NJSLA Practice 2

Samantha wanted a new cell phone. She worked all summer at the local Dairy Queen. She wasn’t able to attend parties, movies, or beach trips because she worked so many hours. By September 1st she had enough money to purchase the phone. When she got it home, she realized it wasn’t much different than the one she had.

Which of the following is the BEST theme for the passage?

• Work hard to achieve goals in life.

• A young girl works all summer for a cell phone.

• People should never work summer jobs.

• Be careful what you wish for.

Open heart and open mind, /On a journey of a lifetime. /Love and respect all, /Get back up when you fall.

Which word BEST sums up the central idea of this poem?

• Integrity

• Vacation

• Encouragement

• Candor

We’ve all had that spark of inspiration where we’ve wanted to do something that will outlast our physical form. Then we share the idea with friends, family and work colleagues and get told to quit while we’re ahead. I’m telling you not to quit. I’m telling you that you are capable of making worldwide change. I began blogging in 2014 and thought it was only going to be a side hobby that was a bit of fun. Fast forward to now and I’m reaching millions of people a month and inspiring people to live a better life and help others along the way. If I can do it, you can too.

Which is the BEST summary of this excerpt?

• People should blog about their personal feelings.

• Ordinary people can make a difference in the world.

• People who try to stop you from doing something are usually jealous.

• Everyone needs to commit themselves to a long-term project.

In The Battle of the Bogarts, the three Bogart children battle the wicked King of Summerlin, who steals from the poor. It took three long and challenging battles, but the children defeated the king in the end. The oldest child, Meredith, led the final rebellion with a team of overzealous ostriches. At the end, she was crowned queen. Peace reigned in the City of Emerald for years to come.

What is the theme of this passage?

• There is never a good reason to fight.

• The importance of being crowned king or queen.

• In the end, good triumphs over evil.

• A girl leads a battle.

We are the dry wind, /but broken shadows of our former selves. /Left with nothing /but the jealousy in our hearts.

What is the overall tone of this poem?

• Bitter

• Excited

• Formal

• Humble

(1) She didn’t mind that she sat on the bus all day. (2) Her daily work was not of the sitting-down kind, so it was a good break. (3) She started this trip on a Sunday at nine in the morning. (4) Because of the waiting times between buses, it took her until about two in the afternoon to arrive in Dublin. (5) Doree had to take the bus to Dublin.

These sentences are out of order. What is the correct order?

• 5, 2, 1, 4, 3

• 3, 1, 5, 2, 4

• 5, 3, 4, 1, 2

• 3, 5, 4, 2, 1

I come with no wrapping or pretty pink bows. /I am who I am, from my head to my toes. /I tend to get loud when speaking my mind. /Even a little crazy some of the time. /I'm not a size 5 and don't care to be. /You can be you and I can be me.

Which word BEST describes the speaker of the poem?

• Charitable

• Despondent

• Devious

• Confident

Tom grabbed his lunch and went to the back of the room. Bill sat down with him, hitting Ben on the head along the way. Andrew knocked his napkin off of the table, and stole Ted’s money on the way back up. Ted didn’t notice. He laughed about a joke that no one thought was funny.

Which boy can be considered "devious"?

• Tom

• Bill

• Andrew

• Ted

In the course of her discussion, teacher and journalist, Caryn Windell, observes, “Thirty years ago people who thought they had a story to tell sat down to write a novel. Today they sit down to write a memoir.” She does not try to explain this shift towards personal narrative, but concentrates instead on what distinguishes a successful memoir from a failed one.

What trend did Caryn Windell point out about writing?

• Teachers assign memoirs today.

• Students are nervous about writing novels today.

• In the past, students never wrote memoirs.

• Today, people prefer to write memoirs over novels.

The dresser in the cellar caught my interest. Somewhere along the way, it had been painted blue. It looked small. And cheap. I remembered it being a much bigger and heavier piece of furniture – more substantial. I recalled standing on the pulls of the bottom drawer to reach the top. Which explained why some of the pulls were missing. I smiled thinking of how I have seen my son scale his dresser in the same way.

Which word BEST explains how the narrator is feeling?

• Disappointed

• Nostalgic

• Annoyed

• Euphoric