Main Idea
One day while walking his dog near Tantramar Regional High School in New Brunswick, retired biologist Al Smith noticed a substantial area of abandoned farmland behind the school. Concerned about the loss of freshwater wetlands, Smith thought it would be a great place for creating a man-made wetland. His idea came to fruition in 1997 when a nonprofit organization committed to conserving Canada’s wetlands provided both the financing and labor for the project. The resulting 35-acre marsh became known as the Tantramar Wetlands. Today the Tantramar Wetlands Centre located on the site offers research and education programs year-round.
What is paragraph 2 mostly about?
A How the Tantramar Wetlands were created
B Why preserving freshwater wetlands is important
C Why a nonprofit group works to conserve wetlands
D How the Tantramar Wetlands Centre was constructed
A How the Tantramar Wetlands were created
One day while walking his dog near Tantramar Regional High School in New Brunswick, retired biologist Al Smith noticed a substantial area of abandoned farmland behind the school. Concerned about the loss of freshwater wetlands, Smith thought it would be a great place for creating a man-made wetland. His idea came to fruition in 1997 when a nonprofit organization committed to conserving Canada’s wetlands provided both the financing and labor for the project. The resulting 35-acre marsh became known as the Tantramar Wetlands. Today the Tantramar Wetlands Centre located on the site offers research and education programs year-round.
What do the words came to fruition mean in paragraph 2?
F Became a reality
G Grew in importance
H Influenced others
J Drew attention
F Became a reality
Which sentence shows that the author believes that the Wetheads are doing exceptional work at the Tantramar Wetlands Centre?
A Every year more than 100 high school volunteers, known as Wetheads, learn about the value of wetlands.
B They learn how to paddle canoes, give oral presentations, and identify the plants, birds, and mammals that make the wetlands their habitat.
C Through their enthusiasm and dedication, these high school students have done more to change how people think about wetlands than any other youth group in Canada.
D Wetheads are also trained how to place bands on the legs of birds.
C Through their enthusiasm and dedication, these high school students have done more to change how people think about wetlands than any other youth group in Canada.
Which sentence from the story provides the best evidence that Cassie feels insecure?
A Overwhelmed with curiosity, I followed the sound down a narrow cobblestone walkway.
B I slid my hands into my pockets and attempted to smile confidently.
C A green wooden door was slightly ajar, and I peeked inside.
D I glanced at Janis, who was quietly studying me.
B I slid my hands into my pockets and attempted to smile confidently.
One morning in February I left home in a white cloud that had settled over the deep valleys. I could not see an object ten feet in front of me in this mist. I crossed the pasture into the orchard and the mist began to thin. When I reached the ridge road, the light thin air was clear of mist. I looked over the sea of rolling white clouds. The tops of the dark winter hills jutted up like little islands.
The simile in paragraph 1 helps the reader understand why the narrator —
F takes a specific path to school in the morning
G wants to think of a project that will be useful to his family
H notices the part of the landscape he will use for his project
J rides over the land quickly on his way to school
H notices the part of the landscape he will use for his project
I sat against the wall and listened. The song was actually pretty good. In my head I could hear drum rhythms that would probably improve the song, but I felt hesitant to mention my drumming skills. Behind my drum set was the one place I felt completely like myself. I wasn’t sure I wanted to open that door to the world.
Cassie’s thoughts in paragraph 14 show that she —
A wants to take a risk to make new friends
B is trying too hard to impress the others
C has a false sense of pride
D is reluctant to let people get to know her
D is reluctant to let people get to know her
My mouth gaped open. How did he know? And then I followed his eyes to my hands, which had been beating a rhythm on the floor beside me. I attempted to shrug nonchalantly, but my heart was jackhammering. Finally I said, “Sure, I’ve been playing for a few years.”
In paragraph 16, the word nonchalantly means —
F happily
G slightly
H casually
J thoughtfully
H casually
Students in traditional schools can fall behind if they have difficulty understanding concepts the rest of the class easily grasps. Virtual schools, on the other hand, offer a pace that meets every student’s needs, allowing more time to master a difficult algebra concept or the opportunity to interact with an engineer applying scientific principles in the workplace.
5 U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan believes so strongly in virtual education that he helped budget $500 million for the development of online precollege and college courses over the next 10 years. He is joined by Bill Gates, who calls online education one of the top priorities of his foundation. The Gates Foundation funds innovative education projects across the nation and around the world.
6 Still, some remain skeptical about online education. They worry that online classes will not be rigorous enough to prepare students as well as traditional classrooms do. They should not worry. A 2009 Department of Education report suggests that students enrolled in online classes performed better than those in traditional schools. In fact, Florida Virtual School, the nation’s largest virtual high school, boasts higher scores in its advancedplacement courses than many traditional public schools.
How do paragraphs 4 through 6 support the author’s position about online learning?
A By explaining how online classes have become part of the educational system
B By providing information about U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan
C By explaining why Bill Gates supports the development of online schools
D By providing evidence that online classes are valuable to students’ education
D By providing evidence that online classes are valuable to students’ education
Imprint my mark upon the world,
whatever I shall become.
The last two lines of the poem suggest that the thumbprint referred to in the title is a symbol for —
A a person’s individuality
B an important clue to life’s timeless mysteries
C a prediction about the future
D an anticipation of change
A a person’s individuality
Read lines 11 and 12 from the poem.
They will have perils to meet, but they will meet them,
As the early settlers did on American shores.
Why does the poet compare space travelers to the early settlers of America?
A To highlight the difficulties that the early settlers encountered when venturing into new places
B To imply that the obstacles the early settlers faced discouraged them from exploring new lands
C To suggest that explorers will overcome the difficulties in space just as explorers in the past overcame their difficulties
D To demonstrate that explorers will encounter the same challenges in space as explorers in the past did in other frontiers
C To suggest that explorers will overcome the difficulties in space just as explorers in the past overcame their difficulties
Which sentence supports the belief that online education will be more widespread in the future?
A Students involved in extracurricular activities, those who have been hospitalized, or those who are behind in earning required credits can meet their educational needs through enrollment in online classes.
B U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan believes so strongly in virtual education that he helped budget $500 million for the development of online precollege and college courses over the next 10 years.
C A 2009 Department of Education report suggests that students enrolled in online classes performed better than those in traditional schools.
D This “classroom” experience is far different than anything they did in school
B U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan believes so strongly in virtual education that he helped budget $500 million for the development of online precollege and college courses over the next 10 years.
Today’s technology provides multiple avenues for students to become better prepared for college and to pursue careers in today’s global economy. Let’s be willing to give online classes a chance to show how constructive they can be in helping today’s students receive the best education possible.
What does the word constructive mean in paragraph 7?
F Necessary for the future
G Useful for answering questions
H Effective for anticipating problems
J Beneficial for achieving an outcome
J Beneficial for achieving an outcome
Samantha sits on her couch with her laptop and headphones. It’s Saturday morning, and she is completing an assignment for her online astronomy class. After viewing an interactive video about the electromagnetic spectrum, she joins a couple of her classmates in an online chat room to complete a virtual lab assignment that they will e-mail to the instructor. Samantha’s parents, amazed, watch from a distance. This “classroom” experience is far different than anything they did in school. Thanks to current technology, Samantha is just one of many students who have benefited from online learning.
The author includes the description of Samantha working on her laptop in paragraph 1 most likely to —
F provide an example for readers who are unfamiliar with online classes
G explain to readers the process of logging on to online classes
H illustrate the steps involved in completing an online assignment
J suggest that interactive videos are an important part of online assignments
F provide an example for readers who are unfamiliar with online classes
With trailer in tow, I made the 30-mile trip to the stockyards where my horse was in custody. It seemed that he had jumped the fence, traveled a mile down the road and run my neighbor’s yearlings through the one-line electric fence that was holding them in. When a sheriff’s deputy found him, he was herding the calves down the highway toward LaCoste. The deputy wasn’t pleased with either of us. I accepted my scolding and headed for home with a ticket and a troublemaking horse.
Bird uses paragraph 10 to convey to the reader —
A the anger displayed by the sheriff’s deputy
B the dangers Wrangler experienced on the highway
C the chaos Wrangler’s actions caused
D the frustration felt by the neighbor
C the chaos Wrangler’s actions caused
And those who decide they will not make the journey
Will remember a son up there or a favorite niece,
Eagerly awaiting news from the old home-planet,
And will scribble a line to catch the post for space.
What does the final stanza of the poem suggest about the future?
F Some people will travel to other planets, while others will choose not to.
G People who travel to other planets will no longer communicate with people living on Earth.
H Some people will regret their decision to remain on Earth.
J People who travel to other planets will want their family members living on Earth to join them.
F Some people will travel to other planets, while others will choose not to.
On March 1, 2011, the United States celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corps. This special agency sends American volunteers to other countries to provide aid in the fields of education, agriculture, health, technology, and community development. Its mission is to promote world peace and friendship.
To achieve its mission, the Peace Corps has three goals. The first is to assist countries interested in developing skilled workers. The second is to help people of other cultures better understand Americans. The third goal is to help Americans better understand other cultures.
In paragraphs 1 and 2, the author presents the idea that —
F people who volunteer for the Peace Corps must be skilled in several areas in order to help others
G the purpose of the Peace Corps is to identify problems faced by other countries
H the Peace Corps is focused on building mutual respect between the United States and other countries
J a Peace Corps volunteer must follow three important steps while working in a foreign country
H the Peace Corps is focused on building mutual respect between the United States and other countries
On the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corps, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation in which he honored the “volunteers who have collectively given over a half-century of service to the cause of peace.” These volunteers take satisfaction in building schools or constructing water purification systems, but they often say that their real reward is intangible.
Because the Latin root tangere means “to touch,” the reader can tell that the word intangible in paragraph 7 refers to something that —
F is passed on from one person to another
G does not consist of a physical substance
H is not physically strong
J is handled often
G does not consist of a physical substance
Mike Roman is a teacher on an island in Kiribati, a country in the Pacific. He chose to serve “because it’s the ‘right thing’ to do. After some time you learn what the ‘right thing’ is in any situation—it’s the voice inside your head; you just have to learn to listen to it.”
Another volunteer, Christian Deitch, teaches English in the Kyrgyz Republic in central Asia. When asked about his work with the Peace Corps, Deitch commented, “I know the students I worked with got a lot out of our time together, but I felt like I was the lucky one. It’s hard to explain, but it made me realize that working for others . . . was the best paycheck I ever got.”
The author of the selection includes paragraphs 8 and 9 most likely to —
A illustrate the kind of work Peace Corps volunteers do in central Asia
B provide examples of how actual volunteers feel about the Peace Corps
C introduce volunteers who have completed various assignments in the Peace Corps
D describe what the Peace Corps expects from its volunteers
B provide examples of how actual volunteers feel about the Peace Corps
I’m not the type to appeal a ticket, but this one said that my offense was “allowing livestock to roam on (the) highway.” There wasn’t any doubt that the horse was on the highway—I wasn’t contesting that, but he certainly wasn’t allowed to be there.
My court date arrived; I appeared in Hondo before the proper authorities and pled my case as they listened patiently. It was my luck that the district attorney had horses of his own. He said he knew that when “a horse had a mind to go somewhere, he would go.” Wrangler got off with 90 days probation, but the fee would be doubled if he were found roaming the highway again during that time. I assured the authorities that he would stay put.
Bird includes paragraphs 11 and 12 in the selection most likely to illustrate that —
F people often try to shirk their responsibilities
G owners cannot always control their animals
H authority figures usually respond to crises in a positive manner
J horses cause more highway accidents than any other animal
G owners cannot always control their animals
Read these lines from the poem.
Once we were wayfarers, then seafarers, then airfarers;
We shall be spacefarers soon,
The progression from “wayfarers” to “spacefarers” demonstrates that people —
A have made scientific discoveries while traveling to new places
B have developed ways to explore new regions
C select the mode of transportation that is most convenient
D prefer some forms of transportation over others
B have developed ways to explore new regions
The Peace Corps came into being as a result of a 1960 presidential campaign stop made by John F. Kennedy. Kennedy arrived at the University of Michigan on October 14 at 2:00 A.M. He was scheduled to speak later that day, but Page 32 GO ON 10,000 students, stirred by his candidacy, were waiting to meet him. Rather than disappoint the students, Kennedy gave an impromptu speech. He asked the crowd whether they would be willing to serve their country and the cause of peace by living and working in the developing world.
Young people quickly and enthusiastically responded to the challenge. Within weeks the students had gathered 1,000 signatures in support of the idea. Many more letters of support arrived at Kennedy’s campaign headquarters. Kennedy did not forget about the idea. He created the Peace Corps less than six months after meeting the Michigan students. On August 30, 1961, the first group of 51 volunteers arrived in Ghana, a country in western Africa.
Paragraphs 3 and 4 are mainly about —
F Kennedy’s popularity with students at the University of Michigan
G the creation of the Peace Corps in the early 1960s
H Kennedy’s campaign stop at the University of Michigan
J the first group that committed to serving in the Peace Corps
G the creation of the Peace Corps in the early 1960s
I have to ride a mule, but not one of my classmates lives in a prettier place, I thought, as I surveyed my world. Look at Little Baldy! What a pretty island in the sea of clouds. A thin ribbon of cloud seemed to envelop coneshaped Little Baldy from bottom to top like the new rope Pa had just bought for the windlass over our well.
Read the following dictionary entry.
survey \s r-ı vā\ v 1. to collect data by asking questions 2. to take measurements on a piece of land 3. to determine the value of something 4. to look over thoroughly
Which definition most closely matches the meaning of surveyed as it is used in paragraph 2?
F Definition 1
G Definition 2
H Definition 3
J Definition 4
J Definition 4
Which sentence from the selection best shows that the author admires the bravery of the members of Apache 8?
A Zeig watched in awe as the female firefighters fought alongside the men on the front lines of several forest fires—4,000 yellow-clad figures working hard to save homes and lives.
B In fact, Bones was selected to be the only female model for the Wildland Firefighters Monument, a bronze statue that honors all firefighters, in Boise, Idaho.
C In the documentary, Bones, Hinton, Aday, and other Apache 8 crew members speak
passionately about their love for their community and their pride in being firefighters from
Fort Apache.
D Zeig’s documentary, Apache 8, was entered in the Native American Film + Video Festival in 2011 and has made its way to other film festivals across the country.
A Zeig watched in awe as the female firefighters fought alongside the men on the front lines of several forest fires—4,000 yellow-clad figures working hard to save homes and lives.
That night while the wind was still and the broom-sedge and leaves were dry, my father and I set fire all the way around the base. Next morning Little Baldy was a dark hill jutting high into February’s cold, windy sky.
Pa hired Bob Lavender to clear one portion and I started working on the other. I worked early of mornings before I went to school. I hurried home and worked into the night.
By middle March, I had my side cleared. Bob Lavender had finished his too. We burned the brush and I was ready to start plowing.
By April 15th I had plowed all of Little Baldy.
If my father had known what I was up to, he might not have let me do it. But he was going early to work on the railway section and he never got home until nearly dark. So when I laid Little Baldy off to plant him in corn, I started at the bottom and went around and around this high cone-shaped hill like a corkscrew. I was three days reaching the top. Then, with a hand planter, I planted the corn on moonlit nights.
Paragraphs 11 through 15 support the primary theme of the excerpt by emphasizing the narrator’s —
A diligence
B satisfaction
C sincerity
D modesty
B satisfaction
As we walked along the beach on the night that I tried to get out of going with her, Hallie’s flashlight beam soon locked on a hefty crab scooting rapidly across the sand on its spindly legs. I tried to keep my flashlight trained on it as it zigged and zagged. The chase went on and on, a human–crab version of “America’s Scariest Chase Videos.” Finally, Hallie got it cornered, tossing a handful of sand on it.
The imagery in paragraph 9 shows that the crab chase is —
A discouraging
B embarrassing
C difficult to observe
D fast-paced
D fast-paced