“Lord of the Rings” is an epic fantasy adventure set in the world of Middle Earth. The story opens when Bilbo Baggins, an elderly hobbit, give his beloved nephew, Frodo, a plain gold ring. Then Bilbo disappears. Soon, Frodo is visited by strange beings, including a powerful wizard named Gandalf and terrible creatures called the Dark Riders.

Frodo and his hobbits friends flee to the safety of Rivendell, the home of a powerful elf named Elrond. At Rivendell, Frodo discovers a terrible secret. His ring holds magic, and the evil Lord Sauron will stop at nothing to get it. Frodo plans to take the ring to the land of Mordor and throw it into the Crack of Doom. Doing so will keep the ring away from Sauron.

The travelers call themselves the Fellowship of the Ring, and their journey is filled with joy and despair. They meet a beautiful elvish queen, Galadriel, who gives them magical gifts. They are attacked by nasty, cruel orcs. They are swept up in the battles between Sauron’s forces and armies of humans, elves, and other creatures who fight to save their world from destruction.

Against all odds, Frodo and his friend Sam reach Mordor. The ring is flung into the Crack of Doom, and Sauron is defeated forever. But Middle Earth is changed. The elves sadly sail away, never to be seen again. Frodo, Sam, and the rest of the Fellowship return home, filled with the pain and happiness of their adventure.

1. What is the most important element of the plot of “Lord of the Rings”?

A. the elves sailing away on ships
B. Galadriel’s gifts of magic
C. the journey to destroy the ring ***
D. the journey to Rivendell

2. In the plot of “Lord of the Rings”, which character represents the forces of evil?

A. Sauron ***
B. Gandalf
C. Frodo
D. Bilbo

3. Which answer choice best describes how the conflict of the story is resolved?

A. Bilbo Baggins returns, and everyone lives happily ever after. *** ?
B. Sauron’s defeat leads Middle Earth to change forever.
C. Frodo encounters danger when he is given the ring.
D. There are fierce battles involving good and evil creatures.

4. A 13-year-old character in a story set in 1880 is more likely to be working full time than a character of the same age in a story set in modern times. What is the most likely reason for this difference?

A. There are fewer available jobs today than there were in the past.
B. Modern laws regulate the age at which young people can work. ***
C. Students today enjoy school a lot more than young people in the past.
D. Most teenagers in 1880 worked harder than teenagers today.

5. Which statement is true about common and proper nouns?

A. A proper noun is usually more specific than a common noun. ***
B. A proper noun is more polite than a common noun.
C. A common noun usually begins with a capital letter.
D. A proper noun usually does not begin with a capital letter.

6. Which of the following sentences contains a subordinating conjunction?

A. Because the closest star is so far away, humans will probably never travel there. ***
B. Many people believe that there is undiscovered life on other planets in our galaxy.
C. There are billions of stars in our galaxy, and our galaxy is only one of millions.
D. Scientists continue to listen for messages sent by intelligent life on other planets.

7. In the following sentence, which principal part of the verb “describe” appears in quotation marks?

The professor is “describing” the process of osmosis to the class today.

A. past participle
B. past
C. present
D. present participle ***

8. Which of the following topics would be most appropriate for an autobiographical narrative?

A. your opinion of the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games
B. your explanation of how to download MP3 files to your personal musical device
C. your account of your audition for a community theater group ***
D. your modernized version of “The Three Little Pigs”