Preparing For The SOL EOC English Test Reading Literature and Research

Preparing for the SOL EOC English Test Reading/Literature and Research
Rebecca Danello
AMSCO
AMSCO SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS, INC. 315 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca Danello has a BA from the University of Mary Washington, an MA Ed from Virginia Tech., and a PhD in Education, also from Virginia Tech. An educator who worked for Stafford County Public Schools for more than 30 years, Danello recently retired from her position as the Supervisor of Accelerated Programs. She teaches graduate courses in reading and writing as an adjunct with the University of Mary Washington and George Mason University, and she provides training and seminars at state, national, and international conferences. A past president of the Stafford Education Association, Danello has served on numerous committees at the Virginia Department of Education and is keenly aware of the role of highstakes testing in curriculum development and student achievement.
Contributing Writer
Duncan Searl is an experienced educational writer who specializes in reading, language arts assessment, and literature tests. He has also worked as a textbook editor, newspaper reporter, and high school English teacher.
Reviewer
Frances Elder English Teacher Dinwiddle County High School Dinwiddle, Virginia Interior and Cover Design: A Good Thing, Inc. Cover Photo: Copyright istockphoto.com/Nitin Sanil Compositor: Sierra Graphics, Inc. Illustration: Hadel Studio Please visit our Web site at www.amscopub.com When ordering this book, please specify: either R 248 W or Preparing for the SOL EOC English Test, Reading/Literature and Research ISBN 978-1-56765-168-3 Copyright 2009, Amsco School Publications, Inc. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
CONTENTS Introduction Diagnostic Test

Diagnostic Test Checklist
v 1
17
Chapter 1 Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

Be an Active Reader Use Literal Comprehension Strategies
19
20 25
Chapter 2 Applying Higher-Level Thinking to Reading

Find the Main Idea Make Inferences Summarize Predict Outcomes Generalize Identify an Authors Purpose and Tone
37
37 41 44 46 48 51
Chapter 3 Evaluating a Variety of Printed Materials

Use Critical Reading Skills Evaluate the Organization of a Passage Distinguish Fact and Opinion Identify Illogical Arguments Note an Authors Bias Recognize Propaganda Techniques Evaluate the Quality of Sources Think Critically About the Web Credit Sources of Information
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58 62 65 66 69 70 79 81 83
Chapter 4 Locating and Using Information from a Variety of Sources

Technical and Functional Reading Read Visual Aids Follow Directions
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94 96 100
iii
iv
Contents
Work with Forms and Applications Evaluate Clarity and Accuracy of Information Skim to Locate Information Identify Unanswered Questions Interpret Informational Materials
103 105 108 112 113
Chapter 5 Collecting and Presenting Information

Select and Narrow a Topic Develop a Thesis Statement Write Supporting Statements Collect Information to Support Your Thesis Draft Your Report Credit Information
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120 122 123 125 132 133
Chapter 6 Understanding the Elements of Literature

Short Stories and Novels Drama Poetry
137
138 153 164
Chapter 7 Understanding the Context of Literature

Influences of Historical Context Major Literary Themes Literary Movements Contemporary and Past American Poetry
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178 180 181 184
Chapter 8 Practice Tests

Test 1 Test 2
197
197 217
Acknowledgments Index
239 243
INTRODUCTION The SOL Test

By this point in your high school career youve probably realized that to reach almost any goal in life you need to prepare. To have a winning basketball season, you prepare by learning the plays and practicing a lot. The same holds true for playing an instrument well, winning a leading role in a school play, or getting good grades it takes learning and practice. The hard work you do every day brings you closer to your goal. High school is very much the same. The everyday hard work of high school provides you with the basics youll need after high school, whatever you may pursue. During these four years you learn and practice skills that form a foundation for future learning. The state of Virginia has developed Standards of Learning (SOL) that describe content and skills that all Virginians should know in order to be prepared for future studies, work, and everyday responsibilities. You must pass the SOL tests in major subject areas in order to receive a high school diploma. Like an audition or basketball game, its your chance to show that your preparation has paid off. Unlike the audition or the ball game, however, you get more than one chance to pass the SOL tests, and you have teachers and other resources to help you. This book is one tool that will help you prepare to pass the EOC English: Reading/Literature and Research test.
Standards of Learning
The Standards of Learning are grouped into reporting categories of similar skills. Your test scores will be broken down into reporting categories. This way you can identify areas of strength or weakness in order to prepare to retake the test. Being able to read effectively and critically is important for many reasons, and the SOL for Reading/Literature and Research cover a broad range of topics and skills. Not all of these standards are included on the SOL test. Some of the standards cannot easily be testedfor instance, it would be very difficult to test oral language skills on a standardized test. This book mainly addresses the SOL that are included on the test. However, many chapters also include a few standards that wont be on the test. The reason for this is that most reading skills naturally overlap. Dont be overwhelmed if a chapter covers as many as 20 SOL. Since reading skills are very closely connected, when you read a simple passage and answer a few questions you might be practicing several different skills at once.
About This Book

This book will help you prepare to take the EOC English: Reading/ Literature and Research test. When you take this test, you will be expected to read and understand a variety of passages from real life and literature. You will be given multiple-choice questions to assess your ability to comprehend the main idea of a passage, make predictions, find supporting details, make inferences, and draw conclusions. You will
vi
Introduction
not only apply these skills to prose, but also to visual information, such as tables, graphs, and so on. You will also be expected to recognize the historical context of a literary piece, identify figurative language, and determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words. The test aims to evaluate your ability to read and apply your knowledge of literature. This book begins with a Diagnostic Test and Checklist, so you can assess your strengths and weaknesses and see what areas youll need to focus on the most. The Diagnostic Test is followed by eight chapters.
Chapters 1 and 2 present general skills and strategies necessary for success on the English SOL in Reading/Literature and Research. These include becoming an active reader, using literal and higher-level thinking and reading skills, becoming a critical reader, and being flexible in your reading skills. Chapters 3 and 6 represent additional reporting categories covered on the test, evaluating a variety of printed materials, and understanding the elements of literature. These sections address the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed on the test. Chapter 4 teaches you how to deal with information that is not presented in a regular prose from. This includes information on charts, graphs, applications, warranties, and other formats. Chapter 5 deals with collecting and presenting information. This section will help you understand the research process from start to finish. Chapter 7 deals with studying literature in context, specifically American literature. This chapter will help you review your knowledge of American literary periods and American history. Chapter 8 contains two practice tests so that you can see what to expect. Also, this section will help you apply the skills you have learned in a forum similar to that of the test.
In each of these eight sections you will find skills and knowledge related to the SOL English objectives at the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades, since this test covers all three years of English. Following review of skills and knowledge, Try It Out exercises will offer opportunities for practice. At the end of each major section, the Show What You Know will challenge you to put together all the SOL objectives covered in that section. Most of the reading selections come from American literature, since this is the emphasis for most high schools in the eleventh grade, when the test is given. All of the major literary time periods are also addressed. In addition, a variety of real-life readings, such as warranties, applications, and advertisements, have been included. Some of the reading will seem easy for you, and some will be more difficultjust like the readings you will see on the actual test. But if you apply the strategies from Chapters 1 and 2 of this book and what you learn from the remaining chapters (plus your English class!), you will succeed on this very important test.
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Introduction
Working through this book will help you in three important ways: 1. You will sharpen your focus on the content you must know and the skills you must use to do well. 2. You will become familiar with the format of the test and therefore be more confident when you actually sit down to take the test. 3. You will have ample opportunities to practice. Remember: Reading is a skill like driving or swimmingthe more you practice, the better you get!
The key to success on the SOL test, as with any other test youll face: Be prepared! Your high school education has given you a good start. Now use this book for the final rehearsal. Best of luck!
DIAGNOSTIC TEST
Directions: Read the form and answer the questions that follow.
High Springs University Financial Aid Office Information Sheet

1. Last Name ________________________ First Name ________________________ M.I. _______
2. AddressNumber, Street, and Apartment # _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. City ________________________ 4. Social Security Number ________________________ State ________________ Date of Birth ________________ ZIP Code _______________ Telephone Number _______________
5. Name of Borrower (i.e. parent or guardian) if different from student _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Application is for: ___ Fall ___ Spring ___ Summer I ___ Summer II 7. Program of Study (see High Springs University Catalog) Please list the two-digit code for the course of study you will follow. ___ ___ 8. Other Scholarships and Grants Please list all other scholarships or grants that you have been awarded for the upcoming years by agencies and organizations other than High Springs University. Name of Outside Scholarship or Grant ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 9. Personal Information During the academic year for which aid is requested, the student will live ___ with parent/relative ___ on campus Are you a U.S. citizen? ___ Yes ___ No ___ Yes ___ No ___ off campus Year and Amount of Award _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
Did you file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)? If yes, date FAFSA was filed __________________
Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research
10. Student Certification I certify that I do not owe a refund on any grant or loan, am not in default on any loan or have made satisfactory arrangements to repay any defaulted loan, and have not borrowed in excess of the loan limits, under Title IV programs, at any institution. ___ Yes ___ No (Please explain on a separate sheet.) 11. Statement of Registration Status ___ I certify that I am registered with Selective Service ___ I certify that I am not required to register with Selective Service All information provided by me is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I consent to the corroboration of any statement by High Springs University and realize that this may require me to submit additional documentation at a later date. __________________________________
Students signature
_______________
Date
1. This form does not ask for information about A where you will live while enrolled at High Springs. B where you attended high school. C your age. D your citizenship. 2. Nans father plans to borrow money from High Springs for his daughters tuition. This information should be listed under item F 1. G 2. H 5. J 9.
4. Which section will you need a college catalog to complete? F Other Scholarships and Grants G Program of Study H Statement of Registration Status J Student Certification
5. A local service organization has granted Eduardo $500 for college costs. He should include information about this A as part of the FAFSA, per section 9. B on a separate sheet, as part of his Student Certification in section 10. C in section 8. D Eduardo is not required to list this information on the application. 6. The word corroboration in the last sentence on the form means F verification. G elimination. H duplication. J consideration.
3. The section Student Certification is meant to determine your A citizenship. B selective service status. C borrowing history. D program of study.
Diagnostic Test
Directions: Read this excerpt from a speech delivered in 1941 by a member of President Franklin Roosevelts cabinet. Then answer the questions that follow.
from What Is an American

by Harold Ickes
1
No, liberty never dies. The Genghis Khans come and go. The Attilas come and go. The Hitlers ash and sputter out. But freedom endures. Destroy a whole generation of those who have known how to walk with heads erect in Gods free air, and the next generation will rise against the oppressors and restore freedom. Today in Europe, the Nazi Attila may gloat that he has destroyed democracy. He is wrong. In small farmhouses all over Central Europe, in the shops of Germany and Italy, on the docks of Holland and Belgium, freedom still lives in the hearts of men. It will endure like a hardy tree gone into the wintertime, awaiting the spring. And, like spring, spreading from the South into Scandinavia, the democratic revolution will come. And men with democratic hearts will experience comradeship across articial boundaries. These men and women, hundreds of millions of them, now in bondage or threatened with slavery, are our comrades and our allies. They are only waiting for our leadership and our encouragement, for the spark that we can supply. These hundreds of millions of liberty-loving people, now oppressed, constitute the greatest sixth column1 in history. They have the will to destroy the Nazi gangsters. We have always helped in struggles for human freedom. And we will help again. But our hundreds of millions of liberty-loving allies would despair if we did not provide aid and encouragement. The quicker we help them the sooner this dreadful revolution will be over. We cannot, we must not, we dare not delay much longer. The ght for Britain is in its crucial stages. We must give the British everything we have. And by everything, I mean everything needed to beat the life out of our common enemy. The second step must be to aid and encourage our friends and allies everywhere. And by everywhere I mean Europe and Asia and Africa and America. And nally, the most important of all, we Americans must gird spiritually for the battle. We must dispel the fog of uncertainty and vacillation. We must greet with raucous laughter the corroding arguments of our appeasers and
1
sixth column: The fifth column is a secret group of people supporting the enemy; the sixth column is a group combating the fifth column.
fascists. They doubt democracy. We afrm it triumphantly so that all the world may hear:
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Here in America we have something so worth living for that it is worth dying for! The so-called wave of the future is but the slimy backwash of the past. We have not heaved from our necks the tyrants crushing heel, only to stretch our necks out again for its weight. Not only will we ght for democracy, we will make it more worth ghting for. Under our free institutions, we will work for the good of mankind, including Hitlers victims in Germany, so that all may have plenty and security. We American democrats know that when good will prevails among men there will be a world of plenty and a world of security.
11. The speech uses the bandwagon appeal when it describes the A B C D savage and bloodthirsty dictators. need to help England. many Europeans who are our allies. generation that had its freedom taken away.
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7. Harold Ickes main purpose for writing this speech was to A inform his audience about the goals of fascism. B persuade his audience to support the war against fascism. C describe the new society that will emerge after the war. D warn his audience about the coming wartime hardships. 8. To organize the ideas in this speech, the author relies mainly on F G H J cause and effect. comparison and contrast. order of importance. chronological order.
12. In paragraph 9 of this speech, the word vacillation means F G H J certainty. evil. untruths. indecision.
13. To help make his main point in this speech, Harold Ickes A relies on the use of loaded language. B provides mainly opinions, not facts. C engages in name-calling as a propaganda technique. D all of the above
9. The tone of this speech can best be described as A offended. B optimistic. C sarcastic. D scholarly. 10. In paragraph 2, when the author likens the spread of democracy to the coming of spring, he uses F G H J a simile. a metaphor. personification. hyperbole.
Diagnostic Test
Directions: Read this scene and answer the questions that follow.
from Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare SCENE II. Capulets orchard.
Enter ROMEO.
ROMEO
[coming forward]: He jests at scars that never felt a wound.
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15
20
25
[ JULIET appears above at a window] But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun! Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou her maid art far more fair than she. Be not her maid since she is envious; Her vestal livery is but sick and green And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off. It is my lady, O it is my love! O that she knew she were! She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that? Her eye discourses, I will answer it. I am too bold. Tis not to me she speaks. Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars As daylight doth a lamp. Her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. O that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek.
JULIET:
Ay me!
ROMEO:
30
She speaks. O speak again bright angel, for thou art As glorious to this night, being oer my head, As is a winged messenger of heaven Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pufng clouds And sails upon the bosom of the air.
35 JULIET:
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And Ill no longer be a Capulet.
ROMEO
[Aside]: Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
40 JULIET:
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50
Tis but thy name that is my enemy: Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. Whats Montague? It is nor hand nor foot Nor arm nor face nor any other part Belonging to a man. O be some other name. Whats in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo calld, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for thy name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself. I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and Ill be new baptisd: Henceforth I never will be Romeo.
ROMEO:
55 JULIET:
What man art thou that thus bescreend in night So stumblest on my counsel?
ROMEO:
60
By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself Because it is an enemy to thee, Had I it written, I would tear the word. My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words Of that tongues uttering, yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?
JULIET:
65 ROMEO:
Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike.
JULIET:
How camst thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, And the place death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen nd thee here.
70 ROMEO:
With loves light wings did I oerperch these walls, For stony limits cannot hold love out,
Diagnostic Test
And what love can do, that dares love attempt: Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.
JULIET:
If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
75 ROMEO:
Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye Than twenty of their swords. Look thou but sweet And I am proof against their enmity.
14. Romeos lines in this scene, which begin, But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? are an example of a F G H J dialogue. soliloquy. apostrophe. refrain.
17. Which is an example of stage directions? A SCENE II. Capulets orchard. B C D

ROMEO JULIET:
[coming forward] Ay me! O speak again bright angel
ROMEO:
15. Romeos words, Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this? is an aside because A the words are said in a loud, dramatic way. B only the audience hears these words. C Romeo does not necessarily have to say this line. D Juliet realizes that the words are ironic. 16. The opening of Scene II contains dramatic irony because F Juliet does not really mean what she says about Romeo. G the audience, but not Juliet, knows Romeo is listening. H Romeo does not act the way we expect a man in love to act. J most of the audience knows the happy outcome of the play.
18. When Juliet exclaims, O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? she uses F an apostrophe. G a symbol. H a literary allusion. J an implied metaphor.
19. Romeos final lines in this excerpt, Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye / Than twenty of their swords, are an example of A a simile. B a metaphor. C personification. D hyperbole.
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
from The Maine Woods

by Henry David Thoreau
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No one has yet described for me the difference between that wild forest which once occupied our oldest townships, and the tame one which I nd there today. It is a difference which would be worth attending to. The civilized man not only clears the land permanently to a great extent, and cultivates open elds, but he tames and cultivates to a certain extent the forest itself. By his mere presence, almost, he changes the nature of the trees as no other creature does. The sun and air, and perhaps re, have been introduced, and grain raised where it stands. It has lost its wild, damp, and shaggy look, the countless fallen and decaying trees are gone, and consequently that thick coat of moss which lived on them is gone too. The earth is comparatively bare and smooth and dry. The most primitive places left with us are the swamps, where the spruce still grows shaggy with usnea. The surface of the ground in the Maine woods is everywhere spongy and saturated with moisture. I noticed that the plants which cover the forest oor there are such as are commonly conned to swamps with us. . . . I saw no soft, spreading, second-growth white-pines, with smooth bark, acknowledging the presence of the woodchopper, but even the young white-pines were all tall and slender roughbarked trees. Those Maine woods differ essentially from ours. There you are never reminded that the wilderness which you are treading is, after all, some villagers familiar wood-lot, some widows thirds1 from which her ancestors , have sledded fuel for generations, minutely described in some old deed which is recorded, of which the owner has got a plan too, and old bound-marks may be found every forty rods, if you will search. . . . But Maine, perhaps, will soon be where Massachusetts is. A good part of her territory is already as bare and commonplace as much of our neighborhood, and her villages generally are not so well shaded as ours. We seem to think that the earth must go through the ordeal of sheep-pasturage before it is habitable by man.
1 widows thirds: when a man died, one-third of his estate automatically went to his widow. The remaining twothirds were divided among his children.
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Diagnostic Test
20. What is Thoreaus main point in this passage? F Wild forests are quite different from forests near settled areas. G Americans rarely appreciate the grandeur of our forests. H Overlogging has seriously damaged our forests and wildlife. J The forests of Maine tend to be wetter than elsewhere.
23. Which important belief of romanticism is suggested in this selection? A the evil state of humankind B the role of reason in self-improvement C the glorification of nature D the importance of the supernatural 24. The word usnea in the first paragraph probably names a type of F moss. G insect. H tree disease. J grass.
21. Thoreau organizes the ideas in these paragraphs mainly by A order of importance. B cause and effect. C comparison and contrast. D chronological order. 22. Which thematic topic in American literature is addressed in this selection? F the American dream G forging a new identity H nature versus civilization J new frontiers
25. Thoreau was an influential member of a group of American thinkers and writers called the A realists. B Puritans. C transcendentalists. D rationalists.
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Directions: Read this excerpt from a students research paper and answer the questions that follow.
Yolanda Greene Mrs. Hodgkins English III May 22, 2008
Shakespeare in Modern Clothes

1
For more than a century, movie and play directors have been reinterpreting and reinventing the works of Shakespeare. By injecting modern costumes, stage sets, and other details, they hope to make Shakespeare more accessible or more appealing to modern audiences. Their efforts have had mixed results. The first attempt to re-dress Shakespeare was a 1925 British production of Hamlet. Critics promptly ridiculed it as the plus-fours Hamlet, a reference to the 1920s-era golfing trousers that Hamlet and his cohorts wore (McGee 34). In 1965, another English producer dressed a young and alienated Hamlet in rimless gold glasses, a long scarf, and other fashions of the sixties. This production was a hit, and young people in similar outfits lined up to buy tickets (36). In all likelihood, the most memorable modern-dress Shakespearean production opened on Broadway on November 11, 1937. At that time, Fascists were extending their control over Europe, and director Orson Welles staged a version of Julius Caesar that played on fears of these events (Damini 207). In the play, Caesar dressed like a dictator, wearing a uniform and boots that could have been Hitlers or Mussolinis. The conspirators who plotted Caesars death, dressed in trench coats and felt hats, looked like mobsters of the 1930s. By drawing upon the headlinesand clothing of the day, the director breathed new life into an old play. He also warned the audience that something dreadful and ominous was afoot on the worlds stage. Perhaps the most famous and far-reaching re-dressing of a Shakespeare play is West Side Story. Based loosely on Romeo and Juliet, this musical opened on Broadway in 1957. Instead of the feuding Montagues and Capulets, the script describes the ethnic tensions between two New York gangs, the Sharks and the Jets (Withers 278). Against this charged background, Tony (Romeo) and Maria (Juliet) meet and fall in love. The lovers have no balcony, only a fire escape, and instead of swords, the actors fight with switchblades. In countless other ways, the characters, settings, and themes of West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet cleverly intertwine, showing the timeless appeal of the most famous love story ever. Baz Luhrmanns 1996 movie version of Romeo and Juliet pushed the modernist treatment of Shakespeare to its limits. Starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, the films action is set not in Verona, but Verona Beach, Florida (Withers 311). While the characters and much of the dialogue are from Shakespeare, the sets and props are not. The balcony scene, for example, is shot in a swimming pool, and Friar Laurences ill-fated letters to Romeo are delivered by FedEx. After Juliets apparent suicide, Romeos standoff at the entrance to her tomb becomes a shoot-out with police. As part of this scene, Romeo bellows, Tempt not a desperate man! at the helicopters circling overhead (344). Although scorned by Shakespearean purists, the movie became a popular hit and seems to have helped many young viewers enjoy a classic play.
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Diagnostic Test
Dressing up Shakespeare in new clothes is not without dangers, though. The 1995 film adaptation of Shakespeares Richard III, for example, left most viewers shaking their heads (Van Schaik 17). The action takes place in a fictional version of England where Fascists seem to have taken power. Using special effects, the filmmakers shifted Englands famous landmarks to new and unusual locations. Even the plays most famous lineA horse! My kingdom for a horse!is given a new context. During the last battle, Richards automobile becomes stuck, and he pleads for a horse, not a car, to carry him to the front (18).
Works Cited
Damini, Raymond. The Genius of Orson Welles. Chicago: Triton Press, 2004. McGee, Morton. The Plus-Fours Hamlet: A Modern Dress Rehearsal. Theater Spotlight. 17 Jan. 2005: 3436. Van Schaik, A. R. Richard the What? Appleton News and Times. 24 Sep. 1995: 1718. Withers, Edwina. Reinventing Shakespeare, 19002000. New York: Theater Arts Press, 2006.
26. Which would best help the reader evaluate the accuracy of the information in this report? F reading the plays by Shakespeare mentioned in the report G rereading the paper several times H writing a description of how a Shakespearean play might be updated J checking the source pages cited
29. Articles similar to those cited in this report would most likely be found in which magazine? A History Magazine B English History C Theater Management D Theater and Movie Review 30. If Yolanda wanted an overview of many plays by Shakespeare that have been updated or modernized, she should read the cited source written by F Edwina Withers. G Morton McGee. H Raymond Damini. J A. R. Van Schaik.
27. In this report, Yolanda suggests that attempts to modernize Shakespearean plays A are necessary for todays modern audiences. B rarely succeed as drama. C tend to politicize Shakespeares work. D succeed or fail depending on the production. 28. Which could be used as a heading for the second and third paragraphs of the report? F New Views of an Old Love Story G Shakespeares Most Famous Play H How Not to Modernize a Classic J How to Read Romeo and Juliet
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31.
Which would be considered correct documentation of a selection from page 25 of Edwina Witherss Reinventing Shakespears 19002000? A Does this modernization of Shakespeare allow artists to do anything to please the crowds and critics? Has this so-called freeing up of Shakespeare led to absurd productions that are unrecognizable and unbelievable? (Withers, Reinventing Shakespeare, 19002000, p. 25). B Among other questions, Edwina Withers asks, Does this modernization of Shakespeare allow artists to do anything to please the crowds and critics? Has this so-called freeing up of Shakespeare led to absurd productions that are unrecognizable and unbelievable? (25). C Does this modernization of Shakespeare allow artists to do anything to please the crowds and critics? Has this so-called freeing up of Shakespeare led to absurd productions that are unrecognizable and unbelievable? D While it is true that modern productions of Shakespeare may please crowds and critics, hasnt this new freedom led to absurd productions that are unrecognizable and unbelievable? (Withers 25)
Directions: Read the following story and answer the questions that follow.
A Tale of Terror
by Paul Louis Courier
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I was once traveling in a region in southwest Italy. Our entire trip had been filled with mishaps and I had a feeling of foreboding, as if something terrible was going to happen. I had a young man for a companion, and our horses were having great difficulty on the steep mountain roads. Foolishly, I had allowed my companion to go first, and he took a path that soon led us far astray. An old man like myself shouldnt have trusted a twenty-year-old! While daylight lasted, we tried to find our way through the woods, but the more we tried, the more lost we became, until at last, in the pitch dark, we came to a very suspicious-looking house. Inside we found a whole family of coal miners at the table. They asked us to join them, and soon we were eating and drinking. My young friend was, anyway, but I was looking around the house, which looked very threatening to me. Everything about the place displeased me, especially the hosts who seemed to stare at us in a very unfriendly way. I did not like being there. My young companion, however, acted as if he were one of the family. He laughed and talked and stupidly told them where we had come from, and where we were going! Just imagine! To make matters worse, he even pretended to be a rich man and promised to give the family money for helping
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Diagnostic Test
us. Next he spoke of his bag, pointed to it, and said he wanted to use it for his pillow. What a fool! Our host must have thought we were carrying diamonds!
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After supper, the couple led us to our sleeping place, a loft ten feet high above the kitchen. To get there we had to climb a rickety ladder and creep beneath the beams, which were loaded with dried hams and other provisions. Clinging to his bag, my companion threw himself down on one of the beds and was soon snoring. There would be no sleep for me that night, though. No, I would sit up and be prepared for whatever horror the night would bring. When the night was nearly over, I heard voices down below. Our host and his wife were talking and arguing. Putting my ear to the floor, I clearly heard the husband say these words: Well, then, must they both be killed? To this, his wife replied, Yes, both! I heard no more but stood there scarcely breathing, my body as cold as stone. Here we were alone, against a large family. My companion was still dead with sleep, and I dared not make a noise by waking him. Escape was impossible for the window was high, and outside two large dogs were howling like wolves. Then someone began to climb the ladder. Looking through a crack in the door, I spied the miner, a long knife in his hand. His wife was just behind him. Softly, go softly, she whispered. Dont wake them. Desperately, I hid behind the door just as the murderer opened it and entered. Moving toward the bed the poor young man lying with his throat bare he took his knife and cut slices from a ham hanging from the ceiling. Then he left, closing the door and leaving me with my thoughts. Soon the sun rose and the family came to awaken us. They served us a very fine breakfast, I assure you, and two freshly-cooked chickens formed part of it. You must eat one now, our host explained, and take the other for your journey. When I saw the chickens, I understood the meaning of those terrible words: Must they both be killed?
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32. From what point of view is this story written? F first person G third person H first-person omniscient J third-person omniscient
36. The setting of this story helps create a _____ mood. F grim G nostalgic H mournful J angry
33. The main conflict in this story occurs between the narrator and A the young man leading the way. B the family of miners. C the rough countryside of southern Italy. D the narrators own thoughts.
37. The narrator is best described as A suspicious. B sarcastic. C wise. D foolish. 38. The climax of the story comes when
34. In the second sentence, the word foreboding most nearly means F anxiety. G mystery. H anger. J nostalgia.
the old man and his companion climb the ladder to the loft.
G the miner and his wife climb the ladder to the loft. H the husband says, Well, then, must they both be killed? J the travelers eat chicken for breakfast.
35. The theme of this story might best be expressed as A never trust youth to lead the way. B first impressions are usually correct. C we often learn important lessons too late. D appearances are often deceiving.
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Diagnostic Test
Directions: Read the poem and answer the questions that follow.
Those Winter Sundays

by Robert Hayden Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. Id wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, hed call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house,
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Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know, what did I know of loves austere and lonely offices?
39. Which best describes the theme of Those Winter Sundays? A A sad father builds a warm fire on a cold winter morning. B Through our words and actions, we tend to hurt the people we love most. C People show real love by acts of kindness and self-sacrifice. D Children filled with anger rarely express love to their parents.
40. By describing the fathers cracked hands that ached from labor, the poem elicits F anger. G compassion. H amusement. J frustration.
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41. On which does the poet rely most to express his theme? A rhythm B rhyme C stanzas D imagery 42. The break between stanzas 1 and 2 in the poem indicates F a change in the poems setting. G a shift in the speakers focus. H the beginning of a new paragraph. J a change in the rhythm and rhyme pattern.
44. This poem could best be labeled as part of a literary movement known as F romanticism. G regionalism. H realism. J modernism.
45. If you were to write a research paper about the poetry of Robert Hayden, which resource would be most helpful for documenting your sources? A Twentieth Century American Poets B MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers C A Writers Guide to Indexing D How to Read Contemporary Poetry
43. These words from stanza one, from labor in the weekday weather made banked / fires blaze, contain A alliteration. B onomatopoeia. C meter. D an implied metaphor.
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Diagnostic Test
VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING DIAGNOSTIC TEST CHECKLIST

Check if missed Review these standards 9.4d 11.4b 11.4b, 10.4c 10.4a 11.4b 9.4e 9.3a, 9.4a 10.3a 9.3d 9.3f 9.4b 9.4e 9.4b 10.6a 10.6a 11.6c 9.5a 9.3c 9.3c 10.3b 10.3a 11.3c 10.3d 9.4e 11.3b 9.4b 9.4a 11.10a
Answer 1. B 2. H 3. C 4. G 5. C 6. F 7. B 8. H 9. B 10. F 11. C 12. J 13. D 14. G 15. B 16. G 17. B 18. F 19. D 20. F 21. C 22. H 23. C 24. F 25. C 26. J 27. D 28. F
Pages 103104 103104 103104 103104 103104 103104 51 62 64 52 166168 7071 30 32 65 66, 7071 153154 154 155156 155 166168 166168 3739 62 64 180181 181183 30 32 181183 128, 133 3739 3739
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Answer 29. D 30. F 31. D 32. F 33. D 34. F 35. D 36. F 37. A 38. G 39. C 40. G 41. D 42. G 43. A 44. H 45. B
Check if missed
Review these standards 11.4d 11.10b 9.8b 9.3d 9.3c 9.4b 9.3d 9.3d 9.3d 9.3c 10.5c 10.5b 10.5a 11.5a 10.5a 11.3b 9.8c
Pages 125128 133134 134135 148 138139 30 32 146 144 148 138139 146 144 165168 169 166168 181183 133135
Chapter
Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

The Standards of Learning Covered in This Chapter 9.3 The student will read and analyze a variety of literature. a. Identify format, text structure, and main idea. 9.4 The student will read and analyze a variety of print materials. b. Extend general and specialized vocabulary through reading and writing. d. Identify questions not answered by a selected text. 10.3 The student will read, comprehend, and critique literary works. a. Identify text organization and structure. b. Identify main and supporting ideas.
Part
Soon you will take the Virginia Standards of Learning End-of-Course Test in English: Reading/Literature and Research. To succeed on this test, you will need to
be an active reader use literal comprehension strategies apply higher-level thinking read critically be flexible when reading a variety of materials
Are these skills different from the ones you need for everyday success in reading? Not really! In fact, you would be surprised how often you use these skills at school, on the job, at home, and on other tests. The SOL test asks you to show that you can comprehend written materials on a literal level; however, you will have to analyze the reading passages. You may, for example, be asked to draw conclusions, identify the main idea, or define the authors purpose. To do well on the SOL test, you need to be an active reader. In Chapters 1 3 of this book, you will learn some simple techniques for developing your active reading skills. Youll learn how to improve your literal comprehension, higher-level thinking skills, and critical-thinking abilities when reading many different materials.
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BE AN ACTIVE READER
Reading is an active process. As you read, words and the concepts they represent dont magically leap from the page to your brain. For the reading process to work, you have to take an active role before you begin to read, while reading, and even after youve finished reading. Here are some tips for becoming an active reader during these three stages of the process.
Before Reading
First, think about what you are about to read. Consider how you will adjust your reading rate and technique to this type of passage. For example, you would read a short story at a faster rate than you would a set of instructions. Second, think about the title of what you are about to read and ask yourself, What will this passage be about? and What do I already know about this subject? That gets your mind ready for the reading task ahead. Bypassing these prereading warm-ups is like running a race without stretching first. Dont begin your task unprepared!
During Reading
Simply reading the words isnt enough. The full meaning only comes when you interact with a passage. Interacting means that you question and respond as you move through the text. You should also check your understanding from time to time by asking yourself questions such as
Is this what I thought the passage would be about? Or, Is this what I thought would happen? What is the authors purpose, or point of view, or method of presenting information? What are the characters special qualities, motives, and relationships? What is important or unusual or effective about the authors style?
After Reading
After you finish a passage, you will need to review, reflect, react, and question. Here are a few guidelines for this postreading process:
Ask yourself, How have I reacted to this passage? Is this the way the author wants me to react? Make connections among characters, ideas and evidence, content, and style. Also look for connections between your own experiences and the passage. What do you already know about the topic or the author? Make predictions about what might happen next or how other readers might react to this passage. Make judgments and evaluations. Ask yourself, Is this text biased or objective? and Has the author been successful in getting his or her point across?
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Use your pencil as you question and reflect. Underline key words and phrases. Star (*) important or unusual lines. Jot notes in the margins. Put a question mark by words, phrases, or passages you dont understand. Your notations will be helpful to you later as you answer questions about the text.
3Check Your Active-Reading Skills

Directions: Examine the following passage. The notes on the left show how one student interacted with the text.
from Environmental Science

by Martin Schachter
One Readers Reaction Ill bet this chapter is about the Arctic tundra.
Deserts are not the only biome [a major ecological community type] shaped by a lack of water. A variety of ecosystems, such as the tundra, the prairies in North America, the savanna in Africa and South America, and the chaparral in various parts of the world, are determined by a limited supply of water. These biomes vary in temperature, which creates differences among them. The tundra biome stretches along the Arctic reaches of North America, Europe, and Asia. Because cold air can carry little water vapor, there is low precipitation in these areas. Therefore the tundra is a vast, treeless, polar desert region that has low year-round temperatures and long months of total darkness. Temperatures high enough to support plant growth occur for only about two months during the year. Few species are hardy enough to endure
Its only warm enough for plants to grow for two months out of the year. That probably means just in summertime.
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this harsh environment. This creates a relatively simple community with the least biodiversity of any biome. But life is not rare on the tundra; large numbers of organisms are found there, especially during the brief summer season.
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Permafrost? Isnt global warming making that melt down?
Except for the upper few centimeters, the soil remains frozen for most of the year. This permanently frozen layer of soil is called permafrost. The permafrost prevents spring meltwater from soaking into the ground, which causes the formation of many lakes and bogs during the short summer. Bogs are wet, spongy areas that contain partially decayed plant material. The tundra soil is low in nutritional content, since the decomposition of plant material is slow due to the cold. Animal life on the tundra is most active during the short summer. During the long winter, resident animals must cope with extreme cold and scarcity of food. Some animals, such as the arctic ground squirrel, hibernate through the winter months, living on fat stored during the summer. Hibernation is a state of reduced metabolism employed by some animals to escape cold periods. But most tundra animals do not hibernate, because the summer is too short for them to build up adequate fat reserves. During the winter, musk oxen, caribou, and lemmings graze on the vegetation that remains under the snow cover. Arctic foxes, snowy owls, and wolves prey on these herbivores. Animals that live in the tundra are insulated from the cold by thick layers of fat or a dense covering of hair or feathers. Some animals, such as weasels, ptarmigans, and snowshoe hares, change the color of their coats from brown in the summer to white in winter. Called protective coloration, this adaptation lets them blend into the landscape during summer and winter.
Is animal life on the tundra the main idea?
Now theyre talking about the food chain.

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That protective coloration section is really interesting. I wonder if this chapter will talk about how people are affected by the cold.
The selection from Environmental Science is nonfiction, the sort of article you might read in a magazine. You should use the same kinds of active reading skills when youre reading any kind of material, such as short stories, plays, letters, and newspaper editorials.
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Try It Out
Active Reading
Directions: As you read this opening section of a short story, try to make connections, predictions, and judgments by answering the questions. Underline clues from the story that help you make your predictions. Then answer the questions that follow each section of the text and list the clues that helped you answer them.
from A Pair of Silk Stockings

by Kate Chopin
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Little Mrs. Sommers one day found herself the unexpected possessor of fteen dollars. It seemed to her a very large amount of money, and the way in which it stuffed and bulged her worn old porte-monnaie gave her a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years. The question of investment was one that occupied her greatly. For a day or two she walked about apparently in a dreamy state, but really absorbed in speculation and calculation. She did not wish to act hastily, to do anything she might afterward regret. But it was during the still hours of the night when she lay awake revolving plans in her mind that she seemed to see her way clearly toward a proper and judicious use of the money.
1. Do you think this story was written recently or some years ago? ____________ ____________________________________________________________________ Clues: ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 2. What do you think a porte-monnaie might be? ___________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Clues: ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
A dollar or two should be added to the price usually paid for Janies shoes, which would ensure their lasting an appreciable time longer than they usually did. She would buy so-and-so many yards of percale for new shirtwaists for the boys and Janie and Mag. She had intended to make the old ones do by skillful patching. Mag should have another gown. She had seen some beautiful patterns, veritable bargains in the shop windows. And still there would be left enough for new stockingstwo pairs apieceand what darning that would save for awhile! She would get caps for the boys and sailor hats for the
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girls. The vision of her little brood looking fresh and dainty and new for once in their lives excited her and made her restless and wakeful with anticipation.
3. What kind of person is Mrs. Sommers? __________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Clues: ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 4. What does the author suggest about Mrs. Sommers life? ___________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Clues: ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Mrs. Sommers was one who knew the value of bargains; who could stand for hours making her way inch by inch toward the desired object that was selling below cost. She could elbow her way if need be; she had learned to clutch a piece of goods and hold it and stick to it with persistence and determination till her turn came to be served, no matter when it came. But that day she was a little faint and tired. She had swallowed a light luncheon; no! when she came to think of it, between getting the children fed and the place righted, and preparing herself for the shopping bout, she had actually forgotten to eat any luncheon at all. An all-gone limp feeling had come over her and she rested her hand aimlessly upon the counter. She wore no gloves. By degrees she grew aware that her hand had encountered something very soothing, very pleasant to touch. She looked down to see that her hand lay upon a pile of silk stockings. A placard nearby announced that they had been reduced in price from two dollars and fty cents to one dollar and ninety-eight cents; and a young girl who stood behind the counter asked her if she wished to examine their line of silk hosiery.
5. Do you predict that Mrs. Sommers will spend her money on practical items as she has planned? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Clues: ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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USE LITERAL COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES

Literal comprehension means understanding just what the words mean. You need to comprehend literally before you can successfully make inferences, draw conclusions, and use other critical reading skills. You might think that understanding literally what is on a page or in a passage is easy. Even the best readers, however, are sometimes slowed down or confused by unfamiliar words, long sentences, and unfamiliar references. The following section suggests five simple strategies you can use when youre having difficulty with comprehension.
1. Reread and Read Ahead

Good readers are not always fast readers. They dont always understand everything the first time either. Good readers vary their rate depending on the type and difficulty of the passage. They also reread sentences and paragraphs that dont seem clear after a first reading. Another useful comprehension strategy is reading ahead. Occasionally, you will encounter a passage or sentence that still makes little sense even though you have reread it several times. Rather than stopping or becoming stuck in this passage, keep reading. You may then encounter more information that clarifies the passage you read earlier. Look at the following example. Main Passage The tundra biome stretches along the Arctic reaches of North America, Europe, and Asia. Because cold air can carry little water vapor, there is low precipitation in these areas. Therefore the tundra is a vast, treeless, polar desert region that has low year-round temperatures and long months of total darkness. Read Ahead Temperatures high enough to support plant growth occur for only about two months during the year. Few species are hardy enough to endure this harsh environment. By reading on, you discover that the author explains the first statement by adding details that clarify and simplify in plainer language.
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2. Break Down Long, Confusing Sentences

Rereading or reading ahead might not be enough when youre tackling a passage with long, complicated sentences. Many writers of the past had writing styles that included sentences packed with description, detail, and complicated wording. Here are four tips to help you unravel the meaning in sentences that seem to go on forever.
Use chunking. Chunking is dividing a long sentence into smaller parts that are easier to decipher. Later, you can recombine the parts into a longer thought unit. When you chunk, use punctuation as a guide, particularly commas that separate the sentence into smaller, meaningful word groups. Focus on essential words and phrases. Concentrate first on the most important nouns and verbs and ignore adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases. Determine the subject and predicate of the sentence. The subject is who or what performs the action in a sentence. The predicate is what the subject does or is. Ask yourself questions that begin with the 5 Ws: Who or what is the sentence about? When and where is the action taking place? Why are the details in the sentence important?
Now look at this complex sentence and the four steps that can be used to understand it. The permafrost prevents spring meltwater from soaking into the ground, which causes the formation of many lakes and bogs during the short summer. Use Chunking The permafrost prevents spring meltwater from soaking into the ground, which causes the formation of many lakes and bogs during the short summer. Focus on Essential Words Permafrost prevents meltwater from soaking into the ground, causing lakes and bogs to form during the summer.
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Determine the Subjects and the Predicates of the Sentence Permafrost prevents the formation of lakes and bogs.
subject verb predicate
Ask W Questions What is this sentence about? Permafrost prevents formation of lakes and bogs When are lakes and bogs formed? During the summer months Why are lakes and bogs formed? Meltwater soaks into the ground You may not need to go through all of these steps. You dont have to rewrite the sentence either. Simply underline, check, or circle key parts and words in order to break down a sentence. Use whatever steps you can to unlock the meaning of a sentence or passage.
Try It Out
Break Down Long, Confusing Sentences

Directions: Practice your skills with these sentences from the short story To Build a Fire by Jack London. 1. Use a slash mark (/) to break this first sentence into smaller parts that are easier to understand.
Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray, when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth bank, where a dim and little-traveled trail led eastward through the fat spruce timberland.
2. Underline the words in this next sentence that are essential for understanding its meaning.
North and south, as far as his eye could see, it was unbroken white, save for a dark hairline that curved and twisted from around the spruce-covered island to the south, and that curved and twisted away in the north, where it disappeared behind another spruce-covered island.
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3. Write and answer two W questions about this sentence that help you understand it.
This dark hairline was the trailthe main trailthat led south ve hundred miles to the Chilcoot Pass, Dyea, and salt water; and that led north seventy miles to Dawson, and still on north a thousand miles to Nulato, and nally to St. Michael on the Bering Sea, a thousand miles and half a thousand more.
_______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________
3. Look for Signal Words and Phrases

Signal words and phrases, or transitional expressions, can serve as clues to the meaning of a passage. Writers use these words to bridge, organize, or relate ideas. Examine the table, which shows the several categories of signal words and phrases and the relationship they express.
Time or Sequence first at first last at last second third before later
Comparison/ Contrast likewise similarly but even if even so however despite instead
Cause/ Effect accordingly as a result consequently for this reason hence therefore thus because
Order of Importance first in the first place most important second third last above all of major
Description/ Clarification for example for instance that is also and another besides furthermore
For instance, find consequently in the table. This word signals that the effect or result of a cause stated earlier is about to follow.
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Read the following passage, paying particular attention to signal words and phrases. Most animals, including insects, amphibians, and reptiles, draw their heat directly from their surroundings. They are, therefore, sometimes called coldblooded, but the term is a misleading one for their blood is often far from cold. Many lizards, for example, organize their sunbathing so effectively that they keep their bodies warmer than that of a man throughout the day, even though they cool down considerably during the night. Signal Words includingdescription/clarification (Examples of these animals are insects, amphibians, and reptiles.) therefore cause/effect (Some animals are called cold-blooded because they draw their heat from their surroundings.) butcontrast (The term cold-blooded is not always appropriate.) forcause/effect (The term cold-blooded is not correct because their blood is not cold.) for example clarification/description (Many lizards are not exactly coldblooded, as they have very warm bodies during the day due to their sunbathing.) even thoughcontrast (Lizards bodies are warm during the day but much cooler at night.) Paying attention to signal words and phrases and the relationships they represent will make the passages you read more understandable.
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Try It Out
Look for Signal Words and Phrases

Directions: In the passage that follows, the signal words and phrases that help to show relationships between sentence parts, sentences, and paragraphs are missing. Use words and phrases from the box to fill in the blanks.
most important nevertheless eventually later as a result for example however also
Victory Gardens
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Recognizing the importance of food in wartime, Napoleon once claimed that An army moves on its stomach. During World War II, Americas leaders agreed with the nineteenth-century French emperor. Between 1941 and 1945, much of Americas food was shipped overseas to feed our soldiers. (1) __________, food was often in short supply at home. To provide more food for the home front, Americans planted victory gardens. Over 20 million victory gardens sprouted during the war years. These gardens had a major impact on the nations food supply. (2) __________, they supplied 40 percent of the countrys vegetables. First, victory gardens sprouted in the backyards of small towns and suburbs. (3) __________, empty lots and parks in cities were turned into victory gardens. (4) __________ workers even planted gardens in open spaces near factories. Americans planted victory gardens because they needed food; (5) __________ they also saw it as their duty. Gardening was something anyone could do to help the war effort. Much was done to encourage Americans to garden their way to victory. The government handed out free booklets with gardening tips. More important, magazines showed movie stars and other celebrities at work in their victory gardens. (6) __________, Harvest Fairs were sponsored in each community and awards were given to the best gardeners. The victory garden movement had many benefits. Most Americans felt proud about their gardens and their ability to feed themselves. (7) __________, working together and sharing crops helped neighbors grow closer. (8) __________, when the war ended, most victory gardens were quickly abandoned.
4. Use Context Clues

When you come across a word you dont know, you can look it up in the dictionary. It isnt always possible to do that, though. On the SOL test, you cant use a dictionary, but you will be asked about the meanings of words. Thats why its important to know how to use context clues to figure out the meanings of new words.
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Context clues can usually be found in the words and sentences around a new word. Here are a few of the most common context clues to look for.
Look for a definition or synonym within the sentence. Look for an example to clarify the unfamiliar word. See if there is a comparison or contrast to the unfamiliar word. Use the mood and tone of the selection as clues. Determine if there is a cause/effect relationship in the sentence.
Look at the following sentences in the excerpt from Limited Water Biomes, and the context clues that you could rely on if you were unfamiliar with some of the words. 1. Because cold air can carry little water vapor, there is low precipitation in these areas. cold air can carry little water vaporcause/effect relationship clue (vapor is water in the air, so that helps me to see its related to precipitation. Precipitation must be some kind of water in the air, like rain.) 2. This permanently frozen layer of soil is called permafrost. frozen layer of soil is called definition clue (is called tells me that the author is letting me know what something is. Permafrost is a frozen layer of soil.) 3. A variety of ecosystems, such as the tundra, the prairies in North America, the savanna in Africa and South America, and the chaparral in various parts of the world, are determined by a limited supply of water. such asexample clue (such as signals that examples will be provided. The examples in this sentence include prairies, savanna, and chaparral. Prairies and savanna are dry, so chaparral must be some kind of dry piece of land.)
On the SOL tests, context clue skills will come in handy for both reading the passages and answering some of the test questions themselves. Some questions may require you to refer to the reading passage and answer a question about the meaning of a word. When answering this type of question, remember the following: Always go back to the passage to find the word in question. Never rely on your familiarity with the word. Even simple vocabulary words have very different meanings depending on their use in context. Read the sentence before the word and the sentence after it. Read the entire paragraph if necessary to find context clues. Read every answer choice before you choose one. Make sure the answer you select is the same part of speech as the word in question. Try each choice in the sentence to make sure it fits grammatically and contextually.
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Look at this context clue test question based on the paragraph you read on page 29: In line 1 the word draw most nearly means A write. B pull. C shelf. D tie. Although write can refer to drawing something, in this paragraph it does not. If you read the whole sentence, you will see that draw, as in art, does not make sense. You know that the passage is describing reptiles, so use your knowledge to eliminate shelf and tie, which dont fit with the topic. Pull is the only choice that makes sense because the animals are taking, or pulling, the heat from their surroundings. Choice B is the correct answer.
Try It Out
Use Context Clues

Directions: Read the following passage and use context clues to define the underlined words as well as you can. Tell what clues from the text helped you to understand the words.
When a New Job Depends Upon Your Handwriting
Applicants for the job of deputy personnel manager of a computer company had been whittled down to two young men of equal qualications. Outwardly, there seemed so little difference between them that the interviewing board called in a graphologist to assess character and potential through their handwriting.
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The handwriting of the rst applicant was large, uid, and rounded; that of the second was small, sharp, and angular. According to the graphologist, the rst handwriting showed someone who was self-condent, exible, and at ease with people. The second handwriting, however, portrayed someone who despite his social and professional front was self-doubting and rigid. So the job went to the rst applicant. Graphologists maintain that handwriting is a form of brain-writing, in which the unconscious mind is conveyed to the ngers and reveals itself on paper. In the United States more than 3,000 businesses from public relations companies to banksuse handwriting analysts to sift through job applications, requests for promotion, and business ideas that come through the post. The adherents of graphology claim that it is an effective way of deciding whether a person can be trusted. In the United States where rms lose up to $40,000 each year to dishonest employeesgraphology has taken the place of the polygraph, or lie-detector test, which is no longer legal.
Definitions and Clues

1. whittled: ______________________________________________________________________ Clues: _________________________________________________________________________ 2. graphologist: ___________________________________________________________________ Clues: _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. angular: _______________________________________________________________________ Clues: _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. front: _________________________________________________________________________ Clues: _____________________________________________________________________________ 5. post: __________________________________________________________________________ Clues: _____________________________________________________________________________ 6. adherents: _____________________________________________________________________ Clues: _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. polygraph: _____________________________________________________________________ Clues: _____________________________________________________________________________
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Now apply your context clue skills to some test questions based on the passage.
8. In paragraph 1, whittled could best be defined as A wasted. B eliminated gradually. C shaped wood. D wore down. 9. In paragraph 2, the word front could best be replaced with F forehead. G figurehead. H demeanor. J face.
11. In paragraph 2, the word angular is opposite in meaning to F large. G rounded. H legible. J neat.
12. A synonym for adherents in the last paragraph is A critics. B creators. C followers. D inventors.
10. In paragraph 4, the word post most nearly means A mail. B record. C stake. D position.
5. Paraphrase
You probably recognize the word paraphrasing from your experience with research papers and projects. To avoid plagiarism, which is copying someone elses words or ideas without giving him or her credit, you must put the information in your own words. You also use paraphrasing in other contexts. For example, if someone doesnt understand something youve said, you might reword your statement in a simpler way. Paraphrasing is also a useful literal comprehension strategy. To paraphrase while you read, you need to slow down and read closely. Its a good way to check yourself to see if you understand a passage. Follow these tips to make paraphrasing work for you in unraveling difficult sentences or passages:
Restate the main idea of the paragraph or passage in your own words. Reword a sentence so that it begins with the subject and is followed by the verb. Replace unfamiliar words with more familiar synonyms based on context clues. Examine the passage one chunk at a time.
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An understanding of paraphrasing can help you answer test questions. Sometimes a test question will ask you to identify information that is directly stated in a passage. However, the correct answer choice may not look exactly like the original statement; instead, it may be a paraphrase of that information. Youll have to recognize the answer when it is reworded among the answer choices. Look at the following sample questions and answers. According to the author of Limited Water Biomes, food is scarce on the tundra because A B C D there are too many animals eating it. plants cannot grow in the freezing soil. the animals store it away for the winter. temperatures are too low to support plant growth.
According to the author, animals on the tundra change their coat color to white because F G H J they absorb more heat this way. they are hibernating. they want to protect themselves. they want to hunt.
In the first sample, the correct answer is D, and in the second, it is H. The wording in the first item D is taken almost directly from the passage. The wording in the second item H is a paraphrase. This paraphrasing makes a fairly easy question more difficult because you wont find the exact wording of the correct answer in the passage. Avoid being tricked by this type of question. Be aware that the correct answer may appear in different words than the way it is stated in the passage.
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Try It Out
Paraphrase
Directions: Use the tips on page 34 to paraphrase the paragraphs below, from an article titled How to Saw a Woman in Half and Mend Her Again. Try to keep the original meaning of the paragraph. 1. One of the most renowned and spectacular tricks in modern magic sawing a woman in halfwas created in 1920 by the British stage magician P. T. Selbit. He caused a sensation in London with his dramatic new illusionin which his glamorous assistant was placed in an oblong wooden box and then apparently sawed in two. A few moments later she was made whole again. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. During the trick, only the girls head could be seen, protruding from a hole at one end of the box. All she had to do was draw her knees under her chin before the sawing took place. An American magician, Horace Goldin, introduced an improved version of the trick in New York in 1921. The girls head, hands, and feet were clearly visible poking through holes in the ends and sides of the box. However, he used not one girl but two. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
Chapter
2
Part
Applying Higher-Level Thinking to Reading
The Standards of Learning Covered in This Chapter 9.3 The student will read and analyze a variety of literature. a. Identify format, text structure, and main idea. 10.3 The student will read, comprehend, and critique literary works. a. Identify text organization and structure. b. Identify main and supporting ideas. c. Make predictions, draw inferences and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension.
11.4
The student will read a variety of print materials. d. Generalize ideas from selections to make predictions about other texts.
You know that reading is more than just recognizing words and stringing sentences together. Reading is also about reading between the lines and making connections between whats on the page and what you know from your own life. In addition, active readers appreciate the techniques a writer uses to express emotions and opinions. Indeed, reading is a type of thinking sometimes really deep thinking! When you think deeply about what you are reading, you are using higher-level thinking skills. In this chapter, youll explore six higher-level reading skills. Mastering these skills will enrich your reading and improve your performance on the SOL tests by developing your own higher-level thinking skills.
FIND THE MAIN IDEA

Have you ever heard the expression, You cant see the forest for the trees? Sometimes you may feel that way if you cant comprehend the main idea of a reading passage. The main idea is what a paragraph or passage is all about. If you arent aware of the main idea of what you read, you may become confused or overwhelmed by all the supporting details.
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In a paragraph, the main idea may be stated in a topic sentence, which often appears at the beginning of the paragraph. Many times, however, the main idea is not stated directly. Instead, the author implies the main idea with the details in the paragraphs. Then its up to you to use your thinking skills to figure out the main idea. In a multiparagraph passage, the main idea is the big idea to which each paragraphs topic sentence contributes. Again, the main idea of a passage may be stated directly or just implied. On the SOL test, questions that ask you to determine the main idea of a paragraph or passage may look like this:
This passage is primarily concerned with . . . The main idea of this passage is . . . Which statement best sums up the passage? Which is the best title for this passage? Which statement best represents the authors main point?
In the paragraph that follows, the main idea is stated directly in the first sentence. Notice that the details in the other sentences support, or tell more about, this main idea.
When Southerners imported kudzu from Japan in 1880, the bright green vine seemed to have everything going for it. The vines attractive leaves brightened many gardens. More important, it added nitrogen to the Souths worn soil. Cattle, goats, and other livestock thrived on kudzu. Planted widely in fields and along highways, the new plant seemed to be the answer to soil erosion too. In the next paragraph, the main idea is not stated. To find its main idea, think about the supporting ideas and details in the sentences. Then answer the question. Kudzu vines grow about a foot a year. After a few decades, the imported vine had covered and killed fields of other crops. Lumber companies lost entire forests to kudzu. Left unchecked, kudzu vines pulled down utility poles, so Southern utilities had to spray the vines constantly to keep it off their lines.
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What is the main idea of this paragraph? A Kudzu vines grow about a foot a year. B As a plant, kudzu had serious drawbacks. C Kudzu caused problems for utility companies in the South. D It is dangerous to import plants and animals from other countries. If you read the paragraph carefully, you will notice that most of the sentences give details about the drawbacks of kudzu. So the best answer is B. Choices A and C are supporting details in the paragraph, not the main idea. Choice D is a broad statement that may be true, but the sentences in this paragraph dont develop this idea.
Here are some general tips for answering main idea questions: Check the title of the selection for clues to the main idea. Carefully examine the first and last paragraphs of a passage to see if the main idea is stated directly. Dont select an answer that is too narrow. The main idea should cover all of the supporting details presented in the passage. Dont select an answer that is too broad. The main idea should cover only the supporting details presented in the passage and no more.
In fictionshort stories, folktales, fables, and novels the main idea is often called the theme. The theme in a work of literature is the main point or message that the author wants readers to understand. In fables, such as Aesops The Tortoise and the Hare, the theme is stated directly at the end: Slow and steady wins the race. In most fiction, however, the theme is implied, not stated. To find it, you must think about all the details about the characters, plot, and setting. Together, these help you figure out the main point that author wants to convey.
Try It Out
Find the Main Idea

Directions: Read the paragraphs. Then answer the questions.
Why Go Backpacking?
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, wrote Henry David Thoreau in Walden, an 1854 account of a year he spent living in a small cabin in the woods. Thoreaus motivation might also explain the popularity of backpacking in todays society. Backpacking provides a temporary escape from societys complex and seemingly insoluble problems. Instead, backpackers deal only with a few elemental concerns: finding the best route, summoning
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the energy to hike another mile, selecting a campsite. Indeed, backpacking offers some of lifes simplest pleasures, such as resting when youre exhausted and eating when youre famished. In addition, backpacking fulfills our basic need for adventure, providing the thrill that comes from a quest into the unknown. Finally, backpackers experience profound beauty, the beauty that can only be found by venturing deep into the heart of nature. 1. Which sentence best states the main idea of this passage? A People have always gone into the woods to seek relaxation and renewal. B For most people, modern life has become far too complex and difficult. C The quest for adventure and beauty motivates most backpackers. D Backpacking provides a wide array of benefits.
from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
I believe I have omitted mentioning that in my first voyage from Boston, being becalmed off Block Island, our people set about catching cod, and hauled up a great many. Hitherto I had stuck to my resolution of not eating animal food, and on this occasion I considered the taking of fish as a kind of unprovoked murder, since none of them had, or ever could do us any injury that might justify the slaughter. All this seemed very reasonable. But I had formerly been a great lover of fish, and when this came hot out of the frying pan, it smelled admirably well. I balanced some time between principle and inclination, till I recollected that, when the fish were opened, I saw smaller fish taken out of their stomachs. Then thought I, If you eat one another, I dont see why we may not eat you. So I dined upon cod very heartily, and continued to eat meat with other people, returning occasionally to a vegetable diet. 2. What is the theme, or main message, that Franklin wants you to get from this passage? F Most vegetarians arent serious about not eating meat. G In difficult situations, you must compromise your deeply held values. H In nature, the powerful always prey on the weak. J When you are tempted to do something, you can often find a reason to do it.
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MAKE INFERENCES
Suppose your best friend avoids you in the hallway, sits at another table in the cafeteria, and refuses to take your phone calls. You would probably assume that he or she was upset for some reason. From your observations, you would infer that your friend is angry. An inference is an assumption based on evidence. We have to make inferences when we read. Authors cant state everything directly. They provide some information and expect readers to put two and two together and fill in the rest. You can do that by thinking about the details in a passage and then adding what you know from your own experiences. Read this passage from a story and examine the inferences that follow. Denzel felt dizzy and sweat was pouring down his face. For over an hour they had been marching down Main Street, and they had already played every tune they knewtwice. Now the mayor was giving a speech. There are so many reasons why we must remember this day and the brave soldiers who Denzel tried to listen to the beginning of the mayors speech over the loudspeaker, but he felt even dizzier now, and he was broiling in his heavy maroon uniform and cap. The next thing Denzel saw was a sea of anxious faces staring down at him. Give him air! someone shouted. And that is why we will always remember this day, the voice in the loudspeaker was concluding. Denzel smiled. He guessed hed always remember this day too. Inferences Denzel is in a band. (He wears a uniform; he and his companions have played every tune they know.) Denzels band is marching in a parade, perhaps for Memorial Day. (They are marching down Main Street; the mayor is giving a speech about the sacrifices of soldiers.) The weather is hot and sunny. (Denzel is sweating; he feels as if he is broiling in his uniform.) Denzel faints. (He felt very dizzy; he looks up into a sea of faces; someone says, Give him air.) Denzel was unconscious for some time. (He seems to have missed most of the mayors speech.) Denzel is all right. (He smiles at the end even though he fainted.)
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Questions About Inferences SOL test items that require you to make inferences might be worded like these sample questions:
The author implies that . . . Which statement can be inferred from the passage? Why do you think Robert really decided not to enter the 5K race? This event probably took place . . . After the fight with his mother, Pedro seems to feel . . . What can the reader assume about the main characters father?
Remember: The answers to questions like this wont be stated directly in the passage, so you must think about whatever information the author does give and then add what you already know to arrive at the best answer choice.
Here are some tips for answering inference questions: Look for clue words. Questions that contain words like probably, apparently, suggest, assume, imply, and infer are usually inference questions. Distinguish between strong and weak inferences. Select the choice that has the most direct links to the information presented in the passage. Read the entire passage before trying to answer inference questions. Sometimes the clues you need are spread throughout the passage. Sometimes the inference depends on the style or overall mood of a passage. Avoid extreme answer choices that are not supported by the passage itself. Read actively. Make notations, underline key phrases, circle key words, and star or check what you think are important statements in the passage. This will help to focus your reading and direct your attention back to the text when youre ready to make inferences.
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Try It Out
Make Inferences
Directions: Examine the graphic organizer. Answer the questions that follow.
Juan is getting ready to leave for his freshman year at college.
Already packed clothes & personal items
Purchased meal plan in advance
Has checked the car & filled it with gas
Lined up a part-time job to help pay college expenses
Collected furniture & linens for dorm room
Arranged for telephone service in room
1. Based on the information given, Juan is probably A immature. B spontaneous. C thoughtless. D responsible.
2. From the information presented, you could infer that Juan F has learned to be self-reliant. G comes from a deprived home. H has probably been to college before. J is afraid of forgetting something.
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SUMMARIZE
Have you ever summed up an episode of a favorite TV show for a friend who missed it? You didnt include every detail in your summary. You probably just summed up the main events. Summarizing is a valuable reading skill. Being able to summarize a passage shows that you understand it. A summary should include the main idea(s) in the passage. Very important details are usually part of a summary too. You should be able to summarize most paragraphs in one or two sentences. Summarizing a longer passage might take several paragraphs. Read the following paragraph and consider the summary sentences. Gradually, the temperature rose and the days grew longer. The windswept and frozen garden soil gradually softened. April showers replaced the cold sleet of March, and buds swelled on trees and bushes. Before long, all earths greenery would awaken from its slumber. Summary Sentences A B C D
Colorful flowers would soon be blooming. Winter was harsh on the gardens. The season was changing at last. The season was changing from winter to spring.
Choice A is not a summary sentence. Although it is a logical next statement for this paragraph, it does sum up the ideas and details presented. Choice B is not a good summary sentence. This sentence is too narrow and includes information that is not found in the paragraph. A summary sentence should not add extra details. Choice C is not a good summary sentence. This sentence is too broad. It does incorporate information in the paragraph, but it needs to be more focused. Choice D is the best summary sentence. This sentence includes all the important details and is neither too narrow nor too broad. The Virginia SOL test may ask you to read a passage and then select a sentence that summarizes a passage. These test items might look like this:
Which sentence is the best summary of this passage? Which statement sums up Lisas feelings about soccer? The author summarizes her attitude toward suburbia when she says . . .
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Here are some tips for answering summary questions on the SOL tests: Read the entire passage carefully. The ideas and details for the summary will be spread throughout the passage. Avoid answer choices that contain details that are not included in the original passage. Avoid answer choices that leave out key information and ideas. Distinguish between the best summary and others that are not as strong.
Try It Out
Summarize
Directions: Read this opening paragraph from a short story. Then choose the best summary for the paragraph.
from An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

by Ambrose Bierce
A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The mans hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout crosstimber above his head, and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executionerstwo private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff. At a short remove upon the same temporary platform was an officer in the uniform of his rank, armed. He was a captain. A sentinel at each end of the bridge stood with his rifle in the position known as support, that is to say, vertical in front of the left shoulder, the hammer resting on the forearm thrown straight across the chesta formal and unnatural position, enforcing an erect carriage of the body. It did not appear to be the duty of these two men to know what was occurring at the center of the bridge; they merely blockaded the two ends of the foot planking that traversed it. 1. A B During wartime, soldiers often take it upon themselves to punish traitors, spies, and other criminals who interfere with the war effort. A man surrounded by federal soldiers was standing on a railway bridge in Alabama during the Civil War.
C Four federal soldiers were preparing to hang a man on a railroad bridge over a river in northern Alabama. D Soldiers often have little understanding of their mission in wartime, such as when they are ordered to hang civilians accused of crimes.
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PREDICT OUTCOMES
Do you ever try to guess what will happen next when youre watching an exciting drama or mystery on TV? When you guess what is going to happen, you are predicting outcomes. A prediction isnt a wild guess. To be realistic, predictions must be based on the facts and clues in a passage. Of course, not all predictions come true. Theyre more likely to be accurate, however, if theyre based on all the available information. As an active reader, you should make regular predictions about what is likely to happen next in a reading passage. As a story or event unfolds, you can check and confirm your predictions to see if they match whats happening. That will help you stay focused on the reading. You can continue to make and revise predictions until the very end of a passage or story. Read this excerpt from a students personal narrative and think about what is most likely to happen next. Then answer the question. I liked living in Evergreen Acres even though all the houses in that development looked exactly the same. The only problem I had was the night Tyrone and his dad dropped me off at 3:00 A.M. after a camping trip. I was exhausted and must have been half asleep. The side door was unlocked, which surprised me, since Mom is a fanatic about locking up. I didnt turn on any lights either no sense in waking people up. I have to admit that the big black suit of armor in the hallwaywhere our rubber tree should have beengave me a start when I banged into it. I was too tired even to think about where it had come from though. I just trudged up the stairs longing to fall into bed. On the way up, I noticed that the stairs were carpeted. Had that been done while I was away? Predictions Based on the details in this excerpt, it is most likely that the narrator will A wake up and realize he has been dreaming while sleepwalking. B learn that his parents have redecorated the house while he was away. C suddenly realize that he has mistakenly entered a neighbors house. D make so much noise that he will eventually wake up his parents. Prediction A does not explain why the narrator had a problem with Evergreen Acres or why his house was different. Prediction B would account for the differences in the house but not the problem with the neighborhood. Prediction C is the most likely outcome. Prediction D is incorrect. Like Choice A, it does not account for the details in the passage.
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Test questions that ask you to predict outcomes may be worded similarly to the items below.
What event is most likely to happen next? Based on the details in this paragraph, you can logically predict that . . . After finding the letter from his mother, Harold will probably . . . If the St. Anselm glacier continues to melt, nearby villagers may . . . It seems unlikely that the newly released bald eagles will . . . One possible outcome of dwindling petroleum supplies not mentioned in the editorial is . . .
Here are some tips for answering prediction questions on the SOL tests: Think about the facts and details in the passage and find the main idea. Think about the descriptions of the people in a passage. Do the details you know about them suggest what they might do next? Think about the order of events in a passage. Then ask yourself, What is most likely to happen next? Rely on information in the passage, not your own opinions, to make a prediction.
Try It Out
Predict Outcomes
Directions: Read this passage and answer the question that follows.
from The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano

My father, besides many slaves, had a numerous family of which seven lived to grow up, including myself and a sister who was the only daughter. As I was the youngest of the sons I became, of course, the greatest favorite with my mother and was always with her; and she used to take particular pains to form my mind. I was trained up from my earliest years in the art of war, my daily exercise was shooting and throwing javelins, and my mother adorned me with emblems after the manner of our greatest warriors. In this way I grew up till I was turned the age of 11, when an end was put to my happiness in the following manner. Generally, when the grown people in the neighborhood were gone far in the fields to labor, the children assembled together in some of the neighbors premises to play, and commonly some of us used to get up a tree to look for any assailant or kidnapper that might come upon us, for they sometimes took those opportunities of our parents absence to attack and carry off as many as they could seize.
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1. Based on information in this passage, what event is most likely to happen next in the life of Olaudah Equiano? A His father will be forced to free his many slaves. B He will use his javelin to defend his family from assailants. C He will be kidnapped and taken from his family. D He will become the greatest warrior in the region.
GENERALIZE
Suppose two of your friends took up jogging, lost weight, and stayed slim. Two other friends went on a diet, lost weight, but then regained the weight. Based on this, you might generalize and say, Joggers are more likely to lose weight permanently than dieters. A generalization is a rule or statement that applies to many different situations or events. To make a generalization, you take information and apply it in a broader way. Generalizations often contain signal words such as in general, usually, often, few, some, tend to, or most. These signal words show that a generalization is not necessarily true in all situations, only generally true. Examples of Generalizations Power often has a corrupting influence on people. Good things come in small packages. Retrievers usually make excellent dogs for families with children. We rarely appreciate what we have until its gone. You usually find the best bargains at the very beginning of a garage sale. Questions About Generalizations Test questions that require you to generalize might look like these items:
Which generalization might you make from this passage? Which statement is supported by information in the paragraph? In general, the author would agree that . . . Generalizing from this question, you might say . . .
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Here are some tips for making generalizations about a reading passage: Make sure you understand the main ideas of the passage. Think about how you might apply the writers ideas in different situations. Dont go too far beyond the information the writer gives. Otherwise, your generalization may be too broad in scope. Be careful of words that rule out all exceptions. Words like always, all, never, must, certainly, and absolutely mean a generalization must always be true, and generalizations are only true in general.
3Check Your Active-Reading Skills

Directions: Read the passage and then answer the question. Then read the explanation of
the answer choices.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas formed by the decay of uranium in rock. Colorless and odorless, radon gas seeps into houses through cracks in the foundation. If the surrounding soil contains a great deal of radon, more of the gas is likely to build up. As radon gas decays, its by-products may be trapped in the lungs where they release radiation. Even a little radiation can damage lung tissue, and even a little lung tissue damage can lead many years later to lung cancer. The EPA estimates that 5,000 to 20,000 lung cancer deaths every year are caused by radon, although some scientists say this is too high a number. (About 110,000 annual lung cancer deaths are due to smoking.) Every house has some radon, and special radon detectors are needed to measure the gas. If the radon level in a house is above safe levels, its important to reduce the danger. Sealing a houses foundation prevents the gas from entering, and installing basement fans moves the radon out. Based on the information in this passage, you can generalize that A there is little anyone can do to limit or resolve a radon problem in the home. B any natural substance, taken in excess, will cause some kind of cancer. C even a little radiation from radon can cause lung cancer. D some cancers are caused by factors that affected us years ago. Choice A is not supported by the information in the passage. In fact, the passage ends with two steps homeowners can take to resolve a radon problem. Choice B is too broad. Its an overgeneralization. There are countless natural substances in our world, and it is unlikely that any and all of them cause cancer when taken in excess.
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Choice C is not a generalization. It is a restatement of details in the paragraph. Generalization D is the best answer choice. The passage mentions that lung cancer can result from exposure to radiation long ago. So some cancers are caused by factors that affected us long ago.
Try It Out
Generalize
Directions: Read this passage and answer the question below.
Conscience
Conscience is that aspect of personality that tells one what behavior is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The conscience develops gradually as a result of the dayby-day activities for which a child receives parental approval or disapproval. When first told that he cannot do something, a child may refrain from the act only because the parents are present and he fears some kind of punishment. But as time goes on, he builds into his personality a quality that tells him what he can and cannot do, even in the absence of the authority of parents. This process of accepting the value systems of our parents and society is known as internalization. That is, through our daily experiences over a long period of time, the attitudes of others about right and wrong are adopted and become a part of our personalities. Parents begin the process. Later on, other persons become important in transmitting societys expectations. Teachers, religious leaders, and friends all influence and modify the conscience. 1. Which generalization might you make from the passage? A Children internalize the values of both their parents and society. B Teens generally have more highly developed consciences than toddlers do. C Due to unconventional upbringings, many young people have no consciences. D Citizens with well-developed consciences are essential in society.
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IDENTIFY AN AUTHORS PURPOSE AND TONE

Have you ever dashed off an angry e-mail to someone? Have you ever retold a funny story to make your friends laugh? Have you ever listed instructions for how to complete a certain task? If you think about it, each writing task has its own special purpose. Authors also have different reasons for writing. Many authors want to entertain, inform, or persuade their readers. Some hope to warn or inspire their audiences. Others write to protest or honor someone or something. Recognizing an authors purpose can help you understand a piece of writing. Once you know the authors purpose, you are likely to recognize the main ideas more easily. Knowing why an author wrote a particular passage will help you make inferences and predict outcomes too. Read the following paragraphs. They all cover the same topic censorship but each has a different purpose. Purpose: To Inform Censorship is the act, process, or policy of removing or suppressing anything considered objectionable. The word censorship derives from the ancient Roman officials, called censors, who were responsible for supervising the public census, public behavior, and morals. Censorship is common during wartime when a free flow of information might aid an enemy. Purpose: To Protest Banning books isnt just censorship. Its a crime against education! Those who would promote reading but limit available texts to safe ones are hypocrites. They might as well put handcuffs on a persons brain so that he or she can think only so much. This is a free country, and we should all be able to read and think as we choose! Purpose: To Satirize Of course we must censor every book that has a word or idea with which we disagree. How else can we safeguard our childrens delicate brains? We must protect our babies from thinking hard or deeply about a subject. If we dont, they might examine both sides of an issue, and who knows what might happen then. Besides, too much information will only confuse them!
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Tone
A good way to figure out the purpose of a piece of writing is to think about the tone. Tone is the attitude that a writer or speaker takes toward a topic. Speakers can vary their tones of voice to show whether they are angry or respectful, sympathetic or disapproving. They can also make faces and use other body language to show how they feel. Authors, of course, cant use body language. They must rely on words, punctuation, and other written details to show their attitudes toward their topics. Look again at the three paragraphs on the previous page about censorship. The first paragraph is developed with facts. To provide us with information about censorship, the author takes a formal tone. We dont learn how the author feels about censorship. The second paragraph includes emotional words such as book banning and crime that create a negative view of censorship. Clearly, the authors tone is angry, and the exclamation points emphasize the authors outrage. The third paragraph ridicules the notion that censorship is necessary to safeguard education. The tone is sarcastic and rather bitter. By using sarcasm, the author shows his or her opposition to censorship. Authors tones vary widely. Almost any adjective that describes a persons attitude can be used to describe the tone of a piece of writing. Here are some examples. Words to Describe Tone angry arrogant disgusted offended scholarly Questions About Tone Test questions that explore an authors purpose or tone may look or begin like this:
The author is primarily concerned with . . . Which best states the authors view concerning . . . The main purpose of the passage is to . . . Which best states the authors opinion? The author wrote this passage in order to . . . The tone of this passage can best be described as . . . The authors overall attitude toward her subject is . . .
amazed critical enthusiastic optimistic sarcastic
amused delighted favorable pessimistic sympathetic
approving disapproving indifferent proud urgent
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Try It Out
Identify an Authors Purpose and Tone

Directions: Read each passage and answer the questions that follow. A truly inclusive society should not herd its senior citizens into age-segregated communities. No other demographic group is shunted off into special housing arrangements. So why should seniors be warehoused in these sterile complexes? This trend is especially disgraceful in a country that claims to honor family values. How can we honor our seniors and learn from their wisdom and experience if we never see them?
1. The authors main purpose in this paragraph is to A B C D urge readers to honor senior citizens. expose conditions in most senior housing communities. protest the trend of isolating seniors in special housing. persuade seniors to leave their special housing arrangements.
2. The authors tone can best be described as F G H J resigned. confused. angry. pessimistic.
The U.S frigate Constitution, familiarly known as Old Ironsides, is the oldest and most beloved ship in the Navy, a stirring symbol of America. One year after her launching in 1797, the Constitution battled French privateers along the East Coast and in the West Indies, and five years later bombarded Tripoli. During the War of 1812, she won her enduring place in history by her victory over the British frigate Guerrire, which brought Englands naval supremacy to an end. Hardly damaged in about 40 engagements, she was said to have iron sides and thus earned her glorious nickname. Now, two centuries later, the great champion is at her moorings in Boston Harbor, still thrilling all who visit her.
3. The author wrote this passage to A B C D inform readers about an enduring symbol of our country. entertain readers with a thrilling account of a naval battle. persuade tourists in Boston to visit Old Ironsides. question peoples traditional views of the Constitution.
4. The two words that best describe the authors attitude toward Old Ironsides are F G H J doubtful and noncommittal. proud and patriotic. surprised and dumbfounded. educated and professional.
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Show What You Know

In this chapter youve worked on six critical reading skills. The following passages and items will give you more practice with these skills. Directions: Read this passage from a speech given by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in 1877. Then circle the letter of the correct answer to each question.
I Will Fight No More Forever
Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Ta-Hool-HoolShute is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they areperhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.
1. What is the main idea of this paragraph? A The Nez Perce people are freezing in the cold weather. B General Howard should have known how Chief Joseph felt about war. C Chief Joseph will no longer fight the army. D Chief Josephs children and friends have been killed in battle.
2. Based on this passage from the speech you can infer that F the Nez Perce have not yet fought with the army. G not many Indians have died in the fighting. H Chief Joseph is pretending to surrender, but planning an ambush. J General Howard is leading the attack against the Indians.
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3. How would you describe the tone of Chief Josephs speech? A defiant B resigned C formal D pleading
4. Soon after delivering this speech, Chief Joseph probably F fought a battle against General Howard. G signed a surrender agreement. H escaped into the hills with his people. J returned to his tribes traditional lands.
Directions: Read this passage. Then circle the letter of the correct answer to each question.
from Alchemy
by Lewis Thomas
We tend to look back at the alchemists from todays pinnacle of science as figures of fun, eccentric, solitary men wearing comical conical hats, engaged in meaningless explorations down one blind alley after another. It was not necessarily so: the work they were doing was hard and frustrating, but it was the start-up of experimental chemistry and physics. The central idea they were obsessed withthat there is a fundamental, elementary particle out of which everything in the universe is made continues to obsess todays physicists. They never succeeded in making gold from base metals. . . .What they did accomplish, however, was no small thing: they got the work going. They fiddled around in their laboratories, talked at one another incessantly, set up one crazy experiment after another. . . . More workers became interested and then involved in the work, and, as has been happening ever since in science, one thing led to another. As time went on and the work progressed, error after error, new and accurate things began to turn up. Hard facts were learned about the behavior of metals and their alloys, the properties of acids, bases, and salts were recognized.
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5. What is the main point of this passage? A Mistakes play a major role in the advancement of science. B Alchemists were never able to turn other metals into gold. C Alchemy played a major role in the development of science. D Alchemy, like modern science, was very difficult work. 6. Which generalization might you make from this passage? F Alchemists worked by trial and error in their labs. G Alchemists can be seen as the ancestors of modern scientists. H Great accomplishments often have humble beginnings. J Crazy experiments always lead to major breakthroughs.
7. The author wrote this passage mainly to A compare the work of alchemists with modern scientists. B warn readers against becoming obsessed with unrealistic ideas. C call for a return to the work of alchemists. D suggest there is an elementary particle out of which everything is made.
Chapter
3
Part
Evaluating a Variety of Printed Materials
The Standards of Learning Covered in This Chapter 9.4 The student will read and analyze a variety of informational materials (manuals, textbooks, business letters, newspapers, brochures, reports, catalogs) and nonfiction materials, including journals, essays, speeches, biographies, and autobiographies. a. Identify a position/argument to be confirmed, disproved, or modified. b. Evaluate clarity and accuracy of information. e. Extend general and specific vocabulary through reading and writing. 9.8 The student will credit the sources of both quoted and paraphrased ideas. a. Define the meaning and consequences of plagiarism. b. Distinguish ones own ideas from information created or discovered by others. 9.9 The student will use print, electronic databases, and online resources to access information. d. Distinguish between reliable and questionable Internet sources and apply responsible use of technology. 10.3 The student will read, comprehend, and critique literary works. a. Identify text organization and structure. 10.11 The student will collect, evaluate, and organize information. a. Organize information from a variety of sources. c. Verify the accuracy and usefulness of a variety of sources.
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11.4
The student will read and analyze a variety of informational materials. d. Generalize ideas from selections to make predictions about other texts. e. Analyze information from a text to draw conclusions.
Every day, you are bombarded by dozens of written and spoken messages that are intended to sway you to think or act in a certain way. These messagesin books and magazines, on TV and radio, or on the Internet can be very persuasive. Commercials and ads, editorials, letters to the editor, news commentaries, reviews of books, movies, and musicthey all vie for your attention and your dollars. This array of argumentative or persuasive writing demands your critical attention. Of course, the word critical does not mean you have a negative opinion of the written message. It simply means that you evaluate it and decide whether or not you want to believe the writer.
USE CRITICAL READING SKILLS

Several items on the SOL tests will require you to use critical reading skills to evaluate persuasive writing. To complete these items, it will help to remember these general tips:
Identify the authors position or argument in the passage: Is the author trying to confirm or disprove this position? Weigh the evidence presented in the passage: Is the information accurate? Is it adequate to support the authors position or argument? Question the situations in the passage: Are these situations realistic and believable? Or are they deliberately unrealistic? Examine the authors presentation of ideas: Is the information logical and well organized? Does the author seem to omit information? Critique the authors style: Does the author write objectively? Or does the author write in an overly emotional style to sway readers?
You probably wont find the answers to all these questions when you read a passage. Nevertheless, asking questions like these is essential for critical reading.
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3Check Your Critical-Reading Skills

Directions: Read the following letter to a newspaper editor. The comments in the left column show one students critical responses to this letter.
To the Editor:
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One Readers Reaction This is the authors position. He is arguing in support of the proposal.
The board of education has suggested a bold new plan for yearround education. Under the plan, all schools in the district will be open all year, including summer. The new school calendar, in which students will attend school for 60 days and then have 20 days off, will help us meet important challenges. First of all, year-round education makes economic sense. The districts population is growing fast, and by 2012, we will need to build a new middle school and high school. These buildings will cost over $50 million, a heavy burden on taxpayers. With yearround education, however, only three-fourths of all students are in school at any one time, freeing up enough classroom space to make the new schools unnecessary. Saving money isnt the only benet of year-round schooling. Students will also learn better. Long summer vacations are a holdover from 120 years ago when kids had to work on their parents farms all summer. Today theyre unnecessary and counterproductive. Over the summer break, many students forget the previous years work and need weeks of review in September. Under the year-round plan, students get three 1-month breaks. Called intercessions, they are spread across the year. During intercessions, students can relax, work, or go on vacation. Some students could even return to school during an intercession to do makeup work or take special classes. Most important, an intercession is less of an interruption than summer vacation. So students learn and remember more. Year-round schooling is better for the community too. Schools are too valuable to shut them down all summer. Keeping schools open means students can use the school libraries and computer labs anytime. In addition, the cafeteria could serve nutritious lunches throughout the summer to students who need them. In short, yearround education makes much wiser use of our educational resources while furthering the education of our students.
This evidence, if accurate, is strong support for the authors position.
The information in this paragraph seems simplistic and unrealistic. Students and their families will want the long summer break. The author doesnt deal with that.
The author supports his argument with clear, logical explanations.
In general, the authors writing style is objective. He doesnt use too many emotional words to sway his readers to agree with him.
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Try It Out
Critical Reading
Directions: Use the critical reading suggestions on page 58 as you read this part of a speech given in the 1870s by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an early advocate of womens suffrage, or voting rights. As you read, answer the questions in the text. The Republican party today congratulates itself on having carried the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution, thus securing manhood suffrage and establishing an aristocracy of sex on this continent. As several bills that secure Womans Suffrage in the District and the Territories have been already presented in both houses of Congress, and as by Mr. Julians bill, the question of so amending the Constitution as to extend suffrage to all the women of the country has been presented to the nation for consideration, it is not only the right but the duty of every thoughtful woman to express her opinion on a Sixteenth Amendment. 1. What does the author hope to persuade her listeners to do? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ The fundamental principle of our governmentthe equality of all the citizens of the republicshould be incorporated in the Federal Constitution, there to remain forever. To leave this question to the States and partial acts of Congress, is to defer indefinitely its settlement, for what is done by this Congress may be repealed by the next; and politics in the several States differ so widely, that no harmonious action on any question can ever be secured, except as a strict party measure. Hence, we appeal to the party now in power, everywhere, to end this protracted debate on suffrage, and declare it the inalienable right of every citizen. . . . 2. What is the authors position on how womans suffrage should be established? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ I urge a speedy adoption of a Sixteenth Amendment for the following reasons: A government, based on the principle of caste and class, can not stand. The autocratic idea, in any form, is opposed to the genius of our free institutions, to our own declaration of rights, and the civilization of the age. All artificial distinctions, whether of family, blood, wealth, color or sex, are equally oppressive to the subject classes, and equally destructive to national life and prosperity. Governments based on every form of aristocracy, on every degree and variety of inequality, have been tried in despotism, monarchies, and republics, and all alike have perished. Behold their temples, thrones, and pyramids, their gorgeous palaces and stately monuments now crumbled all to
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dust. Behold every monarch in Europe at this very hour trembling on his throne. Behold the republics on this Western continent convulsed, distracted, divided, the hosts scattered, the leaders fallen, the scouts lost in the wilderness, the once inspired prophets blind and dumb, while on all sides the cry is echoed, Republicanism is a failure, though that great principle of a government by the people, of the people, for the people has never been tried. Thus far, all nations have been built on caste and failed. Why, in this hour of reconstruction, with the experience of generations before us, make another experiment in the same direction? If serfdom, peasantry, and slavery have shattered kingdoms, deluged continents with blood, scattered republics like dust before the wind, and rent our own Union asunder, what kind of a government, think you, American statesmen, you can build with the mothers of the race crouching at your feet, while iron-heeled peasants, serfs, and slaves, exalted by your hands, tread our inalienable rights into the dust? While all men, everywhere, are rejoicing in newfound liberties, shall women alone be denied the rights, privileges and immunities of citizenship? 3. Summarize the authors evidence for her position. Do you think she provides enough support? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Of all kinds of aristocracy, that of sex is the most odious and unnatural; invading, as it does, our homes, desecrating our family altars, dividing those whom God has joined together, exalting the son above the mother who bore him, and subjugating, everywhere, moral power to brute force. Such a government would not be worth the blood and treasure so freely poured out in its long struggle for freedom. 4. How would you describe the language the author uses in the last paragraph of the speech? What effect might this language have on her audience? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________
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EVALUATE THE ORGANIZATION OF A PASSAGE

The way an essay, speech, letter, or review is organized can increase the impact of the authors message. A well-organized piece of writing is more effective at capturing the readers attention and persuading him or her to believe or do something. Thinking about how a passage is developed or organized can also help you identify the authors position and evaluate the evidencefacts, examples, and other details that are used to support this position. Once you determine the authors position and how he or she is organizing information, you can better decide whether the evidence is adequate to support the authors contentions. The following methods of organization can be used for any type of writingnot just persuasive. These sample passages, however, show how different writers used these techniques to support persuasive arguments. As you read each paragraph, think about the authors position and how the organization of the paragraph helps express this position.
Comparison and Contrast

This type of passage arranges support for a writers position according to similarities (comparisons) and differences (contrasts) between two things. In the following passage, for example, the writer contrasts two languages.
English is one of the hardest languages for nonnative speakers to learn. Unlike Spanish, in which words are generally pronounced as they look, English has many words with silent letters that arent pronounced. English is also different from Spanish in that it does not use written accent marks, whereas Spanish uses many accents to show readers how to pronounce words. However, when it comes to vocabulary, English does resemble Spanish since many words in both languages stem from Latin roots.
Cause and Effect

In this kind of passage, you learn either why something happened or what happens as a result of something. The writer may explain events that cause a certain situation or discuss events that result from a situation. The writer of the next paragraph, for example, argues that the effects of widespread laptop use in school are negative.
The current widespread use of laptops and other computers in our classrooms is resulting in lower achievement and literacy levels among
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our students. How can that be? Despite what the sellers of educational software claim, learning isnt glitzy and fun. Its hard work and requires a deep commitment from both students and teachers. In the rush to install computers, many schools have forgotten to teach good oldfashioned facts, rules, theories, and thought processes. Directing students to a computer screen makes it less likely that they will read a serious book or think independently. Today, students are mainly using their laptops for entertainment and socialization, not education.
Order of Importance
Some paragraphs are put together so that we know which ideas the writer thinks are most important. Sometimes the least important ideas come first and the most important comes last. Sometimes it is the opposite. Which way is it in the following paragraph?
Do not judge television too harshly. Although its commercials are too numerous and its programming often stale, TV does achieve important goals. Educational programs reinforce reading and math skills for the young. More significant, live coverage of national events keeps adults aware of the world they live in. Most important, however, are the documentary and arts programs that inform and inspire us every day.
Problem and Solution

Many persuasive passages begin with a statement of a problem. In the details that follow, the writer presents the solution that he or she wants people to support.
Due to the new malls on the outskirts of town, our downtown business district has lost over 20 businesses in the last eight years, and many buildings there now stand vacant. To reverse this trend and revitalize this historic business district, we need to provide tax incentives to new
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businesses that locate there. The city also needs to provide better bus service to bring shoppers into the area. Finally, we must refurbish our downtown, repaving streets, removing graffiti, and providing amenities such as trees, flowers, and benches.
3Check Your Reading Skills

Directions: Read each passage and answer the questions that follow. NASA should not give up its efforts to locate extraterrestrial life. If NASA satellites and telescopes ever did pick up a signal from an intelligent civilization, the benefits would be enormous. In order to send such signals, a civilization would have to be highly advanced. Our own planet could doubtlessly benefit from such a society in countless ways. Perhaps we might learn how to better allocate our resources or avoid environmental catastrophes. The chances of finding such a civilization may be slim; if we dont search, however, the chances are zero. And whether or not life is found, we are likely to gain important knowledge in the search.
1. To organize this passage, the author mainly relies on A order of importance. B comparison and contrast. C cause and effect. D problem and solution.
2. What is the authors main position? F Extraterrestrial civilizations are more highly advanced than ours. G The chances of finding extraterrestrial life are very slim. H Our government should search the universe for signs of intelligent life. J Our society allocates resources poorly and faces environmental catastrophes.
As convenient as private automobiles are, they should be banned from the congested downtown sections of cities, such as Chicago and New York. Such a ban would create a quieter atmosphere in our cities, making them more pleasant for workers and residents alike. More important, banning automobiles would force people to use trains and buses, which use scarce energy resources much more efficiently. Most important, however, is health. Automobile exhaust creates smog and air pollution, putting everyone at risk for serious respiratory diseases. Many residents will oppose a ban on private cars; still, it is a small price to pay for making cities safer and more livable.
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3. To organize this passage, the author mainly relies on A order of importance. B comparison and contrast. C cause and effect. D problem and solution.
4. The authors main position is that F city residents should use public transportation, not private cars. G cities today are unhealthy and unpleasant places to live. H scarce energy resources present many challenges to city residents. J private cars should be banned from congested areas of major cities.
3Check Your Answers

1. The correct answer is C. The paragraph focuses on some possible beneficial effects that might result from a causethe discovery of extraterrestrial life. 2. The correct answer is H. This position is stated in the first sentence and the rest of the paragraph explains why the search should continue. Although the writer mentions that extraterrestrial civilizations would be more advanced (F), this is not the main position. Similarly, the writer makes a statement similar to G, but not as a main position. The writer says that other civilizations might help us allocate resources better but does not claim that we do so poorly now (J). 3. The correct answer is A, order of importance. Notice that the writer uses the introductory phrases More important and Most important to show the order of importance of supporting arguments. 4. The correct answer is J. While the author would encourage people to use mass transit (F), this is not the main point of the paragraph. Similarly, the author implies that cities are unhealthy due to smog (G) and scarce energy is a challenge to city residents (H), but these points only come out in passing in support of the main point.
Now lets take a closer look at some critical reading skills that will help you evaluate the persuasive passages you encounter in your everyday life and on the SOL test.
DISTINGUISH FACT AND OPINION

To read critically, you must be able to distinguish facts from opinions. Otherwise you may be misled by information in a passage. A fact is a statement that can be proved to be true by checking a reference source or talking to an expert. An opinion is what someone thinks, believes, or feels. Unlike facts, opinions cannot be proved. Opinions often contain phrases such I think, we believe, and they feel. Descriptive adjectives, such as best, wonderful, exciting, and groundbreaking, are often found in opinions too. To decide whether a statement is a fact or an opinion, think about whether you could prove it to be true.
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Try It Out
Distinguish Fact and Opinion

Directions: Read each sentence. In the space provided write fact, if it is a fact. Write opinion, if it is an opinion. 1. Of all the sea mammals, dolphins are the most interesting. _____________ 2. A dolphins brain is larger than a humans brain. _____________ 3. Dolphins communicate beyond the human range of hearing, and they often change the frequencies of their sounds when humans approach. _____________ 4. Instead of forcing dolphins to do silly tricks for us in aquariums, we should attempt to communicate with them. _____________ 5. Without a doubt, dolphins could teach us humans a great deal. _____________
Recognize Loaded Language

The dictionary meaning of a word is its denotation. Any additional emotional meanings associated with a word form its connotation. If someone does something dangerous, for example, you might call him courageous or foolhardy. The word courageous has positive connotations while foolhardy has negative connotations. Authors often use language loaded with connotations to create an emotional response in a reader. Try to be aware of this loaded language when you read or listen to someones arguments. In addition to manipulating an audience, loaded language often disguises poor reasoning or a lack of facts.
Try It Out
Recognize Loaded Language

Directions: Underline the loaded word or words in this letter.
To the Editor:
By neglecting to enforce laws against illegal advertising in Elm City, we are selling our citys soul. Advertisers, like feral cats, have staked out their territory in our once fair city. Buildings, buses, benches, sidewalksno public space is sacred from crass commercial messages. This visual pollution has spread like a cancer, decimating our quality of life and leaving our city without a shred of dignity or charm.
IDENTIFY ILLOGICAL ARGUMENTS

Some persuasive writing contains statements that look like reasons and evidence. A closer look, however, shows that these statements arent really logical. When you read the types of statements shown on the next page, you should stop and say, Wait a minute. Thats not logical!
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1. False Cause and Effect

Dont assume that one event caused the event that happened next. One event can follow another without having anything to do with the first event. Fridays game was an embarrassing defeat for our team and school. We propose, therefore, that future games never be scheduled on Friday the 13th.
2. Hasty Generalization
Some writers base their conclusions on inadequate evidence. Critical readers make sure there is enough support for an authors position. Many students at our school scored poorly on the recent AP exams. It just goes to show that AP classes rarely get the results theyre supposed to.
3. Circular Reasoning
Instead of providing facts and reasons to support their opinions, some authors just restate their opinions in different words. Critical readers recognize that some statements keep saying the same thing in different words. Rogerio is the best choice for president of the student council. No one else could do a better job on the council. Clearly, hes our number one option.
4. Either-Or Statements
Some persuasive writers describe a situation in terms of two extreme choices, suggesting there is only one correct choice. Usually, however, there are other unstated choices between the two extremes. Unfortunately, fellow citizens, our choice is clear. Either we raise property taxes by 25 percent, or we shut down our parks and library.
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Directions: Read each statement. Then on the lines provided, explain why the author has not supported the argument. 1. Science is progressing rapidly because so many new discoveries are being made every year. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. From these and similar experiences of the Ingalls family, its fair to say that the homesteaders on the Great Plains, as a group, were fearless. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. Either the administration of Greenwood High will do whatever is necessary to create a winning football program, or we must resign ourselves to being a secondrate school forever. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 4. Its no wonder that students math and reading scores have fallen again this year. Our school offers so many sports teams, clubs, and extracurricular activities that students have no time to study. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
3Check Your Answers

1. This statement illustrates circular reasoning. Many new discoveries is the same thing as rapid progress. No real reason is given for the progress, though. 2. This is a hasty generalization. It is not logical to base a generalization about all the homesteaders on the experiences of just one family. 3. Here the writer uses an either-or statement to persuade listeners unfairly. Surely there are many first-rate schools that do not excel in football but offer top courses in academics and the arts; there are top football schools that are second-rate in academic areas. 4. This is an example of false cause and effect. The writer suggests, but offers no proof, that falling scores are due to participation in sports and other activities.
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NOTE AN AUTHORS BIAS

Authors of persuasive passages are rarely impartial and objective. Instead, their writing reflects their own bias, or slant, on an issue. Thinking about an authors bias can tell you a lot about a text. For example, an author might have had certain experiences that led him or her to take a certain position. Or an author might stand to gain something from persuading others to accept an opinion. Its also important to find out how an authors position compares with the positions of others who write about the same issue. In short, noting where an author is coming from can help you to understand a text. Often you can detect a writers bias from his or her choice of words. A writer in favor of an issue typically uses words with positive connotations to describe it. A writer who is against the same issue might use words with negative connotations.

Directions: Read each proposal. Then read the description of each writer below the proposal. Place a check mark next to the person who would most likely be biased against the proposal. 1. Proposal: Build more runways at a large city airport ____ the head of a local construction workers union ____ the head of a neighborhood association near the airport 2. Proposal: Allow drilling for oil in offshore waters ____ the spokesman for a major multinational oil company ____ the spokesman for an environmental preservation group 3. Proposal: Expand the use of educational software in all classrooms ____ a high school technology teacher ____ a publisher of traditional textbooks Directions: Read the following titles of op-ed articles and news stories. Place a check next to the title that shows bias against the topic. 4. Proposal: Allow drilling for oil in offshore waters ____ Offshore Drilling Spells Danger to Pacific Coast ____ Offshore Drilling Promises Much-Needed Energy 5. Proposal: Build more runways at a large city airport ____ Noisy Airport Casts Cloud Over Once-Green Neighborhood ____ New Runways Mean More On-Time Arrivals and Departures
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6. Proposal: Expand the use of educational software in all classrooms ____ Computer-Assisted Education Prepares Students for Future ____ Study Shows Few Benefits, Big Costs, from Computerized Instruction
3Check Your Answers

1. The head of the neighborhood association is more likely to be biased against the proposal. More runways would mean more noise pollution in the neighborhood. For the official, however, more runways might mean more jobs for union members. 2. The environmentalist is more likely to be biased against the proposal due to its negative impact on the environment. The oil executive might benefit economically from the proposal. 3. A textbook publisher might be biased against the plan, as it might cut into textbook sales. The technology teacher might favor the proposal. 4. The phrase Spells Danger in the first title suggests bias against the proposal. 5. In the first title, the phrases Casts Cloud and Once-Green suggest bias against the plan. 6. The phrases Few Benefits and Big Costs in the second title suggest negative bias.
RECOGNIZE PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES

There are many methods for persuading other people to do or believe something. The methods described below are sometimes called propaganda techniques. They can often be found in commercials, political ads and speeches, and other persuasive writing.
1. Name-Calling
Name-Calling uses negative wordsinstead of facts and reasonsto suggest someone or something is bad. Governor Peters isnt a leader. Hes a spineless yes-man for the fat cats and big shots who are ruining this state.
2. Bandwagon
Bandwagon creates the idea that everybody is doing something and you should get on the bandwagon too. On November 5th, hundreds of thousands of your neighbors will go to the polls and vote for a new governorJaime Santiago. Why dont you join them?
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3. Testimonial
Testimonial is an appeal to follow the example of a famous person or expert. Quarterback Thad Thomas says, On the playing field, nothing is more important than teamwork and fair play. The same is true in state government. Thats why Im voting for Jaime Santiago for governor.
4. Plain Folks
Plain Folks appeals to readers to be like everyday common people. Citizens like Tina Jones make Midvale a great place to live. She works full time, has two great kids, and volunteers at her church. And this November, Tina is voting for Jaime Santiago.

Directions: Put a check next to the sentence in each pair below that contains a propaganda technique. 1. ____ The governors budget is a nasty fraud; his financial gimmicks will bankrupt us. ____ In the coming days, we will examine the governors proposed budget more closely. 2. ____ I am in favor of economic growth. ____ Ordinary workers at the Acme Tire Company, like Al Peters and Rodolpho Diaz, know whats best for our economy. 3. ____ If you care about education, youll join the hundreds of other teachers planning to attend Fridays rally. ____ Please attend the rally on Friday afternoon to express your feelings about the new contract for teachers. 4. ____ I want luxurious hair and nails. ____ Screen star Sharma Sharp says, You too can have luxurious hair and nails.
3Check Your Answers

1. The first item uses name-calling with the terms nasty fraud and financial gimmick. 2. The second item uses the plains folks technique, naming ordinary workers. 3. The first item uses the bandwagon technique, suggesting there is a movement afoot to attend the rally. 4. The second item is a testimonial, using a celebrity to sell a product.
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Try It Out
Analyze Advertisements
Directions: Examine the following advertisements as a critical reader. As you read, ask yourself these questions:
Is the writer making an emotional or a logical appeal? Are there more opinions than facts? Does the writer present enough compelling evidence? What is the writers purpose?
Have you noticed that people avoid you?

Do they seem to want to look the other way when you speak to them?
Would you like to improve your conversational style?
Smile-More toothpaste can help! With SmileMore your teeth are whiter, your breath is fresher, and you feel more confident. SmileMore is the most effective toothpaste you can buy. Smile-More will make the difference! Once you start using Smile-More toothpaste, you will find yourself smiling more and an attractive, confident smile is what you need to turn your life around. Try Smile-Moreand start smiling!
Cherie Caps of stage and screen did!
Do you want to have a beautiful smile as well as healthy teeth!

250 dentists nationwide have just completed clinical trials of Smile-More toothpaste among their patients. The results are over whelmingly positive. Smile-More made a remarkable difference in the whiteness of patients' teeth, brightening their smiles up to six shades whiter. On surveys, these patients stated that they now felt more confident and attractive as a result of using Smile-More. And all of the participating dentists plan to make Smile-More a permanent part of their regular dental hygiene programs. So trust the experts and make Smile-More a regular part of your dental hygiene too! It costs a little more, but isn't your smile worth it?
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Use these questions to compare and contrast the advertisements. 1. Which advertisement is more effective? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 2. Which relies more on facts and data than on emotion? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 3. Which gives more information? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 4. Does each ad have the same purpose? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 5. Which types of persuasive techniques does each ad use? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Remember: Persuasive writing often sounds reasonableand it may well be. In general, however, it appeals more to your emotions than to your logical thinking processes. Furthermore, if you really want to believe a persuasive message, you are less likely to question it. Asking questions, however, is what critical reading is all about.
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Try It Out
Analyze an Argument
Directions: Keep in mind what you have learned in this section as you read the following essays and answer the questions.
A Fable for Tomorrow

by Rachel Carson
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There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings. The town lay in the midst of a checkerboard of prosperous farms, with elds of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in spring, white clouds of bloom drifted above the green elds. In autumn, oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of color that amed and ickered across a backdrop of pines. Then foxes barked in the hills and deer silently crossed the elds, half hidden in the mists of the fall mornings. Along the roads, laurel, viburnum and alder, great ferns and wildowers delighted the travelers eye through much of the year. Even in winter the roadsides were places of beauty, where countless birds came to feed on the berries and on the seed heads of the dried weeds rising above the snow. The countryside was, in fact, famous for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and when the ood of migrants was pouring through in spring and fall people traveled from great distances to observe them. Others came to sh the streams, which owed clear and cold out of the hills and contained shady pools where trout lay. So it had been from the days many years ago when the rst settlers raised their houses, sank their wells, and built their barns. Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the ocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow
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of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families. In the town the doctors had become more and more puzzled by new kinds of sickness appearing among their patients. There had been several sudden and unexplained deaths, not only among adults but even among children, who would be stricken suddenly while at play and die within a few hours.
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There was a strange stillness. The birds, for examplewhere had they gone? Many people spoke of them, puzzled and disturbed. The feeding stations in the backyards were deserted. The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not y. It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of robins, catbirds, doves, jays, wrens, and scores of other bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the elds and woods and marsh. On the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched. The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigsthe litters were small and the young survived only a few days. The apple trees were coming into bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so there was no pollination and there would be no fruit. The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by re. These, too, were silent, deserted by all living things. Even the streams were now lifeless. Anglers no longer visited them, for all the sh had died. In the gutters under the eaves and between the shingles of the roofs, a white granular powder still showed a few patches; some weeks before it had fallen like snow upon the roofs and the lawns, the elds and streams. No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.
1. To organize this passage, Rachel Carson relies mainly on A order of importance. B comparison and contrast. C problem/solution. D cause and effect. 2. The third paragraph of the fable contains many examples of F testimonials. G loaded language. H illogical arguments. J propaganda techniques.
3. Rachel Carson does not state her position directly in this fable. Based on details in the passage, which statement best states the point she wishes to make? A Pests are responsible for natures inability to rejuvenate itself. B Rural life is no longer a viable option for most people. C People are doing irreparable damage to the natural world. D Tracking the causes of diseases and blights is often impossible.
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4. The author gave this passage the title A Fable for Tomorrow because F nature and animals are the key characters of this story. G it tells a simple story in order to make a serious point. H she wants to amuse as well as teach the reader a lesson. J all of the above.
7. Based on this passage, the author appears to be all of the following except A a passionate expert on her topic. B disapproving of peoples chemical intervention in the natural world. C eager to motivate others to solve this environmental problem. D optimistic about the future. 8. Throughout the passage, Carson builds a mood of F mystery and foreboding. G wonderment and awe. H anger and impatience. J indifference and apathy.
5. Based on this passage, the reader might conclude that Carson favors A genetic engineering of farm animals. B super fertilizers to enhance plant growth. C organic farming without chemicals. D hormone additives to promote animal growth. 6. The author mentions all of the following as effects of the strange blight (paragraph 3) except F sudden and unexplained deaths. G silent birds. H lifeless streams. J oily puddles in farmers fields.
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Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
Mozart and the SATs

by Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland
Almost daily we hear that the arts make kids smarter. Michael Greene, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, said that children who studied the arts scored higher on tests in math and science. In fact, there is an association between the arts and S.A.T. results. But whats causing what? Do the arts lead to academic success, or do achievement-oriented students take more arts courses? The most common claim is that classical music in particular has a magical power to improve childrens brain development. In the childrens music section of Tower Records here in Cambridge, for example, a compact disc called Music for the Mozart Effect is sold with the claim that studies have shown that Mozart can raise a childs I.Q. At least two states, Georgia and Michigan, have mandated the distribution of classical CDs to all families with newborns. Thomas Finneran, the Speaker of the House in the Massachusetts Legislature, supports a program to give books and music to all of the states children 4 and younger. Distributing books and music to babies and young children is a laudable proposal for many reasons. But will these efforts raise your childs I.Q.? Since 1997 we have been analyzing the research relevant to the claim that the arts lead to academic success. So far we have found no actual scientic evidence on the effect of music on infant brain development and subsequent school success.
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Frances Rauscher, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, has shown that when college students listened to a Mozart piano sonata for 10 minutes, their scores on spatial reasoning tests improved. But this Mozart effect was short-lived, lasting only 10 to 15 minutes. In other studies, Dr. Rauscher and her colleagues showed that young children who learned to play the piano also improved their spatial abilities. But this difference appeared on only one of several tests. And it is impossible to say how long the improvement lasts. Children were tested within days of their latest piano lesson. Do these results justify the inference that listening to classical music will lead to school success? Alas, they do not. Nor did Dr. Rauscher make such a claim. Fifteen research teams have tried to replicate these results, but only four have clearly supported the original ndings. Dr. Rauschers results may hold up in the end. Dont get us wrong. We think the arts should be a basic component of every childs education, and we strongly endorse any proposal to increase arts education for children. The importance of listening to and learning to play classical music, or for that matter engaging in any of the arts, is beyond disputebut not because the experience will raise academic test scores. People who live by such practical rationalizations for the arts are in danger of having their position undermined should science not support these claims. We dont justify math in our schools by how well it improves musical ability. So why should we require such distant transfer effects in the case of music? Music, like math, physics, and poetry, is an essential part of our culture. Children improve their future lives immeasurably by gaining a deep understanding of its structure and its beauty. This is justication enough for music in our schools.
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9. The authors believe all of the following except A the arts should be a basic part of every childs education. B music is an essential part of our culture. C listening to classical music undoubtedly raises a childs I.Q. D engaging in the arts is important regardless of its effect on test scores.
10. The authors want to convince the reader to support art education because it improves F long-term spatial ability. G short-term spatial reasoning. H SAT results. J childrens lives.
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11. Which statement from the essay is a fact? A But this Mozart effect was short-lived, lasting only 10 to 15 minutes. B The importance of listening to and learning to play classical music, or for that matter engaging in any of the arts, is beyond dispute. C Children improve their future lives immeasurably by gaining a deep understanding of its [musics] structure and its beauty. D Distributing books and music to babies and young children is a laudable proposal for many reasons. 12. To organize this article, the authors rely mainly on F comparison and contrast. G problems and solutions. H order of importance. J cause and effect.
13. Based on Dr. Rauschers studies, the authors of this article probably believe that A schools should require all students to take piano lessons. B all college students should listen to Mozart prior to tests. C rock music has the same effect on the brain as classical music. D Dr. Rauscher should continue her research. 14. The authors tone could best be described as F objective. G humorous. H sarcastic. J arrogant.
EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF SOURCES

As a critical reader and writer, you will also need to evaluate your sources and the information they provide. In order to do that, keep in mind the 3 Rs relevancy, reliability, and recency.
Relevancy
Relevancy refers to how directly the source and information relate to your topic and thesis statement. For example, you wouldnt waste your time reading the novel The Island of the Blue Dolphins if you were writing a research paper on dolphin communication.
Reliability
Reliability refers to the expertise and experience of the author(s). Although your knowledge of your sources authors will usually be limited, you can make some assumptions. For instance, if your thesis statement involved medical issues, your research should include evidence presented by doctors, not talk show hosts. As for evidence, facts, data, and statistics are the strongest supporting details. Opinions can be good support too if they are from experts who have demonstrated special knowledge or experience in a field.
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Recency
Finally, the test of recency can best be decided simply by determining when the article or source was copyrighted. If youre dealing with an issue such as genetic engineering, a book published in 1992 would contain stale information. You might not need recent sources to write about an artist of the Renaissance, but up-to-date sources are important if your subject is an artist still painting today. Conducting your own research is one thing; answering questions on the SOL test is something else. The thing to remember is that when applying the 3 Rs, youll often be making judgments based on sources and research that are unfamiliar to you. You can, nevertheless, successfully relate the 3 Rs to the situation and be successful in choosing the correct answer.

Directions: Examine each of the following sample thesis statements for research papers. Each thesis statement is followed by some possible sources for information. Decide which of the two sources would be more useful for each thesis statement and put a check mark by that source. 1. Citizenship education should be taught as a special curriculum in Virginias public schools. ____ Citizenship, an article in World Book Encyclopedia ____ Are Children Being Taught the Character They Need? an article in Leadership in Education magazine 2. William Shakespeare may not have been the literary genius that history has deemed him. ____ The Complete Works of William Shakespeare ____ Jonson, Marlowe, and Shakespeare: Whos the Real Genius? a chapter in the book Elizabethan Playwrights 3. Technology in the physical education classroom means more than just computers. ____ Heart Rate Monitors Technology for Health and Phys Ed, an article in Technology Tips, a pamphlet ____ Stafford County Schools Win Grant for Computer Training, an article in the Stafford Journal 4. A swimming pool should be included in the plans for the next high school built in this county. ____ In the Swim: A Look at a Growing High School Sport, a television documentary ____ Pool Design for Competition Swimming, a manual
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5. Year-round education is the answer to many of the problems facing our public schools. ____ Money, Academics, and Time: In What Proportion? an article in the National Schools Association Gazette ____ Getting Through College Faster and Cheaper, the Year-Round Approach, a survey of college freshmen printed in the State College Alumni News
3Check Your Answers

1. The second item, the article in an education magazine, is the correct answer. It would be more relevant to the issue of teaching citizenship in school than a general encyclopedia article about citizenship. 2. The second choice, which contrasts the genius of three great playwrights, would be more useful for developing the thesis statement. The other book would probably limit itself to information about Shakespeares life and plays. 3. The first article would be more useful since it focuses directly on how computers can be used in gym classes. The other news article may not discuss computers in gym at all. 4. The TV documentary would be more useful since it might contain arguments to support the need for a school pool. The manual on pool design would probably not contain pertinent information for this thesis statement. 5. The article seems more relevant to this thesis statement since it deals with the best use of school resources. The survey deals more with college students than public schools.
THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT THE WEB

Your critical reading and thinking skills are also important when reading information on the Web. Remember that anyone can post or publish articles on a Web site. On the same day, for example, a sixth grader and the head zoologist at the San Diego Zoo might post articles about elephants. Which is more likely to be accurate and useful? No one necessarily edits or fact-checks the information on the web. So its up to you to decide if it is relevant and accurate. Here are three suggestions to help you do it.
Check the Domain Name

A domain name is the three-letter ending at the end of a Web site. The domain name gives you valuable information about who sponsors the site. Here are four common domain names and some information about each:
.com a commercial company. This type of site often tries to sell products and services. .organ organization, usually nonprofit, with a specific mission or goal. The information on this site may be biased toward the organizations goal. For example, an organization dedicated to saving forests will not talk about any benefits of logging public forests.
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.eduan educational institution, private or public, from elementary school to university. University sites tend to have valuable information on many different topics. Professors who have studied topics in depth often post articles on .edu sites. .gova governmental institution. These sites tend to offer many statistics and accurate information about issues and topics that affect local, state, or federal government agencies.
Visit the Home Page

As a critical reader, get in the habit of visiting the home page of a Web site. As you look over the home page, try to answer these questions.
Who wrote the material on the Web site? If no authors are listed, the material may not be worth reading. What are the credentials or qualifications of the authors? In general, look for authors who are experts on a subject and have published books and other articles about it. Have the Web site authors listed their sources? A list of sources is another way to evaluate the material on the site. If no sources are listed, its a reason to be suspicious about the information given. Was the site updated recently? A site that has not been updated recently may not be relevant or reliable for your purpose.
Skim the Site

Another way to distinguish between a reliable and a questionable Internet source is to quickly skim the site. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind.
Web sites that contain lots of glitzy visuals and little hard content may not be useful sites for research. Reputable research sites do not require you to make donations or buy or subscribe to something. Web sites that have obvious and strong biases may not present information objectively enough for research. Web sites with information that contradicts what you have found in print sources may not be accurate.
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CREDIT SOURCES OF INFORMATION

One of the most important tasks for writers is to properly credit both quoted and paraphrased ideas. You must precisely distinguish between your own ideas and opinions and those reflected in your research. Bear in mind that the purpose of the research paper is to demonstrate that you can apply the reading and investigation skills and processes (and sometimes the perseverance!) to address an issue or problem; it is not necessarily to demonstrate your creativity or genius. The format most widely used for quotations and citations is the MLA (Modern Language Association) format, which is readily available in most composition textbooks, research manuals, and the MLA style manual. This is also the format used on the SOL test. There are two absolute rules when documenting sources: 1. If you copy three or more words in succession from a source, you must cite the source and use quotation marks. 2. If you use someone elses ideaeven if you put it in your own wordsyou must cite the source of the idea. Examples of Citations Direct quote The objective of research is not necessarily to demonstrate your creativity or genius (Author page number). Paraphrase Showing originality and intellectual brilliance is not the objective of a student research paper (Author page number). Paraphrasing is more than just rephrasing someones or some texts words. Paraphrasing means reading a phrase, sentence, or paragraph and then digesting and understanding it well enough to rephrase or summarize it in your own words. Summarizing and paraphrasing are valuable reading comprehension tools as well as research skills. Summarizing is condensing information to its essentials: main ideas and major details.
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To Paraphrase Substitute your own words. Maintain the original tone or perspective. To Summarize Rely on topic sentences for the main idea(s). Use key words or phrases. Simplify lists and numerous examples and details into broad categories or concepts. Eliminate all unnecessary details.
Examine the book excerpt below and the sample summary and paraphrase that follow. Notice how the summary condenses the content, but the paraphrase both reduces and rewords the content. An effective paraphrase shows that the reader genuinely understands the content and can reduce it to its most important points while putting it into his or her own words.
from Techniques of Deception and Detection
The lie detector is an assembly of three different instruments. Their outputs are fed separately to the lie detector and recorded as separate traces on a graph.
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One instrument, the pneumograph, records breathing patterns. A rubber tube is strapped across the chest, and instruments measure fluctuations in the volume of air inside the tube, which are brought about by variations in breathing. The second instrument, the cardiosphygmograph, detects variations in the blood pressure and pulse rate. The information is picked up by a bladder and cuff placed over the upper arm, in the way that doctors check blood pressure. The third instrument is the galvanometer, which monitors the flow of a tiny electric current through the skin. The skin conducts electricity better when it is moist with perspiration. Electrodes are usually taped to the hand. Paraphrase: The lie detector is an assembly of three instruments: the pneumograph, cardiosphygmograph, and galvanometer. The first records breathing patterns, the second detects variations in blood pressure and pulse rate, and the third monitors electric current through perspiration in the skin. Summary: Determining whether or not a person has told the truth may be revealed by a machine that measures breathing, a rise in blood pressure and pulse rate, and persiration.
Try It Out
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Summarize and Paraphrase

Directions: Read more of the passage on lie detectors. Using the model above, summarize
and paraphrase what you read.
Medical experts in the USA and Britain say that it is quite possible for a suspected person to beat the lie detector. The trick is to make the responses to the control questions appear as similar as possible to the responses to the real questions. For an answer to be classified as deceptive, it must register much more strongly than the control answers. Dr. David Thoreson Lykken, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School, writes in his book, A Tremor in the Blood, that the interviewee could identify the control questions during the pre-test interview. He could then do something to increase his response to control questions during the testsomething different each time so as not to arouse suspicion. After the first control question, I might suspend breathing for a few seconds, then inhale deeply and sigh. While the second control is being asked, I might bite my tongue hard, breathing rapidly through my nose. During the third control question, I might press my right forearm against the arm of the chair or tighten the gluteus muscles on which I sit. A thumbtack in ones sock can be used covertly to produce a good reaction on the polygraph. Dr. Archibald Levey, of Britains Medical Research Council, who wrote a report on lie detectors for the British Government in 1988, says that meditation techniques can be used to achieve the opposite effectby lowering the responses to all questions.
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The interviewee could think himself into a relaxed state, concentrating on a different subject or imagining himself to be somewhere else. SUMMARY: ____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ PARAPHRASE: _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________
Avoid Plagiarism
Being able to paraphrase will help you avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is a type of stealing. Plagiarists use someone elses words and ideas as if they were their own without citing the sources. Professional writers who are found guilty of plagiarism may be fined. They also suffer public embarrassment and the loss of their reputations. Students who plagiarize informationeither from written sources or the Webalso face serious consequences. Plagiarism may lead to failure in a course or even expulsion from school. As a reader, you probably will not spot examples of plagiarism. You would have to be an expert on a topic to be familiar with all that has been written about it. As a writer, however, it is your responsibility to avoid plagiarism by citing the sources of your words and ideas.
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Show What You Know

Directions: Read each student-written research paper and answer the questions that follow. Remember, on the SOL test, the reading/research questions will be mixed in with all the other types of reading and literature questions.
Bill R. English 11 Welcome Death

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As a recluse uninvolved in life, perhaps thoughts of death became Emily Dickinsons companions (Menzel 397). Whatever the reason for her fascination, in Because I Could Not Stop for Death she contradicts the common attitude toward death. In personifying death, she gives it life and describes what others would view as a tragedy in terms of a comfortable carriage ride. The poetic tools she uses relax the reader and present the concept of death as patient, calm, and gentle. In personifying death as a patient, elderly man who kindly stopped for me, she depicts death as concerned with her desires. He drives the carriage slowly, even leisurely, demonstrating civility and kindness. This description certainly contradicts the common notion that death should be feared or detested. Additionally, Dickinson describes death as a carriage ride with her only companion being immortality. The word carriage conjures up an image of grace, dignity, even leisure. Although the only companion is immortality, life everlasting is a very appealing traveling mate (Davis and McGee 58). On their journey, they pass a school, fields of grain, and a setting sun, symbols of her own lifes stages. Later a house slips from view as she takes little notice of its features, implying that lifes worries and bothers are no longer present as she rises toward eternity. Finally, she illustrates deaths amiability through her use of meter, rhyme, imagery, and punctuation. She chooses a standard, traditional form for her poem, simple rhymes, and a leisurely pace and rhythm coinciding with deaths equally relaxed attitude. Her carefully selected images are particularly relevant to her own appearancegossamer gown, shawl, and veil make her seem angelic and, like the children at play, innocent and vulnerable, though her life is at an end, not a beginning. At this point, her attitude shifts from the external world to the internal (Davis and McGee 49). Also, rather than abruptness, her use of dashes suggests a gentle fading away (Davis and McGee 50). In fact, her ride into eternity is unbounded by conventional observance of time as suggested in the last stanza (Davis and McGee 50). Clearly, Emily Dickinson creates an unusually pleasant view of death. She makes death attractive, a buggy ride into a tranquil realm with a gentleman guide. Like Emerson in his poem Good-bye, she shares the attitude that death is serene and safe, an exit and an entrance (Matheny 12).
Works Cited
Davis, R. L., and A. B. McGee. The Definitive Dickinson. Chicago: Lakeside Press, 1990. Matheny, David. Emerson, Dickinson, and the New American Poets. Nineteenth Century American Poetry. New York: Staffordshire Press, 1999. Menzel, Adolph. Emily Dickinson and Death. Themes and Criticisms of Nineteenth Century American Poetry. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
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1. Which source would be most relevant to Bill as he begins his research? A an atlas B the vertical file C Readers Guide to Periodical Literature D a book of 19th-century American literary criticism 2. Which literary essay would be the least useful to Bill as he conducted his research? F Emily Dickinson and Death G Emerson, Dickinson and Death H Dickinsons Uncommon Poetry J Death Experiences in Modern Poetry
5. If Bills teacher required him to do more research on this topic, which source might he find most useful? A a biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson B a book of essays on Emily Dickinson and her poetry C a journal kept by Lavinia Dickinson, Emilys sister D an encyclopedia article on Emily Dickinson 6. Bills teacher is checking his citation for the external world to the internal. In which book should she look? F the one published by Staffordshire Press G the one that contains Emily Dickinson and Death H the one written by David Matheny J the one published in 1990
3. The thesis of this paper is that Emily Dickinson A was always suicidal. B feared death. C was terminally ill. D had a nontraditional view of death. 4. Which represents an opinion? F As a recluse uninvolved in life, perhaps thoughts of death became Emily Dickinsons companions. G Emily Dickinson chooses a standard, traditional form for her poem. H On their journey, they pass a school, fields of grain, and a setting sun. J Dickinson describes death as a carriage ride.
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Amy R. English 11 Woman of the Ages

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When Gone With the Wind is published in 1936, Scarlett OHara bursts onto the scene as a role model for American women. Because of her independent and headstrong attitude in a maledominated period, Scarlett OHara refuses to be bound by the norms of her time, and, thus, she appeals to women throughout the years. Consequently, Scarlett OHara is a woman of the ages. Margaret Mitchell, the author of this awardwinning novel, gives Scarlett the characteristics of a modern woman belonging to the 1930s but places her in the 1860s. In this era, girls were taught to be sweet, gentle, ornamental, helpless, and clinging in order to attract their future husbands (Harwell 121). In Southern society it was unheard of that a girl would break these rules. But Scarlett was like no other woman of her time. In many ways Gone With the Wind mirrors the 1930s as it tells the story of the South before, during, and after the Civil War through the eyes of Scarlett. The turmoil of this period is similar to the 1930sborn of the flamboyance of the Jazz Age but eventually dying in the depths of the Great Depression. The Depression sends many women, like Scarlett, out of their homes and into work (Ebert). But reading about Scarletts willful, persevering character gives these hardworking, tired, and downhearted women of the Depression someone to admire. If she could survive the Reconstruction period of the South after the Civil War, so could they survive the dark days of the Depression. Later, Scarlett represents in the 1940s what the nation needed as the nation headed into World War II; the spiritual sisters of Rosie the Riveter (Ebert). Helping with the war effort, working outside the home, by their examples they recruit thousands of women to be strong in the face of adversity and to take on roles traditionally held by men. Eventually in the 1950s women are encouraged to go back to their kitchens and homes because they must give their jobs back to the returning soldiers (Cayton 750). But a new generation of women has been born who do not want to give up their jobs; they like earning money. They are tired of listening to no jobs, politics, art, science, war, or peace and being relegated to accepting what society wants of them rather than what they want (Cayton 750). As a result, women who are forced to return to their homes embrace Scarlett as their dream or fantasy, a relief from the mundane existence that they once again are forced to resume. But a revolution is brewing in the 1960s. The civil rights movement and what they have learned about politics, media, and public views fuel the female frustrations of the fifties. More women are better educated than ever before and they want a different measure of success (Cayton 823). Like Scarlett, they are developing independence, strengthand ideas! As revolutionary as they are, however, they dont compare to the women of the seventies and eighties, whose power, self-expression, and revolt make them remarkably different from the women of the nineties (Loh 291). These women of the seventies and eighties have the power to succeed in their own waygetting what they want and turning situations around to their way. Scarlett OHara becomes an icon of manipulation for them, a sister in self-promotion.
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But in the 1990s women change again. The women of the nineties are spunky, busy with purposeful activity, and make the best of what comes (Loh 288). A whole new generation is exposed to Scarlett when Gone With the Wind, the movie, is rereleased in theaters in 1998. Exposed to her strong will and perseverance, women emulate her as they take high-paying jobs in the corporate world. As a shining example, Scarlett uses her femininity to get what she wants, and in effect serves for women a role model for the Me generation (Book Search). Scarletts strength at the end of the novel reminds us of her unwavering energy and determination. Her After all, tomorrow is another day! has become a rallying cry for women throughout the decades who have fallen on hard times. Even today, she remains a symbol of spirit, rebellion, and independencethoroughly American characteristics.
Works Cited
Cayton, Andrew, Elisabeth Perry, and Allan Winkler. America: Pathways to the Present. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert on Movies. 15 Nov. 1999. <http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/great movies/gone wind.html> Book Search on Gone With the Wind. 15 Nov. 1999. <http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/book/book search/isbnInquiry.asp> Harwell, Richard. Gone With the Wind as Book and Film. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1983. Loh, Sandra Tsing. The Return of Doris Day. Signs of Life in the USA, 2nd ed. Eds. Sonia Massik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 287294.
7. Amy has organized the information in her paper by A order of importance. B spatial organization. C chronological order. D cause/effect organization. 8. In paragraph 8, the word emulate most nearly means F worship. G imitate. H promote. J characterize.
9. If Amy wanted to add another paragraph to her paper, she might predict A what the women of the next decade would be like and compare them to Scarlett. B which current young film stars will be the screen legends of the next decade. C who will be the revolutionaries of the next decade. D who will be the failures of the next decade.
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10. If Amy wanted to find more information on her topic, which source would be most helpful? F a chapter in a reference book titled Film Stars of the 1930s G a chapter in a book titled Renegade and Role Model: Scarlett OHara H an interview with Roger Ebert, film critic, on great movies of the 1960s J an Internet chat room for fans of Vivien Leigh, the actress who played Scarlett
12. How many of Amys sources obviously deal with Gone With the Wind as a movie? F one G two H four J five
13. From Amys tone, the reader may assume that she A detests Scarlett. B tolerates Scarlett. C admires Scarlett. D suspects Scarlett. 14. Which source has the most recent references to Amys topic? F Gone With the Wind as Book and Film G Signs of Life in the USA H America: Pathways to the Present J Roger Ebert on Movies
11. Amy has found another quote shed like to add to her paper. Which is the correct way to cite this information written by Don Siegmund on page 68 of Great Females on the Reel and in Real Life? A No other screen personality has had a greater impact on modern women. (Siegmund 68) B No other screen personality has had a greater impact on modern women (Siegmund 68) C No other screen personality has had a greater impact on modern women (Siegmund 68). D No other screen personality has had a greater impact on modern women (Siegmund 68).
Part Part Chapter
4
Part Part
Locating and Using Information from a Variety of Sources

The student will read and analyze a variety of informational materials (manuals, textbooks, business letters, newspapers, brochures, reports, catalogs) and nonfiction materials, including journals, essays, speeches, biographies, and autobiographies. e. Extend general and specific vocabulary through reading and writing. f. Read and follow instructions to complete a project.
The Standards of Learning Covered in This Chapter 9.4
10.4
The student will read and interpret written informational materials. a. Analyze and apply the information contained in warranties, contracts, job descriptions, technical descriptions, and other informational sources, including labels, warnings, manuals, directions, applications, and forms, to complete specific tasks. b. Skim manuals or consumer texts to locate information. d. Identify questions not answered by a selected text.
11.4
The student will read and analyze a variety of information materials. b. Read and follow directions to complete an application for college admission, for a scholarship, or for employment. c. Apply concepts and use vocabulary in informational and technical materials to complete a task.
Taking an English class, driving a car, applying for a job, baking cookies what do these very different activities all have in common? They all require a basic skill: the ability to read. We read for many different purposes. While you are in school, you read textbooks and literature in order to learn the required course material. To succeed in these reading tasks you need the active reading skills you have already
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studied in earlier chapters. Yet good reading skills are also necessary for the realworld texts that you encounter every day. In this chapter you will learn more about how to apply critical-reading skills when you read an instruction manual, fill out an official document, enjoy an interesting how-to article, or encounter a media message.
TECHNICAL AND FUNCTIONAL READING

There is no style of reading that works for everything that you will read in school and everyday life. You use different reading strategies, vary your speed, and apply special skills depending on your purpose for reading and the content of a passage. One type of reading you are sure to encounter is technical or functional reading. Technical or functional reading is usually followed by some action on your part. In other words, you are reading so that you will be able to do something. For these reasons, technical or functional reading looks different from other types of reading. And because it looks different, you have to move and focus your eyes differently. Lets compare technical reading and fiction.
Fiction Plot structure Transitional expressions and signal words Longer sentences and paragraphs All words
Technical Reading Informational text structure/patterns Numbers, bullets, subheadings
Shorter sentences and chunks Fewer words and more figures, data, graphics Many typographical features
Few typographical features except for paragraph indentations, italics Developed around unity of impression Emphasizes style
Developed around practicality, speed, and action Emphasizes content
Typographical features include print size and type style, boldfaced and italic words, footnotes, bullets, headings and subheadings, legends, titles, and the use of shading and boxing to set text apart. For example, look at the excerpt from a drivers education textbook on the next page.
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, Getting Your Driver s License

,
Terms You May Not Know
Chapter 1
The moment you ve been waiting for has finally arrived! Implied consent , You ve dreamed of the day when you no longer have to Graduated licensure depend on parents and older siblings to get you where you Bona fide resident need to go. But before you jump behind the wheel, there are some steps you must take to ensure that you are properly licensed. This chapter focuses on what you need to do to actually obtain that plastic permit and the documents you will need to bring with you when you officially apply.
In This Chapter You Will Read About

, Types of Driver s Licenses , Driver s Education Program Written, Physical, and Driving Exams Organ Donors Program Necessary Documents
Types of Licenses
, Learner s Permit: Supervised conditions allow an inexperienced driver to learn and practice at this stage. The learner, who is typically 15 or 16 years old, receives a permit to drive when supervised by a licensed adult , Driver s License: To graduate to the full, unrestricted license stage, the learner must in some states complete an advanced driver education course in a public school or a
This textbook is divided into chapters, and the first chapter is titled Getting Your Drivers License, which is followed by a brief overview. One box contains bullets of the topics that will be covered in this chapter. The first topic, Types of Licenses, is broken into two subheadings, Learners Permit and Drivers License. Another box contains important and possibly unfamiliar vocabulary that will appear in this chapter. The bullets, bold print, sign, and boxes make the reading of this page easier than if it had been laid out in traditional paragraphs. When you read a short story or novel, your eyes follow the typical left-to-right direction. On this page of functional reading, however, your eyes tend to move all over the page, drawn to the various features that emphasize the text. This may take some getting used to at first; just dont neglect to pay attention to those features, because they are there to direct your reading and complement the text. One of the drawbacks to some technical reading is dealing with the use of symbols, abbreviations, and jargon (the specialized vocabulary of a particular job or activity). Also, because the style of technical writing tends toward concise, brief explanations, there may be fewer context clues and opportunities to draw upon prior knowledge. On the other hand, technical reading often has a wealth of graphics that enhance the message, make abstract ideas concrete, and summarize the information. Therefore, reading technically also means reading graphs, charts, and other visual aids.
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READ VISUAL AIDS Graphs

Graphs are representations of datastatistics or numbersand they present a great deal of data in a compact way to give you an overall picture of what the numbers mean. In a bar graph, the statistics are represented as bars. In a circle graph, the numbers are shown as a percentage of a circle. In a line graph, the pieces of data are joined by a line to illustrate a trend.
Try It Out
Read Graphs
Directions: Look at the circle graph that follows. Then read the box next to it, which states the same information in paragraph form. Which is easier to grasp the graph or the paragraph? Why? Did one help you to understand the other?
How Your Tax Dollar Is Spent

Miscellaneous 15% Debt 8% Welfare and social services 20% Your tax dollar is spent on a variety of services. The biggest chunk goes to education, followed by the court system and fire and police protection. One-fifth of your dollar is spent on social services. Approximately fifteen cents of every dollar is devoted to recreation, transportation, finance, environmental concerns, and other activities as represented by the miscellaneous category. Finally, even the city has to pay its bills. A hefty 8 percent of each tax dollar is required to pay toward debt service. So even though no one likes to pay taxes, they are a necessary evil if we want to keep everything working.
Courts, Police, and Fire 22%
Education 35%
Based on your reading, answer True or False to the following questions. _____ 1. Transportation costs are one of the largest city expenses. _____ 2. The money the city pays on its debts is nearly a third of what it pays for running the court and fire and police departments. _____ 3. The greatest expense the city bears is in maintaining welfare and social services.
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Now use this circle graph to answer the questions that follow.
Municipal Solid Wastes
Yard wastes 18%
Metals 9% Glass 6% Plastics 8%
Food wastes 7%
Wood, textiles, leather, other 12%
Paper 40%
4. According to the graph, which type of solid waste was disposed of least? A B C D metals glass plastics food wastes
6. To cut the total of solid wastes, governments should focus most on recycling A B C D glass and metals. paper and yard wastes. food wastes and plastics. rubber, leather, textile, and wood wastes.
5. What percentage of the total solid waste was composed of metals? F G H J 6% 9% 12% 40%
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Tables
A table, or chart, is an arrangement of rows and columns that is designed to give you information quickly and efficiently. Tables present information in a way that allows you to see how items are related to each other. To read a table, first look at the title. This lets you know what information to expect. Also look carefully at the labels that appear on the rows and columns of the table. (The rows on a table go across from left to right, and the columns go up and down.) The row across the top and the column on the left of the table are reference points that tell you what is being compared.
Try It Out
Read Tables and Schedules

Directions: Use this table to answer the questions below.
Windchill Table Wind Speed (miles per hour)
Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit)
35 30 25 20 15 10
5 33 27 21 16 12 7
10 21 16 9 2 2 9
15 16 11 1 6 11 18
20 12 3 4 9 17 24
25 7 0 7 15 22 29
30 5 2 11 18 26 33
35 3 4 13 20 27 35
40 1 4 15 22 29 36
45 1 6 17 24 31 38
50 0 7 17 24 31 38
1. What does the label for the top row tell you about this table? _____________________________________________________________________ 2. If the wind speed is 20 mph and the temperature outside is 20F, what will the wind chill be? _____________________________________________________________________ 3. A weather forecaster announces that the wind chill is 18F. Megans outdoor thermometer registers 20F. What is the speed of the wind? _____________________________________________________________________
A schedule is a special type of table that involves time. A table might tell you when a train arrives, a movie begins, or a class takes place. Use the commuter rail schedule on the next page to answer questions 4 9.
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S 304 M-F 6:10a 6:16 6:22 6:34 6:43 6:48 6:55 7:02 7:16 7:26 7:34 7:40 306 M-F 6:35a 6:41 6:47 6:59 7:08 7:14 7:21 7:28 7:41 7:51 7:59 8:05
AMTRAK
Requires Step-Up Ticket
S 308 M-F 7:15a 7:21 7:27 7:39 7:48 7:54 8:00 8:07 8:20 8:30 8:38 8:44
S 310 M-F 7:50a 7:56 8:02 8:14 8:23 8:28 8:35 8:41 8:54 9:02 9:10 9:18
AMTRAK AMTRAK AMTRAK AMTRAK

Requires Step-Up Ticket Requires Step-Up Ticket Requires Step-Up Ticket Requires Step-Up Ticket
NORTHBOUND
TRAIN # FREQUENCY FROM: FREDERICKSBURG LEELAND ROAD BROOKE QUANTICO RIPPON WOODBRIDGE LORTON FRANCONIA/SPRINGFIELD (L) ALEXANDRIA (L) CRYSTAL CITY (L) LENFANT (L) UNION STATION
300 M-F 5:15a 5:21 5:27 5:39 5:48 5:54 6:01 6:10 6:24 6:33 6:41 6:48
302 M-F 5:45a 5:51 5:58 6:10 6:19 6:25 6:32 6:39 6:51 6:59 7:07 7:13
84* M-F 6:55a 7:14 7:27 7:47 8:03 8:15
86* M-F 8:55a 9:14 9:41 10:06
94* M-F 11:54a 12:14 12:45 1:25
80* M-F 3:41p 4:01 4:32 5:08
66* M-F 6:56p 7:15 7:35 7:48 8:25
S = Special schedule *Indicates AMTRAK train accepting VRE Five-Day, Ten-Trip, Monthly, and TLC tickets only. No Single-Ride tickets. Requires Step-Up Ticket to ride AMTRAK. (L) = Indicates train may leave early if everyone has boarded or deboarded regardless of schedule time. Trains will only stop at stations where a time is indicated. Free transfer to all OmniRide and OmniLink, Fairfax Connector, and most Metrobus routes with valid VRE ticket. VRE connects with Metrorail at Franconia/ Springeld, Alexandria (King Street), Crystal City, LEnfant and Union Station.
AMTRAK AMTRAK
Requires Requires Step-Up Ticket Step-Up Ticket
S 301 M-F 12:55p 1:01 1:07 1:15 1:25 1:32 1:40 1:45 1:54 2:12 2:20 2:26
AMTRAK
S 303 M-F 3:35p 3:41 3:47 3:55 4:05 4:12 4:20 4:25 4:34 4:53 5:02 5:08 305 M-F 4:05p 4:11 4:17 4:25 4:35 4:42 4:49 4:55 5:04 5:22 5:31 5:37
S 307 M-F 4:45p 4:51 4:58 5:06 5:16 5:23 5:31 5:36 5:45 6:03 6:12 6:19 309 M-F 5:15p 5:21 5:27 5:35 5:45 5:52 6:00 6:05 6:14 6:32 6:40 6:46
AMTRAK
S 311 M-F 6:00p 6:06 6:12 6:20 6:30 6:37 6:45 6:50 6:59 7:16 7:24 7:30 313 M-F 6:40p 6:46 6:52 6:59 7:08 7:15 7:22 7:27 7:36 7:50 7:58 8:04
AMTRAK
SOUTHBOUND
TRAIN # FREQUENCY FROM: UNION STATION LENFANT CRYSTAL CITY ALEXANDRIA FRANCONIA/SPRINGFIELD LORTON WOODBRIDGE RIPPON QUANTICO BROOKE (L) LEELAND ROAD (L) FREDERICKSBURG
67* M-F 7:30a 7:47 7:56 8:16 8:35
79* M-F 10:55a 11:12 11:39 11:57
95* M-F 2:30p 2:45 3:03 3:17 3:39
93/83* M-F 5:50p 5:56 6:07 6:36 6:58
85* M-F 7:00p 7:15 7:32 7:46 8:10
S = Special schedule *Indicates AMTRAK train accepting VRE Five-Day, Ten-Trip, Monthly, and TLC tickets only. No Single-Ride tickets. Requires Step-Up Ticket to ride AMTRAK. (L) = Indicates train may leave early if everyone has boarded or deboarded regardless of schedule time. Trains will only stop at stations where a time is indicated. Free transfer to all OmniRide and OmniLink, Fairfax Connector, and most Metrobus routes with valid VRE ticket. VRE connects with Metrorail at Franconia/ Springeld, Alexandria (King Street), Crystal City, LEnfant and Union Station.
4. The Northbound and Southbound schedules are organized according to A time of departure. B geographic location of arrival. C length of the train ride. D alphabetical order of departure. 5. When does Northbound train #308 arrive at Quantico? F 6:59 G 7:21 H 7:39 J 7:54
6. When does Amtrak Southbound train #85 arrive in Rippon? A B C D 7:32 only on weekends 7:46 from Monday through Friday It never stops in Rippon. every fifteen minutes on Mondays through Friday
7. You want to depart as early as possible on Thursday from the Alexandria station. Which Southbound train will you need to take? F Amtrak train # 79 G Amtrak train # 67 H train #301 J train #303
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8. What is the meaning of the S? A special schedule B special schedule for Amtrak trains only C Saturday and Sunday arrivals and departures D Saturday and Sunday arrivals and departures in addition to MondayFriday arrivals and departures
9. What is the meaning of the (L)? F special departure times G persons with disabilities H discharges passengers only J train may leave early if everyone has boarded regardless of schedule time
FOLLOW DIRECTIONS
Directions are the step-by-step instructions for completing a process or activity. Being able to follow directions allows you to complete many useful tasks. When reading directions, go through them quickly at first to get a general idea of what you have to do. Then follow the sequence of steps again slowly and carefully. On the SOL test, you may have to identify which step in a series of directions comes first, second, or last. Or you may have to determine what you should do or watch for at a certain point in the sequence. Words in the directions that show time orderfirst, next, then, finally will help you order the steps. Also, skim the text to find the specific words and phrases used in a question. The answer will often be nearby.
Try It Out
Follow Directions
Directions: Read the directions for building a wall, and then answer the questions that follow.
How to Build a Stone Wall

1
A handsome natural stone retaining wall adds beauty and value to your property. A dry wall, which uses no mortar, is the easiest type of wall to build. It is most effective when built against a slope on your property. Begin by digging a trench about 6 inches deep and 12 inches wide (or as wide as your largest stone) along the base of your slope. No elaborate footing is needed for a dry wall because the stones are not bonded together by mortar and they will rise and fall with the frost, causing no damage to the wall. Next, place your largest stones in the trench end to end. For best rest results, lay all your stones down flatas they would lie naturally on the ground. The next step is to stack the wall, working from one end to the other. You must remember to batter it, or slope it back, toward the high ground. This is accomplished by simply standing your level on end and measuring to the face of the wall. As you build, try to avoid continuous horizontal and vertical joints by breaking them up with larger and smaller stones. Place stones so they fit tightly together for strength
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and a nice appearance. Fill in the area behind your wall with dirt and compact it as you go. Every now and then, turn a stone into the hillside to act as an anchor or bond stone. This will improve the stability of your wall.
5
Save some of the nice flat pieces of stone to cap the wall off on top.
Batter
Height
ow the
Batter 2 inches for every foot of height.
wall slo
pes.
Fit stones tightly.
About 6 inches About 12 inches
1. What is the first step in building a stone dry wall? _____________________________________________________________________ 2. What do you do after placing the first layer of stones in the trench? _____________________________________________________________________ 3. What does the word batter mean when used to describe a stone wall? _____________________________________________________________________ 4. What purpose do bond stones serve? _____________________________________________________________________ 5. How does the diagram help you understand the directions? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
Note h
Bond stones
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Use these directions for programming a Universal Remote Control to answer the questions that follow.
Programming a universal remote control takes about seven steps. Before programming your remote, you need to find the code of the component you are programming into the remote. 1. Turn on the device you wish to program. 2. Press the Code Search button on the remote and hold it till the indicator light switches on. 3. Let go of the Code Search button. 4. Press and then let go of the button for the device you are programming. 5. Key in the three-digit code for the device using the number buttons on the remote. Once the code is entered, the indicator light will switch off. 6. Aim the remote at the device and hit the Power button. The device should shut off. 7. Hit Channel Up on the remote with the device on. If the device responds, programming is completed.
6. What do the directions say to do before you begin to program your universal remote control? A Press the Code Search button. B Key in the three-digit code for the device. C Find the code of the component you are programming. D Turn on the device you wish to program. 7. When does the indicator light switch off? F after you press the Code Search button G after you enter the three-digit code H after you aim the remote at the device and hit the Power button J after you hit Channel Up
8. What happens after you aim the remote at the device and hit the Power button? A The indicator light switches on. B The indicator light switches off. C The device turns on. D The device turns off. 9. What should you do immediately before entering the three-digit code for the device you are programming? F Turn on the device. G Press and release the button for the device. H Hit Channel Up on the remote. J Find the three-digit code itself.
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WORK WITH FORMS AND APPLICATIONS

Filling out a form requires you to follow directions too. The SOL test is likely to check on your ability to read and complete a form or application, especially a college application. The test will not ask you to fill out the application itself, but it will check to see that you understand the directions on the application and know what information to place in each part. Every application is made up of different parts. Before beginning to answer any questions, look over the whole application and think about the different parts. There may be some words on the application that are unfamiliar. Try to use context clues the surrounding words and informationto figure out the likely meaning of such words. The first part of most applications will ask you to list personal information your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, and so on. Most college applications will include a part that asks you to give information about your educationthe high schools you attended, the dates you attended them, and perhaps your grade point average. College applications frequently ask you to state information about what you plan to study in college. To fill out this part, you may need information from another source, such as the colleges catalog. Another part of the application may ask for information about your family or household its size, income, and so on. The last part of a college application usually requires you to sign and date the form to verify that the information you have listed is accurate. This section may be labeled the Affirmations or Certification section.
Try It Out
Fill Out an Application
Directions: Study the application provided. Then answer the questions that follow.
Waterton University Financial Aid Application

1. Last Name ________________________ First Name ________________________ M.I. _______
2. AddressNumber, Street, and Apartment # _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. City ________________________ 4. Social Security Number ________________________ State ________________ Date of Birth ________________ ZIP Code _______________ Telephone Number _______________ Year __________
5. High School Graduation Date: Month _________
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6. Names and Addresses of High Schools Attended From _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 7. Program of Study (see Waterton University Catalog) Please list the two-digit code for the course of study you will follow. _____ _____ __________ __________ __________ To __________ __________ __________
Grade Pt. Average __________ __________ __________
Household Information
8. Applicants Income ___________________ 10. Number of Exemptions _______________ 9. Parent/Guardian Income ___________________
Affirmations
All information on this form is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I consent to the corroboration of any statement by Waterton University and realize that this may require me to submit additional documentation at a later date. ___________________________________________________
Student signature
______________________
Date
___________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature
______________________
Date
1. For which item might O (zero) be the right response? A 2 B 5 C 7 D 8 2. Which section will you need a college catalog to complete? F 4 G 6 H 7 J 8
3. The form does not ask for information about your A age. B high school record. C familys income. D extracurricular activities. 4. The section Affirmations is meant to F persuade you to apply to Waterton University. G allow the university to see your high school record. H allow you to ask for more information. J guarantee the information you have provided.
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EVALUATE CLARITY AND ACCURACY OF INFORMATION

The SOL test will check your ability to understand everyday printed materials like the commuter train schedule on page 99. You may also be asked to answer questions that require you to evaluate materials. For example, in real life the first thing you would want to do is make sure you are using an up-to-date train schedule. When evaluating information, you need to read carefully and apply your own knowledge and common sense to the information you are reading. For example, if an advertisement claims that a diet pill will help you lose 20 pounds in one month, you can use your own knowledge about health and nutrition to conclude the ad is not accurate. You know that by exercising and eating a low-calorie, low-fat, nutritious diet, you will lose weight effectively and in a healthy way. Here are three tips to help you evaluate information for clarity and accuracy.
Pay attention to facts and details. Think about what they mean and how they fit together. A CD player may come with a lifetime warranty. But if you carefully read the details, you may find its a limited lifetime warranty, meaning the product is guaranteed only under certain conditions. Note the context of the information. Words can take on different meanings depending on other information in the text or who is using the words. For example, directions for installing a computer program are more accurate when written by an expert than by an amateur. Be alert to comparisons. In an advertisement, a company may claim that its new car outperforms another make of car. You must be careful that this is a fair comparison by investigating both cars. By evaluating the comparison, you can make smart choices as a consumer.
Keep these tips in mind when you complete the Try It Out on the following pages. You will evaluate an ad for an inn and two ads for cars.
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Try It Out
Evaluate Advertisements
Directions: Read the following advertisement and answer the questions that follow. Letting the questions guide you, write your own evaluation on the lines provided.
Welcome to
The
Orange Grove Inn

$
99 includes breakfast*
Free transportation to nearby shopping and theme parks

INQUIRE ABOUT OUR GROUP DISCOUNT PACKAGES, AVAILABLE FOR GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE.
*PER ROOM, PER NIGHT, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY, TAXES AND GRATUITIES NOT INCLUDED. Subject to availability.
For reservations, call 1-800-111-0000
1. What does the price of a room include? _____________________________________________________________________ 2. What does the price of a room not include? _____________________________________________________________________ 3. What are some extra offers the inn provides? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
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Directions: Compare these two advertisements and then answer the questions that follow.
The Colt 480X
New from Detroit, the Colt 480X is a true American muscle car. Its 6.5L V8 engine delivers 450 horsepower and can go from 0 to 60 in under six seconds. Its powerful V8 engine and special trim are intended for maximum torque on the street or in drag racing. This beauty is an instant classic.
The Pristine Hybrid
United Motors is calling the green faithful home again. The Pristine Hybrid is among the cleanest cars on the road today. It is also the most fuel-efficient car sold in America, rated at 65/55 mpg highway/city by the E.P The Pristine .A. is a gasoline/electric hybrid. Unlike electric cars, it does not need to be plugged in. A highly efficient engine keeps its battery charged, giving it spectacular driving range and the freedom to operate where any normal car would. No special knowledge or skills are needed to operate it. All you need to know is that its a clean, highly fuel-efficient car.
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4. To what type of buyer does the ad for the Colt 480X muscle car appeal? _____________________________________________________________________ 5. How does the ad for the Colt 480X make this appeal? _____________________________________________________________________ 6. To what type of buyer does the ad for the Pristine Hybrid appeal? _____________________________________________________________________ 7. How does the ad for the Pristine Hybrid make this appeal? _____________________________________________________________________
SKIM TO LOCATE INFORMATION

Sometimes a specific fact or detail that you need seems to be hidden within paragraphs of information you dont need. In this case a reading strategy called skimming comes in handy. Skimming is a way to read to find bits of important information; its the opposite of reading carefully to find connected ideas supporting information. If a question on the SOL tests asks you to find information in a passage, you should read the passage through thoroughly first. Then go back and skim to find the information asked for in the question.
Here are some tips for how to skim effectively during test taking: Do not read every word. Look for content words such as nouns and verbs as well as words that are bold, in italics, or underlined. Think about the title of the selection. Does it give you clues about important information? Read the first sentence of each paragraph to find what the paragraph is about. Usually the first sentence is the topic sentence of that paragraph. Look for signal phrases and key words that may bring attention to the information you are looking for, such as the most important, the greatest problem, the main reason, etc.
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Try It Out
Skim a Public Document

Directions: Skim the public document below to answer the questions that follow.
EMPLOYEE STANDARDS ACT RIGHTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR

THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION
FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE
$5.85
BEGINNING JULY 24, 2007
OVERTIME PAY YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
PER HOUR
$6.55
PER HOUR
$7.25
PER HOUR
At least 1 /2 times your regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. An employee must be at least 16 years old to work in most non-farm jobs and at least 18 to work in non-farm jobs declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. Youths 14 and 15 years old may work outside school hours in various non-manufacturing, non-mining, non-hazardous jobs under the following conditions: No more than 3 hours on a school day or 18 hours in a school week; 8 hours on a non-school day or 40 hours in a non-school week. Also, work may not begin before 7 a.m. or end after 7 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when evening hours are extended to 9 p.m. Different rules apply in agricultural employment. For more information, visit the YouthRules! Web site at www.youthrules.dol.gov.
TIP CREDIT
Employers of tipped employees must pay a cash wage of at least $2.13 per hour if they claim a tip credit against their minimum wage obligation. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's cash wage of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Certain other conditions must also be met. The Department of Labor may recover back wages either administratively or through court action, for the employees that have been underpaid in violation of the law. Violations may result in civil or criminal action. Civil money penalties of up to $11,000 per violation may be assessed against employers who violate the youth employment provisions of the law and up to $1,100 per violation against employers who willfully or repeatedly violate the minimum wage or overtime pay provisions. This law prohibits discriminating against or discharging workers who file a complaint or participate in any proceedings under the Act.
ENFORCEMENT
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Certain occupations and establishments are exempt from the minimum wage and/or overtime pay provisions. Special provisions apply to workers in American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Some state laws provide greater employee protections; employers must comply with both. The law requires employers to display this poster where employees can readily see it. Employees under 20 years of age may be paid $4.25 per hour during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment with an employer. Certain full-time students, student learners, apprentices, and workers with disabilities may be paid less than the minimum wage under special certificates issued by the Department of Labor.
1-866-4-USWAGE WWW.WAGEHOUR.DOL.GOV
(1-866-487-9243) TTY: 1-877-889-5627
U.S. Department of Labor Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division
WHD Publication 1088 (Revised June 2007)
For additional information:
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1. On what date did the minimum wage rise to $5.85 an hour? _____________________________________________________________________ 2. How many hours may a 14-year-old work on a school day? _____________________________________________________________________ 3. What might happen to employers who dont pay their workers the minimum wage? _____________________________________________________________________
Try It Out
Skim Text
Directions: Skim the text Four Types of Food Poisoning on the next page to answer these questions. See how quickly you can find each answer. Circle the answer in the text.
1. Toni got food poisoning after eating cheesecake from a refrigerated case in a restaurant. She most likely ingested A Staphylococcus bacteria. B Salmonella bacteria. C Listeria bacteria. D Clostridium. 2. Careful hand washing by food handlers would be most effective against F staphylococcal food poisoning. G salmonellosis. H listeria. J botulism.
3. A person who experiences vomiting, blurred vision, and muscle weakness could well be suffering A staphylococcal food poisoning. B salmonellosis. C listeria. D botulism. 4. A common cause of salmonellosis is F infected food handlers. G undercooked meat. H dairy products stored in restaurant refrigerators. J home-preserved vegetable and fruit.
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Four Types of Food Poisoning

1
Staphylococcal food poisoning comes from eating food contaminated with the Staphylococcus bacteria. It can cause gastroenteritis, an acute bout of vomiting, abdominal cramps, and sometimes diarrhea. Symptoms usually develop within one to six hours of eating infected food such as potato salad, chicken salad, or other foods prepared with mayonnaise. In most otherwise healthy people, the illness goes away without specific treatment. Outbreaks of this type of food poisoning are usually caused by food that has been contaminated during or after cooking, often from an infected cut on the food preservers skin. People who eat meat or eggs from farm animals infected with Salmonella bacteria may get salmonellosis, an infection similar to gastroenteritis. One cause of infection is failure to thaw meat sufficiently before it is cooked so the food does not cook all the way through. Even fresh, apparently safe meats can be infected with Salmonella bacteria. Freezing does not kill the bacteria; they are killed only by thorough cooking. The main symptom is diarrhea, accompanied by abdominal cramps, vomiting, and fever. Listeria bacteria are widespread in soil and are common contaminants of foods such as soft cheese. In contrast to most other bacteria, they can multiply at temperatures close to freezing and so may grow in food stored in a refrigerator. Prolonged storage of foods such as whipped cream cakes in restaurant refrigerated cases that fluctuate in temperature may lead to contamination with Listeria. Listeria rarely causes serious illness in healthy people, but the bacteria are a threat to pregnant women and their fetuses, to older people, and to anyone with lowered natural resistance to infections. The Clostridium bacterium causes the rare but often fatal food poisoning known as botulism. This bacterium produces a toxin in food that is preserved or smoked, but not cooked to 212F (100C). Home-preserved vegetables and canned fruit have been sources of botulism outbreaks. Symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, blurring of vision, muscle weakness, and eventually paralysis, since the toxin interferes with motor nerve function. Hospitalization is required, and the sooner treatment with an antitoxin begins, the better the prognosis.
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IDENTIFY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Most of the time your reading is directed by questions that guide you. Sometimes the title of a selection encourages you to wonder about what direction an article will take or the outcome of a plot. During reading, you ask yourself questions about characters motivations, the validity of the data presented, the expertise of the author, and so forth. But on some occasions you may find yourself wondering about circumstances, possibilities, characters, or actions about which you can draw no conclusions because inadequate or no evidence exists in the text. There are some questions that simply cannot be answered by the text alone. Some items on the SOL tests will ask you to find information in a passage and then give you as one of the answer choices: There is not enough evidence to answer the question. When you encounter test questions like this, ask yourself if the information in the passage falls into one of the categories below. If it does, then there is not enough information in the passage to answer the question.
There is not enough evidence to completely answer the question. The evidence presented is not directly related to the question. The evidence is applicable only to a limited time, place, or subject and not transferable to the question.
More often than not, questions will require that you combine whats explicit in the text with your own knowledge to reach a conclusion or correct answer. In these instances use the QAR (question and answer relationship) strategy to comprehend fully the passage or material. Ask yourself what type of question is being asked so that you will know where and how to find the answer. Four Basic Types of Questions Right thereAnswer is stated in the text. Think and searchAnswer is in the text, but not all together and not necessarily worded the way the question is. Youll need to paraphrase or put information together to answer the question. Author and youAnswer is in your head, even though the text got you thinking. On your ownAnswer comes from your own personal experience.
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Try It Out
QAR
Directions: Read the following excerpt from a table of contents and label the type of question according to the QAR strategy. Then answer the questions.
Seashells
Contents
Preface
1 2. Collecting Marine Shells . . . . . . . . 11 3. Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Carolinas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 U.S. Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

1. Types of Mollusks . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. You want to collect seashells in Hawaii. Will the book Seashells help? QAR: _______________________________________________________________ Answer: _____________________________________________________________ 2. How many pages in Seashells discuss finding shells in California? QAR: _______________________________________________________________ Answer: _____________________________________________________________ 3. What is the purpose of a preface? QAR: _______________________________________________________________ Answer: _____________________________________________________________
INTERPRET INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS

Some questions on the SOL test will ask you to interpret information in everyday texts. That means you will have to use certain details in a passage to reach some decision or judgment. Often you may need to go through a great deal of information to find the one or two details necessary to find the right answer. When you interpret an everyday text, keep in mind the judgment or decision that you have to make. Study the text carefully. Determine how you can combine various details, along with what you already know, to reach the right answer. Read the following ads from the help-wanted section of a newspaper. Then use the ads to answer the questions that follow.
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COOK Full-time, permanent only. Min. 3 yrs experience. Nicks Restaurant, 472 Dixon St. Apply in person.
CRANE OPERATOR Hydraulic exp. a plus. Competitive salary and benefits. Apply: R. Rotenburg & Sons, 273 Ainsworth St., Titusville.
DENTAL ASSISTANT W/experience. 4 days, exc. salary/benefits. Tower Dental Center. 555-9801.
DRIVERS Full-and part time, summers. Ice-cream vending truck. Neat appearance. Happy Trails Ice Cream Sales. 555-1876
GROUNDSKEEPER Year-round. Uniform provided. Experience preferred. Must have valid license. Sky High Country Club. 555-9099.
Val is 18 and just graduated from high school. He plans to go to a community college in the fall. He has no work experience yet, but he wants a job and has a drivers license. Which employer might have a job appropriate for Val? A R. Rotenburg & Sons B Nicks Restaurant C Sky High Country Club D Happy Trails Ice Cream Sales If you interpreted the help wanted ads correctly, you would conclude that Val doesnt have the experience for a job as a cook or a crane operator. Since hes going to college in the fall, the job as groundskeeper wouldnt be right for him either. Only the job as an ice-cream truck driver (D) is appropriate for Val.
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Try It Out
Interpret Information
Directions: Use these help-wanted ads to answer the questions that follow.
PARKING LOT CASHIER M-F, 122 pm only. Apply in person. Ridgeville Town Hall, 50 Washington Place, Room 302. PRINTER Large commercial printer accepting applications for 6/c press person. 1 yr exp. nec. Send resume to PO Box 132, Fernwood, or fax to 555-6521. PRINTER Small newspaper and job press. Trainee position. Refs. required. 555-3786. PRINTING PRODUCTION MANAGER Responsible for workflow and quality control. Knowledge of prepress & 4 yrs. exp. required. Salary commensurate with experience. Mrs. Drew, 555-0901. PRINTING SALES Salary + com. Travel required. Unlimited potential. 555-8877. RENTAL AGENT Busy real estate agency. Wkends, hourly plus commission. Experience not reqd. Call Mr. Thompson, 555-9877. RESTAURANT WAITSTAFF Wkends only. Apply: Grandmas Kitchen, 1200 Lee Ave., Depeux. SECRETARY Afternoons, WedFri. Donnelly Law Office. Word processing and legal exp. a big plus. Fax resume to 555-8999. SECRETARY/RECEPTIONIST Answering phones, typing, office skills. P/T to start. 20 hours. Green Hill Nursing Home. Call 555-6754. SECRETARY/SALES ASST. Entry level w/growing company. Competitive sal. and bnfts. Recent grad OK. Green Thumb Garden Supplies. 555-9213. SECRETARY Spanish/English bilingual. Morales Imports. Experience with W.P. 70 a must. Attractive surroundings. Call 555-8787. SECURITY OFFICER P/T. Nights. Ideal for added income. Above average wages. Apply: Skyline Security, 422 Washington St., Daytonville.
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1. Rene has worked in a printing company for six years and is familiar with all phases of printing. She wants to become a manager, but theres no room for advancement in her present job. Which phone number might lead to the most appropriate job in her field? A 555-6521 B 555-3786 C 555-8877 D 555-0901 2. Kayla just graduated from high school and wants to start her work career as a secretary. Although she doesnt have word-processing skills, she wants a fulltime job with future possibilities. Which company might have the best job for her? F Donnelly Law Office G Morales Imports H Green Hill Nursing Home J Green Thumb Garden Supplies
3. Todd works Monday to Friday 95 as a clerk but wants a part-time job too. Which job shown would not be suitable? A security officer B rental agent C parking lot cashier D restaurant waiter 4. The word commensurate means F excellent. G competitive. H based on performance. J in keeping with.
Work with Everyday Texts

Your ability to interpret texts will help you understand many types of everyday texts, such as warranties. A warranty is a written guarantee that the manufacturer is responsible for the product you have bought. Many products you buy include a warranty. A warranty lets a consumer feel confident that the products he or she purchases will work as they are designed to do, or the problem will be corrected. Most warranties are limited warranties. That means the manufacturer will replace or repair a product only under certain conditions. Often there is a time limit on a warranty, perhaps a year from the date of purchase. The manufacturer may set other limits on the warranty too.
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Try It Out
Work with Everyday Texts
Directions: Read the following product warranty and answer the questions.
ONE-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

Your new hair dryer is guaranteed by Regalaire to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for one year from date of purchase. This warranty shall not cover damage caused by commercial or improper use, abuse, accidents, or alterations to the product, nor does it cover damage resulting from service by anyone other than Regalaire. This warranty is limited to the original retail purchaser only. This warranty shall be limited to the repair, replacement, or the replacement cost of the defective hair dryer at Regalaires discretion. Regalaire shall not be legally responsible for any incidental or consequential damages, whether direct or indirect. If warranty service is necessary, the original purchaser should simply return the product, packaged with sufcient protection, postage, and insurance prepaid, along with the proof of purchase and a description of the defect. If the malfunction or failure is a result of defects covered by this warranty, Regalaire will, at its discretion, repair the hair dryer or replace it with a new hair dryer, and return it to the purchaser.
1. On July 20, 2006, your sister purchased a hair dryer for you and gave it to you on your birthday, August 1, 2006. On July 30, 2007, the hair dryer stopped working. Will Regalaire replace or repair it if your sister returns it with her receipt? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 2. What information in the warranty helped you to predict how Regalaire will respond? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
Chapter
5
Part
Collecting and Presenting Information
The Standards of Learning Covered in This Chapter 9.9 The student will use print, electronic databases, and online resources to access information. a. Identify key terms specific to research tools and processes. b. Narrow the focus of a search. c. Scan and select resources. 10.11 The student will collect, evaluate, organize, and present information. e. Present information in an appropriate format, such as an oral presentation, written report, or visual product. f. Use technology to access information, organize ideas, and develop writing.
11.10 The student will analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and organize information from a variety of sources to produce a research product. e. Synthesize information in a logical sequence. f. Document sources of information. g. Edit writing for clarity of content and effect.
When you are preparing for standardized tests or statewide exams in English, you rarely think about the dreaded research paper you submitted last semester or even last month. Without some very special reading skills, however, completing that research project would have been difficult, if not impossible. Furthermore, research is fundamental throughout our lives, not just in the classroom. We do research every day when we order from a catalog, when we search for a name or address in a directory, or when we scan the Internet for the latest CDs. Although the research may vary in sophistication and breadth, reading is always the essential element. Remember that the SOL test in English is called the Reading/Literature and Research Test. In other words, it includes questions about writing research papers. In order to do well on the test, its important that you review the steps that go into
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writing a research paper. You will also need to have a thorough understanding of how to locate and use information from a variety of sources you might consult to complete such a project. This chapter reviews six steps for writing a research paper: 1. Select and narrow a topic 2. Develop a thesis statement 3. Write supporting statements 4. Collect information to support your thesis 5. Draft your report 6. Credit information
SELECT AND NARROW A TOPIC

When its time to write a research paper, the first task is to choose a subject. Your teacher may assign a topic or offer you a choice from a list. Or you may be able to choose your own topic from a general subject area. For example, if the research paper is for American history, your subject will fall within this broad category. Often, however, it will be up to you to choose an appropriate subject within the category and narrow it so it can be thoroughly covered in a short research paper.
Here are some suggestions for how to choose a subject to write about: Choose a subject you would like to know more about. Choose a subject that many readers would like to know more about too. Choose a subject for which you will be able to locate sufficient information in the library and online resources available to you. Choose a subject that can be limited enough to be covered thoroughly in a short research paper.
That last suggestionlimiting your subjectis important. You want a subject that you can cover thoroughly in ten or so pages. The American Revolution, for example, is far too broad a topic. Entire volumes have been written on it. One way to narrow a topic is to create a cluster. Look at this cluster for the broad subject of television. Each offshoot of the cluster suggests a more limited topic.
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Early TV programs
Cable TV
TV
Highdefinition TV
Impact of TV on people
To limit the topic further, choose one offshoot and use it as the center of another cluster.
TV viewing & physical fitness
TV's role in politics
Impact of TV on People
TV viewing vs. community involvement
Positive or negative effects on kids
Any one of the offshoots in the second cluster is probably limited enough for a short research paper. Each subject is specific enough to let a writer focus on it in-depth in an interesting way.
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Try It Out
Narrow a Topic
Directions: Decide whether these subjects are suitable or too broad for a short research paper. Write suitable or too broad to show your answer. 1. the Industrial Revolution ____________________ 2. how Oscar-winning movies are chosen ____________________ 3. wetlands ____________________ 4. how drilling in the Arctic might affect wildlife ____________________ 5. the earliest origins of the sport of bowling ____________________ 6. the record industry ____________________ 7. how the Hubble telescope has changed our view of space ____________________ 8. the role of debates in the last presidential campaign ____________________ 9. Choose one of the broad subjects shown below. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, draw two cluster diagrams, like those on page 121, to limit the subject to one that could be covered in a short research paper. the Civil War American novels ecology
DEVELOP A THESIS STATEMENT

Once you have your topic, develop a thesis statement that states your opinion or point of view. What do you want to prove with your paper? Which questions will your paper answer? You may need to do some research on your topic before writing the thesis statement, but if you already know your position on an issue, you can begin your research with a more precise focus. Lets choose one of the limited topics from the second cluster diagram: positive or negative impact of TV on children. To produce a thesis statement on this topic, you might begin with the W questions:
Who Who watches the most TV? Who is responsible for childrens programming? What TV shows for children seem beneficial? What TV shows are harmful? What commercials are designed to appeal to children? When do children watch TV? Where does the government exert control over programming? Where can you complain about childrens programming?
What
When Where
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Why/How
How does TV viewing affect emotional and mental development? How does TV viewing affect childrens diets? Why has TV been blamed for contributing to violence?
By thinking about all the questions that surround a topic, issues are likely to emerge that interest you. You may have an opinion about some of these but will want to research them to learn more. For example, looking at the questions on the previous page, you can already see some possible thesis statements begin to take shape:
Television can be harmful to childrens health. Television can be a useful educational tool. The government should appoint a watchdog for childrens programming. Limits should be placed on how much time a child spends watching TV.
WRITE SUPPORTING STATEMENTS

A thesis statement can serve as a guide to your reading and research. Supporting ideas for which you will give evidence from researchare the proof that your thesis statement is valid. By stating your supporting ideas before you begin your research, you give additional direction to your research. Consider this possible thesis statement: Limits should be placed on how much time a child spends watching TV. From the earlier W questions, you could reasonably pursue supporting ideas that relate to censorship, violence, health, and consumerism. The format of such a paper might look like this: Thesis: Limits should be placed on how much time a child spends watching TV. I. Profanity and adult situations are not in keeping with community standards (supporting idea #1) A. B. research C. II. Exposure to too much violence (supporting idea #2) A. B. research C.
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III. Negative effects of TV viewing on physical health (supporting idea #3) A. B. research C. IV. Manipulation by advertisers (supporting idea #4) A. B. research C.
Try It Out
Write Supporting Statements

Directions: Choose one of the limited topics below, or create your own topic. Then ask yourself W questions to develop a thesis about the topic and three supporting ideas. Write your thesis and supporting ideas on the form below.
advertising and teens the drawbacks of cell phones Americas reliance on imported oil limiting the cost of medical care
Thesis: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Supporting Idea I: __________________________________________________________________________ Supporting Idea II: __________________________________________________________________________ Supporting Idea III: __________________________________________________________________________
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COLLECT INFORMATION TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS

Once you have limited your subject and you are thinking about your thesis statement, it is time to start gathering information. If youre like most students, three questions will be on your mind at this time:
Where do I find the information I need for my report? How do I know if the information is right for me? What do I do with the information once I find it?
For most students, the library and the Internet are the two main sources for information. Dont make the mistake of thinking you can find everything you need on the Internet. You cant. Many of the best and most reliable sources are found only in print, not on the Web. By print, we mean books, magazines, and newspapers. Also, thorough research requires a balance of print and online sources. As you gather information, review your thesis and supporting ideas. You might find it helpful to have them written down on index cards. Keeping these ideas in mind will help you focus on information that is most relevant to your purpose.
Library Research
At the library, youll find a computer catalog that lists every book available by author, title, and subject. Youll also have access to periodical indexes. These databases, often on CD-ROMs, index thousands of periodicals magazines and newspapers and provide the full text of many articles on screen. Should you use the computer catalog or a periodical index? As a general rule, that depends on whether or not your topic is recent. If you are researching a topic that is not recent, such as Egyptian mummies or a Civil War battle, check your librarys catalog for books on the subject. If you are researching a recent topic, such as the 2008 presidential election or an upcoming Space Shuttle mission, check the librarys periodical index. This index lists up-to-date magazine and newspaper articles that will provide some of the information you want. To become familiar with how to navigate these databases, use the Help screen.
Try It Out
Catalogs and Indexes

Directions: Decide whether you would turn first to a computer catalog or a periodical index to locate information about each of the following subjects. Write computer catalog or periodical index in the space provided. 1. the Civil War Battle of Shiloh _________________________ 2. U.S. balance of trade deficit with China last year _________________________ 3. early womens suffrage in Wyoming _________________________ 4. new developments aboard the International Space Station _________________________ 5. predictions about the upcoming hurricane season _________________________
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Search a Library Catalog

When using a library computer catalog, most student researchers turn first to the Subject screens to find information about a topic. Keep in mind, however, that the subject screens reflect broad subjects. They may not address the narrowed topic that you have chosen for your research paper.
Try It Out
Effective Catalog Searches

Directions: Examine this subject screen for one book from a library computer catalog. Use information on the card to answer the questions below. Write yes or no to answer each question. 792.0973 THEATER Henderson, Mary C. Theater in America: 200 years of plays, players, and productions/ Mary C. Henderson. New York: Harry Abrams, Inc. 1986. 327 p.; ill. Bibliography p. 304 Includes index. ISBN 0810910845 1. Theater-United States-History I. Title Pn2221. H38 1986. 792.0973 86-3567 Library of Congress 1. Would this book be useful to research plays produced in the last ten years? _____ 2. Does the author cite the references she used to write this book? _____ 3. Would this book contain information about the Comedie-Franaise or the National Theatre of Great Britain? _____ 4. Does the text include pictures or photographs? _____ 5. Would this book contain material on costumes, scenery, and lighting? _____ Once you find some books in the catalog, you need to locate them in the nonfiction shelves and decide whether they are really useful. Information on the cover will give you a general sense about the book. Scanning the table of contents will give you a better overview of what is inside. Be sure to look at the copyright date. An up-to-date book is more likely to reflect the latest findings and thinking on a topic. Also check for author information. If the author seems well qualified, you will feel more comfortable about the reliability of the information you find.
Use an Index
Checking the index is the only sure way to find out if a book will be useful. Located at the back of the book, the index is an alphabetical listing of all the important topics covered. An index is much more detailed than a table of contents, and it allows you to determine very quickly if your topic, or a closely related topic, is mentioned in the book. The main topics in an index are often followed by subtopic listings, and all
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these listings have page references. If one of the index topics or subtopics matches your narrowed topic, you should check all the pages listed for that topic. Using an index effectively can depend on your use of key words. If you cant find the exact terms you are looking for, try to think of another worda synonym, name, or related topic. The index may well include a reference to one of these key words. Suppose, for example, that you were collecting information about cultural diversity among women writers in modern American literature. You do not find the entry cultural diversity in the indexes of several books on your topic. What should you do? Perhaps you could try the words Latino or African-American. Maybe you should try the name of an author you know would belong in one of these cultural categories, such as Sandra Cisneros or Alice Walker. This process involves making associations with the key words in your thesis statement and research outline.
Tips for Using an Index Start broad. Look for the key word of your topic such as, television. If you cant find that word, look for a synonym or a general category that the word might belong in, such as media or entertainment. Narrow your search by adding words such as, television and children. Look for key words in your supporting statements, such as television and violence. Look for examples of your topic, such The Simpsons or MTV.
Try It Out
Use an Index
Directions: Scan this section of an index from a book about the Aztec civilization to answer the questions that follow. Write the answer to each question on the line.
Flutes, 167, 202 Illus. 61 Flying game. See Volador Food plants, 57, 912, 12316 Foreign Affairs, 116, 21123. See also War, Alliances Franciscan Order, 266 Frescoes, 56, 62, 166 Illus. 21, 24 Friars, 166, 168, 267271 Funerals. See Burials Games. See Tlachtlia, Patollia Gathering cultures, 57, 10 Gladiatorial Stone (Sacrificial Stone), 103, 141, 229 Illus. 60. See also Tizoc, Stone of Glazed pottery, 267 Glyphs. See Writing
Goddess of the Waters, 61, 274 Gods and Goddesses, 16, 33, 3637, 140, 16987; summary of Aztec pantheon, 18284 Government. See Tribal organization Guadalupe, Villa de, 273 Guajalote. See Turkeys Guerrero, 99 Hairdress, 136, 137, 136 Hatchets. See Axes Heart, tearing out of, 103, 141, 160, 164 Heavens, 172, 222 Hells, 173 Hieroglyphs. See Writing Histories, native books, 208, 209
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1. Which pages give a summary of Aztec gods and goddesses? _____________________________________________________________________ 2. What entries might have information about Aztec political relations with other native civilizations? _____________________________________________________________________ 3. What entry gives information about Aztec funerals? _____________________________________________________________________ 4. What pages will have information about human sacrifices? _____________________________________________________________________ 5. On what page is there an illustration of the Sacrificial Stone? _____________________________________________________________________
Use Library References

In addition to general nonfiction books, the library has a reference section. The books here are filled with information that may be useful for your research. Here are some of the typical reference resources youll find there. Often these reference books are the fastest way to find reliable facts for your report. Almanacs Collections of miscellaneous facts and statistics, published yearly, such as the Statistical Abstract of the United States. Atlases Collections of maps and charts, such as Goodes World Atlas or Atlas of the Worlds Deserts. Biographical Dictionaries Collections of short biographies of well-known people or people in the news, such as Current Biography or Whos Who in America. Dictionaries These familiar word books often focus on specific topics, such as Dictionary of American Slang or Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Directories Reference works that list names and addresses of people, organizations, and institutions, such as Americas Best Colleges. Encyclopedias In addition to general encyclopedias that might provide an overview of a topic, specialized encyclopedias, such as Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World or Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century, will have entries that contain useful facts about your narrowed topic. Yearbooks Annual chronicles of a single year, such as Facts on File and Statesmans Yearbook.
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Try It Out
Choose Appropriate Reference Sources

Directions: Think about the reference source that would most likely help you locate each of the following pieces of information.
1. the address of the American Guidance Association A encyclopedia B directory C almanac D atlas 2. the life story of an astronaut on a recent Space Shuttle flight F yearbook G biographical dictionary H almanac J encyclopedia
4. the meanings of new scientific computer terms F yearbook G dictionary H almanac J encyclopedia
5. the teams that won recent World Cup soccer matches A encyclopedia B directory C almanac D atlas
3. the total amount of gold mined in 2007 A encyclopedia B yearbook C dictionary D atlas
Use the Internet for Research

Lets say youve used the books in the library to research an older topic. Or you checked the periodical indexes to find information on a newer topic. To find additional sources, you may want to use the Internet. Choosing the right search terms is important. Whenever possible, use a specific term. For example, instead of tropical flowers, type bird of paradise. Instead of one word, like DNA, use a phrase: DNA testing of criminals. Also try starting the phrase with the most important word or words. The results of an Internet search can be overwhelming. Depending on your search terms, you may get 100,000 or more results, or hits. Search engines rank these results by relevance. Chances are the first few dozen on the list will be most relevant to your purpose. Even so, clicking on several dozen sites can waste time. So think about each Web site before you click. Choose the ones that seem most directly related to your topic. Refining your search terms is another way to get fewer, but more relevant, results. Whenever possible, choose more specific terms. For example, instead of desert plants, type Joshua tree or mesquite tree. Or add a limiting term, such as Mojave Desert plants.
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Try It Out
Narrow Searches
Directions: Change each search term by making it more specific or by adding a limiting term. Example: icebergs Answer: Newfoundland icebergs 1. Canada geese _________________________________________________________ 2. recycling _____________________________________________________________ 3. Iraq war _____________________________________________________________ 4. radon gas ____________________________________________________________ 5. trolley cars ___________________________________________________________
Take Notes
Whether you are researching information in print or on Web sites, keep a stack of index cards with you to use for bibliography cards and note cards, as explained below.
1. Bibliography Cards
Write one bibliography card for each source you decide to use. Youll need these bibliography cards to construct the Works Cited page at the end of your report. For a bibliography card for a book, list the author, title, and library call number. Include the publisher, place of publication, and date too. For a magazine article, give the author, the article title, and the magazines name. Also include the date of the publication and the pages on which the article is found. For a source found on the Web, include the authors name, if it is given, the page title, the most recent update of the page, the URL address, and the date you accessed the site. Bibliography Card for a Book Henderson, Mary C. Theater in America 792.0973
New York: Harry Abrams, Inc. 1986 Bibliography Card for an Article Kline, Hunter John Wilkes Booths Acting Career
Theater History Magazine, March 6, 2004: 44-49
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2. Note Cards
Use a separate card for each note you write. At the top of the note card, list a word or phrase that gives the topic of the note. Also name the source of the information at the top. To do that, use the authors last name or a key word from the title. Also include the page number where the information is located. Youll need this information later when you credit your sources in your report. What should you include in your notes? Be sure to record names, dates, facts, and statistics accurately. Except for passages that you quote directly, the notes should be in your own words. Usually that means paraphrasing the key material. When you make a note card for a quotation, be sure to copy it word for word. Note Card Booth family Hunter, 45
Booths father, Junius Booth, was most famous actor in U.S. in 1840.
Synthesize and Organize Your Notes

After collecting and documenting information from a number of sources, its time to synthesize and organize these notes into a framework or outline that will present them as one body of information. The literal meaning of synthesize is to make a new, complex product by combining separate elements. In other words, you will create your research report by combining information from a variety of sources. Practically speaking, that means grouping the notes into main categories. Each main category should include information about one aspect of your topic. The supporting ideas for your original thesis should help you organize your notes. The topics atop each note card will also be useful here. As the outline for your report takes shape, you may find you need to go back and do additional research to add subtopics and details to the outline.
Try It Out
Organize Information
Directions: Write three main categories into which the following tips for staying healthy can be grouped. Write each category next to a Roman numeral in the outline form on the next page. Then write the tips next to the capital letters beneath the appropriate categories.
Tips for Staying Healthy

Eat fresh fruits and vegetables; exercise to strengthen the heart and lungs; avoid foods high in fat content; follow a regular sleeping schedule; exercise for 40 minutes, 4 times a week; avoid foods high in sugar; clear your mind before sleeping; stretch muscles before and after exercise to avoid injury; get plenty of sleep to maintain resistance to germs; structure your diet according to the food pyramid.
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Tips for Staying Healthy

III. _______________________________________________________________________ A. ________________________________________________________________ B. ________________________________________________________________ C. ________________________________________________________________ D. ________________________________________________________________ III. _______________________________________________________________________ A. ________________________________________________________________ B. ________________________________________________________________ C. ________________________________________________________________ III. _______________________________________________________________________ A. ________________________________________________________________ B. ________________________________________________________________ C. ________________________________________________________________
DRAFT YOUR REPORT

A well-written report, like any good piece of writing, has a lively and engaging style. As you draft your report from your notes, use precise words, fresh comparisons, and sentence variety to make your report as interesting as possible. The introduction should focus your readers attention with a strong quotation, a surprising statistic, or an interesting anecdote that relates to your thesis. The introduction should also include your thesis statement, which should make the main point of your research clear to a reader. Your thesis statement should also cover the main topics listed in your outline. Finally, a thesis statement should fit smoothly into the introduction of your research paper. The body of your paper should support the thesis statement with information drawn from your research. The paragraphs of the body should be well developed and flow in a natural progression. Although your research paper is likely to include complex ideas and a great deal of information, make your meaning clear by using your own words. Remember that you cannot communicate anything well unless you understand it first. When you do use the exact words of others, work the quotations smoothly into your sentences. The conclusion, whether it is one or more paragraphs, should bring your research paper to a close in a graceful way. Effective conclusions often restate the thesis in a new way or refer to earlier ideas with fresh emphasis.
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CREDIT INFORMATION The Works Cited Page

As part of the SOL test, you may be asked to evaluate how sources are credited in a research paper. Every research paper should include a Works Cited page that lists all the sources books, magazine, newspapers, electronic media, etc. from which information has been gathered. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order by the authors last name, or, if there is no author, by the title of the article. The SOL test follows the formats used in Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. The following sample entries show the MLA formats for different types of publications. Book by a single author Jones, Edgar. Victorian Architecture. Chicago: Kraft Press, 2007. Book by more than one author Mason, Edna R., and Stuart Zoller. The First Skyscrapers. New York: Building Arts Publishing Company, 2006. Encyclopedia entry The Federal Style House. Encyclopedia of Architecture. 2006. Magazine article Dietz, Hiram. The Octagon Houses of Western New York. Rural Living. 28 Aug. 2005: 21-28. Book issued by organization identifying no author American Preservation Guild. Dutch Barn Identification Guide. New York: American Preservation Guild, 2004.
Try It Out
Create a Works Cited Page

Directions: Use the information in each item to create an MLA bibliographic entry for a Works Cited page. Write your entry on the lines provided. 1. The article The Biofuels Solution, that appeared in Modern Driver magazine on April 4, 2006, written by Oliver Horloge ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
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2. The book Wind Turbine Design by Ellen Raskin and Sam Davies published by Energy Press in New York in 2004 ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 3. The article Croquet from the Encyclopedia of Games, which was published in 2006 ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 4. Edgar Dimats book, Nazi Spies in the United States, 19341945, published by History Press in Philadelphia in 2006 ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 5. The book Helping Feral Cats, identifying no author, published by the Cat Fanciers Association in Los Angeles in 2004 ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
Parenthetical Documentation
Parenthetical documentation is the most common way to credit information within the text of a report. It is also the style used on the SOL test. In parenthetical documentation, you give enough information to identify the source of the borrowed material. Readers then refer to your Works Cited page for complete information on each source. The following examples show the correct form for parenthetical citations.
For books and articles by one author, give the authors last name and page number(s): A wind farm of one thousand of these turbines would produce as much electricity as a typical coal-powered generating plant (Raskin 72), and at about the same cost.
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For books and articles by two authors, include both names in the parentheses: The genealogy collection in Salt Lake City has the equivalent of over three billion book pages (Shenker and Williamson 211). For an article by an unnamed author, give a shortened form of the title of the article and the page number(s): According to one study, over three million cats were abandoned in the United States in 2004 (Feral Cats 16), and those cats quickly multiply in the wild. For an article from a general reference work or encyclopedia in which no author is named, give the title of the reference; no page number is needed. Field research related to the Olmecs began in 1860 in Tres Zapotes, Mexico, when villagers there unearthed a five-foot-high stone head (Encyclopedia Archaeology). When an authors name is already mentioned in a paragraph of a report, list only the page number of the source: According to Oscar Handy, Sequoyah was roundly ridiculed by his fellow Cherokees during the 12 years he was developing a Cherokee alphabet (121); this criticism, however, had little effect.
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Try It Out
Write Parenthetical Citations

Directions: The following sources were used for a report on shark attacks.
a book by Yves Montret titled Sharks! Hidden Hitmen of the Deep a newspaper article with no byline in the Daily Gazette of August 14, 2007, called Study Shows Half of Shark Attacks to Be Fatal an article by Sidney James and Alva Horsley in the August 2005 issue of Diving Adventure called Shark Alert the article on Sharks in the Wildlife Encyclopedia
Write a parenthetical citation for each of the following references to the sources listed above. 1. an example of a shark attack that occurs on page 4 of the Daily Gazette article ______________________________________________________________________ 2. a little-known fact about sharks given by Yves Montret on page 231 ______________________________________________________________________ 3. a choice quote from page 22 of the article in Diving Adventure ______________________________________________________________________ 4. information about shark teeth from page 344 of the encyclopedia entry ______________________________________________________________________
Chapter
6
Part Part
Understanding the Elements of Literature
The Standards of Learning Covered in This Chapter 9.3 The student will read and analyze a variety of literature. b. Identify the characteristics that distinguish literary forms. c. Use literary terms in describing and analyzing selections.
d. Explain the relations between and among elements of literature: characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme. e. Explain the relationship between the authors style and literary effect. f. 9.5 Describe the use of images and sounds to elicit the readers emotions.
The student will read dramatic selections. a. Identify the two basic parts of drama: staging and scripting. b. Compare and contrast the elements of character, setting, and plot in one-act plays and full-length plays. c. Describe how stage directions help the reader understand a plays setting, mood, characters, plot and theme.
10.6
The student will read and critique dramatic selections. a. Explain the use of asides, soliloquies, and monologues in the development of a single character. b. Compare and contrast character development in a play to characterization in other literary forms.
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11.5
The student will read and critique a variety of poetry. a. Analyze the poetic elements of contemporary and traditional poems. b. Identify the poetic elements and techniques that are most appealing and that make poetry enjoyable.
The SOL test will ask you to read and analyze several passages of literature. The more you understand about literature, the easier it will be to understand these passages on the test and complete the related test items. Four common genres, or types, of literature are novels, short stories, drama, and poetry. Each of these genres has recognizable elements, or characteristics. For example, you can distinguish a poem from a short story because poetry is written in lines of varying lengths and the lines are grouped into stanzas, not paragraphs. A drama is written as dialogue between characters while a short story or novel has a narrator who describes the action. In this chapter, well look at the main types of literature. Youll read passages from each genre and answer questions about them. The questions will help you discover more about the important elements of each genre.
SHORT STORIES AND NOVELS

Fiction is writing that springs from the imagination of a writer. Short stories and novels are the two main types of fiction. A novel is a long work of fiction while a short story is usually shorter than ten pages. Both literary forms have the same elements: characters, setting, plot, and theme. Because a novel is quite long, a novelist can develop a wide range of characters and a complicated plot. A short story writer, however, usually focuses on just one or two characters and one crucial moment or event. The Virginia SOL test is likely to include at least one short story and perhaps an excerpt, or passage, from a novel. To succeed on the SOL test, youll need to be familiar with the following elements of short stories and novels.
Plot
The plot is the chain of events in a story. A plot is like a writers blueprint for what happens in a work of fiction, when it happens, and to whom it happens. Although there are many types of plots, most contain the following stages: exposition, rising action, conflict, climax, falling action, and resolution.
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Climax
Rising action/conflict
Falling action
Resolution
Exposition
Exposition: At the beginning of a short story or novel, the exposition introduces the time and place of the story as well as the characters involved in the action. Rising action/conflict: As the story continues, complications usually arise that lead to conflicts for the characters. As the characters struggle to resolve these conflicts, suspense mounts and there is rising action. Climax: The climax is the turning point of the action in the plot. This is when the readers interest in the outcome of the story or novel is at a high point. At the climax, a crucial decision is usually made that helps determine how the story will end. Falling action/resolution: The plot events that occur after the climax are part of the falling action. At this stage, the conflicts are resolved and the intensity of the action lessens. Example: Stages of Plot in Cinderella Exposition: Cinderella is introduced and we learn that she is treated badly by her stepmother and her stepsisters. Rising action/conflict: A conflict develops because Cinderella is not invited to the ball with her stepsisters. With the help of a fairy godmother, Cinderella goes to the ball anyway and makes an impression on the prince. However, she cannot identify herself, and she worries about her midnight curfew. Climax: Cinderella realizes she is late for her midnight curfew. She races from the palace, leaving the prince to wonder who she is. Falling action/resolution: The prince eventually finds Cinderella and marries her. The unpleasant stepsisters experience disappointment and rejection.
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Questions About Plot Ask yourself questions like those shown below to help you understand the events of the plot of a short story or novel. These questions are similar to the plot questions that may appear on the SOL test.
What happened immediately before/during/after . . . ? Which important details are not provided in the exposition of this story? All of the following events occurred during the rising action except . . . What was the main conflict in the story? How was the problem, or conflict, resolved? When does the climax of the story occur? What is the turning point in the story? What important detail is revealed in the resolution? What detail comes as a surprise at the ending?

Directions: Read the following passage. Think about the conflict that the characters face. Then answer the questions about plot.
from Mr. Bridge

by Evan Connell
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Observing that his son looked shaggy, Mr. Bridge suggested a haircut. Douglas replied that he could not get a haircut. He could not possibly get a haircut because his external being would not then be in harmony with his inner self. For a few minutes Mr. Bridge considered this. Being unable to make any sense of it, he requested an explanation. Douglas was not merely willing to explain, he was eager to explain, and Mr. Bridge discovered that in the course of miscellaneous reading which seemed to spring from subject to subject with no apparent pattern Douglas had come upon the wisdom of Socrates. Specically the inner man should correspond to the outer man. This is a commendable philosophy, Mr. Bridge said. However, I suggest you visit the barber. Douglas repeated that he could not. It was impossible.
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Mr. Bridge repeated that it would be a good thing to pay a call on the barber, not next month or next week or the day after tomorrow, but tomorrow, preferably in the morning, before school. Otherwise there was not going to be any allowance next Friday, or the Friday after. No allowance until the external being appeared more harmonious to the eye of the spectator. Douglas answered disdainfully that he could get along without an allowance. In fact, rather than accept an allowance any longer he would get a job after school. He would become independent. Mr. Bridge said this was a splendid idea. A week passed. Douglas began to look remotely Byronic. He had not found a job because he had not looked for one, and because he did not get any allowance he did not have enough money to go bowling with Tipton and Vandemeer, which he wanted to do very much. But still he would not get his hair cut. Friday afternoon of the fourth week, after school, he borrowed fty cents from his mother and got the haircut. After inspecting him that evening Mr. Bridge handed him his customary allowance. Neither of them said a word. Integrity had been defeated, there was no question about it.
1. Douglass main conflict in this story A involves a misunderstanding of the philosophy of Socrates. B is between his desire to please his father and his desire to get a job. C centers on his mixed feelings for his parents and friends. D is between his desire to grow his hair and his desire for an allowance.
2. Douglas resolves his conflict by F deciding not to apply for a job after all. G giving up his goal of external and internal harmony. H agreeing to borrow money from his mother. J persuading his father to give him his allowance after all.
3Check Your Answers

1. Answer A is not correct. Douglas has no problem understanding Socrates. B also is wrong. Douglas doesnt seem to care about pleasing his father and makes no effort to find a job, so this is not his conflict. The text does not provide details that support choice C either. The best answer is D. Douglas faces a conflict when his father refuses to give him an allowance if he does not cut his hair. 2. Answer F is not correct because Douglass conflict did not center on a getting a job. Choice G is the best answer. Douglas cuts his hair to get his allowance even though it means giving up his ideal from Socrates. Regarding H, Douglas does borrow money, but this is not the resolution of the conflict. Regarding J, the text says nothing about Douglas persuading his father to give him the allowance.
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Characters
Characters are the people in a story or novel. Each character has certain qualities, or character traits, that the reader discovers as the story unfolds. Characters also have motivations that cause them to act in a certain way. A motivation might be a feeling, a goal, or an idea. Characters are sometimes described as dynamic or static. A dynamic character changes in some important way as a result of what happens in the plot. A static character, by contrast, remains relatively unchanged by the events that occur. Characters are also classified as round or flat. A round character has many dimensions to his or her personality; round characters, like real people, are complex. A flat character is one-dimensional; often a single word or phrase, such as the goody-goody, the nosy neighbor, or the loyal sidekick can sum up a flat character. The protagonist is the central character in a story or novel. The protagonist faces the central conflict and thereby initiates and drives the action in the story. Often the reader identifies closely with the protagonist. Another character, the antagonist, struggles against or blocks the protagonist. Characterization is the way an author reveals the personality of a character. Sometimes an author uses direct characterization and tells us what a character is like. More often, an author uses indirect characterization, letting us decide what a character is like based on details about his or her actions, dialogue, thoughts, and appearance. You can learn about characters by paying attention to what each one thinks, says, and does, and how he or she relates to other characters. Archetypal characters are character types who appear over and over again in literature all over the world. Some common archetypal characters are the wise old man or woman, the trickster, the lovable rogue, the seeker of truth, and the star-crossed lovers. Questions About Characters The following types of character-related questions are likely to appear on the SOL test. Being familiar with the terms of characterization will help you answer these items.
Who is telling the story? Who is the protagonist in the story? Who is the antagonist? Who are the major characters? Which character changes in the course of the story? With which character(s) do you sympathize? With which character(s) could you identify? How would you describe a particular character? What does a characters language, appearance, behavior, or relationships tell you about him or her? Why did the character(s) act in a particular way?
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Directions: Read the following characterization of Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter and answer the questions about character.
from The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes. She was lady-like, too . . . characterized by a certain state and dignity . . . And never had Hester Prynne appeared more lady-like, in the antique interpretation of the term, than as she issued from the prison. Those who had before known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped. 1. To describe Hester Prynne in this passage, the author A reports the characters speech and behavior. B gives the comments made by other characters about Hester. C describes the characters physical traits and personality directly. D reveals the characters thoughts and feelings. 2. Based on this description, which words best describe the character of Hester Prynne? F noble and undefeated G pretty and polite H subdued and fearful J hostile and shameless
3Check Your Answers

1. Question 1 asks about the technique the author used to characterize Hester Prynne. Hester says nothing in the passage and does almost nothing, so A is not the best choice. B also seems incorrect since we dont hear any direct opinions or reactions of other characters. D can also be eliminated because the author does not share Hesters thoughts and feelings in this passage. Therefore, choice C is the best choice. 2. The best answer for item 2 is F, noble and undefeated. The word noble is supported by such details as Hester being impressive, ladylike, and marked by dignity. She is also undefeated since the misfortune and ignominy of being in prison have not affected her. Choice G is less apt, since although Hester may appear pretty, we have no details that suggest she is polite. H is clearly wrong, since she seems to be the opposite of fearful and subdued. J also can be eliminated, since no details in this passage suggest she is either hostile or shameless.
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Setting and Mood

The setting is the time and place of the action of a short story, novel, or play. Often the author states the setting directly. At other times, you will need to use details in the story to infer the time and place of the action. In addition to a specific time and place, the setting may include the larger historical and cultural contexts that form the background for the narrative. Charles Dickenss novel, A Tale of Two Cities, for example, is set during the French Revolution, and this historical setting plays an important role in what happens in the novel and why. Mood is the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. The writers use of language, imagery, and other details all help to develop the mood. Often the setting and mood are closely related. In the familiar folktale, Hansel and Gretel, for example, the setting of the dark, mysterious forest largely creates the eerie and frightening mood. Sometimes setting is such a powerful factor in a plot that the story simply could not take place anywhere else. Think of the movie Titanic. The title, which is the setting, says it all. Questions About Setting and Mood Ask yourself these questions as you read a story to help you understand setting and mood.
When does the story take place? Where does the story take place? What mood does the author create? How does the setting contribute to it? Does the setting affect how the characters are developed or behave? Could this story have taken place anywhere and anytime? What details contribute to the local color, or defining attributes, of the setting? What details of the setting help to create the mood and atmosphere of the story?
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Directions: Read the following excerpt from a short story. Then answer the questions below.
from There Will Come Soft Rains

by Ray Bradbury
In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-tock, seven oclock, time to get up, time to get up, seven oclock! as if it were afraid that nobody would. The morning house lay empty. The clock ticked on, repeating and repeating its sounds into the emptiness. . . . In the kitchen the breakfast stove gave a hissing sigh and ejected from its warm interior eight pieces of perfectly browned toast, eight eggs sunnyside up, sixteen slices of bacon, two coffees, and two cool glasses of milk. Today is August 4, 2026, said a second voice from the kitchen ceiling, in the city of Allendale, California. It repeated the date three times for memorys sake. Today is Mr. Featherstones birthday. Somewhere in the walls, relays clicked, memory tape glided under electric eyes. Eight-one, tick-tock, eight-one oclock, off to school, off to work, run, run, eight-one! But no doors slammed, no carpets took the soft tread of rubber heels. At eight-thirty the eggs were shriveled and the toast was like stone. An aluminum wedge scraped them into the sink. . . . Nine-fteen, sang the clock, time to clean.
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Out of warrens in the wall, tiny robot mice darted. The rooms were acrawl with the small cleaning animals, all rubber and metal. They thudded against chairs whirling their mustached runners, kneading the rug nap, sucking gently at hidden dust. Then, like mysterious invaders, they popped into their burrows. Their pink electric eyes faded. The house was clean. Ten oclock. The sun came out from behind the rain. The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the only house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles.
2. How does the gadgetry of the automated house affect the mood? F It emphasizes the tedium of everyday life. G It adds to the tension. H It creates an upbeat, positive mood. J It suggests an eerie, lifeless mood.
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1. Based on details about the setting, which conclusion seems most likely? A The human residents will soon return to their house. B The residents of the house have tired of their regimented lifestyle. C The residents of the house died in a nuclear explosion. D No human family has ever lived in the house.
3Check Your Answers

1. Choice A is possible, for the house is clearly deserted and its owners may return. Answer B seems unlikely; while it is true that the setting is quite regimented, we know nothing about the residents and whether they are tired of their lifestyle. Choice C seems quite likely based on the details given in the last paragraph of the passage. Choice D can be eliminated; clearly from the recordings a family did once live here. The best answer is choice C. 2. Choice F may be possible. It would be tedious to hear those recorded messages day after day. Choice G is unlikely, since the mood is not particularly tense. Choice H can be eliminated; if anything, the mood is the opposite of upbeat and positive. Overall, J seems to be the best choice. The house seems eerie and lifeless even before we learn about the nuclear disaster that has occurred.
Theme
Theme is the main idea, message, or point that the author wants you to get from a story or novel. Usually, the author doesnt state the theme directly. Instead, the theme becomes apparent as the characters experience events. By paying close attention to the events and their outcomes you should be able to figure out the theme. Frequently, the theme will express a universal truth that a reader can apply to his or her own life.
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Questions About Theme Ask yourself these questions as you read a story to help you understand the theme. Developing this habit will help you answer theme questions on the SOL tests.
What point is the author trying to make in telling this story? What lesson can you learn from the events in this story? Why did the story end the way it did? Is the theme revealed to you through the authors comments, or do you have to infer the message?

Directions: Read the following modern-day fable and answer the question.
The Lamb Who Imitated the Lion

The Lion, who ruled the animal kingdom, ate a different one of his subjects every day. Sometimes it was a pig, sometimes a deer and occasionally he ate a chicken if he wanted a snack. No one complained. This was the way things had always been. One day a lamb, having observed the behavior of the lion, marched up to a chicken, kicked her senseless, and ate her. The other animals were outraged. They put the lamb to death for challenging the established social order. What is the main theme of this fable? A The weak and powerless must speak out for their rights. B The powerful can act in ways that the powerless cannot. C Everyone must occasionally challenge the established social order. D It is important to obey the rules of your society.
3Check Your Answer

Choice A seems possible at first glance; the weak lamb does speak out in a way, but look what happens to him. B seems more likely. The story shows that the powerful lion can get away with things that the weak lamb cant. Choice C seems unlikely; although the powerless lamb does challenge the established order, he doesnt succeed, so this probably isnt the main lesson taught by the fable. D seems possible too; the lamb doesnt obey the rules and is punished, but this moral is so general that it isnt well supported by the details in the fable. So the best answer is B.
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Style
Style is the distinctive way an author expresses himself or herself to tell a story. Style is not easily defined because it involves so many elements: word choice and language usage, sentence length and structure, point of view, tone, and narrative form and structure. Listed below are some of these stylistic techniques. Word Choice: The precise words and language a writer uses; the languages level of formality. Sentence Length and Structure: Variations of sentence length, structure, grammatical complexity, and grammatical accuracy. Point of View: The perspective the author takes in order to tell the story. It may be first person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. Point of view may be subjective (the narrator expresses his or her opinion) or objective (the narrator does not express an opinion). Tone: The authors attitude toward the characters, plot, and theme. Narrative Form and Structure: Organization of the action of the plot, as in the following examples: foreshadowingsuggestion of events to come flashbackreference to past events surprise ending unexpected resolution
Questions About Style Ask yourself these questions as you read a story to help you understand the authors style and to answer style questions on the SOL test.
From what point of view is the story told? What is the tone of the piece? Does the author use long, complex sentences or short, straightforward sentences? Does the author use formal or informal language? Does the author use a flashback? Did the ending surprise you? Does the author use any special language or techniques?
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Directions: Read these opening paragraphs from a popular short story. Then answer the question that follows.
from The Tell-Tale Heart

by Edgar Allan Poe
True!nervousvery dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses not destroyednot dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heavens and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Harken! and observe how healthilyhow calmly I can tell you the whole story. It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. Had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulturea pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees very graduallyI made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever. The authors style includes a great many short, choppy sentences and sentence fragments. This tends to A make the story easier to understand. B hint at, or foreshadow, what is going to happen. C build interest in the final outcome. D suggest the mental state of the narrator.
3Check Your Answer

A is probably not a good choice. Although short sentences do tend to make a story easier to understand, sentence fragments do not. B also does not seem like the right choice. The narrator does not hint at what will happen; he tells us clearly. C is a possible choice. The choppy style does build some suspense. D, however, is the best choice. The fragments and broken sentences give us a sense of the narrators troubled state of mind.
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Try It Out
Analyze Elements of a Story

Directions: Read the following short story. As you read, think about the questions that relate to plot, character, setting, theme, and style. Then write a sentence to answer each question.
The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson

by Leo Tolstoy
The grandfather had become very old. His legs would not carry him, his eyes could not see, his ears could not hear, and he was toothless. When he ate, bits of food sometimes dropped out of his mouth. His son and his sons wife no longer allowed him to eat with them at the table. He had to eat his meals in the corner near the stove. One day they gave him his food in a bowl. He tried to move the bowl closer; it fell to the oor and broke. His daughter-in-law scolded him. She told him that he spoiled everything in the house and broke their dishes, and she said that from now on he would get his food in a wooden dish. The old man sighed and said nothing. A few days later, the old mans son and his wife were sitting in their hut, resting and watching their little boy playing on the oor. They saw him putting together something out of small pieces of wood. His father asked him, What are you making, Misha? The little grandson said, Im making a wooden bucket. When you and Mamma get old, Ill feed you out of this wooden dish. The young peasant and his wife looked at each other, and tears lled their eyes. They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly, and from that day they again let the old man eat with them at the table and took better care of him.
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1. What is the setting of this story? _____________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the main conflict in this story? _____________________________________________________________________ 3. How is the conflict resolved? _____________________________________________________________________ 4. How do you know the daughter-in-law is a dynamic character? _____________________________________________________________________ 5. What word or words would you use to describe the mood of the story up until the ending? _____________________________________________________________________ 6. Sum up the message that this short story teaches. _____________________________________________________________________
Now read this short story and answer the questions that follow.
The Dinner Party

by Mona Gardner
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The country is India. A colonial ofcial and his wife are giving a large dinner party. They are seated with their guests. . . . A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who insists that women have outgrown the jumpingon-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era and a colonel who says that they havent. A womans unfailing reaction in any crisis, the colonel says, is to scream. And while a man may feel like it, he has that ounce more of nerve control than a woman has. And that last ounce is what counts. The American does not join in the argument but watches the other guests. As he looks, he sees a strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She is staring straight ahead, her muscles contracting slightly. With a slight gesture
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she summons the servant standing behind her chair and whispers to him. The servants eyes widen, and he quickly leaves the room.
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Of the guests, none except the American notices this or sees the servant place a bowl of milk on the veranda just outside the open doors. The American comes to with a start. In India, milk in a bowl means only one thing bait for a snake. He realizes there must be a cobra in the room. He looks up at the raftersthe likeliest place but they are bare. Three corners of the room are empty, and in the fourth the servants are waiting to serve the next course. There is only once place left under the table. His rst impulse is to jump back and warn the others, but he knows the commotion would frighten the cobra into striking. He speaks quickly, the tone of his voice so arresting that it sobers everyone. I want to know just what control everyone at this table has. I will count three hundredthats ve minutesand not one of you is to move a muscle. Those who move will forfeit fty rupees. Ready? The twenty people sit like stone images while he counts. He is saying . . . two hundred and eighty . . . when out of the corner of his eye, he sees the cobra emerge and make for the bowl of milk. Screams ring out as he jumps to slam the veranda doors safely shut. You were right, Colonel, the host exclaims. A man has just shown us an example of perfect control. Just a minute, the American says, turning to his hostess. Mrs. Wynnes, how did you know that cobra was in the room? A faint smile lights up the womans face as she replies, Because it was crawling across my foot.
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7. Which detail of the setting has the most impact on the conflict that develops? A The dining room is filled with guests from many countries. B The country is India during the colonial era. C The dining room is open to the veranda outside. D The events take place in the evening.
8. Why does the hostess quietly ask the servant to place a bowl of milk outside? F She is embarrassed that there is a snake in the room. G She doesnt want to frighten or upset her guests. H She is angry that the servant has left the doors open. J She knows that the American has found out about the snake.
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9. What conflict does the American face in the story? A He fears he will not be able to show as much control as his hostess. B He wants to tell everyone about the snake, not keep quiet. C He must kill the snake, even at the risk of his own life. D He must remain totally calm in the face of grave danger. 10. Both the American and the hostess F have studied the habits of poisonous snakes. G are able to think quickly in a crisis. H are not very considerate of the other guests. J agree that men are more excitable than women.
11. The overall mood of this story can best be described as A joyful. B philosophical. C suspenseful. D gloomy. 12. The theme of this story can be stated as F security is more important than companionship. G women can meet challenges as well as men. H in dangerous situations, extreme measures are necessary. J the dangers of wild animals are often exaggerated.
DRAMA
A drama, or play, is a written story that actors perform. Drama is different from other literary forms because it is intended to be performed live on stage. So an audience can see the action of a drama, not just read about it. Despite this important difference, most of the literary terms that describe short stories and novels also apply to drama. That is, dramas have plot, characters, setting, mood, style, and theme. Because of dramas unique structure, some literary terms are specific to this genre.
Drama Terms You Need to Know for the SOL Test

Dialogue is the conversation between characters. The main difference between a short story or novel and a play is the use of dialogue. The narrators role in drama is either nonexistent or very small. Instead, the plot, characters, and theme of a play are revealed through what the characters say. Notice that we learn about Romeos mood in this dialogue from Romeo and Juliet.
BENVOLIO: ROMEO:
Good morrow, cousin.
Is the day so young? But new struck nine.
BENVOLIO: ROMEO:
Ay me, sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went hence so fast?
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BENVOLIO: ROMEO:
It was. What sadness lengthens Romeos hours?
Not having that which, having, makes them short. In love?
BENVOLIO: ROMEO:
Out. Of love?
BENVOLIO: ROMEO:
Out of her favor where I am in love.
A monologue is a speech delivered entirely by one character. Occasionally in a play one character will deliver a lengthy speech or monologue in which details emerge about that character and the person he or she is speaking to or about. In the following scene, Romeo spots Juliet for the first time at a dance and expresses his feelings for her in a monologue.
ROMEO
[to a servant]: What ladys that which doth enrich the hand
Of yonder knight?
SERVANT: ROMEO:
I know not, sir. O, she does teach the torches to burn bright.
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night As a rich jewel in an Ethiops ear Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. So shows a snow dove trooping with crows As yonder lady oer her fellows shows. The measure done, Ill watch her place of stand, And touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight. For I neer saw true beauty till this night.
A soliloquy is a long speech allowing an actor alone on stage to reveal his or her private thoughts and feelings. Like the monologue, the soliloquy is a long speech delivered by one character or actor; unlike the monologue, there is no one else listening. Only the audience is aware of the thoughts and emotions revealed by the character. An aside is a line the character speaks directly to the audience or to another character that is not intended for others on stage to hear. The aside serves an important purpose: It allows the audience to know what actors are thinking and feeling. In the following dialogue, Romeo overhears Juliet speaking and wonders in an aside whether he should answer her.
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JULIET:
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore are thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And Ill no longer be a Capulet.
ROMEO
[Aside]: Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
Stage directions give the director and actors information about the setting, characters speech and movements, costumes, props, scenery, and lighting. Stage directions usually appear in italic type. Whether short phrases or brief paragraphs at the beginning of an act or scene, stage directions provide valuable information about how characters look, feel, and act. Stage directions can also create a vivid picture of how the set should look, thus creating the mood and atmosphere for a scene. In the following scene from Romeo and Juliet, the stage directions in brackets provide a simple description of Romeos action.
ROMEO:
Why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe
That unsubstantial death is amorous; And that the lean abhorred monster keeps Thee here in dark to be his paramour? For fear of that I still will stay with thee, And never from this palace of dim night Depart again: here, here will I remain With worms that are thy chambermaids: O, here Will I set up my everlasting rest; . . . Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Heres to my love! [Drinks]O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick.Thus with a kiss I die. Dramatic irony is a contradiction between what a character in a play or story thinks and what the audience or reader knows to be true. In the scene above of Romeos suicide, for example, Romeo thinks Juliet is dead; the audience, however, knows she is only sleeping.
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Verbal irony is a contradiction between what a character says and what he or she really means. For example, a character might say, Thats just wonderful! when he learns his flight has been delayed three hours. Of course, the delay isnt really wonderful. The character is saying the opposite of what he really means. In a movie or play, verbal irony is easily detected in the actors voice, expression, or body language. Situational irony occurs when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate. In one Greek myth, for example, Zeus falls in love with the mortal Semele and agrees to give her anything she wants. She asks to see Zeus in his true form as king of heaven. Zeus reluctantly agrees, but the brilliance of his true form burns Semele to death.
Try It Out
Analyze Elements of Drama

Directions: Read the following scene. As you read, pay close attention to the dialogue and stage directions.
from A View from the Bridge

by Arthur Miller
In this excerpt from Millers play, Catherine is the 17-year-old niece of Eddie and Beatrice, her legal guardians. As they prepare to sit down to dinner, Beatrice and Catherine tell Eddie some news, hoping for a favorable reaction.
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EDDIE:
Whats goin on?
Catherine enters with plates, forks.

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BEATRICE:
Shes got a job.
Pause. Eddie looks at Catherine, then back to Beatrice.
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EDDIE:
What job? Shes gonna nish school. Eddie, you wont believe it
CATHERINE: EDDIE:
No no, you gonna nish school. What kinda job, what do you mean? All of a sudden you Listen a minute, its wonderful.
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CATHERINE: EDDIE:
Its not wonderful. Youll never get nowheres unless you nish school. You cant take no job. Why didnt you ask me before you take a job? Shes askin you now, she didnt take nothin yet.
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BEATRICE:
CATHERINE:
Listen a minute! I came to school this morning and the principal called me out of the class, see? To go to his ofce. Yeah?
10 11
EDDIE:
CATHERINE:
So I went in and he says to me hes got my records, yknow? And theres a company wants a girl right away. It aint exactly a secretary, its a stenographer rst, but pretty soon you get to be secretary. And he says to me that Im the best student in the whole class You hear that?
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BEATRICE: EDDIE:
Well why not? Sure shes the best.
CATHERINE:
Im the best student, he says, and if I want, I should take the job and the end of the year hell let me take the examination and hell give me the certicate. So Ill save practically a year! strangely nervous: Wheres the job? What company? Its a big plumbing company over Nostrand Avenue.
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EDDIE,
CATHERINE: EDDIE:
Nostrand Avenue and where? Its someplace by the Navy Yard.
CATHERINE: BEATRICE: EDDIE,
Fifty dollars a week, Eddie.
to Catherine, surprised: Fifty? I swear.
CATHERINE:
Pause.
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EDDIE:
What about all the stuff you wouldnt learn this year, though?
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23
CATHERINE:
Theres nothin more to learn, Eddie, I just gotta practice from now on. I know all the symbols1 and I know the keyboard. Ill just get faster, thats all. And when Im workin Ill keep gettin better and better, you see? Work is the best practice anyway.
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BEATRICE: EDDIE:
That aint what I wanted, though. Why! Its a great big company
CATHERINE: EDDIE:
I dont like that neighborhood over there. Its a block and half from the subway, he says.
CATHERINE: EDDIE:
Near the Navy Yard plenty can happen in a block and a half. And a plumbin company! Thats one step over the water front. Theyre practically longshoremen. Yeah, but shell be in the ofce, Eddie.
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BEATRICE: EDDIE:
I know shell be in the ofce, but that aint what I had in mind. Listen, shes gotta go to work sometime.
BEATRICE: EDDIE:
Listen, B., shell be with a lotta plumbers? And sailors up and down the street? So what did she go to school for? But its fty a week, Eddie.
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CATHERINE: EDDIE:
Look, did I ask you for money? I supported you this long I support you a little more. Please, do me a favor, will ya? I want you to be with different kind of people. I want you to be in a nice ofce. Maybe a lawyers ofce someplace in New York in one of them nice buildings. I mean if youre gonna get outa here then get out; dont go practically in the same kind of neighborhood. Pause. Catherine lowers her eyes.
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BEATRICE:
Go, Baby, bring in the supper. Catherine goes out. Think about it a little bit, Eddie. Please. Shes crazy to start work. Its not a little shop, its a big company. Some day she could be a secretary. They picked her out of the whole class. He is silent, staring down at the tablecloth, ngering the pattern. What are you worried about? She could take care of herself. Shell get out of the subway and be in the ofce in two minutes.
symbols: In shorthand, symbols stand for words.
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1. Looking only at the stage directions, describe the physical traits, behavior, and attitudes of the characters in the table that follows. Consider not only how the characters are described but also how they react to each other.
Eddie defensive
Beatrice perceptive
Catherine self-directed
2. Now review the dialogue and add to the table additional traits that are suggested by the way these characters talk to each other. 3. Which character would be most likely to deliver this aside (if it were written): If anything happens to that kid, Id never forgive myself? ______________________________________________________________________ 4. If the other characters left the stage, which character might speak a soliloquy to explain why he or she longs for independence? ______________________________________________________________________
Now read this scene from a play and answer the questions that follow.
from I Remember Mama

by John Van Druten
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ACT TWO
SCENE: Opening, exactly as in Act One. KATRIN at her desk.
1
KATRIN
(reading): It wasnt very often that I could get Mama to talk about herself, or her life in the old country, or what she felt about things. You had to catch her unawares, or when she had nothing to do, which was very, very seldom. I dont think I can ever remember seeing Mama unoccupied. (Laying down the manuscript and looking out front) I do remember one occasion, though. It was the day before Dagmar came home from the hospital. And as we left, Mama suggested treating me to an ice-cream soda. (She rises, gets her hat from beside hera schoolgirl hatputs it on and crosses C. while she speaks the next lines) She had never done such a thing before, and I remember how proud it made me feeljust to sit and talk to her quietly like a grown-up person. It was a kind of special treata moment in my life that Ill always rememberquite apart from the soda, which was wonderful. (She has reached center stage now. MAMA has come from between the curtains, and starts down the steps)
MAMA:
Katrin, you like we go next door, and I treat you to an ice-cream soda? (young now, and overcome): Mamayou mean it?
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KATRIN MAMA:
Sure. We celebrate. We celebrate that Dagmar is well, and coming home again.
(They cross to the left where the turntable represents a drugstore, with a table and two chairs at which they seat themselves) What you like to have, Katrin?
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KATRIN: MAMA
I think a chocolate . . . no, a strawberry . . . no, a chocolate soda.
(smiling): You are sure? (gravely): I think so. But, Mama, can we afford it? I think this once we can afford it.
KATRIN MAMA:
(The SODA CLERK appears from L.)

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SODA CLERK: MAMA:
Whats it going to be, ladies?
A chocolate ice-cream soda, pleaseand a cup of coffee.
(The SODA CLERK goes)
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KATRIN:
Mama, he called us ladies! (MAMA smiles) Why arent you having a soda, too? Better I like coffee. When can I drink coffee? When you are grown up. When Im eighteen? Maybe before that. When I graduate?
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MAMA: KATRIN: MAMA: KATRIN: MAMA: KATRIN: MAMA:
Maybe. I dont know. Comes the day you are grown up, Papa and I will know. Is coffee really nicer than a soda? When you are grown up, it is. Did you used to like sodas better . . . before you were grown up?
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KATRIN: MAMA: KATRIN: MAMA:
We didnt have sodas before I was grown up. It was in the old country. (incredulous): You mean they dont have sodas in Norway?
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KATRIN MAMA:
Now, maybe. Now I think they have many things from America. But not when I was little girl.
(The SODA CLERK brings the soda and the coffee)

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SODA CLERK: KATRIN
There you are, folks. (He sets them and departs)
(after a good pull at the soda): Mama, do you ever want to go back to the old country? I like to go back once to look, maybe. To see the mountains and the fjords. I like to show them once to you all. When Dagmar is big, maybe we all go back once . . . one summer . . . like tourists. But that is how it would be. I would be tourist there now. There is no one I would know any more. And maybe we see the little house where Papa and I live when we rst marry. And . . . (Her eyes grow misty and reminiscent) something else I would look at. What is that? (MAMA does not answer) What would you look at, Mama? Katrin, you do not know you have brother? Besides Nels? No! A brother? In Norway? Mama. . . . He is my rst baby. I am eighteen when he is born.
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MAMA:
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KATRIN:
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MAMA: KATRIN: MAMA:
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KATRIN: MAMA
Is he there now?
(simply): He is dead.
KATRIN
(disappointed): Oh. I thought you meant . . . I thought you meant a real brother. A long-lost one, like in stories. When did he die?
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MAMA:
When he is two years old. It is his grave I would like to see again. (She is suddenly near tears, biting her lip and stirring her coffee violently, spilling a few drops on her suit. She gets her handkerchief from her pocketbook, dabs at her skirt, then briey at her nose, then she returns the handkerchief and turns to KATRIN again)(matter-offactly) Is good, your ice-cream soda?
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KATRIN
(more interested now in MAMA than in it): Yes. Mama . . . have you had a very hard life? (surprised): Hard? No. No life is easy all the time. It is not meant to be. But . . . rich people . . . arent their lives easy?
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MAMA
KATRIN: MAMA:
I dont know, Katrin. I have never known rich people. But I see them sometimes in stores and in the streets, and they do not look as if they were easy. Wouldnt you like to be rich?
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KATRIN: MAMA:
I would like to be rich the way I would like to be ten feet high. Would be good for some thingsbad for others. But didnt you come to America to get rich?
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KATRIN: MAMA
(shocked): No. We come to America because they are all hereall the others. Is good for families to be together. And did you like it right away?
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KATRIN: MAMA:
Right away. When we get off the ferry boat and I see San Francisco and all the family, I say: Is like Norway, only it is better than Norway. And then you are all born here, and I become American citizen. But not to get rich. I want to be rich. Rich and famous. Id buy you your warm coat. When are you going to get that coat, Mama? Soon now, maybewhen we pay doctor, and Mr. Hyde pay his rent. I think now I must ask him. I ask him tomorrow, after Dagmar comes home.
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KATRIN:
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MAMA:
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KATRIN:
When Im rich and famous, Ill buy you lovely clothes. White satin gowns with long trains to them. And jewelry. Ill buy you a pearl necklace.
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MAMA:
We talk too much! (She signs to the SODA CLERK) Come, nish your soda. We must go home. (The SODA CLERK comes) How much it is, please? Fifteen cents.
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SODA CLERK: MAMA:
Here are two dimes. You keep the nickel. And thank you. Was good coffee. (They start out and up the steps towards the curtains C.) Tomorrow Dagmar will be home again. And, Katrin, you see that the cat Uncle Elizabeth is there. This afternoon again she was asking for him. You keep Uncle Elizabeth in the house all day until she comes home. (They disappear behind the curtains)
5. This scene opens with Katrin sitting at her desk and then flashes back to an earlier time. What is the most likely purpose for organizing the scene in this way? A To make it clear that Katrin is only imagining this scene. B To make the audience curious about why Mama is always busy. C To help the audience sympathize with Katrins problems. D To introduce the scene and suggest why it is meaningful. 6. Katrins opening lines in this scene can best be described as F a monologue. G dialogue. H an aside. J dramatic irony.
8. Based on details in the stage directions, the sets, or scenery, for this play are quite F realistic. G ornate. H minimal. J playful.
9. Which is the best inference to make from the following exchange between Mama and Katrin.
KATRIN:
I want to be rich. Rich and famous. Id buy you your warm coat. When are you going to get that coat, Mama?
MAMA:
Soon now, maybewhen we pay doctor, and Mr. Hyde pay his rent. I think now I must ask him. I ask him tomorrow, after Dagmar comes home.
A Mama does not really want or need a new coat. B Katrin frequently makes unrealistic promises to her parents. C Mama and her family have very little money. D Dagmar is the only one who really needs a new coat.
7. Which word best describes the character Katrin? A matter-of- fact B romantic C sophisticated D insincere
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10. Why do you think this conversation with her mother was so memorable to Katrin? F Katrin has long been curious about her dead brother. G Mama has finally admitted that Katrin is a grown-up. H They are both very happy that Dagmar is finally coming home. J Mama has shared her personal feelings with Katrin.
11. Which statement best expresses the theme of this passage regarding money? A Money cannot make people happy. B Money often comes between people. C Strong family ties are more important than wealth. D Dreaming of wealth is a waste of time.
POETRY
The Virginia SOL may include examples of poetry for you to read and analyze. Like other forms of literature, poetry tries to re-create human emotions and experiences. Poetry is quite different from short stories and other prose. For one thing, poetry is arranged in lines, not paragraphs. Frequently the lines include special rhythms, rhymes, and figurative language. In general, poems contain fewer details, descriptions, and explanations than short stories and novels. Many images may be condensed into a few short lines of a poem. As a result, poetry tends to leave a great deal to the readers imagination.
Poetry Terms You Need to Know for the SOL Test

Rhythm is a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. Rhythm occurs naturally in all kinds of spoken and written language. Poets use rhythm to bring out the musical quality of language, emphasize ideas, and create mood. Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds. Rhyming patterns usually occur at the end of lines of poetry; internal rhymes, however, are rhyming words within the same line of poetry. Rhyme scheme is the pattern of end-of-line rhymes in a poem. The pattern is charted by assigning a letter of the alphabet, beginning with a, to each line. Lines that rhyme are given the same letter. Notice the letters that show the rhyme scheme of this brief poem by Emily Dickinson.
A word is dead When it is said, Some say. I say it just Begins to live That day.
a a b c d b
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A stanza is a group of lines that form a unit of a poem. A stanza is a little like a paragraph in a story. The stanzas in a poem may contain the same number of lines or they may vary in length. The following lines from the poem Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson have a regular rhythm. Every second syllable is stressed, or said with more force. The accent mark ( ) shows this. Unstressed syllables are marked with this symbol (). The poem also has a regular rhyme scheme. The letters at the end of the lines in the first two stanzas show the rhyme scheme.
ory Whenever Richard C went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: H was a gentl an fro sole to crown, e em m C lean favored, and im ri ly slim. pe al And he was always quie arrayed, tly A he w always human when h talked; nd as e e s But still h fluttered pulse when h said, e e Go od-morning, and h glitter when h walked. ed e
a b a b
c d c d
Try It Out
Determine Rhyme Scheme

Directions: Now read the last two stanzas of the poem. Continue marking the stressed syllables and the rhyme scheme. The first lines are done for you.
And he was richyes, richer than a king And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place.
e f
So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head.
Blank verse is another type of poetry. A poem written in blank verse has a regular rhythm, but no rhyme. The following lines from Robert Frosts poem Birches are an example of blank verse.
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When I see birches bend to left and right Across the lines of straighter darker trees, I like to think some boys been swinging them. But swinging doesnt bend them down to stay
Free verse is poetry that has no regular rhythm or rhyme scheme. The lines of a free verse poem can vary widely in length. The next poem, Fog, by Carl Sandburg, is an example of free verse.
The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.
Poets also use the following devices to appeal to our sense of sound. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds, most often at the beginnings of words. Alliteration often gives a line of poetry a musical effect, as in this line from Edgar Allan Poes The Raven
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound within nonrhyming words. The phrases high and mighty and sweet dreams are examples of assonance. Notice the long-a assonance in these lines from Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden.
then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze.
Onomatopoeia is the use of a word that sounds like its meaning. Many English words, such as chirp, snap, crackle, and hush actually sound like the meanings they represent. Poets use onomatopoeic words to make an extra sound impression on the reader. In the lines below from When the Frost Is on the Punkin, James Whitcomb Riley uses colorful onomatopoeia to imitate the sounds of barnyard birds.
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When the frost is on the punkin and the fodders in the shock, And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin turkey cock, And the clackin of the guineys and the cluckin of the hens, And the roosters hallylooyer as tiptoes on the fence
Figurative language is imaginative language used for descriptive effect and not meant to be taken as literal truth. Poetry is not the only genre that uses figurative language. You will find figures of speech anywhere you find skillful writingshort stories, plays, and essays. Because poets often compress as much meaning as possible into a few words, they tend to rely heavily on figurative language to bring out the images they wish to express. Here are some common types of figurative language that you may need to identify on the SOL test. A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words like, as, or than. A simile often generates a strong emotional impact by showing the similarity between different things. A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things without using the words like, as, or than. An extended metaphor is a comparison carried through several lines or even an entire poem or passage. In this passage from As You Like It, for example, Shakespeare uses an extended metaphor to liken the world to a stage in a theater, and people to actors.
All the worlds a stage, And all the men and women merely players, They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.
An implied metaphor is a comparison never directly stated but suggested. The following line, for example, implies a comparison between Erica and a flower.
At long last, Ericas beauty had burst into bloom.

Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal, or idea. Writers use personification to make images and feelings more concrete for a reader.
The cold soft mud of the river bottom grabbed my ankles and refused to let me go.
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Hyperbole is an exaggeration of the truth for emphasis or for humorous effect. Hyperbole is not realistic description.
In the empty space of his mind, a thought would be as lost as a seagull on the high seas.
A symbol is something that represents or suggests something else through means of an association. For example, the bald eagle symbolizes the United States, and a heart represents love. Imagery is the use of language that appeals to the senses. With vivid imagery, poets and writers appeal to our memories and our imaginations, helping us to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell the worlds they describe.
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach; Three fields to cross till a farm appears; A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch And blue spurt of a lighted match. (Robert Browning, Meeting at Night)

Directions: Identify the figure of speech or poetic device in each item that follows. 1. The new graduates exploded from the school like a Fourth of July fireworks finale. A simile B implied metaphor C assonance D onomatopoeia 2. The rivers rocky rapids had run dry! F extended metaphor G alliteration H hyperbole J stanza 4. The sea raised its angry fist and delivered a knock-out punch. F implied metaphor G extended metaphor H personification J simile 3. The long bows twanged, and the arrows hissed toward our hiding place. A internal rhyme B irony C assonance D onomatopoeia
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5. Asa had gotten so thin that he no longer cast a shadow on the ground. A internal rhyme B irony C onomatopoeia D hyperbole 6. The erupting volcano was an angry dragon, breathing fire high into the sky. F alliteration G metaphor H irony J simile
7. We cried with surprise when the light of day arrived. A internal rhyme B irony C assonance D personification 8. When angry, Mr. Bellows shot out insults explosively, rarely pausing to gather more ammunition, and his rapid-fire words found their targets, wounding everyone around him. F extended metaphor G alliteration H simile J stanza
3Check Your Answers

1. This sentence is a simile, A. It uses the word like to compare the graduates to fireworks. 2. This item illustrates alliteration, G. It repeats the initial r sound four times. 3. The words twanged and hissed imitate the sounds they describe. This is onomatopoeia, D. 4. In this sentence, the sea is given human traits an angry fist and the ability to punch. This is personification, H. 5. This sentence is an example of extreme exaggeration, or hyperbole, D. 6. This sentence contains a metaphor, G, saying the volcano was a dragon. 7. The words cried, surprise, arrived, and light all have the long-i sound. The repetition of a vowel sound like this is assonance, C. 8. This is an extended metaphor, F, because it uses a number of images to compare Mr. Bellows to a gun and his words to bullets.
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Tips for Understanding Poetry

You will be more successful at reading and analyzing poetry for the SOL tests if you remember these tips. 1. Identify the Speaker The speaker in a poem is the voice that talks to the reader. The speaker and the poet are not necessarily the same. Often a poet creates a speaker with a distinct identity in order to achieve a particular effect. 2. Engage Your Senses Poets use imagery that appeals to the five senses. If a poet successfully makes you feel as if you are right there experiencing what the poem describes, then you will develop a sixth sense, or heightened understanding of the poem. 3. Relate the Form of the Poem to Its Meaning Some poems look like what they mean. In these concrete poems, the words themselves are arranged in a pattern, such as the outline of a flower. Sometimes words seem to tumble across the page, complementing the playful mood of the poem. Sometimes a very formal verse and stanza arrangement is a clue that the poem is from a previous era with very traditional values and tastes in literature. 4. Hear the Poem Sound is a very important element of poetry, so important that there are more poetic techniques associated with sound than with any other characteristic of poetry. Hear the meter, rhyme, alliteration, and assonance in a poem. The absence of any rhythm or rhyme or a very measured and deliberate meter and rhyme scheme may also be a clue to the time period with which the poem is associated and, therefore, a clue to its meaning. 5. Slow Down When You Read A poet often selects one word to do the work of three or four. A phrase is frequently just a suggestion that the poet invites you to experience personally, not just read. In short, a poem, more often than not, is a collection of concrete images that demands the readers interpretation. So read slowly, and then reread until you understand the poem. 6. Fill in the Gaps Because conciseness is typical of most poetry, you have to appreciate and consider carefully every word the poet uses. Look beyond the literal words on the page to see another meaning. The reader must not only read the words themselves but also associate and compare them with other situations or experiences. Also, look for symbols in the poem.
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7. Forget the Rules Poetic license means that the rules of grammar and vocabulary dont necessarily apply in poetry. Poets, for example, may use nouns as verbs or adjectives, invert standard word order in sentences, and invent new words. Poets take poetic license for specific effect and impact, not just to break the rules. Readers must think about how these techniques enhance the meaning of the poem. 8. Paraphrase Paraphrasing can be especially useful when you are faced with a poem that, on first reading, makes little sense to you. A technique that often works when paraphrasing poetry is to pay attention to the punctuation, especially periods and commas, which dont always come at the end of a line. Using punctuation as a guide can help you make sense of more lengthy or complex poems. Examine the original lines from Ralph Waldo Emersons The Snowstorm and the paraphrase next to it.
Original Lines Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, Arrives the snow, and, driving oer the fields, Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven, And veils the farmhouse at the gardens end. The sled and traveler stopped, the couriers feet Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed In a tumultuous privacy of storm .
Paraphrase The wind blows the snow so hard across the fields that it swirls around and never seems to touch the ground. The snow is so thick you cant see the hills, woods, river, sky, farmhouse, or where the garden stops. The snowstorm is so fierce that no one can travel, and the occupants of the house are seated in front of the fire.
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Try It Out
Paraphrase
Directions: Match the original lines of poetry in the column on the left with their paraphrases on the right. Write the letter of the paraphrase next to the original lines.
_____ 1. Oh, wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! (Robert Burns, To a Louse) _____ 2. My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die! (William Wordsworth, My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold) _____ 3. Out, out, brief candle! Lifes but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. (Shakespeare, Macbeth) _____ 4. Here lies, to each her parents ruth, Mary, the daughter of their youth; Yet all heavens gifts being heavens due, It makes the father less to rue. (Ben Jonson, On My First Daughter)
A. Life is short and humans are such a small part of the big picture of the universe. B. When I was a child, natures mysteries filled me with joy and wonder, just as they do now. If, as I age, I begin to take these pleasures for granted, I might as well be dead. C. A child, born to her parents when they were young, is dead. But her fathers grief is lessened because he understands that she was a gift from heaven, and she has returned to the gift giver. D. If only we had the power to see ourselves as others do.
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Try It Out
Analyze Elements of Poetry

Directions: Read the following two poems and answer the questions that follow.
Graduation Morning
by Pat Mora
10
15
She called him Lucero, morning star, Snared him with sweet coffee, pennies Mexican milk candy, brown bony hugs. Through the years shed cross the Rio Grande to clean his mothers home. Lucero, Mi lucero, shed cry, when shed see him running toward her in the morning, when she pulled stubborn cactus thorns from his small hands, when she found him hiding in the creosote. Though shes small and thin, black sweater, black scarf, the boy in the white graduation robe easily finds her at the back of the cathedral, finds her amid the swirl of sparkling clothes, finds her eyes. Tears slide down her wrinkled cheeks. Her eyes, luceros, stroke his face.
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1. How do you know that Graduation Morning is an example of a lyric poem? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 2. Tell how you know that poet Pat Mora uses free verse in this poem. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 3. Describe one figure of speech the poet uses when she says, Her eyes, luceros, stroke his face. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 4. Give three examples of the poets use of imagery in Graduation Morning, and tell to which of your senses they appeal. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
A Narrow Fellow in the Grass

by Emily Dickinson A narrow fellow in the grass Occasionally rides; You may have met him,did you not? His notice sudden is.
5
The grass divides as with a comb, A spotted shaft is seen; And then it closes at your feet And opens further on.
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10
He likes a boggy acre, A floor too cool for corn. Yet when a child, and barefoot, I more than once at morn, Have passed, I thought, a whip-lash Unbraiding in the sun, When, stooping to secure it, It wrinkled, and was gone. Several of natures people I know, and they know me; I feel for them a transport Of cordiality; But never met this fellow, Attended or alone, Without a tighter breathing, And zero at the bone.
15
20
5. In line 5, The grass divides as with a comb is an example of A hyperbole. B simile. C soliloquy. D paraphrase. 6. In line 17, Several of natures people refers to F wild animals. G the speakers relatives. H nearby neighbors. J childrens pets.
7. Alone and bone in lines 22 and 24 are an example of A slant rhyme. B internal rhyme. C end rhyme. D assonance. 8. The dominant image in this poem is a F comb. G rope. H bone. J snake.
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9. Most lines of this poem have A two stressed syllables. B three stressed syllables. C four stressed syllables. D five stressed syllables.
11. How does the speaker feel when meeting a narrow fellow in the grass? A entertained B suspicious C uneasy D bewildered 12. In line 20, cordiality most nearly means F terror. G haste. H fun. J affection.
10. What is the speakers point of view? F first person
G first-person omniscient H third person J third-person omniscient
Chapter
7
Part Part
Understanding the Context of Literature
The Standards of Learning Covered in This Chapter 9.3 The student will read and analyze a variety of literature. g. Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point of view of a written work. 10.3 The student will read, comprehend, and critique literary works. d. Explain similarities and differences of techniques and literary forms represented in the literature of different cultures and eras. 11.3 The student will read and analyze relationships among American literature, history, and culture. a. Describe contributions of different cultures to the development of American literature. b. Compare and contrast the development of American literature in its historical context. c. Discuss American literature as it reflects traditional and contemporary themes, motifs, universal characters, and genres.
d. Describe how use of context and language structures conveys an authors intent and viewpoint in contemporary and historical essays, speeches, and critical reviews.
In Chapter 6, we classified literature by genres, looking at types of literature such as short stories, drama, and poetry, and studying the main elements of each genre. This chapter introduces some other common ways to classify literature, such as by historical period, theme, and style. Classifying literature in these ways is useful because it helps us see how history and culture influence our literature. The SOL test expects you to be familiar with some of the broad historical periods of American literature. Several passages on the test may include questions about how an author or piece of writing reflects the culture, themes, or style of a certain period or movement. This chapter will help you prepare for these questions. Your overall understanding of American history and the events that gave rise to the literature of different time periods will also help you complete these items on the test.
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INFLUENCES OF HISTORICAL CONTEXT

All literature is shaped to some degree by its historical and cultural backdrop. This context influences the writer, and a writer, in turn, often focuses on themes, events, and issues that are important in his or her culture. Each time period has dominant genres and styles too. As a result, we can link the major works of American literature to the social, economic, and political movements that have marked the development of our country from the Colonial era to today. Needless to say, there is no adequate way to present the full panorama of American literature in just a few pages. This chapter is only meant to familiarize you with the major literary movements in our nations literature and their chronology. This awarenessalong with what you already knowwill increase your chances for success on the SOL test. The table on the following pages gives a simplified overview of six periods of American literary history and the genres, styles, content, and events associated with each. Study the table carefully as you prepare for the SOL test. To make sure you understand how to read and use the table, complete the Try It Out exercise that follows.
Dominant Cultural Details and Symbols Native Americans Pilgrims Puritans
Period Colonial Precolonization 1750
Dominant Form/Genre journals myths/legends speeches/sermons narratives
Dominant Stylistic Techniques symbols from nature religious imagery
Dominant Historical Events Jamestown & Plymouth Settlements Salem Witch Trials religious revivals French & Indian War Boston Tea Party Revolutionary War Declaration of Independence & Constitution Louisiana Purchase War of 1812 Westward Expansion Trail of Tears Gold Rush Civil War Wounded Knee
Early National 17501800
speeches letters documents autobiography
persuasion
politics Age of Reason
National 18001860
short stories poetry
description & imagery symbol allegory verse, stanza, meter humor dialect
pioneers Fireside Poets individuality & the human spirit reverence for nature end of frontier urbanization and industrialization The Gilded Age
War 18601915
novels short stories
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Period Modern 19151946
Dominant Form/Genre drama poetry short stories novels
Dominant Stylistic Techniques free verse imagery point of view stream of consciousness cultural diversity nonfiction/fiction
Dominant Cultural Details and Symbols
Dominant Historical Events
Harlem Renaissance Roaring 20s Lost Generation World War I expatriates Great Depression World War II
Contemporary 1946Present
drama poetry short stories nonfiction
social protest Space Age/ technology cultural/ethnic pride
Kennedy & King assassinations Vietnam War Civil rights protests
Try It Out
Literature in Context
Directions: Using the table on the preceeding pages, place the following titles and authors in their correct time periods. Look for clues in the titles and descriptions. Think about the techniques for which certain authors are famous. Write the time period and its dates on the line. 1. I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman, a lyric poem about Americans _____________________________________________________________________ 2. I Will Fight No More Forever by Chief Joseph, a surrender speech _____________________________________________________________________ 3. The First Seven Years by Bernard Malamud, a contemporary love story _____________________________________________________________________ 4. The American Crisis by Thomas Paine, a Revolutionary pamphlet _____________________________________________________________________ 5. To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet, a Puritan love lyric _____________________________________________________________________ 6. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain, a Western tall tale _____________________________________________________________________
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7. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, a realistic novel of the Civil War _____________________________________________________________________ 8. The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, a poem that describes the emptiness of modern society _____________________________________________________________________
MAJOR LITERARY THEMES

The discussion of theme in Chapter 6 referred to the main message that an author hopes to convey in a particular piece of writing. The discussion of major literary themes in this chapter refers to the big ideas or currents that flow through a large body of literature. You can view these themes as general headings that categorize similar works of literature. They may also represent the identity of a specific time period or cultural movement. The major themes in American literature often express the aspirations and struggles of people during a certain historical period. The theme of liberty, for example, was dominant in the literature leading up to the American Revolution. By identifying major literary themes, we gain insight into our countrys history. Likewise, knowledge of American history helps us to better comprehend and appreciate our nations literature. Below are some themes often associated with American literature; they are arranged roughly in chronological order from the Colonial era to today. Remember, these are broad themes, and they encompass many works of literature over many years. Some themes apply to more than one era. Feelings about war, for example, found expression in literature that emerged not only from the Revolutionary War but also the Civil War, the Vietnam War, and even the Cold War. New frontiers could apply to Willa Cathers novels about the westward movement, or James Micheners novel Space, about the early days of space exploration. Your ability to recognize certain common themes will help you put a piece of writing in context and better understand the authors purposes. Your knowledge of these themes will also help you answer SOL test questions that ask you to compare and contrast literary movements. Some Common Themes of American Literature Importance of Nature Liberty Patriotism Reacting to Change War A Nation Divided Community and Responsibility Spirit of Individualism
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Individual Versus Society At Home and Down to Earth New Frontiers Conflict and Expansion Forging a New Identity Looking to the Past for Guidance The American Dream Alienation Innocence and Experience Prosperity and Protest Social Protest One NationMany Voices
Try It Out
Identify Major Themes

Directions: Using the table on pages 178 and 179 and the list of themes above, choose which theme is most closely allied with each title and author. Hint: Look for clues in the titles and their descriptions. Also think about the subjects certain authors are famous for exploring. 1. My Bondage and Freedom by Frederick Douglass, the autobiography of an ex-slave A Nation Divided Conflict and Expansion
2. Patrick Henrys speech at the Virginia Convention, a Revolutionary speech Liberty Looking to the Past for Guidance
3. The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper, a frontier hero story Importance of Nature Social Protest
4. In Another Country by Ernest Hemingway, a modernist short story Alienation At Home and Down to Earth
5. Walden by Henry David Thoreau, an account of self-reliance in action Spirit of Individualism Reacting to Change
LITERARY MOVEMENTS
When you consider a piece of literature, you must think not only of the historical era it reflects but also of the literary movement of which it is a part. These movements have special names, and they help to define the context of novels, short stories, drama, and other works. You should be familiar with the following movements in American literature for the SOL test.
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Rationalism: A movement in the 1700s that emphasized the role of reason in human affairs and the ability of people to improve themselves and society Example: Declaration of Independence Romanticism: A revolt against rationalism that reached its peak in the 1800s and glorified emotion, nature, and the individual Example: James Fenimore Coopers The Deerslayer Gothicism: A style of the 1800s that included elements of mystery, wildness, the supernatural, and the grotesque, and was often set in gloomy castles Example: Edgar Allan Poes The Fall of the House of Usher Transcendentalism: An optimistic philosophy of the 1800s related to romanticism that stressed that God is present in all nature and people can understand him through spirit and intuition, which transcend, or go beyond, reason and the senses Example: Ralph Waldo Emersons Nature Regionalism: Literature that emphasizes a specific location or setting and attempts to duplicate the speech and culture of people of that area Example: Jack Londons To Build a Fire Realism: A style that developed in the late 1800s and presented life objectively and honestly, not idealistically as in earlier literature; realists usually focused on lower and middle-class life Example: Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage Imagism: An experimental poetry movement that flourished in the early 1900s and featured ordinary language and free verse to create precise impressions and word pictures Example: Ezra Pounds The River Merchants Wife: A Letter Naturalism: A movement at the turn of the 20th century that took realism a step farther, trying to portray life exactly as it was and claiming that we have little control over our destinies Example: John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath
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Modernism: A movement of the first half of the 20th century that was marked by experimentation in form and style in poetry and economy in prose Example: e. e. cummingss anyone lived in a pretty how town Postmodernism: The present trends in writing, usually associated with nontraditional forms, multiple interpretations, a combining of fiction and nonfiction, and cultural diversity Example: Sandra Cisneross The House on Mango Street Remember that a literary movement is defined by the social, economic, and political influences on the culture. Writers adapt to or rebel against those factors, and they show their world through their work. For example, rationalists rejected Puritanism, a belief that people were born evil and could never achieve their own salvation. Rationalist thinkers instead encouraged people to believe that they could perfect themselves and even society by using reason and logic. The Harlem Renaissance is another example of history reflected in literature. After the Civil War, many African Americans moved to New York Citys Harlem neighborhood in search of new opportunities. By the 1920s, sophisticated literary and artistic explorations of AfricanAmerican life and culture had emerged. In short, literature is an important part of our cultural identity. Knowing the cultural context of literary works helps us better understand them. Keeping in mind the connection between history and literature will help you answer certain questions on the SOL test.
Try It Out
Define Literary Movements

Directions: Connect each literary movement to the term with which it is associated. Write the letter of the explanation next to the term. 1. rationalism _______ 2. romanticism _______ 3. gothicism _______ 4. transcendentalism _______ 5. regionalism _______ 6. realism _______ 7. imagism _______ 8. naturalism _______ 9. modernism _______ 10. postmodernism _______ A. precise images B. real life C. todays literature D. beyond realism E. reason and logic F. experimentation G. mystery, supernatural, gloomy H. region or locale I. emotion, nature, individuals J. God in nature
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To help you make connections between American history and American literature, complete the table below by filling in the major literary movements that correspond with the periods of American history provided.
Colonial period: Precolonization1750 Early National period: 17501800 National period: 18001850 War and Postwar period: 18501915 Modern period: 19151950 Contemporary period: 1950 present
CONTEMPORARY AND PAST AMERICAN POETRY

Youve seen how American literature has evolved since the Colonial era and how real-life events have shaped the work of major writers. As the next chart shows, major historical events and developments have also influenced our nations poetry.
Century 19th Century
Theme A growing nation
Style/Literary Movement Romantic poetry on love and death Gothic poetry
Historical/Cultural Context Westward expansion
Celebration of nature and the individual National stability Conflict
Fireside optimism
Transcendental lyrics Traditional verse forms with regular rhythm and rhyme Sound effects emphasized (alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance) Formal language Themes directly stated
Civil War Industrial Revolution
Industrialization and urbanization
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Century 20th Century
Theme Prosperity Disillusionment Uncertainty
Style/Literary Movement Imagism Modernism Emphasis on experimentation in verse formsfree verse and blank verse Everyday speech and wordplay Themes implied Metaphor and symbols emphasized Postmodernism
Historical/Cultural Context World War I Expatriates Roaring Twenties Harlem Rennaissance World War II
National pride
Protest/Activism Multiculturalism
Vietnam War Age of space and technology
Keeping the information on the charts in mind, read the two poems that follow. One represents past times and one represents contemporary times. Consider the theme, style, and context of each poem, and then think about how the poems are alike or different. Then look at the ideas one reader had in the chart at the bottom of the next page.
I Hear America Singing

by Walt Whitman
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong. The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
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The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands, The wood-cutters song, the ploughboys on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown, The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, The day that belongs to the dayat night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
To Walt Whitman
by Angela de Hoyos
hey man, my brother world-poet prophet democratic heres a guitar for you a chicana guitar so you can spill out a song for the open road big enough for my people my Native Amerindian race that I cant seem to find in your poems
ALIKE Both mention songs and people. Both written in free verse. DIFFERENT Whitmans poem is rhythmical because of repetition of words and phrases; de Hoyos poem has short, choppy lines and no rhythm. Whitman uses more formal language; de Hoyos uses informal, conversational language. Whitman stresses a oneness among people; de Hoyos feels her people have been left out. Cultural diversity was not an issue in Whitmans time; it is today.
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Directions: Read each passage and answer the questions that follow.
from Nature
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
In the woods, too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough1, and at what period soever of life is always a child. In the woods is perpetual youth. Within these plantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he should tire of them in a thousand years. In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life,no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground,my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space,all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental; to be brothers, to be acquaintances, master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate2 than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.
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slough: skin connate: familiar; close to his inner nature
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1. Emersons view that people can understand God through nature is a basic belief of A gothicism. B rationalism. C transcendentalism. D naturalism. 2. A major theme that Emerson explores in this passage is F alienation. G importance of nature. H liberty. J the American dream.
3. Which is an example of a metaphor? A Man casts off his years, as the snake his slough B I become a transparent eyeball C The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental D In the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature. 4. This passage is representative of romanticism because it F emphasizes the ability of people to improve themselves. G glorifies nature and emotion. H attempts to duplicate the culture of a people of a certain area. J shows an experimental form and style.
from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

by Jonathan Edwards
But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell ever to be the subjects of that misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself: I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief: Death outwitted me: Gods wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then suddenly destruction came upon me.
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5. This sermon was probably written during the A Colonial period. B National period. C War period. D Modern period.
6. Which stylistic technique helps us identify the period of the sermon? F dialect G stream of consciousness H imagery J religious imagery
from The Jungle

by Upton Sinclair
Later that afternoon he and Ona went out to take a walk and look about them, to see more of this district which was to be their home. In back of the yards the dreary two-story frame houses were scattered farther apart, and there were great spaces barethat seemingly had been overlooked by the great sore of a city as it spread itself over the surface of the prairie. These bare places were grown up with dingy, yellow weeds, hiding innumerable tomato cans; innumerable children played upon them, chasing one another here and there, screaming and ghting . . . Those [streets] through which Jurgis and Ona were walking resembled streets less than they did a miniature topographical map. The roadway was commonly several feet lower than the level of the houses, which were sometimes joined by high board walks; there were no pavements there were mountains and valleys and rivers, gullies and ditches, and great hollows full of stinking green water. In these pools the children played, and rolled about in the mud of the streets; here and there one noticed them digging in it, after trophies which they had stumbled on. One wondered about this, as also about the swarms of ies which hung about the scene, literally blackening the air, and the strange, fetid odor which assailed ones nostrils, a ghastly odor, of all the dead things of the universe. It impelled the visitor to questions and then the residents would explain, quietly, that all this was made land, and that it had been made by using it as a dumping ground for the city garbage. After a few years the unpleasant effect of this would pass away, it was said; but meantime, in hot weatherand especially when it rainedthe ies were apt to be annoying. Was it not unhealthful? the stranger would ask, and the residents would answer, Perhaps; but there is no telling. A little way farther on, and Jurgis and Ona, staring open-eyed and wondering, came to the place where this made ground was in process of making.
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Here was a great hole, perhaps two city blocks square, and with long les of garbage wagons creeping into it. The place had an odor for which there are no polite words; and it was sprinkled over with children, who raked in it from dawn till dark. Sometimes visitors from the packing houses would wander out to see this dump, and they would stand by and debate as to whether the children were eating the food they got, or merely collecting it for the chickens at home. Apparently none of them ever went down to nd out.
7. Based on the content and style of this excerpt, you can determine that the novel The Jungle exemplified which literary movement? A romanticism B naturalism C modernism D postmodernism 8. This novel might be grouped with other novels under the thematic heading F A Nation Divided G New Frontiers H Social Protest J Forging a New Identity
9. The author writes that the odor that assailed the nostrils was of all the dead things of the universe. This figure of speech is an example of A a simile. B personification. C onomatopoeia. D hyperbole.
3Check Your Answers

1. The correct answer is C. Transcendentalists attempted to understand God through nature. Emerson does not focus on mystery, wildness, and the grotesque, such as Gothic writers (A) might. Nor does he emphasize the role of reason, the focus of rationalism (B). Naturalism (D), a style that developed after Emerson, presented life in all its grim details, often focusing on peoples inability to overcome negative circumstances. 2. Emerson explores the themes of the importance of nature (G) in this passage. Specifically, he advocates that the individual must leave society and go out into nature to find his or her true self. Alienation (F) is the feeling of being separated from the values of ones family, community, or society. Emerson does not explore this theme, or liberty (H), which is a political concept. The American dream (J) is a more modern ideal that focuses on equality and material prosperity for all.
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3. The correct answer is B. A metaphor compares two unlike objects, claiming one is the same as the other. Emerson claims he becomes an eyeball. A simile, such as choice A, uses the word as or like to make the comparison. Choices C and D do not make comparisons and are not figures of speech. 4. The correct answer is G. Romanticism was an early 19th-century movement that gloried nature and emotion. The ability of people to improve themselves (F) is more typical of rationalism. Regionalists tried to duplicate the culture of a people of a certain area (H). The modernists of the early 20th century experimented with form and style (J). 5. The correct answer is A. Sermons were a dominant literary genre of the Colonial era, and this excerpt expresses the views of the Puritans of the New England colonies. The other answer choices name later eras in our nations history when sermons were not a significant literary genre. 6. The religious imagery of this passage (J), having to do with Gods wrath and hell, helps us identify it as from the Puritan Colonial era. The other stylistic techniques occurred predominantly in later eras. Dialect (F), a way of speaking that is typical of a certain region or social class, was common in the War period and later. Streamof-consciousness writing (G), which portrays the inner and random workings of a characters mind, is a modern technique. Similarly, imagery (H), which is the use of language to evoke a concrete image or sensation, is associated with modern poetry. 7. The correct answer is B, naturalism, a movement that tried to portray life as it was and emphasized peoples lack of control over their destinies. Romanticism (A) glorified nature and the individual, something this passage decidedly does not do. Modernism (C) is marked by its experiments in form, but Upton Sinclair does not experiment here. Similarly, there are no elements of postmodernism (D). 8. Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to protest the conditions that immigrants faced in slums and workplaces, so the best answer is H, Social Protest. (F), A Nation Divided, treats events leading up to the Civil War, the war itself, and its aftermath. The theme of New Frontiers (G) is typically about the settlement of the United States and its territories. While the immigrants in Sinclairs novel may have to forge a new identity (J), that is not evident from this passage of the novel. 9. The best answer is D. Hyperbole is incredible exaggeration or overstatement. A simile (A) is a comparison between two unlike things using the word like or as. Personification (B) is a figure of speech that gives an animal or object human abilities or attributes. Onomatopoeia (C) is the use of a word whose sound suggests or imitates its meaning.
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Show What You Know

Directions: Read each passage and answer the questions that follow.
from The Red Badge of Courage

by Stephen Crane
The brigade was halted in the fringe of a grove. The men crouched among the trees and pointed their restless guns out at the elds. They tried to look beyond the smoke. Out of this haze they could see running men. Some shouted information and gestured as they hurried. The men of the new regiment watched and listened eagerly, while their tongues ran on in gossip of the battle. They mouthed rumors that had own like birds out of the unknown. They say Perry has been driven in with big loss. Yes, Carrott went t th hospital. He said he was sick. That smart lieutenant is commanding G Company. Th boys say they wont be under Carrott no more if they all have t desert. They allus knew he was a Hannises battry is took. It aint either. I saw Hannises battry off on th left not moren fteen minutes ago. Well
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Th general, he ses he is goin t take th hull command of th 304th when we go inteh action, an then he ses well do sech ghtin as never another one regment done. They say were catchin it over on th left. They say th enemy driv our line inteh a devil of a swamp an took Hannises battry. No sech thing. Hannises battry was long here bout a minute ago. That young Hasbrouck, he makes a good offcer. He aint afraid a nothin. I met one of th 148th Maine boys an he ses his brigade t th hull rebel army fer four hours over on th turnpike road an killed about ve thousand of em. He ses one more sech ght as that an th war ll be over. Bill wasnt scared either. No, sir! It wasnt that. Bill aint a-gittin scared easy. He was jest mad, thats what he was. When that feller trod on his hand, he up an sed that he was willin t give his hand t his country, but he be dumbed if he was goin t have every dumb bushwhacker in th kentry walkin round on it. So he went t th hospital disregardless of th ght. Three ngers was crunched. Th dern doctor wanted t amputatee m, an Bill, he raised a heluva row, I hear. Hes a funny feller. The din in front swelled to a tremendous chorus. The youth and his fellows were frozen to silence. They could see a ag that tossed in the smoke angrily. Near it were the blurred and agitated forms of troops. There came a turbulent stream of men across the elds. A battery changing position at a frantic gallop scattered the stragglers right and left. A shell screaming like a storm banshee went over the huddled heads of the reserves. It landed in the grove, and exploding redly ung the brown earth. There was a little shower of pine needles. Bullets began to whistle among the branches and nip at the trees. Twigs and leaves came sailing down. It was as if a thousand axes, wee and invisible, were being wielded. Many of the men were constantly dodging and ducking their heads. The lieutenant of the youths company was shot in the hand. He began to swear so wondrously that a nervous laugh went along the regimental line. The ofcers profanity sounded conventional. It relieved the tightened senses of the new men. It was as if he had hit his ngers with a tack hammer at home. He held the wounded member carefully away from his side so that the blood would not drip upon his trousers. The captain of the company, tucking his sword under his arm, produced a handkerchief and began to bind with it the lieutenants wound. And they disputed as to how the binding should be done.
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1. From this excerpt, you can conclude that The Red Badge of Courage is an example of realism because it A emphasizes a specific location and setting. B presents life objectively and honestly, not idealistically. C features extraordinary language. D involves a combination of fiction and nonfiction. 2. As is common in many novels of the War period, Stephen Crane F relies on persuasion as a stylistic technique. G experiments with nontraditional forms. H uses dialect. J shows a reverence for nature.
4. Which sentence from the excerpt is an example of personification? F The men crouched among the trees and pointed their restless guns out at the fields. G They mouthed rumors that had flown like birds out of the unknown. H A shell screaming like a storm banshee went over the huddled heads of the reserves. J It was as if a thousand axes, wee and invisible, were being wielded.
5. Which thematic topic in American literature is addressed in Cranes novel? A The American Dream B Prosperity and Protest C A Nation Divided D Forging a New Identity
3. The last three paragraphs that describe the wounding of the lieutenants hand are best described as an example of A dramatic irony. B verbal irony. C situational irony. D all of the above.
from The Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed,
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will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
6. This document can be seen as an example of rationalism because it F glorifies the individual over society. G stresses that God is present in nature. H emphasizes that people can improve society. J presents life objectively and honestly.
8. A major historical event that Jefferson alludes to in this document is F a religious revival. G the Revolutionary War. H the abolition of slavery. J the Nineteenth Amendment.
7. As is typical of writing in the Early National period, Thomas Jeffersons style relies on A religious imagery. B persuasion. C allegory. D humor.
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from The Masque of the Red Death

by Edgar Allan Poe
The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar1 and its sealthe redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body, and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour. But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnicent structure, the creation of the princes own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid deance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori2, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the Red Death.
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Avatar: the way the Red Death showed itself improvisatori: entertainers who make up and recite poetry
9. This story by Edgar Allan Poe best illustrates a 19th-century literary movement called A romanticism. B gothicism. C transcendentalism. D regionalism.
10. As is typical of writing of the National period, Poes story makes use of F dialect. G vivid descriptions. H persuasive language. J religious imagery.
Chapter
8
Part Part
Practice Tests
Now its time to practice answering questions. The two practice tests assess the knowledge and skills youve been reviewing in this book. In the following pages, you will read passages of literature, nonfiction, and everyday texts. You will need to apply a variety of reading and research strategies, some test-taking skills, and your knowledge of literary elements and time periods. Remember, time is not measured on the test. Your accuracy in answering the questions is all that matters!
PRACTICE TEST 1
Directions: Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.
Megan B. English 12 Just Swing into Happiness

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Zoot suit riot! cried out the team after winning the district championships against their county rival. They were ecstatic, but they didnt even know what they really said as they chanted the words. None of them knew what the song meant, but the upbeat rhythm and carefree lyrics complemented their current mood. The song actually describes a weeklong clash in 1943 between off-duty U.S. military personnel and rebellious Mexican-American youths who wore the zoot suit (Stavans). A zoot suit was traditionally worn by swing dancers and consisted of a long, thigh-length coat with broad, padded shoulders and tapered waist worn over baggy trousers clinched by a cuff at the ankle (Sheridan). The suit became a symbol of defiance since it differed from the fashions of mainstream Americans. Although there are no Nazis to rebel against, swing dancing has risen again in popularity in order to satisfy a need to express positive times. Swing dancing emerged in the 1920s just after the end of World War I. America had won the war, the Yanks had returned, the economy was booming, and people wanted to have fun! (Archer). Big band swing music led by musicians such as Benny Goodman rose in speed and volume. The lindy hop, a type of swing dancing named for Charles Lindbergh, an American aviator who flew solo 197
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across the Atlantic Ocean, spread across the United States. A few years later, in search of relief from the Great Depression, teenagers went to clubs to dance the jitterbug, an outgrowth of the lindy hop. Such a flashy dance could not help but attract teenagers who sought to create pleasant surroundings in the midst of the unpleasantness of the Depression. By the 1940s, the acrobatic aerial movements of swing dancing reflected a euphoric sense of prosperity and freedom (Popular and Social Dance). As GIs, sailors, and pilots signed up to fight for the United States, men and women immediately headed off to dance halls to socialize one last time. During the war, the GIs used swing dancing to work off a lot of nervous energy while dancing with Englishwomen in a happy atmosphere (Archer).
4
Although swing dancing declined in the 1950s, it returned to California in the 1990s. Punk bands began to tire of the grunge look and turned to earlier styles of clothing and sounds, and the younger generation began to dislike the depressing sounds of alternative, grunge, and rap, along with the atmosphere that often accompanies these types of music. Just as swing dancing began in history in response to swing bands, swing dancing has returned in popularity today also as a result of swing bands. New swing bands such as Squirrel Nut Zippers, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Royal Crown Review provide catchy tunes and upbeat music that mirrors the optimistic outlooks of American teenagers. These bands are connecting with young audiences because theyre not overly concerned with the technique and/or doing things by the book (Ashare). Swing music has been the perfect fit for teenagers because teens enjoy straying from the rules a bit and they also want the change to more upbeat music. Furthermore, Brian Setzer of the Brian Setzer Orchestra says, I think this stuff is in us . . . the rockability, the jazz, the country, the blues, and the swing is all there. Its just a part of our culture (Ashare). Whether swing dancing was used throughout history as a means of escaping hard times or expressing a positive attitude, it was always accompanied by a vibrant energy. Today, as thousands of dancers twirl and catapult across dance floors, it remains a symbol of optimism and good times. Just check out the Gap commercials!
Works Cited
Archer, Rick. A History of Swing Dancing and Music in America. 23 Nov. 1999. <http://www. e-cats.com/ssqq/hint6.htm> Ashare, Matt. The Swing Thing: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy . . . Brian Setzer, and More. 1623 July 1998. <http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/music/98/07/16/SWING.html> Popular and Social Dance. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia CD-ROM. Microsoft, 2007. Sheridan, Patricia. Toot Your Own Horn: Zoot Suits Boogie Back into Fashion Spotlight. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 7 Sep. 1999. C-1. Stavans, Ilan. Mexican Americans. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia CD-ROM. Microsoft, 2007.
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Practice Tests
1. What question is not answered in the first paragraph of Megans paper? A Why is the team happy? B Why is the team chanting zoot suit riot? C What does the expression zoot suit riot mean? D Who did the team defeat? 2. What is the general organization of Megans paper? F order of importance G chronological order H problem/solution J cause/effect 3. According to this paper, swing dancing today has rebounded in popularity for all the following reasons except A swing bands are returning in popularity. B teens want to imitate the style and confidence of American GIs. C teens are searching for upbeat, optimistic music. D the music is appealing because of its great energy and lack of conformity. 4. Megans bibliographic sources are F a combination of fact and fiction sources. G a combination of magazine and newspaper articles. H a combination of electronic media and traditional print media. J traditional print media.
5. What would be the best paraphrase of this quote, reflected a euphoric sense of prosperity and freedom, in paragraph 3? A reflected a sense of euphoria in freedom and prosperity B freedom and prosperity reflected in a sense of euphoria C symbolized the exuberance born of liberty and a booming economy D reflected a joyful sense of a prosperous and free people 6. The main idea of Megans paper is that swing dancing F has maintained a presence in the music/dance scene since the 1920s. G is a cure for psychological depression. H is always popular during wartime. J has always been associated with the big band era of the 1940s.
7. Which would be the most appropriate choice for doing more research on Megans topic? A a magazine advertisement for the Gap B a biography of aviator Charles Lindbergh C Big Band Boogie (an online article) D Three Decades of Dance 19601990 CD-ROM
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from The Glass Menagerie

by Tennessee Williams
Amanda Wingeld has raised her two children, Tom and Laura, alone. Laura, who is exceedingly shy and physically handicapped, takes comfort in her collection of glass animals.
1
LAURA:
Hello, Mother, I was [She makes a nervous gesture toward the chart on the wall. Amanda leans against the shut door and stares at Laura with a martyred look.]
AMANDA:
Deception? Deception? [She slowly removes her hat and gloves, continuing the sweet suffering stare. She lets the hat and gloves fall on the oora bit of acting.] [shakily]: How was the D.A.R. meeting?
LAURA
[Amanda slowly opens her purse and removes a dainty white handkerchief which she shakes out delicately and touches to her lips and nostrils.] Didnt you go to the D.A.R. meeting, Mother?
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AMANDA
[faintly, almost inaudibly]: No. No. [then more forcibly] I did not have the strengthto go to the D.A.R. In fact, I did not have the courage! I wanted to nd a hole in the ground and hide myself in it forever! [She crosses slowly to the wall and removes the diagram of the typewriter keyboard. She holds it in front of her for a second, staring at it sweetly and sorrowfullythen bites her lips and tears it in two pieces.]
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Practice Tests
LAURA
[faintly]: Why did you do that, Mother?
[Amanda repeats the same procedure with the chart of the Gregg Alphabet.] Why are you
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AMANDA: LAURA:
Why? Why? How old are you, Laura?
Mother, you know my age. I thought that you were an adult; it seems that I was mistaken.
AMANDA:
[She crosses slowly to the sofa and sinks down and stares at Laura.]
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LAURA:
Please dont stare at me, Mother.
[Amanda closes her eyes and lowers her head. There is a ten-second pause.]
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AMANDA:
What are we going to do, what is going to become of us, what is the future? [There is another pause.]
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LAURA:
Has something happened, Mother?
[Amanda draws a long breath, takes out the handkerchief again, goes through the dabbing process.] Mother, hassomething happened?
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AMANDA:
Ill be all right in a minute, Im just bewildered [She hesitates.]by life. . . . Mother, I wish that you would tell me whats happened!
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LAURA:
AMANDA:
As you know, I was supposed to be inducted into my ofce at the D.A.R. this afternoon. [Screen image: A swarm of typewriters.]
But I stopped off at Rubicams Business College to speak to your teachers about your having a cold and ask them what progress they thought you were making down there.
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LAURA:
Oh. . . .
AMANDA:
I went to the typing instructor and introduced myself as your mother. She didnt know who you were. Wingeld, she said, We dont have any such student enrolled at the school!
I assured her she did, that you had been going to classes since early in January.
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I wonder, she said, if you could be talking about that terribly shy little girl who dropped out of school after only a few days attendance? No, I said, Laura, my daughter, has been going to school every day for the past six weeks! Excuse me, she said. She took the attendance book out and there was your name, unmistakably printed, and all the dates you were absent until they decided that you had dropped out of school. I still said, No, there must have been some mistake! There must have been some mix-up in the records! And she said, NoI remember her perfectly now. Her hands shook so that she couldnt hit the right keys! The rst time we gave a speed test, she broke down completelywas sick at the stomach and almost had to be carried into the wash room! After that morning she never showed up any more. We phoned the house but never got any answerWhile I was working at Famous-Barr, I suppose, demonstrating those [She indicates a brassiere with her hands.] Oh! I felt so weak I could barely keep on my feet! I had to sit down while they got me a glass of water! Fifty dollars tuition, all of our plans my hopes and ambitions for you just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that. [Laura draws a long breath and gets awkwardly to her feet. She crosses to the Victrola and winds it up.] What are you doing?
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LAURA:
Oh! [She releases the handle and returns to her seat.]
AMANDA:
Laura, where have you been going when youve gone out pretending that you were going to business college? Ive just been going out walking. Thats not true.
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LAURA:
AMANDA: LAURA:
It is. I just went walking.
AMANDA:
Walking? Walking? In winter? Deliberately courting pneumonia in that light coat? Where did you walk to, Laura? All sorts of places mostly in the park. Even after youd started catching that cold?
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LAURA:
AMANDA: LAURA:
It was the lesser of two evils, Mother.
[Screen image: Winter scene in a park.] I couldnt go back there. I threw upon the oor!
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Practice Tests
26
AMANDA:
From half past seven till after ve every day you mean to tell me you walked around the park, because you wanted to make me think that you were still going to Rubicams Business College? It wasnt as bad as it sounds. I went inside places to get warmed up. Inside where?
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LAURA:
AMANDA: LAURA:
I went to the art museum and the bird houses at the Zoo. I visited the penguins every day! Sometimes I did without lunch and went to the movies. Lately Ive been spending most of my afternoons in the Jewel Box, that big glass house where they raise the tropical owers. You did all this to deceive me, just for deception?
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AMANDA:
[Laura looks down.] Why?

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LAURA:
Mother, when youre disappointed, you get that awful suffering look on your face, like the picture of Jesus mother in the museum! Hush!
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AMANDA: LAURA:
I couldnt face it.
[There is a pause. A whisper of strings is heard. Legend on screen: The Crust of Humility.]
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AMANDA
[hopelessly ngering the huge pocketbook]: So what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the parades go by? Amuse ourselves with the glass menagerie, darling? Eternally play those worn-out phonograph records that your father left as a painful reminder of him? We wont have a business career weve given that up because it gave us nervous indigestion! [She laughs wearily.] What is there left but dependency all our lives? I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who arent prepared to occupy a position. Ive seen such pitiful cases in the Southbarely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sisters husband or brothers wife! stuck away in some little mousetrap of a room encouraged by one in-law to visit anotherlittle birdlike women without any nest eating the crust of humility all their life!
8. In this scene, Amanda learns that Laura F has stolen the $50 tuition to business college. G did average work in the business course. H was disrespectful to the typing teacher. J has secretly dropped out of her classes.
9. Based on details in this passage, we can conclude that Laura is A mentally impaired. B emotionally fragile. C highly independent. D physically disabled.
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10. The major conflict of this scene involves F Amandas continued suffering at the hands of her daughter. G Lauras desire to succeed at business school. H Amandas struggle to keep her job. J Lauras effort to hide the truth from her mother.
14. To Amanda, Lauras glass menagerie and phonograph records symbolize F escape. G destiny. H danger. J mental illness.
15. In this scene, Amandas character could best be characterized as A dramatic. B fragile. C sympathetic. D weak. 16. In Amandas final speech in this scene, the word patronage means F respect. G love. H obedience. J support.
11. This dramatization of the Wingfields family situation most reflects the style of a literary movement known as A rationalism. B transcendentalism. C realism. D romanticism. 12. In the last speech of this scene, Williams describes an unmarried womans dependency through the use of F hyperbole. G a metaphor. H an oxymoron. J understatement.
17. Amanda uses verbal irony when she says: A No, I said, Laura, my daughter, has been going to school every day for the past six weeks! B So what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Stay home and watch the parades go by? C From half past seven till after five every day you mean to tell me you walked around in the park? D I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who arent prepared to occupy a position.
13. Based on the stage directions in this scene, you can conclude that A the playwright used asides to show the characters true feelings. B the dramatization included elements of multimedia. C the playwright had the characters improvise their monologues. D the stage did not include any sets or props.
205
Practice Tests
from Ethan Frome

by Edith Wharton
In a small New England town a dance has ended, and Mattie is awaiting a ride home. She has just refused a ride with Denis Eady and has begun to walk home alone when Ethan Frome, her employer, catches up to her after watching the scene with Denis from afar.
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Think Id forgotten you, Matt? he asked with sheepish glee. She answered seriously: I thought maybe you couldnt come back for me. Couldnt? What on earth could stop me? I knew Zeena wasnt feeling any too good to-day. Oh, shes in bed long ago. He paused, a question struggling in him. Then you meant to walk home all alone? Oh, I aint afraid! she laughed. They stood together in the gloom of the spruces, an empty world glimmering about them wide and grey under the stars. He brought his question out. If you thought I hadnt come, why didnt you ride back with Denis Eady? Why, where were you? How did you know? I never saw you! Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw. Ethan had the sense of having done something arch and ingenious. To prolong the effect he groped for a dazzling phrase, and brought out, in a growl of rapture: Come along. He slipped an arm through hers, as Eady had done, and fancied it was faintly pressed against her side; but neither of them moved. It was so dark under the
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spruces that he could barely see the shape of her head beside his shoulder. He longed to stoop his cheek and rub it against her scarf. He would have liked to stand there with her all night in the blackness. She moved forward a step or two and then paused again above the dip of the Corbury road. Its icy slope, scored by innumerable runners, looked like a mirror scratched by travellers at an inn.
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There was a whole lot of them coasting before the moon set, she said. Would you like to come in and coast with them some night? he asked. Oh, would you, Ethan? It would be lovely! Well come to-morrow if theres a moon. She lingered, pressing closer to his side. Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum came just as near running into the big elm at the bottom. We were all sure they were killed. Her shiver ran down his arm. Wouldnt it have been too awful? Theyre so happy! Oh, Ned aint much at steering. I guess I can take you down all right! he said disdainfully. He was aware that he was talking big, like Denis Eady; but his reaction of joy had unsteadied him, and the inection with which she had said of the engaged couple Theyre so happy! made the words sound as if she had been thinking of herself and him. The elm is dangerous, though. It ought to be cut down, she insisted. Would you be afraid of it, with me? I told you I aint the kind to be afraid, she tossed back, almost indifferently; and suddenly she began to walk on with a rapid step. These alterations of mood were the despair and joy of Ethan Frome. The motions of her mind were as incalculable as the it of a bird in the branches. The fact that he had no right to show his feelings, and thus provoke the expression of hers, made him attach a fantastic importance to every change in her look and tone. Now he thought she understood him, and feared; now he was sure she did not, and despaired. To-night the pressure of accumulated misgivings sent the scale drooping toward despair, and her indifference was the more chilling after the ush of joy into which she had plunged him by dismissing Denis Eady. He mounted School House Hill at her side and walked on in silence till they reached the lane leading to the saw-mill; then the need of some denite assurance grew too strong for him. Youd have found me right off if you hadnt gone back to have that last reel with Denis, he brought out awkwardly. He could not pronounce the name without a stiffening of the muscles of his throat.
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Practice Tests
24 25 26
Why, Ethan, how could I tell you were there? I suppose what folks say is true, he jerked out at her, instead of answering. She stopped short, and he felt, in the darkness, that her face was lifted quickly to his. Why, what do folks say? Its natural enough you should be leaving us, he oundered on, following his thought. Is that what they say? she mocked back at him; then, with a sudden drop of her sweet treble: You mean that Zeenaaint suited with me any more? she faltered. Their arms had slipped apart and they stood motionless, each seeking to distinguish the others face. I know I aint anything like as smart as I ought to be, she went on, while he vainly struggled for expression. Theres lots of things a hired girl could do that come awkward to me still and I havent got much strength in my arms. But if shed only tell me Id try. You know she hardly ever says anything, and sometimes I can see she aint suited, and yet I dont know why. She turned on him with a sudden ash of indignation. Youd ought to tell me, Ethan Fromeyoud ought to! Unless you want me to go too Unless he wanted her to go too! The cry was balm to his raw wound. The iron heavens seemed to melt and rain down sweetness. Again he struggled for the all-expressive word, and again, his arm in hers, found only a deep Come along. They walked on in silence through the blackness of the hemlock-shaded lane, where Ethans saw-mill gloomed through the night, and out again into the comparative clearness of the elds. On the farther side of the hemlock belt the open country rolled away before them grey and lonely under the stars. Sometimes their way led them under the shade of an overhanging bank or through the thin obscurity of a clump of leaess trees. Here and there a farmhouse stood far back among the elds, mute and cold as a grave-stone. The night was so still that they heard the frozen snow crackle under their feet. The crash of a loaded branch falling far off in the woods reverberated like a musket-shot, and once a fox barked, and Mattie shrank closer to Ethan, and quickened her steps. At length they sighted the group of larches at Ethans gate, and as they drew near it the sense that the walk was over brought back his words. Then you dont want to leave us, Matt? He had to stoop his head to catch her stied whisper: Whered I go, if I did?
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18. Which statement is not supported by the passage? F In some ways Ethan behaves like Denis. G Ethan owns a sawmill. H Ethan prevents Mattie from riding with Denis. J Ethan loves Mattie.
23. In paragraph 30 the word indignation most nearly means A triumph. B pride. C anger. D fear. 24. What figure of speech does the sentence, The motions of her mind were as incalculable as the flit of a bird in the branches, contain? F personification G simile H metaphor J symbol
19. There is no evidence that Mattie A resides with Ethan and Zeena. B is afraid of losing her job. C thinks Ethan has been watching her that night. D is unsuited to her job. 20. The passage implies that F Ethan is married. G Zeena has told Mattie to leave. H Mattie is a lazy worker. J Ethan wants Mattie to leave.
25. All of the following mark Ethan Frome as a work of realism except its A focus on lower- and middle-class life. B use of dialect. C objective presentation of everyday life. D glorification of the individual. 26. The details in this passage foreshadow F Ethan firing Mattie. G Zeena miraculously recovering. H Ethan and Mattie going sledding. J Mattie quitting her job.
21. The mood conveyed by the description of the countryside in paragraph 32 is best described as A peaceful. B threatening. C lively. D lonely. 22. Which statement about the setting and main character seems most accurate? F The fertile farmland reflects Ethans hopes for the future. G The chilly night contrasts with Ethans warmth and generosity. H The frozen landscape suggests Ethans emotional isolation. J Ethans upbeat humor foreshadows the approach of springtime.
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Practice Tests
1 2 3 4
Application for Employment

(Pre-Employment Questionnaire) (An Equal Opportunity Employer)
Date
Social Security Number
Name
Last First Middle
Present Address
Street City State Zip
Permanent Address
Street City State Zip
Are you 18 years or older?
Yes
No
Phone No.
Apartment No.
10
In case of Emergency
Name Address Phone No.
11
Are you prevented from lawfully becoming employed in this country because of visa or immigration status?
Yes
No
27. On this application, the personal information section requests information about all of the following except A educational background. B residence. C citizenship. D age.
28. The words equal opportunity employer on line 3 mean that this company F pays all employees the same salary. G offers many opportunities for advancement. H is free from prejudice in its hiring practices. J gives an advantage to minorities when hiring.
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29. At the time of application, Tonya is attending George Mason University in Fairfax but living at her parents home in Fredericksburg. Which line(s) must she complete on the application? A 6 and 7 B 6 and 8 C 6, 7, and 8 D 7 and 8 30. Line 10 should be completed with information about F your family doctor in case you get sick. G the hospital youd like to be taken to if necessary. H the person to contact if you become injured or ill. J your lawyer in case you get into trouble on the job
31. The question on line 11 could be directed at anyone who A has a prison record. B is an illegal alien. C is a U.S. citizen. D wishes to leave the United States.
Anybody Home?
by Ellen Goodman
It is ten oclock in the morning, and the suburb feels as empty as a factory at midnight. If a camera panned this neighborhood from above, it would look like a Playskool world. All the single-family houses are neatly painted and furnished, all the yards landscaped, all the streets clean and treelined . . . and barely inhabited.
211
Practice Tests
The postman makes his round here like a watchman. He leaves behind letters that will sit for hours until the return of Occupants and Residents. He meets only a sprinkling of people; a mother with a young baby here, a housewife there, a retired couple in one home, a babysitter in another. The neighborhood has slowly lost its lived-in look. In fact, people do not live here anymore in the old sense. They spend weekends here. They sleep here. They pay mortgages here. But at the sound of the Monday morning bell, they walk out: the shorter ones to school, the taller ones to work. In the daylight, the deserted houses stand as a reminder of a past culture. The effect is eerie, as if some economic neutron bomb hit suburbia. Thats not a farfetched image, not really. In the earlier part of this century, the thirties and then the fties, we were sold on the idea of owning our own homes on our own plot of land. From Herbert Hoovers housing conference in 1931 to the GI mortgages and tax deductions of the post World War II days, the government fostered this rampant architectural individualism. It wasnt hard to do. The house in America ts our desires for security, and privacy, and ownership. House was home. House was, for many of us, the one space in the world we could control. We could nail pictures to the walls, play drums, cook cabbage. It was ours. For decades, the house t our pocket books and our life-styles. It was a mans provision and a womans occupation. If it was also a living arrangement that separated men from women and children, we didnt notice for a while. Within a single generation, homeowning went from being a prerogative of the rich to being a middle-class way of life. Within two generations, it went from being an American dream to being an American assumption. By the seventies, when there were, nally, fty million houses, when seven out of ten of us lived in single-family homes, the house had become the personication of private life. Today, the house still circumscribes the domestic world, the personal space in an anonymous life. In every sense of the word, it is our shelter, but it is increasingly, our taskmaster. That is the irony in the intense feelings about homeowning that we can see every daylight in the deserts of our suburbs. Awhile ago, a husband bought a house and a wife ran it. Now couples have two incomes or often cant afford a mortgage. Awhile ago, a young couple chose a house for the children. Now a young couple often chooses between a house or children.
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The woman of another era who married her architect and became a housewife is now often a working wife with the double workload of a societal bigamist. Room to breathe is now room to clean. The schoolchildren who were the special rationale of the suburban planners are now the special worries of suburban parents. The houses were carefully built so that children would remain in the care of their own families. Now these houses keep them isolated from any other care. Children are the afternoon people of these suburbs. The parents who wanted a private connection with these children under a single roof now watch over them by telephone. To have a home, we must leave home every day. We devote more time to the house and spend less time in it. Should this teach us that the old center of family life doesnt t the new realities? Probably. But instead, in some odd way, our frantic lives away from home make us value our private space even more. So we seem trapped in change between conicting versions of the life we want to lead. We work away from our home, to hold onto our home. We diffuse our families, to protect their center. And in the daylight, our neighborhoods become still-life monuments to the powerful idea that only a house is a home.
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32. What is the main idea of this newspaper column by Ellen Goodman? F People should try to spend more time with their families. G Increasing housing costs negatively affect community life. H With parents working outside the home, children spend too much time alone. J Suburban housing patterns fail to meet economic, social, and personal needs.
33. Which detail does not support Goodmans main idea? A Our frantic lives away from home make us value our private space all the more. B Suburban housing keeps children isolated from caregivers. C We work away from our home to hold onto our home. D In the daylight, the deserted houses stand as a reminder of a past culture.
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Practice Tests
34. Which statement from the column is a fact? F By the seventies . . . seven out of ten Americans lived in single-family homes. G The schoolchildren who were the rationale of the suburban planners are now the special worries of suburban parents. H The house in America fits our desires for security, privacy, and ownership. J But it [the house] is, increasingly, our taskmaster.
37. The author organizes paragraphs 12 and 13 of her column mainly by A cause and effect. B comparison and contrast. C spatial order. D order of importance. 38. The authors main purpose for writing this column was most likely to F entertain readers with a postmodern view of suburbia. G persuade readers to live in city apartments, not suburban homes. H inform readers of the changing nature of todays suburbs. J urge citizens to demand new and more affordable housing policies.
35. Why do you think Goodman uses the words Residents and Occupants to name the suburbanites? A The author does not know the real names of the people she writes about. B These words suggest that people in suburbs have become faceless. C These words imply that suburbanites are over-concerned with security. D The names show that even the post office does not know who lives in some neighborhoods. 36. A neutron bomb is a nuclear weapon that kills people but leaves buildings undamaged. The authors use of this term in paragraph 6 to describe a modern suburb is an example of F loaded language. G a hasty generalization. H an either-or argument. J a false cause-and-effect relationship.
39. The word bigamist in paragraph 13 means A someone who must pay his or her debt to society. B someone who is married to two people. C an authority on housing. D a housecleaner.
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The following instructions are from a computer printer.
How to Replace the Toner Cartridge

1. 2. 3. 4. Turn off the printer and open the lid. Unlock, remove, and discard the used cartridge. Shake the new toner cartridge from side to side to distribute the toner. Hold the cartridge with the red arrow pointing away from you. Slip your fingers under the yellow tabs and pull toward you. The tabs should pop out easily. Peel the tape off the bottom of the cartridge. Position the toner cartridge with the arrow facing the back of the printer. Line up the grooves on the ends of the cartridge with the guides in the image drum assembly. Lower the cartridge into the printer and press down on both ends. Push the two blue locking tabs forward until they catch the lips on the end caps with a click. Continue to push the tabs until they are all the way forward and you hear a second click.
5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
40. These instructions would help someone who F had to fix a printer. G ran out of ink. H ran out of paper. J needed to clear a jammed printer.
42. When positioning the cartridge, the arrow should face the F yellow tabs on the cartridge. G back of the printer. H grooves on the end. J person installing it.
41. Before you remove and discard the old toner cartridge, you should A turn off the machine. B distribute the toner evenly. C pop out the yellow tabs. D peel the tape off the bottom.
43. What should you do before you peel the tape off the cartridge? A pop out the yellow tabs B lower the cartridge into the machine C push the two blue tabs forward D hear the first click
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Practice Tests
44. When should you stop pushing the locking tabs forward? F when the grooves line up with the image drum guides G when the arrows are facing the back of the printer H when there is a second click J when the print lid begins to close
45. Where would be the best place in these directions to include information on how to discard a used cartridge? A after step 8 B before step 3 C after step 4 D after step 9
when serpents bargain for the right to squirm

by E. E. Cummings
when serpents bargain for the right to squirm and the sun strikes to gain a living wage when thorns regard their roses with alarm and rainbows are insured against old age when every thrush may sing no new moon in if all screech-owls have not okayed his voice and any wave signs on the dotted line or else an ocean is compelled to close when the oak begs permission of the birch to make an acornvalleys accuse their mountains of having altitudeand march denounces april as a saboteur then well believe in that incredible unanimal mankind(and not until)
46. The first three stanzas of the poem are a series of F similes. G metaphors. H hyperboles. J personifications.
47. The speaker of this poem seems to express a dislike for all of the following except A labor unions. B bureaucracies. C censorship. D conservation.
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48. By suggesting that nature does not engage in the activities of unanimal mankind, the poet is F satirizing humans. G ridiculing natural law. H affirming humankinds innocence. J calling for the reform of society.
50. In contrast to the final couplet, the tone of the first three stanzas is rather F whimsical. G bitter. H down-to-earth. J polite.
49. All of the following elements help us associate this poem with the movement called modernism except its A regular rhyme scheme. B lack of capitalization. C unusual punctuation. D creative diction.
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Practice Tests
PRACTICE TEST 2
Directions: Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.
Matt Martin English 11 Starling Trouble

1
Eugene Scheiffelins two loves were Shakespeares plays and birds. His peculiar dream was for every bird that Shakespeare ever mentioned to live outside his door in Central Park in New York City. In 1890, the wealthy manufacturer tried to make his dream come true. From all over Europe, he imported nightingales and bullfinches, thrushes and skylarks. These newcomers, however, could not adapt to Central Park. None of them lived more than a year or two (Grenfelt 33). The starlings were another story. Even though Shakespeare had called them the bullies of the bird world, Scheiffelin wanted them and so released 60 European starlings in Central Park. These were the first starlings in North America, and for six years, they stayed in Manhattan. The starlings nested in the eaves of tall buildings and soon spread across the city. To say the starlings spread quickly is an understatement. By 1920, the iridescent black birds had made their way up to Maine and down to Florida. They had crossed the Mississippi River by 1928 and reached the beaches of California by 1942. By the 1970s, their pointed wings had carried them all the way to Alaska. In less than a century, Scheiffelins 60 starlings had multiplied to over 200,000,000 birds! (Vanderberg 12). Whats more, they had become a serious pest. In 1948, thousands of starlings began nesting on the U.S. Capitol. Their droppings, which cause serious diseases such as salmonella, soon became a health concern. When government engineers strung up electrified wires around the columns of the Capitol, the starlings simply moved to the nearby Treasury Building (Cahill 43). In 1960, a Lockheed Electra prepared to take off from Bostons Logan Airport. The noise of the plane stirred up a flock of 10,000 starlings on a nearby runway. As the jet and the starlings took off, their paths crossed. The planes engines, clogged with starlings, sputtered and died. Seconds later, the Electra plummeted to the ground, killing everyone aboard (Cahill 44). One recent autumn, a Maine farmer harvested 200 tons of potatoes. A flock of starlings swarmed down and in short order ate most of the potatoes (Cahill 45). Similar scenes play out each spring in the Midwest. There, flocks of starlings, numbering up to a million, settle down in newly planted wheat fields. First they eat the wheat sprouts. Then they dig in the ground for the seeds. In a northern forest, a bluebird builds its nest in a cavity in an old tree. Bluebirds have nested in this tree for years. This spring, however, a starling wants it. The starling fights off the bluebird and destroys its eggs. Then she lays her own eggs. As a result, bluebirds, and other cavity nesters, such as woodpeckers, swallows, and purple martins, are all on the decline. In a suburban backyard, a family places seeds in a bird feeder. A group of starlings arrives and noisily chases away the sparrows and finches. The starlings dont leave until the bird feeder is empty.
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Today, few Americans like starlings. Yet any species that has spread so far, so fast, deserves our respect. Why have starlings been so successful? For one thing, starlings are prolific; while most birds lay one clutch of eggs each spring, a starling lays two or three clutches and each clutch has five or six eggs. Starlings have an adaptable diet too. Fruit, vegetables, leaves, seeds, ants, spiders, frogs, earthworms, pet food, garbagethe list goes on and on. Starlings prefer insects, though, and a flock of starlings can eliminate insect pests that attack farm crops. The starlings themselves, however, can do so much damage to those same crops that they will never be called the farmers friend. Starlings are also flexible in how they feed. They might fly 20 miles each day from their roosts to take advantage of a well-stocked feedlot. If they migrate, they take routes that pass over areas being harvested. According to one researcher, they even know when and where insects are likely to swarm (Davis, 33). The success of the starlings raises an interesting question. If 60 starlings multiplied to 200 million in just 100 years, what will happen during the next century? Can we expect to see trillions of starlings darkening our skies? That seems unlikely, but one thing is sure: starlings have found a home in North America that they really like. Widespread and well established, they arent going anywhere. Today people are trying to find ways to limit the damage done by starlings. To keep runways safe, some airports have experimented with playing recordings of the starling distress call. Bird lovers have tried placing special nest boxes around their property that supposedly help bluebirds and other cavity nesters compete with the more aggressive starlings. Growers of grapes and olives, cherries and walnuts, often wrap their trees and vines in nets to foil the birds. Or they use timer-operated explosions to keep starlings off their crops an expensive and annoying procedure. If nothing else, Eugene Schiffelins experiment has taught an important lesson. We are living on a fragile planet. Ecology is a delicate balance. Even little actions (like importing 60 birds) can have major consequences years from now. In the same way, what we do today might affect people living 100 years from now.
10
11
12
Works Cited
Cahill, Susan. Whats Wrong with Starlings? Bird World. July, 2007: 43+. Davis, Ted. Amazing Birds. Chicago: Greenhouse Publishing, 2006. Grenfelt, Dell. Eugene Shiffelins Dream. Central Park News. January, 2006: 31 36. Vanderberg, Daniel. Ecological Havoc: The On-going Disaster of Introduced Species. New York: Blackframe Publishing, 2007.
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Practice Tests
1. Which would best help the reader evaluate the accuracy of the information in this report? A talking to landowners about their troubles with starlings B rereading the paper several times C studying groups of starlings in the wild D checking the source pages cited 2. In this report, Matt suggests that attempts to control starlings F are generally quite effective. G run the danger of eradicating the species. H have little impact on the birds. J succeed or fail depending on how they are implemented.
6. If Matt wanted to learn about other alien species that have caused environmental problems, he should read the cited source written by F Daniel Vanderberg. G Dell Grenfelt. H Susan Cahill. J Ted Davis.
7. Read the following passage from page 44 of Ted Daviss book, Amazing Birds. In winter, starlings roost in flocks of 1,000 or more birds not only for safety and to conserve heat but also to share information about profitable areas for foraging for food. Which would be considered correct documentation of this selection? A In winter, starlings roost in flocks of 1,000 or more birds not only for safety and to conserve heat but also to share information about profitable areas for foraging for food. (Davis, Amazing Birds, p. 44) B Among other intelligent behaviors, Ted Davis notes that, In winter, starlings roost in flocks of 1,000 or more birds not only for safety and to conserve heat but also to share information about profitable areas for foraging for food (44). C In winter, starlings roost in flocks of 1,000 or more birds not only for safety and to conserve heat but also to share information about profitable areas for foraging for food. D Among the reasons starlings roost in large flocks is to share information about profitable areas for foraging for food. (Davis, 44)
3. Which could be used as a heading for the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh paragraphs of the report? A Introducing a New Species B What Can Be Done? C A Modern-Day Scourge D How to Identify Starlings 4. Articles similar to those cited in this report would most likely be found in which magazine? F Aviation Magazine G New York City History H Farm and Feedlot Management J Birds, Birds, Birds
5. Matt organizes the third paragraph of his report by A order of importance. B cause and effect. C chronological order. D comparison and contrast.
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Letter to John Adams from Abigail Adams

Braintree, MA, 7 May 1776
How many are the solitary hours I spend, ruminating upon the past, and anticipating the future, whilst you, overwhelmed with the cares of state, have but a few moments you can devote to any individual. All domestic pleasures and enjoyments are absorbed in the great and important duty you owe your country, for our country is, as it were, a secondary god, and the rst and greatest parent. It is to be preferred to parents, wives, children, friends, and all things, the gods only excepted; for, if our country perishes, it is as impossible to save an individual, as to preserve one of the ngers of a mortied hand. Thus do I suppress every wish, and silence every murmur, acquiescing in a painful separation from the companion of my youth, and the friend of my heart. I believe tis near ten days since I wrote you a line. I have not felt in a humor to entertain you if I had taken up my pen. Perhaps some unbecoming invective might have fallen from it. The eyes of our rulers have been closed, and a lethargy has seized almost every member. I fear a fatal security has taken possession of them. Whilst the building is in ames, they tremble at the expense of water to quench it. In short, two months have elapsed since the evacuation of Boston, and very little has been done in that time to secure it, or the harbor, from future invasion. The people are all in a ame, and no one among us, that I have heard of, even mentions expense. They think, universally, that there has been an amazing neglect somewhere. Many have turned out as volunteers to work upon Noddles Island, and many more would go upon Nantasket, if the business was once set on foot. Tis a maxim of state, that power and liberty are like heat and moisture. Where they are well mixed, every thing prospers; where they are single, they are destructive.
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Practice Tests
A government of more stability is much wanted in this colony, and they are ready to receive it from the hands of the Congress. And since I have begun with maxims of state, I will add another, namely, that a people may let a king fall, yet still remain a people; but if a king let his people slip from him, he is no longer a king. And as this is most certainly our case, why not proclaim to the world, in decisive terms, your own importance? Shall we not be despised by foreign powers, for hesitating so long at a word? I cannot say that I think you are very generous to the ladies; for, whilst you are proclaiming peace and good-will to men, emancipating all nations, you insist upon retaining an absolute power over wives. But you must remember, that arbitrary power is like most other things which are very hard, very liable to be broken; and, notwithstanding all your wise laws and maxims, we have it in our power, not only to free ourselves, but to subdue our masters, and, without violence, throw your natural and legal authority at our feet; Charm by accepting, by submitting sway, Yet have our humor most when we obey. I thank you for several letters which I have received since I wrote last; they alleviate a tedious absence, and I long earnestly for a Saturday evening, and experience a similar pleasure to that which used to nd in the return of a friend upon that day after a weeks absence. The idea of a year dissolves all my philosophy. Our little ones, whom you so often recommend to my care and instruction, shall not be decient in virtue or probity, if the precepts of a mother have their desired effect; but they would be doubly enforced, could they be indulged with the example of a father alternately before them. I often point them to their sire, engaged in a corrupted state, Wrestling with vice and faction.
4 5
8. In her letter to John Adams, Abigail Adams revealed herself to be all of the following except F a supporter of womens rights. G a close follower of current events. H a lover of music and the arts. J a loving wife and mother.
9. Abigail Adamss letter reflects the literary movement of her era known as A rationalism. B romanticism. C transcendentalism. D realism.
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10. Like much writing of the Early National period, Adamss letter relies on F religious imagery. G persuasion. H allegories and imagery. J humor and dialect.
14. Which statement best summarizes Adams main point in paragraph 2 of the letter? F Under the circumstances, everything possible is being done to secure Boston from invasion. G Everyone in Boston agrees that the British are not likely to occupy the city. H The leaders of Boston are waiting for orders from Congress. J Due to the lack of good leadership, little is being done to secure Boston from the British.
11. In her letter, Adams favors A independence from Great Britain. B working more closely with the British government. C allowing women to serve in the American army. D a weak central government for the colonies. 12. Adams mentions Noddles Island and Nantasket in her letter. The best inference to make about these places is that they are F forts or military installations in Boston Harbor. G the seats of Massachusettss colonial government. H refuges for women and children in wartime. J warehouses where British merchants store goods.
15. In which statement from the letter does Abigail Adams make use of a simile? A Tis a maxim of state, that power and liberty are like heat and moisture. B for our country is, as it were, a secondary god, and the first and greatest parent. C The idea of a year dissolves all my philosophy. D Whilst the building is in flames, they tremble at the expense of water to quench it.
13. In paragraph 2 of Adamss letter, the word humor most nearly means A comedy. B mood. C need. D power.
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Practice Tests
Player Piano
by John Updike My stick fingers click with a snicker As, chuckling, they knuckle the keys; Light-footed, my steel feelers flicker And pluck from these keys melodies.
5
My paper can caper; abandon Is broadcast by dint of my din, And no man or band has a hand in The tones I turn on from within. At times Im a jumble of rumbles,
10
At others Im light like the moon, But never my numb plunker fumbles, Misstrums me, or tries a new tune.
16. The speaker of this poem seems to be F the player piano itself. G a man who cannot play the piano. H a well-known concert pianist. J a child playing at a piano recital.
19. This poems greatest impact comes from its appeal to the sense of A. sight. B. touch. C hearing. D smell. 20. In line 6, the words by dint of my din illustrate which poetic device? F alliteration G onomatopoeia H metaphor J oxymoron
17. In line 11, the phrase numb plunker fumbles is an example of A alliteration. B assonance. C apostrophe. D antithesis. 18. The first two lines of the poem make use of F hyperbole. G paradox. H personification. J symbol.
21. All of the following contribute to the overall effect of the poem except A rhythm. B rhyme. C onomatopoeia. D metonymy.
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The Future of Pennies

by Cullen Murphy
A poll conducted a few years ago by the newspaper USA Today revealed that 37 percent of Americans surveyed would be in favor of eliminating the penny from the nations lineup of currencya percentage, apparently, that has been steadily on the rise. The case for eliminating pennies as a pocket-lling irrelevance is even being pressed by a lobbying group in Washington called the Coin Coalition. The suggestion that the United States get rid of pennies is, like many proposals that smack of cool-headed, cold-blooded pragmatism, one that should be implemented on another planet. It is the kind of apparently sensible yet hugely disruptive reform that a wise society will treat with the same disdain that America has already shown for the metric system and phonetic spelling. Should we stop making cents? The penny we now have was issued in 1909 to celebrate the centennial of our sixteenth presidents birth, and its name and ancestry go back to the eighth century. From the start, the pennys biggest foe has been ination, which has for centuries threatened to render the coin valueless. And yet monarchs and prime ministers have deemed this insufcient cause to rid themselves of it, preferring to let the penny be and to invent higher denominations of currencyas when Edward II established the groat. Indeed, by its continued existence the penny has served notice that the value of money cannot be innitely debased, that the monetary systems of the English-speaking world have an anchor, albeit a shifting one. As long as the penny exists, there will be things you can buy with one or two or three or four of them. Get rid of it and nothing will cost less than a nickel. That is the economic defense of the penny. Pennies also serve important social functions. They inform millions of children who may have been exposed to
225
Practice Tests
nothing but textbooks that there once was a man named Lincoln who occupied a position of some importance. They are responsible for initiating millions of conversations in stores every day between people who otherwise would complete their transactions in silence. From time to time these transactions are punctuated by mild bleats of satisfactionWait, I have a penny! Such moments, occurring all across the nation and around the clock, contribute modestly but directly to social comity.
5
Pennies, moreover, are so deeply embedded in our culture that extracting them would leave small emptinesses in the very substance of life. Pennies help to mark the stages of life. They are the rst allowance we receive. Later we put them on railroad tracks, and then in loafers, and later still in fuse boxes. Inevitably the day comes when a penny falls from the hand and one decides not to pick it up. In the mature adult, this prompts a eeting sense of contentment, for he has acknowledged the fact of his own security. We wish on pennies at fountains and wells, knowing that dimes and nickels wont work. In a pocketful of change, pennies serve as an essential garnish, relieving an otherwise drab monochrome like radishes in a salad. And in our language they are called upon liberally when precepts of formidable consequence must be conveyed, Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. A penny saved is a penny earned. Thanks to exhortations like these, it may very well be that if all the pennies hoarded in bowls and jars were taken into account, the often maligned U.S. savings rate would approach that of Japan. The elimination of the penny might afford some slight physical convenience, but the total social cost exceeds what a liberal democracy ought to countenance. It would be nothing less, one might say, than penny wise and pound foolish.
22. Which statement best expresses the main idea of this essay? F Although pennies serve no real purpose, it would be a shame to eliminate them. G Although a nuisance, pennies still serve some useful functions. H Pennies will gradually disappear from the money supply. J Although it will be difficult, the country should stop minting pennies.
23. Which detail best supports the main idea of the essay? A From the start, the pennys biggest foe has been inflation. B More than 37 percent of Americans are in favor of eliminating the penny. C The Coin Coalition is lobbying to get rid of the penny. D Pennies serve as conversation starters in stores across the country.
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24. Which statement in Murphys essay is an opinion? F Its [the pennys] name and ancestry go back to the eighth century. G The penny . . . was issued in 1909 to celebrate the centennial of Lincolns birth. H The elimination of the penny might afford some slight physical convenience. J The case for eliminating pennies . . . is even being pressed by . . . The Coin Coalition. 25. Why does the author compare the elimination of the penny to the metric system and phonetic spelling in the second paragraph? A to prove that there are many ways to make life easier B to urge readers to focus on these necessary changes too C to suggest that Americans sometimes reject logical changes D to remind us that pennies are part of a decimal system of coinage 26. The meaning of comity in paragraph 4 is F conformity. G civility. H security. J disorganization.
27. By reminding us that the present penny was issued to honor Abraham Lincoln, the author probably hopes to persuade us by way of A loaded language. B exaggeration. C circular reasoning. D transfer. 28. In paragraph 5, the author writes, In a pocketful of change, pennies serve as an essential garnish, relieving an otherwise drab monochrome like radishes in a salad. This comparison persuades by using F loaded language. G an either-or statement. H false cause and effect. J a hasty generalization.
29. The author concludes with the words penny wise and pound foolish. The best interpretation of this phrase is A focusing on small things to avoid big problems. B being too detail oriented. C saving a little but losing a lot. D understanding the main idea but not the details.
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Practice Tests
from Judgment Call

by Frederick Stroppel
As part of their spring training, three umpires are practicing their calls when the conversation touches on the consequences of these judgments.
1
HARVEY:
Baseball is more than a living. Its a game. And the game has rules and consequences, and you have to take the good with the bad. Thats the beauty of itsometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We never lose. We never win, either. We just watch.
2 3 4 5
FRANK:
HARVEY: FRANK:
We watch, and we decide the outcome of a life.
HARVEY:
You cant think about that. You cant think about life and death when youre working a game. Think about the play. The plays the thing. The only thing. Im not so sure I believe that anymore.
6 7
FRANK:
HARVEY:
[sternly] Hey, I dont want to hear that kind of talk. Thats loser talk. If you dont have the desire, I dont want you on my team. Maybe I dont belong on your team.
FRANK:
[Joe returns with the Baseball Digest.]

9 10
JOE:
Here it is, Harv. [corrects him] Harvey.
HARVEY:
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11 12
JOE:
[nods] Harvey. Your pictures on the cover. [admires picture] Look at that! Play of the Year.
HARVEY:
[Harvey mimics the photo, making an authoritative out call. Joe is impressed.]
13
HARVEY:
See, Frank? See what you missed? [Frank is still troubled.] Look you cant beat yourself up over one questionable call. You cant always be right.
14
FRANK:
But you should be! You have to be! Theres no margin for error! I make a call against the home team, and maybe some disgruntled man goes home and beats his wife. I punch out some broken-down player on an iffy third strike, and maybe his career is over. I guess wrong on a close play, and maybe the pitcher kills himself. I hold careers and lives in my handsI cant afford to be wrong! [takes him aside] Frank, Frank . . . keep it down. Youll upset the kid.
15
HARVEY:
16
FRANK:
He should know. He should know the curse of absolute power. He should know the cost to his soul! [shaking him] Frank! Stop it!
17
HARVEY:
[Frank, spent, sits down on a bleacher seat.]

18 19
JOE:
Whats the matter? Nothing. Hes not used to this Florida sun. [re: the magazine] What do I owe you for this? [doesnt want money] No problem. [ips through the pages] Lets see . . . [he nds the article, reads] Aha. [turns to Frank] Look whos one of the Top Ten Umpires in the American League. Its you, see? See how important you are? Youre number eight. And Im number two. [to Joe] How about that, Joseph? Youre working with two of the best umpires in the league. Not bad. And next year youll be on that list. Were a great team. [He puts his arm around Joe.] Come on, Frank. Group hug. Dont you ever feel it, Harvey? Dont you feel the awful responsibility, the thought that every decision you make can impact on so many people, can ruin their lives? No, I dont. I dont allow myself to feel it. An umpire doesnt feel.
HARVEY:
20 21
JOE:
HARVEY:
22 23
JOE:
HARVEY:
24
FRANK:
25
HARVEY:
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Practice Tests
26 27 28 29
FRANK:
But its only human . . . ! So were not human. Look at Joe, you think hes human?
HARVEY: JOE:
Im a robot, man. All I care about is the game. Exactly. The game. Thats where your allegiance lies. Thats all anyone expects of you. Is that all Judy expected?
HARVEY:
30
FRANK:
[Harvey is caught short. He takes a beat.]

31
HARVEY:
Judy never understood baseball. I feel sorry for her. And thats all I feel. If youre saying I should have spent more time with her and less time with my vocation, with my lifes work, then I say, let her go. I have my priorities. Thats why Im in the Top Ten! Im Number Two! And next year Ill be Number One! Number One! So let her go! The heck with her! [composes himself] Your trouble is, youve been away all winter, you forget what its like to be out there between the lines, in that green world, and to know that every inning, every batter, every pitch, depends on you, on the clarity of your vision and the wisdom of your judgment. You hold all the cards, baby. Theres no other feeling like it in the world! Im an ordinary, unimportant manWho am I to judge others?
32 33
FRANK:
HARVEY:
Who are you not to judge? Who are you to stand by and let injustices go unredressed? Youre an umpire! You took an unspoken oath! You have a moral obligation to seek out the truth and spotlight it, to say, This is good. This is not. That man is safe. That man is out. Especially in this ambiguous, crazy world today, people need someone to turn to, someone to stand up and clear away all the smoke and confusion, and point the way. Thats you, Frank. You bring logic and order to an unruly, chaotic world. Its Gods work, my friend. Hes called you to do it. And do it you must! [Beat.]
Now let me hear your strike call. Let me hear it!

34 35
FRANK:
[half-hearted] Strike.
HARVEY:
Come on, Frank. The bases are loaded, bottom of the ninth, Griffeys at the plate, counts three-and-two, Clemens goes into his windup, he brings it over the top, its a fastball on the black, Griffey freezes, and you make the call . . . ! [blurts out] Strike! Thats it! Again!
36 37
FRANK:
HARVEY:
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38 39 40 41 42
FRANK:
[louder] Stri-i-ike! Youre right! [Does his strike call] Hi-eeke!
HARVEY: JOE:
STEEE-RI-I-KE! [feeling better] Stri-i-ike!
FRANK:
HARVEY:
See? Thats all it takes. A little focus, a little heart. [puts arms around Frank and Joe] What a team! The best umpiring team in the American League! Right? Right!
43 44 45
FRANK: JOE:
Right! Lets do it, then! Lets go out there and kick some . . . ! [starts calling] Out! Safe!
HARVEY:
46 47 48 49 50
FRANK: JOE:
FOUL BALL! Balk!
HARVEY: FRANK: JOE:
Ground-rule double!
YOURE OW-W-W-U-UT! [They keep practicing calls, once again slipping into a fugue for umpires. Harvey and Frank share a smile and walk off together still shouting out calls.]
51 52
HARVEY: FRANK:
Ball four . . . !
Take your base . . . !
[They exit. Joe dusts off an imaginary plate, puts on his mask.]
53
JOE:
PLAY BALL! [Lights out.]
30. In this scene, Frank could best be described as F a dynamic character. G a static character. H an antagonist. J a protagonist.
31. Which situation from this scene is not ironic? A when Harvey says that umpires are not human B the curse of absolute power C Joes joining the others at the end D when Harvey says baseball is more than a living, that its a game
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Practice Tests
32. Harveys two long speeches interrupted only briefly by Frank could best be described as F soliloquies. G asides. H expositions. J monologues.
35. Like other contemporary drama, this play A expresses commonly held truths. B elevates the common man to a godlike position. C endorses a clear-cut morality. D allows for a variety of interpretations. 36. In the middle of Harveys speech about Judy, the stage directions say [composes himself]. What does this suggest about Harveys relationship with Judy? F Judy actually did understand and like baseball. G Frank probably liked Judy more than Harvey ever did. H Harvey is still upset about his breakup with Judy. J Harvey tried not to let his work interfere in this relationship.
33. Harvey asks Frank, Who are you to stand by and let injustices go unredressed? Unredressed probably means A unattired. B compensated. C uncorrected. D remedied. 34. Harvey could be characterized as all of the following except F persuasive. G tentative. H egotistical. J competent.
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Help Wanted
SECRETARIAL
SECRETARY, P/T Afternoons. Tues Fri, 2 5; McCabe Industries. Word processing exp nec. Fax resume to 555-8877. SECY/RECEPT Small legal office seeks exp. secretary/receptionist. Exc typing, pleasant phone manner; team member; sense of humor. Salary to $30K. Send resume to, 2000 Madison St., Suite 1200, Brookville. PLUMBER/MECHANIC Good oppty for the right person w/min 5 yrs exp to work w/fast-growing company. Excellent salary, benefits, perm position. Call 314-567-8900, 93, MonFri.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Superb skills, pleasant personality. 3 yrs exp. please. Skills: word processing 90 wpm. Attention to detail. Flexible hours, usually to 6 p.m. Salary commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits. Attractive office, nr all transport. Send resume to Mr. Thomas, Box F2956. SECRETARY/CLERK Typing, filing. F/T; 3712 hrs a week; recent grad ok. Call Town and Country Realty, 555-9090.
PLUMBING
PLUMBER Small plumbing contractor needs helper; will train; must be hardworking with clean drivers license. Call Joe at 555-9765.
PLUMBING SUPPLY Acme Plumbing Warehouse needs full-time clerk; must have 3 years plumbing-related experience; good reading and math skills. Apply at 200 Osgood Ave., Riverview.
PLUMBING FOREMAN Four Seasons Construction Company seeks foreman with 8+ yrs exp to oversee its plumbing crews; must be familiar with all phases of plumbing and construction. 8 yrs exp. Fax resume to Al Dirigi, 555-6543.
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Practice Tests
37. Sheila is looking for a part time secretarial position. She should probably A send her resume to Mr. Thomas at Box F2956. B fax her resume to 555-8877. C apply at Town and Country Realty. D send her resume to 2000 Madison St., Suite 1200, Brookville. 38. Which job requires no experience? F EXECUTIVE SECRETARY G SECRETARY, P/T H SECRETARY/CLERK J SECY/RECEPT
41. Which is an example of a job requirement? A salary comm. with experience B perm position C send resume to Box F2956 D exc typing 42. Jason just left high school and needs a job. Which of the plumbing jobs would suit him best? F PLUMBER/MECHANIC G PLUMBER H PLUMBING SUPPLY J PLUMBING FOREMAN
39. In the first ad, what does the word commensurate mean? A classified B corresponding C unrelated D compensated 40. Which of the advertised jobs requires the highest level of skill and experience? F PLUMBER/MECHANIC G PLUMBER H PLUMBING SUPPLY J PLUMBING FOREMAN
43. If an applicant wanted to visit the location of the advertised job, according to the ads, which job would he or she be able to visit? A EXECUTIVE SECRETARY B SECRETARY, P/T C PLUMBING SUPPLY D PLUMBER
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from What Stumped the Blue Jays

by Mark Twain
When I rst begun to understand jay language correctly, there was a little incident happened here. Seven years ago, the last man in this region but me moved away. There stands his house been empty ever since; a log house, with a plank roof just one big room, and no more; no ceiling nothing between the rafters and the oor. Well, one Sunday morning I was sitting out here in front of my cabin, with my cat, taking the sun, and looking at the blue hills, and listening to the leaves rustling so lonely in the trees, and thinking of the home away yonder in the states, that I hadnt heard from in thirteen years, when a bluejay lit on that house, with an acorn in his mouth, and says, Hello, I reckon Ive struck something. When he spoke, the acorn dropped out of his mouth and rolled down the roof, of course, but he didnt care; his mind was all on the thing he had struck. It was a knot-hole in the roof. He cocked his head to one side, shut one eye and put the other one to the hole, like a possum looking down a jug; then he glanced up with his bright eyes, gave a wink or two with his wings which signies gratication, you understandand says, It looks like a hole, its located like a hole blamed if I dont believe it IS a hole! Then he cocked his head down and took another look; he glances up perfectly joyful, this time; winks his wings and his tail both, and says, Oh, no, this aint no fat thing, I reckon! If I aint in luck!Why its a perfectly elegant hole! So he ew down and got that acorn, and fetched it up and dropped it in, and was just tilting his head back, with the heavenliest smile on his face, when all of a sudden he was paralyzed into a listening attitude and that smile
235
Practice Tests
faded gradually out of his countenance like breath offn a razor, and the queerest look of surprise took its place. Then he says, Why, I didnt hear it fall! He cocked his eye at the hole again, and took a long look; raised up and shook his head; stepped around to the other side of the hole and took another look from that side; shook his head again. He studied a while, then he just went into the Detailswalked round and round the hole and spied into it from every point of the compass. No use. Now he took a thinking attitude on the comb of the roof and scratched the back of his head with his right foot a minute, and nally says, Well, its too many for ME, thats certain; must be a mighty long hole; however, I aint got no time to fool around here, I got to tend to business; I reckon its all rightchance it, anyway.
3
So he ew off and fetched another acorn and dropped it in, and tried to irt his eye to the hole quick enough to see what become of it, but he was too late. He held his eye there as much as a minute; then he raised up and sighed, and says, Confound it, I dont seem to understand this thing, no way; however, Ill tackle her again. He fetched another acorn, and done his level best to see what become of it, but he couldnt. He says, Well, I never struck no such a hole as this before; Im of the opinion its a totally new kind of a hole. Then he begun to get mad. He held in for a spell, walking up and down the comb of the roof and shaking his head and muttering to himself; but his feelings got the upper hand of him, presently, and he broke loose and cussed himself black in the face. I never see a bird take on so about a little thing. When he got through he walks to the hole and looks in again for half a minute; then he says, Well, youre a long hole, and a deep hole, and a mighty singular hole altogether but Ive started in to ll you, and Im blamed if I DONT ll you, if it takes a hundred years! And with that, away he went. You never see a bird work so since you was born, and the way he hove acorns into that hole for about two hours and a half was one of the most exciting and astonishing spectacles I ever struck. He never stopped to take a look anymore he just hove em in and went for more. Well, at last he could hardly op his wings, he was so tuckered out. He comes a-dropping down, once more, sweating like an ice-pitcher, dropped his acorn in and says, NOW I guess Ive got the bulge on you by this time! So he bent down for a look. If youll believe me, when his head come up again he was just pale with rage. He says, Ive shoveled acorns enough in there to keep the family thirty years, and if I can see a sign of one of em I wish I may land in a museum with a belly full of sawdust in two minutes! He just had strength enough to crawl up on to the comb and lean his back agin the chimbly, and then he collected his impressions and begun to free his mind. I see in a second that what I had mistook for profanity in the mines was only just the rudiments, as you may say.
236
Another jay was going by, and heard him doing his devotions, and stops to inquire what was up. The sufferer told him the whole circumstance, and says, Now yonders the hole, and if you dont believe me, go and look for yourself. So this fellow went and looked, and comes back and says, How many did you say you put in there? Not any less than two tons, says the sufferer. The other jay went and looked again. He couldnt seem to make it out, so he raised a yell, and three more jays come. They all examined the hole, they all made the sufferer tell it over again, then they all discussed it, and got off as many leather-headed opinions about it as an average crowd of humans could have done.
44. Which phrase best describes Twains style in this excerpt? F precise, with attention to scientific detail G informal, yet serious H formal and detached J humorous and exaggerated
47. In the first paragraph, the narrator notes that the blue jay glances up and gives a wink that signifies gratification. The narrator does this to A let readers know that he, like the jay, uses good grammar. B encourage readers to respond to the blue jays happiness. C heighten the overall suspense of the story. D imply that he understands blue jay communication. 48. Mark Twains main purpose for writing this story was to F share his observations about the natural world. G explain why bluejays behave the way they do. H inform readers about bird communication. J amuse readers with a colorful tale.
45. Based on the style and details of this excerpt, we can view Twain as part of the literary movement known as A transcendentalism. B regionalism. C realism. D naturalism. 46. As is typical of writers of the War period (18601915), Mark Twain makes good use of F persuasion. G allegory. H dialect. J symbols.
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Practice Tests
49. What is the main source of irony in this excerpt? A The narrator does not really understand blue jay language. B The blue jay does not realize the hole is actually a house. C Blue jays do not really eat acorns or fill holes with them. D The blue jay is simply performing for the benefit of the narrator.
50. The main conflict in this excerpt occurs as a result of F the narrators mistaken views of the blue jay. G the difference between the first blue jay and the ones who come later. H the blue jays confusion about the hole. J the blue jays inability to locate enough acorns.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reprint copyrighted materials. Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use previously published material. Any errors or omissions are unintentional. What Is an American? by Harold Ickes. From The History Place. http://www. historyplace.com/speeches/ickes.htm Page 3. Excerpt from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Page 5. Excerpt from The Maine Woods, by Henry David Thoreau. Page 8. A Tale of Terror, by Paul Louis Courier. Page 12. Those Winter Sundays. Copyright 1966 by Robert Hayden, from ANGLE OF ASCENT: New and Selected Poems by Robert Hayden. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation. Page 15. From Chapter 20: Limited Water Biones. From Environmental Science, Revised Edition, by Martin Schachter, pages 332335. Copyright 2005 by Amsco School Publications, Inc. Page 21. A Pair of Silk Stockings, by Kate Chopin. Page 23. To Build a Fire, by Jack London. Page 27. When a New Job Depends on Your Handwriting. Excerpted from How in the World? copyright 1990 The Readers Digest Association, Inc. Used with permission from The Readers Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, New York, www.rd.com. Page 32. How to Saw a Woman in HalfAnd Mend Her Again. Excerpted from How in the World? copyright 1990 The Readers Digest Association, Inc. Used with permission from The Readers Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, New York, www.rd.com. Page 36. From Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. Page 39. From Poor Richards Almanac, by Benjamin Franklin. Page 40. From An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. Page 45. From The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, by Olaudah Equiano. Page 47. I Will Fight No More Forever, from a speech by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in 1877. Page 54. Alchemy, copyright 1982 by Lewis Thomas, from LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS ON LISTENING TO MAHLERS NINTH by Lewis Thomas. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Page 55. Excerpt from speech by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, circa 1870s. Page 60. A Fable for Tomorrow, from SILENT SPRING by Rachel Carson. Copyright 1962 by Rachel L. Carson, renewed 1990 by Roger Christie. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Page 74.
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Winner, E., & Hetland, L. (1999). Mozart and the SATs: Studying the Arts for the Wrong Reasons. /The New York Times/ (Op-ed), March 4, p. A25. Reprinted by permission of the authors. Page 77. Techniques of Deception and Detection. Excerpted from How in the World? Copyright 1990 The Readers Digest Association, Inc. Used with permission from The Readers Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, New York, www.rd.com. Page 84. Virginia Railway Express, Fredericksburg Line Train Schedule: reprinted with permission. Check www.vre.org for updates. Page 99. Socrates, from Mr. Bridge by Evan S. Connell. Reprinted by permission of Don Congdon Associates, Inc. Copyright 1969 by Evan S. Connell. Jr. Page 140. From The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Page 143. Excerpt from There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury. Reprinted by permission of Don Congdon Associates, Inc. Copyright 1950 by Crowell Collier Publishing Company, renewed 1977 by Ray Bradbury. Page 145. From The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. Page 149. From The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson by Leo Tolstoy. Page 150. The Dinner Party, by Mona Gardner. Appeared in Saturday Review of Literature, vol. 25, no.5, January 31, 1941.Copyright 1941 by General Media Communications, Inc. Page 151. From A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE by Arthur Miller, copyright 1955, 1957, renewed 1983, 1985 by Arthur Miller. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Page 156. Excerpt from I REMEMBER MAMA: A PLAY IN 2 ACTS, copyright 1945 by John Van Druten and renewed 1972 by carter Lodge, reprinted by permission of Harcourt, Inc. Page 159. Richard Cory from The Children of the Night by Edward Arlington Robinson. Page 165. The Fog from Chicago Poems by Carl Sandburg. Page 166. Graduation Morning is reprinted with permission from the publisher of My Own True Name by Pat Mora ( 2000 Arte Pblico Press-University of Houston). Page 173. A Narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson. Reprinted by permission of the publishers and the Trustees of Amherst College from THE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON, Thomas H. Johnson, ed., Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Copyright 1951, 1955, 1979, 1983 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Page 174. I Hear America Singing, by Walt Whitman. Page 185. To Walt Whitman by Angela de Hoyos is reprinted with permission from the publisher of In Other Words edited by Roberta Fernandez ( 1994 Arte Pblico Press-University of Houston). Page 186. From Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Page 187.
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Acknowledgments
From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, a sermon by Jonathan Edwards. Page 188. From The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. Page 189. From The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane. Page 192. From The Declaration of Independence, by Thomas Jefferson. Page 194. From The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allan Poe. Page 196. By Tennessee Williams, from THE GLASS MENAGERIE, copyright 1945 by The University of the South and Edwin D. Williams. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. Page 200. From Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. Page 205. Anybody Home? by Ellen Goodman. Copyright 1998, The Washington Post Writers Group. Reprinted with permission. Page 210. When serpents bargain for the right to squirm. Copyright 1948, 1976, 1991 by the Trustees for the E.E. Cummings Trust. Copyright 1979 by George James Firmage, from COMPLETE POEMS: 1904 1962 by E.E. Cummings, edited by George J. Firmage. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation. Page 215. Letter to John Adams from Abigail Adams, May 7, 1776. Page 220. Player Piano from COLLECTED POEMS 19531993 by John Updike, copyright 1993 by John Updike. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. Page 223. The Future of Pennies from JUST CURIOUS: ESSAYS by Cullen Murphy. Copyright 1995 by Cullen Murphy. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Page 224. From Judgment Call by Frederick Stroppel. Copyright 1995 by Frederick Stroppel. Page 227. From What Stumped the Blue Jays by Mark Twain. Page 234.
Illustrations
Arctic Fox in Alaska. www.iStockphoto.com/Sam Chadwick. Page 21. Business Notes. www.iStockphoto.com/Viorika Prikhodko. Page 32. Dilapidated Storage Building 1. www.iStockphoto.com/John Haager. Page 38. Shy Latin Chic. www.iStockphoto.com/Juan Estey. Page 50. Sunbeam. www.iStockphoto.com/ooyoo. Page 54. Dead Tree. www.iStockphoto.com/Roberta Casaliggi. Page 74. 3D Rendered Musical Note Background. www.iStockphoto.com/Tim Starkey. Page 77. Pinocchio Superliar. www.iStockphoto.com/Roberto A. Sanchex. Page 84. Muscle car. www.iStockphoto.com/schlol. Page 107. Hybrid Car. www.iStockphoto.com/Matthew Dixon. Page 107.
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Steak. www.iStockphoto.com/Roberto A. Sanchez. Page 111. Scissors and Hairbrush. www.iStockphoto.com/Yuliya Horbach. Page 140. Attack!!! www.iStockphoto.com/Scott Leman. Page 145. Eye. www.iStockphoto.com/David Edwards. Page 149. Wooden Bowl. www.iStockphoto.com/Jelena Popic. Page 150. Brooklyn Bridge, New York, USA. www.iStockphoto.com/Jeremy Edwards. Page 156. Ice Cream Scoop. www.iStockphoto.com/Robyn Mackenzie. Page 159. Forest. www.iStockphoto.com/konradlew. Page 187. Cannon at Gettysburg. www.iStockphoto.com/Sven Klaschik. Page 192. Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States. From Pendletons Lithography (c. 1828). Library of Congress. Page 194. Glass Dog. www.iStockphoto.com/Amy Yang. Page 200. Lonely Tree in Snow. 5. Single Family House. www.iStockphoto.com/Jim Pruitt. Page 210. Quill Pen and Inkwell. www.iStockphoto.com/Oleg Prikhodko. Page 220. Penny Isolated on White. 4. Strike Three. www.iStockphoto.com/Rob Friedman. Page 227. Staring Bluejay. www.iStockphoto.com/Yanik Chauvin. Page 234.
INDEX
A Active reading, 19, 2024, 42, 49 Adjectives, descriptive, 65 Advertisements, analyzing, 7273 Alliteration, 166 Almanacs, 128 Analysis of advertisements, 7273 Antagonist, 142 Applications, working with, 103104 Archetypal characters, 142 Arguments, identifying illogical, 6668 Aside, 154155 Assonance, 166 Atlases, 128 Author bias of, 6970 purpose of, 5153 tone of, 5153 B Bandwagon, 70 Bar graph, 96 Bias defined, 69 noting, for author, 6970 Biographical dictionaries, 128 Biography cards, 130 Blank verse, 165166 C Cause and effect, 6263 as context clue, 31 false, 67 sequence words for, 2830 Characterization, 142 direct, 142 indirect, 142
Characters, 142143 archetypal, 142 dynamic, 142 flat, 142 round, 142 static, 142 traits of, 142 Chunking, 26 Circle graph, 96 Circular reasoning, 67 Clarification, sequence words for, 2830 Climax, 139 Clue words in identifying inferences, 42 Clustering in narrowing topic, 120121 Comparison and contrast, 62 as context clue, 31 sequence words for, 2830 Computer catalogs, 125 Conflict, 139 Connection, making, 20 Connotation, 66 Context clues, 3034 cause/effect, 31 comparison/contrast, 31 definitions, 31 examples, 31 mood, 31 synonyms, 31 tone, 31 Critical reading skills, 5861 Critical thinking skills, 19 D Definition as context clue, 31 Denotation, 66 Description, sequence words for, 2830 Descriptive adjectives, 65
Diagnostic test, 116 standards of learning checklist, 1718 Dictionaries, 128 biographical, 128 Direct characterization, 142 Directions, following, 100102 Directories, 128 Documentation, parenthetical, 134136 Domain name, 8182 .com, 81 .edu, 82 .gov, 82 .org, 81 Drafting of research paper, 132 Drama, 138, 153164 aside in, 154155 dialogue in, 153154 dramatic irony in, 155 monologue in, 154 narrators role in, 153 situational irony in, 156 soliloquy in, 154 stage directions in, 155 verbal irony in, 156 Dramatic irony, 155 Dynamic characters, 142 E Either-or statements, 67 Encyclopedias, 128 Evaluations, making, 20 Examples as context clue, 31 Exposition, 139 Extended metaphor, 167 F Fact defined, 65 distinguishing from opinion, 6566
243
244
Falling action, 139 False cause and effect, 67 Fiction, 94 comparing with technical reading, 94 main idea in, 39 Figurative language, 167168 First-person point of view, 148 5 Ws questions, 26, 27 Flashback, 148 Flat characters, 142 Foreshadowing, 148 Forms, working with, 103104 Free verse, 166 Functional reading, 94 G Generalizations, 4850 hasty, 67 Gothicism, 182 Graphs, 9697 bar, 96 circle, 96 line, 96 H Harlem Renaissance, 183 Hasty generalization, 67 High-level thinking skills, 19, 3756 finding main idea, 3740 generalizations, 4850 identifying authors purpose and tone, 5153 making inferences, 4143 predict outcomes, 4648 summarizing, 4445 Historical context, 178179 Home page, 82 Hyperbole, 168 I Illogical arguments, identifying, 6668 Imagery, 168
Imagism, 182 Implied metaphor, 167 Indexes, 126127 periodical, 125, 129 Indirect characterization, 142 Inferences defined, 41 distinquishing between strong and weak, 42 making, 4143 Information collecting, to support thesis, 125132 collecting and presenting, 119136 crediting, 133136 crediting sources of, 8386 evaluating clarity and accuracy of, 105108 interpreting, 113117 organizing, 131 skimming in locating, 108110 Internet, using, for research, 129 Irony dramatic, 155 situational, 156 verbal, 156 J Judgments, making, 20 L Language, loaded, 66 Library catalog, 126 Library references, 128 almanacs, 128 atlases, 128 biographical dictionaries, 128 dictionaries, 128 directories, 128 encyclopedias, 128 yearbooks, 128 Library research, 125 Line graph, 96 Literal comprehension, 19, 2536
breaking down long, confusing sentences, 2628 looking for signal words and phrases, 2830 paraphrasing, 3436 rereading and reading ahead, 25 using context clues, 3034 Literary movements, 181183 Literary themes, 180181 Literature classifying, 177 genres of, 138 Loaded language, 66 M Main idea defined, 37 finding, 3740 statement of, as topic sentence, 38 Metaphor, 167 extended, 167 implied, 167 MLA (Modern Language Association), 83, 133 Modernism, 183 Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 133 Monologue, 154 Mood as context clue, 31 in short stories and novels, 144 Motivations, 142 N Name-calling, 70 Narrative form and structure, 148 Naturalism, 182 Note cards, 131 Notes synthesizing and organizing, 131 taking, 130131
245
Index
Novels, 138153 characters in, 142143 mood in, 144 plot of, 138141 setting in, 144 theme in, 146147 O Onomatopoeia, 166167 Opinion defined, 65 distinquishing fact fraom, 6566, 79 Order of importance, 63 sequence words for, 2830 Organization methods, 6265 cause and effect, 6263 comparison and contrast, 62 order of importance, 63 problem and solution, 6364 Outcomes, predicting, 4648 P Paraphrasing, 3436, 83, 84 in understanding poetry, 171 Parenthetical documentation, 134136 Pencil, using, 21 Periodical indexes, 125, 129 Personification, 167 Persuasive writing, 73 fact versus opinion in, 6566 illogical arguments in, 66 loaded language in, 66 using critical reading skills in evaluating, 58 Phrases, focusing on essential, 26 Plagiarism, 34 avoiding, 86 Plain folks, 71 Plot, 138141 climax in, 139 exposition in, 139
falling action/resolution in, 139 rising action/conflict n, 139 Poetry, 138, 164171 alliteration in, 166 assonance in, 166 blank verse in, 165166 contemporary and past American, 184195 figurative language in, 167168 free verse in, 166 onomatopoeia in, 166 rhyme in, 164 rhyme scheme in, 164, 165168 rhythm in, 164 stanza in, 165 tips for understanding, 170171 Point of view, 148 Postmodernism, 183 Practice Tests, 197237 Predicate, determining, 26, 27 Predictions, 4648 making, 20 Printed material, evaluating variety of, 5786 Problem and solution organization, 6364 Propaganda techniques, 7071 bandwgon, 70 name-calling, 70 plain folks, 71 testimonial, 70 Protagonist, 142 Purpose of author, 5153 Q QAR (question and answer relationship), 112 Questions basic types of, 112 5 Ws, 26, 27 identifying unanswered, 112
R Rationalism, 182 Reading critical, skills in, 5861 functional, 94 technical, 94 Reading ahead, 25 Realism, 182 Reasoning, circular, 67 Recency, 80 Regionalism, 182 Relevancy, 79 Reliability, 79 Rereading, 25 Research paper body of, 132 collecting information to support thesis, 125132 conclusion to, 132 developing thesis statement, 122123 drafting, 132 introduction to, 132 selecting and narrowing topic for, 120122 supporting statements for, 123124 using the Internet for, 129 Works Cited page in, 133134 Resolution, 139 Rhyme, 164 Rhyme scheme, 164, 165168 Rhythm, 164 Rising action, 139 Romanticism, 182 Round characters, 142 S Schedules, 9899 Search engines, 129 Sentences breaking down long, confusing, 2628 length and structure of, 148 summary, 44 topic, 38
246
Sequence, sequence words for, 2830 Setting, 144 Short stories, 138153 characters in, 142143 mood in, 144 plot of, 138141 setting in, 144 theme in, 146147 Signal words and phrases, looking for, 2830 Simile, 167 Situational irony, 156 Skimming in locating information, 108110 Web sites, 82 Soliloquy, 154 SOL Test, v Sources, evaluating quality of, 7981 Stage directions, 155 Standards of Learning, 19, 37, 5758, 93, 119, 177, v diagnostic test checklist, 1718 Stanza, 165 Static characters, 142 Style, 148 narrative form and structure in, 148 point of view in, 148
sentence length and structure in, 148 tone in, 148 word choice in, 148 Subject, determining, 26, 27 Summarizing, 4445, 84 Summary sentences, 44 Supporting statements, 123124 Surprise ending, 148 Symbols, 168 Synonyms as context clue, 31 T Tables, 98 Technical reading, 94 comparing with fiction, 94 Testimonials, 71 Themes, 39, 146147 literary, 180181 Thesis, collecting information to support, 125132 Thesis statement, developing, 122123 Third-person limited point of view, 148 Third-person omniscient point of view, 148 Time, sequence words for, 2830 Tone of author, 5153 as context clue, 31
in novels and short stories, 148 words to describe, 52 Topic, selecting and narrowing, 120122 Topic sentence, 38 Transcendentalism, 182 Typographical features, 94 V Verbal irony, 156 Visual aids graphs, 9697 schedules, 9899 tables, 98 W Web site domain name for, 8182 home page for, 82 skimming the site, 82 thinking critically about, 8182 Words choice of, 148 connotation of, 66 denotation of, 66 focusing on essential, 26 Works Cited page, 133134 Y Yearbooks, 128

Preparing For The SOL EOC English Test Reading Literature and Research

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Preparing for the SOL EOC English Test Reading/Literature and Research

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CONTENTS Introduction Diagnostic Test

Chapter 1 Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

Chapter 2 Applying Higher-Level Thinking to Reading

Chapter 3 Evaluating a Variety of Printed Materials

Chapter 4 Locating and Using Information from a Variety of Sources

103 105 108 112 113

Chapter 5 Collecting and Presenting Information

Chapter 6 Understanding the Elements of Literature

Chapter 7 Understanding the Context of Literature

Chapter 8 Practice Tests

INTRODUCTION The SOL Test

About This Book

High Springs University Financial Aid Office Information Sheet

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

from What Is an American

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

from Romeo and Juliet

[coming forward]: He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

[Aside]: Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike.

If they do see thee, they will murder thee.

17. Which is an example of stage directions? A SCENE II. Capulets orchard. B C D

[coming forward] Ay me! O speak again bright angel

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

from The Maine Woods

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Yolanda Greene Mrs. Hodgkins English III May 22, 2008

Shakespeare in Modern Clothes

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Those Winter Sundays

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING DIAGNOSTIC TEST CHECKLIST

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

3Check Your Active-Reading Skills

from Environmental Science

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Permafrost? Isnt global warming making that melt down?

Is animal life on the tundra the main idea?

Now theyre talking about the food chain.

Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

from A Pair of Silk Stockings

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

USE LITERAL COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES

1. Reread and Read Ahead

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

2. Break Down Long, Confusing Sentences

Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

Break Down Long, Confusing Sentences

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

3. Look for Signal Words and Phrases

Reading Skills and Strategies for SOL Success

Preparing for the SOL: Reading/Literature and Research

Look for Signal Words and Phrases

4. Use Context Clues