1st Quarter Formative Review

Read this sentence from paragraph 3.

"Yet the wall of flying soil that struck on April 14 was particularly awesome in its size and intensity."

What does wall of flying soil mean as it is used in Passage 1?

• A) a barrier built to protect the farms from wind

• B) a powerful storm of dust that arrived all at once

• C) a great eruption of sand that lifted animals into the air

• D) a layer of dirt that prevented rain from reaching crops

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Read this sentence from Passage 1.

"From 1932 through 1940, powerful storms of dust ravaged the farming and grazing lands throughout the area of the Great Plains known as the dust bowl" (par. 4)

How does Passage 2: Fields of Flashing Light further develop this idea?

• A) It focuses on the way the storms brought families together.

• B) It suggests an alternate but more accurate view of the storm.

• C) It shows that the storms were not as damaging as people believed.

• D) It illustrates how difficult life was for families who chose to brave the storms.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

Select THREE sentences that belong in a summary of Passage 2.

• A) The dust storm threatens the family's farm.

• B) The daughter is in bed when the storm arrives.

• C) The dust storm causes the air temperature to drop.

• D) The daughter watches the dust cover everything.

• F) The family struggles to defend the farm from the dust storm.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

Read this stanza from Passage 2.

I sensed it before I knew it was coming.

I heard it,

smelled it,

10 tasted it.

Dust.

How does the structure of this stanza reflect its meaning?

• A) The long line followed by short ones slows the pace of the poem.

• B) The short stanza reflects the amount of dust that will arrive.

• C) The short lines illustrate the sense of suspense.

• D) The commas show the speaker's uncertainty.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

Read these lines from Passage 2.

"It wasn't until the dust turned toward the house,

like a fired locomotive,

and I fled" (lines 25-27).

What does the phrase like a fired locomotive mean as used in these lines?

• A) The wind was loud and hot.

• B) The wind was at full speed and dangerous.

• C) The trains in the area were causing the storms.

• D) The house was in danger of being knocked down.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

Part A

How are the people in the two passages portrayed similarly?

• A) They are thankful for small miracles.

• B) They make a plan to solve the dust crisis.

• C) They remain strong in the face of challenges.

• D) They are fearful of the difficulties they may encounter.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

Part B

Select TWO quotations, one from each passage, that illustrate how the people in the two passages are portrayed similarly.

• A) "...farmers began to use more efficient machinery to carve out even greater fields" (passage 1, par. 5).

• B) "Yet people kept a sense of humor" (passage 1, par. 9).

• C) "The situation was reversed largely due to government actions" (passage 1, par. 10).

• D) "Ma told me to / cover the beds, / push the scatter rugs against the doors" (passage 2, lines 36-38).

• F) "but he didn't cry. / And neither did Ma" (passage 2, lines 68-69).

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

Read the sentence from Passage 1.

"Yet the wall of flying soil that struck on April 14 was particularly awesome in its size and intensity" (par. 3).

What does awesome mean as it is used in Passage 1?

• A) cool, neat

• B) extremely daunting or dangerous

• C) extremely good; excellent

• D) magnificent, stupendous

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Part A

Which of the following themes is best developed in Passage 2?

• A) The dust bowl is a dangerous place to live.

• B) Families should stick together

• C) Stay persistent to overcome challenges

• D) Family

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

Part B

Choose the best evidence to support how the theme is best developed in Passage 2.

• A) "Ma sank down into a chair at the kitchen table / and covered her face" (lines 45-46)

• B) "Ma told me to / cover the beds, / push the scatter rugs against the doors, / dampen the rags around the windows" (lines 36-39)

• C) "Until the temperatures dropped so low, / it brought snow" (lines 49-50)

• D) "Daddy came in, / he sat across from Ma and blew his nose" (lines 61-62)

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5