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NEW YORK REGENTS
PRACTICE EXAMS
EMCParadigm Publishing Saint Paul, Minnesota
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Staff Credits
Editorial
Design
Laurie Skiba
Managing Editor
Shelley Clubb
Production Manager
Brenda Owens
Editor
Lisa Beller
Design and Production Specialist
Nichola Torbett
Associate Editor
Becky Palmer
Associate Editor
Jennifer J. Anderson
Associate Editor
Valerie Murphy
Editorial Assistant
Soo Jin Link
Educational Writer
Cover Credits
Cover Designer: C. Vern Johnson
Watson and the Shark [Detail], 1778. John Singleton Copley. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Something on the Eight Ball [Detail], 1953. Stuart Davis. Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery through Reconstruction [Detail], 1934. Aaron Douglas. Schomberg Center
for Research in Black Culture, New York.
ISBN 0-8219-2929-1
© 2003 EMC Corporation
All rights reserved. The assessment materials in this publication may be photocopied for classroom use only. No part of this publication may be adapted, reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise without permission from the publisher.
Published by EMC/Paradigm Publishing
875 Montreal Way
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102
800-328-1452
www.emcp.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Printed in the United States of America.
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Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Test-Taking Skills Practice Worksheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Understanding the New York Regents Exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Answering Multiple-Choice Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Answering Reading and Listening Comprehension Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Succeeding on Session One, Part A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Succeeding on Session One, Part B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Succeeding on Session Two, Part A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Succeeding on Session Two, Part B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Understanding How Regents Exam Essays Are Scored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Grade 11 New York Regents Practice Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Unit 1 Test
Reading and Writing for Literary Response (Session Two, Part A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Unit 2 Test
Listening and Writing for Information and Understanding (Session One, Part A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Unit 3 Test
Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis (Session Two, Part B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Unit 4 Test
Reading and Writing for Information and Understanding (Session One, Part B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Unit 5 Test
Listening and Writing for Information and Understanding (Session One, Part A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Unit 6 Test
Reading and Writing for Literary Response (Session Two, Part A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Unit 7 Test
Reading and Writing for Literary Response (Session Two, Part A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Unit 8 Test
Reading and Writing for Information and Understanding (Session One, Part B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Unit 9 Test
Listening and Writing for Information and Understanding (Session One, Part A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
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Unit 10 Test
Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis (Session Two, Part B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Unit 11 Test
Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis (Session Two, Part B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Unit 12 Test
Reading and Writing for Information and Understanding (Session One, Part B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Scoring Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
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Introduction
The EMC Masterpiece Series, Literature and the Language Arts textbook program has been designed to
address the New York State learning standards assessed by the New York Regents Comprehensive Exam in
English. Competencies are developed throughout the program, giving students the opportunity to
internalize them through multiple practice opportunities before having to demonstrate them on the actual
exam. The Test-Taking Skills Worksheets and New York Regents Practice Exams in this book are only a
small part of this practice.
An Integrated Approach
Carefully constructed practice opportunities for reading, writing, and listening are integrated throughout
the Literature and the Language Arts textbook program. Development of these skills is outlined in the
Lesson Plans book, located in the Literacy Resource binder. There you will find a comprehensive list of
integrated reading, writing, listening, and other language arts activities.
The Reading Strategies Resource, also located in the Literacy Resource binder, is specifically designed to
help New York students internalize the reading strategies they need, not only to succeed on the Regents
Exam and other standardized tests, but to become proficient, lifelong readers. The Reading Strategies
Resource covers eight reading strategies that help students monitor their comprehension as they read the
selections in the textbook and answer reading comprehension questions after reading.
Each Reading Strategy Mini-Lesson helps students work through a textbook selection by focusing on
one specific reading strategy that they learn to use before, during, and after reading. A fix-up strategy is
provided for students who need extra help. Work with the reading strategy culminates with a Test
Practice page in which students are asked to demonstrate their successful use of the reading strategy by
answering sample multiple-choice and constructed-response questions.
Writing practice can be found in the Guided Writing lessons at the end of each unit, in the Writer’s
Journal prompts following each selection, and on the Selection Tests and Unit Tests. Writing tasks stress
the importance of prewriting prior to drafting, even in timed writing situations.
Speaking and Listening activities can be found in the Integrating the Language Arts activities that
follow each literature selection. In addition, the Audio Library contains many selections that can be used
for supplementary listening practice. Play the audio selection, and encourage students to take notes on
what they hear. Then administer the Selection Check Test from the Unit Resource book to test students’
listening comprehension.
New York Regents Exam Practice Book
In addition to the assessment practice integrated throughout the core components of Literature and the
Language Arts, test practice can be found in New York Regents Exam Practice books, available for grades
nine, ten, and eleven in print and downloadable online (www.emcp.com) formats.
TEST-TAKING SKILLS WORKSHEETS. This book contains a set of test-taking skills worksheets that help students
use the strategies and skills they develop as they work through the Literature and the Language Arts
program to succeed on standardized tests. These worksheets introduce students to the format of the New
York Regents Exam and give them tips on answering multiple-choice questions, using information from
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texts to respond to writing tasks, and writing critically about literature. Each worksheet contains
instruction followed by practice opportunities.
SAMPLE NEW YORK REGENTS EXAMS. You will also find in this book twelve practice exam segments integrated
with the twelve literature units in the textbook. The four parts of the Regents Exam—Listening and
Writing for Information and Understanding, Reading and Writing for Information and Understanding,
Reading and Writing for Literary Response, and Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis—are each
covered in three units. The Listening and Writing for Information and Understanding segments are based
on selections from the Audio Library; teachers should play each selection twice before asking students to
answer the multiple-choice questions and write their responses to the task.
SCORING GUIDE. The Scoring Guide at the back of this book includes answers to all multiple-choice
questions and rubrics for scoring each writing task.
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Test–Taking Skills
Practice Worksheets
Understanding the New York Regents Exam
In order to receive a Regents diploma at graduation, you must pass the New York Regents Exam in English.
The Comprehensive English exam consists of two sessions administered over two days. Each session has
two parts, and you will have three hours to complete those two parts.
In general, each part of the exam asks you to work with a text, answering multiple-choice questions about
the text’s key ideas and then using information from the text to write an essay. The exception is Session
Two, Part B, which does not involve multiple-choice questions. The following chart outlines the four parts
of the test.
Day Part
Multiple- Writing Task
Choice
Questions
Text Passage(s)
1
A
one nonfiction text read aloud
twice
5–6
informative or persuasive essay in
response to an imaginary situation
1
B
two nonfiction texts, one of
which is a chart or graph
10
informative or persuasive essay in
response to an imaginary situation
2
A
two literary texts (excerpts from
essays, stories, poems, or plays)
10
unified essay on a theme shared
by the two texts
2
B
quotation about life or literature
0
unified essay interpreting the
quotation by using any two
literary texts you have read
You can view samples of each part of the test by visiting the New York State Assessment site at
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/assess.html. Becoming familiar with the test format before the exam will
help you feel confident as you go into the exam
The most important thing you can do to prepare for the New York Regents Exam is to pay attention in
class and complete your assignments. The work you do throughout each year helps you build the skills
you need to do well on the exam. Here are some other tips:
• Know what to expect. Become familiar with the format of the test and take practice exams.
• Understand how the exam will be scored. Your teacher can give you copies of the rubrics that will
be used to evaluate your writing. Understanding the criteria used to grade your essay will help you
write an essay that will score well.
• Get plenty of sleep the night before the test and eat a healthy breakfast in the morning.
• Arrive on time for both days. Running late can raise your stress level and hurt your performance.
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• Make a list of literary elements and techniques and review this list several times in the week before
the exam.
• Make a list of literary works you have read recently and could write about on the last part of the test.
Review this list several times in the week before the exam.
EXERCISE
1. List the four parts of the Comprehensive English exam. Explain which parts will be administered on
each of the two days.
2. Which part of the exam do you expect to be the most difficult for you? How can you prepare for
this part?
3. Which of the tips listed above have you used before?
4. Which of the tips above do you think will help you most on the Regents Exam?
5. Summarize how you plan to prepare for the Regents Exam.
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Answering Multiple-Choice Questions
Many standardized tests, including three of the four parts of the New York Regents Exam in English,
involve multiple-choice questions that have a single correct answer. The guidelines below will help you
answer these kinds of questions effectively.
Tips for Answering Multiple-Choice Questions
Read each question carefully. Pay special attention to any words that are
bolded, italicized, written in all capital letters, or otherwise emphasized.
Read all choices before deciding on the answer.
Eliminate any answers that do not make sense, that disagree with what you
remember from the passage, or that seem too extreme. Also, if two answers
have exactly the same meaning, you can eliminate both.
Beware of distractors. These are incorrect answers that look attractive
because they are partially correct, they contain a common misconception,
or they apply the right information in the wrong way. Distractors are based
on common mistakes students make.
Rule out incorrect answers; then choose the answer that is most accurate or
complete. Pay special attention to choices such as none of the above or all of
the above.
If a question seems too difficult, skip it and come back to it later. Keep in
mind, though, that most tests allow you to go back only to questions
within a section.
Make sure that you are marking your answer clearly on the correct line of
the answer sheet.
EXERCISE
Read “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar on page 621 of your textbook. Then select the best
answer to each of the following questions.
1. The people identified in the poem as “we” feel
(1) content
(2) agonized
(3) joyful
(4) terrified
2. The “them” in line 8 refers to
(1) people who can’t accept the speaker as he or she is
(2) people who torture the speaker and people like him or her
(3) the speaker’s friends and family
(4) the speaker’s employer
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3. Which of the following sentences best paraphrases the meaning of line 3, “This debt we pay
to human guile”?
(1) We must hide our true selves because people are secretive.
(2) We must pay a fine for feeling as much joy as we do.
(3) We get paid to appear happy.
(4) Our suffering is a payment we make toward future happiness.
4. In this poem, the world is
(1) torn and bleeding
(2) dismayed by the suffering of so many people
(3) an awe-inspiring, wonderful place
(4) not interested in people’s true selves
5. The mask in this poem is a
(1) reflection of people’s true selves
(2) ceremonial face covering used in rituals
(3) protective covering worn when doing dangerous work
(4) superficial personality and feeling displayed to the world
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Answering Reading and
Listening Comprehension Questions
Reading comprehension questions ask you to read a short piece of writing and answer several questions
about it. After listening to a passage that is read or played aloud for you, you might be asked to answer
listening comprehension questions. To answer reading and listening comprehension questions, follow
these steps:
1. If permitted, read through all the questions quickly.
2. Read or listen to the passage with the questions in mind.
3. Take notes and/or mark up the text as you listen or read.
4. Reread the first question carefully. If you know the answer, select it and move on to step 7. If not,
proceed to the next step.
5. Scan the passage or your notes to look for key words related to the question. When you find a key
word, slow down and read carefully.
6. Answer the question.
7. Repeat this process to answer the rest of the questions.
Sometimes the answers to comprehension questions can be found in the text you have read. Other times,
however, you will need to draw conclusions in order to answer the question. Drawing conclusions means
putting together the clues given in the text with your own prior knowledge to build ideas. For example,
read the following passage:
Laurel was glad to see that she’d gotten to work a little early and that the regulars
hadn’t yet gathered outside to wait for her to open. She didn’t like to be watched as she
put on her apron, scrubbed her hands, ground the first espresso of the day, and
unpacked the muffins and scones waiting in a box on the counter. She’d learned a long
time ago that you have to be on time opening the door. Never come between a regular
and his coffee!
What does Laurel do for a living? The passage itself does not say, but it does give you clues: the regulars,
the apron, the espresso, and the pastries. By putting these clues together with your prior knowledge, you
can be pretty certain that Laurel works in a coffee shop or café.
As you draw conclusions, remember that each conclusion needs to fit with all of the clues in the passage
and with your prior knowledge. In multiple-choice questions, you can eliminate answers that contradict
the text and those for which there is no evidence. Then, from the remaining answers, choose the one that
seems most logical.
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EXERCISE
Answering Reading Comprehension Questions
Read “On the Mall” by Joan Didion on pages 916–920 of your textbook. Then select the best answer to
the questions that follow.
1. According to Didion, which of the following had the GREATEST influence on the
development of shopping malls?
(1) World War II
(2) automobiles
(3) shopping center theory
(4) freedom
2. Didion compares shopping malls to “pyramids to the boom years.” This comparison suggests
that
(1) many shopping centers are shaped like Egyptian monuments
(2) the boom years deserve monuments
(3) shopping centers are influenced by Egyptian culture
(4) the boom years are over
3. James B. Douglas and David D. Bohannon could BEST be described as
(1) loan officers
(2) early frontiersmen
(3) shopping center theorists
(4) avid shoppers
4. The tone of this essay could BEST be described as
(1) informative but critical
(2) serious and sincere
(3) familiar and playful
(4) formal and persuasive
5. A shopping center with a supermarket as its biggest store would be classified as a
(1) “B” center
(2) “C” center
(3) Number One location
(4) major tenant
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Succeeding on Session One, Part A
On the first part of the New York Regents Exam in English, you will be asked to
• listen to and take notes on a passage that will be read aloud to you two times
• answer five to six multiple-choice questions on key ideas from this passage
• use information from the passage to write an essay based on an imaginary situation
You can use the reading strategies you have learned to help you understand the listening passage. The
following specific steps will help you succeed on this part of the exam.
Before the First Listening
Read the Overview and the Situation on the first page of the section carefully. The Overview gives you the
topic of the passage you are about to hear. Knowing this topic will allow you to make predictions about
what the passage will say. The Situation introduces an imaginary scenario for which you will need to write
an informative or persuasive essay using information from the passage. Understanding what you will be
asked to write will help you recognize and write down key details from the passage as you hear it. Read
the following sample Overview and Situation:
Overview: For this part of the test, you will listen to a passage about the impact of
human beings on their environment, answer some multiple-choice questions, and write
a response based on the situation described below. You will hear the account twice. You
may take notes on the next page anytime you wish during the readings.
The Situation: You are a member of an environmental action club at your school. At the
next meeting, your club will choose the issues on which they want to work this year. To
help you prepare for that meeting, write an informative essay about current threats to
the environment.
As you read the Situation, notice the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task. For the example
above, these elements are:
Topic: current threats to the environment
Audience: members of the environmental action club
Purpose: to inform
Think about what you already know about the topic of the passage and the topic of the essay you will be
asked to write. Begin to visualize what may be described in the passage. Make a plan for taking notes as
you listen.
During the First Listening
Use the reading strategies you have learned this year to increase your comprehension of what you hear.
Take notes on the key ideas from the passage. The following tips will help you get as much as possible
from this first listening:
• Continue making predictions.
• Link what you are hearing to what you already know.
• Create mind pictures of the things you hear.
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• Write things down. Use abbreviations so that you can write faster. If you miss something important,
leave space for it in your notes so that you can catch it on the second reading. Especially write
down:
• the title of the passage
• names
• dates
• places
• keywords about your mind pictures
• lists
• steps
• reasons
• any words or phrases that are repeated
• interesting quotations
• anything signaled by words like “most important,” “in short,” or “in summary”
Before the Second Listening
• Highlight gaps in your notes that indicate that you missed something important.
• Think about the main idea or main ideas of the passage. Then try to identify supporting details for
each. On this time through, focus on filling in any supporting details that you missed.
• Think about the essay you will have to write. What information are you missing that you should
focus on capturing as you listen to the passage again?
During the Second Listening
• Fill in gaps in what you heard.
• Identify supporting details for each main idea.
• Draw conclusions from the information you have heard.
After Listening
Answer the multiple-choice questions. Then turn back to the first page of the section and read Your Task.
Your Task:
Write an informative paper that outlines current threats to the environment.
This sentence summarizes what you are being asked to write.
Next, quickly read over the bulleted list of guidelines. You will return to these later to help you revise and
proofread your response.
Use your notes and the answers to the multiple-choice questions to make an outline of your essay. Use
specific details from the passage to support each of your main points.
When your outline is complete, draft your essay. Remember that an essay has three main parts: an
introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
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Your introduction should contain the following:
• a hook
• the thesis, or main idea, of your essay
Teenagers typically think a lot about relationships, but how often do we think about our
relationship to the planet on which we live? This relationship needs our concern and
interest in order to remain healthy. There are currently many threats to our
environment, including atomic waste, pesticides, and greenhouse gases.
Write one body paragraph for each main idea in your essay. In the example above, the writer will have
three body paragraphs, one for each threat he or she mentions. Fill each body paragraph with supporting
details from your outline.
Pesticides are one serious threat to the environment. More than 400 chemicals have
been developed to kill plants and animals deemed undesirable by human beings.
Applied to insects, weeds, or rodents, these chemicals often kill not only their targets
but other, more helpful plants or insects; for this reason, they are often called
“nonselective chemicals.” They also enter the food chain and water supply, potentially
affecting every living creature in the area. Chemical residue coats the leaves that are
eaten by animals and sometimes by humans. Pesticides also run off into our streams and
lakes. As Rachel Carson said, pesticides have the power to “still the song of birds and
the leaping of fish in the streams,” and many of their long-term effects are not even
known yet.
The conclusion should contain:
• a restatement of the main idea in slightly different words
• a final statement that moves the reader to act or think
Human-made substances such as atomic waste, pesticides, and greenhouse gases
threaten to make our planet unlivable. If we don’t wake up soon and seek more
environmental protections, we may be facing our own extinction. It is our responsibility
to be caretakers of the planet that sustains us.
Once you have drafted your essay, review the guidelines on the first page of the section. Make sure you
have met each guideline. Proofread your essay for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization,
and usage.
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EXERCISE
[Note to teacher: Please read aloud segments of Daniel J. Boorstin’s “Why I Am Optimistic about
America.” Begin on page 1006, and read through the first full column on 1007. Then read the section on
“Wealth” beginning on page 1009 to the end. Read the selection aloud twice.]
Overview: For this part of the text, you will listen to an account of why one man is optimistic about
America, answer some multiple-choice questions, and write a response based on the situation described
below. You will hear the account twice. You may take notes on the next page anytime you wish during
the readings.
The Situation: After spending a full year studying American history in your social
studies class, your teacher has asked you to write a position paper on whether we should
be optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the United States. In preparation for
writing your position paper, listen to one man’s perspective on America’s future. Then
use relevant information from the account to write your position paper.
Your Task:
Write a position paper in which you argue that we should be optimistic OR pessimistic about the future of
the United States.
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Tell your audience what they need to know about why we should or should not be
optimistic about the future of the United States
• Use specific, accurate, and relevant information from the account to support your
argument
• Use a tone and level of language appropriate for a position paper for a social studies
class
• Organize your ideas in a logical and coherent manner
• Indicate any words taken directly from the account by using quotation marks or
referring to the source
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
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NOTES
DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO
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Multiple-Choice Questions
Directions (1–6): Use your notes to answer the following questions about the passage you just heard.
Select the best suggested answer. The questions may help you think about ideas and information you
might use in your writing. You may return to these questions anytime you wish.
1. All of the following are reasons why the speaker is optimistic about America EXCEPT
(1) because he grew up in Oklahoma
(2) because he received an education that celebrated America
(3) because his father was in the military
(4) because of American history
2. American Exceptionalism is the belief that America is
(1) the wealthiest country in the world
(2) a superpower
(3) a unique place
(4) not held to international law
3. Which of the following is NOT listed as a cause for concern about the future?
(1) wars
(2) genocides
(3) racism
(4) capitalism
4. According to the text, America has redefined wealth to mean
(1) more material goods
(2) a shared, better way of life
(3) freedom
(4) something that can be accumulated rapidly
5. Which of the following statements BEST paraphrases the thesis of this essay?
(1) We should be optimistic about America because it is an exceptional country.
(2) We should be optimistic about America because it is a land of plenty.
(3) We should be optimistic about America because it is the land of the free.
(4) We should be optimistic about America because it is a superpower.
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6. The speaker supports his argument by quoting Andrè Malraux who said, “For the first time, a
country has become the world’s leader without achieving this through conquest.” Which of
the following historical events best contradicts this observation?
(1) the oppression of Native Americans
(2) environmental pollution
(3) cloning
(4) the Civil Rights movement
After you have finished these questions, review The Situation, Your Task, and the
Guidelines. Use scrap paper to plan your response. Then write your response beginning
on the next page.
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Succeeding on Session One, Part B
On the second part of the New York Regents Exam in English, you will be asked to
• read an informational article and a related chart or graph
• answer ten multiple-choice questions on key ideas from BOTH the article and the chart or graph
• use information from BOTH the article and the chart or graph to write an essay based on an
imaginary situation
You can use the reading strategies you have learned to help you understand the two texts. The following
specific steps will help you succeed on this part of the exam.
Before Reading
Read the Situation on the first page of the section carefully. The Situation introduces an imaginary scenario
for which you will need to write an informative or persuasive essay using information from the both texts.
Understanding what you will be asked to write gives you hints about the topic of the article and chart or
graph; you can use these hints to make predictions about what you will find in the passages.
Understanding the situation will also help you underline or take notes on key details from the passages as
you read them. Read the following sample Situation:
The Situation: Your school district is suffering from a budget crunch. To save money,
school officials are considering eliminating the speech, drama, and creative writing
programs, which they consider to be unnecessary. Write a persuasive column for your
community newspaper arguing that the school board should or should not eliminate
these programs.
As you read the Situation, notice the topic, audience, and purpose for the writing task. For the example
above, these elements are:
Topic: elimination of speech, drama, and creative writing programs
Audience: readers of the community newspaper
Purpose: to persuade
Think about what you already know or believe about the topic of the essay you will be asked to write.
Begin to predict what may be described in the passage. Make a plan for capturing important information
from the passages as you read. For example, you might choose to underline or circle key details or jot
your conclusions in the margin of the text as you read.
During Reading
Use the reading strategies you have learned throughout the year to read the article and visual element
actively.
1. Read with a purpose.
2. Connect to prior knowledge.
3. Write things down.
4. Make predictions.
5. Visualize.
6. Use text organization.
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7. Tackle difficult vocabulary.
8. Monitor your reading progress.
As you read, note key details and draw conclusions about how the article and chart or graph relate to
the Situation.
After Reading
Answer the multiple-choice questions. Then turn back to the first page of the section and read Your Task.
Your Task:
Using relevant information from both documents, write a persuasive community
newspaper column arguing that the school board should or should not eliminate
speech, drama, and creative writing programs at your school.
This sentence summarizes what you are being asked to write and reminds you to use information from
both the article and the chart or graph.
Next, quickly read over the bulleted list of guidelines. You will return to these later to help you revise and
proofread your response.
Use your marked-up copy of the documents and the answers to the multiple-choice questions to make an
outline of your essay. Use specific details from the passage to support each of your main points.
When your outline is complete, draft your essay. Remember that an essay has three main parts: an
introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
Your introduction should contain the following:
• necessary background information
• the thesis, or main idea, of your essay
Jamesville Public Schools are facing tight economic times, and the school board has
taken on the difficult task of cutting costs. One proposal is to eliminate the speech,
drama, and creative writing programs. While I understand the difficulty of finding ways
to save money, I urge the school board to reconsider this plan. There is evidence that
participating in such programs enhances students’ chances of future success.
Write one body paragraph for each main idea in your essay. Fill each body paragraph with supporting
details from your outline.
Participating in speech, drama, and creative writing increases students’ ability to use
language effectively. According to a study sponsored by The 52nd Street Project, a
drama mentorship program, students involved in drama programs scored an average of
18% higher on the verbal portion of the SAT than students who had no such experience.
In addition, students reported increased self-confidence about public speaking and more
comfort in interpersonal interactions after being involved in the program for one year.
Students who participated in a creative writing mentorship program scored higher on
standardized tests of writing ability than did those who had never taken creative writing.
continued
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Students in Jamesville Public Schools deserve an opportunity to develop their verbal
abilities, which will be important not just in high school but also in future careers.
The conclusion should contain:
• a restatement of the main idea in slightly different words
• a final statement that moves the reader to act or think
Evidence suggests that participation in speech, drama, and creative writing activities
help students develop verbal skills, increase their confidence and self-esteem, and
succeed in college and beyond. While balancing the district budget is an important
priority, education and future student success must be a greater priority. Please attend
Monday’s school board meeting and urge board members not to cut speech, drama, and
creative writing programs.
Once you have drafted your essay, review the guidelines on the first page of the section. Make sure you
have met each guideline. Proofread your essay for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization,
and usage.
EXERCISE
Directions: Read “The Susan B. Anthony Dollar” and study the chart, answer the multiple-choice
questions, and write a response based on the situation described below. You may use the margins to take
notes as you read and scrap paper to plan your response.
The Situation: Your economics class has been debating the usefulness of dollar coins. Your
team believes that dollar coins save money and that the Treasury Department should
reissue them. To prepare for your role on the team that is arguing for the use of dollar
coins, choose a dollar coin and write a persuasive speech arguing for the reissuing of it.
Your Task:
Using relevant information from both documents, write a persuasive speech on why a particular dollar
coin should be reissued.
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Tell your audience what they need to know to be convinced that the dollar coin you
have chosen should be reissued
• Use specific, accurate, and relevant information from the text and the chart to
support your argument
• Use a tone and level of language appropriate for a persuasive speech for an economics
class
• Organize your ideas in a logical and coherent manner
• Indicate any words taken directly from the text by using quotation marks or referring
to the author
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
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“The Susan B. Anthony Dollar”
On October 10, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Susan B. Anthony
Dollar Act, authorizing the United States Mint to manufacture small-sized dollars,
dated 1979 to 1981. The historical significance of Susan B. Anthony’s portrait on the
silver dollar lies in her contributions to the women’s movement. The coin symbolizes
the long and difficult struggle of American women to obtain equal rights, a struggle to
which Susan B. Anthony dedicated her life.
The United States Mint and the Treasury Department originally intended the new
dollar coin to carry a “Flowing Hair Liberty” instead of Anthony’s portrait. A political
controversy erupted when Representative Mary Rose Oakar introduced a bill providing
for the portrait of Susan B. Anthony. For more than 115 years, the only female images
to appear on coins had been allegorical female figures known simply as “Miss Liberty.”
The only male figures to appear on currency had all been United States presidents.
Despite opposition, both houses of Congress approved the use of Anthony’s portrait.
The Anthony dollar quickly earned the nickname the “mini-dollar,” since it was 30
percent smaller than its predecessor, the Eisenhower dollar. The creation of a smaller
coin was primarily an economic consideration. The Treasury Department estimated
that replacing the Eisenhower dollar with mini-dollars would result in savings of 4.5
million dollars. Even greater savings were projected by replacing circulating paper
dollar notes with the mini-dollar coin, since the dollar coin would have a 15-year
estimated service life, while a $1 note had only an 18-month life span. It was also
intended to broaden the scope of the vending machine industry and increase efficiency
of automated coin returns for cashiers. Its eleven-sided inner border was designed to
provide physical recognition for the visually challenged.
The American Banker’s Association opposed the production of the coin, however,
fearing that the Treasury did not have an adequate plan to promote the circulation of
the coin. While representatives of the vending-machine industry endorsed the concept
of a smaller dollar coin, they failed to convert equipment to accommodate the new
coin.
Hindsight proved the bankers’ concerns to be justified when the coin failed to catch
on with the public. Many people rejected the Anthony dollar because they confused it
with the quarter, and the majority of vending machines did not accept the new coin.
Production of Susan B. Anthony dollars ceased in 1981.
By the late 1990s, the reserves of the Susan B. Anthony dollar were running low
and the U.S. Mint determined that a new dollar coin was needed. In December 1997,
Congress passed a law entitled “The United States Dollar Coin Act of 1997,” to create
a new dollar coin. To learn about the process of selecting and designing the new
Sacagawea dollar coin, visit http://www. usmint.gov/,the Internet site of the United
States Mint.
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CHART
United States Dollar Coins
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Coin
Mintage Years
Weight
Interesting Facts
Morgan Silver Dollar
1878–1921
26.73 grams
What used to be the most common silver
dollar is now one of the scarcest, making
this coin very desirable among coin
collectors.
Peace Silver Dollar
1921–1935
26.73 grams
This is the first coin to celebrate peace.
It was issued following the end of
World War I.
Eisenhower Silver
Dollar
1971–1978
24.59 grams
(silver-clad)
This coin was conceived to commemorate
President Dwight Eisenhower and the
Apollo XI space flight, which resulted in
mankind’s first landing on the moon.
Susan B. Anthony
Dollar
1979–1981,
1999
8.1 grams
This coin is the first U. S. coin to feature
an image of an individual woman.
American Eagle
Silver Dollar
1986–Present
1 ounce
of silver
This uncirculated coin is considered the
most beautiful coin ever minted as it
pictures Adolph A. Weinman’s design of
“Walking Liberty.”
Sacagawea Dollar
2000–Present
8.1 grams
Randy’L He-dow Teton, a twenty-two year
old Shoshone Indian from New Mexico,
modeled for this new dollar coin (which is
also known as the “golden dollar”).
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Multiple-Choice Questions
Directions (1–10): Select the best suggested answer to each question. The questions may help you think
about ideas and information you might want to use in your writing. You may return to these questions
anytime you wish.
1. Some consider dollar coins economically wise
because
6. The Susan B. Anthony dollar might have been
more successful if
(1) they stimulate spending
(1) it were smaller
(2) they are cheaper to make than paper
dollars
(2) it were made of pure silver
(3) they force changes in vending machines
(4) vending machines had
accommodated it
(4) they have a longer lifespan than paper
dollar notes
(3) it were gold rather than silver
7. According to the chart, the heaviest coin is
2. According to the article, the Susan B. Anthony
dollar was a failure because
(1) it was poorly designed
(2) the American Eagle silver dollar
(3) the Eisenhower silver dollar
(2) its use was not promoted
(4) the Sacagawea dollar
(3) it was easily lost
(4) men opposed the idea of having a
woman’s image on a coin
3. Before the Susan B. Anthony dollar, coins
8. According to the chart, all EXCEPT which of the
following coins was conceived to honor
something or someone?
(1) the Morgan silver dollar
(1) never featured a historical woman
(2) the Eisenhower silver dollar
(2) were imprinted with archetypal images
only
(3) the Peace silver dollar
(3) never featured images of people
(4) were rarely used
(4) the Susan B. Anthony dollar
9. According to the chart, the Sacagawea dollar is
most different from the other dollars because
4. Based on the article, Susan B. Anthony’s
portrait was chosen in order to
(1) appease angry feminists
(2) appease Representative Mary Rose Oakar
(3) commemorate Anthony’s contributions to
the women’s movement
(4) encourage women to spend more money
5. According to the article, the PRIMARY reason
why the public rejected the coin was because
(1) it was too large
(2) the public preferred paper money over
coins
(3) it was similar to a quarter
(4) the picture was unappealing
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(1) the Morgan silver dollar
(1) it is named after a real woman
(2) it is gold in color
(3) it is the smallest dollar coin
(4) it is the first coin to feature a Native
American
10. The dollar coin MOST similar to the Susan B.
Anthony dollar is the
(1) Peace silver dollar
(2) American Eagle silver dollar
(3) Sacagawea dollar
(4) Eisenhower silver dollar
After you have finished these questions,
review The Situation, Your Task, and the
Guidelines. Use scrap paper to plan your
response. Then write your response
beginning on the next page.
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Succeeding on Session Two, Part A
On day two of the New York Regents Exam in English, the first part of the exam will ask you to
• read two excerpts from literary texts (poems, essays, plays, or stories)
• answer ten multiple-choice questions on key ideas from BOTH texts
• use ideas, literary elements, and literary techniques from BOTH texts to write a unified essay on a
subject specified in the Your Task section of the instructions.
You can use the reading strategies you have learned to help you understand and interpret the two texts.
The following specific steps will help you succeed on this part of the exam.
Before Reading
Read Your Task on the first page of the section carefully. This section contains the topic about which you
will be asked to write. Understanding what you will be asked to write gives you hints about the themes of
the two passages you will be reading; you can use these hints to make predictions about what you will
find in the passages. Knowing the topic of the essay you will be asked to write will also allow you to
underline or take notes on key ideas from the passage that you will include in your essay. Read the
following sample Your Task:
Your Task:
After you have read the passages and answered the multiple-choice questions, write a
unified essay about relationships and individuality as they are revealed in the passages. In
your essay, use ideas from both passages to establish a controlling idea about how
individuality is related to relationships. Using evidence from each passage, develop your
controlling idea and show how the author uses specific literary elements or techniques to
convey that idea.
As you read Your Task, underline the topic about which you must write. In the example above, the topic
is “relationships and individuality.” This tells you that both passages will have something to do with these
two ideas. You can use this information to make your first predictions about what will happen in the texts.
You should also keep the essay topic in mind as you read. Make a plan for capturing important
information from the passages. For example, you might choose to underline or circle key details and draw
conclusions about individuality and relationships in the margins.
During Reading
Use the reading strategies you have learned throughout the year to read both passages actively.
1. Read with a purpose.
2. Connect to prior knowledge.
3. Write things down.
4. Make predictions.
5. Visualize.
6. Use text organization.
7. Tackle difficult vocabulary.
8. Monitor your reading progress.
As you read, note key details and literary elements. Also, draw conclusions about how the passages relate
to the essay topic.
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After Reading
Answer the multiple-choice questions. Then turn back to the first page of the section and review Your
Task. The assignment is to write a “unified essay” on the specified topic. A unified essay is one that is
governed by a single controlling idea, or thesis.
Your first challenge is to develop a controlling idea, which is a single sentence that sums up what the two
passages say about the topic.
Relationships that bind too tightly hamper one’s ability to reach one’s full potential as
an individual.
The controlling idea should apply to both passages. In the example, the two passages are a story about a
woman traveling across the country with her dying husband and a poem about a speaker who walks
away from the demands of others in order to live her own life. In both passages, protagonists struggle
with ties that bind them too closely to others and prevent them from being fully themselves.
Once you have expressed your controlling idea, make a graphic organizer like the one below. Under each
title, list ideas, details, and literary elements or techniques that support the controlling idea.
Controlling idea: Relationships that bind too tightly hamper one’s ability to reach one’s full potential
as an individual.
“A Journey” by Edith Wharton
• main character feels “a sense of separation”
from her husband’s illness; she is looking
forward to returning to New York even though
she knows it will mean his death
• personification of their energies: “Now their
energies no longer kept step; hers still bounded
ahead of life, preempting unclaimed regions of
hope and activity, while his lagged behind,
vainly struggling to overtake her”
• main character has not had a chance to really
live
“The Journey” by Mary Oliver
• voices “shouting their bad advice” synecdoche
for all the people making emotional demands
on speaker
• hyperbole: house trembling and people crying
“Mend my life!”
• the stars that “began to burn” symbolize
speaker’s true life beginning
• speaker is “determined to do / the only thing
you could do— / determined to save / the only
life you could save”
• journey to New York a symbol of journey to her
renewed life
• she feels that “life had a grudge against her:
she was never to be allowed to spread her
wings”
• when husband dies, she has to keep it secret in
order to get back to her life in New York
• must withdraw from other passengers who try
to help
• finally withdraws completely by losing
consciousness
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When your graphic organizer is complete, draft your essay. Remember that an essay has three main parts:
an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
Your introduction should contain the following:
• controlling idea
• titles and authors of both passages
• explanation of how each passage develops the controlling idea
Most people value their relationships with friends and family very highly; at the same
time, those relationships—and the expectations that come with them—can sometimes
feel suffocating. Both “A Journey” by Edith Wharton and “The Journey” by Mary
Oliver deal with relationships that bind someone too tightly to another person and
hamper that person’s ability to reach her full potential as an individual.
Write at least one body paragraph for each passage. Include a topic sentence that explains how the
passage develops the controlling idea. Then fill in the supporting details from your graphic organizer.
Remember to include only one major idea in each paragraph.
The speaker in “The Journey” struggles to do what she needs to do and not what other
people want her to do for them. As the poem begins, she forces herself to ignore the
voices around her who “keep shouting / their bad advice” and crying out for her to fix
their lives. Mary Oliver uses figurative language and striking images to dramatize the
inner conflict of the speaker. She writes that needy people “tug” at the speaker’s ankles,
and that the very house “trembles” as she tries to leave. The road away is littered with
“fallen / branches and stones.” These images are examples of hyperbole that effectively
convey how the speaker’s decision to take care of herself is figuratively “earthshaking.”
The reader gets the sense that the speaker is walking away from the collective babble
and chaos of a crowd or a storm. As the speaker moves away from these demands, she
notices that “the stars began to burn / through the sheet of clouds.” The stars
symbolize the clean, pure light that the speaker can see now that the clouds of others’
ideas have parted. At the same time, she hears “a new voice,” which she recognizes as
her own. Finally, away from those relationships that held her back, she can experience
her own individuality and “save / the only life [she] could save,” which is her own.
The conclusion should contain:
• restatement of the controlling idea in slightly different words
• final reference to the titles of both works
“A Journey” and “The Journey,” in their language and ideas, trace a person’s journey
from restrictive relationships toward individuality. In both works, someone enters a new
life that will be based more on personal choice than external demands.
Once you have drafted your essay, review the guidelines on the first page of the section. Make sure you
have met each guideline. Proofread your essay for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization,
and usage.
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EXERCISE
Directions: Read “Ambush” on pages 993–995 of your textbook and “I Will Fight No More Forever” on
page 433. Then answer the multiple-choice questions that follow. Finally, write the essay described in Your
Task below. You may use the margins to take notes as you read and scrap paper to plan your response.
Your Task:
After you have read the passages and answered the multiple-choice questions, write a
unified essay about the effects of war as revealed in the passages. In your essay, use ideas
from both passages to establish a controlling idea about how war impacts those who
fight. Using evidence from each passage, develop your controlling idea and show how
the author uses specific literary elements or techniques to convey that idea.
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Use ideas from both passages to establish a controlling idea about the effects of war
on its survivors
• Use specific and relevant evidence from each passage to develop your controlling idea
• Show how each author uses specific literary elements (for example: theme,
characterization, structure, point of view) or techniques (for example: symbolism,
irony, figurative language) to convey the controlling idea
• Organize your ideas in a logical and coherent manner
• Use language that communicates ideas effectively
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
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Multiple-Choice Questions
Directions (1–10): Select the best suggested answer to each question. The questions may help you think
about the ideas and information you might want to use in your essay. You may return to these questions
anytime you wish.
Passage I (the short story)—Questions 1–5 refer to
Passage I.
1. When his daughter asks him if he has ever
killed anyone, the narrator
Passage II (the speech)—Questions 6–10 refer to
Passage II.
6. All of the following are reasons why the speaker
is tired of fighting EXCEPT
(1) tells her the story he later wrote as
“Ambush”
(1) the chiefs are dead
(2) lies to her
(3) people are starving
(3) tells her the truth but then comforts her
(4) the young men are dying
(2) the old men are dead
(4) avoids the question
7. Why does the speaker mention the sun?
2. The man on the trail is described as
(1) The sun is a symbol of time.
(1) menacing and dangerous
(2) The heat has contributed to his surrender.
(2) young and unarmed
(3) He believes in a sun god.
(3) watchful and suspicious
(4) He is referring to the east, where the sun is
rising.
(4) relaxed and vulnerable
3. The imagery in this story contributes to a
mood of
(1) loneliness
(3) confusion
(2) joy
(4) anger
4. Why does the narrator kill the man?
8. The tone of the speech can be best described as
(1) determined
(3) confident
(2) deceitful
(4) resigned
9. What is the effect of the short sentences in this
passage?
(1) He recognizes him as an enemy.
(1) They make the speech choppy.
(2) He is afraid of him.
(2) They reflect the speaker’s despair.
(3) He wants to protect his sleeping partner.
(3) They create an energetic, staccato tone.
(4) He recognizes that it is his job as a soldier.
(4) They make the speaker sound less
intelligent than he is.
5. Which of the following details provides the
STRONGEST evidence that the narrator regrets
having killed the man?
(1) writing a story about the experience
(2) wanting to tell his daughter about the
experience
10. Which of the following statements best
describes the speaker’s attitude towards war?
(1) War is necessary when you are fighting for
your rights.
(3) imagining the man surviving the encounter
(2) War is justified when you are defending
yourself and your family.
(4) listening to Kiowa’s justification of what the
narrator has done
(3) War is the product of one group thinking
they are superior to another.
(4) War results in senseless killing.
After you have finished these questions, review Your Task and the Guidelines. Use scrap
paper to plan your response. Then write your response beginning on the next page.
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Succeeding on Session Two, Part B
On day two of the New York Regents Exam in English, the second part of the exam will ask you to
• read a quotation, called a “critical lens,” about life or literature
• think about what this quotation means and whether you agree or disagree with it
• write a unified essay about how the critical lens relates to any two works of literature you have read
Begin by reading Your Task and the Guidelines. These give you an overview of what you should do. If you
follow the Guidelines completely, you will score well on this section of the exam. The Guidelines are
always the same:
• Provide a valid interpretation of the critical lens that clearly establishes the criteria for analysis
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it
• Choose two works you have read that you believe best support your opinion
• Use the criteria suggested by the critical lens to analyze the works you have chosen
• Avoid plot summary. Instead, use specific references to appropriate literary elements (for example:
theme, characterization, setting, point of view) to develop your analysis
• Organize your ideas in a unified and coherent manner
• Specify the titles and authors of the literature you choose
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
Interpreting the Critical Lens
The critical lens is a statement by a writer about literature or life.
“All literature is protest. You can’t name a single literary work that isn’t protest.”
—Richard Wright (adapted)
Read the quotation carefully and think about what it means. Then rewrite the critical lens in your own
words.
Every work of literature in some way protests against something that is wrong.
Decide whether you agree or disagree with the quotation. Think of two works of literature you have read
that either support the quotation or show that the quotation is untrue. These works can be novels, short
stories, plays, poems, or memoirs.
It is true that most works of literature protest against something. Two books that reveal
this to be true are Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Elie Wiesel’s Night.
Planning Your Essay
Once you have identified the two works of literature, you need to gather ideas about them that support
the critical lens. One way to gather ideas is to create a graphic organizer in which you list the two works
of literature and then, under each, ideas, literary elements, and literary techniques from the work that
support the critical lens.
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Critical Lens: “All literature is protest. You can’t name a single literary work that isn’t protest.”
—Richard Wright
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Night by Elie Wiesel
• theme of how motherhood was distorted by
slavery
• characterization of Sethe and Beloved as
damaged by slavery and motivated to do
horrible things to avoid it
• conflict between Sethe and former owner
• symbol of scar on Sethe’s back that looked like
a tree
• theme of inhumanity of the Holocaust
• dramatic irony created by reader’s knowledge
of what will happen to the characters even
when such a fate is unimaginable to them
• figurative language such as similes and
metaphors comparing unthinkable acts to
things more familiar
• symbol of “night” as a period of great darkness
in history
Drafting Your Essay
When your graphic organizer is complete, draft your essay. Remember that an essay has three main parts:
an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
Your introduction should contain the following:
• an interpretation of the critical lens
• titles and authors of both works
• an explanation of how each work supports the interpretation of the critical lens
“All literature is protest. You can’t name a single literary work that isn’t protest.” These
words, written by Richard Wright, express the idea that every work of literature
protests in some way against a real or perceived injustice. Two works that support this
notion are Beloved by Toni Morrison and Night by Elie Wiesel. Toni Morrison’s novel
protests against the institution of slavery and the scars it left on those who suffered
under it. Elie Wiesel’s memoir of his experiences during the Holocaust gives voice to
the atrocities that took place during that time.
Write at least one body paragraph for each of your two works. Include a topic sentence that explains how
the passage supports your interpretation of the critical lens. Then fill in the supporting details from your
graphic organizer. Remember to include only one major idea in each paragraph.
Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved is a blazing indictment of the dehumanizing institution of
slavery. The theme, characterization, conflict, and symbolism in the book all work to
show how slavery has distorted the lives even of slaves who have reached freedom in the
North. In this book, Sethe, an escaped slave, slits the throat of her young child rather
than have that child taken back into slavery. This action, which would be considered
barbaric under other circumstances, shows the reader how slavery has distorted the idea
of motherhood, one of the themes of the book. For Sethe, killing her child is an act of
motherly love. Many years later, a young woman with the needs and mental abilities of
a baby shows up at Sethe’s house, and she and her daughter Denver believe that the
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woman is the ghost of the baby Sethe killed, who is known in the book only as Beloved.
They call the young woman Beloved as well. Gradually, the needy Beloved begins to
take over the household with her intense physical and emotional needs. The primary
conflict in the book is between this adult baby Beloved and Sethe, whom she both loves
and destroys as she eats up all the food in the house. This conflict shows that both
Sethe and Beloved are severely damaged as a result of slavery and the act slavery drove
Sethe to take against her baby. This damage is physically symbolized on Sethe’s body by
a huge scar on her back. In one of the book’s healing moments, Sethe’s lover says that
scar looks to him like a tree, a beautiful living thing. All of these elements come
together in Morrison’s novel to raise a powerful protest against slavery and the damage
it did to so many people.
Remember to write a paragraph like the one above about each work you have chosen.
The conclusion should contain:
• a restatement of your interpretation of the critical lens
• a final reference to the titles of both works
Both Beloved and Night protest against injustices perceived by the characters and the
authors. Works like these two demonstrate how literature serves to highlight and maybe
even to change unjust conditions or situations.
Revising and Proofreading Your Essay
Once you have drafted your essay, review the guidelines on the first page of the section. Make sure you
have met each guideline. Proofread your essay for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization,
and usage.
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EXERCISE
Your Task:
Write a critical essay in which you discuss two works of literature you have read from the particular
perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the Critical Lens. In your essay, provide a valid
interpretation of the statement, agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it, and
support your opinion using specific references to appropriate literary elements from the two works. You
may use scrap paper to plan your response. Write your essay beginning on the next page.
Critical Lens:
“The [writer’s] voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props,
the pillars to help him endure and prevail.”
—William Faulkner
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Provide a valid interpretation of the critical lens that clearly establishes the criteria for
analysis
• Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the statement as you have interpreted it
• Choose two works you have read that you believe best support your opinion
• Use the criteria suggested by the critical lens to analyze the works you have chosen
• Avoid plot summary. Instead, use specific references to appropriate literary elements
(for example: theme, characterization, setting, point of view) to develop your analysis
• Organize your ideas in a unified and coherent manner
• Specify the titles and authors of the literature you choose
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
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Understanding How Regents Exam Essays Are Scored
Understanding how your essays will be evaluated will help you score better on the exam. The essays for
all four sections are judged by the same five criteria.
1. Meaning: the extent to which the response exhibits sound understanding, interpretation, and
analysis of the task and text(s). To do well on this criterion, you must understand the text(s) you are
given, understand what the task asks you to do, and draw some conclusions from the text(s) rather
than just copying details from it.
2. Development: the extent to which ideas are elaborated using specific and relevant evidence from
the texts. To do well on this criterion, you must pick from the text(s) details that fit the task and use
those details to make your points.
3. Organization: the extent to which the response exhibits direction, shape, and coherence. To do
well on this criterion, you must include an introduction that states the main point of your essay,
make each body paragraph support that main idea, use transitional words and phrases to show how
your ideas relate to each other, and include a conclusion that restates your main point.
4. Language Use: the extent to which the response reveals an awareness of audience and purpose
through effective use of words, sentence structure, and sentence variety. To do well on this criterion,
you must use words that are appropriate for the task and audience, use varied sentences (some short
and some long, some simple and some more complex), and write in a natural voice.
5. Conventions: the extent to which the response exhibits conventional spelling, punctuation,
paragraphing, capitalization, grammar, and usage. To do well on this criterion, you must check your
essay for correct spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization, grammar, and usage.
For each of these criteria, your essay will be given a score between one and six. Based on these scores, the
essay will be given an overall score. The overall scores on each essay, plus the scores on the multiplechoice sections, are input into a formula that yields your final score on the exam.
EXERCISE
1. Examine the scoring rubrics your teacher has photocopied for you (pages 132–135). Then reread one
of the practice essays you have written. Use the criteria in the rubric to evaluate your essay. Give
yourself a score on each criterion, and then explain the score on the lines provided.
Meaning Score: __________________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Development Score: ______________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________________
Organization Score: ________________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Language Use Score: ______________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Conventions Score: ________________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Now exchange practice essays with a partner and give your partner a score for each criterion as well
as comments to support that score.
Meaning Score: ____________________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Development Score:
______________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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Organization Score: ________________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Language Use Score: ______________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Conventions Score: ________________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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New York Regents Exam Practice,
Grade 11
— Unit 1 Test —
Session Two, Part A
Reading and Writing for Literary Response
Directions: Read the passages on the following pages (a spiritual and an excerpt from an autobiography).
Answer the multiple-choice questions that follow. Then write the essay described in Your Task below. You
may use the margins to take notes as you read and scrap paper to plan your response.
Your Task:
After you have read the passages and answered the multiple-choice
questions, write a unified essay about the power of song and singing
in African-American culture under slavery. In your essay, use ideas
from both passages to establish a controlling idea about the power of
song and singing. Using evidence from each passage, develop your
controlling idea and show how the author uses specific literary
elements or techniques to convey that idea.
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Use ideas from both passages to establish a controlling idea about the power of song
and singing in African-American culture under slavery
• Use specific and relevant evidence from each passage to develop your controlling idea
• Show how each author uses specific literary elements (for example: theme,
characterization, structure, point of view) or techniques (for example: symbolism,
irony, figurative language) to convey the controlling idea
• Organize your ideas in a logical and coherent manner
• Use language that communicates ideas effectively
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
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Passage I
“Steal Away”
Anonymous
1
My lord calls me, He calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds within my soul, I don’t have long to stay here.
Chorus
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus.
Steal away, steal away home, I don’t have long to stay here.
2
Green trees are bending, poor sinner, they stand trembling,
The trumpet sounds within my soul, I don’t have long to stay here.
Chorus
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus.
Steal away, steal away home, I don’t have long to stay here.
3
My Lord he calls me, He calls me by the lightning,
The trumpet sounds within my soul, I don’t have long to stay here.
Chorus
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus.
Steal away, steal away home, I don’t have long to stay here.
Passage II
Excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,
an American Slave, Written by Himself
by Frederick Douglass
The slaves selected to go to the Great House Farm, for the monthly allowance
for themselves and their fellow slaves, were peculiarly enthusiastic. While on their
way, they would make the dense old woods, for miles around, reverberate with their
wild songs, revealing at once the highest joy and the deepest sadness. They would
compose and sing as they went along, consulting neither time nor tune. The thought
that came up, came out—if not in the word, in the sound—and as frequently in the
one as in the other. They would sometimes sing the most pathetic sentiment in the
most rapturous tone, and the most rapturous sentiment in the most pathetic tone.
Into all of their songs they would manage to weave something of the Great House
Farm. Especially would they do this when leaving home. They would then sing most
exultingly the following words:
I am going away to the Great House Farm!
O, yea! O, yea! O!
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This they would sing, as a chorus, to words which to many would seem
unmeaning jargon, but which, nevertheless, were full of meaning to themselves. I
have sometimes thought that the mere hearing of those songs would do more to
impress some minds with the horrible character of slavery, than the reading of
whole volumes of philosophy on the subject could do.
I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and
apparently incoherent songs. I was myself within the circle; so that I neither saw nor
heard as those without might see and hear. They told a tale of woe which was then
altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; they were tones loud, long, and deep;
they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest
anguish. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for
deliverance from chains. The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit,
and filled me with ineffable sadness. I have frequently found myself in tears while
hearing them. The mere recurrence to those songs, even now, afflicts me; and while I
am writing these lines, an expression of feeling has already found its way down my
cheek. To those songs I trace my first glimmering conception of the dehumanizing
character of slavery. I can never get rid of that conception. Those songs still follow
me, to deepen my hatred of slavery, and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in
bonds. If any one wishes to be impressed with the soul-killing effects of slavery, let
him go to Colonel Lloyd’s plantation, and, on allowance-day, place himself in the
deep pine woods; and there let him, in silence, analyze the sounds that shall pass
through the chambers of his soul, and if he is not thus impressed, it will only be
because “there is no flesh in his obdurate heart.”
I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who
could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and
happiness. It is impossible to conceive of a greater mistake. Slaves sing most when they
are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is
relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears. At least, such is my
experience. I have often sung to drown my sorrow, but seldom to express my
happiness. Crying for joy, and singing for joy, were alike uncommon to me while in the
jaws of slavery. The singing of a man cast away upon a desolate island might be as
appropriately considered as evidence of contentment and happiness, as the singing of a
slave; the songs of the one and of the other are prompted by the same emotion.
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Multiple-Choice Questions
Directions (1–10): Select the best suggested answer to each question. The questions may help you think
about the ideas and information you might want to use in your essay. You may return to these questions
anytime you wish.
Passage I (the spiritual)—Questions 1–5 refer to
Passage I.
1. This song is about
(1) becoming a Christian
(2) playing in a jazz band
(3) getting ready to move from one town
to another
(4) dying and going to Heaven
2. The singer sees signs of change coming in
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
music and preaching
nature and the speaker’s feelings
others’ words and music
nature and books
sneak without being noticed
take something that does not belong to one
brace oneself for
make out of a hard metal
4. In this song, the singer feels he or she is moving
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
away from a beloved home
into a new phase of maturity
toward a better life
away from a beautiful place
5. When this song was sung by slaves, it MOST
LIKELY indicated
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
6. According to the narrator, the songs the slaves
sung in the forest were MOSTLY
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
made up lyrics
love songs
African folk songs
songs learned from books
7. We can infer from the text that the “Great
House Farm” symbolizes
(1) wealth
(2) freedom
3. The word steal in this passage means
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Passage II (the excerpt from an autobiography)—
Questions 6–10 refer to Passage II.
contentment with their lives
anger at the way they were being treated
longing to escape to the free North
desire to steal from their masters
(3) torment
(4) captivity
8. According to the text, which of the following
sentences BEST describes the purpose of the
slaves’ songs?
(1) The songs were an entertaining way to pass
the time as they walked through the woods.
(2) The songs were designed to persuade
masters to free their slaves.
(3) The songs expressed the slaves’ joy and
contentment.
(4) The songs expressed deep sorrow and
longing for a better life.
9. The comparison of slave songs to the songs of a
man on a deserted island suggests that
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
slave songs are songs of desolation
slaves feel deserted
African Americans are superior musicians
slaves were happier when left alone
10. According to the narrator, slaves sing most
when they are
(1) happy
(2) hungry
(3) working
(4) sad
After you have finished these questions, review Your Task and the Guidelines.
Use scrap paper to plan your response. Then write your response beginning on
the next page.
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New York Regents Exam Practice,
Grade 11
— Unit 2 Test —
Session One, Part A
Listening and Writing for Information and Understanding
Overview: For this part of the text, you will listen to an account of the treatment of Native Americans by
Spaniards in the New World (from The Very Brief Relation of the Devastation of the Indies; Audio Library
Cassette 1, Side B, or CD 1, Track 8). The article you will hear focuses on the treatment of the native
inhabitants of Hispaniola, one of Christopher Columbus’s first landing spots. Then you will answer some
multiple-choice questions and write a response based on the situation described below. You will hear the
account twice. You may take notes on the next page anytime you wish during the readings.
The Situation: Every year, the elementary schools in your school
district celebrate the discovery and exploration of the New World by
Christopher Columbus and other Europeans. Students are taught
little about the Native Americans who lived here before Columbus
arrived or what happened to them after his arrival. Write a persuasive
speech, in which you convince the school board to make this
celebration more accurate by reflecting the point of view of Native
Americans. In preparation for writing your position paper, listen to
this account of the treatment of Native Americans, or “Indians.”
Then use relevant information from the account to write your
persuasive speech.
Your Task: Write a persuasive speech, in which you argue that the elementary school celebrations of
Columbus’s discovery of America should be changed.
Guidelines:
Be sure to
• Tell your audience what they need to know to understand why the current
celebration of Columbus’s arrival is unbalanced
• Use specific, accurate, and relevant information from the account to support your
argument
• Use a tone and level of language appropriate for a persuasive speech for the school
board
• Organize your ideas in a logical and coherent manner
• Indicate any words taken directly from the account by using quotation marks or
referring to the source
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
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NOTES
DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO
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Multiple-Choice Questions
Directions (1–6): Use your notes to answer the following questions about the passage you just heard. Select
the best suggested answer. The questions may help you think about ideas and information you might use in
your writing. You may return to these questions anytime you wish.
4. Indian slaves were used primarily to
1. The setting of this report is
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
the eastern coast of America
an island off the coast of the Americas
a province in Spain
the first land to be populated by slaves
2. How did the native Caribbean peoples react to
the arrival of the Spanish?
(1) They viciously attacked the explorers.
(2) They fled to the mountains to hide from the
newcomers.
(3) They worshiped the newcomers, believing
they were from Heaven.
(4) They stole food and supplies from the
Spanish ships.
3. Which of the following acts toward the native
population does the writer NOT report?
(1) The Spanish raped the native wives.
(2) The Spanish brought dogs that attacked and
devoured native inhabitants.
(3) The Spanish converted the natives to
Christianity.
(4) The Spanish made the natives into slaves.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
work on plantations
serve in Spanish homes
work in mines
dive for pearls
5. Which of the following sentences BEST
describes conditions on the slave ships?
(1) Indians are crowded, starved, and deprived
of water; the dead are thrown overboard.
(2) Excess slaves are thrown overboard and
devoured by sharks.
(3) Spanish slaves are kept chained in the hold,
where they are fed only codfish.
(4) Slave ships often encounter the dead bodies
of unsuccessful pearl divers in the water.
6. The author of this selection is
(1) a Spanish person who witnessed the events
described
(2) an American historian who has researched
these events
(3) a native inhabitant of the islands where all
of this happened
(4) a modern novelist writing historical fiction
After you have finished these questions, review The Situation, Your Task, and
the Guidelines. Use scrap paper to plan your response. Then write your response
beginning on the next page.
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Scoring Guide
Succeeding on Session One, Part A
Test-Taking Skills Practice Worksheets
Understanding the New York Regents Exam
1. On the first day, these two segments of the
exam are administered: Listening and Writing
for Information and Understanding and
Reading and Writing for Information and
Understanding. On the second day, these two
segments of the exam are administered:
Reading and Writing for Literary Response and
Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis.
2. Responses will vary.
3. Responses will vary.
4. Responses will vary.
5. Responses will vary.
Answering Multiple-Choice Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2
1
1
4
4
Answering Reading and Listening
Comprehension Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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2
4
3
1
2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
3
3
4
2
1
1
Writing Task: Help students become familiar
with the Session One, Part A Scoring Rubric
(page 132). Then have students work in groups
to evaluate each other’s papers. Each student’s
essay should be evaluated by every other
student in the group. Group members can then
discuss their understanding of each criterion for
evaluation and learn to evaluate their own work
more accurately. Sample anchor papers at each
scoring level can be found in the scoring guides
on the New York State Assessment website at
http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/
regenteng.html.
Succeeding on Session One, Part B
1. 4
2. 2
3. 1
4. 3
5. 3
6. 4
7. 1
8. 1
9. 2
10. 3
Writing Task: Help students become familiar with
the Session One, Part B Scoring Rubric (page 133).
Then have students work in groups to evaluate
each other’s papers. Each student’s essay should
be evaluated by every other student in the group.
Group members can then discuss their
understanding of each criterion for evaluation and
learn to evaluate their own work more accurately.
Sample anchor papers at each scoring level can be
found in the scoring guides on the New York State
Assessment website at
http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/
regenteng.html.
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Succeeding on Session Two, Part A
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
2
4
3
2
3
4
1
4
2
4
Grade 11
New York Regents Practice Exams
Unit 1
Writing Task: Help students become familiar
with the Session Two, Part A Scoring Rubric
(page 134). Then have students work in groups
to evaluate each other’s papers. Each student’s
essay should be evaluated by every other
student in the group. Group members can then
discuss their understanding of each criterion for
evaluation and learn to evaluate their own work
more accurately. Sample anchor papers at each
scoring level can be found in the scoring guides
on the New York State Assessment website at
http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/
regenteng.html.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Succeeding on Session Two, Part B
Writing Task: Help students become familiar
with the Session Two, Part B Scoring Rubric
(page 135). Then have students work in groups
to evaluate each other’s papers. Each student’s
essay should be evaluated by every other
student in the group. Group members can then
discuss their understanding of each criterion for
evaluation and learn to evaluate their own work
more accurately. Sample anchor papers at each
scoring level can be found in the scoring guides
on the New York State Assessment website at
http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/
regenteng.html.
Understanding How Regents
Exam Essays Are Scored
1.–2. Responses will vary. Check to see that students
understand each criterion for evaluation and
can apply each to their own writing as well as
the writing of peers.
128
4
2
1
3
3
1
2
4
1
4
Writing Task: Help students become familiar
with the Session Two, Part A Scoring Rubric
(page 134). Then have students work in groups
to evaluate each other’s papers. Each student’s
essay should be evaluated by every other
student in the group. Group members can then
discuss their understanding of each criterion for
evaluation and learn to evaluate their own work
more accurately. Sample anchor papers at each
scoring level can be found in the scoring guides
on the New York State Assessment website at
http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/
regenteng.html.
Unit 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
2
4
3
4
1
2
Writing Task: Help students become familiar
with the Session One, Part A Scoring Rubric
(page 132). Then have students work in groups
to evaluate each other’s papers. Each student’s
essay should be evaluated by every other
student in the group. Group members can then
discuss their understanding of each criterion for
evaluation and learn to evaluate their own work
more accurately. Sample anchor papers at each
scoring level can be found in the scoring guides
on the New York State Assessment website at
http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/engre/
regenteng.html.
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