She kept thinking, eleven of them. Eleven thousand dollars’ worth of slaves. And

she had to take them all the way to Canada. Sometimes she told them about Thomas Garrett, in Wilmington. She said he was their friend even though he did not know them. He was the friend of all fugitives. He called them God’s poor. He was a Quaker and his speech was a little different from that of other people. His clothing was different, too. He wore the

wide-brimmed hat that the Quakers wear.

From Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad

Question

What is the main idea of the passage above? a. Thomas Garrett is a friend to all slaves.b. Harriet Tubman’s thoughts imply that it will be a

hard journey, because the escaped slaves are valuable and will be pursued, and they have to travel all the way to Canada in secrecy.

c. Harriet Tubman doesn’t want to be responsible for slaves that are that expensive.d. The Quakers wear strange clothing.

Answer• B. Harriet Tubman’s thoughts

imply that it will be a hard journey, because the escaped slaves are valuable and will be pursued, and they have to travel all the way to Canada in secrecy.

Question

What is the main idea of the passage above? a. “They had come to trust her implicitly, totally.”b. “She suddenly fell asleep in the woods”.c. “She was leading them into freedom.”d. It implies that the journey the slaves

make is an easy one.

Answer

b. “They had come to trust

her implicitly, totally.”

From Always to Remember: The

Vision of Maya Ying Lin by Brent

Ashabranner This (Vietnam War) memorial, with its wall of names, becomes a place of quiet reflection, and a tribute to those who served their nation in difficult times. All who come here can find it a place of healing. This will be a quiet memorial, one that achieves an excellent relationship with both the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, and relates the visitor to them. It is uniquely horizontal, entering the earth rather than piercing the sky. This is very much a memorial of our own times, one that could not have been achieved in another time and place. The designer has created an eloquent place where the simple meeting of earth, sky and remembered names contain messages for all who will know this place.

QuestionIn the 2nd paragraph, the word “eloquent” in the 2nd paragraph is used to mean:a. uncomfortableb. complicatedc. vividly expressived. old fashioned

Answer

c. vividly expressive

QuestionThe 2nd paragraph states that the memorial “contains messages for all who will know this place. “ Which description below explains the meaning of the messages?a. It is figurative language. The writer is figuratively

relaying the message that visitors receive an unspoken message from the design of the wall itself.

b. The writer is speaking of literal sticky-notes that are left for the visitors.c. The messages are old letters from soldiers in the war.d. There are secret-coded messages for those with the key.

Answera. It is figurative language. The writer is figuratively relaying the message that visitors receive an unspoken message from the design of the wall itself.

Question The term “memorial” means a. to remember a great moment b. to remember someone who was killed c. to write your autobiography d. to think seriously about

Answer

b. to remember someone who was killed

QuestionThe above passage written about the true story of Maya Lin’s design of the Vietnam memorial, is an example of which genre of writing?a. poemb. science fictionc. historical fictiond. biographical essay

Answer

d. biographical essay

Snoring: Comical Ailment or Serious

Symptom? Snoring is often the subject of comedy, but it can be more serious than most people realize. Sometimes it is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a medical condition in which the upper air passages narrow during sleep because of the combined effect of a blockage, relaxing muscles, and gravity. As the air passages narrow, breathing lessens, the oxygen level in the blood drops, and the patient snores to try to get more air. When the throat tissues collapse further, the patient stops breathing altogether, at which point he or she awakens, regains control of the throat muscles, and begins breathing normally. The patient then falls back asleep, but the cycle repeats throughout the night. In fact, a patient suffering from severe sleep apnea may awaken more than one hundred times a night. In most cases, since the patient awakens only partially, he or she is unaware of what is happening.

QuestionWhat is the author’s purpose in writing this selection?a. to informb. to entertainc. to persuade

Answer

a. to inform

QuestionWhere would you most likely see this selection?a. dictionaryb. magazine articlec. technical manuald. almanac

Answer

b. magazine article

Question which part of the selection gives you an immediate idea of what the selection is about?a. The titleb. the explanation of snoringc. the next to last sentenced. The last sentence

Answer

a. The title

QuestionWhich answer choice best states the main idea of this selection?a. The science behind sleep apnea is questionable.b. Sleep apnea is just one of several diseases of the throat.c. Sleep apnea results in some very funny stories for people who snored. Snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea, a serious medical condition.

Answerd. Snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea, a serious medical condition.

• Snake on the Etowah, by David Bottoms• Kicking through woods and fields, I’d spooked several• and once stepped on a coachwhip among gravestones,• at least one garter curled like a bow• under ivy in my yard.• 5 Once I even woke on the hazy bank of a lake,• wiped dew from my eyes and found• on my ankle• a cottonmouth draped like a bootlace.

• I thought I knew how beauty could poison• 10 a moment with fear,• but wading that low river, feet wide on rocks—• my rod hung on the backswing, my jitterbug• snagged on the sun—• I felt something brush my thigh.• 15 The bronze spoon of a copperhead drifted• between my legs.

• Out came the little tongue reaching• in two directions,• the head following upriver,• 20 following down, then a wide undulation (1) of tail,• a buff and copper swish. The river eased• around it in a quivering V,• while inside my shudder• it slipped out—• 25 spiny, cool, just below• the surface, sidling against the current.

Question The “Snake on the Etowah” has:

a. 1 stanza b. 4 stanzas c. 3 stanzas d. 26 stanzas

Answer

c. 3 stanzas

Question• Using context clues, which

description below best matches the meaning of the word sidling in the 26th line:

• a. moving, sideways in a sly manner

• b. riding a horse side-saddle• c. slithering through the grass• d. causing an electric current

Answer

A. moving, sideways in a sly manner

Question• In “Snake on the Etowah”, the topic of

David Bottoms’ poem is best described as:

• a. A poem that is a metaphor, using figurative language to reveal 2 meanings.

• b. A literal moment in nature shared with vivid descriptions and details.

• c. A musical poem that uses sound devices to add a rhythm and a beat.

• d. A formal poem that reflects death.

Answer

b. A literal moment in nature shared with vivid descriptions and details.

Question

• For the speaker in this poem, is it unusual or common to encounter a snake?• a. common• b. unusual

Answer

A. common

Question• In line 8, the speaker uses a simile to

compare the cottonmouth to a• a. string• b. worm• c. dragon• d. bootlace

Answer

d. bootlace

Question• What best describes the tone of

the speaker in lines 9 – 25• a. sarcastic• b. nervous/unsettled• c. silly• d. joyful

Answer

b. nervous/unsettled

Question• The above passage is an

example of which type of writing?

• a. autobiography• b. biography• c. poem• d. essay

Answer

•C. poem

From Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck

• The night was loaded with omens. The grieving sky turned the little water to a dangerous metal and then the wind got up—not the gusty, rabbity wind of the seacoasts I know but a great bursting sweep of wind with nothing to inhibit it for a thousand miles in any direction. Because it was a wind strange to me, and therefore mysterious, it set up mysterious responses in me. In terms of reason, it was strange only because I found it so. But a goodly part of our experience which we find inexplicable must be like that. To my certain knowledge, many people conceal experiences for fear of ridicule. How many people have seen or heard or felt something which so outraged their sense of what should be that the whole thing was brushed quickly away like dirt under a rug?

Question• Which of the following excerpts from “Travels with

Charley” is an example of a simile?• a. The grieving sky turned the little water to a dangerous metal.• b. Rocinante’s overloaded springs cry with anguish.• c. The strange landscape shouted with color.• d. The truckers are a set-apart bunch of men.

The long distance ones are exactly like sailors.

Answerd. The truckers are a set-apart bunch of men. The long distance ones are exactly like sailors.

Question• How would you describe the

mood of the above passage?• a. bright, optimistic and upbeat• b. sad, lonely, and depressed• c. bored and uncaring• d. mysterious and frightening

Answer

•d. mysterious and frightening

Question• Which words in the above passage

helped to create the mood of the selection?

• a. omens, grieving, fear, mysterious, dangerous

• b. bursting, brushed, • c. goodly, people, felt• d. gusty, rabbit wind

Answer

A. omens, grieving, fear, mysterious, dangerous

Question• In the statement, “The grieving sky turned

the little water to a dangerous metal and then the wind got up...”, which type of figurative language is “grieving sky”?

• a. simile• b. metaphor• c. personification• d. oxymoron

Answer

•c. personification

Question• In the above statement, “How many people have

seen or heard or felt something which so outraged their sense of what should be that the whole thing was brushed quickly away like dirt under a rug?” What type of figurative language is underlined?

• a. simile• b. metaphor• c. personification• d. oxymoron

Answer

•a. simile

QuestionThe above passage about a period of time in John Steinbeck’s life is an example of which type of writing?• a. a memoir (a type of autobiography)• b. a biography• c. a persuasive essay• d. a poem

Answer

A. a memoir (a type of autobiography)

Question• 24. In general, for which type of

writing is it usually most important to question the author's statements and assumptions?

• a) persuasive• b) narrative• c) explanation• d) description

Answer

•a) persuasive

The American Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr.• America is essentially a dream, a dream as yet unfulfilled. It is a

dream of a land where men of all races, of all nationalities and of all creeds can live together as brothers. The substance of the dream is expressed in these sublime words, words lifted to cosmic proportions: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” This is the dream.

• One of the first things we notice in this dream is an amazing universalism. It does not say some men, but it says all men. It does not say all white men, but it says all men, which includes black men. It does not say all Gentiles, but it says all men, which includes Jews. It does not say all Protestants, but it says all men, which includes Catholics.

• And there is another thing we see in this dream that ultimately distinguishes democracy and our form of government from all of the totalitarian regimes that emerge in history. It says that each individual has certain basic rights that are neither conferred by nor derived from the state. To discover where they came from it is necessary to move back behind the dim mist of eternity, for they are God-given. Very seldom if ever in the history of the world has a sociopolitical document expressed in such profoundly eloquent and unequivocal language the dignity and the worth of human personality. The American dream reminds us that every man is heir to the legacy of worthiness.

Question• Martin Luther King, Jr. begins his

speech with “America is essentially a dream, a dream as yet unfulfilled.” In this line, what figure of speech is being used?

• a. metaphor• b. simile• c. idiom• d. personification

Answer

•a. metaphor

Question• What is the author’s purpose

of this speech?• a. to describe• b. to persuade• c. to entertain• d. to instruct

Answer

B. to persuade

Question• The author’s style which includes long

sentences, academic language, and words such as unfulfilled, conferred, eloquent, and unequivocal would be described as:

• a. casual• b. humorous• c. informal• d. formal

Answer

D. formal

Question• . In the first paragraph, the Declaration of Independence is

quoted in the lines,

• “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their

• Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

• He quoted the Declaration of Independence as a source of information to support his position. What

• type of information is the Declaration of Independence?• a. Unreliable source• b. secondary source• c. primary source• d. invalid source

Answer•

•c. primary source

Question• The Latin root “equi” means equal. Using the

meaning of this Latin root, what word/s can replace the word

• equivalent in the following sentence:• • Are the sums equivalent?• a. incorrect• b. the same• c. varied• d. differing

Answer

•b. the same

Question• The Latin root “equi” means equal. Using the

meaning of the Latin root equi, what word/s can replace the word

• equilibrium in the following sentence?• The gymnast lost her equilibrium

causing her to fall off the balance beam.• a. place• b. hearing• c. balance• d. marbles

Answer

•c. balance

Question• Apple is to fruit as broccoli is to ________________________.• a. vegetable• b. soup• c. pie• d. meat

Answer

•A. vegetable

Question• 1st person point of view is to

autobiography as ________________________ is to biography.

• a. 3rd person• b. 2nd person• c. 1st person

Answer

A. 3rd person

Question• Sensibly is to wisely as doubtfully is

to ___________________________________.

• a. hopefully• b. optimistically• c. gently• d. cynically

Answer

•d. cynically

Question• The Latin root “sol” means alone. Using

the root’s meaning, choose the word that can replace the word desolate in the following sentence.

• The area in North Dakota seemed dry, dangerous, and desolate.

• a. full of people• b. deserted and empty• c. thriving• d. welcoming

Answer

b. deserted and empty

Question• The Latin root “sol” means alone.

Using the meaning of the root, choose the word/s that can replace the word solitary.

The pilot was ready to fly solo.• a. on his own• b. with a co-pilot• c. listening to soul music• d. doing tricks in the sky

Answer

a. on his own