Skipper and his older brother Jay want to be champion skaters. They would like to be skilled enough to skate in the Olympics some day. They both take lessons. They practice every chance they get. Jay skates much faster than his brother, but Skipper doesn’t mind. He is not interested in racing on skates like Jay, who wants to be a speed skater. His dream is to be a figure skater. He wants to jump and spin and move gracefully through the required skating routines.

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

At first I heard them on the roof,

Their gentle pitter-pat,

Then wet upon the window was

Their friendly rat-a-tat.

“Come and play,” the raindrops called.

“In puddles we can splash.

So hurry, girl, put on your gear!

Get ready in a flash!”

Eager to enjoy some fun,

I dug out my umbrella.

I found my rubber boots, and yet,

My coat? I couldn’t tell ya!

Where was that yellow coat of mine?

Not hanging on the hook,

Not in the car, not on the porch,

No place I chose to look!

I even checked my sister’s stuff,

Though she would never don it.

She has her own, and mine’s too small.

Besides, I’d never share it!

One final hiding spot remained:

The closet in the hall.

A-ha! I laughed and threw it on.

Now I had it all!

But while I’d hunted for my coat,

The rain had stopped its dance.

And now the sky was clearing so

The sun would have its chance

Anteaters

What is one of the strangest looking animals on

Earth? It is a giant anteater. The anteater has a

very long, thin tongue. Its tongue can grow up to

two feet long and is very sticky. Its sticky tongue

helps it catch the insects that it loves to eat. A giant

anteater can eat over 30,000 insects a day!

Anteaters have long, sharp claws that help them

to dig into anthills. When they are not digging,

their long claws curve under their paws and make

fists. When they walk, they walk on these fists.

They do not walk very fast. Anteaters have very

bad eyesight but a great sense of smell. They walk

with their noses close to the ground. That is how

they sniff and find yummy insects to eat.

You would have to go to South or Central

America to see an anteater in the wild. If you ever

go, you know where to find them ... just look for

an anthill!

Question: What are some things that help an anteater live?

Skipper and his older brother Jay want to be champion skaters. They would like to be skilled enough to skate in the Olympics some day. They both take lessons. They practice every chance they get. Jay skates much faster than his brother, but Skipper doesn’t mind. He is not interested in racing on skates like Jay, who wants to be a speed skater. His dream is to be a figure skater. He wants to jump and spin and move gracefully through the required skating routines.

Question: Skipper does not mind that his brother skates faster than he does. Why?

Ancient people wrote myths to explain things in nature that they did not understand. This is one of them.   There once lived a maiden named Arachne. She was the finest weaver in the land. Arachne was very proud. One day, she challenged the goddess Minerva to a weaving contest. Her friends and family were worried. “Do not try to take on a goddess,” they said. But Arachne would not listen to them. She was too proud. The goddess arrived, and the contest began. When Arachne saw Minerva’s beautiful weaving, she felt ashamed. No mere person could win against a goddess, after all. As a warning to other mortals, Minerva punished Arachne. She sprinkled her with a magic juice. Arachne’s hair, nose, and eyes came off. Her head and body grew smaller. Her fingers became thin legs. Minerva had turned her into a spider. From that day on, Arachne and all of her children would spend their days weaving webs.

Question: Which of the following happened first in the story?

Boudicca1

Many times, when we think of women in ancient cultures, we believe them to be weak with little or no power. Compare that image with Roman historian Cassius Dio’s description of Boudicca, the wife of the Iceni king Prasutagus.

In stature she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; . . .  She now grasped a spear to aid her in terrifying all beholders . . .(Roman History [lxii.1-2])

2

Who was Boudicca? Some believe she was a queen who was a military leader. Others think of her more as a mother, wife, and warrior. One thing is indisputable: Boudicca changed the history of England when she led an uprising against the invading Roman armies.

3

By the year 43 of the Common Era (CE), the Romans had expanded their territory from Italy across what was to become Europe and then had invaded the British Isles. One of the native tribes in Britain was the Iceni, a group of people eventually classified as Celts. Because their land was surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on two sides and by a dense forest on another, they were effectively protected from invaders for much of their history.

4

Still, Prasutagus, who was the king of Iceni, understood that a time would come when he would have to either make peace with the Romans or battle them. Weighing the superiority of Roman weapons, tactics, and numbers against the independence of his own people, Prasutagus had to make a difficult decision. Eventually, he met with the Romans at the town of Camulodunum to become a Roman client king. This status meant that he had to follow the rules of the Romans, but it also assured his own people of being able to keep their way of life and their customs. Thus, the Romans allowed Prasutagus to continue to rule. When he died, he left half of his land to the Roman Emperor, Nero, and the other half to his wife Boudicca and his daughters.

5

Iceni law granted women many rights. Royal women held not only prestigious positions but also real power. They held places in their society as leaders in politics, art, and religion. Even in those ancient days, they chose their own spouses and could own land. The Romans had different beliefs, however.  When Prasutagus died, the Romans came and took everything that belonged to him.

6

Believing that Prasutagus’s people were now under his control, the Roman governor, Suetonius Paulinus, turned his attention to subduing Druid tribes in Wales. With two-thirds of the Roman army in Wales, Boudicca, who was humiliated and angry, saw her chance.

7

Because the Romans heavily taxed the people of Iceni and had taken a great deal of their land, the Romans were unpopular with most of the tribes of Iceni. For this reason, the tribes united behind Boudicca, whom they saw as their rightful leader after the death of her husband. Soon, Boudicca had an army of more than 100,000 people.

8

The queen and her troops recaptured two large towns and soon marched into London, which they were able to free from Roman control. But Boudicca’s army grew hungry and tired, and the Romans had intentionally destroyed all the food they were forced to leave behind. With her troops weakened, Boudicca attacked one last time and lost.

9

The events of Boudicca’s rebellion were forgotten until 1360. The story would become popular again under the reign of another English queen who protected England against a threatening invasion: Queen Elizabeth I.

Question: Which of the following statements best summarizes the information in the passage as a whole?

Boudicca1

Many times, when we think of women in ancient cultures, we believe them to be weak with little or no power. Compare that image with Roman historian Cassius Dio’s description of Boudicca, the wife of the Iceni king Prasutagus.

In stature she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; . . .  She now grasped a spear to aid her in terrifying all beholders . . .(Roman History [lxii.1-2])

2

Who was Boudicca? Some believe she was a queen who was a military leader. Others think of her more as a mother, wife, and warrior. One thing is indisputable: Boudicca changed the history of England when she led an uprising against the invading Roman armies.

3

By the year 43 of the Common Era (CE), the Romans had expanded their territory from Italy across what was to become Europe and then had invaded the British Isles. One of the native tribes in Britain was the Iceni, a group of people eventually classified as Celts. Because their land was surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on two sides and by a dense forest on another, they were effectively protected from invaders for much of their history.

4

Still, Prasutagus, who was the king of Iceni, understood that a time would come when he would have to either make peace with the Romans or battle them. Weighing the superiority of Roman weapons, tactics, and numbers against the independence of his own people, Prasutagus had to make a difficult decision. Eventually, he met with the Romans at the town of Camulodunum to become a Roman client king. This status meant that he had to follow the rules of the Romans, but it also assured his own people of being able to keep their way of life and their customs. Thus, the Romans allowed Prasutagus to continue to rule. When he died, he left half of his land to the Roman Emperor, Nero, and the other half to his wife Boudicca and his daughters.

5

Iceni law granted women many rights. Royal women held not only prestigious positions but also real power. They held places in their society as leaders in politics, art, and religion. Even in those ancient days, they chose their own spouses and could own land. The Romans had different beliefs, however.  When Prasutagus died, the Romans came and took everything that belonged to him.

6

Believing that Prasutagus’s people were now under his control, the Roman governor, Suetonius Paulinus, turned his attention to subduing Druid tribes in Wales. With two-thirds of the Roman army in Wales, Boudicca, who was humiliated and angry, saw her chance.

7

Because the Romans heavily taxed the people of Iceni and had taken a great deal of their land, the Romans were unpopular with most of the tribes of Iceni. For this reason, the tribes united behind Boudicca, whom they saw as their rightful leader after the death of her husband. Soon, Boudicca had an army of more than 100,000 people.

8

The queen and her troops recaptured two large towns and soon marched into London, which they were able to free from Roman control. But Boudicca’s army grew hungry and tired, and the Romans had intentionally destroyed all the food they were forced to leave behind. With her troops weakened, Boudicca attacked one last time and lost.

9

The events of Boudicca’s rebellion were forgotten until 1360. The story would become popular again under the reign of another English queen who protected England against a threatening invasion: Queen Elizabeth I.

Question: The information in the passage suggests that both Queen Boudicca and Queen Elizabeth I

Boudicca1

Many times, when we think of women in ancient cultures, we believe them to be weak with little or no power. Compare that image with Roman historian Cassius Dio’s description of Boudicca, the wife of the Iceni king Prasutagus.

In stature she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; . . .  She now grasped a spear to aid her in terrifying all beholders . . .(Roman History [lxii.1-2])

2

Who was Boudicca? Some believe she was a queen who was a military leader. Others think of her more as a mother, wife, and warrior. One thing is indisputable: Boudicca changed the history of England when she led an uprising against the invading Roman armies.

3

By the year 43 of the Common Era (CE), the Romans had expanded their territory from Italy across what was to become Europe and then had invaded the British Isles. One of the native tribes in Britain was the Iceni, a group of people eventually classified as Celts. Because their land was surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on two sides and by a dense forest on another, they were effectively protected from invaders for much of their history.

4

Still, Prasutagus, who was the king of Iceni, understood that a time would come when he would have to either make peace with the Romans or battle them. Weighing the superiority of Roman weapons, tactics, and numbers against the independence of his own people, Prasutagus had to make a difficult decision. Eventually, he met with the Romans at the town of Camulodunum to become a Roman client king. This status meant that he had to follow the rules of the Romans, but it also assured his own people of being able to keep their way of life and their customs. Thus, the Romans allowed Prasutagus to continue to rule. When he died, he left half of his land to the Roman Emperor, Nero, and the other half to his wife Boudicca and his daughters.

5

Iceni law granted women many rights. Royal women held not only prestigious positions but also real power. They held places in their society as leaders in politics, art, and religion. Even in those ancient days, they chose their own spouses and could own land. The Romans had different beliefs, however.  When Prasutagus died, the Romans came and took everything that belonged to him.

6

Believing that Prasutagus’s people were now under his control, the Roman governor, Suetonius Paulinus, turned his attention to subduing Druid tribes in Wales. With two-thirds of the Roman army in Wales, Boudicca, who was humiliated and angry, saw her chance.

7

Because the Romans heavily taxed the people of Iceni and had taken a great deal of their land, the Romans were unpopular with most of the tribes of Iceni. For this reason, the tribes united behind Boudicca, whom they saw as their rightful leader after the death of her husband. Soon, Boudicca had an army of more than 100,000 people.

8

The queen and her troops recaptured two large towns and soon marched into London, which they were able to free from Roman control. But Boudicca’s army grew hungry and tired, and the Romans had intentionally destroyed all the food they were forced to leave behind. With her troops weakened, Boudicca attacked one last time and lost.

9

The events of Boudicca’s rebellion were forgotten until 1360. The story would become popular again under the reign of another English queen who protected England against a threatening invasion: Queen Elizabeth I.

Question: Which of the following statements is NOT true of Iceni law and culture as it is explained in the passage?

mural

landscape

portrait

Which of the following words is the best heading for the list above?

["magnify" is to "microscope"] as ["measure" is to "ruler"] 

The terms in each set of brackets are related mainly because the first term

Read the information and then select the most logical conclusion that can be drawn from the information.

Each day, Julia is always the first student to get to the gym to practice dribbling the basketball and aiming for the basket.

Choose the pair of words that most precisely fits into the blanks in the context of the sentence.

Mahatma Gandhi, a major political and spiritual leader during the Indian independence movement, encouraged nonviolent__________against unjust laws as a means to persuade governments to end  ______.

Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the context of the sentence.

Andrew Carnegie founded thousands of libraries across the United States to ensure that his love of learning was perpetuated.

Decide the best order for the sentences listed:

1. He played the trumpet, but he was perhaps best known for his creative and energetic singing.

2. He recorded many hit songs in a career that spanned nearly five decades from the 1920s to 1971.

3. Many people do not know that Louis Armstrong was also a composer and wrote many songs that became jazz standards.

4. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential jazz musicians of the twentieth century.

Choose the best way of stating the idea.

Which of the following topics would be most appropriate to include in a report on how to make a pinhole camera?

Choose the pair of words that most precisely fits into the blanks in the context of the sentence.

Mahatma Gandhi, a major political and spiritual leader during the Indian independence movement, encouraged nonviolent                  against unjust laws as a means to persuade governments to end                 .

Choose the word that most precisely fits into the blank in the context of the sentence.

During the Civil War, a notable general was criticized for spending too much time training his soldiers and planning his strategies. He explained that he would rather be considered too careful than too                 .

Choose the word that is most nearly the OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word in the context of the sentence.

The feud began when a ship from one of the countries supposedly crossed into the territory of the other.