Read this excerpt from Holes.
The shovel felt heavy in Stanley’s soft, fleshy hands. He tried to jam it into the earth, but the blade banged against the ground and bounced off without making a dent. The vibrations ran up the shaft of the shovel and into Stanley’s wrists, making his bones rattle.
It was still dark. The only light came from the moon and the stars, more stars than Stanley had ever seen before. It seemed he had only just gotten to sleep when Mr. Pendanski came in and woke everyone up.
Using all his might, he brought the shovel back down onto the dry lake bed. The force stung his hands but made no impression on the earth. He wondered if he had a defective shovel. He glanced at Zero, about fifteen feet away, who scooped out a shovelful of dirt and dumped it on a pile that was already almost a foot tall.
Which list shows the narrative structure of this excerpt?
A. Stanley tries to jam the shovel into the earth, Mr. Pendanski wakes everyone, Stanley thinks his shovel is defective, Stanley sees Zero’s pile of dirt.
B. Stanley sees Zero’s pile of dirt, Stanley thinks his shovel is defective, Mr. Pendanski wakes everyone, Stanley tries to jam the shovel into the earth.
C. Mr. Pendanski wakes everyone, Stanley tries to jam the shovel into the earth, Stanley thinks his shovel is defective, Stanley sees Zero’s pile of dirt.
D. Stanley thinks his shovel is defective, Stanley tries to jam the shovel into the ground, Stanley sees Zero’s pile of dirt, Mr. Pendanski wakes everyone.
After running two miles during soccer practice in the heat, Stanley's mouth was as dry as a bone. What does the phrase "dry as a bone" reveal about Stanley?
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He is very thirsty after running.
He plans to carry a water bottle.
He is used to running in the heat.
He drinks a lot of water at practice.
He is very thirsty after running.
Use the text below to answer the question that follows.
The onions popped and sizzled when the chef dropped them into the hot frying pan. He had just finished chopping two bell peppers, and he threw them in, too. Once the onions and peppers were hot, he put the diced chicken breast into the pan to cook. He splashed some olive oil down into the pan and swirled it so that the oil would cover the whole pan. The chef could feel the heat rise up and warm his rosy cheeks as he swirled the pan. As the chicken cooked, the scent from the pepper and onions grew stronger and filled the kitchen. Then, the chef began to flip the pan up with his wrist to toss the ingredients into the air. A mixture of red, green, white, and yellow streaked in the air before landing back in the pan. Once the chicken was completely cooked, the chef put all the food on a plate. A waiter grabbed the plate along with three other dishes and headed out the kitchen door. He set the plates down and arranged the chicken, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and flour tortillas in front of a man and woman sitting down at a table. The woman filled a tortilla with a few pieces of chicken, some onions, and a sprinkle of cheese and rolled it all up. The man, on the other hand, stuffed his tortilla full of sour cream, guacamole, cheese, and chicken so that he could barely close the tortilla. He took an enormous bite while his wife nibbled on her fajita, and both of them smiled.
Which of the following sentences from the passage has the best sensory language?
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The chef could feel the heat rise up and warm his rosy cheeks as he swirled the pan.
He took an enormous bite while his wife nibbled on her fajita, and both of them smiled.
The woman filled a tortilla with a few pieces of chicken, some onions, and a sprinkle of cheese and rolled it all up.
Then, the chef began to flip the pan up with his wrist to toss the ingredients into the air.
The chef could feel the heat rise up and warm his rosy cheeks as he swirled the pan.
From which point of view is this passage written? Tobin and me, the two of us, went down to Coney one day. There was four dollars between us. Tobin had need of distractions. Katie Mahorner, his sweetheart, of County Sligo, was lost since she started for America three months before. She had two hundred dollars of her own savings, and one hundred dollars from the sale of Tobin's inherited estate, a fine cottage and pig on the Bog Shannaugh. Since Tobin got the letter saying that she had started to come to him, not a bit of news had he heard or seen of Katie Mahorner. Tobin advertised in the papers, but nothing could be found of the girl.adapted from "Tobin's Palm" by O. Henry
*
Second person
Third person omniscient
Third person limited
First person
Use the text below to answer the question that follows.
A Trip to the South
Cassie had never been to the South before. She had only heard stories from her aunts and uncles about the food, music, and dances. She had also heard about the famous swamplands. Cassie was very interested in the marshes and wetlands of Louisiana. She hoped one day to become a biologist. This trip her family was taking to Louisiana was especially exciting for her. Cassie hoped it would be one step on the path to her goal.
Not only had Cassie never been to the South, but she also had never seen a swamp before. Her family pulled into town late that night, and her dad stopped the car at one end of a long bridge. Cassie could not see too much. She knew the next day everything in the swamp would come to life. Still, the swamp at night had a magic and mystery all its own.
At the bridge, Cassie stood for a few minutes waiting for her eyes to adjust. A jagged ridge of trees cut across the star-filled evening sky. She listened as the swamp chirped and croaked with frogs and insects. Cassie could only imagine how many millions of little animals lived out in the water and the trees. The moon was rising behind her and cast a glistening beam of sparkling light across the water. Her skin tingled, and her heart began thumping. She had a feeling this was going to be a good trip.
What does the sensory language at the end of paragraph 3 convey about Cassie?
*
She becomes very bored.
She wants to leave.
She gets nervous.
She begins to feel excited.
Use the text below to answer the question that follows.
The house on the corner of Gurley Street and Grand Avenue sat abandoned for more than ten years. The kids in the neighborhood believed that it was haunted.
“My big brother told me that one night he was out riding his bike by that empty house and he saw someone looking out of the windows!” Doraze said. “When he looked again, there was no one there.”
“Well, my sister and some of her friends snuck inside the house one day. She said they found a bunch of empty cans and food wrappers, like someone had been living there.”
“What’s so suspicious about that, Todd?”
“No one ever comes in or out of that house, Charlyssa! Who took the food in? Better yet, who came out to get some?”
The kids were so busy arguing that they almost missed the battered old truck that pulled up to the house on Gurley and Grand.
What clues from the passage tell the reader what genre it is?
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Its verses are written in iambic pentameter.
The passage includes facts and true events.
The passage includes special stage directions.
The characters in the story use dialogue.
Use the poem below to answer the question that follows.
There was an Old Man who said, "Well!"
by Edward Lear
There was an Old Man who said, "Well!
Will nobody answer this bell?
I have pulled day and night,
till my hair has grown white,
But nobody answers this bell!"
Which elements help the reader identify this poetic form?
*
its length and rhyme scheme
its use of dialogue
its use of punctuation and rhythm
its subject matter
Use the text below to answer the question that follows.
Making the Grade
Greg Collins planned to study the night before the big social studies test, but things just seemed to get in the way. First, he needed to take his dog Bones out for a walk. Then, he messaged his friends on his computer. Soon, it was time for dinner. After that, he watched his favorite television show. Before he knew it, it was time for bed.
"Lights out," said his mother, peeking in on him.
"Okay, Mom," he groaned. No more studying for him!
When he arrived at school the next day, he dragged his feet into Mr. Robertson's social studies class. The big test would be first thing in the morning, and he just knew he was going to fail. Groaning, he opened the door and discovered his classmates in a tizzy.
"We've got a sub," one boy whispered, pointing to the elderly woman, with big glasses, standing grumpily behind Mr. Robertson's desk. "Subs never pay attention. Now we can all copy off each other's papers during the big test."
Greg smiled for a moment as his friends composed hasty cheat sheets and wrote notes on their desks. As soon as the bell rang, the substitute introduced herself. As she explained how the test would be administered and monitored, she walked around the room with a wet cloth, wiping off hastily-written notes from desktops. She held out her hand for other students to deposit their "cheat sheets," all the while explaining her vast teaching experience. She handed out the tests, then perched herself in the chair at her desk. With a sniff, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and announced, "You may begin."
Greg's smile disappeared. He knew that, however low a grade he received, it would be the grade he earned and more importantly, the grade he deserved. He felt a slight sense of relief come over him, and he quickly started his test.
From Greg's thoughts and actions, the reader can infer that he
*
wishes he had studied for the test.
wants to be like his friends.
likes social studies the most.
misses his regular teacher.
Use the text below to answer the question that follows.
Frozen Excitement
Tina was really excited about going to Yellowstone National Park. She had heard so much about the geysers, the bison, the water, and the mountains! As the day of the trip approached, Tina spent days dreaming about the park. Her grandmother was also joining them on the trip, and Tina could not be happier.
It was the night before the trip, and Tina was too excited to sleep. She did not even hear her grandmother asking her to double-check the suitcase.
"Have you packed warm clothes?" Grandma Rose had asked. "You never know about the weather up there."
"Uh huh," Tina had replied without listening. Although she remembered her grandmother saying that it could be cold in Wyoming during June, Tina had not paid attention. Time had flown by too fast. Tina tried her best to keep up with her family at the airport. Before she knew it, Tina found herself checking in to the hotel.
"All right, girls, it is supposed to snow this afternoon. Wear your hats and gloves and meet us in the lobby after you have freshened up," Tina's mother instructed her three girls.
It was at that moment that Tina realized she might have forgotten to pack warm clothes. Suddenly, she felt a cold breeze passing through the half-open window in the hotel room. She could see flurries of snow slowly falling from the sky. "But, it's June!" she told herself in vain.
"You can borrow my scarf," Robin, Tina's oldest sister, offered, "and my gloves."
"I knew you might forget to pack your jacket," Grandma Rose slowly uttered as she waltzed into the girls' room. "I had extra room in my suitcase just in case you actually did!" She was holding everything Tina needed to brave the snow in Yellowstone.
Which of these best describes the theme of the story?
*
Never get too excited to get enough sleep.
It is important to listen to your elders.
Always pack extra clothes for your siblings.
Weather is predictable in national parks.
Use the poem to answer the question that follows.
Curiosity
She asked me once, what was this time—
the thing that ticked inside her watch?
Was it in the motion of the needles?
Why was it there, yet was unseen?
Was it a product of the machine?
I watched her eyes light up with surprise,
as I gave her a kiss, and then a smile.
It was only the beginning. Her questions
were bigger than words could ever be.
The answers were going to be beyond me.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
*
The even lines rhyme, but the odd lines do not rhyme.
The end rhyme of the first line is repeated in the last line.
The last two lines of each stanza rhyme at the end.
Every two pairs of lines rhyme at the end.
The last two lines of each stanza rhyme at the end.
From which point of view is this passage written? Tobin and me, the two of us, went down to Coney one day. There was four dollars between us. Tobin had need of distractions. Katie Mahorner, his sweetheart, of County Sligo, was lost since she started for America three months before. She had two hundred dollars of her own savings, and one hundred dollars from the sale of Tobin's inherited estate, a fine cottage and pig on the Bog Shannaugh. Since Tobin got the letter saying that she had started to come to him, not a bit of news had he heard or seen of Katie Mahorner. Tobin advertised in the papers, but nothing could be found of the girl.adapted from "Tobin's Palm" by O. Henry
*
Second person
Third person omniscient
Third person limited
First person
First person
Use the text below to answer the question that follows.
A Trip to the South
Cassie had never been to the South before. She had only heard stories from her aunts and uncles about the food, music, and dances. She had also heard about the famous swamplands. Cassie was very interested in the marshes and wetlands of Louisiana. She hoped one day to become a biologist. This trip her family was taking to Louisiana was especially exciting for her. Cassie hoped it would be one step on the path to her goal.
Not only had Cassie never been to the South, but she also had never seen a swamp before. Her family pulled into town late that night, and her dad stopped the car at one end of a long bridge. Cassie could not see too much. She knew the next day everything in the swamp would come to life. Still, the swamp at night had a magic and mystery all its own.
At the bridge, Cassie stood for a few minutes waiting for her eyes to adjust. A jagged ridge of trees cut across the star-filled evening sky. She listened as the swamp chirped and croaked with frogs and insects. Cassie could only imagine how many millions of little animals lived out in the water and the trees. The moon was rising behind her and cast a glistening beam of sparkling light across the water. Her skin tingled, and her heart began thumping. She had a feeling this was going to be a good trip.
What does the sensory language at the end of paragraph 3 convey about Cassie?
*
She becomes very bored.
She wants to leave.
She gets nervous.
She begins to feel excited.