STAAR Practice Eng 1 Guided Reading

Which of these is the best plot summary of the story?

• A boy and his father walk around their cornfield to plan a fence. They come upon a ground squirrel and a snake. The father orders their dog Bob to kill the snake. The next day, they find another snake in the same cornfield.

• A boy, his father, and their dog find a female blacksnake in their cornfield. Although the snake is harmless and attempting to lay her eggs, the father orders their dog to kill the snake. The next day, the snake’s mate comes to the cornfield to look for her.

• A boy, his father, and their dog find a female snake in their cornfield. The father orders the dog to kill the snake. The son asks his father to let the snake live because it is not harmful, but the father says all snakes are his enemies. The next day, they find the bull snake lying next to his dead mate. The father, realizing he made a mistake, learns a lesson about love.

• A boy and his father walk around their cornfield and find a female snake laying her eggs. The boy is sad because their dog kills the snake and destroys her eggs. The next day the father notices his son’s sadness and decides that letting the dog kill a harmless snake was a mistake.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The conflict in the story stems from —

• the father’s and son’s differing attitudes

  toward snakes

• the dog attacking the snake

• the ground squirrels eating the corn

• the snake laying eggs in the cornfield

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4

The author begins the story by —

• introducing the conflict

• describing the characters

• explaining how cows trampled the corn

• flashing back to the previous day

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.5

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

In paragraph 8, the father refers to the snake as his “enemy.” What connotation, or attitude and feelings associated with a word, does enemy have?

• Anger toward a personal opponent

• Worry about an invading army

• Suspicion of someone harmful

• Irritation with a hostile neighbor

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

The boy thinks the female snake did not fight the dog because —

• she was not poisonous

• she was waiting for her mate

• the dog was too quick for her

• she was trying to protect her eggs

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

The author develops the characters in the story by —

• making them farmers who work hard on their land

• showing their different reactions to the snake

• describing their fear of the snake

• making them father and son

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which line from the selection is an example of a simile?

• We heard a ground squirrel whistle down over the bluff among the dead treetops at the clearing’s edge.

• I looked as the snake lifted its pretty head in response to one of Bob’s jumps.

• She was now limber as a shoestring in the wind.

• His face was red in the blue wind of day.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Which statement best conveys a major theme of the selection?

• All snakes are evil and an enemy of humans.

• Animals can sometimes show as much compassion as humans.

• Sons and fathers often disagree.

• Farming can be dangerous.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Look at the diagram

Which of these belongs on the blank line?

• Acts without analyzing a situation

• Considers whether killing an animal is necessary

• Considers blacksnakes useful to farmers

• Thinks snakes should be respected for their beauty

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

In “Love,” how does the narrator’s use of language reveal his attitude toward the she-snake? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from the selection.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9