STAAR English 1 Practice Assessment

Which word has the same connotation as steadfast as it is used in paragraph 3?

• Unwavering

• Still

• Unresponsive

• Shallow

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E1.2B

Based on what the narrator imagines, which detail from paragraph 3 supports the key idea that if the soldier were a real person, he would have the qualities to cope with real-life problems?

• The soldier being alone outside for a long time

• The stillness of the soldier in cold and wet conditions

• The faded paint on the soldier and his missing weapon

• The soldier believing that he would one day be found

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E1.4G

Read this sentence from paragraph 4.

A miniature world rose here, all for my single, lonely, faded soldier, who had nothing in the world except me.

What does this sentence convey about the narrator?

• He intends to search for another soldier to add to the world he created.

• He worries about what will happen to the soldier in the future.

• He resents the soldier because he believes the soldier has grown too needy

• He feels a strong sense of responsibility to the soldier he discovered.

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E1.6B

5. What is the most likely reason the author shifts from a descriptive to a chronological structure in paragraphs 1 and 2?

• To emphasize that the narrator’s feelings about the discovery begin to change

• To create suspense by gradually revealing details about the narrator’s discovery

• To describe why the narrator decided to dig in the place the discovery was made

• To explain how the narrator came to face a conflict as a result of making the discovery

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E1.8B

6. Which statement best explains the irony in paragraphs 2 and 3?

• A. The narrator discovers the soldier in a location that he has already explored many times before.

• B The narrator fails to recognize the significance of the letters stamped into the base of the soldier.

• C. The narrator hates that the soldier was buried for so long, but then he keeps it hidden in his own pocket.

• D. The narrator digs up the soldier completely covered in mud, which enhances his estimation of its value.

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E1.8D

7. Which quotation from the story shows that the narrator is recalling a time from earlier in childhood?

• over there is the big tree that I now know is going to die in a few years and fall down (paragraph 1)

• Come and take a closer look with me. (paragraph 1)

• I imagined the rain falling on him, and the snow, and the bugs crawling over him. (paragraph 3)

• I spent hours and hours building (paragraph 4)

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E1.5C

8. Read these quotations from the excerpt.

10. The ground here is muddy and covered in weeds, and when I first moved into this house I played here in the dirt. (paragraph 1) Kneel down in the weeds here. This is exactly where I was when I found him. I was kneeling, just like you are now, digging and playing, when I made a most incredible discovery. (paragraph 2)

12. How does the author’s use of descriptive language in these quotations affect the reader?

• It captures the narrator’s emotional reaction to the discovery.

• It suggests that the backyard is an ideal place to play.

• It places the reader in the moment with the narrator.

• It provides hints to the reader about the narrator’s later actions.

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E1.8D

9. How does the author’s use of questions in paragraph 3 contribute to the tone of the story?

• The questions that have no answer contribute to the introspective tone.

• The questions about the narrator’s arrival contribute to the cooperative tone.

• The questions about the soldier’s lack of fear contribute to the triumphant tone.

• The questions that relate to passing time contribute to the urgent tone.

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E1.8F

10. In paragraph 3, the narrator describes an imaginary flashback to the time the soldier was buried. Which idea in the excerpt does the f lashback help explain?

• Why the narrator makes a detailed inspection of the soldier

• Why the narrator keeps the soldier secret

• Why the narrator tries to get the soldier to tell how he had been lost

• Why the narrator treats the soldier kindly

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E1.6C

Decide whether each detail develops the theme that relationships come with obligations. Select ONE correct answer in each row.

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E1.6A