Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 12/19/2014
Generated By: Cheryl Shelton
Title: Grade 8 Blizzard Bag 2014-2015 ELA-Day 4
If you visit an amusement park today, each roller coaster seems more hi-tech than
the last. Throughout history, roller coasters have changed quite a bit. Roller coasters
had their beginnings in Russia during the 1400 or 1500s. People from that time used to
climb a seventy-foot ladder, jump on a wooden sled, and slide down a two-foot wide
ramp that was frozen over with ice! Eventually, this spot in Russia became known as
the Russian Mountains.
adapted from http://library.thinkquest.org/J001403/newpage6.htm
1. Which sentence would be the BEST concluding sentence for the paragraph above?
A. The tallest and fastest roller coaster is called Superman: The Escape.
B.
The Drop Zone at King's Island Theme Park in Ohio has a 262-ft. drop from its 317-ft.
vertical lift tower.
C.
The Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio has a record-breaking thirteen
coasters.
D. The Russian Mountains were the beginning of what we now think of as roller coasters.
2.
I believe that metal detectors are a necessary security feature. They should be
installed in all public buildings to keep people safe. It is not always possible to know if
someone is dangerous by looking at them. By using metal detectors, however, we can
keep those who may be carrying concealed weapons away from innocent people.
What is the main point of the article writer's argument?
A. Metal detectors in public buildings help keep people safe.
B. People should not be allowed to carry weapons in public.
C. There should be more security officers in public places.
D. Metal detectors do not always work and are not reliable.
3.
(1) It seemed to be guarding something by its side. (2) I had never seen one
before. (3) It was sitting on a fallen tree branch. (4) It was a picture perfect moment. (5)
He turned his head and saw us. (6) He growled slowly to let us know that we were
standing too close to his territory.
Which of the following would be a good topic sentence for the passage above?
A. The wolf moved slowly in the bushes to hunt down his prey.
B. The wolf was chasing a pine cone, which was shaped like a mouse.
C. The mouse was unaware of the wolf looking down at him.
D. One cold, winter morning when I went sledding with my friend, I saw a wolf.
4.
Many of the products people use everyday are made from recycled materials. For
example, products such as copy paper and folders are often made from recycled paper.
People should take aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and newspapers to local
recycling facilities. This reduces the amount of trash that is left on the ground or
dumped into landfills, and it makes the environment much more clean. By recycling,
people also save energy. Products do not have to be made from new material when
recycled material can be used.
Recycling is one small thing everyone can and should do to make the world a better
place.
What is the controlling idea of this article?
A. People should recycle to help the environment.
B. People should not throw trash on the ground.
C. Aluminum cans should not be recycled.
D. All paper is made from recycled material.
5.
Cell phones have made the roadways more dangerous in the past several years.
The American Automobile Association has released a report on cell phone usage and
driving. The report found that more than 50% of American drivers have used a cell
phone while driving a car. Talking on the phone also makes a driver 30% more likely to
be involved in an accident. To make travelling in a car safe, people are going to have to
hang up the phone and drive.
What kind of support does the author give for the statement that cell phones have made the roads
more dangerous?
A. statistics
B. opinion
C. analogy
D. example
When school let out, he was scheduled to join a wilderness adventure group to camp
and experience the outdoors in Wyoming. Hiking, bicycling, mountain climbing,
swimming, and camping were among his favorite activities.
6. Which opening sentence goes best with the details in the above paragraph?
A. Jamie had never been to Wyoming before.
B. Jamie loved to camp.
C. Jamie expected this summer vacation to be his best ever.
D. Jamie had been camping with his family since he was a toddler.
(1) One morning in February 2009, the staff at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
arrived to find the place flooded with more than 200 gallons of spilled saltwater. (2) The
one responsible for the mess was not a human, but a foot-long, two-spotted California
octopus, calmly watching from her tank. (3) Evidently, this octopus had pushed and
nudged until she released a valve near the top of her tank, spilling all the water.
(4) Luckily, the staff got there in time to save any sea creatures from harm. (5) Tara
Crow is the Aquarium's Public Programs Manager. (6) She is quoted as saying the
whole thing was actually pretty funny, though it took many hours to clean. (7) In the
future, the curious octopus likely won't be able to repeat such a stunt. (8) Aquarium staff
has made sure there are extra clamps and tape securing the lid of her tank.
7. Which sentence could best be added before sentence 3?
(3) Evidently, this octopus had pushed and nudged until she released a valve near the
top of her tank, spilling all the water.
A. Two-spotted octopuses generally live to be about 2 years old.
B. Intelligence and curiosity are hallmark traits of octopuses.
C. This species feeds on snails, clams, mussels, and small crabs.
D. Octopuses pull water into their mantle cavity, passing it through the gills.
The platypus seems weird to people because it lays eggs and is a mammal. Really,
it's just a creature that's just very specialized to do what platypuses do best—swim, eat,
and burrow! Living on the banks of bodies of water, the platypus burrows 50-foot long
tunnels and uses its webbed feet to dog-paddle around. The bill is a streamlined nose
and mouth for sniffing and snuffling up pond-bottom delicacies like shrimp! Perfectly
designed for underwater life, the platypus has two layers of fur—the first is short and
dense and never lets water through to the skin! The second is longer and is the layer of
fur that gets wet.
adapted from http://www.genevaschools.org/austinbg/class/gray/platypus/
8. Which sentence would be the BEST concluding sentence for the paragraph above?
A. The platypus is found in all freshwater creeks, rivers, and lakes of eastern Australia.
B.
The population of platypuses has declined in areas close to Melbourne due to human
population growth.
C. The flat, furry tail stores fat for the long cold winter in freezing waters.
D. In southeastern Australia the platypus has short periods of hibernation or semi-hibernation.
The physical appearance of the sloth is unique. Its thick fur coat is usually brown but
may look green because of green algae and bacteria living on it. The algae and bacteria
help camouflage the sloth, and because the sloth likes to lick its fur, they also provide
the sloth nourishment. Sloths are medium-sized creatures with bodies between 45 and
60 cm long. Their heads are flat and short, and they have big eyes, a short snout and
tail, long legs, and tiny ears. Long, strong, and curved claws help sloths hang from trees
and defend themselves from enemies.
9. Which sentence would be the BEST concluding sentence for the paragraph above?
A.
Remembering this information will help you identify these creatures in a tropical
rainforest.
B. Sloths sleep while hanging upside down for about fifteen to eighteen hours in the daytime.
C.
Sloths spend almost their entire lives in trees; they like to eat leaves, young branches, and
fruit.
D.
The sloths' slow movements make it hard for enemies, such as jaguars and eagles, to detect
them.
In 1986, Honda engineers set out to create a walking robot. Early models (E1, E2,
E3) focused on developing legs that could copy the walk of a human. The next series of
models was focused on walk stabilization and stair climbing. Next, a head, body and
arms were added to the robot to improve balance and add movement. Honda’s first
humanoid robot, P1 was rather rugged at 6’ 2” tall and 386 lbs. P2 improved with a
more friendly design, improved walking, stair climbing/descending, and wireless
automatic movements.
adapted from http://asimo.honda.com/index
10. Which sentence would be the BEST concluding sentence for the paragraph above?
A. It could only walk in a straight line.
B. The first robot took 20 minutes to complete each task.
C. The P3 model was even more compact, standing 5' 2" tall and weighing 287 lbs.
D. We designed a robot that can copy human motion and help people.
Murf Turf Daily News
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Do-Gooder gone bad
By Catharine Hoarder
Staff Writer
When I.B. Goode founded the Do-Gooder Award, he said that "the winner is
supposed to have made a significant impact on world peace." This honor has been
awarded since 1895 by a committee. However, it has become more about politics and
less about world peace. Therefore, Beanie McSweeney should have declined his DoGooder Award.
First of all, Beanie McSweeney should realize that the award has lost its value. A few
years ago, the prize was awarded to Buzzby Turban. Wanting land, he drove the
Aaropians from their country in a less than peaceful manner. When he renounced
violence, he won the award. However, he didn’t keep his word. Simply saying "I’ll be a
good boy" shouldn’t have resulted in a win.
Secondly, there were more deserving winners than Beanie McSweeney. For
instance, Dew A. Lott believes that doing good is contagious. She has been labeled a
do-gooder by many already, and she continues to nurse the sick, build schools, and
promote peace. On the other hand, Beanie McSweeney only made time for his political
campaign.
Finally, Beanie McSweeney should’ve declined the Do-Gooder Award because he
openly admitted that he didn’t deserve it. McSweeney said, "I do not feel that I deserve
to be in the company of previous award winners." Yet, he took it and said, "I'll accept
this for the good that I'm planning to do." The award is supposed to be for what
someone has done, not what someone plans to do.
11. Which of the following statements would best support the second paragraph of the author's
argument?
A. I.B. Goode was a famous doctor who made many advances in medical science.
B. Jace Von Snickers built water treatment plants in Egypt, Libya, and Cypress.
C. Beanie McSweeney sent 40,000 more troops to fight the war in Dingleton.
D. Dilly Chucklehead Spears won the award the year he committed tax fraud.
12. In the third paragraph, why does the author mention Beanie McSweeney's campaign?
A. to justify why McSweeney should accept the award in advance
B. to contrast the accomplishments of McSweeney and Dew A. Lott
C. to show that I.B. Goode wanted to reward undeserving candidates
D. to prove that campaign work is harder than humanitarian work