Use the sentence to answer the question.
Silas doesn’t mean to hurt people’s feelings, but he has a sharp tongue.
How is the author of this sentence using a euphemism?
(1 point)
Responses
to compare two people
to compare two people
to create humor
to create humor
to use many phrases to say the same thing
to use many phrases to say the same thing
to politely describe a negative trait
to politely describe a negative trait
We went out onto his deck and I looked out over the vista before us—a sunken Italian garden, a half-acre of pungent roses, a rolling, perfectly manicured lawn that extended to the sea, and a snub-nosed motorboat that bumped the tide offshore.
“I’ve got a pretty decent place here,” he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly.
Question
Use the excerpt from a story to answer the question.
What is suggested about the character’s personality by the author’s use of understatement in the excerpt?
(1 point)
Responses
The character is egotistical.
The character is egotistical.
The character might be uncomfortable with their wealth.
The character might be uncomfortable with their wealth.
The character is secretive.
The character is secretive.
The character takes his or her living situation seriously.
The character might be uncomfortable with their wealth.
My mind sparks with an idea for a painting,
And my thoughts are a hum of bees.
First they bumble around the petals
Of a flower, dancing near the pollen,
But then they flit to another, still
Not ready to settle on one, yellow
Dust stains their feet; their wings
Flicker in the air, and next it’s uncertain
Where to go: Thistle or clover,
Zinnia or honeysuckle? Tip and tap,
My bee thoughts hum, until they finally
Land on one.
Question
Use the poem to answer the question.
Which choice explains the metaphor in this poem?
(1 point)
Responses
The metaphor at the beginning of the poem compares thoughts to bees, and other metaphors are used throughout.
The metaphor at the beginning of the poem compares thoughts to bees, and other metaphors are used throughout.
The metaphor comparing paintbrush strokes to bee movements is used throughout the poem.
The metaphor comparing paintbrush strokes to bee movements is used throughout the poem.
The metaphor extends throughout the poem as the speaker compares creative thoughts to bees’ movements.
The metaphor extends throughout the poem as the speaker compares creative thoughts to bees’ movements.
The metaphor begins with a comparison of bees to thoughts and ends with a comparison of bees to music.
The metaphor begins with a comparison of bees to thoughts and ends with a comparison of bees to music.
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The metaphor extends throughout the poem as the speaker compares creative thoughts to bees' movements.
Use the passage to answer the question.
Angela was always a little envious of the perfectly manicured Sophia, who never had to worry about which lunch table would have her. Sophia was an old friend, but these days, Sophia treated her friendships like the lunch buffet, picking and choosing which side dishes to add to her plate on any given day. And today it looked like Angela would be passed over again.
Select the correct answers from the lists to describe the analogy in the passage.
(1 point)
The narrator compares Sophia’s friendships to a ______
because _____
first options:
lunch buffet
lunch table
plate of food
second options:
she wants to enjoy each of them equally
chooses which ones she wants on any given day
can never decide what she want to do with friends
The narrator compares Sophia's friendships to a lunch buffet because she chooses which ones she wants on any given day.
The Reward of Enterprise
by Ward Muir
Near the skyline rim of the superb mountain-range upon which I was commencing to rise I saw, shadowy in the translucent green, an unmistakable shape—the shape of a great fish: a shark. Its fin cut the surface like a knife. For one instant I stared, and in that instant I observed, with a vivid clearness, all manner of minute details—the burnished sheen on the water, the glistening tautness of its lofty skyline, the sapphire blue of the sky itself, and, most lucidly of all, the silhouette of the shark. Every movement of the shark was now plain to me, and it was moving, there was no doubt of it: a trail of bubbles streamed from its flank and a tiny streak of froth fluttered behind the fin. The shark was not passive, in the element, as I was; it was monarch of the waves, it could drive through them with the precision of a torpedo. I had invaded a realm which I had no business to invade . . . and its guardian was come to punish me.
"The Reward of Enterprise" by Ward Muir
Question
Use this paragraph from “The Reward of Enterprise” to answer the question. The paragraph describes a man swimming in the ocean.
Which word is most similar in meaning to drive as it is used in this passage?
(1 point)
Responses
tear
tear
emerge
emerge
drift
drift
meander
meander
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tear
From the Caves
by Thea Prieto
I’ll check the roots, says Sky, and he trots up the passage before Mark can stop him. Above, in the red firelight of the upper cave, the heat has grown to wringing, and Sky notices at once that Teller has moved. He has dragged himself closer to the fire, his ribs pumping fast from the effort. The hot touch of his skin stings Sky’s fingertips, but he still tugs Teller away from the fire, to where the warmth is drawn upward into the windy main passageway already lit gray with early morning.
Excerpt from "From the Caves". © 2021 Thea Prieto. Published by Red Hen Press
Question
Use the excerpt from “From the Caves” to answer the question.
How does the sensory imagery of the sky “lit gray with early morning” contribute to the mood of the text?
(1 point)
Responses
It gives a sense of hope.
It gives a sense of hope.
It gives a sense of gloom.
It gives a sense of gloom.
It gives a sense of desperation.
It gives a sense of desperation.
It gives a sense of foreboding.
It gives a sense of foreboding.
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It gives a sense of foreboding.
Jack decided to do a little tidying up in the kitchen. The countertop looked cluttered, he felt. If he just rearranged the cabinet, he could probably fit more things in them. Then the countertop would be nice and clear.
He opened the cabinet, pulled out a stack of dishes, and placed them on the counter. Just for now, he thought. He was sure he could jam the toaster into the cabinet and keep it there when he wasn’t using it. He unplugged the toaster and picked it up. A spray of crumbs fell out onto the counter. An attractive addition to his kitchen décor, Jack thought. He would clean it up in just a little bit. Meantime, he would get the toaster into the cabinet. Except that there were some glasses in the way. Jack pulled the glasses out and put them next to the stack of plates on the counter. Then he realized that the toaster was too deep to fit into the cabinet, so he put that back on the counter. He sighed, and the crumbs that had spilled from the toaster blew around. This project was certainly going well!
Jack slid the drawer open and began pulling forks, spoons, and knives from it. Soon he had a small mountain of utensils sitting next to the plates and glasses. No matter; he would rearrange them neatly soon enough. Next, he took out some wooden spoons, a spatula, and a ladle. There was no more room for them on the counter, so he laid them on top of the stack of plates.
Jack surveyed the kitchen. Where, exactly, had he planned to move everything? He couldn’t remember having a plan. He figured he’d put the plates and glasses back in the cabinet, and the utensils and cooking tools back in the drawer. He could continue to keep the toaster on the counter, though he should probably do something about all those crumbs.
He’d do it later.
The kitchen, he figured, was tidy enough for now.
Question
Use the story to answer the question.
What is ironic about the ending to the story (paragraphs 4–6)?
(1 point)
Responses
Jack did not have a plan to make his kitchen tidier.
Jack did not have a plan to make his kitchen tidier.
Jack believed that the way to tidy a kitchen was to put things away even though his things were clean.
Jack believed that the way to tidy a kitchen was to put things away even though his things were clean.
Jack decided his kitchen was clean enough even though it was messier than when he had started to tidy it.
Jack decided his kitchen was clean enough even though it was messier than when he had started to tidy it.
Jack knew he should clean up the crumbs on his counter.
Jack knew he should clean up the crumbs on his counter.
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Jack decided his kitchen was clean enough even though it was messier than when he had started to tidy it.
“Where you girls from?” I asked her. She didn’t answer me, though. She was busy looking around for old Peter Lorre to show up, I guess.
“Where you girls from?” I asked her again.
“What?” she said.
“Where you girls from? Don’t answer if you don’t feel like it. I don’t want you to strain yourself.”
“Seattle, Washington,” she said. She was doing me a big favor to tell me.
“You’re a very good conversationalist,” I told her. “You know that?”
Question
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
What does the last line reveal about the speaker?
(1 point)
Responses
that he is confused about the girl’s intentions
that he is confused about the girl’s intentions
that he is jealous of Peter Lorre
that he is jealous of Peter Lorre
that he is mildly bitter and cynical
that he is mildly bitter and cynical
that he tries hard to impress others
that he tries hard to impress others
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that he is mildly bitter and cynical
Use the passage to answer the question.
Stepping off the train, Fernando’s senses were overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells of the city. Sky-scraping buildings loomed overhead, seeming to look down on him and laugh at his smallness. People were moving in all directions, all living their own lives. He had never felt more alone than in this crowd. Fernando longed for the familiar faces of home, not these strange people who neither knew or cared anything for him.
What hidden truth is expressed by the paradox in this paragraph?
(1 point)
Responses
The more people you know, the more alone you are.
The more people you know, the more alone you are.
Being around strangers can be a lonely experience.
Being around strangers can be a lonely experience.
Existence is lonely because nobody can truly know another person.
Existence is lonely because nobody can truly know another person.
People who live in small towns are generally happier than people in cities.
Being around strangers can be a lonely experience.
Code Talker and Navajo Marines of WWII
by Joseph Bruchac
The next thing I knew, I was on an alligator rumbling over the reef. I could hear the roar of the LVT’s engines, the whap-whap-whap of small waves hitting the metal side of the boat, and the coral being crushed by the treads, sort of like the sound sugar cubes make when they are crushed between teeth.
But I don’t even remember hearing the whistle and the order to land the landing party. Once again, I had that familiar, unsettling feeling of being in a movie where the film has been broken and then spliced together a whole scene later. All of a sudden sand was churning under my feet as I sprinted across the beach. It was easier for me to run now because all us code talkers had the new lighter portable radio units. But it was not just because the new unit on my back was lighter that I ran so much faster. I no longer had forty pounds of TBX radio to hide behind and I needed to get to cover as fast as I could.
Excerpt(s) from CODE TALKER: A NOVEL ABOUT THE NAVAJO MARINES OF WORLD WAR TWO by Joseph Bruchac, copyright © 2005 by Joseph Bruchac. Used by permission of Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
What does the comparison to “being in a movie” suggest about the narrator’s experience of World War II?
(1 point)
Responses
It was classically heroic, reminding him of the glory of the cause.
It was classically heroic, reminding him of the glory of the cause.
It was best understood in the context of the era’s blockbuster war movies.
It was best understood in the context of the era’s blockbuster war movies.
It was fragmented, with gaps in memory and understanding.
It was fragmented, with gaps in memory and understanding.
It was basically trivial and hard to take seriously.
It was basically trivial and hard to take seriously.
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It was fragmented, with gaps in memory and understanding.
Use the passage to answer the question.
Not surprisingly, Abuela was busy cooking up a storm for our family dinner. I spied the freshly made salsa on the counter and couldn’t resist sneaking a spoonful. It was superb as always, and I savored the fire on my tongue.
Select the two types of figurative language that are used to develop the cultural setting of the passage.
(1 point)
Responses
hyperbole
hyperbole
metaphor
metaphor
simile
simile
personification
personification
idiom