State Test Practice

Excerpt from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln

"Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away." What does the term scourge mean as it is used in the next to last paragraph?

• ally

• blessing

• curse

• surprise

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.4

CCSS.L.9-10.4A

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

'O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms,

Alone and palely loitering?

The sedge is wither'd from the lake,

And no birds sing.⁴

'O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,⁵

So haggard and so woe-begone?

The squirrel's granary is full,

And the harvest 's done...

'I saw pale kings and princes too,

Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;

They cried—"La belle Dame sans Merci

Hath thee in thrall!"⁴⁰

What is the connotative effect of the word pale, which is repeated so frequently throughout this poem?

• It describes the color of the knight's skin accurately--he has a fair complexion.

• It suggests a purity and innocence on behalf of the Knight and his beautiful lady.

• It emphasizes the old age of the Knight and other characters mentioned in the poem.

• It conveys the sickly, fear-drenched, and weakened atmosphere surrounding the knight.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

The air in St. Thomas was humid and sticking to my skin. The hot beach made my toes burn as I walked to the edge of the sand. I could hardly believe the beauty of the ocean. I’d never seen water so clear and bright. The shore in New Jersey was nice, but the waters of the Atlantic always seemed very dark. This water sparkled like a diamond in the sunlight.Which of these choices BEST adds specific and concrete detail to the vague phrase seemed very dark in the passage?

• seemed quite hard-to-see

• seemed black and murky

• seemed unpleasant

• seemed very vague

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.W.9-10.2B

10 "Yes, funny! A regular caricature," answered Elnora. "No one else wore calico, not even one other. No one else wore high heavy shoes, not even one. No one else had such a funny little old hat; my hair was not right, my ribbon invisible compared with the others, I did not know where to go, or what to do, and I had no books. What a spectacle I made for them!" Elnora laughed nervously at her own picture. "But there are always two sides! The professor said in the algebra class that he never had a better solution and explanation than mine of the proposition he gave me, which scored one for me in spite of my clothes." Reread section ten, using context clues to help define caricature. The BEST definition is

• a state of extreme ruin and misfortune

• a set of values and beliefs shared by one group

• a portrait or image that exaggerates one's physical appearance

• the time when business activity has reached its peak and starts to fall

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.4

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

I pursued the game of baseball; ⁵

Took a line drive to the knee. ⁶

I pitched the ball with all my might, ⁷

The hitter fired it back at me. ⁸

According to the poem, a line drive is a

• home run.

• wooden bat.

• special throw.

• fast, straight hit.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Which of the following are subordinate conjunctions and help make up complex sentences? Choose all that apply.

• since

• because

• to

• so that

• however

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.1

CCSS.L.9-10.1B

Diction

• a style of speaking

• word choice

• dictionary definition

• enunciating words

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Theme

• the lesson learned

• to stress

• central idea

• moral to the story

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Objective Summary

• does not include opinions

• includes inferences

• includes opinions

• the main points of a passage

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.2

Mood

• the feeling created in the reader

• found by looking at setting

• found by looking at dialogue

• exaggeration

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4