Basic Reading

According to the passage, which of the following occurred? 

• The main character refused to join the group in the car. 
• The main character’s mother purposely neglected her. 
• The main character resembled her new friends’ look and attitude. 
• The main character continually rejected all offers of friendship. 

The word assimilate in paragraph six (lines 53-64) most nearly means: 

• conjoin. 
• coordinate. 
• comply.
  
• conform. 

All of the following were clearly identified in the passage as the reactions the main character experiences during and preceding her meeting with her new friends EXCEPT: 

• sweaty hands. 
• nervous trembling. 
• genuine appreciation. 
• reduced pace. 

Which of the following statements best describes the main point of the passage? 

• Teens in high school face rejection and prejudice regularly. 
• Teens from divorced families face greater challeng- es with socialization than those with conventional families. 
• The attractions of making new friends and feeling wanted can cause teens to do things out of character. 
• Groups of teenagers gather at night to commit illegal activities. 

As it is used in line 81, the word rupturing most nearly means: 

• dispersing.
  
• disintegrating. 
• disrupting.
  
• circumventing. 

The primary purpose of paragraphs two, four, and six is to inform the reader of: 

• background information about the main character’s life. 
• the main character’s refusal to make friends at her lunch table. 
• information about the main character’s family. 
• events that have defined the main character. 

The passage mentions all of the following as reasons for the main character’s lack of friends EXCEPT: 

• her antisocial nature. 
• her poor grades. 
• her concern about others’ opinions. 
• her own opinion of others. 

According to the passage, which of these is NOT mentioned as part of the main character’s after school routine? 

• completing her homework. 
• playing with her dog. 
• choosing her own dinner. 
• using her house key to let herself in. 

The main idea of the last paragraph (lines 80-87) is to illustrate how: 

• the main character successfully conformed to the others in the group. 
• the use of rhetorical questions can strengthen the reader’s understanding of a situation. 
• the main character’s dog is her only friend. 
• the main character is uncomfortable about her next step. 

When the author describes the main character as “a closed door” (lines 42-43), he most nearly means that she: 

• keeps her door locked when friends come to visit her at her home. 
• consistently refuses to let others get to know her. 
• half-heartedly rejects friendly advances. 
• challenges others to become acquainted with her.