Unit 1 Pretest

"The sun shining on it made it glisten like a diamond, and a lady who was passing stopped to admire its beauty." What does "glisten like a diamond" mean in the sentence?

• Sparkle with light

• Shine like a mirror

• Appear to be valuable

• Attractive to the eyes of people

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

It was completely lost in the vastness of the mighty waters of which it was only a drop.

• sad truth

• large size

• loud sounds

• confusing places

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

For the following questions, you will use your writing skills. Read the directions and answer the questions.A student is writing a research report on the Nobel Peace Prize. Read the draft and answer the question that follows.

The Nobel Peace Prize is an award in one of the six Nobel Prize categories. It is given to those who have done significant work for peace. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent fight against racial prejudice.

Which concluding statement best follows from the ideas presented?

• Only five of the six Nobel Prize categories existed when Alfred Nobel set up the awards.

• Mahatma Gandhi was never awarded the prize, but members of the Nobel Foundation believe he should have been.

• The existence of the prize shows that there are always people such as King who work to make the world a better place.

• People still read and listen to the acceptance speech King gave when he received the prize, and they also study his other speeches.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.W.8.1E

CCSS.W.8.2F

A student is writing an argumentative piece about adopting animals from shelters. Read the draft and answer the question that follows.

People who want pets should adopt them from animal shelters. there are a lot of dogs, cats, and other animals waiting for loving, responsible owners.

Which transition could be used at the beginning of the second sentence to clarify the relationship between the

ideas in the two sentences?

• In addition,

• This is because

• On the other hand,

• This shows us that

Tags

CCSS.W.8.2C

CCSS.W.8.3C

A student is writing a first-person narrative about a teenage astronaut. Read the introductory paragraph of the

narrative and answer the question that follows.

Being an astronaut is hard on your body. Even though I'm the country's youngest astronaut, my thirteen-year-old body is already starting to get tired of space travel. When I was ten years old, I still had muscles.

Now, the years of weightlessness have made my muscles all but disappear.

Which sentence would best introduce the paragraph?

• Without regular exercise, astronauts can lose mass in their bones and muscles.

• Somehow, my parents knew when I was a baby that I would one day be an astronaut.

• As a top astronaut, I've visited eight planets in three years, and it's really starting to show.

• Though I love what I do, no one told me in astronaut training that I would wind up feeling so old so quickly.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.7.10

These unusual basalt columns are not unique to Ireland. To name a few locations, they can also be found in Iceland and at the famous Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. And recently, one of NASA’s probes has taken magnified images of familiar columns of eerie, black rocks surrounding a volcanic crater on Mars. It’s amazing to think that similar conditions existed on our neighboring planet to form such structures!

What does the word basalt mean in this paragraph?

• black volcanic rocks

• tall rock columns

• hexagonal rocks

• sandy pillars

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

These unusual basalt columns are not unique to Ireland. To name a few locations, they can also be found in Iceland and at the famous Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. And recently, one of NASA’s probes has taken magnified images of familiar columns of eerie, black rocks surrounding a volcanic crater on Mars. It’s amazing to think that similar conditions existed on our neighboring planet to form such structures!

What phrase in the passage provides a clue to the meaning of basalt?

• "a road trailing off into the ocean”

• “a scorching 840-890 degrees Celsius.”

• “magnified images of familiar columns"

• "eerie, black rocks surrounding a volcanic crater”

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

"Recently, scientist Yan Lavallee created special equipment to hold these rocks under intense heat in order to study how they form. His team took similar columns from Iceland and heated them to an incredible 1000 degrees Celsius. To do this, the scientist held the rocks with a huge grip that was able to withstand the high heat and apply pressure to the rocks at the same time.”

What does this sentence most likely emphasize?

• High temperatures are dangerous elements in an experiment.

• Myths do not include heroes overcoming significant obstacles such as the one described.

• Scientists will go to ridiculous lengths to prove a point.

• The difficulty of conducting the experiment that proved the rocks were a natural formation.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The adventurers pulled on their backpacks, turned on their headlamps, and entered the cave. Chloe gasped at the scene: giant stalactites cascaded from the top of the cave and ended in needle-sharp points, seeming to reach desperately for their stalagmite counterparts below. An irregular dripping sound—Plop ...plip-plop ...plop—echoed in a space brought alive by water.

What does the word counterparts mean in this paragraph?

• rock formations with sharp edges

• things that complete each other

• fast-moving objects

• shallow bodies of water

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

Read this sentence.

‘“I promise,’ declared Chloe solemnly, but Nicholas was sure he saw a disturbing glint in her eyes—a glint that would haunt his dreams for months.

Which response is the most likely reason the author uses the phrase “disturbing glint in her eyes”?

• to add a sense of calm to the situation

• to describe Chloe’s overall appearance

• to characterize Nicholas as a bad friend

• to create a dark, foreboding atmosphere

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4