Reading Comprehension

(1) Becky wanted to supplement her income, so she decided to buy items at garage sales and then sell them in an online auction.  (2) She woke up early on Saturday morning and traveled around the city, stopping at nearly two dozen garage sales.  (3) She spent $250 at the sales.  (4) After spending just a few hours setting up the auctions online, Becky sat back and watched. (5) When the auction concluded three days later, Becky had sold all of her items for a total of $1,565.
In sentence 1, the word "supplement" means

• Distribute
• Increase threefold
• Add to
• Decrease

Tags

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.L.8.4B

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

(1) Becky wanted to supplement her income, so she decided to buy items at garage sales and then sell them in an online auction.  (2) She woke up early on Saturday morning and traveled around the city, stopping at nearly two dozen garage sales.  (3) She spent $250 at the sales.  (4) After spending just a few hours setting up the auctions online, Becky sat back and watched. (5) When the auction concluded three days later, Becky had sold all of her items for a total of $1,565.
Which of the following conclusions can be made based on the information in the passage?

• Becky was out of work before she started her online business.
• Becky made more from her auctions than she did from her other job.
• Becky is a poor businesswoman.
• Becky made back all the money she invested.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

(1) On March 4, 1865, with the end of the Civil War in sight, Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address.  (2) An excerpt from that speech:  With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
The term "inaugural address" in sentence 1 means

• A letter written to an inaugural committee
• A speech given when being sworn in
• A debate with another candidate
• A speech given while campaigning

Tags

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

(1) On March 4, 1865, with the end of the Civil War in sight, Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address.  (2) An excerpt from that speech:  With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
In the first sentence of the inaugural address, the phrase "the work we are in" most likely refers to which of the following?

• A campaign for the presidency
• A campaign for the House of Representatives
• the Civil War
• Reconstruction

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.4

(1) A year ago, the majority of the workers at BigMoneyCorp commuted to work every day. (2) A company study showed that the average worker spent one hour and twenty minutes traveling from the suburbs of Atlanta to the city. (3) In response, the CEO moved the headquarters to the suburbs. (4) In the year since the move, BigMoneyCorp's profit margins have improved. (5) Furthermore, company employees have requested fewer sick days and personal days in the one year since the move than they had in the five years prior to the move.
Based on the passage above, what factors might be responsible for the increased popularity at BigMoneyCorp?

• State-of-the-art facilities at the new location
• Reduced stress for employees
• Sense of community among commuters
• The economy

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.3

(1) If sports build character,  as conventional wisdom suggests, why do we always read about athletes getting arrested?  (2) Some people cite the extravagant lifestyles of professional athletes; others suggest that years of special treatment make athletes believe that they are above the law.  (3) Researchers at Baylor University's sport management department have another theory. (4) They have discovered that the percentage of professional athletes who get arrested is actually smaller than the percentage of doctors who get arrested. (5) Lawyers, teachers, and accountants also get arrested with greater frequency than do athletes. (6) This study suggests that the media frenzy that follows the arrest of an athlete causes the mistaken public perception that most athletes are criminals.
The study discussed in the passage indicates that

• _{Stories of professionals being arrested always lead the news}
• The media does nothing to enhance the image of professional athletes
• Sports do not enhance character or develop integrity
• The media is inconsistent in its treatment of people who get arrested

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.8

(1) If sports build character,  as conventional wisdom suggests, why do we always read about athletes getting arrested?  (2) Some people cite the extravagant lifestyles of professional athletes; others suggest that years of special treatment make athletes believe that they are above the law.  (3) Researchers at Baylor University's sport management department have another theory. (4) They have discovered that the percentage of professional athletes who get arrested is actually smaller than the percentage of doctors who get arrested. (5) Lawyers, teachers, and accountants also get arrested with greater frequency than do athletes. (6) This study suggests that the media frenzy that follows the arrest of an athlete causes the mistaken public perception that most athletes are criminals.
In sentence 6, the word "frenzy" means

• Uproar
• Criticism
• Attrition
• Frequency

Tags

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

(1) Archaeologists are scientists who study ancient cultures. (2)Archaeologists have been studying the ancient life and cultures of North America for many years. (3) Despite the years and years of research they've done, experts are still unable to determine when humans began living in America. (4) They do know, however, that by about 1000 B.C.E. , farming villages have been established in eastern North America.

Which of the following conclusions can be made based on the passage?

• Without archaeologists, there would be no farming villages in North America.

• Farmers have been in North America for longer than archaeologists know.

• Without the work of archaeologists, we wouldn't know as much as we do about ancient life in North America.

• Humans have not always lived in North America.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.W.8.9A

(1) To answer the questions that have perplexed us through the ages - How was the world created? What causes weather? Why do seasons change? What happens after we die? - we have always turned to mythology.  (2) Myths are stories that provide answers to otherwise unanswerable questions.  (3) Thousands of years ago, stories we now study as literature were accepted as the truth about all the mysteries of nature and the universe. (4) Ancient man did not have the benefit of science and history, so ancient mythology should not strike us as unbelievable or far-fetched.  (5) Moreover, many of our modern religious beliefs may be considered nothing more than mythology by future generations.
Which of the following statements can be inferred based on the passage?

• The strangest myths usually address the most puzzling existential questions.
• Myths that seem odd to us often make sense within the context of the culture that created them.
• Early myths are used to educate students in areas such as reading comprehension.
• Mythology should never be confused with religion.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.W.8.9A

(1) To answer the questions that have perplexed us through the ages - How was the world created? What causes weather? Why do seasons change? What happens after we die? - we have always turned to mythology.  (2) Myths are stories that provide answers to otherwise unanswerable questions.  (3) Thousands of years ago, stories we now study as literature were accepted as the truth about all the mysteries of nature and the universe. (4) Ancient man did not have the benefit of science and history, so ancient mythology should not strike us as unbelievable or far-fetched.  (5) Moreover, many of our modern religious beliefs may be considered nothing more than mythology by future generations.
In sentence 1, the word "perplexed" means

• Mesmerized
• Disenchanted
• Condescended
• Bewildered

Tags

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.L.8.4B

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4