About the Test
According to the packet's suggested pacing for a three-hour test, how many minutes should you allocate to complete Part I (Reading Comprehension), and how many total texts will you read in that section?
What is 60 minutes (1 hour) to read 3 texts?
This strategy is defined as "a universal truth about life as the author sees it."
What is a theme?
"The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly upon the asphalt, radiating waves of dry heat that distorted the horizon. Maya wiped the sweat from her forehead and stared at the empty water canteen. She had three miles left to walk."
Question: The author uses setting primarily to establish a mood of:
a) indifference, b) anticipation, c) hardship, 4) contempt
What is C? (The dry heat, merciless sun, and empty canteen emphasize a struggle).
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same...
Answer Criterion: Write an intro/magic sentence for a part 3 response about the above poem.
In The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost uses symbolism to develop the central idea that life's choices require careful deliberation because they shape a person's ultimate destiny.
Topic Prompt: Should automated AI tools be permitted to grade standardized student essays?
Write an insightful claim that answers the above prompt.
"Automated AI tools should not be permitted to grade standardized essays because algorithms lack the capacity to evaluate stylistic nuance, emotional depth, and original creative thought."
Name the specific element that Part II requires you to both acknowledge and disprove in order to secure your full source-based essay credits
What is a counterclaim / counterargument?
If an author uses a phrase that explicitly appeals to a reader's sense of smell, they are using which specific sub-type of imagery?
What is olfactory imagery?
"When the town council announced the new highway project, Mr. Harrison didn't join the raucous protests at city hall. Instead, he quietly went home, pulled out his grandfather’s old leather-bound ledger, and began meticulously mapping out the precise boundary lines of the historic town meadow."
Question: Mr. Harrison’s actions best illustrate that his approach to the challenge is:
a) analytical and deliberate, b) hostile and aggressive, c) indifferent and passive, or d) skeptical and chaotic
What is A? (Meticulously mapping boundaries with a historical document shows he is studying the issue closely and carefully
“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.
"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls."
What is a sentence that correctly identifies Kafka, The Metamorphosis, uses a strategy like imagery / setting / conflict, and states a central idea regarding alienation or sudden life changes?
Example Winning Answer: "In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka uses conflict to develop the central idea that sudden, catastrophic changes can isolate an individual from their own family.
Should public schools implement a four-day school week?
Write an insightful claim for the above prompt.
"Public schools should implement a four-day school week because it optimizes operational budgets and alleviates student burnout without compromising academic performance."
If a student writes a Part II Argumentative Essay that is beautifully written but only contains evidence from two texts, what is the highest score they can achieve?
What is a three out of six?
Identify the writing strategy being used in this sentence: "The dynamic between the hot, barren desert landscape and the cold, unyielding silence of the protagonist's emotional state highlighted his absolute isolation."
What is contrast (or setting / characterization)?
"Our modern obsession with digital connectivity masquerades as a tool for global democratization, yet it subtly functions as an architect of isolation. We mistake the superficial echo-chambers of social media validation for genuine community, trading the rich, messy tapestry of physical human dialogue for sterile, optimized interfaces."
Question: The passage implies that the "modern obsession with digital connectivity" ultimately results in:
a) an enhancement of global democratic ideals, b) a deceptive sense of social belonging, c) an increase in productive physical dialogue, d) a rejection of all optimized interfaces
What is B? (The passage states it "masquerades" as a positive tool but is an "architect of isolation," which is a classic Opposite/Twisted Meaning wrong answer trap if a student picks A
“Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass.
"I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and apparently incoherent songs. They told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension... Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains."
Answer Criterion: Write an intro/magic sentence for a part 3 response about the above poem.
Example Winning Answer: "In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass uses auditory imagery to develop the central idea that art and music can convey deep, unspoken human suffering.
Should the government regulate social media algorithms to protect minor users?
State an insightful claim for the above question.
Example Winning Answer: "The government must regulate social media algorithms to protect minor users because targeted, engagement-driven feeds exploit adolescent psychology and create documented mental health crises."
According to the state's breakdown of maximum weighted score credits, what is the exact combined maximum credit value of Part I (Reading Comprehension) and Part II (Argument), and what fraction of the total exam score does this combination represent?
What is 48 out of 56 credits (which reduces to 6/7 of the entire exam)?
A student wants to analyze a text where the author builds an argument using statistics, data, and hard facts, while simultaneously establishing their own expertise as a credible researcher. Which two specific persuasive strategies is this author deploying?
What are logos (logic/reason) and ethos (credibility/ethics)?
"The senator's sudden endorsement of the environmental bill was viewed with deep skepticism by her long-term aides. For years, she had treated conservation efforts with a chilly indifference, consistently voting to clear-cut the northern wetlands. To assert that her sudden policy pivot was born of genuine ideological conversion rather than raw political necessity challenges the basic intelligence of the electorate."
Question: The author's primary purpose in this passage is to:
A) Defend the senator's sudden ideological change of heart.
B) Clarify the legislative details of the new environmental bill.
C) Convey contempt for the political opportunism of the senator.
D) Outline the historical timeline of the northern wetlands preservation.
What is C? (The phrase "challenges the basic intelligence of the electorate" and the contrast with past "chilly indifference" convey a strong feeling that her actions deserve scorn—matching the packet's definition of contempt).
Passage Prompt: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Craft a complete "magic sentence" introduction for Part 3 of the Regents based on the above passage.
Example Winning Answer: "In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism to develop the central idea that humanity's obsessive desire to recreate the past often prevents them from moving forward in life."
For the following topic, state a clear, formal, insightful claim that directly addresses the prompt.
Topic Prompt: Should algorithmic biometric surveillance (facial recognition) be utilized in public housing complexes for security?
"Algorithmic biometric surveillance should not be utilized in public housing complexes because it violates tenants' civil liberties, perpetuates systemic bias, and misallocates funds that would be better spent on community-led safety programs."
Based on the "Preparing for Test Day" timeline in your review packet: What specific, non-academic action does the packet explicitly direct you to start doing 3 days before test day, and what are you warned not to do the night before?
What is getting on a good sleep schedule 3 days before, and no heavy studying the night before?
"The global financial market became an insatiable beast, devouring the life savings of unsuspecting citizens while Wall Street executives watched from their glass towers. For these tycoons, money wasn't just currency; it was the very oxygen they breathed, a lifeline keeping their empires afloat as the rest of the world drowned in a sea of debt."
The passage contains multiple writing strategies from page 4 of "Regents Review Packet.pdf". Identify the specific type of figurative language used in the phrase "money wasn't just currency; it was the very oxygen they breathed," and explain how it structurally differs from a simile.
What is a metaphor?
The distinction: According to the packet, a metaphor makes a direct comparison without using the words "like" or "as", whereas a simile explicitly relies on "like" or "as" to establish the comparison.
"Artistic movements do not emerge from a vacuum; rather, they are the prevailing echoes of societal trauma. The fragmented, jarring geometry of early 20th-century Cubism was not merely a whimsical aesthetic experiment, but a structural reflection of a continent fractured by industrialized warfare. To analyze the brushstrokes without accounting for the trenches is to misread the canvas entirely."
Question: Based on the passage, the relationship between historical trauma and dominant artistic styles is best described as one where history:
A) Solicits artistic approval through subtle, hidden allusions.
B) Serves as the primary catalyst that shapes the structure and meaning of art.
C) Affirms the validity of whimsical, aesthetic experiments.
D) Functions to isolate artists from the messy realities of physical dialogue.
What is B? (The passage states movements are "prevailing echoes" and "structural reflections" of trauma, meaning history acts as the primary, deep-rooted driver of the art's framework).
Passage Prompt: “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare.
"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the green one red... To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself."
Craft a complete "magic sentence" introduction for Part 3 of the Regents based on the above passage.
Example Winning Answer: "In Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses hyperbole to develop the central idea that the guilt resulting from severe moral transgression causes an irreversible fracturing of a person's psyche."
For the following topic, state a clear, formal, insightful claim that directly addresses the prompt.
Topic Prompt: Should deep space exploration be funded primarily by private corporations rather than sovereign governments?
"Sovereign governments, rather than private corporations, must remain the primary funders of deep space exploration to ensure that scientific discoveries remain public goods and celestial resource acquisition is governed by international law rather than corporate profit."