PSSA ELA 7/8 Review

PSSA ELA 7/8 Review

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Reading Passages

• Questions are multiple choice

• Questions reference a reading passage

Test Taking Strategies

• Preview questions before you read.

• Use tools to highlight key details, and summarize what you read.

• Think of an answer before looking at answer choices.

• Eliminate answers you know are incorrect.

• Go back to the text. Reread. Do not answer from memory.

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Multiple Choice

Which word is a synonym for the word savory?

• common

• unhealthy

• flavorful

• inexpensive

Multiple Choice

How has discovering the properties of the protein miraculin affected people?

• It led people to try growing the plant that produces the protein in colder climates.

• It helped people explain how the sense of taste developed over time.

• It led people to find ways of using the protein to make sour foods taste sweet.

• It helped people understand how taste buds work.

Multiple Choice

Which detail from the passage best supports the claim that the tongue senses tastes through more than just T1 receptors?

• the fact that cats lack T1R2 receptors

• the study with mice that lack T1R3 receptors

• the fact that T1 receptors help detect sweet foods

• the discovery of two types of T1 receptors

Multiple Choice

Read the sentence from the passage.

“Have you ever eaten something very sugary, such as a piece of pecan pie, and felt as though you couldn’t look at another sweet dessert?”

What is the purpose of the author’s word choice in the sentence?

• to introduce an unexplained problem

• to make an argument that persuades the reader

• to give an example that connects with the reader

• to emphasize the unhealthy qualities of certain foods

Multiple Choice

How does the section “Why Are Sweet Foods So Appealing?” fit into the development of the author’s ideas?

• It shows that children tend to like sweet foods more than adults do.

• It offers an explanation for the origin of human sensitivity to sweets.

• It explains specific workings of taste cells in different parts of the body.

• It highlights a difference in the sense of taste between humans and animals

Multiple Choice

Part One: Which statement best represents central ideas of the passage?

• Children tend to like sweet foods more than adults do, and the human body turns food into sugars.

• A tomato has molecules of several different tastes, and umami is one kind of taste.

• Different taste molecules fit perfectly into certain receptors on the tongue, and a banana’s sugar molecules fit into sweet receptors.

• Different receptors on the tongue help people to taste different things, and the ability to taste sweetness helps people eat what they need.

Multiple Select

Part Two: Which evidence from the passage supports the answer in Part One? Choose two answers.

• “When a food molecule from the banana drops into the taste bud, it fits into its matching receptor, like a key into a lock. This starts a process that sends a signal to the brain, which then tells you there is something sweet on your tongue.”

• “Our understanding of taste has advanced rapidly in the last ten years. One breakthrough was the discovery that sweet receptors in some mammals combine two proteins, labeled T1R2 and T1R3.”

• “Monell scientist Dr. Danielle Reed found a connection between periods of bone growth in young people and their desire for very sweet foods. As bone growth slows and the need for extra calories declines, so does fondness for highly sweet foods.”

• “They see miraculin as a tool for reducing world hunger. If it were available in large enough quantities, it could make plants that are unpleasantly sour seem tasty to people who need the calories.”

Multiple Choice

What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

• to explain how the sense of taste works

• to compare different types of taste receptors

• to argue that the human sense of taste has changed over time

• to show that the scientific understanding of taste is incomplete

Conventions of Standard English

• Conventions include sentence structure, usage, and punctuation.

Multiple Choice

Read the sentences from a paragraph.

(1) At the beginning of the school year, the teacher assigned each student a biography to read. (2) The students had three weeks to completely finish reading the biography of a person’s life. (3) Then each student spent three days creating a presentation on the assigned biography. (4) After the students had given their presentations, the class voted for a favorite.

Which sentence should be revised to eliminate redundancy?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 4

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains a word or group of words that is misplaced?

• Wise students finish their homework before starting other activities.

• Johnny proudly wore the medal he had earned at the competition.

• The conductor happily directed the musicians he had taught.

• Maggie clutched the seashell she had found closely.

Multiple Choice

Read the sentence.

Caroline was excited to visit the school where her friend Thomas attends so she could compare his classes to hers.

Which statement best explains the function of the underlined clause in the sentence?

• The clause shows why Thomas and Caroline are friends.

• The clause tells how Thomas is connected to Caroline.

• The clause clarifies which school Caroline will visit

• The clause explains why Thomas is attending the school.

Multiple Choice

Read the paragraph.

(1) Bicycles, a popular form of transportation for many people, are easy to use. (2) They are in my opinion, good for traveling short distances. (3) It is important to make sure the bicycle has enough air in the tires before riding it. (4) Without a doubt, no one likes changing a flat tire!

Which revision should be made to the paragraph?

• Remove the comma after people in sentence 1.

• Add a comma after are in sentence 2.

• Add a comma after sure in sentence 3.

• Remove the comma after doubt in sentence 4.