ELA Skills

When I was seven, my father brought home from a business trip a wooden boomerang painted with images of the Australian flag. All summer long I carried that gift with me. I was fascinated by this piece of a continent completely on the other side of the world. Despite promises that if I threw it would immediately return, I had no intention of throwing it, only carrying and admiring it. What if it became stuck in a tree or carried away by a stiff wind? There would go my connection to the magical land of kangaroos, barrier reefs, and untold other pieces of wonder. As I walk the shores of Bondi Beach or watch the tourists purchase kangaroo-themed apparel in my adopted hometown of Sydney, I often think back to that boomerang and the world to which it opened my eyes. As an airline pilot, I am fortunate to live out my childhood dream – inspired by that boomerang – of exploring faraway lands. Whenever I do, I bring home a trinket for my young daughter such that she might be similarly struck by wanderlust.

What is the main idea of this passage?

• A gift of a boomerang created an obsession with Australia in a young child’s mind. The child was entranced by this land and dreamed of moving there. The dream came to fruition and now the author has lost interest in the country.

• A young girl is receiving presents from her parent’s travels because her parent doesn’t want to be forgotten. His or her father lived in Australia and living so far apart caused a rift in the relationship.

• A boomerang received as a gift during childhood opened up the author’s imagination to wonder about mystical places and people. As the author grew up that sense of awe about the world stayed present and is being passed on through generations in a similar way.

• An airline pilot moved to Australia after being adopted. He or she had received a boomerang as a child so it was destiny to end up on Bondi Beach. The author’s child is growing up in Australia and receives similar presents.

When I was seven, my father brought home from a business trip a wooden boomerang painted with images of the Australian flag. All summer long I carried that gift with me. I was fascinated by this piece of a continent completely on the other side of the world. Despite promises that if I threw it would immediately return, I had no intention of throwing it, only carrying and admiring it. What if it became stuck in a tree or carried away by a stiff wind? There would go my connection to the magical land of kangaroos, barrier reefs, and untold other pieces of wonder. As I walk the shores of Bondi Beach or watch the tourists purchase kangaroo-themed apparel in my adopted hometown of Sydney, I often think back to that boomerang and the world to which it opened my eyes. As an airline pilot, I am fortunate to live out my childhood dream – inspired by that boomerang – of exploring faraway lands. Whenever I do, I bring home a trinket for my young daughter such that she might be similarly struck by wanderlust.

In what ways does the main character change from the beginning to the end of the passage?

• The main character becomes more bitter about the world as he/she grows up and discovers the truths that are unknown as a child.

• At the beginning of the passage, the character dreams of Australia and he/she is disappointed to travel there and experience what it is really like when they arrived. The character grows older and tries to protect his/her child from that experience.

• The main character does not change throughout the passage.

• The main character not only grows up but discovers how to take his/her childhood dreams of magical places and make them a reality. He/she is also passing on that love of wonder and traveling to their child.

When I was seven, my father brought home from a business trip a wooden boomerang painted with images of the Australian flag. All summer long I carried that gift with me. I was fascinated by this piece of a continent completely on the other side of the world. Despite promises that if I threw it would immediately return, I had no intention of throwing it, only carrying and admiring it. What if it became stuck in a tree or carried away by a stiff wind? There would go my connection to the magical land of kangaroos, barrier reefs, and untold other pieces of wonder. As I walk the shores of Bondi Beach or watch the tourists purchase kangaroo-themed apparel in my adopted hometown of Sydney, I often think back to that boomerang and the world to which it opened my eyes. As an airline pilot, I am fortunate to live out my childhood dream – inspired by that boomerang – of exploring faraway lands. Whenever I do, I bring home a trinket for my young daughter such that she might be similarly struck by wanderlust.

How do the actions of the character show their traits?

• The character does not demonstrate any traits through their actions.

• The character does not want to part with the boomerang because of the emotional importance and ties to his/her father. The character shows that he/she is a sentimental and caring person by carrying the tradition on with their own child.

• The character moving to Australia shows how easily manipulated they are. A simple suggestion of Australia with the boomerang gift is enough to convince him/her to move across the world.

• The character giving gifts to his/her daughter shows how they feel guilty for traveling for a living. The character knows that he/she is not living up to their responsibilities and hopes that gifts can overcome that.

When I was seven, my father brought home from a business trip a wooden boomerang painted with images of the Australian flag. All summer long I carried that gift with me. I was fascinated by this piece of a continent completely on the other side of the world. Despite promises that if I threw it would immediately return, I had no intention of throwing it, only carrying and admiring it. What if it became stuck in a tree or carried away by a stiff wind? There would go my connection to the magical land of kangaroos, barrier reefs, and untold other pieces of wonder. As I walk the shores of Bondi Beach or watch the tourists purchase kangaroo-themed apparel in my adopted hometown of Sydney, I often think back to that boomerang and the world to which it opened my eyes. As an airline pilot, I am fortunate to live out my childhood dream – inspired by that boomerang – of exploring faraway lands. Whenever I do, I bring home a trinket for my young daughter such that she might be similarly struck by wanderlust.

How does the author’s word choice develop the narrator’s point of view?

• The author uses emotional language related to memories and travel to develop the narrator’s point of view.

• The author uses words with a negative connotation to develop the narrator’s point of view regarding his/her childhood.

• The author’s word choice allows readers to understand that the narrator’s point of view towards Australia changes over time.

• The author’s word choices do not develop the narrator’s point of view

When I was seven, my father brought home from a business trip a wooden boomerang painted with images of the Australian flag. All summer long I carried that gift with me. I was fascinated by this piece of a continent completely on the other side of the world. Despite promises that if I threw it would immediately return, I had no intention of throwing it, only carrying and admiring it. What if it became stuck in a tree or carried away by a stiff wind? There would go my connection to the magical land of kangaroos, barrier reefs, and untold other pieces of wonder. As I walk the shores of Bondi Beach or watch the tourists purchase kangaroo-themed apparel in my adopted hometown of Sydney, I often think back to that boomerang and the world to which it opened my eyes. As an airline pilot, I am fortunate to live out my childhood dream – inspired by that boomerang – of exploring faraway lands. Whenever I do, I bring home a trinket for my young daughter such that she might be similarly struck by wanderlust.

From whose point of view is the text written?

• It is not able to be determined from whose point of view the text is written.

• This text is written from the third-person point of view.

• The text is written from the first-person point of view.

• This text is written from the second-person point of view.

When I was seven, my father brought home from a business trip a wooden boomerang painted with images of the Australian flag. All summer long I carried that gift with me I was fascinated by this piece of a continent completely on the other side of the world. Despite promises that if I threw it would immediately return, I had no intention of throwing it, only carrying and admiring it. What if it became stuck in a tree or carried away by a stiff wind? There would go my connection to the magical land of kangaroos, barrier reefs, and untold other pieces of wonder.As I walk the shores of Bondi Beach or watch the tourists purchase kangaroo-themed apparel in my adopted hometown of Sydney, I often think back to that boomerang and the world to which it opened my eyes. As an airline pilot, I am fortunate to live out my childhood dream – inspired by that boomerang – of exploring faraway lands. Whenever I do, I bring home a trinket for my young daughter such that she might be similarly struck by wanderlust.

What inferences can you make about what the character might do next? What evidence from the text supports your reasoning?

• The character may give up his/her traveling lifestyle; As an airline pilot, I am fortunate to live out my childhood dream – inspired by that boomerang – of exploring faraway lands.

• The character will confront his/her father for giving such a silly gift; All summer long I carried that gift with me. I was fascinated by this piece of a continent completely on the other side of the world.

• The character might encourage his/her daughter to travel or even take her along; Whenever I do, I bring home a trinket for my young daughter such that she might be similarly struck by wanderlust.

• The character might finally throw the boomerang; Despite promises that if I threw it would immediately return, I had no intention of throwing it, only carrying and admiring it.

Ally's teacher wants Ally to use more personification in her writing. Select the answer that would accomplish this by replacing the underlined portion of the sentences provided.

While Hannah was playing outside, snow began to fall from the sky. As she lifted her head up towards the clouds, a snowflake lightly landed on the tip of her nose.

• kissed

• fell on

• hit

• land

Everywhere around us, there are millions of tiny living things called germs. They are so tiny that they can be seen only under the most powerful microscope. Some of these germs are no wider than twenty-five thousandths of an inch! Louis Pasteur, the great French scientist, was the first to prove that germs exist. The germs in the air can be counted. The number of germs around us, especially in crowded rooms, is tremendous. Certain scientists counted 42,000 germs in approximately one cubic meter of air in a picture gallery when it was empty. But when the gallery was crowded with people, they found nearly 5,000,000 germs in the same place. In the open air germs are less abundant. There are fewer germs in country air than in town air. We see at once how important it is, therefore, to live as much as possible in the open air, and for the rooms we live in to always be well ventilated by fresh air.

According to the passage, where will you find more germs?

• In crowded spaces.

• In the country.

• In hospitals.

• In empty rooms.

Read the paragraph below and determine the meaning of the underlined word using context clues or your prior knowledge.

My friend Shelly waved me over to sit at the desk adjacent to hers. It was the first day of school and there was no way we were getting stuck sitting across the room from each other. We whispered across the aisle to each other while we waited for the teacher to start Geometry.

• Shorter than all the rest

• Taller than all the rest

• Not having a common endpoint or border

• Next to or adjoining something else

In the following paragraph, what is the meaning of the underlined word based on the context?

One complaint is that the funds that YES distributes have disproportionately gone to young people from low-income families. Though no one has claimed that any of the recipients of YES funds have been undeserving, several families have brought lawsuits claiming that their requests for funding were rejected because of the families’ high levels of income.

• Marked by injustice or deception

• To an extent that is too large in comparison with something else

• Free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism

• Of the same measure, quantity, amount, or number as another