaine opened up the present and began pouting. He screamed in a high-pitched voice, "This is Captain Thunder! I wanted Captain Lightning!" His mother looked at him with dismay and handed him another present, which he greedily opened. "Why did you get me a red hat? You know I like blue more," Blaine whined as he threw the hat across the room. His mother straightened her expression and squinted at him. Earlier she had hoped to take some pictures of this moment, but by now she had put away her camera. She sighed and handed him one more present in hopes that this year wouldn't be a total bust. Blaine huffed and opened it. "A Game Box 4000… wow. Where's the Game Box 5000 that I asked for?" His mother could bear his ingratitude no longer. The next time that Blaine returned from his father's house, he was shocked to find that all of these toys and gifts, along with many other of his things, had been generously donated to needy children.
What is the theme of the passage?
A. Expensive gifts are better than cheap ones.
B. Be grateful for what you have.
C. A rich man is never satisfied.
D. A poor man always wants something to be given to him.
Reality TV place ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Maybe that's why they are so popular. Just face it, modern day tv can be as exciting as watching grass grow. Reality TV allows us to see what happens to ordinary people. Who knows, they may be next.
The underlined portion of the sentence is an example of which of the following types of figurative language
A. Hyperbole
B. Figurative Language
C. Simile
D. Metaphor