Study Guide ELA Grade 10 Q1

I obsessively replayed yesterday’s conference call, dissecting everything that had gone wrong, even as I strategized ways to squeeze in the badly needed haircut that I couldn’t keep rescheduling.

Which best describes the speaker’s tone in this sentence?

• calm, peaceful

• anxious, tense

• bitter, sarcastic

• friendly, warm

Answer explanation

The speaker's obsessive replaying of the call and the mention of needing a haircut indicate a sense of worry and stress, reflecting an anxious and tense tone rather than calm or friendly.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

How does syntax most clearly contribute to the tone identified in the last question?

• The numerous linked phrases and clauses in the sentence suggest the “pile up” of the speaker’s angry feelings.

• The numerous linked phrases and clauses in the sentence suggest the “pile up” of the speaker’s worries.

• The use of the conjunction even as to link two main ideas shows the speaker’s willingness to compromise.

• The use of the conjunction even as to link two main ideas shows the speaker’s ability to find balance.

Answer explanation

The correct choice highlights how the linked phrases and clauses reflect the accumulation of the speaker's worries, emphasizing the tone of anxiety and frustration in the expression of their feelings.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Which is the best analysis of the narrator’s point of view and perspective in Selection 1: Buses and Dreams?

• A. A third-person narrator tells the story. Immersed at first in his routine, his perspective shifts when he realizes that he has lost a dream.

• B. A third-person narrator tells the story. Distracted by lost dreams, his perspective shifts when he realizes that his routine is more important.

• C. A first-person narrator tells the story. Immersed at first in his routine, his perspective shifts when he realizes that he has lost a dream.

• D. A first-person narrator tells the story. Distracted by lost dreams, his perspective shifts when he realizes that his routine is more important.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is C because it accurately identifies the narrator as first-person, highlighting his initial immersion in routine and subsequent realization of lost dreams, which shifts his perspective.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.1.6

Read these sentences from Selection 1.

Sentence 1: In the brilliant but frigid winter sunlight, we clutched our cups of coffee tensely, nervously checked our cell phones for the hundredth time, and impatiently shuffled toward the folding doors. (paragraph 1) Sentence 2: As they opened, a single delicate sheet of paper bravely sailed forth and began slowly looping in earnest, elegant circles around the assembled passengers. (paragraph 3) Which best analyzes the way diction creates tone in the two sentences?

• A. Sentence 1: Words such as frigid, clutched, and shuffled create a sympathetic tone. Sentence 2: Words such as delicate, bravely, and elegant create an admiring tone.

• B. Sentence 1: Words such as frigid, clutched, and shuffled create an alarmed tone. Sentence 2: Words such as delicate, bravely, and elegant create a comical tone.

• C. Sentence 1: Words such as brilliant, sunlight, and folding create a sympathetic tone. Sentence 2: Words such as single, paper, and began create an admiring tone.

• D. Sentence 1: Words such as brilliant, sunlight, and folding create an alarmed tone. Sentence 2: Words such as single, paper, and began create a comical tone.

Answer explanation

Choice A is correct because 'frigid,' 'clutched,' and 'shuffled' convey tension, creating a sympathetic tone in Sentence 1. In Sentence 2, 'delicate,' 'bravely,' and 'elegant' evoke admiration, establishing a positive tone.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

How do the contrasting tones analyzed in the previous question contribute to the author’s magical realist style?

• The contrast emphasizes the ridiculousness of the ordinary world.

• The contrast emphasizes the dangers posed by fantastical events.

• The contrast emphasizes the way a fantastical event breaks into ordinary reality.

• The contrast emphasizes the way ordinary reality prevents the occurrence of fantastical events.

Answer explanation

The contrast highlights how fantastical events intrude upon and disrupt ordinary reality, a hallmark of magical realism, allowing readers to see the extraordinary within the mundane.

In this sentence, the word shakily is a derivation of the base word shake, formed when the suffix -ily is added. What part of speech does the addition of -ily make shakily, and how do you know?

• It is an adverb, shown by the fact that it describes how an action was performed.

• It is a noun, shown by the fact that it tells what performed an action.

• It is an adjective, shown by the fact that it describes a thing.

• It is a verb, shown by the fact that it names an action.

Answer explanation

The word 'shakily' is an adverb because it describes how an action (like shaking) is performed. The suffix '-ily' typically forms adverbs from adjectives, confirming that 'shakily' modifies a verb.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.2E

Selection 1: Buses and Dreams

But it’s hard even for a lost dream to compete with the inexorable attractions of cell phone screens and day-to-day worries. (paragraph 4)

Based on its context, what does inexorable most likely mean?

• showy and exciting

• subtle and sneaky

• impossible to stop

• hard to understand

Answer explanation

In the context, 'inexorable' describes the strong pull of cell phone screens and daily worries, suggesting they are 'impossible to stop.' This aligns with the correct answer, as it conveys the idea of an unstoppable force.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

In Selection 2: A Great Fall, how does the author’s diction help develop a mood suitable to a Gothic tale?

• Words and phrases such as decaying mansion (paragraph 1), great terror (paragraph 2), and trembling (paragraph 4) add to a dreamy, hypnotic mood.

• Words and phrases such as decaying mansion (paragraph 1), great terror (paragraph 2), and trembling (paragraph 4) add to a gloomy, suspenseful mood.

• Words and phrases such as kindly (paragraph 1), eager (paragraph 5), and frozen with embarrassment (paragraph 6) add to a homey, warm mood.

• Words and phrases such as kindly (paragraph 1), eager (paragraph 5), and frozen with embarrassment (paragraph 6) add to a stormy, unpredictable mood.

Answer explanation

The author's use of words like 'decaying mansion,' 'great terror,' and 'trembling' creates a gloomy, suspenseful mood, fitting for a Gothic tale, as these terms evoke feelings of dread and unease.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Selection 2, A Great Fall:

Which of the following are events and conditions that appear true only from the narrator’s perspective, rather than to others? CHOOSE TWO

• The narrator is exceptionally fragile and likely to fall at any moment.

• The scholar laughs unkindly at the narrator’s mistake.

• The floor begins to crack open in front of the narrator.

• The narrator is an orphan raised by a kindly aunt.

• The mansion is decaying and damp.

Answer explanation

The narrator's perception of being fragile and the floor cracking are subjective experiences unique to them, while the other options can be observed by others, making them objective truths.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Why is the author’s choice of first-person point of view in Selection 2 most clearly significant?

• It helps readers follow the sequence of events, beginning with the narrator’s childhood trauma and leading to his present condition.

• It encourages readers to reject and condemn the narrator’s decisions, even as they sympathize with his imaginative perspective.

• It helps readers understand the way others feel about the narrator, ranging from his aunt’s sympathy to the scholar’s scorn.

• It encourages readers to see the world through the narrator’s eyes, even as they are troubled by his distorted perspective.

Answer explanation

The first-person point of view allows readers to experience the narrator's thoughts and feelings directly, fostering empathy despite his distorted perspective, which is crucial for understanding his complex emotional state.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.1.6