RI Practice Level 1

I work with three irons, two on the coals and one to press with. When the one I'm pressing with cools down, then I take one of the irons off the coals and use that. But I was so afraid of burning his shirts I didn't let the iron get hot enough. I have hidden the half-ironed shirts in the bottom of one of the laundry baskets. Tomorrow I will try to do better.

Ironing is _____ .

• difficult

• childish

• fun

• relaxing

Louis listened to the sound of the voice again but couldn't make out any words. Then he heard footsteps coming towards the storeroom. For a second he was unable to move, but as the footsteps got closer he quickly made his way to the back door and slipped into the alley. He ran down the alley until he came to the street, where he slowed down. If people saw him running up the street, they would know something was wrong. He didn't run, but walked as fast as he could to Reverend Brown's.

There, he would be _____ .

• popular

• alone

• safe

• heard

But I still saved food that would keep for a week or more, in case we failed to catch anything with all of Mando's hooks. The boat was well stocked by the time we were ready to go. Our store would last a week should we need it.

We were _____ .

• prepared

• safe

• hungry

• exhausted

Saaski ate because Yanno said to, then, after the first mouthful, because she seemed to grow hungrier with every bite. Weariness eased and energy seeped back. She felt much stronger when she had eaten all she could hold, and drained her mug. It began to seem possible to get through the rest of the night.

She felt _____ .

• sympathetic

• worried

• embarrassed

• better

To be really good, your writing must be like a chain. The sentences and paragraphs must be linked together for strength and unity. Each sentence should have a connection to the one before it and, similarly, each paragraph should be a natural extension of the previous one. Making logical connections in your writing relies on good use of transitional words and phrases.

Sentences should be _____

• realistic

• related

• verified

• vague

Students have suggested that the city has so much smog because of the high number of cars that are on the roads. The students think that the number may be so high because most people do not carpool. They want to find out if this is so. They decide to count cars on a main road and calculate the average number of people per car.

They are testing a(n) _____ .

• idea

• automobile

• addicting

• lonely

Anyone who competes in BMX racing is going to fall from time to time. You may collide with another racer, or lose control while going over a jump or a series of whoops. It can't be avoided. Serious injuries in BMX racing are rare, but you must be prepared anyway.

BMX racing can be _____ .

• dangerous

• classmate

• lonely

• expensive

With so many children, Paul Revere had to be sure he could always earn a living. Only wealthy people could afford to buy things made of silver, so Paul learned other trades. He worked as a goldsmith. He learned to clean real teeth and make false ones. He engraved copper plates and printed pictures and business cards, fixed umbrellas, and made eyeglasses.

Paul Revere was _____ .

• industrious

• famous

• considerate

• attractive

On the other hand, money and math and clothes aren't the only things I care about. I love to go to museums, and dance performances and Broadway shows, and yes, even the opera. (Well, not all operas.) I guess I'm a "culture vulture"—another result of growing up in Manhattan. My parents were always dragging me to one event or another, and eventually I learned to appreciate and love the arts.

I have many _____ .

• friends

• adventures

• interests

• problems

Just past the midpoint of the lake, the sonar picked up a surface disturbance in front of Boat One. The signal indicated something large and moving. As the boat closed, a cluster of swimming beavers was sighted. The beavers smacked the surface of the water with their tails and dove beneath the surface, splintering the signal.

Boat One _____ something.

• hit

• lacked

• destroyed

• discovered