STAAR Paired Passages

A paired passage is...

• two passages about a similar topic

• two passages from different genres

• a single passage with multiple authors

• a passage and a poem

Which of the following things you should NOT do when you are reading paired passages?

• Read passage 1 . Then answer the questions to passage 2.

• Read passage 2 . Then answer the questions to passage 1.

• Make connections to both passages.

• Skip reading the passages and directly answer the questions.

Genres that you may encounter on a paired passage include...

• fiction + poem

• nonfiction (informational) + drama

• poem + nonfiction

• drama + drama

A paired passage is important because

• you can get information about the same topic through different genres and subgenres

• it makes reading more difficult

• it confuses the reader

• it is unnecessary

What kind of questions may be asked about paired passages?

• Inference

• Compare and Contrast

• Author's Purpose

• Historical facts

If you do not know the answer to a question on a paired passage...

• Choose the one with the most text evidence

• Guess randomly

• Leave it blank

• Skip the question

When you see a paired passage, the best thing to do THIRD is...

• Read the remaining questions. Then reread both passages. Think about connections between the texts, and make notes. Then answer the remaining questions.

• Skip reading the passages and directly answer the questions.

• Read the questions first before reading any passage.

• Locate the first passage and the questions that go with it. Read the questions. Then read the passage. Answer the questions that go along with it.

What is the primary purpose of paired passages in the STAAR test?

• To compare and contrast different viewpoints

• To confuse the reader with multiple genres

• To provide a single perspective on a topic

• To test mathematical skills

Which of the following strategies is most effective when reading paired passages?

• Read both passages first, then answer questions

• Answer questions for the first passage before reading the second

• Skip the passages and answer questions based on prior knowledge

• Read the questions first, then skim the passages

In paired passages, what is a common element that connects the two texts?

• A shared theme or topic

• Identical writing styles

• The same author

• The same genre