Comparing Two Texts

Choose one detail from each passage that supports your answer to Part A.

• “Cushing Academy used to have 20,000 books in its library.” (“Goodbye, Books?”)

• “So far, it’s been a success. ‘It’s great,’ Boyle told TFK. ‘The kids are reading more.’” (“Goodbye, Books?”)

• “Still, regular books have one big advantage over e-readers: They don’t use electricity.” (“Goodbye, Books?”)

• “Sure, an e-reader can store thousands of books.” (“E-Readers: No Substitute for Books”)

• “Also, one research study showed that some people don’t learn as well from e-readers.” (“EReaders: No Substitute for Books”)

Which two ideas can be found in both passages?

• E-books are inexpensive to use.

• Few students use library books to do assignments.

• E-readers can store more than a thousand books.

• E-readers can make the reading process more difficult.

• Schools are buying e-readers for students to use.

Which words BEST describe Ulysses in BOTH stories?

• selfish and moody

• brave and clever

• adventurous but foolish

• sad but determined

Choose two sentences that helps show the difference in how Ulysses responds to a threat to his crew.

• But Ulysses would not listen to them.

• May I not take a shield and spear and fight with the monster?

• While exploring the country, he and his men came to a cave

• You are wonderfully bold. You would fight with the gods themselves

• Let us go away before the monster comes back

Which of these themes is in Passage 2, but NOT in Passage 1?

• one's family is important

• a long journey is tough

• good wins over evil

• humans fight against nature

In Passage 1, Birgit decides to help Anders even though she will be late to school, but in Passage 2 .....

• Trinh does not want to help her brother until her mother makes her.

• Trinh's mother decides to help her son Hoa with his math homework.

• Trinh decided to watch her TV show instead of helping her brother.

• Trinh's brother Hoa asks her to help him with his math homework.

How are topics of these two stories different?

• One is about a snowstorm in Denmark, and the other is about a family eating dinner together in Vietnam.

• One is about kids skiing to school in Denmark, and the other is about Vietnamese kids doing their homework.

• One is about magical creatures in Denmark, and the other is about Vietnamese kids getting ready to go to school.

• One is about Danish kids doing their homework , and the other is about a Vietnamese brother and sister walking to school.

How is the myth in Passage 3 different from the folk tale in Passage 4?

• Passage 3 has local farmers who agree to help; Passage 4 has family members who help.

• Passage 3 shows real people who use magic; Passage 4 shows magical creatures.

• Passage 3 shows a trick played on a character; Passage 4 does not show a trick.

• Passage 3 explains a natural event; Passage 4 does not explain such a natural event.

When comparing two texts, what is the primary focus?

• Identifying the main idea of each text

• Analyzing the differences and similarities between the texts

• Summarizing each text separately

• Finding the author's purpose in each text

Which of the following is a common method for comparing two texts?

• Ignoring the context of each text

• Focusing only on the vocabulary used

• Examining the themes and messages in both texts

• Comparing the number of paragraphs in each text