Jason saw his friend Tony at the store. Tony invited Jason to come over and play a new video game. Jason told Tony that he could not go because his mother was expecting him home soon. Jason pedaled home.

Choose the sentence that BEST summarizes the story.

Excerpt from The Monkey's Paw - 2

W. W. Jacobs

(26) "It had a spell put on it by an old Fakir," said the Sergeant-Major, "a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it."

What is the theme of paragraph 26?

Excerpt from Battling Cancer: One Woman's Journey

Tracy Wilson

¹ Julianne had never given much thought to cancer before one dismal Monday morning last April. The dawn clouds were gray and heavy, and it looked as though it might rain at any second as Julianne meandered to the mailbox at the end of the lawn. As she opened the box, the rusty hinge made a screech much like someone scraping fingernails across a blackboard. The news Julianne received in a postcard that day was much more unnerving. It was simply stated: "Miss Taylor, please call our office to schedule a follow-up appointment as soon as possible. Tests from your annual physical examination have revealed an abnormality." "Abnormality?" Julianne questioned. What kind of abnormality could a 24-year-old woman, who exercised religiously and consumed a healthy diet, possibly have? Within hours she learned the answer to this question only to pose a thousand more in its place.

The main idea of section one is that Julianne received some upsetting news. Which detail from section one supports this main idea?

How to Set Up a Fish Aquarium

Drake Truman

To set up your fish aquarium, you must first decide where to put your tank. You should place your fish tank on a stable, sturdy piece of furniture, such as a table. Pick a spot away from direct sunlight, as direct sunlight can harm some fish. After placing your tank in its chosen spot, place a small layer of pebbles at the bottom of the aquarium. Then, put a few underwater plants or other decorations on top of the pebble layer. After adding decorations, fill the tank with water. Because the water will make the tank heavy, fill the tank by using a clean pitcher filled with water. That way, you will not have to move your tank after it is full of water. Finally, put your new fish into your aquarium.

Which of these details does NOT support or fit into this paragraph’s main idea?

What is the definition of theme?

Influence means _____

Excerpt from The Flags of Georgia

Elizabeth Kibler

² Georgia and other southern states seceded, or left, the rest of the United States, known as the Union, in 1861. Soon afterward, these states formed the Confederate States of America. While in the Confederacy, Georgians flew the Confederate flag. The Stars and Bars—as it was known—looked similar to the United States flag. It had two thick red stripes, one thick white stripe, and a blue field in the top-left corner. The blue field contained a circle of seven white stars. The stars represented the seven states in the Confederacy. Soon after the Civil War began, Confederate soldiers noticed that the Stars and Bars caused confusion on the battlefield. The flag looked too similar to the American flag. Therefore, during battle, the Confederate states flew the Confederate battle flag. This flag had a red background with crossed blue stripes. The blue stripes contained thirteen white stars.

The effect was that the Stars and Bars flag caused confusion on the battlefield. What was the cause?

Excerpt from Duke Ellington's Early Years

Lance Carson

Duke Ellington was born in Washington D.C., and from an early age he loved music. When he was four years old, he listened to his mother play a popular piano tune called "The Rosary" and he cried, saying, "It was so pretty. So pretty." Not long after that, at the age of seven, he began to play piano himself. It seems that he knew he was going to go places. He told his next door neighbor, Mr. Pinn, "One of these days I'm going to be famous." How old do you think Duke Ellington was when he started writing music?

At age 15, Ellington worked at a soda fountain and wrote his first song, "Soda Fountain Rag." By his late teens, he was making enough money to help his parents move into a better house. One of Ellington's first professional gigs was a party where he played so long that his hand bled. He earned 75 cents. "It was the most money I had ever seen," he said. "I rushed all the way home to my mother with it. But I could not touch a piano key for weeks . . . " What do you think was Ellington's next move?

For what purpose does the author of this essay end the first two paragraphs with a question?

Long ago, in the very olden time, there lived a powerful king. Crime was punished, or innocence was decided, by the result of chance. When a person was accused of a crime, his future would be judged in the public arena. All the people would gather in this building. (A) The king sat high up on his ceremonial chair. He gave a sign. A door under him opened. (B) The accused person stepped out into the arena. Directly opposite the king were two doors. They were side by side, exactly alike. (C) The person on trial had to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open whichever door he pleased.If the accused man opened one door, out came a hungry tiger, the fiercest in the land. (D) The tiger immediately jumped on him and tore him to pieces as punishment for his guilt.

When a paragraph contains two main ideas, it should be divided into two paragraphs. Choose the letter at the point where the passage should be divided.

Which of the following is true of inferences?

Read the following passage. What can you infer about the narrator?

My father laughed. “Gadzooks! My lady,” he said with a curtsy which my mother says he learned in Italy, and which, try as I may, I cannot copy—“a daughter of the Montmorencys should find in the din of armorers’ hammers a music far sweeter than that of the lute or violin.”

-Adapted from Cedric, The Forester by Bernard Gay Marshall

Review the following passage. What can you infer about the Montmorencys?

My father laughed. “Gadzooks! My lady,” he said with a curtsy which my mother says he learned in Italy, and which, try as I may, I cannot copy—“a daughter of the Montmorencys should find in the din of armorers’ hammers a music far sweeter than that of the lute or violin.”

-Adapted from Cedric, The Forester by Bernard Gay Marshall

Which setting seems most appropriate for a story that traces the development of the early jazz music movement in urban American cities in the 1920s?

In which ways does setting shape a text?

The single remaining space station had been orbiting the devastated Earth for almost sixty years. Most of the people on board had been born on board. Their knowledge of Earth was limited to the stories they'd heard from the older generations. Things like swimming in a pool, eating produce grown in a field, and using public transportation were abstract ideas that they could only imagine on an intellectual level.

Based on the setting in this passage, which of the following concepts would the people living there probably have the most difficulty understanding?

Which strategies can help you find the meaning of a word in a passage?

Select all that are true.

Read the passage below.

Storytelling is dead. All the stories worth telling have already been told. As a culture, we should jail the authors, impoverish the filmmakers, and exile the poets. There is in fact only one story that has ever been told, and it is the monomyth, the one myth. All those who put pen to paper simply recycle the monomyth, making their continued efforts redundant and a complete waste of time and money.

-Adapted from "The Monomyth Manifesto" by Peter Rhomberg

Choose the best meaning for monomyth.

Read the passage below.

In broad strokes, the story has three parts. The first, called the departure, deals with the hero being called to an adventure that sets the hero on her journey. Often, the hero refuses this call but is later encouraged by a supernatural force.

-Adapted from "The Monomyth Manifesto" by Peter Rhomberg

Choose the best meaning for departure.

Read the passage below.

Heroes must enter a new world. This is called "Crossing the Threshold." Sometimes, this "new world" is figurative, such as becoming an adult or coming to terms with being a leader. Other times, it is quite literal: Alice crosses the threshold of the rabbit hole into Wonderland.

-Adapted from "The Monomyth Manifesto" by Peter Rhomberg

Choose the best meaning for threshold.

Read the passage below.

The second, the initiation, deals with the hero’s adventures. Obstacles to be overcome, puzzles to be solved, and the final, ultimate victory are all part of the initiation phase of the story. It is a process of change for our hero. These trials force him or her to grow or to become accepted into a new tribe. We see this in Arthur, who becomes a king, or Harry Potter, who finds a home in the wizarding world.

-Adapted from "The Monomyth Manifesto" by Peter Rhomberg

Choose the best meaning for initiation.Read the passage below.