STAAR Bootcamp Reading Review (Paired Passages)

1. In paragraph 2 of "Voyaguers," what does clambered mean?

• A. called back and forth to one another

• B. climbed awkwardly on all fours

• C. clawed in search of something

• D. completed a complicated action

2. The description of the otters in paragraph 1 and 2 suggests they are...

• F. loving

• G. hostile

• H. playful

• J. tense

3. In paragraph 7, the author includes the information about his daughter's studies primarily to...

• A. provide background information about their trip to the north woods

• B. explain the details of her scientific research studies of wild animals

• C. indicate that delight in nature need not disappear with scientific knowledge

• D. show that scientific knowledge has the ability to transform our attitudes about all life

4. Which quotation best illustrates the author's yearning for connection with the world?

• F. Science had complicated her vision without lessening her delight in other creatures.

• G. We had been canoeing in the Boundary Waters Wilderness for several days, long enough for the men’s faces to stubble with beards, for the women’s faces to burnish from wind and sun.

• H. I am a poor sort of shaman. My shape never changes, except, year by year, to wrinkle and sag.

• J. I desired their instruction—as if, by watching them, I might learn to belong somewhere as they so thoroughly belonged here.

5. In paragraph 2, the author uses the figurative language “their tails flipping up to gleam like wands in the early sunlight” to illustrate the —

• A. magical beauty of the otters

• B. mystical allure of the morning

• C. cheerful nature of the otters

• D. tranquility of the morning setting

6. Why does the author ask several questions in paragraphs 13 and 14?

• F. To analyze his disagreements with others about how to protect nature

• G. To evaluate his reasons for worrying about the creatures before him

• H. To review the ways humankind has harmed nature

• J. To explore his motivations for continuing to stand by the river

7. Which quotation best supports the theme of the interrelatedness of living creatures?

• A. I was pleased to find a label for this animate scrap, as though by pinning the right word on the shape-shifter I could hold it still.

• B. “I’d love to sit on that boulder and let them do the swimming,” I answered.

• C. Drawn by our whispers and watchfulness, the others from our camp soon joined us on the granite bluff, some bearing mugs of coffee, some with plates of steaming blueberry pancakes.

• D. I wanted them to go about their lives in my presence as though I were kin to them, no matter how much I might differ from them outwardly.

8. Which statement best expresses the main idea of the essay "One Kingdom: Our Lives with Animals"?

• F. As uncomfortable as zoos can make us feel, they are useful and appealing.

• G. Zoos benefit everyone by helping animals and educating people.

• H. When visiting zoos, people should respect the animals.

• J. Zoos have initiated many improvements that benefit animals.

9. Read this quotation from paragraph 1.

"It’s the wide, wild world in miniature, and its human architects are conscientious stewards."

In this quotation, the author means that —

• A. zoos should provide visitors with opportunities to feed and care for the animals

• B. zoos need to be designed to accommodate most of the world’s animal species

• C. people are responsible for properly feeding the animals in zoos

• D. people have built and control the unnatural world the animals in their care now inhabit

10. What evidence does the author primarily use to support her message?

• F. Facts about biodiversity

• G. Expert opinions and interviews

• H. Personal observation and reflection

• J. Details about zoo practices