August 2004
Texas Assessment
of Knowledge and Skills
Information Booklet
READING
Grade 9
Revised
Te x a s E d u c a t i o n A g e n c y
•
Student Assessment Division
Copyright © 2004, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express
written permission from Texas Education Agency.
INTRODUCTION
The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) is a completely reconceived testing program.
It assesses more of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) than the Texas Assessment of
Academic Skills (TAAS) did and asks questions in more authentic ways. TAKS has been developed
to better reflect good instructional practice and more accurately measure student learning. We hope
that every teacher will see the connection between what we test on this new state assessment and
what our students should know and be able to do to be academically successful. To provide you with
a better understanding of TAKS and its connection to the TEKS and to classroom teaching, the Texas
Education Agency (TEA) has developed this newly revised edition of the TAKS information booklet.
The information booklets were originally published in January 2002, before the first TAKS field test.
Now, after several years of field tests and live administrations, we are able to provide an even more
comprehensive picture of the testing program. We have clarified some of the existing material and, in
some cases, provided new sample items and/or more explanations of certain item types. However, it
is important to remember that these clarifications do not signify any change in the TAKS testing
program. The objectives and TEKS student expectations assessed on TAKS remain unchanged. We
hope this revised version of the TAKS information booklet will serve as a user-friendly resource to
help you understand that the best preparation for TAKS is a coherent, TEKS-based instructional
program that provides the level of support necessary for all students to reach their academic potential.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The development of the TAKS program included extensive public scrutiny and input from Texas
teachers, administrators, parents, members of the business community, professional education
organizations, faculty and staff at Texas colleges and universities, and national content-area experts.
The agency involved as many stakeholders as possible because we believed that the development of
TAKS was a responsibility that had to be shared if this new assessment was to be an equitable and
accurate measure of learning for all Texas public school students.
The three-year test-development process, which began in summer 1999, included a series of carefully
conceived activities. First, committees of Texas educators identified those TEKS student expectations
for each grade and subject area assessed that should be tested on a statewide assessment. Then a
committee of TEA Student Assessment and Curriculum staff incorporated these selected TEKS
student expectations, along with draft objectives for each subject area, into eleventh grade exit level
surveys. These surveys were sent to Texas educators at the middle school and secondary levels for
their review. Based on input we received from more than 27,000 survey responses, we developed a
second draft of the objectives and TEKS student expectations. In addition, we used this input during
the development of draft objectives and student expectations for grades 3 through 10 to ensure that
the TAKS program, like the TEKS curriculum, would be vertically aligned. This vertical alignment
was a critical step in ensuring that the TAKS tests would become more rigorous as students moved
from grade to grade. For example, the fifth grade tests would be more rigorous than the fourth grade
tests, which would be more rigorous than the third grade tests. Texas educators felt that this increase
in rigor from grade to grade was both appropriate and logical since each subject-area test was closely
aligned to the TEKS curriculum at that grade level.
In fall 2000 TEA distributed the second draft of the objectives and TEKS student expectations for
eleventh grade exit level and the first draft of the objectives and student expectations for grades 3
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through 10 for review at the campus level. These documents were also posted on the Student
Assessment Division’s website to encourage input from the public. Each draft document focused on
two central issues: first, whether the objectives included in the draft were essential to measure on a
statewide assessment; and, second, whether students would have received enough instruction on the
TEKS student expectations included under each objective to be adequately prepared to demonstrate
mastery of that objective in the spring of the school year. We received more than 57,000 campusconsensus survey responses. We used these responses, along with feedback from national experts, to
finalize the TAKS objectives and student expectations. Because the state assessment was necessarily
limited to a “snapshot” of student performance, broad-based input was important to ensure that TAKS
assessed the parts of the TEKS curriculum most critical to students’ academic learning and progress.
In the thorough test-development process that we use for the TAKS program, we rely on educator
input to develop items that are appropriate and valid measures of the objectives and TEKS student
expectations the items are designed to assess. This input includes an annual educator review and
revision of all proposed test items before field-testing and a second annual educator review of data
and items after field-testing. In addition, each year panels of recognized experts in the fields of
English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies meet in Austin to critically
review the content of each of the high school level TAKS assessments to be administered that year.
This critical review is referred to as a content validation review and is one of the final activities in a
series of quality-control steps designed to ensure that each high school test is of the highest quality
possible. A content validation review is considered necessary at the high school grades (9, 10, and 11)
because of the advanced level of content being assessed.
ORGANIZATION OF THE TAKS TESTS
TAKS is divided into test objectives. It is important to remember that the objective statements are not
found in the TEKS curriculum. Rather, the objectives are “umbrella statements” that serve as
headings under which student expectations from the TEKS can be meaningfully grouped. Objectives
are broad statements that “break up” knowledge and skills to be tested into meaningful subsets around
which a test can be organized into reporting units. These reporting units help campuses, districts,
parents, and the general public understand the performance of our students and schools. Test
objectives are not intended to be “translations” or “rewordings” of the TEKS. Instead, the objectives
are designed to be identical across grade levels rather than grade specific. Generally, the objectives
are the same for third grade through eighth grade (an elementary/middle school system) and for ninth
grade through eleventh grade (a high school system). In addition, certain TEKS student expectations
may logically be grouped under more than one test objective; however, it is important for you to
understand that this is not meaningless repetition—sometimes the organization of the objectives
requires such groupings. For example, on the TAKS writing tests for fourth and seventh grades, some
of the same student expectations addressing the conventions of standard English usage are listed
under both Objective 2 and Objective 6. In this case, the expectations listed under Objective 2 are
assessed through the overall strength of a student’s use of language conventions on the written
composition portion of the test; these same expectations under Objective 6 are assessed through
multiple-choice items attached to a series of revising and editing passages.
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ORGANIZATION OF THE INFORMATION BOOKLETS
The purpose of the information booklets is to help Texas educators, students, parents, and other
stakeholders understand more about the TAKS tests. These booklets are not intended to replace the
teaching of the TEKS curriculum, provide the basis for the isolated teaching of skills in the form of
narrow test preparation, or serve as the single information source about every aspect of the TAKS
program. However, we believe that the booklets provide helpful explanations as well as show enough
sample items, reading and writing selections, and prompts to give educators a good sense of the
assessment.
Each grade within a subject area is presented as a separate booklet. However, it is still important that
teachers review the information booklets for the grades both above and below the grade they teach.
For example, eighth grade mathematics teachers who review the seventh grade information booklet as
well as the ninth grade information booklet are able to develop a broader perspective of the
mathematics assessment than if they study only the eighth grade information booklet.
The information booklets for each subject area contain some information unique to that subject. For
example, the mathematics chart that students use on TAKS is included for each grade at which
mathematics is assessed. However, all booklets include the following information, which we consider
critical for every subject-area TAKS test:
an overview of the subject within the context of TAKS
a blueprint of the test—the number of items under each objective and the number of items on the
test as a whole
information that clarifies how to read the TEKS
the reasons each objective and its TEKS student expectations are critical to student learning and
success
the objectives and TEKS student expectations that are included on TAKS
additional information about each objective that helps educators understand how it is assessed on
TAKS
sample items that show some of the ways objectives are assessed
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Introduction to TAKS Reading at Grade 9
The ability to read effectively is essential for all students. As students move from grade to grade,
reading skills are critical for academic progress. Students who cannot read well will struggle to
succeed not only in English language arts but in social studies, science, and mathematics as well.
Good readers have more opportunities available to them throughout their lives—in education,
employment, and personal enrichment—than those who have not learned this fundamental skill. At
the high school level, students use their already established reading skills to explore literary and
expository texts with a greater depth of understanding. Students analyze how literary elements and
techniques contribute to a text’s meaning and how an author crafts a piece of writing to affect the way
the reader reads and understands it. As students learn how to analyze various types of texts and learn
to make connections between what they read and what they already know, their powers of
comprehension and critical thinking expand. It is no accident that good readers become good
thinkers.
Writing, though not assessed at the ninth grade level, is also critical for academic success. Students
who have learned to communicate well on paper have an advantage both in school and in the
workplace. Because good writing requires good thinking, the act of writing actually helps students
learn to clarify their thoughts and focus their ideas. In addition, students who write well are usually
strong readers. Why? In very simple terms, a writer must be able to read what he or she has written
and recognize whether the words mean what the writer wants them to mean. Therefore, every time a
student is writing effectively, that student is also reading carefully and thoughtfully. In this way,
writing and reading reinforce each other.
In order for students to be successful readers and writers, reading and writing activities must occur at
every grade level, not merely at the tested grades. The TEKS were organized to ensure that at each
grade level students acquire the reading and writing skills they will need for success at the next grade.
That is, these skills are addressed in a systematic, “building block” manner from grade to grade.
Because of this careful alignment, students’ abilities are strengthened as they progress through
elementary school, middle school, and high school. For example, ninth grade students who are
exposed to a rich, process-based reading and writing program will be more successful not only in
their high school classes but also on the TAKS ELA tests at grade 10 and exit level, since these tests
are integrated reading and writing assessments.
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Reading Objectives
The ninth grade reading TAKS objectives are listed below.
Objective 1:
The student will demonstrate a basic understanding of culturally diverse written texts.
Objective 2:
The student will demonstrate an understanding of the effects of literary elements and
techniques in culturally diverse written texts.
Objective 3:
The student will demonstrate the ability to analyze and critically evaluate culturally
diverse written texts and visual representations.
Objectives 1, 2, and 3 will be assessed through multiple-choice items based on a set of three pieces,
called a “triplet,” presented for the student to read. (See the section on page 6 titled “What Is a
Triplet?” for details.) In addition, Objectives 2 and 3 will be assessed through three open-ended
(short-answer) items. Each open-ended item is equivalent to three multiple-choice items.
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General Guidelines for TAKS Reading at Grade 9
What Is a Triplet?
The grade 9 reading test is based on a thematically linked set of pieces for the student to read and
analyze. The term triplet is used to describe this set of three pieces. The components of a triplet are as
follows:
a published literary selection
a published expository (informational) selection
a one-page viewing and representing piece
Both the literary and expository (informational) selections will be published works or excerpts from
published works. The selections must not appear in any of the state-adopted high school English
textbooks. At Grade 9 the combined length of a triplet is approximately 2,500–3,000 words, and the
paragraphs of the literary and expository selections are numbered for easy reference. The readability
of the selections will be appropriate for ninth grade students, and the selections overall reflect cultural
diversity. The term culturally diverse simply means “pertaining to a variety of backgrounds and
perspectives.” We are committed to finding selections that represent, as much as possible, the wide
range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of Texas students. At the same time, each
selection must be accessible to all students, regardless of ethnicity or background.
Viewing and representing pieces are one-page pieces with minimal text. These visual representations
focus on media literacy; they may include, but are not limited to, a created advertisement, a created or
published cartoon, a page from a created website, a photograph, or a chart or other graphic piece.
The components of each triplet are thematically linked; that is, there will be a strong connection
across the three pieces in terms of a common theme or idea. In this way, students are not reading
random selections that would require them to “shift gears” between each piece. The triplet concept
not only provides a rich built-in context for the reader as he or she moves from piece to piece but also
forms the basis for a focused and unified test.
Multiple-Choice Items
A multiple-choice item may be based on one of the selections or the viewing and
representing piece; in addition, an item may address both the literary and expository
selections. Items based on the literary and expository selections assess Objectives 1, 2, or 3;
items based on the viewing and representing piece assess Objective 3 only.
Items reflect authentic questioning; that is, they reflect the ways that teachers naturally and
routinely ask questions during instruction.
Item stems include specific paragraph and/or text references when appropriate. A paragraph
and/or text reference is necessary if it would be too time-consuming for students to find the
relevant section of text in order to answer the question.
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Open-Ended Items
Open-ended items (also called short-answer items) require students to write a brief response.
Open-ended items are based on the literary or expository selections only; no open-ended
items address the viewing and representing piece. These items assess Objectives 2 and 3 only
and may be based on either an individual selection or both selections.
For open-ended items that address one selection, students have five lines to respond on the
answer document. However, for items that ask students to make a connection between the
literary and expository selections, students have eight lines to respond.
All open-ended items require students to generate clear, reasonable ideas about various
aspects of a text and to support these ideas with relevant evidence from the text. Text
evidence may take the form of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Although students may use a paragraph citation to indicate where in the text they have taken
their evidence, they may not use a citation by itself (for example, see paragraphs 6–8). The
best text evidence clearly supports the validity of the student’s ideas or analysis.
Students’ responses to open-ended items are scored based on content; writing conventions
are not taken into consideration unless the frequency and/or severity of errors causes clarity
problems.
Possible scores for open-ended responses are 0 (insufficient), 1 (partially sufficient),
2 (sufficient), and 3 (exemplary).
Each open-ended item—the literary item, the expository item, and the “crossover” item—is
based on a separate reading rubric. These three rubrics appear on pages 35–46.
Dictionary/Thesaurus Use
The use of an English language dictionary and thesaurus is permitted throughout the test. While
students are working, they must have access to an English language dictionary and thesaurus or an
English language dictionary/thesaurus combination. The school may provide these, or students may
bring copies from home. Any dictionary may be provided, but current dictionaries have features such
as synonyms, idiomatic expressions (especially helpful to English language learners), geographical
names, biographical names, etc. Districts may want to gradually update their dictionaries as budgets
permit. The minimum schools need is one dictionary/thesaurus for every five students testing, but the
state’s recommendation is one for every three students or, optimally, one for each student.
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Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)
Blueprint for Grade 9 Reading
TAKS Objectives
Number of Items
Objective 1: Basic Understanding
(Reading)
9 multiple-choice items
Objective 2: Literary Elements
and Techniques (Reading)
12 multiple-choice items
1 open-ended item*
Objective 3: Analysis and Critical
Evaluation (Reading)
12 multiple-choice items
2 open-ended items*
Total number of items
33 multiple-choice items
3 open-ended reading items
*One open-ended item assesses the literary selection (Objective 2), one assesses the expository
selection (Objective 3), and one connects the two selections (Objective 3). Each open-ended item is
equivalent to 3 multiple-choice items.
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A Key to Understanding the TEKS Included on TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Example from Objective 1
A
(6)
Reading/word identification/vocabulary development. The student uses a variety of strategies to
read unfamiliar words and to build vocabulary. The student is expected to
B
(B) rely on context to determine meanings of words and phrases such as figurative language,
[idioms,] multiple-meaning words, and technical vocabulary.
C
KEY
A.
Knowledge and Skills Statement
This broad statement describes what students should know and be able to do for ninth grade
reading. The number preceding the statement is the number of the knowledge and skills
statement as it appears in the TEKS for English I.
B.
Student Expectation
This specific statement describes what students should be able to do to demonstrate proficiency
in what is described in the knowledge and skills statement. Students are tested on skills outlined
in the student expectation statement.
C.
[bracketed text]
Although the entire student expectation has been provided for reference, text in brackets
indicates that this portion of the student expectation is not tested on TAKS.
NOTE: The full TEKS curriculum can be found at www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/.
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TEKS STUDENT EXPECTATIONS—IMPORTANT VOCABULARY
For every subject area and grade level, two terms—such as and including—are used to help make the
TEKS student expectations more concrete for teachers. However, these terms function in different
ways. To help you understand the effect each of the terms has on specific student expectations, we are
providing the following:
a short definition of each term
an example from a specific student expectation for this subject area
a short explanation of how this term affects this student expectation
Such as
The term such as is used when the specific examples that follow it function only as representative
illustrations that help define the expectation for teachers. These examples are just that—examples.
Teachers may choose to use them when teaching the student expectation, but there is no requirement
to use them. Other examples can be used in addition to those listed or as replacements for those listed.
The English I TEKS (12) (D) states that the student is expected to analyze texts such as editorials,
[documentaries,] and advertisements for bias and use of common persuasive techniques.
Students learn to analyze persuasive techniques by examining a variety of texts; the terms following
the such as are examples of types of texts that may be used for this kind of analysis. However, this list
is not exhaustive or exclusive. Teachers may use these types of texts or others to teach students how
authors create bias or use persuasive techniques to influence the reader.
Including
The term including is used when the specific examples that follow it must be taught. However, other
examples may also be used in conjunction with those listed.
The English I TEKS (12) (A) states that the student is expected to analyze characteristics of text,
including its structure, word choices, and intended audience.
The terms following including are examples of critical characteristics of text that a student needs to
master. These characteristics must be taught; however, teachers are not limited to teaching only these
characteristics.
Remember
Any example preceded by the term such as in a particular student expectation may or may not
provide the basis for an item assessing that expectation. Because these examples do not
necessarily have to be used to teach the student expectation, it is equally likely that other
examples will be used in assessment items. The rule here is that an example will be used only if
it is central to the knowledge, concept, or skill the item assesses.
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It is more likely that some of the examples preceded by the term including in a particular student
expectation will provide the basis for items assessing that expectation, since these examples must
be taught. However, it is important to remember that the examples that follow the term including
do not represent all the examples possible, so other examples may also provide the basis for an
assessment item. Again, the rule here is that an example will be used only if it is central to the
knowledge, concept, or skill the item assesses.
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TAKS Grade 9 Reading—Objective 1
Before students can form their own ideas about a text, they must be able to understand its basic
meaning. To develop an initial understanding of what they read, students must be able to do four
things: (1) use context and other word-identification strategies to help them understand the meaning
of the words they read, (2) recognize important supporting details, (3) understand what a selection or
a portion of a selection is mostly about—in other words, understand the “gist” of that selection, and
(4) produce an accurate summary of a selection. These skills are the building blocks that students
need in order to develop a deeper understanding of what they read.
Objective 1
The student will demonstrate a basic understanding of culturally diverse written texts.
(6)
(7)
(8)
Reading/word identification/vocabulary development. The student uses a variety of
strategies to read unfamiliar words and to build vocabulary. The student is expected to
(B)
rely on context to determine meanings of words and phrases such as figurative
language, [idioms,] multiple-meaning words, and technical vocabulary;
(C)
apply meanings of prefixes, roots, and suffixes in order to comprehend;
(E)
use reference material such as glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, [and available
technology] to determine precise meanings and usage; and
(F)
identify the relation of word meanings in analogies, homonyms, synonyms/antonyms,
and connotation/denotation.
Reading/comprehension. The student comprehends selections using a variety of strategies.
The student is expected to
(F)
identify main ideas and their supporting details; and
(G)
summarize texts.
Reading/variety of texts. The student reads extensively and intensively for different purposes
in varied sources, including world literature. The student is expected to
(B)
read in such varied sources as diaries, journals, textbooks, maps, newspapers, letters,
speeches, memoranda, [electronic texts, and other media].
Objective 1—For Your Information
For vocabulary items, students are always provided with enough context clues to allow them to
identify the correct meaning of the word as it is used in the reading selection. However, students
should also be able to use a variety of word-identification strategies, such as word structure
(prefixes, roots, and suffixes), analogies (a comparison of two words or phrases that suggests a
similarity between them), or connotation (the emotional impact of a word beyond its dictionary
definition), in conjunction with context to help them understand the words they are reading.
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Items testing multiple-meaning words may require students to identify the correct answer from a
sample dictionary entry. The entry includes the tested word, its part of speech, and multiple
definitions of the word. Students must use the information given and context clues to choose the
correct meaning of the word as it is used in the reading selection.
Some items require students to recognize main idea(s) or gist in expository texts or in a limited
portion of a literary text. These items clearly indicate to students that they are to focus on broad
or central ideas.
Summary items focus on the reading selection as a whole. A summary is a short paragraph that
includes the main idea and the most important details of a text. Summary items can be attached
to either literary or expository selections; however, for literary texts, students must be able to
recognize a plot summary. For items assessing summarization, all answer choices are constructed
authentically as short paragraphs.
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TAKS Grade 9 Reading—Objective 2
To appreciate the literature they read in high school, students must develop an understanding of the
literary elements that are at the heart of all stories. This understanding must go beyond mere
identification to encompass the ways in which the parts of a story, singly and in combination,
contribute to its overall meaning. Students must also understand the ways in which an author uses
literary techniques and language to craft a story. In open-ended items assessing
Objective 2, students must write a short response analyzing how literary elements, literary
techniques, or figurative language function in a story.
Objective 2
The student will demonstrate an understanding of the effects of literary elements and
techniques in culturally diverse written texts.
(10)
Reading/literary response. The student expresses and supports responses to various types of
texts. The student is expected to
(B)
(11)
use elements of text to defend his/her own responses and interpretations.
Reading/literary concepts. The student analyzes literary elements for their contributions to
meaning in literary texts. The student is expected to
(A)
recognize the theme (general observation about life or human nature) within a text;
(B)
analyze the relevance of setting and time frame to text’s meaning;
(C)
analyze characters and identify time and point of view;
(D)
identify basic conflicts;
(E)
analyze the development of plot in narrative text;
(F)
recognize and interpret important symbols;
(G)
recognize and interpret poetic elements like metaphor, simile, personification, and the
effect of sound on meaning; and
(H)
understand literary forms and terms such as author, drama, biography, autobiography,
myth, tall tale, dialogue, tragedy and comedy, [structure in poetry, epic, ballad,]
protagonist, antagonist, paradox, analogy, dialect, and comic relief as appropriate to the
selections being read.
Objective 2—For Your Information
Items dealing with theme require students to recognize that any theme identified must be
justified by evidence from the text.
Items dealing with setting do not simply measure whether a student can identify the time and/or
the place of a selection. Instead, these items require students to analyze how the setting is central
to and enhances the meaning of the text.
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In order to understand literature, students must learn to interpret literary techniques. Students
must first be able to recognize literary techniques so that they then may analyze how the author
uses them to shape a reader’s understanding of characters, events, and theme. Items that assess a
student’s knowledge of literary techniques, such as foreshadowing, flashback, and symbolism,
will be appropriate for ninth graders; that is, students will not be asked questions about literary
techniques that are overly sophisticated or too far beyond their developing understanding of
author’s craft. Literary techniques are assessed only when they are clearly present in the text.
Items dealing with literary language move beyond simple identification of similes, metaphors,
etc. Instead, these items require students to understand how an author uses
non-literal language to create meaning and how that language functions in the text.
Where appropriate, items may address historical or contemporary context and its contribution to
meaning in a text. If the context is important to an understanding of the selection but is not
explicit in the selection or so widely known that all students would be aware of that context, a
short explanatory paragraph establishing the context is provided for the selection.
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TAKS Grade 9 Reading—Objective 3
To read well at the high school level, students must go beyond their initial understanding or
impressions of a selection. Students must be able to develop their own interpretations, make
thoughtful judgments about what they read, examine how a selection relates to their own lives, and
find meaningful connections across parts of a single selection or between two selections. Students
must also be aware of the way an author crafts a selection. An author’s purpose for writing,
organizational decisions, point of view or attitude toward the subject, and unique use of language all
affect the way a reader reads and understands a selection. In open-ended items assessing
Objective 3, students must write a short response analyzing or evaluating some aspect of the
expository selection or some aspect of text common to or based upon both selections. These are the
skills students must learn in order to move beyond the literal meaning of a text, develop the deeper
understanding necessary to think critically about what they read, connect what they know to new
information, and become independent thinkers.
Objective 3
The student will demonstrate the ability to analyze and critically evaluate culturally diverse
written texts and visual representations.
(7)
(8)
Reading/comprehension. The student comprehends selections using a variety of strategies.
The student is expected to
(E)
analyze text structures such as compare and contrast, cause and effect, and
chronological ordering; and
(H)
draw inferences such as conclusions, generalizations, and predictions and support them
from text.
Reading/variety of texts. The student reads extensively and intensively for different purposes
in varied sources, including world literature. The student is expected to
(D)
(10)
Reading/literary response. The student expresses and supports responses to various types of
texts. The student is expected to
(B)
(12)
interpret the possible influences of the historical context on a literary work.
use elements of text to defend his/her own responses and interpretations.
Reading/analysis/evaluation. The student reads critically to evaluate texts. The student is
expected to
(A)
analyze characteristics of text, including its structure, word choices, and intended
audience;
(B)
evaluate the credibility of information sources and determine the writer’s motives;
(C)
analyze text to evaluate the logical argument [and to determine the mode of reasoning
used such as induction and deduction]; and
(D)
analyze texts such as editorials, [documentaries,] and advertisements for bias and use of
common persuasive techniques.
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(19)
(20)
Viewing/representing/interpretation. The student understands and interprets visual
representations. The student is expected to
(B)
analyze relationships, ideas, [and cultures] as represented in various media; and
(C)
distinguish the purposes of various media forms such as informative texts, entertaining
texts, and advertisements.
Viewing/representing/analysis. The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual
representations. The student is expected to
(B)
deconstruct media to get the main idea of the message’s content; and
(C)
evaluate and critique the persuasive techniques of media messages such as glittering
generalities, logical fallacies, and symbols.
Objective 3—For Your Information
Objective 3 items may assess any portion of the triplet. (Note: The viewing and representing
piece is assessed under Objective 3 only.)
To move beyond a basic understanding of two related texts, students must be able to compare,
connect, and contrast ideas, themes, and issues across texts.
Items that address the viewing and representing piece may require students to examine the
purpose of various media forms, evaluate the persuasive techniques of media messages, or
deconstruct media to determine the central idea of a message and how effectively that message
has been conveyed.
Items that assess a student’s ability to recognize that authors organize information in specific
ways focus on the organizational patterns authors choose in order to arrange and link ideas. It is
important for students to know that authors organize ideas in various ways, depending upon how
they want the reader to understand those ideas. Familiarity with common organizational
patterns—for example, sequencing, description, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, and
problem/solution—helps students learn how these patterns can affect the meaning of a text. If
students are able to recognize this connection, they will develop their ability to comprehend,
evaluate, and appreciate a wide variety of texts. For items of this type, students are expected to
identify general patterns rather than use specific terminology.
Items that assess the ability to read and think inferentially require students to move beyond their
basic understanding of a text to demonstrate a deeper, more complete understanding of what
they’ve read. These types of items can take many forms; for example, items may require students
to draw a conclusion, make a reasonable prediction, understand the relationship between two
parts of a text, understand how a text relates to their own lives, or understand the deeper
meanings implied by a text.
Where appropriate, items may require students to interpret the impact of historical context on a
text or visual representation. If the context is important to a student’s understanding but is not
explicit in the text or visual representation, a short explanatory paragraph establishing such a
context is provided for the selection.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
18
Items that require students to support interpretations or conclusions with evidence from the text
include paraphrased ideas or sentences taken verbatim from the text. However, an individual item
never mixes these answer-choice options; that is, paraphrased ideas and verbatim quotes are not
combined in the same item. Answer choices using words, phrases, or sentences taken verbatim
from the text are italicized.
To determine how style, tone, and mood contribute to the effect of a text, students must be able
to recognize how an author uses these elements to make a text unique. Students must understand
that the way an author uses words, phrases, and sentences to make a text distinctive from others
represents his or her style. The author creates a particular tone when his or her attitude toward
the content is reflected in the text, affecting the way the student reads and understands it. For
example, a text that has an objective tone is very different from one that has a sentimental tone.
Mood is somewhat different from tone: mood is the feeling or atmosphere the writer creates
through the details or language he or she uses. Items of this type are developed only when these
elements are clearly present in the text. Items that assess style, tone, and mood will not be too
sophisticated for ninth graders or too far beyond their developing understanding of author’s craft.
To answer questions about how an author’s motives or point of view affects the text, students will
need to examine the author’s attitude toward his or her subject or topic. The author’s motivation
for writing or the point of view he or she brings to the selection not only affects the tone of the
piece but also the way the author shapes and develops his or her ideas. These items are developed
for selections only when the writer’s attitude is obvious and clearly has an effect on the text.
Items assessing author’s purpose require students to analyze how an author presents his or her
ideas. To determine the purpose of a text—whether that purpose is informative, persuasive,
expressive, or entertaining—students must recognize that the way authors organize their writing
depends on which organizational pattern will best convey what they want the reader to
understand.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
19
DIRECTIONS
Read the two selections and the viewing and representing piece. Then answer the questions
that follow.
The Night Before Thanksgiving
by Sarah Orne Jewett
I.
1
There was a sad heart in the low-storied, dark little
house that stood humbly by the roadside under some tall
elms. Small as her house was, old Mrs. Robb found it too
large for herself alone; she only needed the kitchen and a
tiny bedroom that led out of it, and there still remained the
best room and a bedroom, with the low garret overhead.
2
There had been a time, after she was left alone, when
Mrs. Robb could help those who were poorer than herself.
She was strong enough not only to do a woman’s work
inside her house, but almost a man’s work outside in her
piece of garden ground. At last sickness and age had come
hand in hand, those two relentless enemies of the poor, and
together they had wasted her strength and substance. She
had always been looked up to by her neighbors as being
independent, but now she was left, lame-footed and lamehanded, with a debt to carry and her bare land, and the
house ill-provisioned to stand the siege of time.
3
For a while she managed to get on, but at last it began
to be whispered about that there was no use for anyone so
proud; it was easier for the whole town to care for her than
for a few neighbors, and Mrs. Robb had better go to the
poorhouse before winter, and be done with it. At this
terrible suggestion her brave heart seemed to stand still.
The people whom she cared for most happened to be poor,
and she could no longer go into their households to make
herself of use. The very elms overhead seemed to say, “Oh,
no!” as they groaned in the late autumn winds, and there
was something appealing even to the strange passer-by in
the look of the little gray house, with Mrs. Robb’s pale,
worried face at the window.
My notes about what I am
reading
II.
4
Someone has said that anniversaries are days to make
other people happy in, but sometimes when they come they
seem to be full of shadows, and the power of giving joy to
others, that inalienable right which ought to lighten the
saddest heart, the most indifferent sympathy, sometimes
even this seems to be withdrawn.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
20
5
So poor old Mary Ann Robb sat at her window on the
afternoon before Thanksgiving and felt herself poor and
sorrowful indeed. Across the frozen road she looked
eastward over a great stretch of cold meadow land, brown
and wind-swept and crossed by icy ditches. It seemed to her
as if before this, in all the troubles that she had known and
carried, there had always been some hope to hold: as if she
had never looked poverty full in the face and seen its cold
and pitiless look before. She looked anxiously down the
road, with a horrible shrinking and dread at the thought of
being asked, out of pity, to join in some Thanksgiving feast,
but there was nobody coming with gifts in hand. Once she
had been full of love for such days, whether at home or
abroad, but something chilled her very heart now.
6
Her nearest neighbor had been foremost of those who
wished her to go to the town farm, and he had said more
than once that it was the only sensible thing. But John
Mander was waiting impatiently to get her tiny farm into
his own hands; he had advanced some money upon it in her
extremity, and pretended that there was still a debt after
he cleared her wood lot to pay himself back. He would
plough over the graves in the field corner and fell the great
elms, and waited now like a spider for his poor prey. He
often reproached her for being too generous to worthless
people in the past and coming to be a charge to others now.
Oh, if she could only die in her own house and not suffer
the pain of homelessness and dependence!
7
It was just at sunset, and as she looked out hopelessly
across the gray fields, there was a sudden gleam of light far
away on the low hills beyond; the clouds opened in the west
and let the sunshine through. One lovely gleam shot swift
as an arrow and brightened a far cold hillside where it fell,
and at the same moment a sudden gleam of hope
brightened the winter landscape of her heart.
8
“There was Johnny Harris,” said Mary Ann Robb softly.
“He was a soldier’s son, left an orphan and distressed. Old
John Mander scolded, but I couldn’t see the poor boy in
want. I kept him that year after he got hurt, spite o’ what
anybody said, an’ he helped me what little he could. He said
I was the only mother he’d ever had. ‘I’m goin’ out West,
Mother Robb,’ says he. ‘I sha’n’t come back till I get rich,’
an’ then he’d look at me an’ laugh, so pleasant and boyish.
He wa’n’t one that liked to write. I don’t think he was doin’
very well when I heard—there, it’s most four years ago
now. I always thought if he got sick or anything I would
have a good home for him to come to. There’s poor Ezra
Blake, the deaf one, too—he won’t have any place to
welcome him.”
My notes about what I am
reading
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
21
9
The light faded out of doors, and again Mrs. Robb’s
troubles stood before her. Yet it was not so dark as it had
been in her sad heart. She still sat by the window, hoping
now, in spite of herself, instead of fearing; and a curious
feeling of nearness and expectancy made her feel not so
much light-hearted as light-headed.
10
“I feel just as if somethin’ was goin’ to happen,” she said.
“Poor Johnny Harris, perhaps he’s thinkin’ o’ me, if he’s
alive.”
11
It was dark now out of doors, and there were tiny clicks
against the window. It was beginning to snow, and the
great elms creaked in the rising wind overhead.
My notes about what I am
reading
III.
12
A dead limb of one of the old trees had fallen that
autumn, and, poor firewood as it might be, it was Mrs.
Robb’s own, and she had burnt it most thankfully. There
was only a small armful left, but at least she could have the
luxury of a fire. She had a feeling that it was her last night
at home, and with strange recklessness began to fill the
stove as she used to do in better days.
13
“It’ll get me good an’ warm,” she said, still talking to
herself, as lonely people do, “an’ I’ll go to bed early. It’s
comin’ on to storm.”
14
The snow clicked faster and faster against the window,
and she sat alone thinking in the dark.
15
“There’s lots of folks I love,” she said once. “They’d be
sorry I ain’t got nobody to come, an’ no supper the night
afore Thanksgivin’. I’m dreadful glad they don’t know.” And
she drew a little nearer to the fire, and laid her head back
drowsily in the old rocking chair.
16
It seemed only a moment before there was a loud
knocking, and somebody lifted the latch of the door. The
fire shone bright through the front of the stove and made a
little light in the room, but Mary Ann Robb waked up
frightened and bewildered.
17
“Who’s there?” she called, as she found her crutch and
went to the door. She was only conscious of her one great
fear. “They’ve come to take me to the poorhouse!” she said,
and burst into tears.
18
There was a tall man, not John Mander, who seemed to
fill the narrow doorway.
19
“Come, let me in!” he said gayly. “It’s a cold night. You
didn’t expect me, did you, Mother Robb?”
20
“Dear me, what is it?” she faltered, stepping back as he
came in and dropping her crutch. “Be I dreamin’? I was aGrade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
22
dreamin’ about—Oh, there! What was I a-sayin’? ’Tain’t
true! No! I’ve made some kind of mistake!”
21
Yes, and this was the man who kept the poorhouse, and
she would go without complaint; they might have given her
notice, but she must not fret.
22
“Sit down, sir,” she said, turning toward him with
touching patience. “You’ll have to give me a little time. If I’d
been notified I wouldn’t have kept you waiting a minute
this stormy night.”
23
It was not the keeper of the poorhouse. The man by the
door took one step forward and put his arm round her and
kissed her.
24
“What are you talking about?” said John Harris. “You
ain’t goin’ to make me feel like a stranger? I’ve come all the
way from Dakota to spend Thanksgivin’. There’s all sorts o’
things out there in the wagon, an’ a man to help get ’em in.
Why, don’t cry so, Mother Robb. I thought you’d have a
great laugh, if I come and surprised you. Don’t you
remember I always said I would come?”
25
It was John Harris, indeed. The poor soul could say
nothing. She felt now as if her heart was going to break
with joy. He left her in the rocking chair and came and
went in his old boyish way, bringing in the store of gifts and
provisions. It was better than any dream. He laughed and
talked, and went out to send away the man to bring a
wagonful of wood from John Mander’s, and came in himself
laden with pieces of the nearest fence to keep the fire going
in the mean time. They must cook the beefsteak for supper
right away; they must find the pound of tea among all the
other bundles; they must get good fires started in both the
cold bedrooms. Why, Mother Robb didn’t seem to be ready
for company from out West! The great, cheerful fellow
hurried about the tiny house, and the little old woman
limped after him, forgetting everything but hospitality. Had
not she a house for John to come to? Were not her old
chairs and tables in their places still? And he remembered
everything, and kissed her as they stood before the fire, as
if she were a girl.
26
He had found plenty of hard times, but luck had come
at last. He had struck luck, and this was the end of a great
year.
27
“No, I couldn’t seem to write letters; no use to complain
o’ the worst, an’ I wanted to tell you the best when I came,”
and he told it while she cooked the supper. “No, I wa’n’t
goin’ to write no foolish letters,” John repeated. He was
afraid he would cry himself when he found out how bad
things had been; and they sat down to supper together, just
My notes about what I am
reading
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
23
as they used to do when he was a homeless orphan boy,
whom nobody else wanted in winter weather while he was
crippled and could not work. She could not be kinder now
than she was then, but she looked so poor and old! He saw
her taste her cup of tea and set it down again with a
trembling hand and a look at him. “No, I wanted to come
myself,” he blustered, wiping his eyes and trying to laugh.
“And you’re going to have everything you need to make you
comfortable long’s you live, Mother Robb!”
28
My notes about what I am
reading
She looked at him again and nodded, but she did not
even try to speak. There was a good hot supper ready, and a
happy guest had come; it was the night before
Thanksgiving.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
24
The Kindness of Strangers
by Susan Schindehette and J. Todd Foster
Cristina Hunt. A perfect trade—and one of
only a handful of so-called paired
exchanges performed so far in which there
is a double stranger-to-stranger donation.
Two couples had never met—until
each husband donated one of his
kidneys to save the other man’s wife
1
2
At first the encounter was as awkward
as a double blind date. One man blushed a
tomato-red color; a woman shifted in her
chair and rubbed her hands together. But
their discomfort was understandable.
When David and Cristina Hunt faced
Jennifer and Will Stoelting across a
conference table at the Inova Transplant
Center in Fairfax, Va., in June, the stakes
were life and death.
Both women were suffering from
kidney disease and knew that, unless they
could find a transplant in the near future,
they could die. But if the meeting went
well, the four would gather again in a little
more than a month, this time at Inova
Fairfax Hospital. There doctors would
remove one healthy kidney from each of
the two husbands, then implant those
kidneys into their ideally matched
recipients. David Hunt’s would go to
Jennifer Stoelting and Will Stoelting’s to
Despite the initial jitters, that first
meeting was a huge relief to Cristina, 31,
and Jennifer, 27, both of whom had been
on dialysis for years. “I just thought, ‘Yea,
I’m getting a kidney,’” recalls Jennifer,
though, as David put it, “They could have
been Hitler and Eva Braun1 as long as
they had a kidney to give us.” Indeed, just
five weeks later, on July 18, in four
simultaneous surgeries that spanned
nearly eight hours, a 23-person medical
team removed David’s kidney and
implanted it in Jennifer just as Will’s was
being given to Cristina. Even in the best
circumstances “a living, unrelated kidney
doesn’t match perfectly, but luckily for us,
all four procedures went off without a
hitch,” says Dr. Johann Jonsson, 48,
director of kidney-transplant services at
Inova, who operated on David. “These
husbands gave these wives at least 10
additional years to live.”
3
Of the 13,372 kidneys transplanted
last year, more than 8,000 came from
cadavers. Unfortunately for the 52,498
Americans now on waiting lists, cadaver
kidneys remain functional for only about
nine years, while ones from living donors
can last twice that. Of course, if no relative
yields a match, finding a suitable—and
willing—donor presents a formidable
obstacle. Paired exchanges are a new and
promising alternative because they offer
4
■ see Kindness, page 2
1 Adolf Hitler’s girlfriend
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
25
■ Kindness, cont. from page 1
4
cont.
5
6
donors an incentive. In the case of the
Hunts and Stoeltings it was a straight
exchange. But in some cases a parent may
also bump his or her own child to the top
of a waiting list by serving as an
anonymous organ donor. “Until fairly
recently it was kind of unheard of to
donate to a stranger,” says Toni Webb,
spokeswoman for the Washington Regional
Transplant Consortium, one of the few
organizations around the country that
coordinate local paired transplants. “I
think we’re going to see a lot more of these
exchanges.”
For Cristina Hunt, the development
came none too soon. Born in New York
City to a bookkeeper whose husband left
the family when Cristina was a baby, she
met David, now a 31-year-old career
Marine captain, in 1990 while the two
were on separate vacations in Tijuana.
They married three months later. Within a
year the couple’s first son, Christopher,
was born. But in 1995, while pregnant
with Jordan, now 6, Cristina was
diagnosed with a form of nephritis, a
chronic inflammation of the kidneys. In
late 1998 she was put on dialysis, and in
the years since she has spent nine hours
every night hooked up to a machine to
cleanse her blood.
Over time Cristina, a homemaker,
developed several severe infections, and
this year she nearly died twice, once from
septic shock and another time from
massive blood loss. Her doctors said a
transplant seemed her best option. In
January the Hunts were told that husband
David would be an acceptable match. But
in March, the day before the transplant
was due to take place, both were
devastated to learn that recent
transfusions had caused Cristina to
Page 2
develop antibodies to David’s blood, and he
was no longer a possible donor.
Meanwhile in Manassas, Va., not far
from the Hunts’ Stafford, Va., home,
Jennifer and Will Stoelting were
experiencing much the same anguish. As a
girl growing up in Pennsylvania, Jennifer,
whose family has a history of kidney
disease, developed high blood pressure and
a succession of serious bladder infections,
which later caused her kidneys to fail.
While a senior at Manassas Park High
School in 1993, she met Will, now 27, who
works for an insurance company. The two,
who have no children, wed in 1996.
Throughout their marriage Will stood by
Jen during her trips every other day to a
dialysis clinic. Four years ago Jen, a
medical receptionist, put her name on the
national waiting list maintained by the
Richmond, Va.-based United Network for
Organ Sharing (UNOS). “But you never
know if they’re going to call you,” says
Will. “It could be 10 years.”
7
The fateful notice came much sooner.
Both Jennifer and Cristina were
undergoing treatment at Inova, and
nurses Masomeh Dhaliwal and Pat
DiSanto, the hospital’s transplant
coordinators, realized that their respective
blood types might mean a possible match.
In May the Stoeltings received a phone
message from DiSanto, who in measured
tones announced that she might have
found a match from a man whose wife also
needed a transplant. “Jen freaked out,”
recalls Will. “But I knew it wasn’t a sure
thing.” Happily, tissue typing, CT scanning
and further tests revealed that both
8
■ see Kindness, page 3
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
26
■ Kindness, cont. from page 2
husbands were ideal donors, and the two
couples met with doctors at a June
briefing. “The doctors said, ‘Okay, the date
is July 18.’ It was quick,” recalls Will.
Cristina remembers that news as “nerveracking, like a prearranged marriage.”
9
10
Just 12 hours after the surgeries, all
four patients were recovering beautifully.
Jennifer’s mother, Dolores Adams, 50,
visited David Hunt in his hospital room
and thanked him for saving her daughter’s
life. “I gave him a kiss and said, ‘You don’t
know what this means to me,’” she recalls.
“He said, ‘I’m glad to do it, ma’am, but I
didn’t know it would hurt this bad.’”
Despite their painful operations, both
men were out of the hospital in three days
and are now back at work. According to
doctors, their remaining kidneys will
simply grow larger to accommodate the
Page 3
added workload. As for their wives, the
first three months after transplant are
most critical, but both are back at home
and expected to recover fully. Cristina,
now free of her dialysis catheter, can look
forward to swimming with her sons for the
first time when she is fully healed. And
Jennifer? She reports that she is simply
“doing great.”
In the weeks following their surgeries
the couples have remained in touch and
predict that the remarkable bond between
them will last throughout their lives. In
fact, Will’s stepfather, Stuart Martin, 62,
sees this as something more than a
medical marvel. “These husbands gave
their hearts to their wives when they were
married,” says Martin. “And they gave
their kidneys to continue that love.”
People Weekly. All Rights Reserved. Time Inc. Photograph courtesy of © John Francis Ficara.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
27
11
13 weeks on the Top Ten for Teens
book list
CICADA MEDAL
FOR YOUNG
ADULT NONFICTION
RANDOM ACTS
Stories of Everyday Kindness
Le
Sp e
enc
er
RANDOM ACTS
Stories of Everyday Kindness
by Lee Spencer
“Meet the hospital volunteer who knits funny hats for children with
cancer, the ‘roadside helper’ who delivers gas and fixes flat tires, the
ten-year-old soup-kitchen chef, and others in this delightful collection
of heartwarming tales.”
—Rose Magellen, Weekly Book Review
Photograph courtesy of © Lee White/CORBIS.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
28
Use “The Night Before Thanksgiving” (pp. 20–24) to
answer questions 1–8.
1
Which words from paragraphs 9 and 10 help
the reader understand the meaning of the
word expectancy in paragraph 9?
3
Which of these best summarizes the plot of
the story?
A
A
a curious feeling of nearness
B* as if somethin’ was goin’ to happen
C
not so much light-hearted as light-headed
D
perhaps he’s thinkin’ o’ me
B* Mrs. Robb is old and weak and has little
money. She can no longer support herself
but doesn’t want to go to the poorhouse.
Just as she thinks she will have no other
choice, a young man she helped years
earlier comes to her aid.
Objective 1
2
C
Mrs. Robb was once a strong and selfsufficient woman. She reached out to help
others, including John Harris, an orphan.
Over the years, though, she has become
weak and ill, and she is unable to support
herself.
D
Mrs. Robb is sad because she has no one
with whom to spend Thanksgiving. As
night falls, it begins to snow, and a cold
wind blows. The old woman uses the last
of her firewood to heat one small room of
her house.
What is paragraph 3 mostly about?
A
B
People who live in Mrs. Robb’s town
whisper about her letting her house
become run down, but strangers think the
house looks appealing.
Mrs. Robb is strong and brave, and she
refuses to listen to the people in town who
want to send her to the poorhouse for the
rest of her life.
C* Mrs. Robb fears that she will be placed in
the poorhouse, since she is no longer able
to care for herself and there is no one to
take responsibility for her.
D
Mrs. Robb can no longer support herself,
and the townspeople want to put her in
the poorhouse. Her neighbor John Mander
pretends to help, but he is actually taking
advantage of her. He wants to send her off
so he can get her land.
Some people think Mrs. Robb should go to
the poorhouse because she can no longer
take care of herself, and she is relieved by
the thought of getting some help.
Objective 1
4
The author has Mrs. Robb talk to herself in
order to —
Objective 1
A* reveal her thoughts to the reader
B
show how she is slipping mentally
C
illustrate how few friends she has
D
make a point about aging and poverty
Objective 2
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
29
5
One way the author creates tension in the
story is by —
A
7
describing the interior of Mrs. Robb’s
house
A
B* having an unidentified person knock at
the door
C
explaining Mrs. Robb’s relationship with
John Harris
D
providing details about the items in John
Harris’s wagon
Why doesn’t Mrs. Robb want the people she
loves to know about her lonely condition on
the night before Thanksgiving?
She is afraid they will be angry with her.
B* She doesn’t want to worry them.
C
She senses they wouldn’t care much.
D
She prefers to spend the holiday by
herself.
Objective 3
Objective 2
This item requires students to understand how an
author crafts a piece of writing to produce a
particular effect.
8
The author develops the selection primarily
by —
A* recounting Mrs. Robb’s thoughts and
actions on the night before Thanksgiving
6
The way the characters speak helps the
reader understand something about —
A* the time and place in which the story is
set
B
a conflict between the characters
C
the plot of the story
D
a major theme in the story
B
comparing Mrs. Robb’s present situation
with that of her neighbors
C
analyzing the reasons why Mrs. Robb is
alone on the night before Thanksgiving
D
alternating between events in Mrs. Robb’s
life and events in John Harris’s life
Objective 3
Objective 2
This item requires students to understand what
techniques the author uses to establish setting.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
30
Use “The Kindness of Strangers” (pp. 25–27)
to answer questions 9–14.
9
Read the following dictionary entry.
11
hitch \ hich\ n 1. a sudden movement or pull
2. a device that connects two things 3. an
unforeseen difficulty or obstacle 4. any of
various knots used to secure a line
temporarily
Which definition best matches the meaning of
the word hitch as it is used in paragraph 3 of
the article?
A
Definition 1
B
Definition 2
A
Despite their painful operations, both men
were out of the hospital in three days and
are now back at work.
B
Throughout their marriage Will stood by
Jen during her trips every other day to a
dialysis clinic.
C
Both women were suffering from kidney
disease and knew that, unless they could
find a transplant in the near future, they
could die.
D* “These husbands gave their hearts to their
wives when they were married,” says
Martin. “And they gave their kidneys to
continue that love.”
C* Definition 3
D
Which of the following quotations from the
article best expresses a theme of the selection?
Definition 4
Objective 1
Objective 2
10
According to the article, what happens after
someone donates a kidney for transplant?
A
The donor’s other organs take over the
functions of the removed kidney.
B
The donor experiences chronic pain that
must be controlled by medication.
C
The donor must undergo occasional
dialysis.
D* The donor’s remaining kidney grows
larger to do the added work.
Objective 1
In items such as this, students need not search the text
to locate the specific lines quoted in the answer
choices. Instead, students need to recognize which
piece of textual evidence answers the question.
12
In paragraph 1, the authors use a simile to —
A
describe how blind dates can be
embarrassing
B* emphasize the nervousness the four
people felt
C
show how important organ donations are
D
explain why the two couples were meeting
Objective 2
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
31
13
In paragraph 4, the authors present
statistics and other background information
in order to —
A
persuade the reader to become a kidney
donor
B* emphasize that the couples’ experience
was unusual
C
stress that transplants from cadavers are
the most effective
D
point out why some people need kidney
transplants
14
The article suggests that family members of
those needing transplants —
A* can help by offering to become donors
themselves
B
often end up needing kidney transplants
themselves
C
can never be matching donors for
transplants
D
have difficulties when they stay on
dialysis too long
Objective 3
Objective 3
This item requires students to understand why an
author includes certain pieces of information.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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Use “The Night Before Thanksgiving” and “The Kindness of
Strangers” to answer questions 15 and 16.
Crossover Items
15
In both selections, the theme is best expressed
through the —
16
In both selections, the women —
A
A* actions of people
B
characters’ thoughts
C
dialogue
D
setting
lack family support
B* have problems they can’t solve alone
C
depend on their husbands for help
D
need strangers to help them out
Objective 3
Objective 2
Use the visual representation on page 28 to answer
questions 17 and 18.
17
The purpose of the photograph on the book
jacket is most likely to —
18
Which of these elements of the book
jacket supports the author’s credibility?
A
show a way that people can be kind to
others
A
Random Acts: Stories of Everyday
Kindness
B
convince readers to help little children
B
“. . . this delightful collection of
heartwarming tales.”
C
Rose Magellen, Weekly Book Review
C* appeal to the readers’ emotions
D
compare the sizes of adult and infant
hands
Objective 3
In viewing and representing items, students are asked
to deconstruct media to determine the message being
conveyed.
D* Cicada Medal for Young Adult
Nonfiction
Objective 3
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
33
OPEN-ENDED ITEMS
19
In “The Night Before Thanksgiving,” what is one conflict faced by Mrs. Robb? Support your answer
with evidence from the selection.
Objective 2
20
Do you think the husbands in “The Kindness of Strangers” are brave? Explain your answer and
support it with evidence from the selection.
Objective 3
Open-ended items such as this have no one correct answer. Students must, however, explain the answer they
choose and support it with relevant, strongly connected textual evidence.
21
How is the idea that good deeds are rewarded important in both “The Night Before Thanksgiving”
and “The Kindness of Strangers”? Support your answer with evidence from both selections.
Objective 3
This item is an example of an open-ended crossover item. In responding to open-ended items that range across
two selections, students must offer an idea or analysis based on both selections and provide relevant, strongly
connected textual evidence from both selections.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—LITERARY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 2
SCORE POINT 0 — INSUFFICIENT
In insufficient responses, the student
❒
may offer an incorrect theme, character trait, conflict, or change
❒
may offer a theme, character, conflict, or change that is too general or vague
to determine whether it is reasonable
❒
may incorrectly analyze a literary technique or figurative expression
❒
may offer an analysis that is too general or vague to determine whether it is reasonable
❒
may present only a plot summary
❒
may not address the question in any way or may answer a different question
than the one asked
❒
may offer only incomplete or irrelevant textual evidence
In addition, insufficient responses may lack clarity.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—LITERARY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 2
SCORE POINT 1 — PARTIALLY SUFFICIENT
In partially sufficient responses, the student
❒
may offer a reasonable theme, character trait, conflict, or change but provide only
general, incomplete, or partially accurate/relevant textual evidence or provide no textual
evidence at all
❒
may offer a reasonable analysis of a literary technique or figurative expression but provide
only general, incomplete, or partially accurate/relevant textual evidence or provide no
textual evidence at all
❒
may offer a reasonable idea or analysis and may provide textual evidence, but this
evidence is only weakly connected to the idea or analysis
❒
may offer accurate/relevant textual evidence without providing an idea or analysis
In addition, partially sufficient responses may be somewhat unclear or vague.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—LITERARY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 2
SCORE POINT 2 — SUFFICIENT
In sufficient responses, the student
❒
must offer a reasonable theme, character trait, conflict, or change and support it with
accurate/relevant textual evidence
❒
must offer a reasonable analysis of a literary technique or figurative expression and
support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
In addition, sufficient responses must be clear and specific.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—LITERARY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 2
SCORE POINT 3 — EXEMPLARY
In exemplary responses, the student
❒
must offer a particularly thoughtful or insightful theme, character trait, conflict, or change
and strongly support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
❒
must offer a particularly thoughtful or insightful analysis of a literary technique or
figurative expression and strongly support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
In addition, exemplary responses must demonstrate the student’s depth of understanding and ability
to effectively connect textual evidence to the idea or analysis.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—EXPOSITORY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 0 — INSUFFICIENT
In insufficient responses, the student
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is not based on
the text
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that does not address
the question
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is not reasonable
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is too general or
vague to determine whether it is reasonable
❒
may incorrectly analyze or evaluate a characteristic of the text
❒
may not address the question in any way or may answer a different question than the one
asked
❒
may offer only incomplete or irrelevant textual evidence
In addition, insufficient responses may lack clarity.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—EXPOSITORY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 1 — PARTIALLY SUFFICIENT
In partially sufficient responses, the student
❒
may draw a reasonable conclusion, offer a reasonable interpretation, or make a reasonable
prediction that is supported only by general, incomplete, or partially accurate/relevant
textual evidence or provide no textual evidence at all
❒
may offer a reasonable analysis or evaluation of a characteristic of the text that is
supported only by general, incomplete, or partially accurate/relevant textual evidence or
provide no textual evidence at all
❒
may offer a reasonable idea, analysis, or evaluation and may provide textual evidence, but
this evidence is only weakly connected to the idea, analysis, or evaluation
❒
may offer accurate/relevant textual evidence without drawing a conclusion, offering an
interpretation, making a prediction, or providing an analysis or evaluation
In addition, partially sufficient responses may be somewhat unclear or vague.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—EXPOSITORY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 2 — SUFFICIENT
In sufficient responses, the student
❒
must draw a reasonable conclusion, offer a reasonable interpretation, or make a reasonable
prediction and must support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
❒
must offer a reasonable analysis or evaluation of a characteristic of the selection and must
support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
In addition, sufficient responses must be clear and specific.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC—EXPOSITORY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 3 — EXEMPLARY
In exemplary responses, the student
❒
must offer a particularly thoughtful or insightful conclusion, interpretation, or prediction
and strongly support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
❒
must offer a particularly thoughtful or insightful analysis or evaluation of a characteristic
of the text and strongly support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
In addition, exemplary responses show strong evidence of the student’s depth of understanding and
ability to effectively connect textual evidence to the idea, analysis, or evaluation.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC
LITERARY/EXPOSITORY CROSSOVER
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 0 — INSUFFICIENT
In insufficient responses, the student
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is not based on
the selections
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that does not address
the question
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is not reasonable
❒
may draw a conclusion, offer an interpretation, or make a prediction that is too general or
vague to determine whether it is reasonable
❒
may incorrectly analyze or evaluate a characteristic of text based on both selections
❒
may not address the question in any way or may answer a different question than the one
asked
❒
may offer only incomplete or irrelevant textual evidence from one or both selections
In addition, insufficient responses may lack clarity.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC
LITERARY/EXPOSITORY CROSSOVER
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 1 — PARTIALLY SUFFICIENT
In partially sufficient responses, the student
❒
may draw a reasonable conclusion, offer a reasonable interpretation, or make a reasonable
prediction based on both selections but supported only by general, incomplete, or partially
accurate/relevant textual evidence from one or both selections
❒
may draw a reasonable conclusion, offer a reasonable interpretation, or make a reasonable
prediction based on both selections but may offer textual support from only one selection
or may offer no textual support at all
❒
may offer a reasonable analysis or evaluation of a characteristic of text based on both
selections that is supported only by general, incomplete, or partially accurate/relevant
textual evidence from one or both selections
❒
may offer a reasonable analysis or evaluation of a characteristic of text based on both
selections but may offer textual support from only one selection or may offer no textual
support at all
❒
may offer a reasonable idea, analysis, or evaluation based on both selections and may
provide textual evidence from both selections, but this evidence is only weakly connected
to the idea, analysis, or evaluation
❒
may offer accurate/relevant textual evidence from both selections but may draw a
conclusion, offer an interpretation, make a prediction, or provide an analysis or evaluation
based on only one selection
❒
may offer accurate/relevant textual evidence from both selections without drawing a
conclusion, offering an interpretation, making a prediction, or providing an analysis or
evaluation
In addition, partially sufficient responses may be somewhat unclear or vague or may indicate that the
student has difficulty making connections across selections.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC
LITERARY/EXPOSITORY CROSSOVER
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 2 — SUFFICIENT
In sufficient responses, the student
❒
must draw a reasonable conclusion, offer a reasonable interpretation, or make a reasonable
prediction based on both selections and must support it with accurate/relevant textual
evidence from both selections
❒
must offer a reasonable analysis or evaluation of a characteristic of text based on both
selections and must support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence from both selections
In addition, sufficient responses indicate that the student is able to make clear and specific
connections across selections.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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READING RUBRIC
LITERARY/EXPOSITORY CROSSOVER
OBJECTIVE 3
SCORE POINT 3 — EXEMPLARY
In exemplary responses, the student
❒
must offer a particularly thoughtful or insightful conclusion, interpretation, or prediction
based on both selections and strongly support it with accurate/relevant textual evidence
from both selections
❒
must offer a particularly thoughtful or insightful analysis or evaluation of a characteristic
of text based on both selections and strongly support it with accurate/relevant textual
evidence from both selections
In addition, exemplary responses indicate that the student is able to make meaningful connections
across selections. These responses show strong evidence of the student’s depth of understanding and
ability to effectively connect textual evidence to the idea, analysis, or evaluation.
Evidence may consist of a direct quotation, a paraphrase, or a specific synopsis.
Grade 9 Reading TAKS Information Booklet
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