TSI Essay

What score do you need to pass the TSI ELA?

• 944 and a 4 on the essay

• 945 and a 4 on the essay

• 945 and a 5 or above on the essay

• 945 and a 5 or below on the essay

What is tested on the TSI Essay?

• purpose and focus

• organization and structure

• development and support

• all of the above

How long should your conclusion be on the TSI ELA?

• 1-2 sentences

• 4-5 sentences

• 5-6 sentences

• 6-7 sentences

How many paragraphs should your essay have?

• 4

• 6

• 5

• 1

How many sentences should your body paragraphs have?

• 4-5

• 4-6

• 4-7

• 3-4

Read the following early draft of an essay and then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement. What happens in our brains when we read? As one would expect, the parts of the brain associated with language development and processing play a central role. But recent research by neuroscientists suggests that the words and phrases we encounter when reading stories activate many other parts of our brains as well, including those responsible for smell, touch, motion, and even empathy. In one study, researchers asked participants to read words and have them scanned by a brain imaging machine. Brain imaging machines are also used to detect the effects of tumors, stroke, head and brain injury, or diseases such as Alzheimer’s. When subjects looked at words such as “perfume,” their primary olfactory cortex, the region used for smells, lit up; when they saw words such as “chair,” this region remained dark. In another study, metaphors involving texture, such as “The singer had a velvet voice,” roused the sensory cortex, while phrases such as “The singer had a pleasing voice” did not. The sensory cortex is the part of the brain responsible for perceiving texture through touch. In a third study, sentences like “Pablo kicked the ball” caused brain activity in the motor cortex, which coordinates the body’s movements. This activity was concentrated in different parts of the motor cortex depending on whether the movement was arm-related or leg-related. The idea that reading activates parts of the brain associated with “real life” functions goes beyond simple words and phrases: there is evidence that the brain treats the detailed interactions among characters in a book as something like real-life social encounters. One scientist has proposed a reason: reading produces a vivid simulation of reality, one that “runs on minds of readers just as computer simulations run on computers.” The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life. Which piece of evidence, if added to the third paragraph (sentences 11–13), would best support the writer’s argument?

• Information about a study that showed substantial overlap in the parts of the brain used to understand stories and those used to navigate interactions with other people

• A discussion of how the nature of reading has changed due to people choosing to read books, magazines, and newspapers on computers and mobile devices rather than in print

• A quote from a neuroscientist about the connection between watching television and decreased brain activity

• A statement from a teacher about how reading great literature enhances students’ minds and improves students as human beings

What are the first steps in writing an essay?

• Close Reading for evidence

• Proofreading the passages

• Citing Evidence in your paragraphs

• Writing a rough draft

• Unpacking the prompt and establishing a purpose for reading

Which type of paragraph contains cited evidence?

• Body

• Beginning

• Conclusion

• Resolution

When citing evidence you must _______________

• Credit or name the source

• Summarize ideas

• Copy exact words

• Retell in your own words

Which transition signals contrast?

• furthermore

• for instance

• as a result

• however