Fast Practice

Read the sentences below.

Mita plays baseball. Gayle and I both think she is

phenomenal—the best pitcher in her league.

Which words give a clue to the meaning

of phenomenal ?

• plays baseball

• both think

• best pitcher in her league

Amir and Carlos were best friends who loved to go running together after school. No matter what the weather was like, they would always go for a run along the same route in their neighborhood. As they ran, they talked about their favorite video games and what they would do during the weekend. Running together was an activity they looked forward to each day.

Which of the following is the BEST summary of the passage above?

• Amir and Carlos are expert video game players who love to talk about video games and what they will do on the weekend.

• Amir and Carlos love to run around the neighborhood. The weather never affects their running. They love to run in all sorts of weather.

• Amir and Carlos are best friends who love running together. During their run they discuss their favorite video games and their weekend plans.

• Amir and Carlos run everyday. They go to the same school and spend time together on the weekends.

Charles Drew was an African American surgeon, researcher, and educator. In the 1930's, Drew, already a doctor, was working on a degree in medical science from Columbia University. He discovered a way to store blood plasma, the watery part of blood, so it keeps for a long time. Blood plasma can save the lives of people who have lost a lot of blood. Plasma it also has a long storage life which makes it easier to transport.

A few years later, the U.S. government called on Drew to address a far greater challenge. He was asked to help save the lives of soldiers and civilians under attack in Britain during World War II. Thousands of soldiers were becoming badly wounded in battle. they lost a lot of blood and would eventually die. As a solution, Drew began work on a project called Blood for Britain that greatly improved the wounded's chances of survival. He came up with a safe way to collect blood plasma from donors in the U.S. and send it to Great Britain, where wounded people needed blood.

Which two words/phrases from the passage are the BEST clue that the passage has a problem and solution text structure?

• on the other hand

• challenge

• as a solution

• discovered

Though they contain minerals, crystals are as soft as your fingernails.

Why does the author compare crystals to fingernails?

• Crystals can be delicate like fingernails.

• Crystals have the same shape as fingernails.

• You can put crystals on fingernails.

• Fingernails and crystals contain minerals.

Part A: Identify one theme of "A Cell Phone Nightmare".

• Talking on cell phones is unhealthy.

• Always follow the rules.

• Having nightmares is not always a bad thing.

• The consequences of a decision are not always obvious at first.

Part B: How does the author develops the theme?

• by having the main character change her feelings about the situation after thinking about it.

• by putting the main character in a setting that she enjoys.

• by having the main character interact with other characters that help her solve the conflict

How does the setting of "A Cell Phone Nightmare" introduced in paragraph 2 add to the plot of the passage?

• The introduction of this setting supports the characterization of the main character.

• The introduction of this setting adds suspense to the passage.

• The introduction of this setting leads to the resolution of the conflict.

• The introduction of this setting reveals the main character's motivation for her actions.

What statement best summarizes the section "Causes of Stress"?

• Stress can affect children worrying about their safety and their families' safety.

• Outside sources of stress include illness, death, and divorce.

• Making and keeping friends can be very stressful for children.

• Stress can come from both outside sources and sources within the child.

Click the bubble by two sentences that show the author's perspective about stress.

• Parents or other adults may complain about how stressful their lives are.

• While some stress in your life is common, a lot of worry over time can really hurt you.

• Stress may come from inside you, too.

• Remember, learning to control and handle stress is as important for you as it is for the adults around you!

• Over time stress can actually change the way your brain works.

How do the subheadings contribute to the overall meaning of the passage?

• The show the problem and how the problem is solved.

• They show a possible text structure of the passage.

• They show the definition of key words.

• The show the main ideas of the passage.