MAP ELA Practice Test

The President's Cabinet

In the United States government, the cabinet consists of the vice president and fifteen secretaries who are responsible for various parts of the government. Although the president appoints the secretaries, they must be approved by a vote in the Senate. Each member of the cabinet advises the president. These people are trusted with important tasks and with helping to make decisions. Cabinet members meet regularly with the president to discuss issues.

Choose the word that has the same meaning as appoints.

• chooses

• knows

• leads

• visits

There are 12 lines in the poem excerpt. The poem excerpt is numbered every 5 lines.

from Be a Friend

Cheer the youth who's bravely trying,

Pity him who's sadly sighing;

Just a little labor spend

On the duties of a friend.

Be a friend. The pay is bigger (5)

(Though not written by a figure)

Than is earned by people clever

In what's merely self-endeavor.

You'll have friends instead of neighbors

For the profits of your labors; (10)

You'll be richer in the end

Than a prince, if you're a friend.

(from "Be a Friend" by Edgar A. Guest)

Which theme is developed in the excerpt?

• Friends worry about each other.

• Forming a friendship takes effort.

• Friendship leads to great rewards.

• Neighbors can be wonderful friends.

There are 12 lines in the poem excerpt. The poem excerpt is numbered every 5 lines.

from Be a Friend

Cheer the youth who's bravely trying,

Pity him who's sadly sighing;

Just a little labor spend

On the duties of a friend.

Be a friend. The pay is bigger (5)

(Though not written by a figure)

Than is earned by people clever

In what's merely self-endeavor.

You'll have friends instead of neighbors

For the profits of your labors; (10)

You'll be richer in the end

Than a prince, if you're a friend.

(from "Be a Friend" by Edgar A. Guest)

Which line from the poem best supports the theme?

• "Pity him who's sadly sighing," (Line 2)

• "Just a little labor spend" (Line 3)

• "Than is earned by people clever" (Line 7)

• "You'll be richer in the end" (Line 11)

Read the passage: from Anne of Green Gables

October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry-trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.

Anne revelled in the world of colour about her.

"Oh, Marilla," she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches.

Don't they give you a thrill-several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them."

"Messy things," said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed. "You clutter up your room entirely too much with out-of-doors stuff, Anne. Bedrooms were made to sleep in

(from Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery)

What does aesthetic sense mean as it is used in paragraph 4?

• a habit of working hard

• an interest in knowledge

• a need to follow the rules

• an appreciation of beauty

Read the passage. Then, select the phrase that helps the reader determine the meaning of the word notorious.

Although raccoons eat plants, they are also capable hunters and fishers. Raccoons commonly search for food in shallow waters and along the banks of ponds and streams. They will eat almost anything. In cities and suburbs, they often cause problems. Raccoons are notorious for knocking over garbage cans while searching for food scraps. Their tendency to trample and dig up plants in gardens has also contributed to their bad reputation.

• capable hunters and fishers

• will eat almost anything

• searching for food scraps

• their bad reputation

The author presents the argument that purple loosestrife is harmful.

Which two details support this argument?

One is "Furthermore, wildlife that depends on native

plants for food and shelter suffer when purple loosestrife moves in." (Paragraph 2); what is another?

• "All along the stream banks and up through the grasses in the meadow, a flowering plant grows from three to ten feet tall." (Paragraph 1)

• "Today, purple loosestrife grows in almost every

  U.S. state." (Paragraph 4)

• "Its seeds are small and lightweight."

  (Paragraph 5)

• "A breeze or the gentle current of a stream is

  enough to carry purple loosestrife seeds to new territory where it can vanquish native vegetation." (Paragraph 5)