Assessment Practice
Assessment Practice
DIRECTIONS Read the following selections, and then answer the questions.
RI 1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text. RL 4 Determine the meaning
of words and phrases as they are used in a text;
analyze the cumulative impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone. W 5 Strengthen
writing by revising and editing. L 6 Acquire and use
accurately general academic words and phrases;
demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge.
check readiness
Read aloud the paragraph under ASSESS and
stress to students that this is not the full Unit
Test, but a way for them to check their readiness for it. Then have students examine the
skills standards listed under REVIEW and look
back in the unit or in the Student Resource
Bank for any skills they need to review.
The House of the
Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
from
assess
Taking this practice test
will help you assess your
knowledge of these skills
and determine your
readiness for the Unit Test.
1
review
After you take the practice
test, your teacher can help
you identify any standards
you need to review.
RL 1 Cite textual evidence to
support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the
text. RL 4 Determine the meaning
of words and phrases as they
are used in a text; analyze the
cumulative impact of specific
word choices on meaning and
tone. W 5 Strengthen writing by
revising and editing. L 6 Acquire
and use accurately general
academic words and phrases;
demonstrate independence in
gathering vocabulary knowledge.
10
On entering the shop, she found an old man there, a humble resident of
Pyncheon-street, and whom, for a great many years past, she had suffered to be
a kind of familiar of the house. He was an immemorial personage, who seemed
always to have had a white head and wrinkles, and never to have possessed but
a single tooth, and that a half-decayed one, in the front of the upper jaw. Well
advanced as Hepzibah was, she could not remember when Uncle Venner, as
the neighborhood called him, had not gone up and down the street, stooping
a little and drawing his feet heavily over the gravel or pavement. But still there
was something tough and vigorous about him, that not only kept him in daily
breath, but enabled him to fill a place which would else have been vacant, in
the apparently crowded world. To go of errands, with his slow and shuffling
gait, which made you doubt how he ever was to arrive anywhere; to saw a
small household’s foot or two of firewood, or knock to pieces an old barrel,
or split up a pine board, for kindling-stuff; in summer, to dig the few yards of
garden-ground, appertaining to a low-rented tenement, and share the produce
of his labor at the halves; in winter, to shovel away the snow from the sidewalk,
or open paths to the wood-shed, or along the clothesline; —such were some of
the essential offices which Uncle Venner performed among at least a score of
families.
read the texts
Remind students to keep unit goals in mind as
they read each passage, paying particular attention to these literary and reading skills:
Old Man at the Bridge
• style
• make inferences
• author’s purpose
1
To help students focus on style while reading,
encourage them to ask questions such as
• Why does this selection hold my interest?
• How does Hawthorne’s style compare to
Hemingway’s style?
answer the questions
Direct students to pages R93–R101 of the
Handbook to review test-taking strategies.
Urge students to use active reading strategies
when they read test materials. For example,
before they read a passage, suggest that they
skim the questions that follow it.
Practice
Test
Take it at thinkcentral.com.
2
An old man with steel rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes sat by
the side of the road. There was a pontoon bridge across the river and carts,
trucks, and men, women and children were crossing it. The mule-drawn carts
staggered up the steep bank from the bridge with soldiers helping push against
the spokes of the wheels. The trucks ground up and away heading out of it all
and the peasants plodded along in the ankle deep dust. But the old man sat
there without moving. He was too tired to go any farther.
It was my business to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and
find out to what point the enemy had advanced. I did this and returned over
KEYWORD: HML10N-924
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for english language learners
Assessment Practice: Work Backward
Prepare students by having them read the
questions before reading the passage and
supplementary selections. Have pairs find
unfamiliar words in test directions and questions and follow these steps:
2. Look up the meaning in a dictionary and
write it on the back of the card.
unit 8: author’s style and voice
1/7/11 11:40:38 P
differentiated instruction
1. Write each word on an index card.
924
by Ernest Hemingway
3. Use the cards to practice the words
with your partner and to teach them
to others.
item analysis
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
the bridge. There were not so many carts now and very few people on foot, but
the old man was still there.
“Where do you come from?” I asked him.
“From San Carlos,” he said, and smiled.
That was his native town and so it gave him pleasure to mention it and he
smiled.
“I was taking care of animals,” he explained.
“Oh,” I said, not quite understanding.
“Yes,” he said, “I stayed, you see, taking care of animals. I was the last one to
leave the town of San Carlos.”
He did not look like a shepherd nor a herdsman and I looked at his black
dusty clothes and his gray dusty face and his steel rimmed spectacles and said,
“What animals were they?”
“Various animals,” he said, and shook his head. “I had to leave them.”
I was watching the bridge and the African looking country of the Ebro
Delta and wondering how long now it would be before we would see the
enemy, and listening all the while for the first noises that would signal that ever
mysterious event called contact, and the old man still sat there.
“What animals were they?” I asked.
“There were three animals altogether,” he explained. “There were two goats
and a cat and then there were four pairs of pigeons.”
“And you had to leave them?” I asked.
“Yes. Because of the artillery. The captain told me to go because of the
artillery.”
“And you have no family?” I asked, watching the far end of the bridge where
a few last carts were hurrying down the slope of the bank.
“No,” he said, “only the animals I stated. The cat, of course, will be all
right. A cat can look out for itself, but I cannot think what will become of the
others.”
“What politics have you?” I asked.
“I am without politics,” he said. “I am seventy-six years old. I have come
twelve kilometers now and I think now I can go no further.”
“This is not a good place to stop,” I said. “If you can make it, there are
trucks up the road where it forks for Tortosa.”
“I will wait a while,” he said, “and then I will go. Where do the trucks go?”
“Towards Barcelona,” I told him.
“I know no one in that direction,” he said, “but thank you very much.
Thank you again very much.”
comprehension and
written response
Style
850–855,
857, 879,
887, 901
Word Choice
3, 6, 12, 13 850–855
Sentence Structure
1, 5, 13
Tone
3, 7, 13
850–855,
901
Imagery
2, 8, 12
850–855,
879, 895
Make Inferences
2, 10, 11,
12
887
Author’s Purpose
4, 9, 11
901
vocabulary
items
unit
pages
Etymology
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 909
6, 7
writing and grammar
items
unit
pages
Personification
3
877
On thinkcentral.com students can complete
an interactive version of this practice test
and receive remediation for the skills they
have not yet mastered.
GOßON
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Assessment Support Consider these options
for completing the Assessment Practice:
• Ask students to locate unfamiliar vocabulary words in the Assessment. Elicit the
words’ meanings from the class.
• Have students “work backward” to review
the test questions before reading the
passage.
• Have students record useful testing words
and definitions in their journal for later
reference.
• Select random questions in the Assessment
and have students demonstrate how and
where to look for the answers.
• Read the selection or parts of it aloud to aid
in student comprehension.
for struggling readers
unit
pages
Practice Test
assessment practice
A_L10PE-u08-tap.indd 925
items
assessment practice
925
answers
Reading Comprehension
24
Model a thinking process for answering
multiple-choice questions.
25
1. B is correct. All five sentences in the paragraph are long. That fact alone eliminates
A, C, and D.
26
27
28
2. B is correct. The statement effectively
summarizes lines 9–11. A and C are not
supported by any details in the passage. D
is incorrect because “daily breath” (line 10) is
figurative, not literal.
29
30
31
32
33
3. D is correct. The sentence describing Uncle
Venner in lines 3–6 reflects the author’s
good-natured tone. A is incorrect because
Hawthorne’s tone is not harsh. B is incorrect because the tone is formal. C is
incorrect because sentence variety and vivid
details prevent monotony.
34
35
36
4. A is correct. Hawthorne packs the paragraph with vivid, positive description. B is
incorrect because the description is gentle,
not harsh. C is a weak choice because
although Venner is poor, discussing poverty
is secondary to characterization in the selection. D is incorrect because the community
is kind, not indifferent, to Venner.
Reading Comprehension
Use the excerpt from The House of the Seven
Gables (p. 924) to answer questions 1–4.
1. The author’s style includes his use of sentences
that are —
A. all short sentences
B. all long sentences
C. mostly short sentences
D. a mix of long and short sentences
5. D is correct. Long sentences such as those
in paragraph 11 alternate with the passage’s
mostly short sentences. A is untrue, and
B is incorrect because close reading shows
the presence of some long sentences. C is
incorrect because most of the sentences are
short but complete.
6. A is correct. Both in dialogue and in
description, Hemingway uses everyday
vocabulary. Therefore, C is incorrect. B can
be eliminated because the overall purpose
seems to describe the situation as it actually
existed. D is incorrect because although
terms such as pontoon bridge (paragraph
1) and bridgehead (paragraph 2) occur, they
do not dominate the selection.
7. D is correct. The first paragraph is serious
and straightforward. A is incorrect because
although the narrator’s feeling by the end
of the selection might be described as bitter,
it is not so at the beginning. B is incorrect
because there is no sense of fun in the selection. C is incorrect because the narration is
neither negative nor mocking.
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unit 8: author’s style and voice
He looked at me very blankly and tiredly, then said, having to share his
worry with some one, “The cat will be all right, I am sure. There is no need to
be unquiet about the cat. But the others. Now what do you think about the
others?”
“Why they’ll probably come through it all right.”
“You think so?”
“Why not,” I said, watching the far bank where now there were no carts.
“But what will they do under the artillery when I was told to leave because
of the artillery?”
“Did you leave the dove cage unlocked?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Then they’ll fly.”
“Yes, certainly they’ll fly. But the others. It’s better not to think about the
others,” he said.
“If you are rested I would go,” I urged. “Get up and try to walk now.”
“Thank you,” he said and got to his feet, swayed from side to side and then
sat down backwards in the dust.
“I was taking care of animals,” he said dully, but no longer to me. “I was
only taking care of animals.”
There was nothing to do about him. It was Easter Sunday and the Fascists
were advancing toward the Ebro. It was a gray overcast day with a low ceiling
so their planes were not up. That and the fact that cats know how to look after
themselves was all the good luck that old man would ever have.
2. From the imagery in lines 9–11, you can infer
that Uncle Venner —
A. succeeds through his charm
B. survives by being useful
C. is somewhat overweight
D. has breathing problems
3. The author’s style can best be characterized
by his use of —
A. long descriptions and a harsh tone
B. lyrical language and an informal tone
C. flowery language and a monotonous tone
D. detailed descriptions and a good-natured
tone
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8. D is correct. The repetition emphasizes that
the old man sits for a long time; and paragraph 1 says, “He was too tired to go any
farther.” A is incorrect because although
the man is in danger, he appears to know it.
B is incorrect because the man sits patiently.
C is incorrect because the man is friendly,
not sad.
9. C is correct. The story describes the war’s
effects upon an elderly civilian. A has some
relevance, but it ultimately is incorrect because the old man is the focus of the story.
B can be eliminated because the old man’s
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dismissal of politics is ironic in view of his
plight. D is incorrect because although the
soldier-narrator mentions his duties (paragraph 2), his chief focus is on the old man.
10. D is correct. Uncle Venner is serious about
his errands; the old man is serious about
his animals. A is incorrect because Venner
is energetic. B is incorrect because neither
character seems angry. C is incorrect because both characters are self-reliant.
Assessment Practice
4. The author’s purpose in this excerpt is most
likely to —
A. paint an affectionate portrait of a local
character
B. ridicule an eccentric old man
C. illustrate the hardships of poverty
D. highlight the indifference of the
community
9. The author’s primary purpose in writing this
story is to —
A. describe an elderly man’s fondness for his
animals
B. persuade readers that politics is unimportant
C. portray the effects of war on the citizens
of a country
D. evaluate the duties of a soldier in times of war
Use “Old Man at the Bridge” (pp. 924–926)
to answer questions 5–9.
Use both selections to answer question 10.
5. One element of the author’s style is his use
of —
A. mostly long sentences
B. all very short sentences
C. long sentences and some incomplete
sentences
D. mostly short, simple sentences and some
long sentences
SHORT CONSTRUCTED
RESPONSE
Possible responses:
11. The soldier-narrator’s view of the old man
is both matter-of-fact and sympathetic. He
communicates information to the reader
that the old man could not: the nature of
his mission and the imminent arrival of the
enemy. The soldier’s understanding of the
old man’s fate makes that fact seem more
tragic. Through the soldier’s eyes, the reader
sees the point of the author’s purpose
(that is, showing the effects of war upon
civilians)—namely, that those fighting a
war feel helpless because they cannot protect the people for whom they are fighting.
10. What can you infer about the old men in the
two selections?
A. They are tired from all of the work that
they do.
B. One of them is sad and one is angry
because they must work for other people.
C. Because they are elderly, both must rely
on others to care for them.
D. Both take their work and responsibilities
seriously.
6. The author’s choice of words can best be
characterized as —
A. conversational
C. flowery
B. exaggerated
D. technical
SHORT CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE
Write three or four sentences to answer each
question.
7. The tone in paragraph 1 is —
A. bitter
C. sarcastic
B. playful
D. somber
11. Why do you think the author has a soldier
narrate “Old Man at the Bridge”? In what
way does this choice help the author achieve
his purpose?
8. The author repeats variations of the phrase
“the old man sat there” in paragraphs 1, 2,
and 11 to create an impression of —
A. foolishness
C. sorrow
B. impatience
D. weariness
12. List five words or images from the excerpt
from The House of the Seven Gables that
describe Uncle Venner. What can you infer
about Venner from these words and images?
12. Words and images include “old man”;
“humble”; “a kind of familiar of the house”;
“immemorial personage”; “seemed always
to have had a white head and wrinkles”; “a
single tooth”; “stooping”; “drawing his feet
heavily”; “tough and vigorous”; and “slow
and shuffling gait.” The reader can infer
that Venner is a poor, aged man, that he is
well known locally, and that he is strong
and energetic but slow-moving.
13. Hawthorne’s style is formal, with elevated
language and long descriptive sentences.
Hemingway’s style is informal and journalistic, using plain language and extensive
dialogue. Most of Hawthorne’s sentences
are complex or compound-complex; most
of Hemingway’s are simple or compound.
Hawthorne’s tone is gently humorous;
Hemingway’s is somber. Student examples
of word choice will vary.
Write two to three paragraphs to answer this
question.
13. Describe the differences in the two authors’
writing styles. Give examples of word choice,
sentence structure, and tone in your answer.
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differentiated instruction
for english language learners
for english language learners
Assessment Vocabulary To help students
understand the Reading Comprehension questions, teach or review these key vocabulary
words:
Vocabulary Support On the board, list the
terms shown in italics. Then give the examples
in random order and have students classify
them. Elicit additional examples from students.
• Items 3 and 6: characterized—“described”
• tone: Hawthorne’s phrase “an immemorial
personage” expresses affection for Uncle
Venner.
• Item 4: excerpt—“part of a longer work”
• Item 5: element—“part”
• Item 8: variations—“different ways of saying
the same thing”
• Item 9: primary—“main”
• imagery: Uncle Venner had “a single tooth,
and that a half-decayed one, in the front of
the upper jaw.”
• author’s style: Unlike Hawthorne, Hemingway writes mostly in short sentences.
• diction: In “Old Man at the Bridge,” Hemingway uses military terms like pontoon bridge
and bridgehead.
assessment practice
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answers
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
1. A is correct. The clue grave clearly points
to gravel. B, C, and D obviously have no
etymological connection to grave.
Use the etymology clues to help you choose
the correct modern English word from the
reading selections.
2. A is correct. The somewhat obscure meaning of familiar—“domestic servant”—
comes from famulus. B comes from a
related Latin word, but the choice makes no
sense in the context of the sentence. C and
D are obviously unrelated to famulus.
1. Which of the following words from The House
of the Seven Gables comes from the Old
French word grave, meaning “pebbly shore”?
A. Gravel
B. Kindling-stuff
C. Paths
D. Pavement
3. B is correct. The connection between humilis and humble is evident. A is incorrect because although the word low appears in the
definition of humilis, garden-ground does
not derive from humilis and makes little
sense in context. C and D are unrelated to
humilis.
2. The Latin word famulus means “servant.”
Which word in The House of the Seven Gables
comes from the word famulus?
A. Familiar
B. Famous
C. Personage
D. Resident
4. D is correct. In both sound and meaning,
stupian is clearly close to stooping. A is
untrue in both etymology and meaning. B
is nonsensical, for it speaks of exiting by entering. C fits the meaning of the sentence
but not the etymology.
3. Which of the following words from The House
of the Seven Gables comes from the Latin word
humilis, meaning “low”?
A. Garden-Ground
B. Humble
C. Immemorial
D. Vigorous
5. C is correct. Staggered and stakra are
similar in sound as well as meaning. A, B,
and D have meanings that are conceivable
in the sentence but are clearly not related
to stakra.
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unit 8: author’s style and voice
6. The Latin prefix con- means “together” and
the past participle tangere means “to touch.”
Which of the following words from “Old
Man at the Bridge” comes from con- + tangere?
A. Bank
B. Bridgehead
C. Contact
D. Signal
7. Which of the following words from “Old
Man at the Bridge” comes from the Greek
word polis, meaning “city”?
A. Business
B. Planes
C. Politics
D. Towns
4. The Old English word stupian means “to bow
or bend.” Which word in The House of the
Seven Gables comes from the word stupian?
A. Appertaining
B. Entering
C. Shuffling
D. Stooping
6. C is correct. The prefix con- and the general
sound of tangere are clues to the derivation
of contact. A, B, and D lack any etymological resemblance to the clue words; and of
the three choices, only signal would fit
meaningfully into the sentence.
7. C is correct. The derivation of politics from
polis is obvious in view of the meaning of
politics. A and D can be eliminated because
they show no resemblance to polis. B is
incorrect because the presence of the letters
p and l in planes is not enough to indicate a
derivation from polis.
5. Which of the following words from “Old
Man at the Bridge” is an alteration of the Old
Norse word stakra, staka, meaning “to push”?
A. Advanced
B. Plodded
C. Staggered
D. Swayed
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Assessment Practice
answers
Revising and Editing
Revising and Editing
DIRECTIONS Read this passage, and answer the questions that follow.
1. C is correct. Sentence 2 is included as a
subordinate clause beginning with which.
In A, there are two main clauses. B is wrong
because it uses an ungrammatical comma
splice between the two sentences. D combines the two sentences into one simple
sentence in which the idea in sentence 2 has
been reduced to a prepositional phrase.
(1) Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica portrays the destruction of a town during
the Spanish Civil War. (2) It is an abstract composition of colors and forms.
(3) Tormented animals and tortured human image fill the canvas. (4) In the painting,
a snorting bull and a writhing horse seem pained. (5) The painting also depicts
human suffering. (6) Picasso painted a woman clutching her dead child. (7) His
purpose was to expose the horrors of war.
1. What is the most effective way to combine
sentences 1 and 2 into a complex sentence?
A. Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica portrays
the destruction of a town during the
Spanish Civil War; however it is an
abstract composition of colors and forms.
B. Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica portrays
the destruction of a town during the
Spanish Civil War, it is an abstract
composition of colors and forms.
C. Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica, which is
an abstract composition of colors and
forms, portrays the destruction of a town
during the Spanish Civil War.
D. Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica portrays
the destruction of a town during the
Spanish Civil War in an abstract
composition of colors and forms.
2. What change, if any, should be made in
sentence 3?
A. Change tortured to torturing
B. Insert comma after animals
C. Change image to images
D. Make no change
3. What is the most effective way to revise
sentence 5 to include personification?
A. The painting also shows human suffering
in great detail.
B. The painting also cries out against human
suffering.
C. The painting also demonstrates examples
of human suffering.
D. The painting also displays images of
human suffering.
2. C is correct. Two images fill the canvas—
“tormented animals and tortured humans.”
A, B, and D do not correct the problem.
4. Which transitional word or phrase should be
added to the beginning of sentence 6?
A. For instance,
C. Nevertheless,
B. In conclusion,
D. On the other hand,
4. A is correct. Sentence 6 provides an example
of the suffering mentioned in sentence 5. B is
incorrect because sentence 6 does not present
a conclusion. C and D are incorrect because
sentence 6 does not provide a contrast to the
idea in sentence 5.
3. B is correct. The phrase “cries out” attributes
a human emotional gesture to a painting.
A, C, and D are incorrect because the verbs
shows, demonstrates, and displays give
literal rather than figurative descriptions and
do not imply specifically human attributes.
5. What change, if any, should be made to
sentence 7?
A. Change horrors to horrors’
B. Change expose to exposing
C. Change war to wars
D. Make no change
5. D is correct. The sentence is correct as written. The possessive form of horrors in A is
wrong. B and C are also incorrect.
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differentiated instruction
12/25/10 8:23:48 PM
for struggling readers
Assessment Support: Personification Remind
students that personification is a figure of
speech in which human qualities are given to
an animal, object, or idea. Have students review the answer choices for item 3 to identify
the sentence that gives human emotions to
the painting.
assessment practice
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