Module 1 Review-8th Grade

The theme of a story is...

• The main idea of the text

• The lesson or message learned in the text

• A summary of the text

• The plot information from the text

Which of the following could be the theme of a story?

• Fear is more dangerous than any beast.

• A brave young girl pretends to be a man and takes her father's place in the army.

• a fear of heights

• "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too."

Read this sentence:

Francine grabbed me and propelled me through the door toward the registration table and the entry forms.

Based on the sentence, what does propel mean?

• Bother and annoy

• Move repetitively

• Elaborate or embellish

• Push something forward

A student is writing a paper and needs to find examples of sentences using the word nonsense. What reference should the student use?

• Dictionary

• Thesaurus

• Encyclopedia

• Wikipedia

Which synonym for angry most strongly suggests a crazed anger?

• Irritated

• Bothered

• Enraged

• Riled

1911

THE MATCH

There never was a time when the world was without fire, but there was a time when men did not know how to kindle fire; and after they learned how to kindle one, it was a long, long time before they learned how to kindle one easily. In these days we can kindle a fire without any trouble, because we can easily get a match; but we must remember that the match is one of the most wonderful things in the world, and that it took men thousands of years to learn how to make one. Let us learn the history of this familiar little object, the match.

Fire was first given to man by nature itself. When a forest is set on fire by cinders from a neighboring volcano, or when a tree is set ablaze by a thunderbolt, we may say that nature strikes a match. In the early history of the world, nature had to kindle all the fires, for man by his own effort was unable to produce a spark. The first method, then, of getting fire for use was to light sticks of wood at a flame kindled by nature—by a volcano, perhaps, or by a stroke of lightning. These firebrands were carried to the home and used in kindling the fires there. The fire secured in this way was carefully guarded and was kept burning as long as possible. But the flame, however faithfully watched, would sometimes be extinguished. A sudden gust of wind or a sudden shower would put it out. Then a new firebrand would have to be secured, and this often meant a long journey and a deal of trouble.

In 1827, John Walker, a druggist in a small English town, tipped a splint with sulphur, chlorate of potash, and sulphid of antimony, and rubbed it on sandpaper, and it burst into flame. The druggist had discovered the first friction-chemical match, the kind we use to-day. It is called friction-chemical because it is made by mixing certain chemicals together and rubbing them. Although Walker's match did not require the bottle of acid, nevertheless it was not a good one. It could be lighted only by hard rubbing, and it sputtered and threw fire in all directions. In a few years, however, phosphorus was substituted on the tip for antimony, and the change worked wonders. The match could now be lighted with very little rubbing, and it was no longer necessary to have sandpaper upon which to rub it. It would ignite when rubbed on any dry surface, and there was no longer any sputtering. This was the phosphorus match, the match with which we are so familiar.

What information do we get from the bolded paragraph that develops the main idea of the essay?

• How nature started the first fires

• How humans came up with the idea for matches

• The need for a new way to create fire

• The way matches are made

Jason looked up to the engineers he had met on the field trip. He knew he could be as successful as they were if he just worked hard enough. Unlike his friends who spent their days at the skate park, Jason was a man on a mission, constantly working on his schoolwork.

What type of connection is used in this text?

• Contrast

• Analogy

• Comparison

• Category

The unrest of the dogs had been increasing, and they stampeded, in a surge of sudden fear, to the near side of the fire, cringing and crawling about the legs of the men.

Based on the context of the sentence, what is a surge?

• A running pace or gait

• A significant feeling

• An automatic response

• a rapid increase

If you needed to determine how to pronounce a new word you are learning, what would be the best resource?

• Thesaurs

• Dictionary

• Index

• Glossary

In January 1880, Cuba was the center of two strong earthquakes that sent severe shock waves through the town of Key West, Florida. The tremors occurred at 11 p.m. on January 22 and at 4 a.m. on the 23rd. At Buelta Abajo and San Christobal, Cuba, many buildings were thrown down and some people were killed.

Which answer summarizes the central idea of this paragraph?

• Buildings toppled during the earthquake of January 1880.

• Key West got a small taste of Cuba's deadly earthquakes.

• Several people died when an earthquake hit two cities in Cuba.

• Tremors happened for two nights in a row in late January.