Meeting the Challenge:
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading
A Sampler of Items for Ohio’s Teachers
Copyright © 2002, Ohio Department of Education
Table of Contents
Introduction
3
Sample Items with Annotations
5
Acquisition of Vocabulary Standard
6
Concepts of Print Standard
9
Literary Text Standard
11
Information, Technical, and Persuasive Text Standard
14
Tips for Teachers
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
19
2
Introduction
This document is designed as a tool for teachers and students. It contains information about the Ohio
Graduation Test (OGT) for reading. Sample test questions and answers illustrate the various item types
that will be included in the assessment and are representative of the items on the actual test. Tips for
teachers and strategies for preparing for the OGT are also provided.
Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) for Reading
Purpose of assessment. The Ohio Graduation Tests are designed to ensure that all students who
receive high school diplomas in Ohio demonstrate proficiency on a standards-based cumulative high
school test in addition to completing curricular requirements. The tests measure knowledge and skills
as articulated in Ohio’s academic content standards for the end of tenth grade in five content areas:
reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, and science. Each test is aligned with the academic
content standards and model curriculum for the corresponding content area.
The Ohio Graduation Test for reading is aligned with Ohio’s Academic Content Standards for
K–12 English Language Arts and specifically with the benchmarks for grades 8–10. The benchmarks
and test items represent a level of expectation appropriate for a student at the end of tenth grade. The
reading test assesses students’ knowledge and understanding of reading skills and strategies. Students
are expected to apply these skills and strategies as they read and construct meaning for a wide variety
of texts. The assessment focuses on the students’ ability to respond to questions that focus on higherorder thinking skills. Students will be asked to interpret, evaluate, analyze, and critique.
These are skills that are applicable in real-world settings. By using skills such as these, students learn
to articulate their thoughts with knowledge and clarity.
Test Specifications for Ohio Graduation Test for Reading
Alignment with Ohio’s Academic Content Standards
Relationship to academic content standards. Students are assessed on four reading standards
within the K–12 English Language Arts Academic Content Standards. These four standards are:
Acquisition of Vocabulary; Concepts of Print, Comprehension Strategies and Self-Monitoring
Strategies; Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text; and Literary Text. The four content-related
standards will serve as the primary reporting categories.
Reading Passages
Descriptions of Reading Passages. For all test items on the reading exam, students are asked to
read and respond to selections from previously published fiction or nonfiction texts. Items emphasize
the important understandings students are expected to gain from reading, and students base their
response on the reading passages.
As determined by committees of Ohio educators, the reading level of the selections and the
sophistication level of the content of the selections are appropriate for students at the end of the tenth
grade. Passages have topical and structural integrity, and they vary in length. In general, each form of
the reading test contains one passage of significant length (900–1,200 words), two passages of
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
3
medium length (500–900 words), and two short passages (under 500 words). About 35 percent of the
points on the reading test are based on fiction and about 65 percent are based on nonfiction passages.
Each form of the reading exam will contain a combination of item types: multiple-choice, short-answer
and extended-response. There will be a total of 31 multiple-choice items per form, six short-answer
items per form and two extended-response items per form. Total points for multiple-choice items will be
31, 12 for short-answer items and eight for extended-response items. The test will include 39 items with
a total value of 51 points.
Item Formats
Descriptions of Item Formats. All item types address benchmarks that require students to utilize
higher-order thinking skills and reading strategies. Short-answer and extended-response items are
assessed with performance-based tasks. These items will require skills such as: evaluating, analyzing,
explaining, synthesizing, and predicting. Items emphasize thinking skills and may allow for multiple
correct answers and strategies. Short-answer items are less complex than extended-response items
and take up to five minutes to complete. Extended-response items offer students the opportunity to
demonstrate understanding in greater depth and take up to 15 minutes to complete. Both types of
questions require students to use higher-level thinking skills. In answering short-answer and extendedresponse items, students should take special care to utilize the skill being asked in each item. For
example, in the item: Give two examples of figurative language, either imagery or figures of speech,
and explain how each affects the poem, students are asked to identify as well as explain two examples
of figurative speech from the poem “The Old Homestead.” It should be stressed to students that the
explanation portion of their answer is very important and that without it they will not receive full credit.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
4
Sample Items with Annotations
The sample items illustrate how some of the grade 8–10 benchmarks for each of the four content
standards will be assessed on the Ohio Graduation Test. Those include a multiple-choice item and a
constructed-response item for each of the four standards.
The correct answer is included within the information provided for each sample answer. Information
about the benchmark assessed by the item is also provided. Items are organized by standard.
The items that appear on the Ohio Graduation Test for Reading Sampler are revised Ohio High School
Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE) Practice Test Items. These revised items reflect the content and
rigor of the benchmarks of the four content standards. The items are representative of items that may
appear on an operational form of the Ohio Graduation Test. However, the full range of content and
expectation of the 8–10 benchmarks and assessment items evaluating those benchmarks is not
reflected in this document.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
5
Acquisition of Vocabulary Standard
Flood is Called Right Tonic for Grand Canyon
1
WASHINGTON (AP)—An effort to help restore the Grand Canyon to a more natural state by
inundating it with water released from an upstream dam “worked brilliantly,” Interior Secretary Bruce
Babbitt said on Thursday.
2
“The flood is over; the waters have receded,” Mr. Babbitt said. “What we have found is really quite
extraordinary.” He spoke at a briefing two weeks after water was released at the base of the Glen
Canyon Dam, sending a torrent from Lake Powell into the canyon.
3
The dam, on the Colorado River, has meant that years have gone by without annual spring floods.
The lack of flooding has depleted the sandy beaches in the canyon and damaged the spawning
grounds for fish, researchers say. The goal of the deliberate flood was to stir up sediment and help
restore natural conditions.
4
Mr. Babbitt said that the canyon appeared to have up to a third more beaches and that the flooding
had created many channels that could serve as habitats for endangered fish like the humpback
chub.
5
“It was exactly what we needed to do,” said David Wegner, program manager for the Bureau of
Reclamation. “We have more beaches now than we had three weeks ago. The challenge for us
now is to see how long they will last.”
6
In addition to creating beaches, stirring up the sediment provides nutrients for plants and helps
improve conditions for fish, he said.
7
The discharge peaked at 45,000 cubic feet of water per second. It continued for seven days,
lowering the level of Lake Powell by three and a half feet, Mr. Babbitt said.
8
Mr. Babbitt said that 80 percent of the new beach sediment had been deposited in the first 40 hours
of flooding and that all the new deposits had been in place within 100 hours.
“Flood is Called Right Tonic for Grand Canyon” from The New York Times, National Edition, Apr. 14, 1996. Copyright © 1996 by Associated
Press. Used by permission of the Associated Press.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Acquisition of Vocabulary
Benchmark A – Use context clues and text structures to determine the meaning of new vocabulary
words.
Passage – “Flood is Called Right Tonic for Grand Canyon”
39.
What does the word inundating mean in this sentence from paragraph 1?
An effort to help restore the Grand Canyon to a more natural state by inundating it with
water released from an upstream dam “worked brilliantly,”…
A.
flooding
B.
receding
C.
launching
D.
lapping
Explanation:
The student must read the entire passage carefully. The four options listed all have different meanings.
The student must choose a word that means “an overflowing of water onto land that is dry.” Only option
A would answer this item correctly. Context clues in the passage to help students in selecting this
option would be “inundating it with water released” from paragraph 1 and from paragraph 3, “the goal
of the deliberate flood …”
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Lost in the Maze
by Cassandra Walker Simmons
1
My first day of high school was almost a disaster. I remember walking into the building. Everything
was so huge. It looked like a forest of lockers and students.
2
My brother was supposed to be my tour guide. My parents had told him during breakfast that he
was to walk me to my locker and all of my classes. He had nodded his head.
3
I was concerned about leaving junior high. I had started to find myself there, and I felt confident
walking to classes and talking to teachers. I was on the pom-pom squad and I knew just about
every kid in the school. Yep, junior high was my home. Then it ended.
4
I felt like I was lost in a huge maze. There would be no more speaking to everyone in the hallway as
we passed each other going to classes. I didn’t know that many kids at my new school. How was I
going to manage? Besides all of that, my junior high had about 500 kids in it. This school had three
times that many.
5
At least I would have my brother to escort me around. After all, he was a junior and he knew
everyone. I was in good hands. As we passed through the front door, I turned to tell him how
thankful I was that he was there to help me. “See ya, Slim,” he said. “I’m going to find my friends. I
can’t be caught in the halls with a freshman. Especially one that is my sister.”
6
“But what about finding my locker?” I screamed. To that he yelled as he was running down the hall,
“Look for the number on your locker slip. Oh, and have a nice day.”
7
Just what I needed. As I was being bumped around in the overly crowded hallways, I tried to find
locker 1320. Finally, after about twenty minutes, I found it, but my combination wouldn’t unlock the
lock. “This must be broken,” I said. Then a voice answered, “It’s not, but you will be if you don’t get
away from my locker.” I looked up to see a very tall, very mean-looking girl staring down at me. I
could tell by her expression that she wasn’t part of the freshman welcoming committee.
8
“This is my locker,” I managed to squeak out. “No, it isn’t,” she said. “Let me see your locker slip.”
She took my paper, glanced at the numbers, and started to laugh. “Your locker is in the orange hall.
That’s what this small ‘O’ means. You are now in the yellow hall.”
9
I graciously took my paper and started for the orange hall. “They really should go over all of this in
orientation,” I thought to myself. Finally I found my locker, and after that all of my classes, and I
actually made it through the day. After a few weeks I started to meet new friends who were as
scared as I was. We hit it off great.
10 By the time I graduated four years later, I was involved in cheerleading and track, the student
council, nurses’ aides, and a long list of other activities. It was just a matter of adjusting and growing
up—something we have to do all of our lives.
11 What about my brother? He came to see me at the end of the day. “How did it go?” he asked. I
rolled my eyes and said, “Just fine.” He gave a smile and said, “I knew you could do it if I left you
alone.” In the back of my mind, I knew he was saying that so I wouldn’t go home and tell our
parents what he had done. Still, I did get through the day, and I have been managing to figure out
things on my own for the most part ever since.
“Lost in the Maze” reprinted from Becoming Myself: True Stories about Learning from Life, by Cassandra Walker Simmons copyright © 1994.
Used with permission from Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, MN; 1-800-735-7323; www.freespirit.com; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
8
Sample constructed response item: Short-answer item
Standard – Acquisition of Vocabulary
Benchmark C – Recognize the importance and function of figurative language.
Passage – “Lost in the Maze”
30.
Use an example from the excerpt to describe the effect the author creates by using figurative
language.
Explanation:
A possible student response could be, “By using the sentence, ‘It looked like a forest of lockers and
students’ to describe the high school building, the author is creating the effect of feeling overwhelmed
with the number of students and the size of the new building. This helps the reader to better understand
the confusion the author is experiencing.”
Concepts of Print Standard
Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Concepts of Print
Benchmark B – Demonstrate comprehension of print and electronic text by responding to questions
(e.g., literal, inferential, evaluative, and synthesizing).
Passage – “Lost in the Maze”
34.
What effect do the brother’s actions have on the writer?
A.
His refusal to help her forces the writer to cope on her own.
B.
His congratulations at the end of the day make the writer feel better.
C.
His success in high school gives the writer an example she can follow.
D.
His unkind attitude teaches the writer to be kind to other people.
Explanation:
This item is a literal question. The answer to this type of question can be found in the reading passage.
The student may need to reread the passage for the correct answer. The correct answer is A. This
answer can be supported from the passage in the sentence, “Finally I found my locker, and after that all
of my classes, and I actually made it through the day.” Responses C & D are incorrect because the
passage does not contain information about the brother’s success or attitude. Response B is also
incorrect because the writer rolls her eyes and replies, “Just fine,” when her brother asks her about her
day. As always, students should be encouraged to read the passage carefully.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Concepts of Print
Benchmark B – Demonstrate comprehension of print and electronic text by responding to questions
(e.g., literal, inferential, evaluative, and synthesizing).
Passage – “Lost in the Maze”
36.
Which word best describes how the writer feels at the end of her first day of high school?
A.
outraged
B.
inquisitive
C.
anxious
D.
relieved
Sample constructed response item: Short-answer item
Standard – Concepts of Print
Benchmark A – Apply reading comprehension strategies to understand grade-appropriate text.
Passage – “Lost in the Maze”
37.
What did the writer most likely tell her parents about her day when she and her brother arrived
home? Use a detail from the story to support your prediction.
Explanation:
This item requires students to utilize the skill of prediction. Students should be encouraged to reread
the text to check their predictions. They should also ask themselves some key questions about their
predictions. An example of a question to ask would be, “Is my prediction consistent with the actions of
the character throughout the story?” The student’s prediction must be supported with a detail from the
text in order for the student to receive full credit. A sample response for this answer would be similar to
the following: “The writer would most likely tell her parents that even though her day was filled with
problems, she managed to make it through the day.” A detail from the passage to support this would be
“Finally I found my locker, and after that all of my classes, and I actually made it through the day.”
Sample constructed response item: Short-answer item:
Standard – Concepts of Print
Benchmark A – Apply reading comprehension strategies to understand grade-appropriate text.
Passage – “Flood is Called Right Tonic for Grand Canyon”
44.
Using two reasons from the text, why did experts flood the Grand Canyon?
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Literary Text Standard
The Old Homestead
Paul Laurence Dunbar
1
’Tis an old deserted homestead
On the outskirts of the town,
Where the roof is all moss-covered,
And the walls are tumbling down;
But around that little cottage
Do my brightest mem’ries cling,
For ’twas there I spent the moments
Of my youth, life’s happy spring.
2
I remember how I used to
Swing upon the old front gate,
While the robin in the tree tops
Sung a night song to his mate;
And how later in the evening,
As the beaux1 were wont to do,
Mr. Perkins, in the parlor,
Sat and sparked2 my sister Sue.
3
There my mother heaven bless her!
Kissed or spanked as was our need,
And by smile or stroke implanted
In our hearts fair virtue’s seed;
While my father, man of wisdom,
Lawyer keen, and farmer stout,
Argued long with neighbor Dobbins
How the corn crops would turn out.
4
Then the quiltings and the dances
How my feet were wont to fly,
While the moon peeped through the barn chinks
From her stately place on high.
Oh, those days, so sweet, so happy,
Ever backward o’er me roll;
Still the music of that farm life
Rings an echo in my soul.
5
Now the old place is deserted,
And the walls are falling down;
All who made the home life cheerful,
Now have died or moved to town.
But about that dear old cottage
Shall my mem’ries ever cling,
For ’twas there I spent the moments
Of my youth, life’s happy spring.
“The Old Homestead” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1893.
1
2
beaux: boyfriends, callers, or friends
sparked: to court or woo
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Literary Text
Benchmark F – Identify and analyze how an author uses figurative language, sound devices and
literary techniques to shape plot, set meaning and develop tone.
Passage – “The Old Homestead”
13.
The main reason Dunbar uses flashback in “The Old Homestead” is so that the reader will
A.
know that the poem is set in the past.
B.
recognize the event as more believable.
C.
realize that the narrator no longer lives in the cottage.
D.
contrast the speaker’s memories with the cottage’s present conditions.
Explanation:
This item requires the student to know how an author uses a literary technique to shape plot. The
correct response is D. The technique of flashback is used to stop the chronological action in a story and
shift to an earlier period to introduce additional information. This is what Paul Laurence Dunbar does
when he shifts between the memories of the cottage and the present conditions. Response A is
incorrect because the entire poem is not set in the past. The action in the poem shifts between the past
and the present. Response B is incorrect because the shifting between past and present does not
make the poem any less believable; in fact, it has the opposite effect. Response C is incorrect because
it is the flashback that lets the reader know that the narrator did live in the cottage.
Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Literary Text
Benchmark F – Identify and analyze how an author uses figurative language, sound devices and
literary techniques to shape plot, set meaning and develop tone.
Passage – “The Old Homestead”
18.
What reaction is the poet most likely creating by personifying the moon in stanza 4?
A.
fear
B.
helplessness
C.
insignificance
D.
playfulness
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Sample constructed response item: Extended-response item
Standard – Literary Text
Benchmark F – Identify and analyze how an author uses figurative language, sound devices and
literary techniques to shape plot, set meaning and develop tone.
Passage – “The Old Homestead”
14.
Give two examples of figurative language, either imagery or figures of speech, and explain how
each affects the poem.
Explanation:
This item requires that students know what the literary terms imagery and figure of speech mean.
Students should know that the term imagery means “words and phrases that create vivid sensory
experiences for a reader” and the term figure of speech means “a word or phrase that expresses
meaning in a colorful way.” An example of a figure of speech would be personification. Students should
read the poem “The Old Homestead” by Paul Laurence Dunbar very carefully, paying special attention
to the colorful, vivid language.
An example of imagery would be:
But around that little cottage
Do my brightest mem’ries cling,
For ’twas there I spent the moments
Of my youth, life’s happy spring.
An example of a figure of speech (personification) would be:
While the moon peeped through the barn chinks
From her stately place on high.
An explanation for the example of imagery might read “By describing his youth as ‘life’s happy spring,’
the poet wants to emphasize that his youth was one of the happiest times of his life.” An explanation for
the example of figure of speech might read, “By giving the moon a human characteristic, the poet is
adding colorful language, making the poem more enjoyable for the reader.”
Sample constructed response item: Short-answer item
Standard – Literary Text
Benchmark A – Analyze interactions between characters in literary text and how the interactions affect
the plot.
Passage – “The Old Homestead”
17.
In stanza 3, what lesson does the speaker learn and what methods does the mother use to teach
these lessons?
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
13
Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text Standard
Advertising
1
Advertising is a message designed to promote a product, a service, or an idea. In everyday life,
people come into contact with many kinds of advertising. Printed advertisements make up a large
part of newspapers and magazines. Poster ads appear in many buses, subways, and trains. Neon
signs along downtown streets flash advertisements. Billboards dot the roadsides. Commercials
interrupt TV and radio programs. The purpose of most advertising is to sell products or services.
Manufacturers advertise to try to persuade people to buy their products. Large business firms also
use advertising to create a favorable “image” of their company. Local businesses use it to gain new
customers and increase sales. Advertising thus plays a key role in the competition among
businesses for the consumer’s dollar. In many businesses, the volume of sales depends largely on
the amount of advertising done. Advertising is also used by individuals, political parties and
candidates, social organizations, special interest groups, and the government. Many people
advertise in newspapers to sell used cars, homes, or other property. Political parties and candidates
use advertising to try to win votes. Social organizations and special interest groups often advertise
to promote a cause or influence the way people think or act. For example, the Partnership for a
Drug-Free America sponsors ads designed to discourage people from using illegal drugs. The
United States government uses advertising chiefly to recruit volunteers for the armed forces.
Advertising is a multibillion dollar industry in the United States. More than $100 billion is spent on
advertising each year.
Advertising techniques
2
Advertising is designed to inform, influence, or persuade people. To be effective, an advertisement
must first attract attention and gain a person’s interest. It may then provide reasons for buying a
product and for believing the advertiser’s claims.
3
Advertisers use a variety of techniques to create effective advertisements. They start with a basic
appeal, which is the main selling point, or theme, of an advertisement. They then use certain
specific techniques. The most commonly used techniques include (1) attention-getting headlines,
(2) slogans, (3) testimonials, (4) product characters, (5) comparison of products, and (6) repetition.
4
Basic appeals. Advertisers rely on many kinds of appeals to persuade people to buy. In general,
appeals can be classified as informational or transformational. Advertisements that use an
informational approach describe the demonstrable characteristics of a product. Such ads tell what
the product is, how it works, or how it is made. Advertisements that use a transformational appeal
stress the ways in which a product will provide personal satisfaction. Such an ad might suggest that
the product will satisfy the consumer’s need for love, security, or prestige.
5
To persuade the largest possible number of people, many advertisements combine different types
of appeals. Appeals may also be aimed at a large general audience or targeted at a limited group of
people, such as business executives or young married couples.
Attention-getting headlines are an important feature of printed advertisements. A successful
headline leads a person into reading the rest of the ad. Some headlines attract attention by
promising the reader a personal benefit, such as a savings in money or an improvement in physical
appearance. Other headlines are cleverly worded to arouse a person’s curiosity. Still other
headlines carry news, such as an announcement of a new product. Headlines also attract attention
by directly addressing a specific group. For example, a headline might read: “For the Young Single
Woman.” The opening lines in a radio or TV commercial serve the same purpose as headlines in
printed ads.
6
7
Slogans are short phrases that are used over and over. Good slogans are easy to remember. The
majority of slogans are designed to help create a favorable image of a company and its products.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Most such slogans do not relate to particular features of a product. Companies also use slogans in
advertising inexpensive products, such as chewing gum or soft drinks.
8
Testimonials are advertisements in which a celebrity endorses a product. The person may be
someone who looks like an average user of the product. Advertisers also pay movie and TV stars,
popular athletes, and other celebrities to endorse products. A celebrity helps attract attention to an
advertisement. Under United States government regulations, endorsers must use the advertised
product if they claim they do so.
9
Product characters are fictional people and cartoon animals or characters that are used in
advertisements over a long period. Many advertisers use product characters to deliver sales
messages for a whole line of products. The characters become highly familiar to people and so
provide lasting identification with a company’s products. Product characters are often used in
advertising aimed at children because such characters delight many young people.
10 Comparison of products is used most frequently to sell products that compete heavily with other
brands. Advertisers compare their product with similar brands and point out the advantages of using
their brand. A competitor’s product may be named, or it may be referred to as “Brand X” or “the
leading brand.”
11 Repetition is one of the most basic techniques advertisers use to get their message across.
Advertisers may broadcast their commercials several times a day for weeks on TV or radio or they
may publish their ads frequently in printed media. Repetition can help build or reinforce a
company’s reputation. Advertisers also believe that the more often people see or hear an
advertisement, the more likely they are to accept the message and want the product.
“Advertising” excerpts from The World Book Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2000 World Book, Inc. By permission of the publisher.
www.worldbook.com.
Sample Advertisement: II
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
15
Sample Advertisement: III
The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing
by Evan Marshall
A 16-Step Program Guaranteed to Take You From Idea to Completed Manuscript
• Main Selection of Writer’s Digest Book Club
• Excerpted in Writer’s Digest Magazine
• Excerpted in Fiction Writer Magazine
• Excerpted in Romance Communications
• Excerpted in Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market
• Excerpted in Writer’s Yearbook Extra
• Excerpted in Writer’s Market
• Second Big Printing One Month After Publication
• An Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com Best-seller
• British Rights Sold to A & C Black
Hardcover
240 pages
Writer’s Digest Books
ISBN: 0-89879-848-5
“A comprehensive manual to writing a novel for all writers—from the beginner to the more advanced
looking for polishing tips. Savvy and concise.”
– Bill Contardi, William Morris Agency
Read more praise for The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing
Imagine writing with the skill of a published author, the knowledge of a seasoned editor and the savvy
of a New York literary agent . . . you’d have all the know-how it takes to transform your story idea into a
great novel worthy of praise and publication.
In this unique guide, agent, editor and novelist Evan Marshall does give you everything it takes to write
your novel. Drawing on his extensive experience, Marshall has perfected a simple and methodical
approach to novel writing. His clear-cut, 16-step “Marshall Plan” breaks down the complex novel-writing
process into a series of parts you put together one piece at a time. You’ll have your whole story
planned and plotted before you actually begin writing, so there’s no chance of working yourself into a
corner or making critical mistakes in pacing and plot.
In short, The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing works. Use it, and watch your story masterfully develop
into a completed manuscript ready to get the full attention of readers, agents and editors alike.
“The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing 16 Step Guide” from Evan Marshall’s Web Site at www.TheNovelist.com/ntmarshplan. Copyright © 2000.
Used by permission of the publisher.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
16
Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text
Benchmark B – Identify examples of rhetorical devices and invalid inferences, and explain how authors
use these devices to achieve their purposes and reach their intended audiences.
Passage – “Advertising”
23.
Which advertising technique in the passage is used in Sample Ad 2?
A.
Repetition
B.
Product Characters
C.
Testimonial
D.
Attention-getting headlines
Explanation:
Students must be able to choose which rhetorical device is being used to persuade people to attend the
soccer camp. Since there are no key words or phrases being used more than once, A (Repetition) is
not the answer. There are no celebrities endorsing or trying to persuade someone to attend the camp,
so C (Testimonial) is not the answer. Cartoon characters or fictional people are not featured in the ad
so B (Product Characters) is also not the answer. The correct answer is D (Attention-getting headlines.
The headline “Ohio’s Leading Soccer Camp,” attracts a person’s attention by stating that there is no
better camp and that more people attend this camp than any other camp.
Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text
Benchmark B – Identify examples of rhetorical devices and invalid inferences, and explain how authors
use these devices to achieve their purposes and reach their intended audiences.
Passage – “Advertising”
24.
What is most likely the reason that the quotation from Bill Contardi of the William Morris Agency is
included in Sample Ad 3?
A.
to use emotional words that make readers want to buy the book
B.
to give readers the impression that qualified people endorse this book
C.
to convince readers that they will be left out if they do not buy the book
D.
to repeat the key ideas of the advertisement so that readers will remember them
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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Sample constructed response item: Short-answer item
Standard – Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text
Benchmark D – Explain and analyze how an author appeals to an audience and develops an argument
or viewpoint in text.
Passage – “Advertising”
25.
Based on Sample Ad 3, give two reasons why a person would purchase this book.
Explanation:
A sample student response could read, “Two reasons that encourage a person to purchase this book
would be 1) ‘Imagine writing with the skill of a published author, the knowledge of a seasoned editor
and the savvy of a New York literary agent,’ and 2) ‘Main Selection of Writer’s Digest Book Club.’ These
two reasons could suggest to a customer that by purchasing this book a person can become a
published author and that her book would appear as a main selection in a major book club.”
Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text
Benchmark D – Explain and analyze how an author appeals to an audience and develops an argument
or viewpoint in text.
Passage – “Lost in the Maze” (see passage on page 8)
33.
From the writer’s point of view, which word best describes the actions of her brother in the story?
A.
honorable
B.
thoughtless
C.
peculiar
D.
reckless
Sample multiple-choice item:
Standard – Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text
Benchmark B – Identify examples of rhetorical devices and invalid inferences, and explain how authors
use these devices to achieve their purposes and reach their intended audiences.
Passage – “Flood is Called Right Tonic for Grand Canyon” (see passage on page 6)
38.
In the first two paragraphs, what is the most likely reason Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt uses
highly-charged language?
A.
to impress readers with the cost efficiency of the project
B.
to persuade readers that the project was worthwhile
C.
to influence readers to donate money for future projects
D.
to convince readers to understand the results of the project
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Tips for Teachers
What can teachers do to help students?
Strategies for teachers in preparing students for success on the Ohio Graduation Tests include:
•
Become familiar with the benchmarks for grades 8–10 and the indicators that represent
progress toward achieving those benchmarks. All teachers, across the K–12 program, need to
be cognizant of the specific benchmarks and the level of expectation for the new test. Information
about the test should also be shared with students and parents.
•
Provide a rich classroom environment of fiction and nonfiction, supplying a variety of
selections such as biographies, poetry, essays, plays, and stories. Include topics that
students find relevant and engaging.
•
Review fiction and nonfiction readings through classroom discussion followed by
individual written responses. This is a highly recommended practice. It is critical that students
are able to clearly express themselves when responding to short-answer and extended-response
items.
•
Focus on higher-level thinking skills such as: analyzing, evaluating, supporting, drawing
inferences, and making predictions. These skills should be a part of your classroom
discussions and your students’ writing assignments. Several of the benchmarks require students
to demonstrate these skills.
•
Make sure students know how reading items are scored. For all items on the reading test,
students are expected to read and respond to passages from previously published fiction or
nonfiction texts. Items emphasize the important understandings students are expected to gain
from reading passages. Students should read each multiple-choice item carefully. There will be
one right answer along with three plausible distractors for each item. The short-answer and
extended-response items should also be read very carefully. The test directions will also indicate
that questions must be answered using information from the passage, not prior knowledge.
To Obtain Further Information on
The Ohio Graduation Tests, contact the Office of Assessment 614-466-0223
Academic Content Standards, contact the Office of Curriculum and Instruction 614-466-1317
Ohio Department of Education
Offices of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
25 S. Front Street, Mail Stop 507
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
The Ohio Department of Education does not discriminate on a basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion,
age or disability in employment or the provision of services.
Ohio Graduation Test for Reading—Test Sampler, November 2002
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