STAAR Reading Comprehension

The author most likely includes the anecdote about the bat in paragraph 9 to develop the theme of —

• protecting the natural environment

• showing respect for the older generation

• cherishing particular memories

• gaining personal freedom

The leather soles of my shoes felt insecure and slippery on the rungs.

The author’s use of the first-person point of view —

• reveals Jimmy’s youthful idealism

• shows Jimmy’s fearless determination

• helps the reader understand that Jimmy is unreliable

• allows the reader to identify with Jimmy’s vulnerability

Read the dialogue in paragraphs 11 through 24. When considered with this dialogue, which sentence reveals that Jimmy is hiding his true feelings from his father?

• I wished we were just going on a fishing trip and not going away.

• I looked all around the kitchen to remember it and I was awfully fond of it.

• It was still dark but along the edge of the hills it was lightening.

• It was lighter than when I started to climb the ladder and it was cold and very early in the

  morning.

In paragraph 9, the description of the kitchen serves to —

• emphasize the unpleasantness of Jimmy’s living conditions

• reveal Jimmy’s strong emotional attachment to the cabin

• show that Jimmy feels lonely in this remote setting

• imply that Jimmy hopes his circumstances are improving

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In literary analysis, what does the term "theme" refer to?

• The setting of the story

• The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work

• The sequence of events in a story

• The conflict in the story

In paragraph 4, the author’s attitude about being near wildlife is —

• terrified

• pleased

• cautious

• irritated

In which quotation does the author use descriptive language to show her unexpected awe?

• I crawled out of my tent and stood slowly, my muscles stiff from yesterday’s hike, my bare feet tender on the rocky dirt.

• My pack’s frame creaked behind me with each step, straining from the weight. The muscles of my upper back and shoulders were bound in tense, hot knots.

• I knew it was the top because there was snow. Not on the ground, but falling from the sky, in thin flakes that swirled in mad patterns, pushed by the wind.

• By noon I was up over 6,000 feet and the air had cooled, the sun suddenly disappearing behind clouds.

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Paragraph 10 builds upon the theme of —

• discovering how close humans are to nature

• rejecting modernity for a simpler way of living

• finding a sanctuary from society by retreating into nature

• gaining a new perspective by undergoing a challenging experience

In paragraph 1, the author details the history of the Pacific Crest Trail to —

• show the sacrifices that were necessary to complete the trail

• imply that it took an unreasonable amount of time to create the trail

• contrast how new the completed trail is with how old it feels to her

• emphasize that the trail’s history is not as interesting to her as the trail itself is

Read these quotations from the two selections. A Train Trip “And what will you remember?” “All the fun we’ve had.” “Not just filling the wood box and hauling water?” “That’s not hard.” “No,” he said. “That’s not hard. Aren’t you sorry to go away?” “Not if we’re going to Canada.” Wild I began to walk, feeling experienced in a way I hadn't the day before, less cautious with each step in spite of the scat, stronger beneath my pack. In both quotations, the narrators display —

• optimism

• a need for approval

• a lack of self-worth

• self-doubt