Comprehension
In the selection from An American Childhood, how does the narrator finally get the microscope she wants?
a. She uses the one at school.
b. She saves her money to buy it.
c. Her parents give it to her for Christmas.
d. Her father locates and purchases a used one.
c. Her parents give it to her for Christmas.
The word tissue has more than one meaning. In which of the following sentences does tissue mean “specialized cells of which animals and plants are made”?
a. Please deposit your used tissue in the trash can under the sink.
b. Use tweezers to peel the tissue from the underside of the slice of onion.
c. You may use crumpled tissue to protect the materials in that shipping box.
d. The weaver bird binds grasses into a strong tissue from which to mold its nest.
b. Use tweezers to peel the tissue from the underside of the slice of onion.
Which word is renamed by the underlined appositive in this sentence?
On a hill above a lake lies my brother’s college, Cornell University.
a. hill
b. lake
c. brother
d. college
d. college
What is supposed to happen when the narrator of the selection from An American Childhood adds water to the hay infusion?
a. She should see enlarged grass.
b. She should see one-celled animals.
c. She should see transparent diatoms.
d. She should see long, iridescent crystals.
b. She should see one-celled animals.
Which description is most likely to apply to an amoeba? Base your answer on the meaning of amoeba.
a. It makes a distinctive humming sound.
b. It has many long legs and small wings.
c. It can rarely be seen with the naked eye.
d. It is small but sturdy and makes a good pet.
c. It can rarely be seen with the naked eye.
In the selection from An American Childhood, what is the narrator’s attitude toward microscopes?
a. She thinks that they are essential.
b. She thinks that they are too expensive.
c. She thinks that they are just for children.
d. She thinks that they are uninteresting to adults.
a. She thinks that they are essential.
Which of these sentences contains an underlined appositive phrase?
a. The greenhouses on campus stay warm even in winter.
b. Lovely orchids, delicate tropical flowers, grow there all year.
c. Any student who majors in plant science may work in the greenhouses.
d. Students use microscopes, cameras, and measuring tools to study plants.
b. Lovely orchids, delicate tropical flowers, grow there all year.
When the narrator of the selection from An American Childhood rushes upstairs to invite her parents to see the amoeba, what is their reaction? Choose two options.
a. They ignore her.
b. They express happiness.
c. They decline to go see it.
d. They urge her to play outside.
e. They scold her for interrupting.
b. They express happiness.
c. They decline to go see it.
If a medical test shows that a patient’s liver is enlarged, which of the following is true? Base your answer on the meaning of enlarged.
a. It lacks one or more important parts.
b. It is bigger than it should be.
c. It is an unusual color.
d. It is not working.
b. It is bigger than it should be.
In the selection from An American Childhood, the narrator describes the materials that come with her microscope kit. She concludes, “It was years before I saw a recognizable, whole diatom. The kit’s diatomaceous earth was a bust.” What does she mean?
a. The diatomaceous earth sample in the microscope kit is missing.
b. She received the wrong diatomaceous earth materials with the microscope kit.
c. The diatomaceous earth sample in the microscope kit does not look as promised.
d. She does not understand how to use the microscope with the diatomaceous earth sample.
c. The diatomaceous earth sample in the microscope kit does not look as promised.
As the narrator of An American Childhood reflects on her experience with the microscope and her interaction with her parents, what major conclusion does she draw?
a. Her parents will never approve of her pastimes.
b. Children appreciate the natural world more than adults do.
c. Scientific research is not something that her parents can support.
d. She is allowed to be her own person outside of her parents’ influence.
d. She is allowed to be her own person outside of her parents’ influence.
Which of these sentences contains an underlined appositive phrase?
a. Llamas, furry mountain-swelling animals, live in high altitudes in Peru.
b. She wears her thick coat even in summer.
c. Any philanthropist who gives over one million dollars will have his name in our brochure.
d. Doctors use scalpels, high intensity lights, and monitors while they perform surgery.
a. Llamas, furry mountain-swelling animals, live in high altitudes in Peru.
Which sentence most clearly expresses how the narrator feels toward her parents, as expressed in the selection from An American Childhood?
a. She feels that they pushed her in a specific direction.
b. She feels that they freed her to be what she wanted to be.
c. She feels that they shared most of her desires and activities.
d. She feels that they misunderstood and discouraged her hobbies.
b. She feels that they freed her to be what she wanted to be.
How can the prefix en- change a word’s part of speech?
a. It can change a noun into an adjective.
b. It can change an adjective into a noun.
c. It can change an adjective into a verb.
d. It can change a verb into a noun.
c. It can change an adjective into a verb.
In the selection from An American Childhood, the narrator learns that “you do what you do out of your private passion for the thing itself.” What is another way to state this idea?
a. People should keep what they care about mostly to themselves.
b. People should not expect to be able to control their likes and dislikes.
c. People should follow their interests without expecting other people to share them.
d. People should explore ideas in private before performing actions that affect others.
c. People should follow their interests without expecting other people to share them.
Which features most clearly identify the selection from An American Childhood as a reflective essay? Choose two options.
a. It presents the writer’s opinion about a scientific topic.
b. It includes no dialogue and very little description.
c. It expresses the writer’s thoughts and feelings.
d. It shares an experience from the writer’s life.
e. It uses a variety of technical terms.
c. It expresses the writer’s thoughts and feelings.
d. It shares an experience from the writer’s life.
Which of these sentences contains an underlined appositive phrase?
a. Dad planted a Christmas tree in our front yard.
b. Squirrels that live on the college campus are curious about humans.
c. We are going to visit Jenny on our way to Grandma’s house.
d. Kaity, my younger sister, likes to climb trees and swing on ropes.
d. Kaity, my younger sister, likes to climb trees and swing on ropes.
In the selection from An American Childhood, the narrator first observes materials from her kit. Next, she observes “things at hand.” Finally, she observes materials from outdoors. What are some examples of “things at hand” that the narrator observes during the winter? Choose two options.
a. cork
b. blood
c. coffee
d. volvox
e. amoeba
a. cork
b. blood
Using your understanding of the prefix en-, choose the best definition of the word encrust.
a. to cause to have a crust
b. to exist between two crusts
c. to be like a crust
d. to lack a crust
a. to cause to have a crust
Why must the narrator of the selection from An American Childhood wait a long time before she sees the “famous amoeba”?
a. She is not sure where the amoeba might live.
b. It takes time to adjust the microscope to see an amoeba.
c. Local water is not yet warm enough for amoebas to survive.
d. Her parents have no interest in helping her to find the amoeba.
c. Local water is not yet warm enough for amoebas to survive.
Which of the following best describes the interaction between the narrator and her parents at the dining table in the selection from An American Childhood?
a. The narrator is eager; the parents are cold and distant.
b. The narrator is anxious; the parents are solemn and concerned.
c. The narrator is excited; the parents are pleasant but uninvolved.
d. The narrator is distressed; the parents are curious but not alarmed.
c. The narrator is excited; the parents are pleasant but uninvolved.
If an appositive phrase is essential to understanding the meaning of a sentence, it should not be set off with commas. In which of the following sentences should the comma or commas be removed?
a. This laboratory focuses on botany, the study of plant life.
b. The famous scientist, Barbara McClintock, worked with corn.
c. McClintock studied the color of kernels, the seeds of certain plants.
d. Corn, a cereal plant, was an especially good subject for experiments.
b. The famous scientist, Barbara McClintock, worked with corn.