2nd Nine Weeks’ Test Preview Packet
Marrocco – ELA (7th)
Part 1:
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Time:
45 minutes
Format:
21 Multiple choice objectives, two short stories and one poem
Total points:
70
Test taking strategy:
PRIDE
P–
Preview – read, the title, and preview the questions
R --
Read the story/poem
I --
Investigate the question/answer choices (write on test as needed)
D --
Determine – choose answer
E --
Evaluate your answer
Development of plot – Using the text to determine why characters behave in certain ways to due to internal and
external responses.
Internal: Definition: A struggle that takes place in a character's mind is called internal conflict.
Internal Conflict is:
~NOT a visual or tangible opposition.
~a character dealing with his or her own mixed feelings or emotions.
Example: A character may have to decide between right and wrong or between two solutions to a problem.
EXTERNAL: Definition: A struggle between a character and an outside force is an external conflict.
Examples of External Conflict:
~Characters may face several types of outside forces.
~The outside force may be another character. It may be the character and the community.
~The outside force may also be forces of nature. For example, a story might be the main character struggling
against the arctic cold.
Point of View – first person, third person, third person omniscient and third person limited.
EXAMPLE
first-person point of view (I, we), the second-person (you, your), or the third-person (he, she, it, they).
Setting influence on storyThink about how the story Animal Farm would be different if it occurred inside the city limits.
Context Clues - Use the word/words around an unknown word to determine the meaning.
Tools – Use resources available to you to determine the correct meaning of a word (i.e. context clues, dictionary
definition references, etc.)
EXAMPLES:
Yearn: Even though John had a good job and a nice family, he yearned for more.
Definition: _______________________________________________________________________
yearn: verb (used without object)
1.
2.
to have an earnest or strong desire; long: to yearn for a quiet vacation.
to feel tenderness; be moved or attracted: They yearned over their delicate child.
Inferences/Drawing conclusions - Use what you have read AND what you know to determine the best answer. If it
is explicitly stated in the story/poem and you can find the answer, than it is NOT inferred nor concluded. You must
be able to do this across any type of text (poem, short story, fiction, non-fiction, etc.)
EXAMPLE
Justin grabbed the leash and quickly put it around Tooli's neck. He stormed out the door with Tooli coming right
behind. He said, "Hurry up, Tooli. You're always so slow." Justin kept his head down and walked quickly down the
road, not speaking to anyone that he saw.
What was true about Justin?
a.
He was very worried that someone might see him.
b.
He was angry that he had to walk the dog.
c.
He was feeling sick and wanted to lie down.
d.
He was very excited and wanted to hurry.
Summarization - Use your ability to summarize a text of any type (poem, short story, fiction, non-fiction, etc.) to
include main points covering the beginning/middle/end without retelling the story (meaty/beefy details and NOT
expressing your opinion – just the facts)
EXAMPLE – “Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
The short story deals with a vague and mild-mannered man who drives into Waterbury, Connecticut with his wife
for their regular weekly shopping and his wife's visit to the beauty parlor. During this time he has five heroic
daydream episodes. The first is as a pilot of a U.S. Navy flying boat in a storm, then he is a magnificent surgeon
performing a one-of-a-kind surgery, then as a deadly assassin testifying in a courtroom, and then as a Royal Air
Force pilot volunteering for a daring, secret suicide mission to bomb an ammunition dump. As the story ends,
Mitty imagines himself facing a firing squad, "inscrutable to the last." Each of the fantasies is inspired by some
detail of Mitty's mundane surroundings:
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The powering up of the "Navy hydroplane" in the opening scene is followed by Mrs. Mitty's complaint
that Mitty is "driving too fast", which suggests that his driving was what led to the daydream.
Mitty's turn as a brilliant surgeon immediately follows his taking off and putting on his gloves (as a
surgeon dons surgical gloves) and driving past a hospital.
The courtroom drama cliché "Perhaps this will refresh your memory," which begins the third fantasy,
follows Mitty's attempt to remember what his wife told him to buy, when he hears a newsboy shouting
about "the Waterbury Trial" ("You miserable cur" are the last words mentioned in the fantasy. Mitty was
supposed to buy puppy biscuits.)
Mitty's fourth daydream comes as he waits for his wife and picks up an old copy of Liberty, reading "Can
Germany Conquer the World Through the Air?", and envisions himself fighting Germany while
volunteering to pilot a plane normally piloted by two people.
The closing firing-squad scene comes when Mitty is standing against a wall, smoking.
Figurative language – Explain how the author’s use of personification, metaphors, etc. contribute the poem’s
meaning.
EXAMPLES
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Alright, the sky misses the sun at night.
The poorest man is the richest, and the rich are poor.
Hear the mellow wedding bells. - Edgar Allen Poe
Out of reach, I pull out with a screech.
I move fast like a cheetah on the Serengeti.
Her head was spinning from all the new information.
The toast jumped out of the toaster.
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
The Sea lashed out in anger at the ships, unwilling to tolerate another battle.
The Redcoats are coming!
I’ve told you a million times to clean your room!
______________________________________________________
Types of text – Analyze both types of text to be able to identify literary language of characteristics of various text
types/genres.
EXAMPLES – poems, short stories, news articles, diary entries, fiction, non-fiction, biography, fiction,
informational, etc.
Text connections – Analyze two different types of text and be able to identify thematic links, author analysis
between and across multiple genres.
EXAMPLE
Generally, students start by making text-to-text connections to more obvious elements of stories, such as
characters or problems. Some text-to-text connections, in order of increasing sophistication, might include:
Comparing characters, their personalities, and actions
Comparing story events and plot lines
Comparing lessons, themes, or messages in stories
Comparing themes, ideas, issues in fiction/nonfiction text pairs
Finding common themes, writing style, or perspectives in the work of a single author
Comparing the treatment of common themes by different authors
Comparing different versions of familiar stories
Author’s organizational pattern - Why does the author use certain organization of text? i.e. instructions, find
problem, find solution, directions, etc.
Provides focus and direction as the writer composes the document;
Increases the ease with which one can understand and remember the information
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Chronological
Compare and Contrast
Order of Importance
Sequence
Spatial
Cause and Effect
Problem and Solution
Sensory Language
His sight was stolen because of her radiance is an example of sensory language. Sensory language is language
pertaining to the five senses. The language is often used to describe something.
Part 2:
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Time:
20 minutes
Format:
Essay question
Total points:
30
Write a SUMMARY of Animal Farm (which we have already read).
Capitalization 5 points (less than 3 mistakes) 4 points (4 – 10 mistakes), 3 points (11 – 15 mistakes), 2 points (16 –
20 mistakes) and 1 point (21+ mistakes)
Spelling 5 points (less than 3 mistakes) 4 points (4 – 10 mistakes), 3 points (11 – 15 mistakes), 2 points (16 – 20
mistakes) and 1 point (21+ mistakes)
Summary 20 points –
Covers beginning/middle/end
-
10 points
¾ to one page long
-
5 points
No ‘retelling’ of story
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5 points