Throughout the world, there are places where the wind piles sand into strange hills and ridges called dunes. Interestingly, some dunes can be heard as well as seen. Dunes may squeak, roar, sing, or boom when disturbed. The sand a particular sand dune makes is determined by the way sand is distributed.

Scientists who have studied the sand grains from dunes under special microscopes, found that the grains must be highly polished, perfectly smooth round balls in order to produce sounds. The grains must be dry and are usually especially small. Dunes that make noise are usually composed mostly of quartz sand.

The type of sound made by a sand dune is determined by the

Throughout the world, there are places where the wind piles sand into strange hills and ridges called dunes. Interestingly, some dunes can be heard as well as seen. Dunes may squeak, roar, sing, or boom when disturbed. The sand a particular sand dune makes is determined by the way sand is distributed.

Scientists who have studied the sand grains from dunes under special microscopes, found that the grains must be highly polished, perfectly smooth round balls in order to produce sounds. The grains must be dry and are usually especially small. Dunes that make noise are usually composed mostly of quartz sand.

In order to produce sounds, sand grains must be all of the following EXCEPT

Throughout the world, there are places where the wind piles sand into strange hills and ridges called dunes. Interestingly, some dunes can be heard as well as seen. Dunes may squeak, roar, sing, or boom when disturbed. The sand a particular sand dune makes is determined by the way sand is distributed.

Scientists who have studied the sand grains from dunes under special microscopes, found that the grains must be highly polished, perfectly smooth round balls in order to produce sounds. The grains must be dry and are usually especially small. Dunes that make noise are usually composed mostly of quartz sand.

In the context of the passage "smooth" most nearly means

Many pet owners find that their pets are waiting at the door when the owners arrive home. Researchers have offered a number of theories to account for the pets' behavior. One is that the pets may be responding to events coinciding with their owners' arrival (their owners may always arrive at home shortly after the mail is delivered). Another possibilities is that the pets are responding to sensory cues that elude us (the pet may recognize the unique sound of the owner's car when the car is some distance away).

Which statement best describes the organization of the passage as a whole?

The novelist Zane Grey was one of the early writers of the type of novel called the western. Today, however, modern historians dismiss Grey's romanticized description of the early American West. They point out that the Old West was actually a place of pointless violence and willful destruction of natural resources. And yet, Grey's fiction about the Old West continues to exert a powerful hold on the American imagination.

This passage suggest that modern historians find that Grey's books

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) found against slavery until it was abolished in the mid 1860's. The Anthony expanded her goal to improving the status of all American women. She spent the second half of her life devoted to that cause. Anthony spoke around the country for a woman's right to own property and to vote in state and national elections. She should be considered the most influential figure in women's struggle for the right to vote and run for public office.

Which sentence is an expression of opinion rather than a statement of fact?

People have long known that food spoils at warm temperatures but not at cold temperatures. In fact, in 1626 an English scientist, Sir Francis Bacon, successfully preserved a chicken by stuffing it with snow. But the reason food spoils was not understood until after 1683, when the microscope was invented. For the first time scientist could see tiny living creatures--bacteria and molds-- that we call microbes. Some microbes are helpful, but others are harmful. Most are killed by very hot temperatures, multiply rapidly in warm temperatures, and do not multiply much in cold temperatures.

The paraprofessional ask the students why the author mentions Sir Francis Bacon. Which response from the students is most accurate?

People have long known that food spoils at warm temperatures but not at cold temperatures. In fact, in 1626 an English scientist, Sir Francis Bacon, successfully preserved a chicken by stuffing it with snow. But the reason food spoils was not understood until after 1683, when the microscope was invented. For the first time scientist could see tiny living creatures--bacteria and molds-- that we call microbes. Some microbes are helpful, but others are harmful. Most are killed by very hot temperatures, multiply rapidly in warm temperatures, and do not multiply much in cold temperatures.

What question could the paraprofessional ask the students that would help them understand why food spoils at warm temperatures?

People have long known that food spoils at warm temperatures but not at cold temperatures. In fact, in 1626 an English scientist, Sir Francis Bacon, successfully preserved a chicken by stuffing it with snow. But the reason food spoils was not understood until after 1683, when the microscope was invented. For the first time scientist could see tiny living creatures--bacteria and molds-- that we call microbes. Some microbes are helpful, but others are harmful. Most are killed by very hot temperatures, multiply rapidly in warm temperatures, and do not multiply much in cold temperatures.

A paraprofessional is working with a student who is having trouble understanding the word "microbes". What would be the most effective strategy the paraprofessional could use to help the student understand those words?

Early scientists believed that all dinosaurs, like most reptiles, laid and then immediately abandoned their eggs. The newly hatched young were left to take care of themselves. However, the recent discovery of a group of nests has challenged this belief. The nests, which contained fossilized baby dinosaurs that were not newborn, provided evidence that dinosaur parents actually cared for their young. For some time after birth, the babies would stay at the nest while the parents brought back plant matter for food. The young stayed at home until they were large enough to roam safely on their own.

The passage is primarily concerned with

Early scientists believed that all dinosaurs, like most reptiles, laid and then immediately abandoned their eggs. The newly hatched young were left to take care of themselves. However, the recent discovery of a group of nests has challenged this belief. The nests, which contained fossilized baby dinosaurs that were not newborn, provided evidence that dinosaur parents actually cared for their young. For some time after birth, the babies would stay at the nest while the parents brought back plant matter for food. The young stayed at home until they were large enough to roam safely on their own.

The discovery of a group of dinosaur nests challenged the idea that dinosaurs

American science-fiction writers produce a large number of novels for young people these days, yet few take advantage of the latitude allowed by the genre. Since the 1970's, young-adult science fiction has had little to do with the wonders of science, intergalactic travel, or new worlds in space. Most of the novels are cautionary tales about regimented, conformist societies or about the social order collapsed into barbarism. This change has resulted in science fiction that is, to me as a reader, much less interesting than science fiction used to be.

Which sentence from the passage is most clearly an expression of opinion rather than a statement of fact?

The environment in which people live often determines the kind of technology they use. For instance, ancient Mesopotamia had few plants suitable for making paper. But the area had lots of high-quality clay. People used the clay to store information.

Modern people store information on paper, computer disks, and CDs. Mesopotamians stored their data on clay tablets - pieces of smooth clay small enough to fit into the palm of an adult's hand. When a clay tablet was damp, people could scratch pictures and letters into its surface using a sharpened reed. When dried in the hot sun, the clay hardened, preserving the writing and the information.

The teacher wants students to understand why the Mesopotamians wrote on clay. What question could a paraprofessional ask a group of students about the passage that would best help the students understand why the Mesopotamians wrote on clay?

The environment in which people live often determines the kind of technology they use. For instance, ancient Mesopotamia had few plants suitable for making paper. But the area had lots of high-quality clay. People used the clay to store information.

Modern people store information on paper, computer disks, and CDs. Mesopotamians stored their data on clay tablets - pieces of smooth clay small enough to fit into the palm of an adult's hand. When a clay tablet was damp, people could scratch pictures and letters into its surface using a sharpened reed. When dried in the hot sun, the clay hardened, preserving the writing and the information.

The paraprofessional asks a group of students to describe the main purpose of the second paragraph. Which of the following four responses from the students is most accurate?

The opossum is famous for “playing possum” (faking death to avoid danger). When the animal plays possum, its body becomes limp and its breathing is difficult to detect. Some scientists claim that this is an involuntary condition, like fainting. I disagree. I have seen the opossum recover at will from the supposedly involuntary state of shock. If the opossum thinks the danger has departed, it soon arises, looks around, and takes off quickly.

The author of the passage disagrees with the scientists about

With perhaps a million species of insects, entomologists (scientists who study insects) are sometimes desperate for names. Some entomologists are fond of naming insects for their family members. This practice is appropriate. There is less to be said for the invention of frivolous names. A British entomologist carried things to an extreme when he named an insect genus Ochisme (pronounced “oh-kiss-me”).

The author’s attitude toward the name Ochisme can best be described as

Jem condescended to take me to school the first day …. When we slowed to a walk at the edge of the schoolyard, Jem was careful to explain that during school hours I was not to bother him, I was not to approach him with requests to enact a chapter of Tarzan and the Ant Men, to embarrass him with references to his private life, or tag along behind him at recess and noon. I was to stick with the first grade and he would stick with the fifth. In short, I was to leave him alone. “You mean we can’t play any more?” I asked. “We’ll do like we always do at home,” he said, “but you’ll see-school’s different.”

The passage is primarily concerned with describing

Jem condescended to take me to school the first day …. When we slowed to a walk at the edge of the schoolyard, Jem was careful to explain that during school hours I was not to bother him, I was not to approach him with requests to enact a chapter of Tarzan and the Ant Men, to embarrass him with references to his private life, or tag along behind him at recess and noon. I was to stick with the first grade and he would stick with the fifth. In short, I was to leave him alone. “You mean we can’t play any more?” I asked. “We’ll do like we always do at home,” he said, “but you’ll see-school’s different.”

The speaker wants to know if she will

Researcher Nancy Maynor argues that e-mail has generated its own language style. Her work suggests that what she calls “e-style” is much closer to speech than writing. E-mail messages tend to be very informal, including clipped words (such as prob for problem) and simplified spellings (for instance, thru for through). Maynor has also found informality in punctuation. Among the common punctuation features she has found in e-mail messages are lack of capital letters, high use of exclamation points, and frequent use of trailing dots and dashes at the ends of sentences. Maynor concludes that these markings lend amore spoken quality to the e-mail message.

The passage is primarily concerned with

Researcher Nancy Maynor argues that e-mail has generated its own language style. Her work suggests that what she calls “e-style” is much closer to speech than writing. E-mail messages tend to be very informal, including clipped words (such as prob for problem) and simplified spellings (for instance, thru for through). Maynor has also found informality in punctuation. Among the common punctuation features she has found in e-mail messages are lack of capital letters, high use of exclamation points, and frequent use of trailing dots and dashes at the ends of sentences. Maynor concludes that these markings lend amore spoken quality to the e-mail message.

According to Nancy Maynor, the punctuation features in e-mail messages make such messages

Researcher Nancy Maynor argues that e-mail has generated its own language style. Her work suggests that what she calls “e-style” is much closer to speech than writing. E-mail messages tend to be very informal, including clipped words (such as prob for problem) and simplified spellings (for instance, thru for through). Maynor has also found informality in punctuation. Among the common punctuation features she has found in e-mail messages are lack of capital letters, high use of exclamation points, and frequent use of trailing dots and dashes at the ends of sentences. Maynor concludes that these markings lend amore spoken quality to the e-mail message.

The passage mentions the words “prob” and “thru” as examples of

Many recent best-selling children’s picture books have a lot in common with each other. These books reflect the structure found in oral storytelling tradition, with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. The characters are appealing to readers. The characters struggle, eventually resolve their problems, and then return to the safety of home. The stories’ endings are never open-ended and they are always hopeful. If this is a formula for success, what should we make of children’s picture books published recently that do not have the above-mentioned characteristics? For example, how can a book like The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Stupid Tales be evaluated and explained to children? This book definitely does not have a story with a defined beginning, middle, and end, nor does it have a sweet and innocent tone. It mocks rather than imitates the oral storytelling tradition. Similarly, in Open Me .. . I’m a Dog ( 1997), a dog has been turned into a book. Despite earnest efforts to be transformed back to his original dog state, the dog remains a book. He neither resolves the problem nor returns to the safety of his home. The books just mentioned are rebels from traditional book structure.

The second paragraph is primarily concerned with

Many recent best-selling children’s picture books have a lot in common with each other. These books reflect the structure found in oral storytelling tradition, with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. The characters are appealing to readers. The characters struggle, eventually resolve their problems, and then return to the safety of home. The stories’ endings are never open-ended and they are always hopeful. If this is a formula for success, what should we make of children’s picture books published recently that do not have the above-mentioned characteristics? For example, how can a book like The Stinky CheeseMan and Other Stupid Tales be evaluated and explained to children? This book definitely does not have a story with a defined beginning, middle, and end, nor does it have a sweet and innocent tone. It mocks rather than imitates the oral story telling tradition. Similarly, in Open Me .. . I’m a Dog  ( 1997), a dog has been turned into a book. Despite earnest efforts to be transformed back to his original dog state, the dog remains a book. He neither resolves the problem nor returns to the safety of his home. The books just mentioned are rebels from traditional book structure.

The main idea of the first paragraph is that

Many recent best-selling children’s picture books have a lot in common with each other. These books reflect the structure found in oral storytelling tradition, with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. The characters are appealing to readers. The characters struggle, eventually resolve their problems, and then return to the safety of home. The stories’ endings are never open-ended and they are always hopeful. If this is a formula for success, what should we make of children’s picture books published recently that do not have the above-mentioned characteristics? For example, how can a book like The Stinky CheeseMan and Other Stupid Tales be evaluated and explained to children? This book definitely does not have a story with a defined beginning, middle, and end, nor does it have a sweet and innocent tone. It mocks rather than imitates the oral story telling tradition. Similarly, in Open Me .. . I’m a Dog ( 1997), a dog has been turned into a book. Despite earnest efforts to be transformed back to his original dog state, the dog remains a book. He neither resolves the problem nor returns to the safety of his home. The books just mentioned are rebels from traditional book structure.

In the context of the passage, “resolve” most nearly means

Many recent best-selling children’s picture books have a lot in common with each other. These books reflect the structure found in oral storytelling tradition, with a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. The characters are appealing to readers. The characters struggle, eventually resolve their problems, and then return to the safety of home. The stories’ endings are never open-ended and they are always hopeful. If this is a formula for success, what should we make of children’s picture books published recently that do not have the above-mentioned characteristics? For example, how can a book like The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Stupid Tales be evaluated and explained to children? This book definitely does not have a story with a defined beginning, middle, and end, nor does it have a sweet and innocent tone. It mocks rather than imitates the oral story telling tradition. Similarly, in Open Me .. . I’m a Dog ( 1997), a dog has been turned into a book. Despite earnest efforts to be transformed back to his original dog state, the dog remains a book. He neither resolves the problem nor returns to the safety of his home. The books just mentioned are rebels from traditional book structure.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Stupid Tales mocks the oral storytelling tradition in that it does not

What conclusion can be drawn from the data presented in the graph?

The North American colonists faced extraordinarily high medical bills. In 1655 a doctor might charge a patient two or three times as much for a visit as a carpenter charged to build a smalls house. Doctors’ bills were so high partly because of conditions unique to colonial America. Patients’ homes were scattered over wide areas. Unlike doctors in England, American doctors had to spend a lot of time traveling. The miles covered became a large part of the doctors’ bills.

The author compares carpenters’ bills to doctors’ bills in order to

The North American colonists faced extraordinarily high medical bills. In 1655 a doctor might charge a patient two or three times as much for a visit as a carpenter charged to build a smalls house. Doctors’ bills were so high partly because of conditions unique to colonial America. Patients’ homes were scattered over wide areas. Unlike doctors in England, American doctors had to spend a lot of time traveling. The miles covered became a large part of the doctors’ bills.

Doctors in America differed from doctors in England in that American doctors

Research indicates that both coyotes and wolves are intelligent animals. However, the wolf is not adaptable. When people move into an area, the wolf moves out. By contrast, the coyote not only adapts to people, it thrives because of them. In the 1980’s, it was estimated that thousands of coyotes lived within the Los Angeles city limits. The coyote, it seems, is now the smartest wild animal in North America.

Which of the following sentences is an expression of opinion rather than a statement of fact?

Zora Neale Hurston is now famous as the author of the justly celebrated Black female coming-of age novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). But her first love was African American folklore. If the reader does not understand that folklore, Hurston’s fiction, with its unexpected moves into myth, magical realism, and folklore, loses some of its force.

The main idea of the passage is that

On which page or pages would a person be most likely to find information about how quartz, a mineral, is formed?

On which page or pages would a person be most likely to find a graph or chart of the different properties of minerals?

A student does not understand the meaning of the word “cells” as it is used in the sentence “The plastic foam floats because it contains thousands of tiny cells that are filled with air.” The student looks up the word in the dictionary and finds the following definitions.

cell (noun) 1. a very small room 2. a small compartment or cavity, as in a honeycomb 3. the basic building block of living organisms 4. a single unit that converts chemical energy into electrical energy

Which definition should the student use to understand the word “cells” in the context of the sentence?

Spectacles with concave lenses to correct for myopia were first made in the fifteenth century. Because they corrected for poor distance vision, in an era when most eyeglasses were used for reading, they were considered less essential for pursuits of the mind and consequently were rarer and more costly than convex lenses.

A student is having trouble understanding the word “myopia.” What would be an effective strategy a paraprofessional could use to help the student understand the word?

Spectacles with concave lenses to correct for myopia were first made in the fifteenth century. Because they corrected for poor distance vision, in an era when most eyeglasses were used for reading, they were considered less essential for pursuits of the mind and consequently were rarer and more costly than convex lenses.

The paraprofessional asks the students to summarize the main idea of the passage. Which response from the students is most accurate?

The Hot Air Balloon

Chapter 1: A Birthday Surprise“

”m five!” Ben shouted when he woke up on

Saturday morning.

He ran to wake his parents, but they were

already up. “I’m five,” he said when he found

them downstairs.

“You sure are,” his dad said as he flipped

a pancake.

“You’re getting so big,” his mom said as

she squeezed oranges for juice.

When Ben finished breakfast, his dad said,

“We have a surprise for you.”

“The circus?” Ben asked.

“Even better,” his mom said.

They all got in the car. The trip seemed to

take forever. Finally, Ben spotted a sign that said,

“Mitchell Airfield.” Then he looked up in the sky

and gasped, because he saw the most amazing

sight floating in the air.

Students are learning how to make predictions about a story by using clues from the title of the story, the chapter headings, and what happens in the story itself. The paraprofessional asks the students, “What do you think Ben’s surprise will be?” Which response from the students shows the best understanding of the clues?

The Hot Air Balloon

Chapter 1: A Birthday Surprise“

”m five!” Ben shouted when he woke up on

Saturday morning.

He ran to wake his parents, but they were

already up. “I’m five,” he said when he found

them downstairs.

“You sure are,” his dad said as he flipped

a pancake.

“You’re getting so big,” his mom said as

she squeezed oranges for juice.

When Ben finished breakfast, his dad said,

“We have a surprise for you.”

“The circus?” Ben asked.

“Even better,” his mom said.

They all got in the car. The trip seemed to

take forever. Finally, Ben spotted a sign that said,

“Mitchell Airfield.” Then he looked up in the sky

and gasped, because he saw the most amazing

sight floating in the air.

The paraprofessional asks the class where Ben found his parents. Which response is most accurate?

The Hot Air Balloon

Chapter 1: A Birthday Surprise“

”m five!” Ben shouted when he woke up on

Saturday morning.

He ran to wake his parents, but they were

already up. “I’m five,” he said when he found

them downstairs.

“You sure are,” his dad said as he flipped

a pancake.

“You’re getting so big,” his mom said as

she squeezed oranges for juice.

When Ben finished breakfast, his dad said,

“We have a surprise for you.”

“The circus?” Ben asked.

“Even better,” his mom said.

They all got in the car. The trip seemed to

take forever. Finally, Ben spotted a sign that said,

“Mitchell Airfield.” Then he looked up in the sky

and gasped, because he saw the most amazing

sight floating in the air.

Students are learning about compound words (words made up of two or more whole words joined together). Which word from the story is a compound word?

The Hot Air Balloon

Chapter 1: A Birthday Surprise“

”m five!” Ben shouted when he woke up on

Saturday morning.

He ran to wake his parents, but they were

already up. “I’m five,” he said when he found

them downstairs.

“You sure are,” his dad said as he flipped

a pancake.

“You’re getting so big,” his mom said as

she squeezed oranges for juice.

When Ben finished breakfast, his dad said,

“We have a surprise for you.”

“The circus?” Ben asked.

“Even better,” his mom said.

They all got in the car. The trip seemed to

take forever. Finally, Ben spotted a sign that said,

“Mitchell Airfield.” Then he looked up in the sky

and gasped, because he saw the most amazing

sight floating in the air.

Students are learning that the letter “s” can often sound like the letter “z.” They are working with several examples, including boxes and dogs. Which word from the story would be the best example of how “s” can sound like “z” ?

I first saw King Arthur from a distance, but even then he was a sight that could take my breath away. His red beard flickered like fire. His eyes flashed with the incandescence of two bright comets. His armor glowed like molten silver. His smile dazzled me like the morning sun that greets me when I throw open the shutters. This was a man I could follow. This was a man who could lead us.

The students are studying how the passage uses comparisons to describe King Arthur. The paraprofessional asks the students what all of the comparisons have in common. Which answer is most accurate?

I first saw King Arthur from a distance, but even then he was a sight that could take my breath away. His red beard flickered like fire. His eyes flashed with the incandescence of two bright comets. His armor glowed like molten silver. His smile dazzled me like the morning sun that greets me when I throw open the shutters. This was a man I could follow. This was a man who could lead us.

What question could the paraprofessional ask the students that would help them understand the narrator’s attitude toward King Arthur?

You will work in teams of two. Each team will receive a map of the United States and will be assigned a letter of the alphabet. First, in the empty space at the bottom of the map, list the names of all the states that begin with your team’s assigned letter of the alphabet (for example, if you are the “N” group you might start with New Mexico). Next, using a blank sheet of paper, put your team’s list of state names in alphabetical order. Then look up each state in your almanac to find out its capital, and write the name of the capital next to the state’s name on your alphabetized list. Finally, use your crayons to color the states on the map.

According to the assignment, students should use a blank piece of paper to

You will work in teams of two. Each team will receive a map of the United States and will be assigned a letter of the alphabet. First, in the empty space at the bottom of the map, list the names of all the states that begin with your team’s assigned letter of the alphabet (for example, if you are the “N” group you might start with New Mexico). Next, using a blank sheet of paper, put your team’s list of state names in alphabetical order. Then look up each state in your almanac to find out its capital, and write the name of the capital next to the state’s name on your alphabetized list. Finally, use your crayons to color the states on the map.

One team of students is working with states that begin with the letter “A.” Which list has the names in the proper alphabetical order?

Students are thinking up pairs of words that are synonyms. Four students’ pairs are printed below. Which is a pair of synonyms?

Choose the correct sentence.

Choose the sentence with the correct comma placement.

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is a pair of antonyms?

Which word is an example of a suffix?

Many bicyclists used helmets during the bicycling craze that occurred in the 1980’s. In the sentence above, what is the simple predicate (the verb that tells what the subject does).

Which word is NOT spelled correctly?

In the following sentence what is the adjective?

A tired dog sat on the porch next to the door.

Which is an adverb in the following sentence?

Dan finished his dessert quickly.

Which is a pronoun in the following sentence?

He baked a cake.

Which is a preposition in the following sentence?

Portia drove to the bank.

Which is a conjunction in the following sentence?

Amy ran the marathon and in record time.

Which of the following is an interjection in the sentence?

Wow! Dante received an A on his research paper.

What is the subject in the following sentence?

Raoul has been working in his garden.

Ricky has been working in the garage.

Which of the following defines the underlined part of the sentence?

The girl jogs to the beach.

Which of the following is the verb in this sentence?

Three birds were at the birdfeeder.

Which is the adjective in this sentence?

Fran finished her dessert quickly.

Which is the adverb in this sentence?

She baked a pie.

Which is the pronoun for this sentence?

Sally changed the oil in her car.

Which is the pronoun in the sentence?

Kerry hasn’t seen Josh since Sunday.

In the above sentence which of the following words is the preposition?

Select the correct word to complete the sentence.

Mark likes candy better ____ gum.

Select the correct word to complete the sentence.

The dog chased ___ tail.

Although the school board voted unanimously to renovate the classroom, they did not agree about what the new classroom should look like.

Which of the underlined words is incorrect?

The popularity of ginseng supplements and products have increased, despite the lack of scientific proof that ginseng has medicinal powers.

Which of the underlined words should be changed to have the correct subject-verb agreement?

For more than half a century, California has led the nation in agricultural output.

What is the subject of the sentence above?

On September 5, 1882, when some 10,000 workers assembled in New York city, America experienced its first Labor Day parade.

What is the simple predicate (the verb that tells what the subject does) in this sentence?

Although Billie Holiday had no formal musical training, she became one of the greatest jazz singers of all time, and her recordings are now regarded as masterpieces.

In this sentence the underlined word is being used as..

Which word is NOT spelled correctly?

Growing Tomatoes by: Nick F

You will need a small plot of land. You can buy young plants at a garden store, or even at a discount store. Dig a small hole for each plant, at least a foot apart. Remove the tomato plant from the pot and put it in the hole. Put back the soil. Now, water your plants and be patient. The tomatoes are going to taste much better than the ones from the store!

Nick wants to begin his paper with a sentence that introduces his main idea. What would be the strongest first sentence for his paper?

Dear school superintendent:

I would like to convince you that high school should begin at 9:00AM rather than at 8:00AM. I will tell you why. At last, research has shown what we teenagers have known for a long time; we are tired, too tired to really concentrate in school. Recently, research found that teenagers need more sleep than younger children. In order for us teenagers not to be tired, we need about 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep to feel truly rested. This is different than elementary school students who need only 8 hours of sleep.

Sincerely, Stella

Which sentence could Stella add to her letter as additional support for her main idea?

Dear school superintendent:

I would like to convince you that high school should begin at 9:00AM rather than at 8:00AM. I will tell you why. At last, research has shown what we teenagers have known for a long time; we are tired, too tired to really concentrate in school. Recently, research found that teenagers need more sleep than younger children. In order for us teenagers not to be tired, we need about 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep to feel truly rested. This is different than elementary school students who need only 8 hours of sleep.

Sincerely, Stella

The primary purpose of Stella's letter is to..

In his essay, Brian discusses the affects of captivity on wild animals.

(1) At the zoo we saw many species that we discussed in science class. (2) For example, chimpanzees and polar bears. (3) Some of these animals benefit from living in captivity. (4) In the wild, chimps on live to be about twenty the chimp we saw at the zoo was 34 years old. (5) Baby polar bears are often attacked by males in the wild, but in the zoo, males are rarely mean to the cubs or females. (6) However, captivity has draw backs as well. (7) Many of the animals suffer from tooth decay because visitors feed them bad food. (8) Also, the caged animals seemed depressed to me.

Brian wants to divide his essay into two paragraphs, one for each main idea. Which sentence should be the opening sentences for the second paragraph?

In his essay, Brian discusses the affects of captivity on wild animals.

(1) At the zoo we saw many species that we discussed in science class. (2) For example, chimpanzees and polar bears. (3) Some of these animals benefit from living in captivity. (4) In the wild, chimps only live to be about twenty the chimp we saw at the zoo was 34 years old. (5) Baby polar bears are often attacked by males in the wild, but in the zoo, males are rarely mean to the cubs or females. (6) However, captivity has draw backs as well. (7) Many of the animals suffer from tooth decay because visitors feed them bad food. (8) Also, the caged animals seemed depressed to me.

Brian often has trouble identifying errors in his own work, especially run-on sentences and sentence fragments. Which TWO sentences in his essay contain such errors?

In 1620 a group of English people crossed the North Atlantic to establish a small colony that is now call New England. The story of these pilgrims has become an important part in the history of the United States. At the time, however, the colony was simply the part of the spread of European culture. For more than a century, the nations of western Europe had been establishing colonies and trading post around the world.

The primary purpose of this passage is to..