LIfe Changing Journeys
Which underlined phrases are gerund phrases? Select two options.
A healthy lifestyle requires getting regular exercise.Watching too much television may contribute to depression.
Correcting a Misplaced Modifier The following sentence has a misplaced modifier. The team raced to the field armed with their bats, balls, and mitts to practice for the game. Which revision best corrects the error in the sentence?
Armed with their bats, balls, and mitts, the team raced to the field to practice for the game.
Which underlined phrase is a prepositional phrase?
Before passing out the test, the teacher asked students to close their books.
Which sentence contains a phrase that adds a specific detail about time?
For several months, my sister was addicted to playing tennis.
Which statement is true about how to organize an informational essay comparing two genres?
In the body paragraphs, the writer should provide supporting evidence.
Based on the map, where does Marco Polo go after he visits Hormuz and continues to travel east? Select two options.
Mongolia Cathay
Read the sentence. The teacher offered to lend me the book as often as needed. Which word does the underlined phrase modify?
lend
Recognizing Types of Phrases Use the drop-down menus to identify the underlined phrase in each sentence. The students carrying boxes into their new dorm rooms were exhausted at the end of the day. To text in the middle of a movie is rude to other moviegoers. Skiing down that slope was exhilarating!
participial phrase infinitive phrase gerund phrase
Hiroshi is planning to write an essay comparing news reports and editorials. Which ideas should he brainstorm about in order to write an effective essay? Select four options.
the characteristics of editorials the characteristics of news reports how news reports and editorials are similar how news reports and editorials are different
Which details are important to notice when comparing and contrasting two texts from different genres? Select three options.
the point of view the language use the author's purpose
What are the primary purposes of a thesis statement in an essay comparing different genres? Select two options.
to establish the essay's main idea to introduce the subtopics of the essay
Identifying the Author's Purpose Which phrase best describes the purpose of Nazario's editorial?
to persuade readers the United States should change its refugee policy for Central America
Which quotations from Enrique's Journey provide evidence supporting Hafiza's point that this text is a biography? Select two options.
"Enrique's palms burn when he holds on to the hopper. He risks riding no-hands. Finally, he strips off his shirt and sits on it." "Enrique's head throbs. The sun reflects off the metal. It stings his eyes, and his skin tingles. It drains the little energy he has left."
Citing Evidence to Support the Author's Purpose Which sentence best supports that the author's purpose is to persuade readers the United States should change its refugee policy?
"The United States should also increase to pre-9/11 levels the number of refugees we accept to 90,000 from the current 70,000 per year and, unlike in recent years, actually admit that many."
Analyzing Historical Period and Cultural Context Which details from the text reflect the cultural context of the historical period in which Marco Polo wrote his travelogue? Check all that apply.
"The malik of Hormuz has a castle." "Ships . . . make the voyage in twenty days." "The people are Saracens who worship Mahomet."
Analyzing How Genre Supports the Author's Purpose How does the travelogue genre best support Polo's purpose for writing?
A travelogue gives details about places and cultures that readers may not know about.
Which statement best defines a travelogue?
A travelogue is a piece of writing or a lecture about a trip or journey.
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo and study the map. Let us go on now to tell of a large city which forms part of the province of Aden but has a petty ruler of its own. This city, which lies about 400 miles north-west of the port of Aden, is called Shihr. It is ruled by a count, who maintains strict justice in his domain. He has several cities and towns under his sway but is himself subject to the sultan of Aden. The people are Saracens and worship Mahomet. The city has a very good port; for I assure you that many merchant-ships come here well loaded with goods from India, and from here they export many goods to India. In particular they export innumerable fine chargers and sturdy pack-horses of great worth and price, on which the merchants make a handsome profit.
Based on the text and the map, which labeled location sends products to Shihr? Kalhat
Based on the map, which Arabian city will Marco Polo describe after Kalhat if he continues northwest across the Arabian Sea? Arabia Hormuz Socotra Venice
Hormuz
Analyzing Language, Technique, and Author's Purpose Many migrants have had their caps stolen, so they wrap their heads in T-shirts. They gaze enviously at villagers cooling themselves in streams and washing off after a day of fieldwork and at others who doze in hammocks slung in shady spots near adobe and cinder-block homes. The train cars sway from side to side, up and down, like bobbing ice cubes. —Enrique's Journey, Sonia Nazario
How do the figurative language and narrative techniques in the passage support the author's purpose? Check all that apply. They show the difficulty of the journey. They emphasize Enrique's determination. They show the hardships migrants endured.
Which revision best uses a phrase to combine the first two sentences? Read the paragraph. Last night I was startled. A raccoon crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house. It couldn't escape, and it hissed at me when I was taking out the trash. I was so surprised that I ran back into the house! I was relieved when a park ranger was able to rescue the raccoon and return it to its natural habitat.
Last night, I was startled by a raccoon that had crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house.
Which underlined phrases give specific details about place? Select two options.
Last week, construction workers began building a new fire station around the corner. Sometime last summer, the fruit stand down the street was replaced with a car wash.
Correcting a Dangling Modifier The following sentence has a dangling modifier. Filling the bicycle tires with plenty of air, the bicycle seemed to race faster. Which revision best corrects the error in the sentence?
By filling the bicycle tires with plenty of air, Carmen found that she could race faster.
Analyzing Narrative Technique and Purpose By early afternoon, it is 105 degrees. Enrique's palms burn when he holds on to the hopper. He risks riding no-hands. Finally, he strips off his shirt and sits on it. The locomotive blows warm diesel smoke. People burn trash by the rails, sending up more heat and a searing stench. Many migrants have had their caps stolen, so they wrap their heads in T-shirts. They gaze enviously at villagers cooling themselves in streams and washing off after a day of fieldwork and at others who doze in hammocks slung in shady spots near adobe and cinder-block homes. The train cars sway from side to side, up and down, like bobbing ice cubes. —Enrique's Journey, Sonia Nazario
Which narrative technique does the author include in this passage?setting How does this technique support the author's purpose? It creates a sense of oppression.
Read the excerpt from "Children of the Drug Wars." By sending these children away, "you are handing them a death sentence," says José Arnulfo Ochoa Ochoa, an expert in Honduras with World Vision International, a Christian humanitarian aid group. This abrogates international conventions we have signed and undermines our credibility as a humane country. It would be a disgrace if this wealthy nation turned its back on the 52,000 children who have arrived since October, many of them legitimate refugees.
Which phrase from the excerpt contains words with strong connotations that help describe the seriousness of the situation? "handing them a death sentence"
Read the sentences. Focused on helping his neighbors, Mark began rebuilding after the storm. He organized a team of volunteers after a local hardware store began delivering donated supplies. To watch the town come back to life was incredible.
Which phrase is a participial phrase? focused on helping his neighbors
By sending these children away, "you are handing them a death sentence," says José Arnulfo Ochoa Ochoa, an expert in Honduras with World Vision International, a Christian humanitarian aid group. This abrogates international conventions we have signed and undermines our credibility as a humane country. It would be a disgrace if this wealthy nation turned its back on the 52,000 children who have arrived since October, many of them legitimate refugees. —"The Children of the Drug Wars,"Sonia Nazario
Which phrases indicate this passage is from an editorial? Check all that apply. "handing them a death sentence" "undermines our credibility as a humane country" "would be a disgrace"
Read the sentence. After the thunderstorm, the sky was bright, and the open barrels were brimming with rainwater. What type of phrase is the underlined phrase?
a participial phrase
What would best conclude an essay comparing different genres?
a summary of the main points of comparison and contrast
Recognizing Types of Phrases Use the drop-down menus to identify the underlined phrase in each sentence. A statue of great size stood in front of the castle. Let's take a photograph of the beautiful mountain. The family who lives next door asked me to babysit for their twins.
adjectival phrase adjectival phrase adverbial phrase
Read the sentence. Writers use verbal phrases containing gerunds, infinitives, and participles to add variety and interest to their writing. What type of phrase is the underlined phrase in the sentence?
an infinitive phase
Read the excerpt from "Children of the Drug Wars." To permanently stem this flow of children, we must address the complex root causes of violence in Honduras, as well as the demand for illegal drugs in the United States that is fueling that violence. The purpose of the underlined phrase in the excerpt is to show that the consequences of violence in Honduras and drug demand in the US
are continuous.
The following sentence has a misplaced modifier. Players must maintain good grades, meet all physical-fitness requirements, and attend regularly practices to play on the varsity team. Which revision corrects the error in this sentence?
Players must maintain good grades, meet all physical-fitness requirements, and attend practices regularly to play on the varsity team.
Kalhat is a large city lying inside the gulf which is also called Kalhat. It is a fine city on the sea-coast 600 miles north-west of Dhofar. The people are Saracens who worship Mahomet. They are subject to Hormuz; and whenever the malik of Hormuz is at war with neighbors more powerful than himself, he comes to this city, because it is strongly built and situated, so that here he is afraid of no one. No corn is grown here, but it is imported by sea from other places. This city has a very good port, much frequented by merchant ships from India. -"The Middle East,"Marco Polo
Reread the text carefully. According to Marco Polo, which labeled location is closest to the city of Dhofar? D.
Selena wrote this topic sentence in her analysis of Enrique's Journey. The writer shows why it is dangerous for migrants to sleep during their trip north.
Selena wrote this topic sentence in her analysis of Enrique's Journey. The writer shows why it is dangerous for migrants to sleep during their trip north. Which piece of evidence from the biography best supports Selena's analysis? "For a while, he stands on a narrow ledge at the end of a fuel tanker. It is just inches above the wheels. He cannot let himself fall asleep; one good shake of the train, and he would tumble off."
How does the author use language in the excerpt from Enrique's Journey to support the author's purpose in the excerpt from "Children of the Drug Wars"?
She gives an account of actual violence inflicted on a teenager in Central America.
In Enrique's Journey, Sonia Nazario tells readers about Enrique's emotional journey as he tries to leave Honduras. Why does writing about this in the form of a biography support her purpose?
She is able to give an objective account about one part of Enrique's life.
The following sentence has a misplaced modifier. Tired of studying and writing research papers, summer vacation came as a relief to the student. Which revision corrects the error in the sentence?
Summer vacation came as a relief to the student, who was tired of studying and writing research papers.
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. This province produces great quantities of excellent white incense, and also dates in great abundance. No grain is grown here except rice, and not much of that; but it is imported from abroad at a big profit. Fish is plentiful, notably tunnies of large size, which are so abundant that two of them can be bought for a Venetian groat. The staple diet consists of rice, meat, and fish. . . . As for the incense of which I have spoken, which grows here in such profusion, the lord buys it for 10 gold bezants a cantar and then sells it to foreign merchants and others for 40 bezants a cantar. The lord of Shihr does this on behalf of the sultan of the province of Aden. For the sultan of Aden has incense bought up throughout his dominions at the price of 10 bezants and afterwards sold at 40 from which he derives an immense profit. Which detail best indicates the author's opinion of the incense that this province produces?
The author uses the word "excellent" to describe the incense grown in the province.
Of course, many migrant children come for economic reasons, and not because they fear for their lives. In those cases, they should quickly be deported if they have at least one parent in their country of origin. By deporting them directly from the refugee centers, the United States would discourage future non-refugees by showing that immigrants cannot be caught and released, and then avoid deportation by ignoring court orders to attend immigration hearings. —"The Children of the Drug Wars," Sonia Nazario
The text repeats the word deport and related words, such as deportation. How does this repetition serve the author's purpose? It emphasizes the potential risks many immigrants face.
Read the excerpt from "Children of the Drug Wars." By sending these children away, "you are handing them a death sentence," says José Arnulfo Ochoa Ochoa, an expert in Honduras with World Vision International, a Christian humanitarian aid group. This abrogates international conventions we have signed and undermines our credibility as a humane country. It would be a disgrace if this wealthy nation turned its back on the 52,000 children who have arrived since October, many of them legitimate refugees.
The underlined words and phrases have strong negative connotations. How do they support the author's purpose? They draw attention to the opinion that the United States is not doing enough to help these children.
Read the sentence from Nikita's analysis of "The Children of the Drug Wars." Nazario feels that refugee kids totally shouldn't be sent back to the same dangerous things they've left.
This sentence should be revised to make it more formal
Madagascar is an island lying about 1,000 miles south of Socotra. The people are Saracens who worship Mahomet. They have four sheikhs—that is to say, four elders—who exercise authority over the whole island. . . . It is said to measure about 4,000 miles in circumference. The people live by trade and industry. -"The Middle East," Marco Polo
What is the topic of this passage? the religion of Mahomet ✔ the island of Madagascar What is the author's purpose for writing this passage? ✔ to inform
Which literary elements typically appear in a travelogue? Select three options.
descriptions of sights, cultures, climates, and lands drawings, photographs, maps, or memorabilia a person's account of his or her experiences
Read the excerpt from "Children of the Drug Wars." This would allow life-or-death decisions to be made within hours by Homeland Security officials, even though studies have shown that border patrol agents fail to adequately screen Mexican children to see if they are being sexually exploited by traffickers or fear persecution, as the agents are supposed to do. Why would they start asking Central American children key questions needed to prove refugee status? The United States expects other countries to take in hundreds of thousands of refugees on humanitarian grounds. Countries neighboring Syria have absorbed nearly 3 million people. Jordan has accepted in two days what the United States has received in an entire month during the height of this immigration flow—more than 9,000 children in May. The United States should also increase to pre-9/11 levels the number of refugees we accept to 90,000 from the current 70,000 per year and, unlike in recent years, actually admit that many. Which elements of the excerpt indicate that it is an editorial? Select two options.
evidence to support an opinion words with strong connotations
Read the excerpt from "Children of the Drug Wars." To permanently stem this flow of children, we must address the complex root causes of violence in Honduras, as well as the demand for illegal drugs in the United States that is fueling that violence. What device supports the author's purpose, which is to show what has led to the refugee crisis?
repetition
Read the sentence. The students found the grammatical rules incredibly simple to understand and use. Which word does the underlined phrase modify?
rules
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. Here again good incense grows in profusion—I will tell you how. It is produced by trees of no great size, like little fir trees. They are gashed with knives in various places, and out of these gashes oozes the incense. Some of it even oozes from the tree itself without any gashing, in consequence of the great heat that prevails. What is most likely the author's purpose for including this detail about Dhofar?
to educate readers about how incense is made in Dhofar
What are elements of a body paragraph in a comparative essay? Select four options.
details evidence examples a topic sentence
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. They have sheep here that have no ears, nor even ear-holes; but in the place where ears ought to be they have little horns. They are small creatures and very pretty. And here is something else that may strike you as marvelous: their domestic animals—sheep, oxen, camels, and little ponies—are fed on fish. They are reduced to this diet because in all this country and in all the surrounding regions there is no grass; but it is the driest place in the world. The fish on which these animals feed are very small and are caught in March, April, and May in quantities that are truly amazing. They are then dried and stored in the houses and given to the animals as food throughout the year. I can tell you further that the animals also eat them alive, as soon as they are drawn out of the water. Why does the author include information about the dry climate?
to explain why people in the region have to feed their animals fish
Which statement correctly analyzes how the passages work together to develop a central idea? But the execution was an external event, not necessarily an internal exorcism. All their lives my parents, along with a nation of Dominicans, had learned the habits of repression, censorship, terror. Those habits would not disappear with a few bullets and a national liberation proclamation. They would not disappear on a plane ride north that put hundreds of miles distance between the Island and our apartment in New York. And so, long after we had left, my parents were still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads. Even on American soil, they were afraid of awful consequences if they spoke out or disagreed with authorities. The First Amendment right to free speech meant nothing to them. Silence about anything "political" was the rule in our house. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez I stood in my kitchen in Vermont, stunned, relishing her praise and listening to her cry. It was one of the few times since l had learned to talk that I did not try to answer my mother back. If there is such a thing as genetic justice that courses through the generations and finally manifests itself full-blown in a family moment, there it was. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez
Alvarez shows how she was able to finally speak for her parents' generation.
Read the two excerpts. "Remembering to Never Forget: Dominican Republic's 'Parsley Massacre'" by Mark Memmott: Seventy-five years ago, thousands of Haitians were murdered in the Dominican Republic by a brutal dictator. It was one of the 20th Century's least-remembered acts of genocide. As many as 20,000 people are thought to have been killed on orders given by Rafael Trujillo. But the "parsley massacre" went mostly unnoticed outside Hispaniola. Even there, many Dominicans never knew about what happened in early October 1937. They were kept in the dark by Trujillo's henchmen. "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez: At this point I would always ask her why she and my father had returned to live in the country if they knew the dictatorship was so bad. And that's when my mother would tell me how, under pressure from his friends up north, Trujillo pretended to be liberalizing his regime. How he invited all exiles back to form political parties. How he announced that he would not be running in the next elections. My father had returned only to discover that the liberalization was a hoax staged so that the regime could keep the goodwill and dollars of the United States. My father and mother were once again trapped in a police state.
How do the passages work together to develop a central idea? The passages show how people often did not know or understand the extent of Trujillo's deceit.
Read the excerpts from the beginning, middle, and end of "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. Passage A: Perhaps because I was spared, at ten, from the dictatorship my parents endured most of their lives, I often imagine what it must have been like for them growing up under the absolute rule of Generalísimo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Passage B: I knew very little about what was actually going on in the Dominican Republic. Whenever la situación on the island came up, my parents spoke in hushed voices. Passage C: Then I started to work on my second novel. My mother heard from one of my sisters that I was writing about the dictatorship. . . . . . . Days later, my mother called me up to tell me she had just finished the novel. "You put me back in those days. It was like I was reliving it all," she said sobbing. "I don't care what happens to us! I'm so proud of you for writing this book." How does the author develop the central idea across these excerpts? Alvarez shows how, throughout her life, she learned about the dictatorship from her parents' fear of and responses to it. Alvarez wrote about life under the dictatorship, even though doing so ruined her relationship with her mother. Alvarez shows how her lifelong fascination with her parents' life under the dictatorship was the basis for her writing. Alvarez shows how her mother counted on her to someday write a novel about the dictatorship.
How does the author develop the central idea across these excerpts? Alvarez shows how her lifelong fascination with her parents' life under the dictatorship was the basis for her writing.
Read the paragraph. The event lasted two days and was even more successful than we had anticipated. We washed more than one hundred cars and raised almost $1,000. Now we are well on our way to finalizing our plans—a trip to the city to see a Broadway play!
How does the infinitive phrase "to see a Broadway play" contribute to the text? It adds a specific detail about place that is relevant to the text's topic.
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo and study the map. The city stands at the mouth or entrance of the gulf of Kalhat, so that no ship can enter or leave the gulf except by leave of its rulers. The malik of this city thus has a powerful hold over the sultan of Kerman, to whom he is subject. For sometimes the sultan imposes some due on the malik of Hormuz or one of his brethren, and they refuse to pay it, and the sultan sends an army to enforce payment.
How does the map help the reader understand the passage? The map helps the reader understand Kalhat's location on the Gulf of Kalhat.
Read the excerpt from Enrique's Journey. Moreover, the Mara Salvatrucha street gangsters, some deported from Los Angeles, always prowl the train tops looking for sleepers. Many MS gangsters settle in Chiapas after committing crimes in the United States and being expelled to their home countries in Central America. The police in Chiapas are more forgiving of gangs than those in El Salvador or Honduras.
How does the meaning of the underlined word, prowl, support the author's purpose in this excerpt? Select two options. It indicates that the gangsters are looking for vulnerable people. It supports the idea that the gangsters are involved in criminal activities.
Connecting Genre to the Author's Purpose Sonia Nazario chose to write a biography to share facts about Enrique's life.
How does this genre primarily support her purpose? Nazario can fully inform readers of Enrique's entire emotional journey.
How do details from the excerpts support the author's purpose?
In the first excerpt, the author uses narrative techniques and figurative language, while in the second excerpt, the author includes facts to persuade.
How does the narrative technique of characterization support the author's purpose in this excerpt?
It helps create uneasiness.
Gangsters' warnings to migrants not to go to the police are ruthlessly enforced. Julio César Cancino Gálvez, with Grupo Beta Sur, recalls how a group of about thirty migrants at the Tapachula train station asked him why the authorities weren't clamping down on the gangsters. Cancino told them they needed witnesses. He urged the migrants to step forward and report abuses. One nineteen-year-old Honduran in the crowd spoke up. He described his assailant in detail. Hours later, the Red Cross asked Cancino if he could help an injured migrant. It was the same Honduran teenager. His right ribs were broken. His entire chest and face were badly bruised. He spoke slowly, in a whisper, clasping his chest. Two gangsters had overheard his description and kicked him mercilessly. "Next time, we kill you," the gangsters told him. The teenager, afraid for his life, asked to be deported. —Enrique's Journey, Sonia Nazario The underlined sentences demonstrate characterization. How does this technique support the author's purpose?
It shows how violent the situation was and how scared Enrique was.
What technique does the author use in each excerpt to support her purpose? The first excerpt uses narrative techniques, and the second excerpt uses quotations. The first excerpt uses facts and statistics, and the second excerpt is told as a story. The first excerpt relies on emotional words, and the second excerpt uses long explanations. The first excerpt relies on strong words, and the second excerpt is told from a first-person point of view.
The first excerpt uses facts and statistics, and the second excerpt is told as a story.
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. Let us go on now to tell of a large city which forms part of the province of Aden but has a petty ruler of its own. This city, which lies about 400 miles north-west of the port of Aden, is called Shihr. It is ruled by a count, who maintains strict justice in his domain. He has several cities and towns under his sway but is himself subject to the sultan of Aden. The people are Saracens and worship Mahomet. The city has a very good port; for I assure you that many merchant-ships come here well loaded with goods from India, and from here they export many goods to India. In particular they export innumerable fine chargers and sturdy pack-horses of great worth and price, on which the merchants make a handsome profit.
What are most likely the author's purposes for writing this text? Select two options. to inform readers by describing the city of Shihr to inform readers by giving facts about the ruler of Shihr
Read the excerpt from Enrique's Journey. He was five years old when his mother left him. Now he is almost another person. Read the excerpt from "Children of the Drug Wars." Children from Central America have been making that journey, often without their parents, for two decades.
What do the excerpts have in common? Both point out the tragic nature of situations in which children make journeys without their parents.
Read the paragraph. Volunteering at the animal shelter in my neighborhood has been a very rewarding experience. I started volunteering with a good friend of mine during summer vacation last year. Volunteering at the shelter is a lot of hard work, and it isn't always fun. Volunteers spend a lot of time cleaning out cages.
What does the gerund phrase "volunteering at the animal shelter" contribute to the text? The phrase acts as a noun that is the subject of the sentence.
Read the paragraph. Attending career day this spring will be helpful to all seniors, regardless of their future plans. By talking to potential future employers, students can learn about careers they have never heard of before. They can also learn which college degrees may be the most useful to them later in life.
What does the phrase "later in life" contribute to the text? The phrase adds a specific detail about time that is relevant to the text's topic.
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. I should add that ships cannot sail to the other islands that lie farther south, beyond Madagascar and Zanzibar, because the current sets so strongly towards the south that they would have little chance of returning. Therefore they do not venture to go. You may note that ships coming from Maabar to this island make the voyage in twenty days, whereas the return trip takes them all of three months; and this is due to the continual southward set of the current. It flows in the same direction the all time—southward, ever southward. These more southerly islands, which men do not willingly visit because of this southward drift, are very numerous, and it is said that they are inhabited by gryphon birds, which make their appearance here at certain seasons of the year.
What indicates that the author's purpose is to inform readers about travel south of Madagascar and Zanzibar? The author shares facts and specific details about the difficulty of sailing in the region.
When my sisters and I cared too much about our appearance, my mother would tell us how Trujillo's vanity knew no bounds. How in order to appear taller, his shoes were specially made abroad with built-in heels that added inches to his height. How plumes for his Napoleonic hats were purchased in Paris and shipped in vacuum-packed boxes to the Island. How his uniforms were trimmed with tassels and gold epaulettes and red sashes, pinned with his medals, crisscrossing his chest. How he costumed himself in dress uniforms and ceremonial hats and white gloves—all of this in a tropical country where men wore guayaberas in lieu of suit jackets, short-sleeved shirts worn untucked so the body could be ventilated. My mother could go on and on. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez
What is a central idea in this passage? Trujillo was extremely concerned about his appearance.
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. My mother must have been intrigued. She knew nothing of the horrid crimes of the dictatorship, for her parents were afraid to say anything—even to their own children—against the regime. So, as a young girl, my mother must have thought of El Jefe as a kind of movie star. She must have wanted to meet the great man.
What is the central idea in this paragraph? Her mother's image of the great man did not match reality.
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. Images of the dictator hung in every house next to the crucifix and Ia Virgencita with the declaration beneath: In this house Trujillo is Chief. The pale face of a young military man wearing a plumed bicorne hat and a gold-braided uniform looked down beneficently at my mother as she read her romantic novelas and dreamed of meeting the great love of her life. Sometimes in her daydreams, her great love wore the handsome young dictator's face. Never having seen him, my mother could not know the portrait was heavily retouched.
What is the central idea of this paragraph? The images of Trujillo portrayed him falsely.
But the execution was an external event, not necessarily an internal exorcism. All their lives my parents, along with a nation of Dominicans, had learned the habits of repression, censorship, terror. Those habits would not disappear with a few bullets and a national liberation proclamation. They would not disappear on a plane ride north that put hundreds of miles distance between the Island and our apartment in New York. And so, long after we had left, my parents were still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads. Even on American soil, they were afraid of awful consequences if they spoke out or disagreed with authorities. The First Amendment right to free speech meant nothing to them. Silence about anything "political" was the rule in our house. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez
What is the central idea of this passage? It is not easy to correct an injustice that affects an entire generation.
Analyzing Figurative Language The train passes into northern Chiapas. Enrique sees men with hoes tending their corn and women inside their kitchens patting tortillas into shape. Cowboys ride past and smile. Fieldworkers wave their machetes and cheer the migrants on: "Qué bueno!" Mountains draw closer. Plantain fields soften into cow pastures. Enrique's train slows to a crawl. Monarch butterflies flutter alongside, overtaking his car. As the sun sets and the oppressive heat breaks, he hears crickets and frogs begin their music and join the migrant chorus. The moon rises. Thousands of fireflies flicker around the train. Stars come out to shine, so many they seem jammed together, brilliant points of light all across the sky. —Enrique's Journey, Sonia Nazario
What type of figurative language does the underlined sentence include? personification What type of figurative language does the underlined sentence include? It contributes to the setting.
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. Kalhat is a large city lying inside the gulf which is also Kalhat. It is a fine city on the sea-coast 600 miles north-west of Dhofar. The people are Saracens who worship Mahomet. They are subject to Hormuz; and whenever the malik of Hormuz is at war with neighbors more powerful than himself, he comes to this city, because it is strongly built and situated, so that here he is afraid of no one. No corn is grown here, but it is imported by sea from other places. This city has a very good port, much frequented by merchant ships from India. They find a ready market here for their wares, since it is a centre from which spices and other goods are carried to various inland cities and towns. Many fine war horses are exported from here to India, to the great gain of the merchants. The total number of horses shipped to India from this port and the others I have mentioned is past all reckoning.
Which detail best supports the author's opinion that Kalhat is a secure city? The malik of Hormuz fears no one when he is in Kalhat.
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. By the time my mother married my father, however, she knew all about the true nature of the dictatorship. Thousands had lost their lives in failed attempts to return the country to democracy. Family friends, whom she had assumed had dropped away of their own accord, turned out to have been disappeared. My father had been lucky. As a young man, he had narrowly escaped to Canada after the plot he had participated in as a student failed. This was to be the first of two escapes. That same year, 1937, El Generalísimo ordered the overnight slaughter of some eighteen thousand Haitians, who had come across the border to work on sugarcane plantations for slave wages.
Which details does the author include to support the central idea about the result of the dictatorship? Select two options. "lost their lives" "slaughter"
Dhofar is a fine city of great size and splendour lying about 500 miles north-west of Shihr. Here again the people are Saracens and worship Mahomet, and are subject to a count who is likewise subject to the sultan of Aden. You must understand that this city is still within the province of Aden. The city stands on the sea and has a very good port, frequented by many merchant ships that import and export great quantities of merchandise. Many good Arab steeds, and horses from other lands as well, are brought here, and the merchants make a handsome profit on them. -"The Middle East,"Marco Polo
Which details from the passage reveal a subjective perspective? Check all that apply. "a very good port" "a fine city of great size and splendour"
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. Now that I have given you this second-hand account of the gryphon bird, let me add that the Great Khan sent special emissaries here to learn about these islands, and again to treat for the release of a previous emissary who had been detained as a captive. And these later emissaries, and the other who had been held captive, had much to tell him of the marvels of these strange islands. I assure you that they brought back with them the tusks of a wild boar of monstrous size. He had one of them weighed and found that its weight was 14 lb. You may infer for yourselves what must have been the size of the boar that had such tusks as this. Indeed they declare that some of these boars are as big as buffaloes. There are also giraffes in plenty, and wild asses too. Altogether their beasts and birds are so different from ours that it is a marvel to hear tell of them and a greater marvel to behold them. To return for a moment to the gryphon birds, I should explain that the islanders call them rukhs and know them by no other name and have no idea what a gryphon is. But I feel sure from the monstrous size they attribute to the birds that they cannot be anything but gryphons.
Which details from the text best support the author's purpose to inform the reader that the islands are amazing to him? Select three options. There are plenty of giraffes and wild asses on the islands. The wild boars on the island are as big as buffaloes, with 14 lb tusks. The gryphon birds are monstrous in size.
But the execution was an external event, not necessarily an internal exorcism. All their lives my parents, along with a nation of Dominicans, had learned the habits of repression, censorship, terror. Those habits would not disappear with a few bullets and a national liberation proclamation. They would not disappear on a plane ride north that put hundreds of miles distance between the Island and our apartment in New York. And so, long after we had left, my parents were still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads. Even on American soil, they were afraid of awful consequences if they spoke out or disagreed with authorities. The First Amendment right to free speech meant nothing to them. Silence about anything "political" was the rule in our house. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez
Which evidence from the text best supports the central idea that the lasting effects of injustice are not easy to correct? "still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads"
Read the excerpt from Enrique's Journey. Enrique greets the dawn without incident. The stars recede. The sky lightens behind the mountains to the east, and mist rises off the fields on both sides of the tracks. Men trot by on burros with tin milk containers strapped to their saddles, starting their morning deliveries.
Which narrative technique does the author include in this excerpt, and how does it support the author's purpose? The author uses setting to show a sense of accomplishment.
When my sisters and I cared too much about our appearance, my mother would tell us how Trujillo's vanity knew no bounds. How in order to appear taller, his shoes were specially made abroad with built-in heels that added inches to his height. How plumes for his Napoleonic hats were purchased in Paris and shipped in vacuum-packed boxes to the Island. How his uniforms were trimmed with tassels and gold epaulettes and red sashes, pinned with his medals, crisscrossing his chest. How he costumed himself in dress uniforms and ceremonial hats and white gloves—all of this in a tropical country where men wore guayaberas in lieu of suit jackets, short-sleeved shirts worn untucked so the body could be ventilated. My mother could go on and on. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez
Which quotation from the passage supports the central idea that Trujillo worried about his appearance? "built-in heels that added inches to his height"
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. Images of the dictator hung in every house next to the crucifix and Ia Virgencita with the declaration beneath: In this house Trujillo is Chief. The pale face of a young military man wearing a plumed bicorne hat and a gold-braided uniform looked down beneficently at my mother as she read her romantic novelas and dreamed of meeting the great love of her life. Sometimes in her daydreams, her great love wore the handsome young dictator's face. Never having seen him, my mother could not know the portrait was heavily retouched.
Which quotation provides the best evidence for the central idea of this excerpt? "Never having seen him, my mother could not know the portrait was heavily retouched."
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. When my sisters and I cared too much about our appearance, my mother would tell us how Trujillo's vanity knew no bounds. How in order to appear taller, his shoes were specially made abroad with built-in heels that added inches to his height. How plumes for his Napoleonic hats were purchased in Paris and shipped in vacuum-packed boxes to the Island. How his uniforms were trimmed with tassels and gold epaulettes and red sashes, pinned with his medals, crisscrossing his chest. How he costumed himself in dress uniforms and ceremonial hats and white gloves—all of this in a tropical country where men wore guayaberas in lieu of suit jackets, short-sleeved shirts worn untucked so the body could be ventilated. My mother could go on and on.
Which quotation provides the best evidence for the central idea of this excerpt? "Trujillo's vanity knew no bounds."
Using Phrases to Add Variety There was a raging storm. It was in the forest. Rain fell. Leaves rustled as the wind swept through the trees. Squirrels hid as the sky opened up. All the birds, nestled in the trees, quieted and stopped chirping.
Which revision best uses a phrase to combine the first two sentences? Deep in the forest, a storm was raging.
Hormuz is a great and splendid city on the sea, governed by a malik and with several cities and towns in subjection to it. The people are Saracens who worship Mahomet. The climate is excessively hot—so hot that the houses are fitted with ventilators to catch the wind. The ventilators are set to face the quarter from which the wind blows and let it blow into the house. This they do because they cannot endure the over-powering heat. -"The Middle East,"Marco Polo
Which senses does the imagery in this passage appeal to? sight and touch How does this imagery support the author's purpose? to inform readers about climate and culture.
Read this paragraph from Yves's analysis of Enrique's Journey. (1) Nazario draws on Enrique's experience to illustrate what children face in their attempt to escape difficult conditions. (2) She describes the dangers he faces on his journey northward. (3) The threat of extortion and violence from gangsters illustrates how vulnerable such children are. (4) But gangsters do not pose the only threat. (5) Even the police, whose job is to uphold and enforce the law, steal from the migrants. (6) What I find most unsettling, though, is Enrique's temporary alliance with an MS gangster.
Which sentence should Yves revise to make it more objective? the sixth sentence
Read the topic sentence from Asher's analysis of Enrique's Journey. To demonstrate Enrique's intelligence and resourcefulness, Nazario depicts his response to the challenges of interacting with local people in Oaxaca.
Which sentences from the biography best support Asher's analysis? Select two options. "He stops at a barbershop. His hair is curly and far too long. It is an easy tip-off. People here tend to have straighter hair." "'¡Órale, jefe!' he says, using a phrase Oaxacans favor. 'Hey, chief!' He mutes his flat Central American accent and speaks softly and singsongy, like an Oaxacan."
Julia is writing an essay comparing "Children of the Drug Wars" and Enrique's Journey. She writes this topic sentence. Both Nazario's editorial and her biography bear witness to her background research.
Which sentences from the texts best provide evidence to support this idea? Select three options. "Judges, who currently deny seven in 10 applications for asylum by people who are in deportation proceedings, must better understand the conditions these children are facing." "Countries neighboring Syria have absorbed nearly 3 million people. Jordan has accepted in two days what the United States has received in an entire month during the height of this immigration flow—more than 9,000 children in May." "In Guatemala, soda is called agua. Here in Mexico, agua is water. A jacket is a chamarra, not a chumpa. A T-shirt is a playera, not a blusa."
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. My mother, especially, lived in terror of the consequences of living as free citizens. In New York City, before Trujillo was killed, Dominican exiles gathered around the young revolutionary Juan Bosch planning an invasion of the Island. Every time my father attended these meetings, my mother would get hysterical. If the SIM found out about my father's activities, family members remaining behind were likely to be in danger. Even our own family in New York could suffer consequences. Five years earlier, in 1955, Galindez, an exile anti-Trujillo teaching at Columbia University, had disappeared from a New York subway. The same thing could happen to us. I don't know if my father complied or just got too busy trying to make a living in this country. But after a few months of hotheaded attendance, he dropped out of these political activities and his silence deepened.
Which statement best analyzes how the author develops the central idea across the paragraphs? Alvarez explains that, although her parents reacted differently to the stress they endured, both became silent about the dictatorship.
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. Passage A: And so, long after we had left, my parents were still living in the dictatorship inside their own heads. Even on American soil, they were afraid of awful consequences if they spoke out or disagreed with authorities. The First Amendment right to free speech meant nothing to them. Silence about anything "political" was the rule in our house. Passage B: My mother, especially, lived in terror of the consequences of living as free citizens. In New York City, before Trujillo was killed, Dominican exiles gathered around the young revolutionary Juan Bosch planning an invasion of the Island. Every time my father attended these meetings, my mother would get hysterical. If the SIM found out about my father's activities, family members remaining behind were likely to be in danger. Even our own family in New York could suffer consequences.
Which statement best analyzes how the author develops the central idea across the two passages? Alvarez shows how her parents' fears about the dictatorship affected their thoughts and actions even when they lived in the United States.
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. Periodically, Trujillo would demand a tribute, and they would acquiesce. A tax, a dummy vote, a portrait on the wall. To my father and other men in the country, the most humiliating of these tributes was the occasional parade in which women were made to march and turn their heads and acknowledge the great man as they passed the review stand. If you did not march, your cédula would not be stamped, and without a stamped identification card, you could do nothing; in particular, you could not obtain your passport to leave the country under the pretext of wanting to study heart surgery. This was the second escape—this time with his whole family—that my father was planning. The day came when my mother had to march.
Which statement best explains how the author develops the central idea throughout the passage?Alvarez shows that refusing to obey Trujillo's requests could be dangerous.
Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco Polo. Hormuz is a great and splendid city on the sea, governed by a malik and with several cities and towns in subjection to it. The people are Saracens who worship Mahomet. The climate is excessively hot—so hot that the houses are fitted with ventilators to catch the wind. The ventilators are set to face the quarter from which the wind blows and let it blow into the house. This they do because they cannot endure the over-powering heat.
Which statement best explains the author's perspective about living in Hormuz? The author is impressed by the hot climate and the people's response to it.
Read the excerpt from "A Genetics of Justice" by Julia Alvarez. Passage A: Given this mandate of silence, I was a real thorn in my mother's side. She had named me, her second of four daughters, after herself—so we shared the same name. Of all her babies, she reports, l was the best behaved, until l learned to talk. Then, I would not shut up. I always had to answer her back when I disagreed with her. Childhood was rocky, but adolescence was a full-fledged war. Passage B: Unfortunately for my mother, I grew up to be a writer publishing under my maiden name.
Which statement correctly analyzes how the passages work together to create a central idea? Alvarez contrasts her mother's insistence on silence with her own desire to tell stories.
When my sisters and I cared too much about our appearance, my mother would tell us how Trujillo's vanity knew no bounds. How in order to appear taller, his shoes were specially made abroad with built-in heels that added inches to his height. How plumes for his Napoleonic hats were purchased in Paris and shipped in vacuum-packed boxes to the Island. How his uniforms were trimmed with tassels and gold epaulettes and red sashes, pinned with his medals, crisscrossing his chest. How he costumed himself in dress uniforms and ceremonial hats and white gloves—all of this in a tropical country where men wore guayaberas in lieu of suit jackets, short-sleeved shirts worn untucked so the body could be ventilated. My mother could go on and on. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez For there, no more than ten steps away, he stands, a short, plump man sweating profusely in his heavy dress uniform. The medals on his chest flash brightly in the hot sun so that he looks as if he has caught on fire. She can see the rivulets of sweat under his Napoleonic hat, making his pancake makeup run down his face, revealing the dark skin beneath. I invent this scene because I want my mother to see what she cannot yet imagine: El Jefe coming undone. -"A Genetics of Justice,"Julia Alvarez
Which statement correctly analyzes how the passages work together to develop a central idea? Alvarez shows how Trujillo's style of dress covered up the ugliness within.
Read these sentences from Yasmin's essay. Nazario believes that Central American children like Enrique who come to the United States today are refugees and should be treated that way. If they were, she says, such children would not repeatedly have to face the dangers of migration, which bring tears to my eyes.
Which word or phrase should Yasmin revise to eliminate informal and subjective language? "which bring tears to my eyes"
To ensure this isn't a sham process, asylum officers and judges must be trained in child-sensitive interviewing techniques to help elicit information from fearful, traumatized youngsters. All children must also be represented by a volunteer or government-funded lawyer. Kids in Need of Defense, a nonprofit that recruits pro bono lawyers to represent immigrant children and whose board I serve on, estimates that 40 percent to 60 percent of these children potentially qualify to stay under current immigration laws—and do, if they have a lawyer by their side. The vast majority do not. The only way to ensure we are not hurtling children back to circumstances that could cost them their lives is by providing them with real due process. —"The Children of the Drug Wars," Sonia Nazario
Which words or phrases from the passage have strong connotations that support the author's purpose? Check all that apply. "sham process" "fearful, traumatized youngsters" "hurtling children back"
