3.13: Unit Test: How Important Ideas are Expressed

What is the absolute phrase in this sentence? On such a beautiful day, the tourists crowded the beach to sunbathe, chairs and coolers clutched firmly in tow.

Chairs and coolers clutched

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this narrative. Reread this example of foreshadowing from "About Russell" by Rita Williams-Garcia. In his way Russell held his ground, but from some angry, inarticulate place, deep within himself. Rosalind and I didn't know that his self-erected wall was how he protected himself. We just thought he was being a pain in the butt. Which statement best explains how the author's use of foreshadowing affects the story?

It creates mystery by hinting at the idea that maybe Russell was not just "being a pain in the butt," but was instead trying to cope.

How does paragraph 3 support the author's claim in the introduction that music can help develop our brains?

It gives general examples of brain benefits linked to musical training.

How does paragraph 7 explain the idea that studying music can help develop the brain?

It highlights how the number and the complexity of the tasks that one must master to play an instrument spurs brain growth.

How does beginning the passage with the phrase "From the beginning of recorded history" affect the passage's tone?

It immediately sets an authoritative tone.

Which statements are true about the windmill scene in both the excerpt and the image? Select each correct answer.

It is humorous. It pokes fun at someone.

Part A Which statement best conveys a central idea of the passage? Part B Which quotation from the passage best develops the central idea identified in Part A?

Part A Active participation in musical training has been shown to have long-lasting positive effects on the brain. Part B "The impact of musical learning can not only bring immediate opportunities for enjoyment, it can also improve brain function for a lifetime."

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this narrative. Part A One theme of "About Russell" by Rita Williams-Garcia is that struggles with mental illness can be challenging, but they don't necessarily sever ties. Which detail best explains how the author develops this theme over the course of the text? Part B Which quotation from the text best supports the conclusion that Russell's mental illness has not severed family ties?

Part A The author and her sister stay close and concerned about their brother their entire lives. Part B "He looked up in time as we crossed toward him and said, 'Happy birthday little sister.' I smiled and said, 'Hey Russell.'"

Select Excerpt, Image, or both categories for each statement to compare the excerpt from Don Quixote to the image of the windmill scene. Select each correct answer.

The windmills are represented as monsters. Excerpt Sancho Panza rides an ass. Excerpt Don Quixote is unafraid of the windmills. Excerpt and Image Don Quixote is an old and weary man. Image

Read this sentence from the passage. On December 24, 1783, immediately after resigning his commission before the Continental Congress meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, he rode like the wind in order to arrive at his beloved Mount Vernon in time for Christmas. What is the best meaning of "rode like the wind"?

rode his horse very quickly

Select the absolute phrase in this sentence.

the baby toddled across the room with his first wobbly steps, his chubby legs pumping.

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this text. Which evidence from "Lake Titicaca" by Miguel Ángel Asturias supports the inference that there is a spiritual connection between humans and nature?

"I understood that he spoke of the great lake of ears of corn that all of us Indians have in our heart and from which we get tiny drops of moonlight . . . "

To whom was Thomas Paine referring when he wrote of "sunshine patriots and summer soldiers"?

Americans who only supported independence from Britain when things were going well for Washington's army

Part A How does the imagery in the poem's first stanza affect its meaning? Part B How is the meaning described in Part A further expressed in the poem's second stanza?

Part A The images of "dead winds" and "spent waves," combined with those of "the green field growing" and people "reaping" at "harvest-time," help convey that the poem is about death and life. Part B The "blown buds of barren flowers" that the speaker references in this stanza symbolize how death touches all living things.

What is the participial phrase in the sentence? The tomatoes planted in the garden are ripening nicely and growing quite tall.

Planted in the garden

What do the words "mounting evidence" suggest about the author's intended meaning in paragraph 3 of this passage?

The data is highly convincing.

Drag and drop the nonrestrictive participial phrase into the box to complete the sentence.

The man, happily reading his paper, jumped up in astonishment and threw the paper down.