NCEXTEND2 EOG Reading Grade 6 Sample Items
Do Not Reproduce–NCDPI
To James
5
10
15
20
25
Do you remember
How you won
That last race . . . ?
How you flung your body
At the start . . .
How your spikes1
Ripped the cinders
In the stretch . . .
How you catapulted
Through the tape . . .
Do you remember . . . ?
Don’t you think
I lurched2 with you
Out of those starting holes . . .?
Don’t you think
My sinews3 tightened
At those first
Few strides . . .
And when you flew into the stretch
Was not all my thrill
Of a thousand races
In your blood . . .?
At your final drive
Through the finish line
Did not my shout
Tell of the
Triumphant ecstasy
Of victory . . .?
30
35
40
45
50
Live
As I have taught you
To run, Boy –
It’s a short dash
Dig your starting holes
Deep and firm
Lurch out of them
Into the straightaway
With all the power
That is in you
Look straight ahead
To the finish line
Think only of the goal
Run straight
Run high
Run hard
Save nothing
And finish
With an ecstatic burst
That carries you
Hurtling
Through the tape
To victory . . .
1
spikes: athletic shoes
lurched: to move forward suddenly
3
sinews: tendons
2
Page 1
Published December 2007. May reproduce for instructional and
educational purposes only; not for personal or financial gain.
NCEXTEND2 EOG Reading Grade 6 Sample Items
Do Not Reproduce–NCDPI
1.
2.
In the beginning of the poem, what does the speaker ask James to remember about the
last race?
A
winning
B
losing
C
falling
In the first part of the poem, how does the reader know the speaker is excited about the
race?
A
He describes the race in detail.
B
He makes the final drive to the finish line.
C
He shouts triumphantly.
Page 2
Published December 2007. May reproduce for instructional and
educational purposes only; not for personal or financial gain.
NCEXTEND2 EOG Reading Grade 6 Sample Items
Do Not Reproduce–NCDPI
3.
4.
In which line of the poem does the speaker start to imagine being with James as he ran?
A
Line 11: “Do you remember . . . ?”
B
Line 13: “I lurched with you”
C
Line 30: “As I have taught you”
In which line does the poet show that James won the race?
A
Line 8: “In the stretch . . .”
B
Line 10: “Through the tape . . .”
C
Line 36: “Into the straightaway”
Page 3
Published December 2007. May reproduce for instructional and
educational purposes only; not for personal or financial gain.
NCEXTEND2 EOG Reading Grade 6 Sample Items
Do Not Reproduce–NCDPI
5.
6.
Which lines let the reader know the speaker was happy that James won the race?
A
Lines 12—14: “Don’t you think / I lurched with you / Out of those starting holes . . .?”
B
Lines 20—22: “Was not all my thrill / Of a thousand races / In your blood . . .?”
C
Lines 25—28: “Did not my shout / Tell of the / Triumphant ecstasy / Of victory. . .?”
In this poem, how does the speaker demonstrate that he is concerned about James’s
future?
A
He tells James that succeeding is just like running a race.
B
He makes James aware of his mistakes.
C
He reminds James that winning and losing do not matter.
Page 4
Published December 2007. May reproduce for instructional and
educational purposes only; not for personal or financial gain.
NCEXTEND2 EOG Reading Grade 6 Sample Items
Do Not Reproduce–NCDPI
7.
Which group would probably have the same response as the speaker when watching a
sports event?
A
parents of Olympic athletes
B
judges for a sports event
C
members of an opposing team
End of Sample Items
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Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the
Department of Public Instruction does not discriminate on
the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic
origin, age, disability, or military service in its policies,
programs, activities, admissions of employment.
Page 5
Published December 2007. May reproduce for instructional and
educational purposes only; not for personal or financial gain.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction wishes to express gratitude to the following authors and
publishers, whose generous permission to reprint literary selections has made these tests possible. Every effort has
been made to locate the copyright owners of material reprinted in this test booklet. Omissions brought to our
attention will be corrected in subsequent editions.
“To James” by Frank Horne courtesy of the Gwendolyn Bennett Literary Estate, Schomburg Center for Research in
Black Culture, The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.
Grade 6
Reading
TestID: 3943
NCEXTEND2 EOG Reading Grade 6 Sample Items
Selection Title
QID CorAns Thinking Skill
ObjNum
To James
1
A
Knowledge
5.01
To James
2
A
Organizing
5.01
To James
3
B
Organizing
5.01
To James
4
B
Analyzing
4.01
To James
5
C
Knowledge
5.01
To James
6
A
Analyzing
5.01
To James
7
A
Generating
3.01
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
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