Quarter 2 Assessment Review - Quiz 2

Two-Toed Sloths

DIET Two-toed sloths are mammals that live in South America and spend most of their time in trees. They eat leaves, fruit, and other plant matter. Sloths have a stomach that consists of four chambers. Each chamber contains bacteria that aid in digestion. Even with these adaptations, it can sometimes take sloths up to a month to digest a meal. Because their diet does not provide many nutrients, sloths move slowly and sleep a lot in order to conserve energy.

What do the title and subhead tell you about the subject of this excerpt?

• It is about the diet of South American animals.

• It is about the habitat of South American animals.

• It is about the diet of the two-toed sloth.

• It is about the life of the two-toed sloth.

Two-Toed Sloths

DIET Two-toed sloths are mammals that live in South America and spend most of their time in trees. They eat leaves, fruit, and other plant matter. Sloths have a stomach that consists of four chambers. Each chamber contains bacteria that aid in digestion. Even with these adaptations, it can sometimes take sloths up to a month to digest a meal. Because their diet does not provide many nutrients, sloths move slowly and sleep a lot in order to conserve energy.

What type of diction is suggested by words such as mammals and adaptations?

• informal

• technical

• poetic

• emotional

Answer explanation

Diction: or word choice, can provide clues to an author's purpose. Types of diction include formal, informal, technical, poetic, emotional, and so on. Formal or technical diction suggests that an author's purpose is to educate readers. Informal or slang diction suggests that the purpose may be to entertain. Emotional words that appeal to readers' feelings may suggest the writer is trying to persuade readers to think or feel a particular way.

Two-Toed Sloths

DIET Two-toed sloths are mammals that live in South America and spend most of their time in trees. They eat leaves, fruit, and other plant matter. Sloths have a stomach that consists of four chambers. Each chamber contains bacteria that aid in digestion. Even with these adaptations, it can sometimes take sloths up to a month to digest a meal. Because their diet does not provide many nutrients, sloths move slowly and sleep a lot in order to conserve energy.

What type of syntax does the author use in this excerpt?

• a mix of fragments and short sentences

• mostly long sentences

• a mix of short and long sentences

• mostly short sentences

Answer explanation

Syntax, or sentence structures, can be used to achieve different purposes. Long, complex sentences may explain ideas or provide detailed descriptions. Short, direct sentences may create humor or help key information stand out. Incomplete sentences, or fragments, can show urgency or excitement.

Two-Toed Sloths

DIET Two-toed sloths are mammals that live in South America and spend most of their time in trees. They eat leaves, fruit, and other plant matter. Sloths have a stomach that consists of four chambers. Each chamber contains bacteria that aid in digestion. Even with these adaptations, it can sometimes take sloths up to a month to digest a meal. Because their diet does not provide many nutrients, sloths move slowly and sleep a lot in order to conserve energy.

What is the author’s most likely purpose for writing this excerpt?

• to persuade readers to help preserve sloth habitats

• to inform readers about the diet of two-toed sloths

• to entertain readers with amusing stories about sloths

• to explain how sloths differ from other mammals

Child Inventors

Rachel Zimmerman Brachman In the 1980s, 12-year-old Rachel Zimmerman Brachman invented a device called the Blissymbol printer for her sixth-grade science fair. Blissymbolics is a language system that was invented by Charles K. Bliss in the 1940s. The system is made up of a series of symbols that allows for communication between people who speak and write different languages. Rachel Zimmerman Brachman’s device used a program to translate Blissymbols into written language on a computer. Non-verbal kids using Zimmerman Brachman’s program could communicate by pointing to the symbols and having someone else translate them. The year after the science fair, Zimmerman Brachman made Blissymbolics even more accessible by adapting an early computer tablet into a Blissymbol touchpad which could be connected to a printer. Utilizing the touchpad, users could write by touching the symbols and then printing a written translation of their writing. These advances brought more attention to Blissymbolics, which is still used around the world today.

What do the title and subheading tell you about the topic of this excerpt?

• It is about a historical event.

• It is about a scientific discovery.

• It is about child inventors.

• It is about a famous author.

Child Inventors

Rachel Zimmerman Brachman In the 1980s, 12-year-old Rachel Zimmerman Brachman invented a device called the Blissymbol printer for her sixth-grade science fair. Blissymbolics is a language system that was invented by Charles K. Bliss in the 1940s. The system is made up of a series of symbols that allows for communication between people who speak and write different languages. Rachel Zimmerman Brachman’s device used a program to translate Blissymbols into written language on a computer. Non-verbal kids using Zimmerman Brachman’s program could communicate by pointing to the symbols and having someone else translate them. The year after the science fair, Zimmerman Brachman made Blissymbolics even more accessible by adapting an early computer tablet into a Blissymbol touchpad which could be connected to a printer. Utilizing the touchpad, users could write by touching the symbols and then printing a written translation of their writing. These advances brought more attention to Blissymbolics, which is still used around the world today.

Why might the author have boldfaced the word Blissymbolics?

• To emphasize its importance.

• To make it look interesting.

• To show it is a difficult word.

• To highlight a mistake.

Child Inventors

Rachel Zimmerman Brachman In the 1980s, 12-year-old Rachel Zimmerman Brachman invented a device called the Blissymbol printer for her sixth-grade science fair. Blissymbolics is a language system that was invented by Charles K. Bliss in the 1940s. The system is made up of a series of symbols that allows for communication between people who speak and write different languages. Rachel Zimmerman Brachman’s device used a program to translate Blissymbols into written language on a computer. Non-verbal kids using Zimmerman Brachman’s program could communicate by pointing to the symbols and having someone else translate them. The year after the science fair, Zimmerman Brachman made Blissymbolics even more accessible by adapting an early computer tablet into a Blissymbol touchpad which could be connected to a printer. Utilizing the touchpad, users could write by touching the symbols and then printing a written translation of their writing. These advances brought more attention to Blissymbolics, which is still used around the world today.

What sort of diction does the author use in the excerpt?

• informal and emotional

• descriptive and technical

• technical and poetic

• formal and flowery

Answer explanation

Diction: or word choice, can provide clues to an author's purpose. Types of diction include formal, informal, technical, poetic, emotional, and so on. Formal or technical diction suggests that an author's purpose is to educate readers. Informal or slang diction suggests that the purpose may be to entertain. Emotional words that appeal to readers' feelings may suggest the writer is trying to persuade readers to think or feel a particular way.

Child Inventors

Rachel Zimmerman Brachman In the 1980s, 12-year-old Rachel Zimmerman Brachman invented a device called the Blissymbol printer for her sixth-grade science fair. Blissymbolics is a language system that was invented by Charles K. Bliss in the 1940s. The system is made up of a series of symbols that allows for communication between people who speak and write different languages. Rachel Zimmerman Brachman’s device used a program to translate Blissymbols into written language on a computer. Non-verbal kids using Zimmerman Brachman’s program could communicate by pointing to the symbols and having someone else translate them. The year after the science fair, Zimmerman Brachman made Blissymbolics even more accessible by adapting an early computer tablet into a Blissymbol touchpad which could be connected to a printer. Utilizing the touchpad, users could write by touching the symbols and then printing a written translation of their writing. These advances brought more attention to Blissymbolics, which is still used around the world today.

What are three words or phrases from the excerpt that illustrate the type of diction you identified in the previous question?

• "Blissymbolics"

• "even more accessible by adapting an early computer tablet into a Blissymbol touchpad"

• "Used a program"

• "Allows for communication between people who speak and write different languages"

Answer explanation

Diction: or word choice, can provide clues to an author's purpose. Types of diction include formal, informal, technical, poetic, emotional, and so on. Formal or technical diction suggests that an author's purpose is to educate readers. Informal or slang diction suggests that the purpose may be to entertain. Emotional words that appeal to readers' feelings may suggest the writer is trying to persuade readers to think or feel a particular way.

Child Inventors

Rachel Zimmerman Brachman In the 1980s, 12-year-old Rachel Zimmerman Brachman invented a device called the Blissymbol printer for her sixth-grade science fair. Blissymbolics is a language system that was invented by Charles K. Bliss in the 1940s. The system is made up of a series of symbols that allows for communication between people who speak and write different languages. Rachel Zimmerman Brachman’s device used a program to translate Blissymbols into written language on a computer. Non-verbal kids using Zimmerman Brachman’s program could communicate by pointing to the symbols and having someone else translate them. The year after the science fair, Zimmerman Brachman made Blissymbolics even more accessible by adapting an early computer tablet into a Blissymbol touchpad which could be connected to a printer. Utilizing the touchpad, users could write by touching the symbols and then printing a written translation of their writing. These advances brought more attention to Blissymbolics, which is still used around the world today.

What type of syntax is used in the excerpt?

• Simple and direct

• Complex and varied

• Short and choppy

• Long and confusing

Answer explanation

Syntax, or sentence structures, can be used to achieve different purposes. Long, complex sentences may explain ideas or provide detailed descriptions. Short, direct sentences may create humor or help key information stand out. Incomplete sentences, or fragments, can show urgency or excitement.