Training 1
Subject: English Language Arts
State: Louisiana
Student Name:
Teacher Name:
School Name:
1
Copyright 2014-2015 The Achievement Network. All Rights Reserved.
Training 1
Where do poets find inspiration for writing? Can poetry be written on demand?
Read the following poem by Naomi Shihab to see what she says about the mystery of
discovering poems. Use information from the poem to answer the questions that follow.
Valentine for Ernest Mann
by Naomi Shihab Nye
You can't order a poem like you order a taco.
Walk up to the counter, say, "I'll take two"
and expect it to be handed back to you
on a shiny plate.
Still, I like your spirit
Anyone who says, "Here's my address,
write me a poem," deserves something in reply.
So I'll tell a secret instead:
poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes,
they are sleeping. They are the shadows
drifting across our ceilings the moment
before we wake up. What we have to do
is live in a way that lets us find them.
Once I knew a man who gave his wife
two skunks for a valentine.
He couldn't understand why she was crying.
"I thought they had such beautiful eyes."
And he was serious. He was a serious man
who lived in a serious way. Nothing was ugly
just because the world said so. He really
liked those skunks. So, he re-invented them
as valentines and they became beautiful.
At least, to him. And the poems that had been hiding
in the eyes of skunks for centuries
crawled out and curled up at his feet
Maybe if we re-invent whatever our lives give us
we find poems. Check your garage, the odd sock
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in your drawer, the person you almost like, but not quite.
And let me know.
Nye, Naomi Shihab. "Valentine for Ernest Mann".
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1
What is the main idea of this poem?
A Poems cannot be ordered like food.
C Men shouldn't give their wives skunks
for a valentine gift.
B We can find poems in the most unlikely D Poems are like valentines.
places.
2
The author of the poem claims that she is
A sharing a secret with the reader.
C a very serious person.
B ordering a poem like a taco.
D a big fan of skunks.
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3
4
The poet suggests that poems might be hiding in all of the following places except
A the bottoms of our shoes.
C in the eyes of skunks.
B within a person you almost like.
D under the bed.
What is the main purpose of the repetition of the word "serious" in the fourth stanza?
A to explain that the man has no sense of
humor
C to emphasize that the man truly finds the
skunks beautiful
B to make sure the reader doesn't miss the D to give a clear definition of the word
reference
"serious"
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5
6
Read the following line from the poem. "And the poems that had been hiding
in the eyes of skunks for centuries crawled out and curled up at his feet."
According to the poem, this is a result of which occurrance?
A The man's wife starts crying.
C The man gives his wife two skunks.
B The man finds beauty in the skunks.
D The man lives his life in a serious way.
Why does the poet most likely include details about the man who gave his wife two skunks
as a valentine?
A The poet wants to show that anything is C The poet wants to teach the reader a
beautiful if we see it that way.
lesson about giving bad presents as
valentines.
B The poet wants to include a funny story D The poet wants to convince the reader of
to entertain the reader.
her belief that skunks are beautiful.
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7
8
What is the best synonym for the word "spirit" as used in the first line of the second stanza?
A ghost
C choice
B attitude
D dream
As lines 12–13 suggest, how can people find poetry in their everyday lives?
A by being inspired by what they see
around them
C by refusing to let the shadows distract
them
B by surrounding themselves with people
who are poets
D by sleeping longer in order to dream
more dreams
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9
What is the effect of the figurative language in lines 23–25?
A It describes the man in the story.
C It brings the poems to life.
B It makes the skunks less appealing.
D It describes what the skunks did.
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Training 1
Read the poem and answer the following questions.
Vacant Lot
The empty lot down the block,
Is the best place to play,
Full of wood and stray papers,
Loose gravel and clay.
5 We children know better
Just how to create
With the magical treasure
That lies past the gate.
We make imaginary kingdoms
10 From old bricks and rocks
Tarnished pennies, lengths of string,
Weathered wooden blocks
To a grownup, the woodpile
Might look a bit plain,
15 Like a bunch of old junk
Lying out in the rain.
But we kids can see
It is more than just wood.
It’s the span of a bridge
20 To a make-believe neighborhood.
It’s a castle’s tall tower,
A cave dweller’s lair,
It’s a rabbit’s tight burrow,
A creaky old stair.
25 It’s the passage we take
That leads straight to pretending.
You’re welcome to join us;
The game’s never-ending.
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10 Choose the implied theme of this poem.
A Travel to distant lands requires only a
walk and a pair of clear eyes.
C Work and play do not necessarily need
to take place at different times.
B A child learns best in an inspirational
environment.
D Ordinary items are transformed by an
extraordinary imagination.
11 In this poem, the vacant lot is a metaphor for
A emptiness.
C neglect.
B adulthood.
D possibilities.
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Read this article and answer the questions that follow.
Hearing Voices
by Sherrill Kushner
1
Would you like to be an actor, but aren’t the right age or physical type for the
part? Don’t give up: There may be a place for you in the world of voice-acting.
2
Twenty-year-old Rickey D’Shon Collins brings Tucker Foley to life in the
cartoon Danny Phantom. In addition to many appearances on television and in
movies, Rickey is a voice-over actor, someone we hear but don’t see. Rickey
has acted since he was 6, both on and off camera. After school, his grandmother
—a manager and acting coach—helped him develop his skills by doing voice
exercises and reading aloud.
3
Voice-over actors do many kinds of acting. They are the voices of cartoon
characters on television, in movies and video games, and for interactive toys.
In films, they dub conversations, replacing foreign languages with English.
They create crowd noises, make commercials, act in radio plays, and record
telephone instructions and public announcements. They narrate books on tape,
television documentaries, and even recorded museum tours.
4
Like other actors, voice-over actors need to understand scripts, interpret
characters, and breathe correctly. They have to master voice techniques, such as
pacing (how fast or slow to speak), volume (how loud or soft), and range (how
high or low). Sometimes they use their normal voices; other times they change
their voices to create different characters or noises.
5
Rickey’s manager receives his Danny Phantom scripts a few days before he
tapes each episode. She writes helpful notes on the script to guide Rickey on
speaking his part. Rickey practices, then tapes at the recording studio. He and
the other cast members sit in a soundproof booth, acting out their characters as
they read their lines into the microphones.
6
“The cartoon gets created after we record the words, so we have to imagine
everything in our mind,” says Rickey. Later, the recorded words, music, and
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sound effects are combined with the cartoon art to create the cartoon we enjoy
on TV.
7
Sound interesting? Maybe you can have a “voice” in acting after all!
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12 According to the article, Rickey Collins brings the character Tucker Foley “to life.” This
means that Rickey
A draws the character
C makes the character seem real
B names the character
D decides the future of the character
13 Which sentence from the article best supports the fact that Rickey has been involved with
acting most of his life?
A “Twenty-year-old Rickey D’Shon
Collins brings Tucker Foley to life.”
C “Rickey has acted since he was 6, both
on and off camera.”
B “In addition to many appearances on
television and in movies, Rickey is a
voice-over actor.”
D “Rickey practices, then tapes at the
recording studio.”
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14 Information in this article would be most valuable to readers who
A need to practice voice exercises
C need to develop their stage-acting skills
B want to understand scriptwriting
D want to build a career around their
voices
15 Which sentence from the article best supports the idea that being a voice-over actor requires
skill?
A “Rickey is a voice-over actor, someone
we hear but don’t see.”
C “Like other actors, voice-over actors
need to understand scripts, interpret
characters, and breathe correctly.”
B “They are the voices of cartoon
characters on television, in movies and
video games, and for interactive toys.”
D “She writes helpful notes on the script to
guide Rickey on speaking his part.”
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Training 1
Research Topic: Healthy Living
Directions: Carefully read the resources provided, and use them to answer the questions
that follow.
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16 How does the author of “What Makes a Healthy Teen?” develop and support the claim
that exercise, nutrition, and sleep are the key health factors for teens?
A by explaining how each factor
C by citing research studies that have been
contributes to health and how lack of
conducted on each factor and suggesting
awareness makes good health difficult to
that more research needs to be done
achieve
B by providing examples of the typical
behavior of teens in each area and
showing ways to
improve the behavior
D by listing details that show how each
factor is being ignored by many teens
today
17 What does the word sedentary mean in the "Exercise" section of "What Makes a
Healthy Teen?"
A requiring too much sitting
C stimulating the mind
B needing additional sleep
D using repetitive actions
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18 In "Nutrition Dos and Don'ts," the meaning of the prefix "fore-" helps the reader understand
that "forethought" is thinking that
A happens ahead of time.
C involved many people.
B changes frequently
D uses new information.
19 What are the two main ideas presented in "Reading Food Labels"?
A Information on food labels is based
C The first thing to look at on a food label
on serving size rather than the whole
is the amount of calories per serving,
package, and you should pay attention to
and you should look for foods that are
the ratio of calories from fat.
high in fiber.
B When reading a food label, you should D When reading a food label, you should
understand the FDA guidelines and look
be aware of the ingredients your
for the percentage of recommended
body needs, and also be aware of the
daily values.
ingredients that might harm your body.
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20 In "Teens and Sleep," how does the section "Tips for Good Sleep Habits" add to the
overall development of ideas in the passage?
A It describes the role of sleep in restoring C It reinforces the importance of getting
one’s health.
enough sleep by establishing a routine.
B It identifies the factors that make it
challenging to change one’s sleep
habits.
D It suggests new ways of tricking the
body into going to sleep.
21 Which example shows the correct way to cite a direct quote from paragraph 3 of "Teens
and Sleep"?
A The Web article "Teens and Sleep"
C According to Craig Dunlap, "Studies
points out that "Studies strongly suggest
strongly suggest that hormonal
that hormonal changes make falling
changes make falling asleep
asleep early a difficult thing to do for
early a difficult thing to do for
adolescents" (Dunlap, 1–2).
adolescents" (healthandteens.com, 1).
B Research has shown that "hormonal
D According to the Web article "Teens
changes make falling asleep early a
and Sleep," "Studies strongly suggest
difficult thing to do for adolescents" (1–
that hormonal changes make falling
2).
asleep early a difficult thing to do for
adolescents" (Dunlap, screen 1).
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22 Which two sources provide the most information about specific things teens can do
to maintain their health?
A articles from the magazines Healthy
Teens and Fitness and You
C the excerpt from the book Vitamins
and Minerals for Today’s Teen and the
article from the magazine Healthy Teens
B he article from the magazine Fitness
and You and the Web page from
LabelsforLiving.com
D pages from the Web sites
LabelsforLiving.com and
healthandteens.com
23 To find information about different foods and the benefits they provide for the body,
which resource would be most helpful?
A the article from the magazine Healthy
Teens
C the page from the Web site
LabelsforLiving.com
B the article from the magazine Fitness
and You
D the excerpt from the book Vitamins and
Minerals for Today’s Teens
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Training 1
24 Part A: How do the authors of "Reading Food Labels" and the "Necessary Nutrients" chart
present ideas related to nutrition differently?
A The author of "Necessary Nutrients"
expresses facts using numbers and
percentages, while the author of
"Reading Food Labels"
C The author of "Necessary Nutrients"
presents the material as a series of facts
with little elaboration, while the author
of "Reading Food Labels" offers advice
based on the facts.
B The author of "Reading Food Labels"
includes details about what vitamins
are needed for good health, while
the author of "Necessary Nutrients"
does not include details about vitamin
requirements.
D The author of "Reading Food Labels"
emphasizes the role of exercise in good
health, while the author of "Necessary
Nutrients" ignores the importance of
exercise.
25 Part B: Which information from the passages best illustrates this difference?
A the "Nutrition Facts" label from
C the Food and Drug Administration
"Reading Food Labels" and the "Which
guidelines from "Reading Food Labels"
Nutrient?" column from "Necessary
and the "Where Can I Find It?" column
Nutrients"
from "Necessary Nutrients"
B the phrase "it is determined by your
D the paragraphs labeled "Limit This!" and
gender, height, weight, and level of
"Eat This!" from "Reading Food Labels"
physical activity" from "Reading Food
and the "What Will It Do for Me?"
Labels" and the "How Much Do I Need
column from "Necessary Nutrients"
Each Day" column from "Necessary
Nutrients"
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