8th grade Reading SOL Review

Jason could almost hear the slap of leather from baseballs popping into gloves as he remembered warming up with his teammates for the big playoff game. The stands behind him had been a sea of parents, teachers, and fellow students. They were there to watch the Northglenn Knights take on the West Hills Hornets. The winner would play for the city’s Junior League Championship. The buzz of the crowd and the chatter of the players filled the air, putting a bounce in everyone’s step. Jason felt wonderful, joking with his teammates, waving at people in the crowd. He was even bantering lightheartedly with the other team, keeping up small talk. As usual, he was generally clowning around, going through the warm-up drills at half-speed, showing off by making catches behind his back and flipping balls to his teammates.

What does the word bantering mean?

• chatting

• disagreeing

• practicing

• competing

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Jason could almost hear the slap of leather from baseballs popping into gloves as he remembered warming up with his teammates for the big playoff game. The stands behind him had been a sea of parents, teachers, and fellow students. They were there to watch the Northglenn Knights take on the West Hills Hornets. The winner would play for the city’s Junior League Championship. The buzz of the crowd and the chatter of the players filled the air, putting a bounce in everyone’s step. Jason felt wonderful, joking with his teammates, waving at people in the crowd. He was even bantering lightheartedly with the other team, keeping up small talk. As usual, he was generally clowning around, going through the warm-up drills at half-speed, showing off by making catches behind his back and flipping balls to his teammates.

Which excerpt from paragraph 2 contains a metaphor?

• Jason could almost hear the slap of leather

• The stands behind him had been a sea of parents

• The winner would play for the city’s

• Jason felt wonderful, joking with his teammates

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

He was shocked when Coach Fowler announced the starting lineup and left Jason sitting on the bench. Never fear, he told himself, Coach is just trying to teach me a lesson. Jason was confident he would get into the game soon. As the game progressed, though, Jason began to worry. Maybe Coach Fowler had finally had enough.

• emphasize the coach’s instructions

• highlight unfamiliar baseball terms

• create the voice of the announcer

• identify the main character’s thoughts

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Back in 1859, an Englishman, Thomas Austin, brought 24 rabbits to Australia’s eastern state of Victoria. Never before had there been any rabbits on the Australian continent. Austin and other homesick English settlers thought rabbits would remind them of the green fields of home. They also felt the creatures would provide them with game to hunt.

There was one problem. The rabbit population swelled. Before long, the rabbits spread through Victoria, New South Wales, southern Queensland, and South Australia. Worse, the animals had begun marching west.

Which sentence best summarizes paragraphs?

• English citizens introduced rabbits to Australia to remind them of home.

• An English immigrant first introduced rabbits to Australia in 1859.

• After rabbits were introduced to Australia, their increasing numbers caused a problem.

• After moving rapidly through Victoria, rabbits began traveling west.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

There was one problem. The rabbit population swelled. Before long, the rabbits spread through Victoria, New South Wales, southern Queensland, and South Australia. Worse, the animals had begun marching west.

The use of the word “marching” in paragraph 3 presents the rabbits as

• a band of musicians

• an unorganized group

• a holiday parade

• an advancing army

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Like a giant lawnmower, the multitude of little creatures easily plowed through pastures and crops. They devoured everything in their path. They evicted wallabies and other nowendangered species, moving in and taking over their burrows. The rabbits selectively grazed on certain grasses and shrubs. This radically changed the ecosystem, as inedible woody weeds grew in their place. In times of drought, the rabbits dug deep into the ground to find moisture in the roots of plants. They killed trees and shrubs by stripping off bark. As the vegetation cover was systematically stripped bare, erosion became a serious problem. By 1894 the menace had reached Western Australia’s border.

What does the word radically mean in the paragraph?

• drastically

• slowly

• probably

• easily

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

The rabbit problem had become such a serious threat to all of Australia’s native plants and animals that something had to be done to stop the rabbit plague. Australia’s Royal Commission met to formulate a solution. A decision was made to build a rabbit-proof fence that would eventually cross the continent from north to south. Private contractors were hired, and in late 1901 construction of the Number 1 Rabbit-proof Fence began.

Which word from paragraph 6 best shows that the rabbit problem seemed to be spreading out of control?

• serious

• plague

• solution

• cross

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

The rabbit problem had become such a serious threat to all of Australia’s native plants and animals that something had to be done to stop the rabbit plague. Australia’s Royal Commission met to formulate a solution. A decision was made to build a rabbit-proof fence that would eventually cross the continent from north to south. Private contractors were hired, and in late 1901 construction of the Number 1 Rabbit-proof Fence began.

In paragraph 6, the word formulate means...

• figure out

• take a vote

• decide against

• run a test on

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

Bridges to Cross

(7) Building the fence was extremely difficult. The project required 400 camels, 150 horses, 50 donkeys, and 4 teams of oxen. Posts made of bush timber had to be cut by ax then tapered on top like a pencil point to prevent moisture from seeping into the wood. These posts were driven into the ground at twelve-foot intervals. Wire netting that extended three and a half feet above the ground and one foot into the ground was strung between the posts. To prevent it from rusting, the bottom section of netting was dipped in a mixture of hot coal tar and kerosene.

(8) In some places, no bush timber was available. Eight thousand tons of wire netting and iron posts had to be transported by ship and rail to depots. Teams of 14 camels pulled each of the 40 wagons that hauled these materials from the depots to the construction area. The camels plodded 10 to 12 miles a day across desert and sand dunes. It took up to two months to move five tons of fencing material from the coast to the fence.

More Struggles to Endure

(9) Weather conditions and loneliness were major obstacles. The weather was often hot and dry, with temperatures well over 100 degrees in the shade. Workers endured constant heat and the relentless buzzing of flies. They were hundreds of miles from home with no motor vehicles, refrigerators, or radios, and little contact with family or friends. In some areas, there were spans of hundreds of miles between water wells. This made it difficult to locate sufficient water for the working teams of camels. One worker reported that his camels survived 14 days on three buckets of water each.

In paragraph 9, the weather conditions and loneliness were hardships faced by —

• the increasing numbers of rabbits

• the animals whose homes were ruined

• the people who built the fences

• the farmers whose crops were destroyed

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Weather conditions and loneliness were major obstacles. The weather was often hot and dry, with temperatures well over 100 degrees in the shade. Workers endured constant heat and the relentless buzzing of flies. They were hundreds of miles from home with no motor vehicles, refrigerators, or radios, and little contact with family or friends. In some areas, there were spans of hundreds of miles between water wells. This made it difficult to locate sufficient water for the working teams of camels. One worker reported that his camels survived 14 days on three buckets of water each.

Finding water for camels was difficult because —

• the water supplies dried up at certain times of the year

• water wells were often located hundreds of miles apart

• the project involved too many animals that needed water

• water sources had been damaged by the burrowing of rabbits

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2