Those shoes COST AN ARM AND A LEG!

Sam's sister was always STEALING HER THUNDER on the dance floor.

I was about to go on stage and had BUTTERFLIES IN MY STOMACH.

They're in hot water.

Where should you add commas in the following sentence?

Susan Brady Elsa and John want to go to the park after school.

Which sentence uses commas to punctuate a series correctly?

Which sentence uses commas correctly?

Which sentence uses commas correctly?

A preposition shows....

Select the word that is a preposition.

Which of the following sentences includes a prepositional phrase?

Yosemite: A National Treasure

Yosemite is the jewel of our national park system. People have been attracted to its amazing cliffs, lush forests, and mighty waterfalls since as early as the 1850s. Even then, people knew that Yosemite was something worth saving. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed a bill preventing developers from building in the Yosemite Valley. In 1903, John Muir took President Roosevelt camping at Yosemite to convince him to make it a national park. Every year, over 3.7 million people visit the park. Most just come for the day to see the postcard views overlooking Yosemite valley. Many others stay longer, and enjoy all the hiking, climbing and camping the park has to offer. Overnight options include camping in tents, cabins, or RVs. You can even book a room at the world-famous Ahwahnee Hotel. Only one thing is certain: once you've visited Yosemite you will definitely want to come back.

Yosemite: A Big Rip-Off

I took my family to Yosemite last summer, because we had seen all of the "postcard views" and heard so many good things about it. But there are many things we never hear about Yosemite that I think it is important to mention. One thing is how crowded it is. Since there aren't many roads in and out of the park, you should expect to spend a lot of time stuck in traffic jams. Another you hear about is the huge waterfalls at Yosemite. But you never hear about the huge parking fees. At over twenty bucks a pop, those snapshots you take had better be good. But they probably won't be, because there's usually a tour bus blocking the view. People go to Yosemite because they want to "experience nature." But it's pretty much an amusement park without rides. Even the bears who live there aren't really "natural." They have grown so used to eating campers' leftovers that they have for forgotten how to hunt for themselves. So next time you're thinking about taking a trip to Yosemite, I'd suggest buying a postcard, then going to one of the many beautiful, less-crowded state parks in the area.

What kind of information does the first passage provide that the second passage leaves out?

Yosemite: A National Treasure

Yosemite is the jewel of our national park system. People have been attracted to its amazing cliffs, lush forests, and mighty waterfalls since as early as the 1850s. Even then, people knew that Yosemite was something worth saving. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed a bill preventing developers from building in the Yosemite Valley. In 1903, John Muir took President Roosevelt camping at Yosemite to convince him to make it a national park. Every year, over 3.7 million people visit the park. Most just come for the day to see the postcard views overlooking Yosemite valley. Many others stay longer, and enjoy all the hiking, climbing and camping the park has to offer. Overnight options include camping in tents, cabins, or RVs. You can even book a room at the world-famous Ahwahnee Hotel. Only one thing is certain: once you've visited Yosemite you will definitely want to come back.

Yosemite: A Big Rip-Off

I took my family to Yosemite last summer, because we had seen all of the "postcard views" and heard so many good things about it. But there are many things we never hear about Yosemite that I think it is important to mention. One thing is how crowded it is. Since there aren't many roads in and out of the park, you should expect to spend a lot of time stuck in traffic jams. Another you hear about is the huge waterfalls at Yosemite. But you never hear about the huge parking fees. At over twenty bucks a pop, those snapshots you take had better be good. But they probably won't be, because there's usually a tour bus blocking the view. People go to Yosemite because they want to "experience nature." But it's pretty much an amusement park without rides. Even the bears who live there aren't really "natural." They have grown so used to eating campers' leftovers that they have for forgotten how to hunt for themselves. So next time you're thinking about taking a trip to Yosemite, I'd suggest buying a postcard, then going to one of the many beautiful, less-crowded state parks in the area.

What kind of information does the second passage provide that the first passage leaves out?

Yosemite: A National Treasure

Yosemite is the jewel of our national park system. People have been attracted to its amazing cliffs, lush forests, and mighty waterfalls since as early as the 1850s. Even then, people knew that Yosemite was something worth saving. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed a bill preventing developers from building in the Yosemite Valley. In 1903, John Muir took President Roosevelt camping at Yosemite to convince him to make it a national park. Every year, over 3.7 million people visit the park. Most just come for the day to see the postcard views overlooking Yosemite valley. Many others stay longer, and enjoy all the hiking, climbing and camping the park has to offer. Overnight options include camping in tents, cabins, or RVs. You can even book a room at the world-famous Ahwahnee Hotel. Only one thing is certain: once you've visited Yosemite you will definitely want to come back.

Yosemite: A Big Rip-Off

I took my family to Yosemite last summer, because we had seen all of the "postcard views" and heard so many good things about it. But there are many things we never hear about Yosemite that I think it is important to mention. One thing is how crowded it is. Since there aren't many roads in and out of the park, you should expect to spend a lot of time stuck in traffic jams. Another you hear about is the huge waterfalls at Yosemite. But you never hear about the huge parking fees. At over twenty bucks a pop, those snapshots you take had better be good. But they probably won't be, because there's usually a tour bus blocking the view. People go to Yosemite because they want to "experience nature." But it's pretty much an amusement park without rides. Even the bears who live there aren't really "natural." They have grown so used to eating campers' leftovers that they have for forgotten how to hunt for themselves. So next time you're thinking about taking a trip to Yosemite, I'd suggest buying a postcard, then going to one of the many beautiful, less-crowded state parks in the area.

Which passage gives a better idea of what it is like to actually visit the park and why?

Panthers Lose Championship Game 12-0

Patterson Elementary School's miracle kickball season has ended with a 12-0 loss to the Monroe Manatees. It was the first time the Panthers had ever reached the championship game. With their star pitcher on the mound, it looked like Patterson had a good chance of taking home the trophy. But it was not to be. The Manatees got off to a quick start, scoring six runs in the first inning, and they never looked back. "I don't know what happened," said Joey, the Patterson pitcher. "I guess they were just the better team. They deserve all the credit in the world. Great game guys." It was Monroe's 12th championship.

Joey's Story: I Just Gave Up 12 Runs in the Kickball Championship Game

I had been looking forward to the game all week. Our school had never made it to the championship game before, and I was going to be the starting pitcher. Monroe always has a great team. It was going to be a tough game either way. The day before the game I came down with a really bad cold. I had a runny nose, and I was sneezing and coughing all day. I made sure to drink plenty of water like my mom told me. She made me chicken soup and I went to bed early. When I woke up, I felt a little better. But I was still in no shape to play kickball. My mom wanted me to stay home, but all the kids on my team were counting on me. So I lied and told her I was all better. The game didn't even feel like it was really happening. I thought I was having a bad dream. It all went by so fast. Next thing I know we had lost 12-0. I don't think we would have won even if I was healthy. The Manatees were just that good. I didn't tell anyone I was sick after the game because I didn't want to take anything away from the other team. Cold or no cold, they deserved to win. I'm still proud of our guys, though.

Which passage gives a better idea of what happened in the game and why?

THREE READINGS ABOUT WORKING DOGS READING

1: WORKING DOGS IN THE FBI

1 “What is a working dog?” you ask. “Is it a dog that does more than hang out at the house all day and bark at the mailman? Is it a dog that gets in the car like Mom and Dad and goes to the office?” Well, sort of ....

2 Working dogs are amazing animals specially trained to protect people and to make life easier for them. Some working dogs act as eyes for the blind, ears for the hearing impaired, and helpers for the physically challenged. They also protect sheep from wolves, and they help the police catch criminals. These special dogs can find victims of disasters under lots of rubble, and they can find people lost in the woods. They are awesome.

3 At the FBI, we have some very special working dogs. One of the newest additions to our group of working dogs is Hannah. Hannah’s job is to sniff out bombs, explosion debris, firearms, and ammunition. Other FBI working dogs find drugs, money, and people. Just how do they do it?

4 Dogs instinctively know how to find things. A handler—the dog’s human partner—teaches the dog what to search for. A dog can use all of his/her senses, like hearing, seeing, and smelling, to find a specific person or thing. To do this, though, requires a lot of training. They are always practicing, but the dogs love it because it is what they were born to do.

5 At the FBI, the handler is usually an FBI special agent or an FBI police officer. The agent or police officer and his/her dog work together as a team. The handler teaches the dog to find very specific things in all kinds of weird places, like in a tree, in the woods, in a field, in a suitcase, in a car, on a street, in a closet, under rubble, in the water, or under snow.

READING 2: THE CIA K-9s

1 The K-9 Corps—formed in 1991—is one of our favorite groups at the CIA. Our K-9s and their human partners protect the CIA and our employees. And today, our K-9s handle jobs that humans just can’t do as well.

2 Have you ever noticed how much dogs like to sniff and smell things? That’s because dogs have very sensitive noses. Dogs can sniff out 19,000 explosive scents. Our dogs learn all of these in our basic 10-week training program. At the end of the training, the dogs and their human partners take 10 indoor and outdoor tests.

3 Some of the canines also receive street training, which sharpens our dogs’ skills. It’s just like when you practice something to get better (like soccer, piano, and math). When that training ends, all the dogs have to pass a final exam. During the exam, the dogs prove they can obey their handlers, are healthy and fast, can search people and places, and can catch bad guys.

4 The top dogs then report for the job of guarding the people of the CIA. Most people work 40 hours a week, but the members of the K-9 Corps work 60 hours a week. They also are on call around the clock. Fortunately, the dogs love their work, and they are rewarded for being the best in their business. Our dogs live with their human partners and get top care.

5 The “top dogs” in the CIA K-9 Corps are enthusiastic and hardworking, and they do very well in school. They are just like the CIA’s best employees. Our K-9s deserve some applause and thanks for all their hard work.

READING 3: SCENT BASICS

1 Dogs are wonderful odor detectors because they can pick one scent out of many. But there are other reasons, too. First, dogs sample air in a very efficient way. Second, they are mobile and can take their handlers directly to an odor source.

2 As they move about, dogs pick up the “thread” of an odor that interests them. By casting back and forth with their bodies and their heads and constantly taking tiny samples (sniffs), they can tell where an odor is strongest. A dog does this by comparing the strength of the scent in each of its nostrils. It uses this information to “calculate” the direction in which the odor is strongest. In this way, it follows the scent to its source.

3 How do dogs do this? They have amazing abilities to receive scents and tell them apart. For example, they can smell table salt dissolved in 10 million parts of water. Nearly one-eighth of the canine brain and more than half of the canine internal nose is used just for the sense of smell. How many sensory cells do people and dogs use for smelling things?

Table 1 goes with this passage.

Question

In all three readings, the dogs’ human partners are also called

THREE READINGS ABOUT WORKING DOGS READING

1: WORKING DOGS IN THE FBI

1 “What is a working dog?” you ask. “Is it a dog that does more than hang out at the house all day and bark at the mailman? Is it a dog that gets in the car like Mom and Dad and goes to the office?” Well, sort of ....

2 Working dogs are amazing animals specially trained to protect people and to make life easier for them. Some working dogs act as eyes for the blind, ears for the hearing impaired, and helpers for the physically challenged. They also protect sheep from wolves, and they help the police catch criminals. These special dogs can find victims of disasters under lots of rubble, and they can find people lost in the woods. They are awesome.

3 At the FBI, we have some very special working dogs. One of the newest additions to our group of working dogs is Hannah. Hannah’s job is to sniff out bombs, explosion debris, firearms, and ammunition. Other FBI working dogs find drugs, money, and people. Just how do they do it?

4 Dogs instinctively know how to find things. A handler—the dog’s human partner—teaches the dog what to search for. A dog can use all of his/her senses, like hearing, seeing, and smelling, to find a specific person or thing. To do this, though, requires a lot of training. They are always practicing, but the dogs love it because it is what they were born to do.

5 At the FBI, the handler is usually an FBI special agent or an FBI police officer. The agent or police officer and his/her dog work together as a team. The handler teaches the dog to find very specific things in all kinds of weird places, like in a tree, in the woods, in a field, in a suitcase, in a car, on a street, in a closet, under rubble, in the water, or under snow.

READING 2: THE CIA K-9s

1 The K-9 Corps—formed in 1991—is one of our favorite groups at the CIA. Our K-9s and their human partners protect the CIA and our employees. And today, our K-9s handle jobs that humans just can’t do as well.

2 Have you ever noticed how much dogs like to sniff and smell things? That’s because dogs have very sensitive noses. Dogs can sniff out 19,000 explosive scents. Our dogs learn all of these in our basic 10-week training program. At the end of the training, the dogs and their human partners take 10 indoor and outdoor tests.

3 Some of the canines also receive street training, which sharpens our dogs’ skills. It’s just like when you practice something to get better (like soccer, piano, and math). When that training ends, all the dogs have to pass a final exam. During the exam, the dogs prove they can obey their handlers, are healthy and fast, can search people and places, and can catch bad guys.

4 The top dogs then report for the job of guarding the people of the CIA. Most people work 40 hours a week, but the members of the K-9 Corps work 60 hours a week. They also are on call around the clock. Fortunately, the dogs love their work, and they are rewarded for being the best in their business. Our dogs live with their human partners and get top care.

5 The “top dogs” in the CIA K-9 Corps are enthusiastic and hardworking, and they do very well in school. They are just like the CIA’s best employees. Our K-9s deserve some applause and thanks for all their hard work.

READING 3: SCENT BASICS

1 Dogs are wonderful odor detectors because they can pick one scent out of many. But there are other reasons, too. First, dogs sample air in a very efficient way. Second, they are mobile and can take their handlers directly to an odor source.

2 As they move about, dogs pick up the “thread” of an odor that interests them. By casting back and forth with their bodies and their heads and constantly taking tiny samples (sniffs), they can tell where an odor is strongest. A dog does this by comparing the strength of the scent in each of its nostrils. It uses this information to “calculate” the direction in which the odor is strongest. In this way, it follows the scent to its source.

3 How do dogs do this? They have amazing abilities to receive scents and tell them apart. For example, they can smell table salt dissolved in 10 million parts of water. Nearly one-eighth of the canine brain and more than half of the canine internal nose is used just for the sense of smell. How many sensory cells do people and dogs use for smelling things?

Table 1 goes with this passage.

Question

Reading 1 is different from Reading Two because

THREE READINGS ABOUT WORKING DOGS READING

1: WORKING DOGS IN THE FBI

1 “What is a working dog?” you ask. “Is it a dog that does more than hang out at the house all day and bark at the mailman? Is it a dog that gets in the car like Mom and Dad and goes to the office?” Well, sort of ....

2 Working dogs are amazing animals specially trained to protect people and to make life easier for them. Some working dogs act as eyes for the blind, ears for the hearing impaired, and helpers for the physically challenged. They also protect sheep from wolves, and they help the police catch criminals. These special dogs can find victims of disasters under lots of rubble, and they can find people lost in the woods. They are awesome.

3 At the FBI, we have some very special working dogs. One of the newest additions to our group of working dogs is Hannah. Hannah’s job is to sniff out bombs, explosion debris, firearms, and ammunition. Other FBI working dogs find drugs, money, and people. Just how do they do it?

4 Dogs instinctively know how to find things. A handler—the dog’s human partner—teaches the dog what to search for. A dog can use all of his/her senses, like hearing, seeing, and smelling, to find a specific person or thing. To do this, though, requires a lot of training. They are always practicing, but the dogs love it because it is what they were born to do.

5 At the FBI, the handler is usually an FBI special agent or an FBI police officer. The agent or police officer and his/her dog work together as a team. The handler teaches the dog to find very specific things in all kinds of weird places, like in a tree, in the woods, in a field, in a suitcase, in a car, on a street, in a closet, under rubble, in the water, or under snow.

READING 2: THE CIA K-9s

1 The K-9 Corps—formed in 1991—is one of our favorite groups at the CIA. Our K-9s and their human partners protect the CIA and our employees. And today, our K-9s handle jobs that humans just can’t do as well.

2 Have you ever noticed how much dogs like to sniff and smell things? That’s because dogs have very sensitive noses. Dogs can sniff out 19,000 explosive scents. Our dogs learn all of these in our basic 10-week training program. At the end of the training, the dogs and their human partners take 10 indoor and outdoor tests.

3 Some of the canines also receive street training, which sharpens our dogs’ skills. It’s just like when you practice something to get better (like soccer, piano, and math). When that training ends, all the dogs have to pass a final exam. During the exam, the dogs prove they can obey their handlers, are healthy and fast, can search people and places, and can catch bad guys.

4 The top dogs then report for the job of guarding the people of the CIA. Most people work 40 hours a week, but the members of the K-9 Corps work 60 hours a week. They also are on call around the clock. Fortunately, the dogs love their work, and they are rewarded for being the best in their business. Our dogs live with their human partners and get top care.

5 The “top dogs” in the CIA K-9 Corps are enthusiastic and hardworking, and they do very well in school. They are just like the CIA’s best employees. Our K-9s deserve some applause and thanks for all their hard work.

READING 3: SCENT BASICS

1 Dogs are wonderful odor detectors because they can pick one scent out of many. But there are other reasons, too. First, dogs sample air in a very efficient way. Second, they are mobile and can take their handlers directly to an odor source.

2 As they move about, dogs pick up the “thread” of an odor that interests them. By casting back and forth with their bodies and their heads and constantly taking tiny samples (sniffs), they can tell where an odor is strongest. A dog does this by comparing the strength of the scent in each of its nostrils. It uses this information to “calculate” the direction in which the odor is strongest. In this way, it follows the scent to its source.

3 How do dogs do this? They have amazing abilities to receive scents and tell them apart. For example, they can smell table salt dissolved in 10 million parts of water. Nearly one-eighth of the canine brain and more than half of the canine internal nose is used just for the sense of smell. How many sensory cells do people and dogs use for smelling things?

Table 1 goes with this passage.

Question

Reading 3 is different from the first two readings because it

THREE READINGS ABOUT WORKING DOGS READING

1: WORKING DOGS IN THE FBI

1 “What is a working dog?” you ask. “Is it a dog that does more than hang out at the house all day and bark at the mailman? Is it a dog that gets in the car like Mom and Dad and goes to the office?” Well, sort of ....

2 Working dogs are amazing animals specially trained to protect people and to make life easier for them. Some working dogs act as eyes for the blind, ears for the hearing impaired, and helpers for the physically challenged. They also protect sheep from wolves, and they help the police catch criminals. These special dogs can find victims of disasters under lots of rubble, and they can find people lost in the woods. They are awesome.

3 At the FBI, we have some very special working dogs. One of the newest additions to our group of working dogs is Hannah. Hannah’s job is to sniff out bombs, explosion debris, firearms, and ammunition. Other FBI working dogs find drugs, money, and people. Just how do they do it?

4 Dogs instinctively know how to find things. A handler—the dog’s human partner—teaches the dog what to search for. A dog can use all of his/her senses, like hearing, seeing, and smelling, to find a specific person or thing. To do this, though, requires a lot of training. They are always practicing, but the dogs love it because it is what they were born to do.

5 At the FBI, the handler is usually an FBI special agent or an FBI police officer. The agent or police officer and his/her dog work together as a team. The handler teaches the dog to find very specific things in all kinds of weird places, like in a tree, in the woods, in a field, in a suitcase, in a car, on a street, in a closet, under rubble, in the water, or under snow.

READING 2: THE CIA K-9s

1 The K-9 Corps—formed in 1991—is one of our favorite groups at the CIA. Our K-9s and their human partners protect the CIA and our employees. And today, our K-9s handle jobs that humans just can’t do as well.

2 Have you ever noticed how much dogs like to sniff and smell things? That’s because dogs have very sensitive noses. Dogs can sniff out 19,000 explosive scents. Our dogs learn all of these in our basic 10-week training program. At the end of the training, the dogs and their human partners take 10 indoor and outdoor tests.

3 Some of the canines also receive street training, which sharpens our dogs’ skills. It’s just like when you practice something to get better (like soccer, piano, and math). When that training ends, all the dogs have to pass a final exam. During the exam, the dogs prove they can obey their handlers, are healthy and fast, can search people and places, and can catch bad guys.

4 The top dogs then report for the job of guarding the people of the CIA. Most people work 40 hours a week, but the members of the K-9 Corps work 60 hours a week. They also are on call around the clock. Fortunately, the dogs love their work, and they are rewarded for being the best in their business. Our dogs live with their human partners and get top care.

5 The “top dogs” in the CIA K-9 Corps are enthusiastic and hardworking, and they do very well in school. They are just like the CIA’s best employees. Our K-9s deserve some applause and thanks for all their hard work.

READING 3: SCENT BASICS

1 Dogs are wonderful odor detectors because they can pick one scent out of many. But there are other reasons, too. First, dogs sample air in a very efficient way. Second, they are mobile and can take their handlers directly to an odor source.

2 As they move about, dogs pick up the “thread” of an odor that interests them. By casting back and forth with their bodies and their heads and constantly taking tiny samples (sniffs), they can tell where an odor is strongest. A dog does this by comparing the strength of the scent in each of its nostrils. It uses this information to “calculate” the direction in which the odor is strongest. In this way, it follows the scent to its source.

3 How do dogs do this? They have amazing abilities to receive scents and tell them apart. For example, they can smell table salt dissolved in 10 million parts of water. Nearly one-eighth of the canine brain and more than half of the canine internal nose is used just for the sense of smell. How many sensory cells do people and dogs use for smelling things?

Table 1 goes with this passage.

Question

What is one of the most important things working dogs do in the FBI and CIA?

"Oh my goodness! Mrs. Sheehan is an amazing teacher just like her mother. She is a chip off the old block"

What does the underlined idiom mean?

"The metric system is a piece of cake to learn" said Mrs. Doerr.

What does the underlined idiom mean?

Mr. Mourey is up to his ears in grading papers.

Which is true about the graded papers?

Mr. Cripe tried to pin the crime on Mr.McCann, but it was clear that Mr. Cripe was the one who started the food fight.

What did Mr. Cripe try to do to Mr. McCann?

Which sentences are punctuated correctly. Choose TWO

What is the correct way to complete the sentence?

When Mrs. Koeneman was packing her suitcase to go to Spain, she made sure that she had ____________.

Which answer choice completes the sentence correctly?

Mrs. Johnson is an amazing person; she thoroughly enjoys ________

What is the correct way to complete the sentence?

When I left to go on my hiking trip, I made sure that I had _________

Complete the sentence with the correct answer choice.

_____ is the part of speech which shows where something is located or takes place.