10th 4.5 Weeks Benchmark Review

Read the following passage from Fredrick Douglass narrative:

"Moreover, slaves are like other people, and imbibe prejudices quite common to others. They think their own better than that of others. Many, under the influence of this prejudice, think their own masters are better than the masters of other slaves; and this, too, in some cases, when the very reverse is true. Indeed, it is not uncommon for slaves even to fall out and quarrel among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters, each contending for the superior goodness of his own over that of the others."

What can you infer about the slaves from this passage?

• They often tried to escape.

• They were easily fooled into liking their masters.

• They were highly competitive in many areas of slave life.

• Slaves would hide their true feelings and speak positively about their masters.

On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war.

Which is the BEST meaning for impending as it is used in the selected sentence?

• Important

• Doubtful to occur

• Certain to occur soon

• Relating to an Empire

Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, ‘The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.’

Which BEST explains the meaning of the statement unrequited toil?

• Paid too much for labor

• Not rewarded for hard work

• Praised too much for labor

• Given the best job possible

"It is partly in consequence of such facts, that slaves, when inquired of as to their condition and the character of their masters, almost universally say they are contented, and that their masters are kind. The slaveholders have been known to send in spies among their slaves, to ascertain their views and feelings in regard to their condition. The frequency of this has had the effect to establish among the slaves the maxim, that a still tongue makes a wise head. They suppress the truth rather than take the consequences of telling it, and in so doing prove themselves a part of the human family. If they have any thing to say of their masters, it is generally in their masters' favor, especially when speaking to an untried man. I have been frequently asked, when a slave, if I had a kind master, and do not remember ever to have given a negative answer; nor did I, in pursuing this course, consider myself as uttering what was absolutely false; for I always measured the kindness of my master by the standard of kindness set up among slaveholders around us. Moreover, slaves are like other people, and imbibe prejudices quite common to others. They think their own better than that of others. Many, under the influence of this prejudice, think their own masters are better than the masters of other slaves; and this, too, in some cases, when the very reverse is true. Indeed, it is not uncommon for slaves even to fall out and quarrel among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters, each contending for the superior goodness of his own over that of the others."

Using context clues, define the term "untried man".

• Someone who has not been a slave very long

• Someone who is unknown and not yet trusted

• Someone who has spoken out against a slaveholder

• Someone who makes no effort to get along with others.

Read the passage and answer the following question.

² Together we stepped out to stand in silent contemplation of a landscape at once weird and beautiful. Before us a low and level shore stretched down to a silent sea. As far as the eye could reach the surface of the water was dotted with countless tiny isles—some of towering, barren, granitic rock—others resplendent in gorgeous trappings of tropical vegetation, myriad starred with the magnificent splendor of vivid blooms.

₃ Behind us rose a dark and forbidding wood of giant arborescent ferns intermingled with the commoner types of a primeval tropical forest. Huge creepers depended in great loops from tree to tree, dense under-brush overgrew a tangled mass of fallen trunks and branches. Upon the outer verge we could see the same splendid coloring of countless blossoms that glorified the islands, but within the dense shadows all seemed dark and gloomy as the grave.

Which most completely analyzes this excerpt for a comment about life?

• Beauty is kind and inviting

• Nature is evil and forbidding

• There is no risk in following beauty

• What appears beautiful can also be deadly

This excerpt involves David, who travels with an inventor named Perry. They test their experimental invention, a vehicle that burrows into the Earth's crust.

Which statement BEST reflects the human experience that is represented in this excerpt?

• Humans are not always reliable guides

• Humans desire wealth and a life of ease

• Humans are drawn to explore and experiment

• Humans attempt to conquer and control nature

⁴ And upon all the noonday sun poured its torrid rays out of a cloudless sky.

⁵ “Where on earth can we be?” I asked, turning to Perry.

⁶ For some moments the old man did not reply. He stood with bowed head, buried in deep thought. But at last he spoke.

⁷“David,” he said, “I am not so sure that we are ON earth.”

⁸ “What do you mean, Perry?” I cried. “Do you think that we are dead, and this is heaven?” He smiled, and turning, pointing to the nose of the prospector protruding from the ground at our backs.

The novel At the Earth's Core includes characters David, a mining heir, and his elderly friend and inventor, Perry. In this excerpt, what comment does the author seem to make with the dialogue between them?

• Everyone fears death

• With age comes insight and wisdom

• Today's youth are spoiled and rash

• Advancing years clouds one's judgement

III. The Pros of Teaching:

A. There’s More to Life Than Your Salary:

While it is true that the pay is (and stays) relatively low, teachers usually don’t starve. Being a teacher means having a modest and humble lifestyle, but not being impoverished. If nothing else, the pay is reliable; no one budgets better than teachers who get paid the same amount once a month and have to make that paycheck last right up to the next one. Besides, there are many other (non-monetary) compensations for the low pay.

Which statement BEST summarizes the section entitled, The Pros of Teaching?

• Being a teacher means that you get to have a lot of days where you don’t have to work.

• If you become a teacher, you will always have the teacher’s union and friends standing behind you in times of trouble.

• Teaching can be a very personally fulfilling job—even if you don’t make a lot of money, you can still get a lot of job satisfaction out of it.

• Being a teacher means having many benefits: personal job fulfillment, a strong union, supportive friends and colleagues, and many holidays and breaks off during the school year.

C. Where did your life go?

Someone once said, “Teaching is a job for nuns and priests,” and what this person meant is that teaching is a job that consumes all of your life. Presumably, the job is perfect for nuns and priests who do not have familial obligations to distract them from giving of all their time. Because teaching doesn’t end when the bell rings at 3 pm; often that’s when clubs need sponsoring, sports need coaching, meetings need leading, and dances need chaperoning. It can seem endless. Teachers may find themselves looking a little more wrinkly and gray in the mirror much earlier than they expected. Teaching can age a person quite quickly.

Which statement BEST summarizes the section entitled,Where did your Life Go?

• Nuns and priests are some of the best teachers in the world.

• Sometimes teachers have to stay after school to help coach a sport.

• When you’re a teacher, sometimes you wonder where your life went.

• Teachers have to work in a classroom all day and often spend their afternoons and evenings doing work for the schools.

A. Low Salaries:

Everyone knows—teachers do not make a great deal of money. Not only is teacher pay relatively low compared to other professions, it also does not get much better over time. A teacher who has been working twenty-five years doesn’t make substantially more than a teacher who’s only been in the profession for three years.

What is the BEST way to summarize paragraph A in part II?

• The biggest drawback to teaching is disrespect from students.

• Veteran teachers and new teachers practically earn the same salary.

• It is obvious to most people that teachers do not make a lot of money.

• Although teacher salaries are low, they are reliable and steady.