9/29/25-c

Color code all the words in the sentence.

Cleaning your room can be a fun and rewarding experience. As you sort through your belongings, you might rediscover long-lost toys or books, bringing back happy memories. Organizing your space can also make your room feel fresh and new, like a blank canvas waiting for your next adventure. Plus, knowing where everything is makes it easier to find what you need, saving you time and frustration. A clean room also helps you relax and focus, making it a better place to study or play.

Which topic sentences would best fit with this paragraph?

• There are many ways to keep your home tidy.

• Cleaning your room offers many benefits that you might not expect.

• It's important to put away your toys after you play with them.

• My mom always tells me to clean my room, but I don't always want to.

Answer explanation

Cleaning your room offers many benefits that you might not expect.

• Correct answer. This sentence effectively introduces the main idea of the paragraph, which is to explain the unexpected positive aspects of cleaning one's room. It sets up an opinionated discussion about the advantages.

It's important to put away your toys after you play with them.

• Student(s) may have confused a detail sentence about cleaning with a topic sentence. While putting away toys is part of cleaning, this sentence is too specific and acts more like a supporting detail or a specific instruction rather than a broad introductory statement for the entire paragraph about the benefits of cleaning.

My mom always tells me to clean my room, but I don't always want to.

• Student(s) may have misinterpreted the purpose of a topic sentence in an opinion paragraph. This sentence introduces a personal experience or a common struggle, but it doesn't present the opinion or claim about the benefits of cleaning your room that the rest of the paragraph then elaborates on. It is more of an irrelevant personal anecdote than a topic sentence for this specific paragraph.

• There are many ways to keep your home tidy.

  • Student(s) may not have realized that this topic sentence is too broad. While cleaning a room is a way to keep a home tidy, the paragraph specifically discusses the benefits of cleaning your room, not general home tidiness. This sentence doesn't set the specific scope of the paragraph.

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Topic and Conclusion Sentences

• I cannot play video games. My room is clean.

• Which of the following sentences correctly combines these two ideas using a subordinating conjunction?

• I cannot play video games, and my room is clean.

• Until my room is clean, I cannot play video games.

• Because my room is clean, I cannot play video games.

• I play video games despite my room is clean.

Answer explanation

Until my room is clean, I cannot play video games. This option correctly uses the subordinating conjunction "until" to express a condition or a time-dependent relationship. The phrase "until my room is clean" forms a dependent clause that modifies the independent clause "I cannot play video games," indicating that the video game playing is contingent upon the room being cleaned.

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Subordinating Conjuctions

My mom said my room is the (a)   she has ever seen, and I need to clean it today. Cleaning seems like the (b)   chore in the world. I wish my room could get clean by itself, but I guess I have to start somewhere. I'll probably tackle my messy desk first, since it's the messiest spot of all.

• dirtiest
• most boring
• most dirtiest
• more dirty
• boringest
• more boring

Answer explanation

dirtiest: This is the correct superlative form of "dirty" when comparing three or more items (in this case, all the rooms mom has ever seen). "Most dirtiest" is redundant and incorrect, and "more dirty" is comparative, not superlative.

most boring: This is the correct superlative form of "boring" when comparing three or more items (all the chores in the world). "Boringest" is an incorrect superlative form, and "more boring" is comparative, not superlative.

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Superlatives

​Marcus looked around his room. Toys were scattered like autumn leaves across the floor, and clothes covered his bed like a ​ (a)   . He knew his mom would be home soon, and if his room wasn't clean, she would be a ​ (b)   . Marcus knew he had to act fast! He started by picking up all the dirty clothes and putting them in the hamper. Then he gathered his books and put them back on the shelf. As he worked, Marcus started to feel ​ (c)   . He knew he could get the job done before his mom arrived.

• mountain of laundry
• volcano ready to erupt
• light as a feather
• swept up in a dust storm

Answer explanation

Rationale for Correct Answer:

• First Blank: "mountain of laundry" - This is a metaphor that effectively describes a large, messy pile of clothes, which is a common sight in a messy room and fits the context of "clothes covered his bed."

• Second Blank: "volcano ready to erupt" - This is a simile that vividly portrays someone about to become very angry. It conveys the mother's likely reaction to a messy room and creates a sense of urgency for Marcus.

Third Blank: "light as a feather" - This simile describes a feeling of relief or a reduction of burden. As Marcus makes progress cleaning his room, he feels less stressed, which is accurately conveyed by feeling "light as a feather."

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Figurative Language

Read the lines from the poem "The Bad Child's

Book of Beasts" by H. Belloc.

What is the meaning of the word preserve, as it is

used in the poem?

• to enjoy

• to save

• to read

• to leave alone

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CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4