Junior Midterm Mastery

What is the best strategy for finding textual evidence to support your answer?

• Look for phrases or sentences that directly mention the key idea.
• Choose any sentence from the passage that sounds important.
• Focus on the author’s opinion in the conclusion.
• Select the first sentence of the passage.

Answer explanation

Jupiter is a gas giant made primarily of hydrogen and helium. Unlike terrestrial planets that have solid surfaces, gas giants like Jupiter don't have a well-defined solid surface, allowing them to accumulate more mass in a gaseous form. This composition has allowed Jupiter to grow significantly larger than planets with solid surfaces.

When selecting evidence for a claim, what should you consider?

• Choose evidence that directly supports the idea you are discussing.
• Select evidence that is vague or unrelated but sounds good.
• Pick evidence that is not in the text but might be helpful.
• Choose the longest sentences available.

What is the best way to cite evidence from a passage in your answer?

• Include the sentence or paraphrase it, then explain how it supports your point.
• Only summarize the passage without including specific examples.
• Quote the entire paragraph without explaining it.
• Only mention the title of the passage.

How do you know if you have chosen the correct textual evidence?

• The evidence directly answers the question and clearly supports your argument.
• The evidence sounds interesting but does not clearly link to your argument.
• The evidence is the longest or most complex.
• The evidence is included in the first few lines of the passage.

When you're unsure of which piece of evidence to select, what should you do?

• Reread the question and focus on finding a quote or idea that directly answers it.
• Pick any sentence from the middle of the passage.
• Use your prior knowledge rather than the text itself.
• Choose the first quote you find.

How can you make sure the evidence you select is relevant to your argument?

• Always ask yourself how the evidence connects to the specific question.
• Select evidence based on its complexity, regardless of relevance.
• Use evidence that doesn’t match the question but seems like it could work.
• Use evidence that justifies your opinion, even if it doesn't match the text.

What should you do after selecting a piece of textual evidence?

• Explain how it supports your argument in the context of the question.
• Move on without analyzing the evidence.
• Focus only on the length of the evidence, not its meaning.
• Choose additional evidence from a different source.

When citing evidence for a theme, what is an effective strategy?

• Look for key sentences that explicitly mention the theme or central idea.
• Choose sentences that seem interesting but are not directly related to the theme.
• Use only the first sentence of each paragraph.
• Ignore quotes and focus on your own interpretation.

What is the best strategy for identifying the theme of a text?

• Look for repeated ideas, words, or concepts throughout the text.
• Focus on finding the longest sentences and select the theme from those.
• Choose a single detail and make it the theme.
• Skip to the end of the text for the theme.

How can you determine the central idea of an informational passage?

• Identify the main point or argument the author is trying to convey throughout the text.
• Choose the most interesting sentence without considering the author’s purpose.
• Focus only on the first and last sentences of the passage.
• Select a sentence that describes a single character’s emotions.