WorksheetsSBAC Performance Task ELA
Total questions: 13
Worksheet time: 16mins
Read the excerpt from The Diary of a Young Girl.
We started off immediately the first day sewing curtains. Actually, you can hardly call them that, since they're nothing but scraps of fabric, varying greatly in shape, quality and pattern, which Father and I stitched crookedly together with unskilled fingers. These works of art were tacked to the windows, where they'll stay until we come out of hiding.
Which portion of the excerpt best supports the idea that Anne has a sense of humor?
“where they'll stay until we come out of hiding”
“which Father and I stitched crookedly together with unskilled fingers”
“These works of art were tacked to the windows”
“We started off immediately the first day sewing curtains”
Read the excerpt from The Diary of a Young Girl.
“The van Daans are going with us. There will be seven of us altogether.” Silence. We couldn't speak. The thought of Father off visiting someone in the Jewish Hospital and completely unaware of what was happening, the long wait for Mother, the heat, the suspense – all this reduced us to silence.
Which word best describes the mood of this excerpt?
tense
excited
angry
calm
Which detail from The Diary of a Young Girl best supports the mood of terror and anxiety?
“I don't think I'll ever feel at home in this house, but that doesn't mean I hate it.”
“Whatever we do, we're very afraid the neighbors might hear or see us.”
“Until Wednesday, I didn't have a chance to think about the enormous change in my life.”
“And we have to be quiet so the people downstairs can't hear us.”
Which of these best states a theme of The Diary of Anne Frank?
Miep and Mr. Kraler risk their own lives to bring cake to those in the annex.
Challenging times can often bring out both the best and worst in people.
Peter and Anne become closer friends through the experience they share.
It is always better to be truthful than it is to purposely deceive someone.
Which detail from this passage of The Diary of Anne Frank best supports the theme that sharing a difficult experience can sometimes strengthen a friendship?
Anne and Peter become close friends during the time they hide in the annex.
Peter is supportive of his mother and believes that he must protect her feelings.
Margot is very protective of Anne and believes that she must always support her.
Mrs. Van Daan and Mrs. Frank become very close and confide in one another.
Read this student’s rough draft.
On the day of the festival, the parking lot was full, and cars overflowed in tidy rows in the grass. Smiling families emerged from the cars, toting kites of every size and shape. A live music performance was tuning up on the outdoor stage, and vendors prepared hot dogs, snow cones, and other warm-weather fare. By noon, all the kites were flying.
What sentence would best add descriptive details to the end of this paragraph?
The kite festival was a grand success, and the crowd was bigger than the previous year.
When all the kites were in the sky, many photographers took pictures for the local paper.
Across a cloudless blue sky, dragons loomed, butterflies fluttered, and shapes soared.
With so many people in attendance, kite vendors were a popular attraction, and many people made purchases.
Read the excerpts.
“Fish Cheeks”
For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new American nose.
“Broken Chain”
Alfonso studied the magazine pictures of rock stars for a hairstyle. He liked the way Prince looked—and the bass player from Los Lobos.
Which theme do both texts address?
Sometimes people want to look like others to fit in.
Growing up can be very challenging.
Not everyone gets what they want in life.
Achieving what you want takes hard work.
The difference between a metaphor and a simile is that a simile
uses “like” or “as.”
compares two things.
exaggerates things for effect.
uses phrases specific to a region.
Read the sentences.
The siblings were like cats and dogs when left alone together. As a result, the babysitter was careful to keep them separated as much as possible.
The author most likely uses the simile to emphasize that
the siblings were unusually hairy.
the siblings did not get along well.
the babysitter was not fond of animals.
the babysitter was actually taking care of animals.
The shirt was old.
Which revised sentence describes the shirt by using a simile?
The old shirt was a memorial of days gone by.
The old shirt looked tired and sad, as though it missed days gone by.
The old shirt had been around forever, but it reminded him of days gone by.
The old shirt was like a wearable scrapbook, reminding him of days gone by.
Read the paragraph.
The schoolwide food drive is an important program that helps the community and instills a sense of responsibility in students. Last year, students collected over 600 canned goods and gave them to the Neighborhood House food pantry, which serves some of the neediest families in our community. Furthermore, many students said that helping with the drive was the first volunteer program they had ever participated in. Finally, without the student council’s support, the food drive will not be officially promoted within school and will likely languish. Therefore, it is imperative that the student council continue to encourage students to volunteer for this important program.
What answer makes the best additional evidence to support the author’s reason?
A poll of one hundred students found that after participating in the food drive, seventy-three participants found the experience so rewarding that they sought out new volunteer opportunities.
My friend Alvin participated in the food drive and said not only was it the best part of the school year, but he looks forward to helping out with the food drive next year.
We can definitely beat our previous goal of six hundred cans by both encouraging additional students to join the program and offering prizes for students who collect the most cans.
The student council needs to take a leadership role and promote the food drive so that all students, regardless of their previous volunteer experience, become active participants.
Read the paragraph.
Global warming resulting from greenhouse gases is a serious issue that demands immediate action. Throughout the world, we can already see the significant affects of global warming on people and natural habitats.
Pick the evidence that best supports the author’s claim?
Scientists have studied global warming for years, and they largely agree that the climate is changing. Scientists can drill core samples in Antarctic ice and study the carbon dioxide in these samples to see how greenhouse gases have risen in our atmosphere. They can also measure how quickly the ocean is rising year after year.
Unfortunately, many polls show that global warming is not a major concern among large portions of the population. Therefore, it is imperative that we work together to raise people’s consciousness of this important issue. If we work together, we can make global warming an issue that everyone cares about.
I’ve noticed that summers are warmer and longer. Trees in my neighborhood bloom two to three weeks earlier than they used to when I was growing up. Sometimes, we barely get any snow in winter, which means we can longer go skiing or sledding.
Many meteorologists suggest that the increased severity of hurricanes, tornadoes and drought is a direct result of global warming. Sea levels are increasing as polar ice caps melt. Towns in the arctic that were built on permafrost are sinking as the permafrost melts.
Read the paragraph.
The city is proposing a long-overdue bike-helmet law that would make wearing a helmet mandatory for all cyclists. This law will help protect cyclists of all ages from potential injury. Many studies have shown that wearing a bike helmet can prevent serious injury and death. ________, a study in 2009 showed that 91 % of people who died in bike injuries were not wearing helmets. ________, a similar study in New York found that 74 % of bike crashes involved a head injury, and almost all cyclists who died, 97%, were not wearing a helmet. _______, some people claim that wearing a bike helmet is uncomfortable. Yet new helmets are lightweight and designed with air vents so you will not overheat while wearing one. In conclusion, a bike-helmet law would help make biking safer and, by extension, more enjoyable.
Fill in the missing transitional words.
For example, In addition, However
On the other hand, For example, This means
For instance, In another example, For the most part
This means, One example, In conclusion
