RL1 & RL2 Summative Assessment

Read the short story and determine the theme or message in the story. Remember that a good answer will focus on big world lessons, not small world details of the story.  A theme must be applicable to many works.
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Even though they were sisters, Suzie and June were nothing alike. If Suzie wanted to jump rope, June wanted to play hopscotch. If June wanted to watch soap operas, Suzie wanted to watch talk shows. Tensions rose to the point that the girls could no longer stand one another’s company. It seemed that they had nothing in common, until the day that progress reports came out. While riding the bus home from school, the girls—startled by how upset the other looked—realized that they were both failing a subject. Suzie was failing math and June was failing reading. Since both girls wanted to pass their classes, they got to talking and agreed to help one another. So everyday after school for the next few weeks, Suzie tutored June in reading and then June tutored Suzie in math. By the time report cards came were distributed, Suzie and June were passing all of their classes. The girls were delighted, but their mother was happiest of all, not just because her daughters passed their classes, but because they had learned to be good sisters.
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​What is the theme of this story?

• Conflict divide families

• Children should follow the advice of their parents

• Family is most important

• People have more in common than they think

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which evidence (details, facts, etc.) supports the theme?
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Even though they were sisters, Suzie and June were nothing alike. If Suzie wanted to jump rope, June wanted to play hopscotch. If June wanted to watch soap operas, Suzie wanted to watch talk shows. Tensions rose to the point that the girls could no longer stand one another’s company. It seemed that they had nothing in common, until the day that progress reports came out. While riding the bus home from school, the girls—startled by how upset the other looked—realized that they were both failing a subject. Suzie was failing math and June was failing reading. Since both girls wanted to pass their classes, they got to talking and agreed to help one another. So everyday after school for the next few weeks, Suzie tutored June in reading and then June tutored Suzie in math. By the time report cards came were distributed, Suzie and June were passing all of their classes. The girls were delighted, but their mother was happiest of all, not just because her daughters passed their classes, but because they had learned to be good sisters.

• The girls were delighted but their mother was happiest of all

• Tensions rose to the point that the girls could no longer stand one another's company

• It seemed that they had nothing in common, until the day that progress reports came out

• ...not just because her daughters passed their classes, but because they had learned to be good sisters

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read the short story and determine the theme or message in the story. Remember that a good answer will focus on big world lessons, not small world details of the story.  A theme must be applicable to many works.
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​All Victor ever wanted to do with his life was be a singer. He didn’t pay attention in school and he spent all of his time at home watching music videos online and impersonating his idols. His mother tried to teach him the value of getting an education and having a backup plan, but Victor would respond the same way every time, “Mom, I won’t need to know any of that boring old stuff when I’m famous. You’ll see.” But there was one major problem with Victor’s plan: he wasn’t any good at singing. Victor wanted to be a singer so badly, that he didn’t notice the pained look on the faces of those who endured his singing. Because he wanted to be a singer so badly, when honest people told him to find something else to do with his life, he accused them of being “jealous haters” and ignored their advice. After Victor dropped out of high school to focus on his music career, the years passed and the doors never opened.
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​What is the theme of this story?

• Following One's Dream is Costly

• Being in the creative arts is hard work

• Victor should have gone to school

• It is wise to consider the advice of others

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which evidence (details, facts, etc.) supports the theme?
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All Victor ever wanted to do with his life was be a singer. He didn't pay attention in school and he spent all of his time at home watching music videos online and impersonating his idols. His mother tried to teach him the value of getting an education and having a backup plan, but Victor would respond the same way every time, "Mom, I won't need to know any of that boring old stuff when I'm famous. You'll see." But there was one major problem with Victor's plan: he wasn't any good at singing. Victor wanted to be a singer so badly, that he didn't notice the pained look on the faces of those who endured his singing. Because he wanted to be a singer so badly, when honest people told him to find something else to do with his life, he accused them of being "jealous haters" and ignored their advice. After Victor dropped out of high school to focus on his music career, the years passed and the doors never opened.

• Because he wanted to be a singer so badly, when honest people told him to find something else to do with his life, he accused them of being "jealous haters" and ignored their advice

• All Victor ever wanted to do with his life was be a singer

• He didn't pay attention in school and he spent all of his time at home watching music videos online and impersonating his idols

• But there was one major problem with Victor's plan: he wasn't any good at singing

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read the short story and determine the theme or message in the story. Remember that a good answer will focus on big world lessons, not small world details of the story.  A theme must be applicable to many works.
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Justin was jealous when his cousin Cassie was named valedictorian of her class. "Some people are just born smart," he told himself later as he watched TV on the couch. He had not been with Cassie all of those times when she studied late into the night. Justin was also jealous when his cousin Victor was elected class president. "Some people are just more popular than others," Justin told himself while playing video games on the couch. He had not been with Victor while he tirelessly campaigned, listened sympathetically to the problems of others, and treated everyone he knew with kindness and respect. When Justin's cousin Matthew became the quarterback for the varsity squad, Justin was envious. "Some people are just more athletic than others," he told himself as he played around on his computer. Justin had not been with Matthew while Matthew trained relentlessly to develop his athletic abilities. "One day something lucky will happen to me too," Justin told himself as he snacked on junk food.
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​What is the theme of this story?  Choose the best answer.

• Justin's jealousy was his downfall

• Life's not fair

• Achievement requires sacrifice and hard work

• Watching TV is a huge waste of time

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which evidence (details, facts, etc.) supports the theme?
​
Justin was jealous when his cousin Cassie was named valedictorian of her class. "Some people are just born smart," he told himself later as he watched TV on the couch. He had not been with Cassie all of those times when she studied late into the night. Justin was also jealous when his cousin Victor was elected class president. "Some people are just more popular than others," Justin told himself while playing video games on the couch. He had not been with Victor while he tirelessly campaigned, listened sympathetically to the problems of others, and treated everyone he knew with kindness and respect. When Justin's cousin Matthew became the quarterback for the varsity squad, Justin was envious. "Some people are just more athletic than others," he told himself as he played around on his computer. Justin had not been with Matthew while Matthew trained relentlessly to develop his athletic abilities. "One day something lucky will happen to me too," Justin told himself as he snacked on junk food.

• "Some people are just more popular than others," Justin told himself while playing video games on the couch.

• "One day something lucky will happen to me too," Justin told himself as he snacked on junk food.

• "Some people are just more athletic than others," he told himself

• He had not been with Victor while he tirelessly campaigned, listened sympathetically to the problems of others, and treated everyone he knew with kindness and respect.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read the short story and determine the theme or message in the story. Remember that a good answer will focus on big world lessons, not small world details of the story.  A theme must be applicable to many works.
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Derek was doing his homework on his computer one night when he saw an ad banner for a free Gamebox 9000. He clicked on the ad with great interest and was taken to a webpage with details about the offer. It seemed simple enough. All he had to do was post some content to his social networking pages and complete a few offers. Derek didn't really approve of the content that he was required to share, but he really wanted the new Gamebox, so he shared the required links with all of his friends and family. Then Derek began completing the offers. The offers were organized into three tiers. According to the website, he had to complete three offers in each tier and then he would get his Gamebox for free. So Derek started completing the offers in the first tier, which required him to create accounts on a bunch of websites that he had no interest in joining. He completed the first tier in a couple of hours and he was really getting excited about getting a free Gamebox 9000. The second tier required Derek to become a member at more websites and to get three of his friends to sign up to the program. Signing up to the websites was pretty easy (though time consuming), but getting his friends to participate in the program was much harder. Most of them warned Derek that he was falling for a scam, but Derek finally found three freshman who agreed to participate. Derek was pumped. Unfortunately, the third tier required him to sign up for satellite television service, change his phone service provider, and get approved for several credit cards. Derek finally did what he should have done from the beginning and walked away from these offers.
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​What is the theme of this story?  Choose the best answer.

• With hard work, you can achieve almost anything.

• Don't compromise your values.

• Derek should have listened to his friends.

• Be wary of deals that are too good to be true.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which evidence (details, facts, etc.) supports the theme?
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Derek was doing his homework on his computer one night when he saw an ad banner for a free Gamebox 9000. He clicked on the ad with great interest and was taken to a webpage with details about the offer. It seemed simple enough. All he had to do was post some content to his social networking pages and complete a few offers. Derek didn't really approve of the content that he was required to share, but he really wanted the new Gamebox, so he shared the required links with all of his friends and family. Then Derek began completing the offers. The offers were organized into three tiers. According to the website, he had to complete three offers in each tier and then he would get his Gamebox for free. So Derek started completing the offers in the first tier, which required him to create accounts on a bunch of websites that he had no interest in joining. He completed the first tier in a couple of hours and he was really getting excited about getting a free Gamebox 9000. The second tier required Derek to become a member at more websites and to get three of his friends to sign up to the program. Signing up to the websites was pretty easy (though time consuming), but getting his friends to participate in the program was much harder. Most of them warned Derek that he was falling for a scam, but Derek finally found three freshman who agreed to participate. Derek was pumped. Unfortunately, the third tier required him to sign up for satellite television service, change his phone service provider, and get approved for several credit cards. Derek finally did what he should have done from the beginning and walked away from these offers.

• Derek finally did what he should have done from the beginning and walked away from these offers.

• Signing up to the websites was pretty easy (though time consuming), but getting his friends to participate in the program was much harder.

• Derek was doing his homework on his computer one night when he saw an ad banner for a free Gamebox 9000.

• Derek didn't really approve of the content that he was required to share, but he really wanted the new Gamebox, so he shared the required links with all of his friends and family.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Please review the following passage and answer the question.

Derek and the Gamebox

Derek was doing his homework on his computer one night when he saw an ad banner for a free Gamebox 9000. He clicked on the ad with great interest and was taken to a webpage with details about the offer. It seemed simple enough. All he had to do was post some content to his social networking pages and complete a few offers. Derek didn't really approve of the content that he was required to share, but he really wanted the new Gamebox, so he shared the required links with all of his friends and family. Then Derek began completing the offers. The offers were organized into three tiers. According to the website, he had to complete three offers in each tier and then he would get his Gamebox for free. So Derek started completing the offers in the first tier, which required him to create accounts on a bunch of websites that he had no interest in joining. He completed the first tier in a couple of hours and he was really getting excited about getting a free Gamebox 9000. The second tier required Derek to become a member at more websites and to get three of his friends to sign up to the program. Signing up to the websites was pretty easy (though time consuming), but getting his friends to participate in the program was much harder. Most of them warned Derek that he was falling for a scam, but Derek finally found three freshman who agreed to participate. Derek was pumped. Unfortunately, the third tier required him to sign up for satellite television service, change his phone service provider, and get approved for several credit cards. Derek finally did what he should have done from the beginning and walked away from these offers.

• A young man named Derek really wanted to get a Gamebox, so he found one for free on a website.  He was able to get the game system fairly easily and was able to share his finding with three freshmen who also were able to get a gaming system.

• A young man was intrigued by the offer of a free video game system so he investigated. He found that he could obtain the system easily by following what appeared to be a few simple steps. As it turns out, the steps were not simple and obtaining the free game system would cost him much time, effort, and potential money.

• Derek was a student who was able to get a gaming system by signing up for satellite television, changing his service provider, and getting approved for several credit cards.  The steps were difficult, but he was excited to finally get his gaming system after his hard work.

• Derek was able to try out a Gamebox 9000 which had three tiers in the first game.  If he completed all three tiers, or levels, he was able to keep the Gamebox at no cost to him.  Unfortunately, he was not able to complete the levels, so he had to return the game system.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Today you will read a passage from "'Las Papas." As you read, pay close attention to the interaction between the father and the son as you answer the questions to prepare to write a narrative story.
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​Read the passage- from "Las Papas" and answer the adjoining questions.

"Las Papas"

by

Julio Ortega

1  At first, when he began to care for the child all by himself, he tried to simplify the ordeal of meals by going out to the corner restaurant. But he soon found that if he tried to cook something, it passed the time, and he also amused himself with the child's curiosity.


2  He picked up the cut slices. There wasn't much more to discover in them. It wasn't necessary to expect anything more of them than the density they already possessed, a crude cleanliness that was the earth's flavor. But that same sense transformed them right there in his hands, a secret flowering, uncovered by him in the kitchen. It was as if he discovered one of the lost varieties of the Andean potato: the one that belonged to him, wondering, at noon.


3  When the chicken began to by in the skillet, the boy returned, attracted by its aroma. The man was in the midst of making the salad.


4  "Where's this food come from?" the child asked, realizing it was a different recipe.


5  "Peru," he replied.


6  "Not Italy?" said the child, surprised.


7  "I'm cooking another recipe now," he explained. "Potatoes come from Peru. You know that, right?"


8  "Yeah, but I forgot it."


9  "They're really good, and there are all kinds and flavors. Remember mangoes? You really used to like them when we went to see your grandparents."


10  "I don't remember them either. I only remember the lion in the zoo."


11  "You don't remember the tree in Oliver Park?"


12  "Uh-huh. I remember that."


13  "We're going back there next summer, to visit the whole family."


14  What if there's an earthquake?"


15  The boy went for his Spanish reader and sat down at the kitchen table. He read the resonant¹ names out loud, names that were also like an unfinished history, and the man had to go over to him every once in a while to help explain one thing or another.


16  He tasted the sauce for the amount of salt, then added a bit of tarragon,² whose intense perfume was delightful, and a bit of marjoram,³ a sweeter aroma.


17  He noticed how, outside, the light trapped by a tree slipped out from the blackened greenness of the leaves, now spilling onto the grass on the hill where their apartment house stood. The grass, all lit up, became an oblique field, a slope of tame fire seen from the window.


18  He looked at the child, stuck on a page in his book; he looked at the calm, repeated blue of the sky; and he looked at the leaves of lettuce in his hands, leaves that crackled as they broke off and opened up like tender shoots, beside the faucet of running water.


19  As if it suddenly came back to him, he understood that he must have been six or seven when his father, probably forty years old, as he was now, used to cook at home on Sundays. His father was always in a good mood as he cooked, boasting beforehand about how good the Chinese recipes were that he had learned in a remote hacienda in Peru. Maybe his father had made these meals for him, in this always incomplete past, to celebrate the meeting of father and son.


20  Unfamiliar anxiety, like a question without a subject, grew in him as he understood that he had never properly acknowledged his father's gesture; he hadn't even understood it. Actually, he had rejected his father's cooking one time, saying that it was too spicy. He must have been about fifteen then, a recent convert devoutly practicing the religion of natural foods, when he left the table with the plate of fish in his hands. He went out to the kitchen to turn on the faucet and quickly washed away the flesh boiled in soy sauce and ginger. His mother came to the kitchen and scolded him for what he had just done, a seemingly harmless act, but from then on an irreparable⁴ one. He returned to the table in silence, sullen, but his father didn't appear offended. Or did he suspect that one day his son's meal would be refused by his own son when he served it?


21  The emotion could still wound him, but it could also make him laugh. There was a kind of irony in this repeating to a large extent his father's gestures as he concocted an unusual flavor in the kitchen. However, like a sigh that only acquires some meaning by turning upon itself, he discovered a symmetry in the repetitions, a symmetry that revealed the agony of emotions not easily understood.

Which sentence best describes a theme of the passage?

• Memories are often unreliable

• Family relationships can be complex

• Seeking new experiences is important

• Expressing honest opinions is important

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2