Test Booklet Subject: LA, Grade: 07 Warm-ups 4.3 Student name: Author: Lori Thacker School: HUNTER MIDDLE SCHOOL Printed: Sunday March 30, 2014
1 In an organized group, which member maintains the schedule and makes sure all work is completed by the deadline? A the information gatherer B the recorder C the reporter D the timekeeper Page 1
2 In an organized group, which member is responsible for conducting research? A the leader B the reporter C the timekeeper D the information gatherer 3 For a team to be productive, what is the first step the team needs to take? A assign a role to each team member B set deadlines for the completion of each task C determine the purpose and goals for the team D measure the progress of individuals and the group Page 2
Read the passage and answer nine questions. Whisper of the Land by Joyce Sequichie Hifler Joyce Sequichie Hifler s Cherokee Indian name is Da Ga No Hi Ski-Di Go We Li SGi, which means She Who Writes Her Philosophy on Paper. On the darkest day in winter, color is all around us colors we do not expect to see, so we do not see them. They float in the early morning clouds that lie along the southeastern horizon, and hover in the crevices of the hills at midday. In evening, the western horizon is moving, breathing rose-gold and purple all shades of purple. The truth is that we are not tuned to the joy of color the way we are to dreary things. If our minds are caught on dismal colorless thoughts, our eyes have little chance of seeing beyond them. To overcome my own color blindness, I have spent long hours in the orchard and surrounding areas. Here I find the solitude I need to study the life and color of the land. I have trudged over this ground when it was frozen solid, when it wept with too much rain, when it was dry and dusty, and when it was verdant with growing plants and trees and wild flowers. I shared everything I saw and comprehended with my notebook, kept minute details about everything I observed. I learned never to assume a thing. I could never rely on memory to recall exactly how a wild strawberry looked, and I knew it would look different when a week had passed. Every day and every walk was different. The incredible things happening were too important not to keep a record how a meadow was ablaze with dew gems, a deer as it scampered across the field, and how the smoke from a farmer s brush pile spiraled like a blue corkscrew into the atmosphere. Everything is full of life for such a short time. The image must be as important in my notebook when I read it again as it was when it happened. It must be able to live again on the page in another season. My winter notebooks go with me into spring, and my spring notes are soon filled out with summer pictures. I record and record, because each image must have time to work through my own fingers and my own consciousness to live on paper. The word is only a part of the spirit, but it feeds the one who cannot stop to see, to experience the purples of the land. I cannot assume readers will know what I have seen, how a flower blooms, how a bird flies, or what fragrance is. To trigger someone else s imagination to see for themselves is to come full circle to reawaken my own. Sometimes when the snow is flying and juncos 1 feed at my window, I close my eyes and see the lush violets that bloom along the banks of the river in another season. I can see the moss-green leaves fat with sap, and lined with crisp white veins to support the weight. The leaves are centered with lilac and purple blooms that are so velvety they hold every drop of dew that falls upon them. No one should miss the purples that accent nature. We who record the whisper of the land must live in it, breathe it, and bring it forward. Wonders await us all. But our spirits must be kindled to see and to feel. Then, when we are weary, when all the color has drained from our spirits, we can tap into the life of the land again and find a healing peace. 1 juncos: a type of bird Page 3
Whisper of the Land from When The Night Bird Sings by Joyce Hifler, copyright 1999 by Joyce Hifler. Used by permission of Council Oak Books. 4 Read this sentence from the passage. They float in the early morning clouds that lie along the southeastern horizon, and hover in the crevices of the hills at midday. As it is used in this sentence, crevices are to as peaks are to summits. A tops B hills C paths D cracks 5 Part of the author s purpose in writing this passage is to persuade. Which sentence from the passage demonstrates this purpose? A In evening, the western horizon is moving, breathing rose-gold and purple all shades of purple. B To overcome my own color blindness, I have spent long hours in the orchard and surrounding areas. C To trigger someone else s imagination to see for themselves is to come full circle to reawaken my own. D The leaves are centered with lilac and purple blooms that are so velvety they hold every drop of dew that falls upon them. Page 4
6 Which sentence from the passage is a fact, not an opinion? A On the darkest day in winter, color is all around us colors we do not expect to see, so we do not see them. B The truth is that we are not tuned to the joy of color the way we are to dreary things. C My winter notebooks go with me into spring, and my spring notes are soon filled out with summer pictures. D No one should miss the purples that accent nature. 7 Read this sentence from the passage. Then, when we are weary, when all the color has drained from our spirits, we can tap into the life of the land again and find a healing peace. What emotion does the author describe with the phrase when all the color has drained from our spirits? A resentment B anger C depression D regret Page 5
8 Read the graphic organizer below. What is the effect of the above cause? A The author walks several miles. B The author is able to focus on beauty. C The author fills her notebooks with pictures. D The author remembers what the winter flowers look like. 9 Which excerpt from the passage shows an example of a simile? A... the western horizon is moving, breathing rose-gold and purple... B... how a meadow was ablaze with dew gems, a deer as it scampered across the field... C... the smoke from a farmer s brush pile spiraled like a blue corkscrew... D... each image must have time to work through my own fingers and my own consciousness... 10 What does the color purple symbolize in this passage? A the wonder and beauty of the natural world B the strength and wisdom of the written word C the power of the changing seasons and weather D the ability of people to ignore meaningful events Page 6
11 Read this sentence. I have trudged over this ground when it was frozen solid, when it wept with too much rain, when it was dry and dusty, and when it was verdant with growing plants and trees and wild flowers. The underlined word in the sentence most nearly means A surrounded. B green and thriving. C burdened. D smothered and hot. Page 7
12 Look at the photograph. A state park wants to use this photo in a brochure. communicate with this photograph? What message is the park most likely trying to A The park is a place of natural beauty. B The park is most beautiful in the fall. C The park is a place for people of all ages. D The park is known for moths and butterflies. 13 What is the most likely purpose of a video showing a series of daring stunts performed in a famous flying circus? A to entertain viewers with a memorable flight exhibition by great pilots B to describe for viewers how the pilots plan their daring flights C to inform viewers which pilot has the most advanced skills D to persuade viewers to become pilots with exceptional ability and courage 14 What is the most likely purpose of a video about pets and their funny behaviors with people? A to describe B to inform C to entertain D to persuade Page 8
Ogden Nash has a way of making clever observations about life. P. B. (Percy Bysshe) Shelley was a famous nineteenth-century English poet. Read the poem and answer the questions that follow. You and Me and P. B. Shelley Ogden Nash What is life? Life is stepping down a step or sitting in a chair, And it isn t there. Life is not having been told that the man has just waxed 5 the floor, It is pulling doors marked PUSH and pushing doors marked PULL and not noticing notices which say PLEASE USE OTHER DOOR Life is an Easter Parade 10 In which you whisper, No darling if it s a boy we ll name him after your father! into the ear of an astonished stranger because the lady you thought was walking beside you has stopped to gaze into a window full of radishes and hot malted lemonade. 15 It is when you diagnose a sore throat as an unprepared geography lesson and send your child weeping to school only to be returned an hour later covered with spots that are indubitably genuine, It is a concert with a trombone soloist filling in for Ye- 20 hudi Menuhin.* Were it not for frustration and humiliation I suppose the human race would get ideas above its station. Somebody once described Shelley as a beautiful and inef- 25 fective angel beating his luminous wings against the void in vain, Which is certainly describing with might and main, But probably means that we are all brothers under our pelts, 30 And Shelley went around pulling doors marked PUSH and pushing doors marked PULL just like everybody else. Yehudi Menuhin a famous American violinist and conductor Page 9
15 What is the speaker saying about Shelley in lines 24 31? A Shelley was a better poet than most. B Shelley acted like an angel most of the time. C Shelley experienced many tragedies in his life. D Shelley experienced the same problems as everyone. 16 Which of the following sentences best summarizes what is happening in lines 9 14? A The speaker mistakenly speaks to a stranger. B The speaker asks a friend what to name his child. C The speaker ignores his wife and looks in a store window. D The speaker argues with his wife about naming their baby. 17 Which of the following phrases best summarizes the events described in lines 1 8? A familiar nightmares B common practical jokes C life s common frustrations D life s dangerous experiences 18 In the poem, what does the poet use to define life? A a popular fable B a dictionary definition C a quotation from another poem D a series of humorous comparisons Page 10 STOP