Best ELA Test

Excerpt from "Red Cloud Part A" by Charles A. Eastman
The names and deeds of some of these men will live on in American history, and in the true sense they are unknown, because misunderstood.
How should the section marked in red be revised in order to improve the sentence?

• The names and deeds in the true sense they are unknown, because misunderstood.
• The names and deeds of some of these men will live in American history, and in the true sense they are unknown.
  
• The names and deeds of some of these men will live in American history, and in the true sense they are unknown.
  
• The names and deeds of some of these men will live in American history, but in the true sense they are unknown because they are misunderstood.

Excerpt from "California Boating Laws"
133. Discharging oil upon navigable waters. Except in case of emergency imperiling life or property, or unavoidable accident, collision, or stranding, or as otherwise permitted by law, it is unlawful and constitutes a misdemeanor for any person to discharge, or suffer the discharge of oil by any methods, means, or manner, into or upon the navigable waters of the State from any vessel using oil as fuel for the generation of propulsion power, or any vessel carrying or having oil in excess of that necessary for its lubricating requirements, and such as may be required under the laws and prescribed rules and regulations of the United States and this State.
What sentence BEST summarizes paragraph 133?

• In some cases, a vessel may discharge oil, and that's OK.
• Excess oil that is discharged from vessels into navigable waters is a punishable misdemeanor.
• All boats do not need to be in navigable waters if they are going to be discharging excess oil.
• Excess oil can, in some rare cases, actually be discharged lawfully, assuming the instance is such that it cannot be avoided and must therefore fall under other jurisdictional laws that allow such.
  

Geoff had a few of his favorite sports trading cards in his pocket. Geoff had chosen to visit the museum on the day that it was holding a sport-card trade show. He wanted to see the rare and unique cards that some of the sellers offered. Geoff pulled a stack of baseball cards out of his pocket. He had brought the cards of some of his favorite baseball players from Georgia. To Geoff’s surprise, the former heavy hitter George “Boomer” Scott was at the Hall of Fame signing cards. At first, Geoff was so nervous that he didn’t want to approach Boomer. Then, after his mother assured him that it was fine, Geoff had Boomer sign some of his cards.
The root of unique is uni, meaning one. Which word also comes from this root?

• uniform
• unabated
• unorganized
• uneven

Which word is closest in meaning to a lot?

• any
• few
• some
• much

Wade will have to write an essay about one of the poets discussed in his English class, as part of the final project. Throughout the semester, he keeps a notebook filled with the names of different poets he learns about in class. Why?

• Writing down the names of poets will force him to read different types of poetry.
• Creating a list of poets will force him to pay closer attention in class.
• Having a list of poets will help him choose a topic for his essay.
• Making a list of poets will remind him that he needs to read other authors too.

Animals in the forest have a wide variety of adaptations. Monkeys have long tails. They can use them almost like another hand. This helps them swing quickly through the tops of trees. They can even do this while holding their babies or gathering food. Giraffes need to reach leaves at the tops of tall trees. Having a long neck is an adaptation that allows them to do this.
Which is the BEST concluding sentence for this paragraph?

• Adaptations can be a body part that helps an animal survive.
• Some animals' adaptations prevent other animals from wanting to eat them.
• The thorns on roses prevent animals from eating their leaves.
• In a forest biome, some trees grow taller than the other plants around them.

Rather than exchanging gifts this year, my family is ______ a donation to Christmas charities.
Choose the form of the verb that best completes the sentence.

• gave
• give
• given
• giving

Identify the error in point of view in the following sentence: 
In my English class, we learned how to make your stories more interesting through the use of vivid details.

• my should be their
• your should be our
• your should be their
• stories should be them

(1) It happens to everyone. (2) You’re sitting in class, and you suddenly realize that you’ve forgotten your homework. (3) Leaving your homework at home can negatively affect your GPA, making more work for you in the end. (4) The solution to this common problem has finally arrived! (5) The GSX360 is a revolutionary device that scans your homework into a small and portable flash drive. (6) After you’ve completed your homework, simply run the GSX360 over your papers. (7) The device creates a scan of your homework and automatically saves it on your flash drive. (8) Even if you’ve left all your books at home, you can use your GSX360 to print out copies of your work.
Which BEST summarizes the advertisement?

• Students have so much homework that they forget to complete all their assignments.
• Leaving homework at home is a common problem for many students.
• The GSX360 can help students keep their homework assignments organized.
• The GSX360 makes homework fun and enjoyable.

(1) Charlie Chaplin was born in England in 1889. (2) His parents were entertainers, who encouraged their son to perform. (3) By the age of eight, Charlie was performing on stage. (4) Within a few years of landing in the United States, he signed his first contract with a movie studio. (5) Charlie made a number of short films and signed with a different Hollywood studio. (6) In 1910, he and his traveling acting troupe came to America. (7) In 1921, his first full-length film—called The Kid—made Charlie a star. (8) Chaplin made many films and won many awards during his career.
Which is the BEST topic sentence for this report? 

• Charlie Chaplin was a famous entertainer in the early 1900s.
• Charlie Chaplin's real name was Charles Spencer Chaplin.
• During the early 1900s, many famous entertainers starred in movies.
• Charlie Chaplin's first film- the The Kid - made Charlie a star.