Test Booklet. Subject: LA, Grade: 08 LEAP Grade 8 Language Arts Student name:

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1 Test Booklet Subject: LA, Grade: 08 LEAP Grade 8 Language Arts Student name: Author: Louisiana District: Louisiana Released Tests Printed: Friday December 14, 2012

2 1 Read the topic below and write a well-organized multiparagraph composition of about words. Be sure to follow the suggestions listed here: In your article, give specific details and enough information so that your readers will understand what it would be like to trade places with someone else. Be sure to write clearly and to check your article for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. As an assignment for your school newspaper, you are to write an article about trading places with anyone else in the world. This person can be from the past or present. Before you begin to write, think about a person with whom you would like to trade places. Whom would you choose to be? Why would you like to be that person? What would you do as that person for a day? How would you feel about being that person? Now write a multiparagraph article for your school newspaper telling about trading places with someone else for a day. Page 1

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5 Hands is the last section of the book A Step from Heaven by An Na. A Step from Heaven describes the life of a young Korean girl who immigrates to America and must adjust to life in a new land. Read Hands and a review of the book and then answer the questions that follow. Excerpt from A Step from Heaven Hands by An Na Uhmma s hands are as old as sand. They have always been old, even when we were young. In the mornings, they would scratch across our sleeping faces as she smoothed our foreheads, our cheeks, and told us quietly, Wake up. Time for school. At work, her hands sewed hundreds of jeans before the lunch bell sounded and then boxed hundreds more before she left for her night job at Johnny s Steak House. They knew how to make a medium-rare steak, baked potato on the side, in ten minutes flat for hungry customers always in a hurry. Uhmma s hands washed our dinner dishes, cleaned the kitchen floor with a rag, folded load after load of laundry. They could raise hems of second-hand dresses with stitches so tiny there was barely a line. Even on Sunday they held a Bible and helped set out doughnuts and coffee after the service. Uhmma s hands rarely rested. But sometimes, not often and not when Uhmma was tired and wanted only to feel the cool underside of a pillow but sometimes, her hands would open. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, in a sunspot bright as the open sea, Uhmma unfurled her fingers. Palms up. A flower finally open to the bees. Joon and I would rush to sit on either side of her. Uhmma held our small hands in her own and said she could read stories in the lines of our palms. Look, Young Ju, Uhmma said. Your intelligence line is strong. Someday, maybe you will become a doctor. Uhmma traced the line with her cat-tongue finger, tickling my hand as it moved from the heel of my palm up to the base of my middle finger. Joon shoved away my hand and offered his for inspection. Look at my intelligence line, Uhmma. These baby hands have lines? Let me see, Uhmma said and brought his palm up close to her face. She studied it for a moment and then suddenly kissed the middle. Plop. A raindrop on water. Joon giggled, kicking out his feet. This one, Uhmma. Tell me about this one, Joon said and pointed to a line on his palm, the one that predicted he would live to be an old, successful man with many children. (10) It did not matter that we had heard the stories before. Each telling was a lullaby of dreams we never wanted to wake from. We were reaching, always reaching, to touch Uhmma s sandpaper palms. Uhmma said her hands were her life. But for us, she only wished to see our hands holding books. You must use this, she said and pointed to her mind. Uhmma s hands worked hard to make sure our hands would not resemble hers. It takes only a glance at our nails, our knuckles, our palms to know Uhmma succeeded. Joon and I both possess Uhmma s lean fingers, but without the hard, yellowed calluses formed by years of abuse from physical labor. Our hands turn pages of books, press fingertips to keyboard buttons, hold pencils and pens. They are lithe and tender. The hands of dreams come true. Page 4

6 (13) As I walk with Uhmma now, her hand grasped firmly in mine, I can feel the strength that was there in our childhood ebbing away. I cup her hand, unfurl her fingers, and let the lines of her palm speak to the sky. They are the marks of story and time. For some it might be hard to tell which lines were there from birth and which ones immigrated from countless jobs. But I can tell. I trace a set of tiny lines etched along her thumb. They speak of Uhmma s early years gathering and drying fish along the Korean coastline. I follow another path and find a deep groove at the base of her pointer finger. Immediately I smell the smoky kitchen of the steak house crowded with visitors just pulling off the I-5 for dinner. Too busy, she had explained as she unwound the Reynolds plastic wrap and tried to peel away the blood-soaked napkin from the cut. The old scar, white and fleshy, still remembers the hard kiss of the dancing knife. I smooth the tips of her fingers. Tiny flecks of skin, parched from dry-cleaning clothes, ironing shirts, heavy on the starch, stand up searching for the moisture that was robbed day after day for eleven years. In the middle of her palm, the creases are still strong. Although the line of riches is cut short by a scar from an unseen hook caught in a fish s mouth, her lifeline extends out full and long. The marriage line is faint, crisscrossed by tiny cracks in the skin starting and ending in a mystery. Uhmma s hands have lived many lives, though her hair only recently has begun to gray. I study these lines of history and wish to erase them. Remove the scars, the cuts, fill in the cracks in the skin. I envelop Uhmma s hands in my own tender palms. Close them together. Like a book. A Siamese prayer. I tell her, I wish I could erase these scars for you. Page 5

7 Uhmma gently slips her hands from mine. She stares for a moment at her callused skin and then says firmly, These are my hands, Young Ju. Uhmma tucks a wisp of my long, straight black hair behind my ear and then puts her arm around my waist. We continue our walk along the beach. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Review of A Step from Heaven An Na When Young Ju is four years old, she learns that her family is leaving their small fishing village in Korea to live in Mi Gook. Young Ju has heard enough about Mi Gook to be sure the place they are moving to is paradise, that she and her family are going to heaven. After flying through the sky for a long time, Young Ju finds out that Mi Gook is actually a regular earthly place called America. And it doesn t feel at all like heaven. A Step from Heaven follows Young s life from the age of 4 all the way up until she is ready for college, as we watch her change from a hopeful girl into a hardened young adult. Page 6

8 You think you had it bad growing up? Young doesn t speak or even understand English. She must struggle to become the Mi Gook girl her mother wants for a daughter, which means losing some of her Korean identity. But it seems that just as soon as she learns the American culture, her parents are afraid she has forgotten her past. Young doesn t want her new American friends to see how weird her parents are or the poverty in which they live, so she doesn t invite them over, she lies to both her friends and her family and instead of fixing the situation, Young only serves to make herself more lonely. An Na weaves a wonderfully poetic first novel. Although grand in scope, the novel never feels overdone. The story is sweepingly dramatic without a trace of insincerity it feels real. It will open the eyes of anyone who is part of American society, who has lived here all their lives and never felt like an outsider, and anyone moving here from another country will relate to Young Ju s struggles to learn America s strange ways. An Na is a talented writer who makes sure you know her characters inside and out. Everyone you meet in this book will work his or her way into your heart even Young Ju s father and you won t forget any of the characters anytime soon. Best of all is Young Ju, a confused girl who is also brave, kind and gentle. You won t escape the pain that Young must deal with every day, as her family struggles to break free from their no-win situation. However, Young sees the beauty everywhere, even in her harsh reality. Look around. Is there someone you know who is a little different, someone who doesn t get noticed much? You would never guess it, but maybe they could use your friendship right now. A lyrical and beautiful book, this novel is a great read. It flows quickly, is well-written, and you can definitely learn from it. I know I did. Reviewed by Kate Torpie 2 What is the main purpose of the book review? A to help students with book reports B to inform possible readers about the book C to compare and contrast two cultures D to show what life is like as a Korean American 3 According to the book review, the title A Step from Heaven most likely refers to the idea that A life in America was not really a paradise. B Uhmma is old and her life has changed. C Young Ju was happy that she moved to America. D the family finally decides to return to Korea. 4 In paragraph 10 of Hands, the narrator describes Uhmma s stories as a lullaby of dreams we never wanted to wake from. This description shows that A Uhmma often read the lines in the children s hands at night. B Uhmma sang when she read the lines in the children s hands. C the children were tired of listening to Uhmma s stories. D the children felt comforted when Uhmma read their hands. 5 Paragraph 13 of Hands states I can feel the strength that was there in our childhood ebbing away. The word ebbing means A fading. B increasing. C grasping. D returning. Page 7

9 6 Look back at the passage Hands and the book review of A Step from Heaven. In paragraph 4 of the book review, the reviewer writes, Young sees the beauty everywhere, even in her harsh reality. Explain what this statement means. Use at least one relevant example from the passage and one example from the book review to show both the beauty and the harsh reality that Young Ju sees in her life. Page 8

10 Directions: Read the passage about a student who is thinking about joining a school club. As you read the passage, think about what might happen next. Then use the passage to help you write a well-organized multiparagraph story. Words of Wisdom Aiden placed his pencil and notebook into his backpack and walked toward the exit of the classroom. Just as he reached the door, he stopped and turned back to ask his English teacher a question. Mr. Salter, can you tell me what the word modest means? Mr. Salter looked up from the papers he was grading and said, Well, it depends on the context. Could you use it in a sentence so I can give you the correct definition? Sure, said Aiden. In fact, I ll use it in a quotation: A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. Wow, Aiden, that s quite profound! laughed Mr. Salter. Where did you hear that? Aiden smiled. It s a quotation from Confucius, the ancient Chinese philosopher. Ms. Conley posted it on the bulletin board outside her classroom and said it has something to do with the Middle School Service Club. In that case, responded Mr. Salter, modest means a reasonable amount. A person who is modest in his speech does not talk too much. Instead, that person proves his point through his actions. It is similar to another quotation, Actions speak louder than words. It means that what you do says more about you than what you say. Does that help you understand? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Salter, said Aiden. You re quite welcome. I hope you consider joining the Middle School Service Club; they do a lot of important things for our school and our community. If not, I hope you will still think about that quotation and see if you can find a way to use those words each day. Aiden had heard about the activities the Middle School Service Club participates in. Club members have helped by participating in School Clean-Up Day, collecting canned goods for the local food bank, and tutoring elementary students after school. On the bus that afternoon, many of the students were discussing all the clubs and other activities that they might join that year. A few were talking on and on about their plans. Aiden noticed that none of them mentioned the Service Club. When he told them that he was thinking about joining, the boys looked at him, and for a split second there was silence. Then they burst out laughing. Aiden, said Tim, who wants to be part of that club? All they do is work. I don t see what s fun about cleaning up trash and serving meals at a homeless shelter. Why don t you join the debate team with us? We ll talk about the issues that matter. That s how things really get done. Aiden didn t respond. He sat quietly in his seat thinking about the quotation on Ms. Conley s bulletin board and what Mr. Salter said about it. Page 9

11 7 Think about what Aiden might do next. Do you think he will join the Service Club? How do you think the quotation and the boys reaction might affect Aiden? Write a multiparagraph story for your teacher about Aiden and what you think will happen next. Use details from the passage to help you tell your story. As you write, follow the suggestions below. Be sure your story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Use details from the passage and include enough information so your teacher will understand what happened in your story. Be sure to write clearly and to check your story for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Page 10

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