English I/II STAAR Review

STAAR Review
English I/II

Inference

a logical guess based on evidence or reasoning

Multiple Choice

Macey's mom noticed that she was squinting as she read her book, which was only a few inches away from her face. She scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next week, and when the doctor said Macey needed glasses, she tried on every single pair in the office. After spending an hour looking at glasses, mom suggested that perhaps she should sleep on it and come back and decide in the morning. Macey agreed, but she kept talking about the pros and cons of each pair all night long. 
What can you infer about Macey?

• Macey is mad at her mother.

• Macey does not want glasses.

• Macey is very excited about getting glasses.

• Macey has trouble making decisions.

Author's Purpose

The author's intent for writing something - to inform, to entertain, to persuade

Multiple Choice

1. Recycling protects our health and environment because it removes harmful substances and pollution from landfills and run off. Recycling also conserves our natural resources, because it reduces our need for raw materials. Throwing that paper away? Maybe you should recycle and save a forest from logging.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

Multiple Choice

2. The roaring of the engine got louder and louder. The motorboat picked up so much speed that its bow was almost five feet above the water while the engine made water erupt in large wakes at the back of the boat. Dark thunderclouds loomed in the distance. Thankfully, we were not far from home.

• Persuade

• Inform

• Entertain

climax

The turning point or the most exciting part of the story

Multiple Choice

Imagine this: Jake has a massive crush on Maria and he's decided to ask her to prom. He's armed with a bouquet of her favorite flowers and a box of the finest chocolates. He's nervously waiting outside her classroom as the school day ends. As soon as Maria steps out, Jake's nerves get the better of him. He starts sweating buckets and the flowers slip from his trembling hands. He stumbles over his words as he tries to ask Maria to prom. Can you identify the climax of this heart-throbbing scenario?

• Jake purchasing the flowers and chocolates

• The suspenseful moment when Jake is waiting outside Maria's classroom

• The nerve-wracking moment when Jake drops the flowers and fumbles over his words while asking Maria to prom

• The moment Maria steps out of the classroom

protagonist

the main character in a literary work

antagonist

The person or idea that the protagonist struggles against in a story

Multiple Choice

Who is the protagonist in Cinderella?

• Cinderella

• Prince Charming

• The Wicked Stepmother

• The Fairy Godmother

Multiple Choice

Who is an antagonist in Cinderella?

• Cinderella

• Prince Charming

• The Wicked Stepmother

• The Fairy Godmother

conflict

a struggle between two forces

Multiple Choice

What is the definition of an "internal" conflict?

• A hero in a story that saves many lives.

• A problem that a character has with other characters.

• A struggle between a character and a family member.

• A struggle that a character faces within him/her self.

Multiple Choice

What is the definition of an "external" conflict?

• 
  A struggle between a character and an outside force.

• A problem that a character has with other characters.

• A struggle between a character and a family member.

• A struggle that a character faces within him/her self.

theme

the central message of the story; lesson learned

Multiple Choice

Jim was stacking boxes at work.  There was a certain height he had to reach.  He stretched his body, but could not reach to place the final box at the top.  Bill happened to see Jim struggling and came to his rescue, since he was a foot taller.

What is the theme?

• Teamwork can accomplish a goal.

• Tall people are the best.

• Work hard to reach a goal.

• People can be like boxes.

point of view

the perspective from which the story is told

First person: we are seeing events through the eyes of the character telling the story. (Pronouns: I, we, me, my, our, mine)
Second person: the narrator is speaking to YOU (Pronouns: you, your, yours)
Third person: the narrator is describing what’s seen, but as a spectator. If the narrator is a character in the story, then we are reading what he or she observes as the story unfolds. (Pronouns: she, he, they, him, her, them)

Multiple Choice

I was nervous when it was my turn in the spelling bee.

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

Multiple Choice

He likes to tell jokes that make everybody laugh.

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

thesis

the sentence that introduces the main argument or point of view of a composition (formal essay, nonfiction piece, or narrative). It is the main claim that the author is making about that topic and serves to summarize and introduce that writing that will be discussed throughout the entire piece.

Multiple Choice

Playing an instrument is good for your brain.

Is this a good or bad thesis?

• good

• bad

Multiple Choice

Getting ready for prom involves a lot of decision making: who to take, what clothes to wear, and what transportation to use.

Is this a good or bad thesis?

• good

• bad

tone

an author's attitude toward his/her subject

Multiple Choice

"We have some important news for you Mr. President.  We have discovered a terrorist plot against the United States" said the CIA agent.  The President closed the book, set it on the desk, and leaned forward, his eyes fixed straight ahead.  "Tell me everything you know." 

What is the tone of the dialogue?

• Informal

• Happy

• Serious

• Optimistic

mood

the feeling a reader gets from a piece of writing (based on the author's voice and tone)

Multiple Choice

“Meg knelt at her mother’s feet. The warmth and light of the kitchen had relaxed her so that her attic fears were gone. The cocoa steamed fragrantly in the saucepan; geraniums bloomed on the window sills and there was a bouquet of tiny yellow chrysanthemums in the center of the table. The curtains, red, with a blue and green geometrical pattern were drawn and seemed to reflect their cheerfulness throughout the room. The furnace purred like a great, sleepy animal; the lights glowed with steady radiance…” (16)

What is the mood?

• Harsh

• Comforting

• Excited

• Spooky

author's claim

An author’s claim is the main point or thesis statement in literature that conveys the writer’s perspective or viewpoint on a particular subject.

summary

A summary is a brief, complete overview of a text that maintains the meaning and logical order of the original work . It should NOT include your personal opinions.

To write a summary, follow these helpful hints:

• Write in the present tense

• Make sure to include the title of the work.

• Be concise: A summary should not be equal in length to the original text.

• Do not include fluff. Focus on the main points!

• Include information from the beginning,middle,end (BME).

Multiple Choice

Which sentence summarizes this paragraph best?

As December 6th draws closer, the streets of the new town filled with the Chivas of Fiestas de Quito. These open-air buses are parties on wheels that include live bands. The Chivas make stops around town where passengers get out and dance in plazas before heading on to the next stop. While a bit startling in number and the volume of the music, it’s a tradition here that becomes part of the backdrop of the celebration. You’ll find that the spirit of the merry riders carries in the air and into the days to come until the final day of the celebration brings the proceedings into full effect.

• The Chivas are too noisy and are surprising to foreign tourists.

• Dancing to the music of live bands on the Chivas and in the plazas is fun.

• Chivas are like party buses that are around during the days before the 6th December.

characterization

Characterization is a writer’s tool, or “literary device” that occurs any time the author uses details to teach us about a person.

Example

In the Harry Potter series, Dobby refers to Potter as “the noble Harry Potter,” or “good Harry Potter,” which shows us how the house elf adores the young wizard. It might also be a hint of how Dobby would show affection for other people he admires.

Multiple Choice

What can you infer about this character through indirect characterization? Whenever anyone tries to speak to Diana, she says, "You don't know me," rolls her eyes, and walks away.

• Dee has a difficult home life.

• Dee has eye problems.

• Dee is rude and thinks she is better than everyone else.

figurative language

• the phrasing, or way we write, that goes beyond the literal meaning of words to get a message or point across. 

• makes writing more interesting or dramatic

Ones to know:
-Personification
-Hyperbole
-Simile/Metaphor
-Alliteration

Multiple Choice

The rain ran down the road. 

• alliteration

• metaphor

• simile

• hyperbole

Multiple Choice

The flower hugged the earth after being blown over by the storm.

• alliteration

• metaphor

• personification

• hyperbole

Multiple Choice

I've told you a million times to clean your room!

• alliteration

• metaphor

• personification

• hyperbole

organizational pattern

An author's organizational pattern is how an author structures and arranges the text written.

• Chronological/Sequence- Describes the sequence in which events occur in time.

• Compare and Contrast- Discusses similarities and/or differences among ideas, theories, concepts, objects, or persons.

• Order of Importance- Describes ideas in order of priority or preference.

• Spatial- Describes physical location or position in space.

• Cause and Effect- Describes how one or more things cause or are related to another.

Multiple Choice

You are reading an article about what started the Civil War and the results of the war.  Which organizational pattern represents this type of article?

• General Principle/Generalization

• Compare/Contrast

• Cause/Effect

• Chronological

Multiple Choice

You write the story of your life that includes important dates and what happened on those dates. Which organizational pattern is represented here?

• General Principle/Generalization

• Compare/Contrast

• Cause/Effect

• Chronological

plot stages

1. exposition

2. rising action

3. climax

4. falling action

5. resolution

Multiple Choice

Explain how the resolution of a conflict impacts the overall message of a play.

• It is irrelevant to the story

• It has no impact on the overall message

• It makes the play more confusing

• It provides closure and conveys the moral or lesson of the story.

Multiple Choice

QUESTION: What is the claim of the partial article below?

Collecting, loving, buying and even wearing sneakers is different now than it’s ever been before. At the end of 2019, we noted that everyone wanted to be a sneaker head in our annual end-of-year list. In 2020, that hasn’t really changed — but so much else has. Although sneaker collecting has long been trending towards a digital pastime with online raffles, Instagram flexes and resell sites like StockX and GOAT taking the place of camp outs, meet-ups and conventions, this year forced the “game” even further in that direction owing to sweeping changes necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning-of-year prediction lists? Rip ‘em up. The Olympic Games, an annual innovation summit for the world’s biggest footwear brands? Postponed until 2021. Release dates? More flexible, fluid and likely to be pushed back than ever before.

• 2019 was a big year for "sneaker heads".

• You can't buy shoes the way you used to.

• The popular trend of collecting sneakers is popular but ever changing.

• The 2021 Olympics will definitely bring some new shoes.

poetry terms

• Stanza- a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse.

• Line- a subdivision of a poem, specifically a group of words arranged into a row that ends for a reason other than the right-hand margin

• rhyme scheme- the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse.

• end ryhme- when a poem has lines ending with words that sound the same

rhetorical shift

a literary device in which the tone or mood in a piece of writing is changed in order to define characters or make a novel or poem more interesting, engaging, and effective.