EOC Reading Test Prep

Read the following dictionary entry:
 tender \ ten-d r\ adj 1. showing gentleness and concern or sympathy 2. sensitive to pain 3. young, immature, and vulnerable 4. requiring tact or careful handling
Which definition best matches the use of the word tender in Wild:  paragraph 3?

• Definition 1
• Definition 2
• Definition 3
• Definition 4

Wild:
In paragraph 8, the author uses glass as a metaphor to show her —

•  intense anger
• deep personal regret
• vision problems
• extreme physical agony

Wild:
In which quotation does the author use descriptive language to show her unexpected awe?

• I crawled out of my tent and stood slowly, my muscles stiff from yesterday’s hike, my bare feet tender on the rocky dirt.
• My pack’s frame creaked behind me with each step, straining from the weight. The muscles of my upper back and shoulders were bound in tense, hot knots.
• I knew it was the top because there was snow. Not on the ground, but falling from the sky, in thin flakes that swirled in mad patterns, pushed by the wind.
• By noon I was up over 6,000 feet and the air had cooled, the sun suddenly disappearing behind clouds.

Wild:
Paragraph 10 builds upon the theme of —

• discovering how close humans are to nature
• rejecting modernity for a simpler way of living
• finding a sanctuary from society by retreating into nature
• gaining a new perspective by undergoing a challenging experience

Wild:
23  In paragraph 4, the author’s attitude about being near wildlife is —

• terrified
• pleased
• cautious
• irritated

A Train Trip:
What detail is left unresolved at the end of the selection?

• Whether the cabin will be secured after Jimmy and his father leave
• Whether Jimmy can fully accept his father’s authority
• Jimmy’s feelings about leaving the cabin
• The final destination for Jimmy and his father

A Train Trip:
Read this sentence  from paragraph 26.
The leather soles of my shoes felt insecure and slippery on the rungs.
The author's use of first person point of view-

• reveals Jimmy’s youthful idealism
• shows Jimmy’s fearless determination
• helps the reader understand that Jimmy is unreliable
• allows the reader to identify with Jimmy’s vulnerability

Paired Reading of Wild and A Train Trip:
What do the narrators of both selections have in common?

• They both show signs of being physically exhausted.
• They both exhibit some reluctance to proceed on a journey.
• They both experience deep feelings of regret.
• They both test the limits of their endurance.

Although the authors of the selections write in different styles, both of them make use of —

• short sentences
• occasional dialogue 
• third-person narration
• vivid descriptions

Paired reading of Wild and A Train Trip:
In both selections, food is described as something —

• the narrators consume out of necessity   
• the narrators find completely unappealing
• that represents love and caring
• that is in limited supply