Keystone National Middle School Language Arts Level 7 Placement Exam

1) Tara forgot to invite her cousin to the party and was sorry for the omission.

In this sentence, what does the word omission mean?

a) a plan
b) error; oversight
c) rude; uncaring
d) rules

2) Enrique ran further than five miles each day while he was training for the
A B
marathon. No error.
C D

Which part of the sentence contains an error?

a) further
b) than
c) marathon
d) no error

3) What does the prefix re mean in the word rewrite?

a) do again
b) not
c) against
d) before

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4) Mary wanted the galidified dress because of the pretty color and high quality.
It would be perfect for the fancy Governor’s Dance. Galidified is a made-up word
that most likely means:

a) elegant
b) gaudy
c) simple
d) floor-length

5) Yelena wears a charm on her necklace.

What synonym could replace the underlined word?

a) charisma
b) luck
c) pretty
d) pendant

6) The class average score on the math test was an 85%.

In this sentence, average means the single value that represents the mean of a
set of numbers. Which of the choices is another meaning of the word average?

a) not out of the ordinary, normal

b) midway between extremes
c) both A and B
d) neither A or B

7) Which of these prefixes, when added to the word moral, means not moral?

a) un
b) in
c) im
d) anti

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8) What kind of figurative language is used in this sentence? Silly Sally never
saw the slippery slope.

a) alliteration
b) hyperbole
c) simile
d) personification

Read the passage below and use it to answer questions 9 through12.

The kids of Blahville need something fun to do and deserve a place to go after
school and on weekends. When kids are bored, they tend to look for trouble to
keep themselves busy. If the people of this town want to help kids stay out of
trouble, building a recreation center is the way to go! A recreation center would
give kids in our town a safe place to go to hang out with their friends and find
exciting things to do.

Additionally, some of the kids in Blahville have expressed interest in playing sports.
I hope the town can see the benefit of building a recreation center and starting
sports programs. This would be a great opportunity for teens in our area to learn
teamwork while staying physically fit.

I think you will find it hard to argue with the points I have made here. It should be
clear to the people of Blahville that a recreation center can only have a positive
effect on our town and its young people!

9) What is the author’s purpose in writing this piece?

a) to entertain the reader

b) to inform the reader
a) to persuade the reader
b) to teach the reader

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10) What point of view is this passage written from?

a) second person
b) first person
c) third person omniscient
d) third person subjective

11) What is one fact that could be used to support the argument?

a) I think the recreation center will benefit everyone in the community.

b) The town of Blahville has funds available to support the building of the
recreation center.
c) Blahville is a fantastic place to live and raise a family.
d) Everyone in town is excited about the prospect of a new place for kids to
play sports.

12) Which of these quotes from the text summarizes the author’s intended
purpose the best?

a) “Additionally, some of the kids in Blahville have expressed interest in

playing sports.”
b) “This would be a great opportunity for teens in our area to learn teamwork
while staying physically fit.”
c) “If the people of this town want to help kids stay out of trouble, building a
recreation center is the way to go!”
d) “A recreation center would give kids in our town a safe place to go to hang
out with their friends and find exciting things to do.”

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Use the poem, Fog to answer questions 13 through15.

Fog by Carl Sandburg

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking over

harbor and city on
silent haunches
and then moves on.

13) In this poem, the poet uses what kind of figurative language?

a) simile
b) hyperbole
c) metaphor
d) alliteration

14) In this poem, the word haunches means

a) hind legs
b) arms
c) sides of an arch
d) back

15) Based on the poem, one can infer that the mood in the city is of

a) an exciting and lively evening

b) a lazy afternoon
c) a hectic morning
d) a calm, quiet morning

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Use the outline below to answer questions 16 through 18.

1) Early Life
a) Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania.
b) At age 15, he was sent to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp with
the rest of his family.
c) Later transported to Buchenwald and liberated in 1945.

2) Later Life
a) Wrote a book about his experiences, titled Night.
b) Works to fight intolerance by teaching others of his experiences.
c) In 1986, Mr. Wiesel won the Nobel Peace prize for his contributions
to humanity.

16) What is the topic of this outline?

a) the treatment of people in the concentration camps

b) the good things Elie Wiesel did
c) the war and what people did afterwards
d) the life of Elie Wiesel

17) Where in the outline would be the best place for the fact, “Elie Wiesel
established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity in 1986?”

a) early Life, after “Later transported to Buchenwald and liberated in 1945”

b) early Life, before “Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania”
c) later Life, after “In 1986, Mr. Wiesel won the Nobel Peace prize for his
contributions to humanity”
d) later Life, before “Wrote a book about his experiences, titled Night”

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18) What purpose could this outline best be used for?

a) writing a book on World War II

b) writing an essay about Elie Wiesel’s life
c) writing a speech about the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize
d) writing a book report on the book Night

Use the excerpt below to answer questions 19 through 22.

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is a tale warning us about the dangers

of knowledge. In 1818, an 18-year-old woman named Mary Shelley wrote one
of the greatest science fiction stories ever. In this story, a man named Victor
Frankenstein uses technology to bring life to a man created from the parts of
dead bodies. The true story is very different from most movie versions of it, but
the message is clear. What Frankenstein did was a mistake, and just because
scientists can do something does not mean they should do it.

19) Which of these words used in the excerpt has multiple meanings?

a) wrote
b) true
c) clear
d) mean

20) Based on this passage, do you think the author is biased or unbiased?

a) biased
b) unbiased

21) What is the main idea of the excerpt?

a) the monster was mistreated by his creator, Victor Frankenstein

b) Mary Shelley wrote one of the greatest science fiction books
c) the ability to do something does not mean you should do it
d) technology has made our lives better

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22) Prometheus is the Greek myth about how a god gave the knowledge of fire
to man. Prometheus was severely punished for giving away this knowledge. In
literature, fire can be both destructive and comforting (sitting by a fire on a cold
day). Why do you think Mary Shelley titled her book Frankenstein, or The
Modern Prometheus?

a) to show how much she really like the story of Prometheus

b) to show that the monster was comforting despite what everyone said
c) to show that literature uses the same themes repeatedly
d) to show how destructive knowledge can be

Read the short story, ““The Gift of the Magi””, by O.Henry, and answer questions
23 through 35.

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in
pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the
vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheek burned with the silent
imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della
counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be
Christmas. (P 1)

There was clearly nothing left to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and
howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of
sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. While the mistress of the
home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the
home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it
certainly had that word on the look-out for the mendicancy squad. (P 2)

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In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an
electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining
thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” The
“Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity
when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was
shrunk to $20, the letters of “Dillingham” looked blurred, as though they were
thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever
Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was
called “Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already
introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good. (P 3)

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She
stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a
gray backyard. To-morrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only one
dollar and 87 cents with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every
penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go
far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only
one dollar and 87 cents to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour
she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and
sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being
owned by Jim. (P 4)

There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have
seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by
observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly
accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.
Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes
were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds.
Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. (P 5)

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which
they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his
father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. Had the Queen of
Sheba lived in the flat across the air shaft, Della would have let her hair hang
out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and
gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the
basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to
see him pluck at his beard from envy. (P 6)

So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade
of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment

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for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered
for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts
and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out of the door and
down the stairs to the street. Where she stopped the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie.
Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting.
Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie.” (P 7)

“Will you buy my hair?” asked Della. (P 8)

“I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks of
it.” (P 9)

Down rippled the brown cascade. (P 10)

“Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand. (P 11)

“Give it to me quick,” said Della. (P 12)

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed
metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present. (P 13)

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There
was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside
out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly
proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious
ornamentation—as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch.
As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim’s. It was like him. Quietness
and value—the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from
her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch
Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the
watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather
strap that he used in place of a chain. (P 14)

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and
reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work
repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a
tremendous task, dear friends—a mammoth task. (P 15)

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Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made
her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the
mirror long, carefully, and critically. (P 16)

“If Jim doesn’t kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at
me, he’ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh!
what could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?” (P 17)

At seven o’clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the
stove, hot and ready to cook the chops. (P 18)

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the
corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his
step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a
moment. She had a habit of saying little silent prayers about the simplest
everyday things, and now she whispered: “Please God, make him think I am
still pretty.” (P 19)

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very
serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two—and to be burdened with a family!
He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves. (P 20)

Jim stepped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His
eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she
could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor
disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared
for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face. (P
21)

Della wriggled off the table and went for him. (P 22)

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and
sold because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a
present. It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair
grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let's be happy. You don't
know what a nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you." (P 23)

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at
that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor. (P 24)

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"Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm
me without my hair, ain't I?" (P 25)

Jim looked about the room curiously. (P 26)

"You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy. (P 27)

"You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's
Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my
head were numbered," she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "but
nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?" (P 28)

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten
seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the
other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference?
A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought
valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be
illuminated later on. (P 29)

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.
"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's
anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me
like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you
had me going a while at first." (P 30)

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic
scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and
wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of
the lord of the flat. (P 31)

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had
worshiped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell,
with jeweled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They
were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and
yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were
hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were
gone. (P 32)

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with
dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!" (P 33)

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And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!" (P 34) Jim
had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her
open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her
bright and ardent spirit. (P 35)

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the
time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks
on it." (P 36)

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 Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the
back of his head and smiled. (P 38)

"Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while.
They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy
your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on." (P 39)

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts
to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.
Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of
exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the
uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed
for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise
of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O
all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are
wisest. They are the magi. (P 40)

23) In paragraph 21, the word fixedly has two suffixes. The suffix –ed changes
the verb into an adjective and the suffix –ly changes it into
a) a noun
b) a pronoun
c) another adjective
d) an adverb

24) In paragraph 21, the prefix dis- in the word disapproval changes the word
approve so that the word disapproval means

a) object to
b) agree to
c) consent to
d) allow

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 25) The theme of this story is expressed in this sentence:

a) one dollar and eighty-seven cents and the next day would be Christmas
b) now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in
which they both took a mighty pride
c) the magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who
brought gifts to the Babe in the manger
d) but in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give
gifts these two were the wisest

26) Which phrase from ““The Gift of the Magi”” contains an example of
alliteration?

a) the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher (paragraph 1)
b) life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles (paragraph 2)
c) As immovable as a setter at the scent of quail (paragraph 21)
d) The next two hours tripped by on rosy wings (paragraph 13)

27) The relationship between the two main characters in this story can best be
described as

a) devoted
b) secretive
c) admiring
d) sympathetic

28) The way Della feels about their poverty can best be described as

a) indifferent
b) upset about not having money for a nice gift
c) sad about living in a shabby apartment
d) determined to change their circumstances

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 29) The setting of this story is

a) an apartment or flat in a modern day city

b) in the period of the magi or wise men of Biblical times
c) a city in an earlier time
d) a town in middle America

30) The theme is supported by all but one of the following statements from the
story. Which one does not belong?

a) one dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was
in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time . . .
b) “Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand.
“Give it to me quick,” said Della
c) as soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim’s. It was like him.
Quietness and value—the description applied to both
d) "Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a
while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the
money to buy your combs

31) The two main contradictory elements in this story are

a) Della cut her hair to buy a watch chain, while Jim sold his watch to buy
combs
b) Mme. Sofronie offered to buy Della’s hair for $20, but Jim didn’t like short
hair
c) Jim had an elegant watch, but carried it on an old leather strap
d) the couple lived in a cheap apartment but loved each other

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 32) Which three statements from ““The Gift of the Magi”” best show the author’s
purpose?

a) Now there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which
they both took a mighty pride.
One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and grandfather’s.
The other was Della’s hair.
b) A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it
certainly had that word on the look-out for the mendicancy squad.
Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only one dollar and 87
cents with which to buy Jim a present.
When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence
and reason.
c) Jim stepped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail.
His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that
she could not read . . .
You’ve cut off your hair? Asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at
that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.
Out of his trance, Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della . . .
d) “I buy hair,” said Madame. . . . “Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the
mass with her practiced hand. “Give it to me quick,” said Della
For there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had
worshiped long in a Broadway window.
In a last word to the wise of these days, let it be said that of all who give
gifts these two were the wisest.

33) What is the author’s purpose for writing the fictional story ““The Gift of the
Magi””?

a) to explain who the Magi were

b) to present an entertaining story of two people in love
c) to demonstrate the concept of unselfish giving
d) to show how a poor couple can cleverly find the proper gifts for each other

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 34) The conflict introduced in this story is

a) the fact that Della had long hair and needed combs
b) the fact that Della wanted to buy a wonderful gift but had little money
c) the fact that Della and her husband Jim were poor
d) the fact that Jim was upset that Della cut her hair

35) The most important three facts that should be included in a complete but
brief summary of ““The Gift of the Magi”” would be:

a) Della and Jim were a young couple in love.

Both Della and Jim gave up their most prized possession to buy
something for the other.
Of those who give gifts, these two were the wisest – as wise as the Magi
b) Della and Jim were a young couple in love.
Della had $1.87 to buy Jim a Christmas gift. Jim
sold his watch to buy a gift for Della.
c) Della sold her hair for money to buy Jim a gift.
Della feared Jim would think she looked like a chorus girl.
Della told him that her hair “grows so fast.”
d) Della and Jim rented a furnished flat (apartment) for $8 per week Della’s
most prized possession was her hair, which reached below her knees.
Jim’s most prized possession was a gold watch.

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36) What kind of figurative language is used in this sentence? Sparkling with
joy, her eyes shone like diamonds.

a) assonance
b) simile
c) metaphor
d) personification

37) Debonair means well-groomed and sophisticated. What are two antonyms
for the word debonair?

a) elegant and suave

b) awkward and bumbling
c) lanky and wealthy
d) plentiful and sweet

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Use the article to answer the questions 38 and 39.

The Great Crested Tern

The great crested tern is a tropical and subtropical bird that thrives from South
Africa around the Indian Ocean to Australia and the Pacific. The populations are
dispersed over enormous areas.

These birds live in coastal colonies on islands where they nest and lay eggs in
sandy and rocky soils. They live in large colonies to help protect their group from
predators. Like many sea birds, they dive for fish and thrive in saltwater
environments. The males will offer fish to the females as a gift in their courtship.

38) Which sentence best summarizes the major points of this nonfiction article?

a) The great crested tern is a bird that lives in warm places and they enjoy
living near the water because that is where they find their food. They are
friendly and are often found in zoos.
b) The great crested tern is a bird that lives in large colonies, in the tropics.
The tern lays its eggs in sandy and rocky soil. They are like most sea
birds and will dive for fish which male birds will offer to the females during
courtship.
c) The great crested tern mates only in the summer and the males perform a
special mating dance in order to attract females. They will then offer them
as much fish as possible.
d) The great crested tern only lays their eggs in the sandy or rocky soil
because it offers the best protection from predators. Some predators
include larger birds and carnivorous mammals.

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39) Where would be the best place to insert a sentence about how the great
crested tern cares for its young?

a) after the section on population

b) after the section on the males offering fish as a gift during courtship
c) after the section where it says they live in large colonies
d) after the section where it says they lay their eggs in rocky or sandy soil

40) Barbara left her son this note:

Hi Honey,

Please remember to get the trash ready to be put outside but don’t forget to make
a snack for your sister first. After getting the trash around, please make sure to
write a letter to your grandmother saying thank you for sending you a card on your
birthday. Finally, start dinner by boiling water on the stovetop.

Thanks!
Love, Mom

What did Barbara want her son to do first?

a) make a snack for his sister

b) gather up the trash
c) boil water
d) write a thank you letter to his grandmother

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Use the poem to answer the questions 41 through 44.

Leaves blow in the wind, dance

and spin across the earth.
Tiny tornado.

41) This is an example of a(n) ________________ poem.

a) acrostic
b) haiku
c) limerick
d) ballad

42) What is the author’s purpose with this poem?

a) to inform
b) to teach
c) to persuade
d) to entertain

43) What two forms of figurative language are used in the poem?

a) simile and personification

b) simile and hyperbole
c) personification and alliteration
d) alliteration and simile

44) What is the rhyme scheme in the poem?

a) ABAB
b) ABBA
c) ABCA
d) there isn’t one

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45) How many suffixes does the following sentence contain?

Chandra happily realized that she was the fastest in the class.

a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

Use the passage to answer questions 46 and 47.

When he came into the main room, he stopped for a moment and shivered. He
looked over at the flickering flames in the fireplace, and then saw that there was
no more wood next to the chimney. He would have to go out to the shed and get
some more. He took a long look out the window and watched the light rain falling
on the few sad, yellow leaves still clinging to the oak trees. It almost looked like it
was going to turn to snow. "Well," he thought, "that wood is not going to get in
here by itself." He lifted the latch on the front door and had almost opened it
when he remembered. He reached over toward the corner and picked up his
musket, checking to make sure it was ready to fire before opening the door.

46) What is the best evidence from the passage that supports this
generalization:

The setting of the story is during the winter in the 1700s.

a) there is a wood fire place in use and the character has a musket, a type of
gun that wasn’t used after the 1800s
b) there is a woodshed and there is a light rain falling on the roof
c) there is a latch on the front door and the leaves are falling off the trees.
there are flickering flames in the fireplace
d) there is a man talking to his hunting dog and he is excited to go outside
and go hunting

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47) Based on the passage, make an inference about the location of the passage.

a) Florida
b) South America
c) Iran
d) New England

Use the text below to answer the questions 48 through 51.

THE BEGGAR: (outside) Bread. Bread. Bread. Give me some bread.

THE KING: (annoyed) Who is that crying in the street for bread?

THE SERVANT: (fanning) O King, it is a beggar.

THE KING: Why does he cry for bread?

THE SERVANT: O King, he cries for bread in order that he may fill his belly.

THE KING: I do not like the sound of his voice. It annoys me very much. Send
him away.

48) This text most likely comes from a

a) poem
b) short story
c) Play
d) nonfiction article

49) The words in the parenthesis are stage directions. What is the purpose of
stage directions?

a) they tell the actors how to say the lines

b) they are directions for the director of the play
c) the author liked the way they sounded
d) there is no purpose for the stage directions

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50) Based on the dialogue, the character of the king could be described as:

a) happy and helpful

b) lazy and useless
c) spiteful and angry
d) cruel and unsympathetic

51) The king languidly stated that he did not want to feed the beggar. The king
had more important things to worry about.

Based on the context clues, languidly most likely means:

a) happily
b) not caring
c) lazily
d) furiously

52) Essay question: Your town wants to set a curfew for all the kids in town. All
children under fifteen would have to be inside by 8:00 PM every weeknight. Do
you feel that this is reasonable? What are some advantages or disadvantages in
the town’s plan? At the next town meeting, the mayor will decide. Pick a side
and explain why you agree/disagree with the town curfew in a five-paragraph
essay. Make sure to use concrete examples to help persuade your audience into
agreeing with your point of view. Make sure to utilize proper organizational
strategies, as you begin your introduction with a hook and also have a strong
thesis, along with topic sentences with transitions in all three body paragraphs,
and a conclusion that leaves the audience convinced. After completing your
essay make sure to proofread for spelling and grammar errors.

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