Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 Directions: Read the following passage from ―The Harvest Gypsies‖ by John Steinbeck and answer the following questions.

Thus, in California we find a curious attitude toward a group that makes our agriculture successful. The migrants are needed, and they are hated. Arriving

in a district they find the dislike always meted out by the resident to the foreigner, the outlander. This hatred of the stranger occurs in the whole range of

human history, from the most primitive village form to our own highly organized industrial farming. The migrants are hated for the following reasons, that

they are ignorant and dirty people, that they are carriers of disease, that they increase the necessity for police and the tax bill for schooling in a community,

and that if they are allowed to organize they can, simply by refusing to work, wipe out the season's crops. They are never received into a community nor

into the life of a community. Wanderers in fact, they are never allowed to feel at home in the communities that demand their services.

Let us see what kind of people they are, where they come from, and the routes of their wanderings. In the past they have been of several races, encouraged

to come and often imported as cheap labor; Chinese in the early period, then Filipinos, Japanese and Mexicans. These were foreigners, and as such they

were ostracized and segregated and herded about.

If they attempted to organize they were deported or arrested, and having no advocates they were never able to get a hearing for their problems. But in

recent years the foreign migrants have begun to organize, and at this danger signal they have been deported in great numbers, for there was a new reservoir

from which a great quantity of cheap labor could be obtained.

The drought in the middle west has driven the agricultural populations of Oklahoma, Nebraska and parts of Kansas and Texas westward. Their lands are

destroyed and they can never go back to them.

Thousands of them are crossing the borders in ancient rattling automobiles, destitute and hungry and homeless, ready to accept any pay so that they may eat

and feed their children. And this is a new thing in migrant labor, for the foreign workers were usually imported without their children and everything that

remains of their old life with them.

They arrive in California usually having used up every resource to get here, even to the selling of the poor blankets and utensils and tools on the way to buy

gasoline. They arrive bewildered and beaten and usually in a state of semi-starvation, with only one necessity to face immediately, and that is to find work

at any wage in order that the family may eat.

And there is only one field in California that can receive them. Ineligible for relief, they must become migratory field workers.

Because the old kind of laborers, Mexicans and Filipinos, are being deported and repatriated very rapidly, while on the other hand the river of dust bowl

refugees increases all the time, it is this new kind of migrant that we shall largely consider.

The earlier foreign migrants have invariably been drawn from a peon class. This is not the case with the new migrants.

1. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) According to the passage, the migrant workers are needed yet hated for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

a. The migrant workers arrive in a community and attempt to change the culture and values of this community.

b. The migrant workers are necessary to the success of California‘s agriculture but they are known to carry diseases which threaten the residents of the

communities.

c. The residents of the community worry that the migrants may organize, refuse to harvest the crops, and cause the farmers great losses.

d. Regardless of how much the community depends on the migrant workers, they are considered the outsiders.

2. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) The word ―ostracized‖ as it is used in the passage most closely means

a. excluded b. absent c. admired d. embraced

3. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) The word ―destitute‖ as it is used in the passage most closely means

a. motivated b. discouraged c. desperate d. destined

4. (CCGPS 10.RIT.3) In this excerpt, Steinbeck explains that ―the new kind of migrant workers‖

a. are of Mexican or Japanese descent

b. frequently travel alone

c. are no longer necessary with the advent of the combine harvester

d. arrive in California with their families willing to accept almost any job to feed their children

Directions: Read the following passage from ―The Harvest Gypsies‖ (article II) by John Steinbeck and answer the following questions.

Here, in the faces of the husband and his wife, you begin to see an expression you will notice on every face; not worry, but absolute terror of the starvation

that crowds in against the borders of the camp. This man has tried to make a toilet by digging a hole in the ground near his paper house and surrounding it

with an old piece of burlap. But he will only do things like that this year.

He is a newcomer and his spirit and decency and his sense of his own dignity have not been quite wiped out. Next year he will be like his next door

neighbor.

This is a family of six; a man, his wife and four children. They live in a tent the color of the ground. Rot has set in on the canvas so that the flaps and the

sides hang in tatters and are held together with bits of rusty baling wire. There is one bed in the family and that is a big tick lying on the ground inside the

tent.

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 They have one quilt and a piece of canvas for bedding. The sleeping arrangement is clever. Mother and father lie down together and two children lie

between them. Then, heading the other way; the other two children lie, the littler ones. If the mother and father sleep with their legs spread wide, there is

room for the legs of the children.

There is more filth here. The tent is full of flies clinging to the apple box that is the dinner table, buzzing about the foul clothes of the children, particularly

the baby; who has not been bathed nor cleaned for several days.

This family has been on the road longer than the builder of the paper house. There is no toilet here, but there is a clump of willows nearby where human

feces lie exposed to the flies—the same flies that are in the tent.

Two weeks ago there was another child, a four year old boy. For a few weeks they had noticed that he was kind of lackadaisical, that his eyes had been

feverish.

They had given him the best place in the bed, between father and mother. But one night he went into convulsions and died, and the next morning the

coroner's wagon took him away. It was one step down. They know pretty well that it was a diet of fresh fruit, beans and little else that caused his death. He

had no milk for months. With this death there came a change of mind in his family. The father and mother now feel that paralyzed dullness with which the

mind protects itself against too much sorrow and too much pain.

5. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) According to this excerpt of Steinbeck‘s article, what happens to the families in the camp?

a. The strong survive regardless of how long they are there.

b. The families have a will and drive like none Steinbeck has ever seen before.

c. Despair, disease and death are more prevalent the longer the family has lived in the camp.

d. Families may take a while to adjust to the extreme living conditions, but the instinct to survive prevails.

6. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) The word ―tick‖ as it is used in the passage, is most likely a

a. blanket b. bail of hay c. mattress d. pillow

7. (CCGPS 10.RIT.5) After reading the excerpt, what must the reader infer about the four year old boy‘s death?

a. He suffered from epilepsy, which left untreated can cause death.

b. The deplorable living conditions and malnutrition caused the boy‘s death.

c. The parents were seemingly un-phased by the boy‘s death

d. The boy‘s death prompted other families to donate milk, fruit and vegetables for the living children.

Directions: Read the following passage from ―The Harvest Gypsies‖ (article III) by John Steinbeck and answer the following questions.

Dignity is all gone, and spirit has turned to sullen anger before it dies.

The next door neighbor family of man, wife and three children of from three to nine years of age, have built a house by driving willow branches into the

ground and wattling weeds, tin, old paper and strips of carpet against them.

A few branches are placed over the top to keep out the noonday sun. It would not turn water at all. There is no bed.

Somewhere the family has found a big piece of old carpet. It is on the ground. To go to bed the members of the family lie on the ground and fold the carpet

up over them.

The three year old child has a gunny sack tied about his middle for clothing. He has the swollen belly caused by malnutrition.

He sits on the ground in the sun in front of the house, and the little black fruit flies buzz in circles and land on his closed eyes and crawl up his nose until he

weakly brushes them away.

They try to get at the mucous in the eye-corners. This child seems to have the reactions of a baby much younger. The first year he had a little milk, but he

has had none since.

He will die in a very short time. The older children may survive. Four nights ago the mother had a baby in the tent, on the dirty carpet. It was born dead,

which was just as well because she could not have fed it at the breast; her own diet will not produce milk.

After it was born and she had seen that it was dead, the mother rolled over and lay still for two days. She is up today, tottering around. The last baby, born

less than a year ago, lived a week. This woman's eyes have the glazed, far-away look of a sleep walker's eyes.

She does not wash clothes any more. The drive that makes for cleanliness has been drained out of her and she hasn't the energy. The husband was a share-

cropper once, but he couldn't make it go. Now he has lost even the desire to talk.

He will not look directly at you for that requires will, and will needs strength. He is a bad field worker for the same reason. It takes him a long time to make

up his mind, so he is always late in moving and late in arriving in the fields. His top wage, when he can find work now; which isn't often, is a dollar a day.

The children do not even go to the willow clump any more. They squat where they are and kick a little dirt. The father is vaguely aware that there is a

culture of hookworm in the mud along the river bank. He knows the children will get it on their bare feet.

But he hasn't the will nor the energy to resist. Too many things have happened to him. This is the lower class of the camp.

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012

This is what the man in the tent will be in six months; what the man in the paper house with its peaked roof will be in a year, after his house has washed

down and his children have sickened or died, after the loss of dignity and spirit have cut him down to a kind of sub-humanity.

Helpful strangers are not well-received in this camp. The local sheriff makes a raid now and then for a wanted man, and if there is labor trouble the

vigilantes may burn the poor houses. Social workers, survey workers have taken case histories.

They are filed and open for inspection. These families have been questioned over and over about their origins, number of children living and dead.

The information is taken down and filed. That is that. It has been done so often and so little has come of it.

And there is another way for them to get attention. Let an epidemic break out, say typhoid or scarlet fever, and the country doctor will come to the camp

and hurry the infected cases to the pest house. But malnutrition is not infectious, nor is dysentery, which is almost the rule among the children.

The county hospital has no room for measles, mumps, whooping cough; and yet these are often deadly to hunger-weakened children. And although we hear

much about the free clinics for the poor, these people do not know how to get the aid and they do not get it. Also, since most of their dealings with

authority are painful to them, they prefer not to take the chance.

This is the squatters' camp. Some are a little better, some much worse. I have described three typical families. In some of the camps there are as many as

three hundred families like these. Some are so far from water that it must be bought at five cents a bucket.

And if these men steal, if there is developing among them a suspicion and hatred of well-dressed, satisfied people, the reason is not to be sought in their

origin nor in any tendency to weakness in their character.

8. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) How does Steinbeck describe the three year old child?

a. as developmentally stunted b. as a stereotypical three year old

c. as a child desperate for love and attention d. as a child who is mentally and physically challenged

9. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) According to the text, why was it for the best that the baby was not born alive? (28-29)

a. the baby would have not survived the cold, wet winter.

b. the family couldn‘t afford to care for the children they already had, much less a newborn.

c. the mother‘s body was incapable of producing milk to feed the baby because of her own malnutrition, implying the baby would have died from hunger

and dehydration.

d. the baby had a genetic condition that would have resulted in a poor quality of life.

10. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) In this excerpt, Steinbeck explains all of the following EXCEPT

a. One‘s will to live decreases in direct proportion to the amount of time one has spent living in the camp.

b. Parents living in the camp try to adhere to their previous standards of living, but eventually these men and women no longer take care of their homes,

their children, or themselves the way they used to.

c. When social workers and other local authorities come to the camp, the families are relieved to know that they will receive assistance within a few days.

d. The youngest children are more susceptible to death because of malnutrition, measles, mumps, whooping cough and dysentery.

Directions: Read the following selection from Of Men and Mountains by William O. Douglas. Then answer the questions that follow.

It was in 1913 when Doug was 19 and I was not quite 15 that the two of us made

this climb of Kloochman. Walter Kohagen, Doug, and I were camped in the Tieton Basin

at a soda spring. The basin was then in large part a vast rich bottomland. We were

traveling light, one blanket each. The night, I recall, was so bitter cold that we took turns

refueling the campfire so that we could keep our backs warm enough to sleep. We rose at

the first show of dawn, and cooked frying-pan bread and trout for breakfast. We had not

planned to climb Kloochman, but somehow the challenge came to us as the sun touched

her crest.

After breakfast we started circling the rock. There are fairly easy routes up

10 Kloochman, but we shunned them. When we came to the southeast face (the one that

never has been conquered, I believe) we chose it. Walter decided not to make the climb,

but to wait at the base of the cliff for Doug and me. The July day was warm and

cloudless. Doug led. The beginning was easy. For 100 feet or so we found ledges six to

twelve inches wide we could follow to the left or right. Some ledges ran up the rock ten

feet or more at a gentle grade. Others were merely steps to another ledge higher up. Thus

by hugging the wall we could either ease ourselves upward or hoist ourselves from

one ledge to another.

When we were about 100 feet up the wall, the ledges became narrower and

footwork more precarious. Doug suggested we take off our shoes. This we did, tying

20 them behind us on our belts. In stocking feet we wormed up the wall, clinging like flies to

the dark rock. The pace was slow. We gingerly tested each toehold and fingerhold for

loose rock before putting our weight on it. At times we had to inch along sidewise, our

stomachs pressed tightly against the rock, in order to gain a point where we could reach

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 the ledge above us. If we got on a ledge that turned out to be a cul-de-sac, the much more

dangerous task of going down the rock wall would confront us. Hence we picked our

route with care and weighed the advantages of several choices which frequently were

given us. At times we could not climb easily from one ledge to another. The one above

might be a foot or so high. Then we would have to reach it with one knee, slowly bring

the other knee up, and then, delicately balancing on both knees on the upper ledge, come

30 slowly to our feet by pressing close to the wall and getting such purchase with our

fingers as the lava rock permitted.

In that tortuous way we made perhaps 600 feet in two hours. It was late forenoon

when we stopped to appraise our situation. We were in serious trouble. We had reached

the feared cul-de-sac. The two- or three-inch ledge on which we stood ended. There

seemed none above us within Doug‘s reach. I was longer-legged than Doug; so perhaps I

could have reached some ledge with my fingers if I were ahead. But it was impossible to

change positions on the wall. Doug was ahead and there he must stay. The problem was

to find a way to get him up.

Feeling along the wall, Doug discovered a tiny groove into which he could press

40 the tips of the fingers of his left hand. It might help him maintain balance as his weight

began to shift from the lower ledge to the upper one. But there was within reach not even

a lip of rock for his right hand. Just out of reach, however, was a substantial crevice, one

that would hold several men. How could Doug reach it? I could not boost him, for my

own balance was insecure. Clearly, Doug would have to jump to reach

it—and he would have but one jump. Since he was standing on a ledge only a few

inches wide, he could not expect to jump for his handhold, miss it, and land safely. A slip

meant he would go hurtling down some 600 feet onto the rocks. After much discussion

and indecision, Doug decided to take the chance and go up.

He asked me to do him a favor: If he failed and fell, I might still make it, since I

50 was longer-legged; would I give certain messages to his family in that event? I nodded.

―Then listen carefully. Try to remember my exact words,‖ he told me. ―Tell

Mother that I love her dearly. Tell her I think she is the most wonderful person in the

world. Tell her not to worry—that I did not suffer, that God willed it so. Tell Sister that I

have been a mean little devil but I had no malice towards her. Tell her I love her

too—that some day I wanted to marry a girl as wholesome and cheery and good as she.

―Tell Dad I was brave and died unafraid. Tell him about our climb in full detail.

Tell Dad I have always been very proud of him, that some day I had planned to be a

doctor too. Tell him I lived a clean life, that I never did anything to make him ashamed. .

. . Tell Mother, Sister, and Dad I prayed for them.‖

60 Every word burned into me. My heart was sick, my lips quivered. I pressed my

face against the rock so Doug could not see. I wept.

All was silent. A pebble fell from the ledge on which I squeezed. I counted

seconds before it hit 600 feet below with a faint, faraway tinkling sound. Would Doug

drop through the same space? Would I follow? When you fall 600 feet do you die before

you hit the bottom? Closing my eyes, I asked God to help Doug up the wall.

In a second Doug said in a cheery voice, ―Well, here goes.‖

A false bravado took hold of us. I said he could do it. He said he would. He wiped

first one hand then the other on his trousers. He placed both palms against the wall, bent

his knees slowly, paused a split second, and jumped straight up. It was not much of a

70 jump—only six inches or so. But that jump by one pressed against a cliff 600 feet in the

air had daredevil proportions. I held my breath; my heart pounded. The suspense was

over.

Doug made the jump, and in a second was hanging by two hands from a strong,

wide ledge. There was no toehold; he would have to hoist himself by his arms alone. He

did just that. His body went slowly up as if pulled by some unseen winch. Soon he had

the weight of his body above the ledge and was resting on the palms of his hands. He

then put his left knee on the ledge, rolled over on his side, and chuckled as he said,

―Nothing to it.‖

A greater disappointment followed. Doug‘s exploration of the ledge showed he

80 was in a final cul-de-sac. There was no way up. There was not even a higher ledge he

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 could reach by jumping. We were now faced with the nightmare of going down the sheer

rock wall. We could not go down frontwards because the ledges were too narrow and the

wall too steep. We needed our toes, not our heels, on the rock; and we needed to have our

stomachs pressed tightly against it. Then we could perhaps feel our way. But as every

rock expert knows, descent of a cliff without ropes is often much more difficult than

ascent.

11. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) In lines 4–5, Walter Kohagen, Doug, and the author were in conflict with the

a. rock wall

b. cold weather

c. soda spring

d. bottomland

12. (CCGPS 10.RIT.3) Which of the following are time-order signal words in lines 9–11?

a. after, when

b. breakfast, chose

c. started, routes

d. circling, shunned

13. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) How does the narrowing of the ledges develop the story?

a. adds to the exposition

b. resolves the conflict

c. helps create suspense

d. contributes to the falling action

14. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) What mood does the setting in lines 39–48 create?

a. disapproval

b. irritation

c. weariness

d. anxiety

15. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) Doug left messages with the author before

a. feeling along the wall

b. jumping up to the crevice

c. finding a tiny groove

d. seeing the crevice

16. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) In the climax of the story, Doug decided to

a. climb Kloochman

b. try the jump

c. cook breakfast

d. take off his shoes

17. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) What mood does the setting in lines 79–83 create?

a. discouragement

b. anger

c. embarrassment

d. mystery

18. (CCGPS 10.RIT.3) Which piece of information foreshadows the events at the end of the selection?

a. The author and Doug had to take off their shoes.

b. The three experienced bad weather in the Tieton Basin.

c. Walter decided not to make the climb with the author

and Doug.

d. The southeast face of the rock had never been

conquered.

Directions: Use the context in the excerpt from Of Men and Mountains to help you answer the following questions about specialized vocabulary words.

19. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) Which part of lines 18–21 gives the best clue to the meaning of footwork?

a. 100 feet up the wall

b. take off our shoes

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 c. on our belts

d. clinging like flies

20. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) Which part of lines 41–44 gives the best clue to the meaning of crevice?

a. there was within reach

b. just out of reach

c. would hold several men

d. balance was insecure

21. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) Which part of lines 62–64 gives the best clue to the meaning ledge?

a. on which I squeezed

b. counted seconds before

c. tinkling sound

d. through the same space

22. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) Which part of lines 33–36 gives the best clue to the meaning of cul-de-sac?

a. We had reached the feared

b. ledge on which we stood ended

c. above us within Doug‘s reach

d. perhaps I could have reached

Directions: Read the following selection from Mark Twain‘s A Dog’s Tale. Then answer the questions that follow.

The narrator, a dog, has been sold recently to a new family in a new home, where she has settled in and even given birth to a puppy of her own. Before the

narrator left her old home, her mother had said to her, “In memory of me, when there is a time of danger to another do not think of yourself, think of your

mother, and do as she would do.”

Then came the winter. One day I was standing a watch in the nursery. That is to

say, I was asleep on the bed. The baby was asleep in the crib, which was alongside the

bed, on the side next the fireplace. It was the kind of crib that has a lofty tent over it made

of a gauzy stuff that you can see through. The nurse was out, and we two sleepers were

alone. A spark from the wood-fire was shot out, and it lit on the slope of the tent. I

suppose a quiet interval followed, then a scream from the baby woke me, and there was

that tent flaming up toward the ceiling! Before I could think, I sprang to the floor in my

fright, and in a second was half-way to the door; but in the next half-second my mother‘s

farewell was sounding in my ears, and I was back on the bed again. I reached my head

10 through the flames and dragged the baby out by the waistband, and tugged it along, and

we fell to the floor together in a cloud of smoke; I snatched a new hold and dragged the

screaming little creature along and out at the door and around the bend of the hall, and

was still tugging away, all excited and happy and proud, when the master‘s voice

shouted:

―Begone, you cursed beast!‖ and I jumped to save myself; but he was wonderfully

quick, and chased me up, striking furiously at me with his cane, I dodging this way and

that, in terror, and at last a strong blow fell upon my left fore-leg, which made me shriek

and fall, for the moment, helpless; the cane went up for another blow, but never

descended, for the nurse‘s voice rang wildly out, ―The nursery‘s on fire!‖ and the master

20 rushed away in that direction, and my other bones were saved.

The pain was cruel, but, no matter, I must not lose any time; he might come back

at any moment; so I limped on three legs to the other end of the hall, where there was a

dark little stairway leading up into a garret where old boxes and such things were kept, as

I had heard say, and where people seldom went. I managed to climb up there, then I

searched my way through the dark among the piles of things, and hid in the secretest

place I could find. It was foolish to be afraid there, yet still I was; so afraid that I held in

and hardly even whimpered, though it would have been such a comfort to whimper,

because that eases the pain, you know. But I could lick my leg, and that did me some

good.

30 For half an hour there was a commotion down-stairs, and shoutings, and rushing

footsteps, and then there was quiet again. Quiet for some minutes, and that was grateful

to my spirit, for then my fears began to go down; and fears are worse than pains, —oh,

much worse. Then came a sound that froze me! They were calling me—calling me by

name—hunting for me!

It was muffled by distance, but that could not take the terror out of it, and it was

the most dreadful sound to me that I had ever heard. It went all about, everywhere, down

there: along the halls, through all the rooms, in both stories, and in the basement and the

cellar; then outside, and further and further away—then back, and all about the house

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 again, and I thought it would never, never stop. But at last it did, hours and hours after the

40 vague twilight of the garret had long ago been blotted out by black darkness.

Then in that blessed stillness my terror fell little by little away, and I was at peace

and slept. It was a good rest I had, but I woke before the twilight had come again. I was

feeling fairly comfortable, and I could think out a plan now. I made a very good one;

which was, to creep down, all the way down the back stairs, and hide behind the cellar

door, and slip out and escape when the iceman came at dawn, while he was inside filling

the refrigerator; then I would hide all day, and start on my journey when night came; my

journey to—well, anywhere where they would not know me and betray me to the master.

I was feeling almost cheerful now; then suddenly I thought, Why, what would life be

without my puppy!

50 That was despair. There was no plan for me; I saw that; I must stay where I was;

stay, and wait, and take what might come—it was not my affair; that was what life

is—my mother had said it. Then—well, then the calling began again! All my sorrows

came back. I said to myself, the master will never forgive. I did not know what I had

done to make him so bitter and so unforgiving, yet I judged it was something a dog could

not understand, but which was clear to a man and dreadful.

They called and called—days and nights, it seemed to me. So long that the hunger

and thirst near drove me mad, and I recognized that I was getting very weak. When you

are this way you sleep a great deal, and I did. Once I woke in an awful fright—it seemed

to me that the calling was right there in the garret! And so it was: it was Sadie‘s voice,

60 and she was crying; my name was falling from her lips all broken, poor thing, and I could

not believe my ears for the joy of it when I heard her say,

―Come back to us—oh, come back to us, and forgive—it is all so sad without

our—‖

I broke in with such a grateful little yelp, and the next moment Sadie was

plunging and stumbling through the darkness and the lumber and shouting for the family

to hear, ―She's found! she's found!‖

23. (CCGPS 10.RL.1) In the beginning of the selection, the setting helps create a conflict because the

a. crib is beside the fireplace

b. ceiling is too low

c. door is too far away from the crib

d. chimney is broken

24. (CCGPS 10.RL.1) Before the narrator wakes from her nap on the bed, the

a. cloud of smoke rises

b. nurse discovers the fire

c. baby wakes up and screams

d. master comes running

25. (CCGPS 10.RL.3) In lines 26–27, the narrator experiences an internal conflict over her

a. guilt about ignoring the family‘s calls

b. fear of separation from her puppy

c. guilt about running from the master

d. fear of receiving more punishment

26. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) Which of the following is a time-order signal word from lines 30–34?

a. that

b. then

c. down

d. calling

27. (CCGPS 10.RL.1) What mood is created by the settings described in lines 38–39?

a. laziness

b. mystery

c. anxiety

d. boredom

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012

28. (CCGPS 10.RL.3) The narrator experiences an internal conflict over her plan because she realizes that she would

a. miss her puppy

b. shame her mother

c. get caught

d. feel too weak

29. (CCGPS 10.RL.3) In lines 50–55, the narrator is in conflict with

a. her mother

b. Sadie

c. the nurse

d. herself

30. (CCGPS 10.RL.1) The narrator lets out a yelp after Sadie

a. realizes who is in the garret

b. enters the garret

c. yells for the family

d. climbs through the lumber

Directions: Use the context in the excerpt from A Dog's Tale to help you answer the following questions about specialized vocabulary words.

31. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) What connotation does the word sprang have in line 7?

a. silly

b. planned

c. happy

d. quick

32. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) What connotation does the word tugged have in line 10?

a. complicated

b. long

c. heavy

d. unbreakable

33. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) What connotation does the word shriek have in line 17?

a. shock

b. irritation

c. laziness

d. gloom

34. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) What connotation does the word whimpered have in line 27?

a. exhaustion

b. pain

c. frustration

d. anxiety

Directions: Read the following selection titled ―The Laughter‖ by Heinrich Böll. Then answer the questions that follow.

When someone asks me what business I am in, I am seized with embarrassment: I

blush and stammer, I who am otherwise known as a man of poise. I envy people who can

say: I am a bricklayer. I envy barbers, bookkeepers, and writers the simplicity of their

avowal, for all these professions speak for themselves and need no lengthy explanation,

while I am constrained to reply to such questions: I am a laugher. An admission of this

kind demands another, since I have to answer the second question: ―Is that how you make

your living?‖ truthfully with ―Yes.‖ I actually do make a living at my laughing, and a

good one too, for my laughing is—commercially speaking—much in demand. I am a

good laugher, experienced, no one else laughs as well as I do, no one else has such

10 command of the fine points of my art. For a long time, in order to avoid tiresome

explanations, I called myself an actor, but my talents in the field of mime and elocution

are so meager that I felt this designation to be too far from the truth: I love the truth, and

the truth is: I am a laugher. I am neither a clown nor a comedian. I do not make people

gay, I portray gaiety: I laugh like a Roman emperor, or like a sensitive schoolboy, I am as

much at home in the laughter of the seventeenth century as in that of the nineteenth, and

when occasion demands I laugh my way through the centuries, all classes of society, all

categories of age: it is simply a skill which I have acquired, like the skill of being able to

repair shoes. In my breast I harbor the laughter of America, the laughter of Africa, white,

red, yellow laughter— and for the right fee I let it peal out in accordance with the

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 20 director‘s requirements.

I have become indispensable; I laugh on records, I laugh on tape, and television

directors treat me with respect. I laugh mournfully, moderately, hysterically; I laugh like

a streetcar conductor or like an apprentice in the grocery business; laughter in the

morning, laughter in the evening, nocturnal laughter, and the laughter of twilight. In

short: wherever and however laughter is required—I do it.

It need hardly be pointed out that a profession of this kind is tiring, especially as I

have also—this is my specialty—mastered the art of infectious laughter; this has also

made me indispensable to third- and fourth-rate comedians, who are scared—and with

good reason—that their audiences will miss their punch lines, so I spend most evenings

30 in nightclubs as a kind of discreet claque, my job being to laugh infectiously during the

weaker parts of the program. It has to be carefully timed: my hearty, boisterous laughter

must not come too soon, but neither must it come too late, it must come just at the right

spot prearranged moment I burst out laughing, the whole audience roars with me,

and the joke is saved.

But as for me, I drag myself exhausted to the checkroom, put on my overcoat,

happy that I can go off duty at last. At home, I usually find telegrams waiting for me:

―Urgently require your laughter. Recording Tuesday,‖ and a few hours later I am sitting

in an overheated express train bemoaning my fate.

I need scarcely say that when I am off duty or on vacation I have little inclination

40 to laugh: the cowhand is glad when he can forget the cow, the bricklayer when he can

forget the mortar, and carpenters usually have doors at home which don‘t work or

drawers which are hard to open. Confectioners like sour pickles, butchers like marzipan,

and the baker prefers sausage to bread; bullfighters raise pigeons for a hobby, boxers turn

pale when their children have nosebleeds: I find all this quite natural, for I never laugh

off duty. I am a very solemn person, and people consider me—perhaps rightly so—a

pessimist.

During the first years of our married life, my wife would often say to me: ―Do

laugh!‖ but since then she has come to realize that I cannot grant her this wish. I am

happy when I am free to relax my tense face muscles, my frayed spirit, in profound

50 solemnity. Indeed, even other people‘s laughter gets on my nerves, since it reminds me

too much of my profession. So our marriage is a quiet, peaceful one, because my

wife has also forgotten how to laugh: now and again I catch her smiling, and I smile

too. We converse in low tones, for I detest the noise of the nightclubs, the noise that

sometimes fills the recording studios. People who do not know me think I am taciturn.

Perhaps I am, because I have to open my mouth so often to laugh.

I go through life with an impassive expression, from time to time permitting

myself a gentle smile, and I often wonder whether I have ever laughed. I think not. My

brothers and sisters have always known me for a serious boy.

So I laugh in many different ways, but my own laughter I have never heard.

35. (CCGPS 10.RL.1) What motivates the narrator to tell people that he is a laugher?

a. money

b. fear

c. truth

d. pride

36. (CCGPS 10.RL.6) Lines 13–20 suggest that the narrator is

a. talented

b. cheerful

c. selfish

d. humble

37. (CCGPS 10.RL.6) How does the narrator describe himself in lines 21–25?

a. scared

b. mysterious

c. proud

d. valued

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 38. (CCGPS 10.RL.6) Based on lines 26–34, you can best make the inference that the narrator dislikes

a. large audiences

b. laughing infectiously

c. working secretly

d. sitting still

39. (CCGPS 10.RL.6) Based on lines 35–38, you can make the inference that the narrator approaches his work

a. anxiously

b. wearily

c. proudly

d. casually

40. (CCGPS 10.RL.6) In lines 40–45, the narrator makes the generalization that most people

a. change jobs throughout their lives

b. come to dislike their careers

c. avoid their work when off duty

d. work in fields that they enjoy

41. (CCGPS 10.RL.2) Based on the story, you can make the generalization that people who excel at specific skills are

a. very rare

b. in demand

c. good writers

d. not happy

Directions: Read the following selection by Isaac Bashevis Singer titled ―The Washwoman.‖ Then answer the questions that follow.

In this essay, Singer tells about a loyal, hardworking washwoman who once worked for his family in Russia.

But to return to the washwoman: that winter was a harsh one. The streets were in

the grip of a bitter cold. No matter how much we heated our stove, the windows were

covered with frostwork and decorated with icicles. The newspapers reported that people

were dying of the cold. Coal became dear. The winter had become so severe that parents

stopped sending children to the heder, and even the Polish schools were closed.

On one such day the washwoman, now nearly eighty years old, came to our

house. A good deal of laundry had accumulated during the past weeks. Mother gave

her a pot of tea to warm herself, as well as some bread. The old woman sat on a kitchen

chair trembling and shaking, and warmed her hands against the teapot. Her fingers were

10 gnarled from work, and perhaps from arthritis too. Her fingernails were strangely white.

These hands spoke of the stubbornness of mankind, of the will to work not only as one‘s

strength permits but beyond the limits of one‘s power. Mother counted and wrote down

the list: men‘s undershirts, women‘s vests, long-legged drawers, bloomers, petticoats,

shifts, featherbed covers, pillowcases, sheets, and the men‘s fringed garments. Yes, the

Gentile woman washed these holy garments as well.

The bundle was big, bigger than usual. When the woman placed it on her

shoulders, it covered her completely. At first she swayed, as though she were about to fall

under the load. But an inner obstinacy seemed to call out: No, you may not fall. A

donkey may permit himself to fall under his burden, but not a human being, the crown

20 of creation.

It was fearful to watch the old woman staggering out with the enormous pack, out

into the frost, where the snow was dry as salt and the air was filled with dusty white

whirlwinds, like goblins dancing in the cold. Would the old woman ever reach Wola?

She disappeared, and Mother sighed and prayed for her.

Usually the woman brought back the wash after two or, at most, three weeks. But

three weeks passed, then four and five, and nothing was heard of the old woman. We

remained without linens. The cold had become even more intense. The telephone wires

were now as thick as hawsers. The branches of the trees looked like glass. So much snow

had fallen that the streets had become uneven, and on many streets sleds were able to

30 glide down as on the slopes of a hill. Kindhearted people lit fires in the streets for

vagrants to warm themselves and roast potatoes over, if they had any to roast.

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 For us the washwoman‘s absence was a catastrophe. We needed the laundry. We

did not even know the woman‘s house address. It seemed certain that she had collapsed,

died. Mother declared that she had had a premonition, as the old woman left our house

the last time, that we would never see our things again. She found some torn old shirts

and washed them, mended them. We mourned, both for the laundry and for the old,

toilworn woman who had grown close to us through the years she had served us so

faithfully.

More than two months passed. The frost had subsided, and then a new frost had

40 come, a new wave of cold. One evening, while Mother was sitting near the kerosene

lamp mending a shirt, the door opened and a small puff of steam, followed by

a gigantic bundle, entered. Under the bundle tottered the old woman, her face as white as

a linen sheet. A few wisps of white hair straggled out from beneath her shawl. Mother

uttered a half-choked cry. It was as though a corpse had entered the room. I ran toward

the old woman and helped her unload her pack. She was even thinner now, more bent.

Her face had become more gaunt, and her head shook from side to side as though she

were saying no. She could not utter a clear word, but mumbled something with her

sunken mouth and pale lips.

After the woman had recovered somewhat, she told us that she had been ill, very

50 ill. Just what her illness was, I cannot remember. She had been so sick that someone had

called a doctor, and the doctor had sent for a priest. Someone had informed the son, and

he had contributed money for a coffin and for the funeral. But the Almighty had not yet

wanted to take this pain-racked soul to Himself. She began to feel better, she became

well, and as soon as she was able to stand on her feet once more she resumed her

washing. Not just ours, but the wash of several other families too.

―I could not rest easy in my bed because of the wash,‖ the old woman explained.

―The wash would not let me die.‖

―With the help of God you will live to be a hundred and twenty,‖ said my mother,

as a benediction.

60 ―God forbid! What good would such a long life be? The work becomes harder and

harder—my strength is leaving me—I do not want to be a burden on anyone!‖

The old woman muttered and crossed herself, and raised her eyes toward heaven.

Fortunately there was some money in the house and Mother counted out what she owed. I

had a strange feeling: the coins in the old woman‘s washed-out hands seemed to become

as weary and clean and pious as she herself was. She blew on the coins and tied them in a

kerchief. Then she left, promising to return in a few weeks for a new load of wash.

But she never came back. The wash she had returned was her last effort on this

earth. She had been driven by an indomitable will to return the property to its rightful

owners, to fulfill the task she had undertaken.

70 And now at last the body, which had long been no more than a broken shard

supported only by the force of honesty and duty, had fallen. The soul passed into those

spheres where all holy souls meet, regardless of the roles they played on this earth, in

whatever tongue, of whatever creed. I cannot imagine Eden without this washwoman. I

cannot even conceive of a world where there is no recompense for such effort.

42. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

a. A coal shortage occurred.

b. Polish schools were closed.

c. Stoves did not work well.

d. The winter was severe.

43. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) The description of the washwoman‘s hands reveals her (lines 9–12 )

a. affection for the family

b. sense of humor

c. dedication to her work

d. low energy level

44. (CCGPS 10.RIT.3) Based on lines 12–15, you can infer that the washwoman was

a. of a different religion than the family

b. careful about what she washed

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 c. dependent on the author‘s family for work

d. an employee of a large business

45. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) What is the author‘s perspective on the washwoman in lines 16–20?

a. puzzled by her actions

b. saddened by her difficulties

c. impressed by her efforts

d. amused by her ambition

46. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) What motivated the washwoman to carry the laundry out into the cold? (lines 21–23)

a. She wanted to get home before it snowed.

b. It was her job to wash the laundry.

c. She had her own laundry to do first.

d. The narrator‘s family was out of tea.

47. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) How does the author characterize his mother as superstitious?

a. telling her words

b. describing her appearance

c. stating his opinion directly

d. sharing others‘ thoughts about her

48. (CCGPS 10.RIT.3) When the washwoman reappeared, she looked

a. puzzled

b. sorrowful

c. angered

d. frail

49. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) Which word best describes how the author felt about the washwoman‘s reappearance?

a. astonished

b. frightened

c. confused

d. disappointed

50. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) What motivated the washwoman to recover from her illness?

a. getting more bread

b. completing her job

c. speaking to her son

d. living a long life

51. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) Based on lines 60–61, you can make the inference that the washwoman wanted to

a. remain independent

b. fully recover

c. receive payment

d. prepare for death

52. (CCGPS 10.RIT.5) The author‘s perspective is revealed by his tone of

a. admiration

b. lightheartedness

c. regret

d. indifference

Directions: Answer these questions about both ―The Washwoman‖ and ―The Laughter.‖

53. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1/10.RL.1) You can make the generalization that the main characters of both selections

a. receive little pay for their efforts

b. gain respect through hard work

c. feel proud of their jobs

d. have jobs that match their personalities

54. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6/10.RL.6) Both selections mainly explore how people deal with their

a. responsibilities

b. social status

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 c. health

d. families

Directions: Use context clues and the word root definitions to answer the following questions. The line numbers will help you find the words in the

selections.

55. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) The prefix re- means ―back,‖ and the Latin root quaerere means ―to seek or ask.‖ What does the word requirements mean

in line 20 of ―The Laugher?‖

a. problem

b. conditions

c. objections

d. ideas

56. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) The prefix pro- means ―from,‖ and the Latin root fundus means ―bottom.‖ What does profound mean in line 49 of ―The

Laugher?‖

a. kind

b. difficult

c. silly

d. deep

57. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) The prefix pre- means ―before,‖ and the Latin root monere means ―to warn.‖ What does premonition mean in line 34 of

―The Washwoman?‖ [approx. line 34]

a. an educated guess

b. a vision of the future

c. a clear explanation

d. an unanswered question

58. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) The prefix in- means ―not,‖ and the Latin root domitare means ―to tame or break in.‖ What does indomitable mean in line

68 of ―The Washwoman?‖

a. unconquerable

b. insecure

c. manageable

d. mistaken

Directions: Use your knowledge of connotation and denotation to answer the following questions. The line numbers will help you find the words in the

selections.

59. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) What connotation does the word admission have in line 5 of ―The Laugher?‖

a. anger

b. fear

c. embarrassment

d. patience

60. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) What connotation does the word frayed have in line 49 of ―The Laugher‖?

a. weariness

b. affection

c. openness

d. frustration

61. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) What connotation does the word catastrophe have in line 32 of ―The Washwoman?‖

a. sloppy

b. unbelievable

c. quick

d. disastrous

62. (CCGPS 10.L.4/10.L.5/10.L.6) What connotation does the word uttered have in line 43 of ―The Washwoman?‖

a. confused

b. distracted

c. alarmed

d. bored

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 Directions: Read the autobiographical narrative and answer the questions that follow.

(1) Sometimes scary things turn out to be funny. (2) It was my friend Phil‘s birthday, and a few of our friends were planning to spend the night camping in

the forest behind his house. (3) The mid-June air had grown humid earlier in the day, and the evening brought little relief. (4) Soon, dusk approached.

(5) We pitched our tent in a soft, grassy clearing surrounded by several towering trees. (6) This spot was about a quarter mile from Phil‘s house.

(7) ―This is the perfect spot,‖ Phil explained. (8) ―The ground will be really comfortable for us to sleep on.‖

(9) ―Looks good to me,‖ I said as we loaded our sleeping bags and supplies into the tent.

(10) We pictured ourselves as fearless adventurers, spending a night in the forest by ourselves. (11) Little did we know our bravery would soon be called

into question.

(12) Staring up at the roof of the tent, we could see the outline of the trees that stretched above us. (13) After dark, the forest stirred with a bit of activity.

(14) Otherwise, the night remained very peaceful.

(15) Later, we decided to tell scary stories. (16) With each story, the idea of an entire night in the woods grew scarier, too. (17) Suddenly, we heard a soft

whoosh, followed by a loud thump! (18) A mysterious shadow flashed onto the top of our tent. (19) We screamed in terror. (20) We scrambled out of our

sleeping bags. (21) Sprinting furiously back toward Phil‘s house, we felt certain that we had narrowly avoided an attack.

(22) When we reached the house safely, Phil‘s father set out to search the area. (23) He returned with some surprising—and embarrassing—news.

(24) ―What was it? (25) Did you find it?‖ we inquired anxiously.

(26) ―Yes, I think I found the culprit,‖ he said smiling. (27) ―When I got there, the neighbor‘s cat was climbing up into the tree above your tent,‖ he

chuckled. (28) ―She must have fallen out of the tree and given you a scare.‖

(29) ―Oh. How strangely hilarious!‖ Phil exclaimed.

(30) The mystery had been solved. (31) However, we all sheepishly admitted that we had no desire to return to the tent. (32) We slept safely and peacefully

inside the house. (33) We were the brave survivors of a harrowing adventure. (34) In conclusion, I learned an invaluable lesson about the causes and effects

of fear.

63. (CCGPS 10.L.3) Choose the best way to rewrite sentence 1 in order to better draw the reader into the narrative.

a. I have never felt more afraid than I did one summer

night many years ago.

b. Fear can change a person; here‘s how it changed me

when I was ten.

c. Camping is challenging to do when you‘re young.

d. This is one of my favorite stories to tell people.

64. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) Which sentence sets the scene for the narrative?

a. sentence 2

b. sentence 9

c. sentence 10

d. sentence 26

65. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) How could the writer best add sensory details to sentence 4?

a. listing the people at the party

b. naming the time of day

c. describing the sounds of the forest

d. changing the word order

66. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) Which sentence sets the scene for the doubts about the boys‘ courage?

a. sentence 8

b. sentence 11

c. sentence 18

d. sentence 29

67. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) Which example should the writer add to sentence 10 after ―fearless adventurers‖?

a. in a deep jungle

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 b. on vacation

c. far from home

d. like our parents

68. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) Which of the following sentences would best add sensory details after sentence 13?

a. Soon it was midnight.

b. Many animals awoke.

c. Time seemed to pass slowly.

d. Owls hooted in the treetops.

69. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) Which example should the writer add to sentence 15 after ―scary stories‖?

a. against our better judgment

b. that we made up ourselves

c. about creepy monsters

d. that had surprise endings

70. (CCGPS 10.L.3) Choose the best way to revise sentences 19 and 20 to show sentence variety.

a. We screamed in terror; we scrambled out of our sleeping

bags.

b. Screaming in terror, we scrambled out of our sleeping

bags.

c. We scrambled out of our sleeping bags and screamed in

terror.

d. We screamed in terror, and then we scrambled out of our

sleeping bags.

71. (CCGPS 10.L.5) How could you rewrite the dialogue in sentence 29 to better reflect the character?

a. ―What? I can‘t believe it was just a cat!‖ Phil exclaimed.

b. ―Is that so? My, how very strange!‖ Phil exclaimed.

c. Phil calmly stated, ―That doesn‘t surprise me in the

least, you know?‖

d. ―That simply cannot be true,‖ Phil replied. ―I refuse to

accept that it was a cat.‖

72. (CCGPS 10.L.2) Choose the best way to revise sentences 32 and 33 to show sentence variety.

a. We slept safely and peacefully inside the house; we

were the brave survivors of a harrowing adventure.

b. Because we were the survivors of a harrowing

adventure, we slept safely and peacefully inside the

house.

c. We were the survivors of a harrowing adventure. As a

result, we slept safely and peacefully inside the house.

d. We slept safely and peacefully inside the house—the

brave survivors of a harrowing adventure.

73. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) The narrator‘s individual style is

a. rigid

b. conversational

c. choppy

d. dark

74. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) The tone of sentence 34 is not appropriate for the audience because it is too

a. funny

b. offensive

c. formal

d. happy

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 Directions: Read the following selection from ―The Mystery of Coincidence‖ by Frank Conroy. Then answer the questions that follow.

Neither one of us had any money, but we fell into a domestic routine shakily

financed by freelance journalism and jobs I got as a jazz piano player. Maggie's

vivacity was not limited to her face. She was quick, funny, energetic and optimistic,

and she steadily coaxed me out of my self-absorption and back into the land of the

living. Like most lovers, we lived very much in the moment.

And then one afternoon the telephone rang. Maggie got it in the kitchen and

called upstairs. I picked up the extension, heard Maggie hang up and then had a

conversation with my half-sister, who bears the rather exotic name of India and is

a good deal younger than myself. I hadn't talked to her for perhaps six months,

10 and we chatted about this and that. I hung up the phone and went downstairs.

―Who was that?‖ Maggie asked. ―Did she say her name was India?‖

―My half-sister. You know, the baby in the book. She's grown up now.‖

―There was a girl in my class at the Brearley whose name was India.‖

―You went to the Brearley?‖ I was stunned. ―You didn't tell me that.‖

―Just for a little while. It was between São Paulo and Cali. We were in New

York for a while.‖

It came to me that Maggie and India were the same age.

―That was her,‖ I said. ―She went to Brearley. It's the same person.‖

―You're kidding. That was your sister in my class? I had a fight with her

20 once.‖

We laughed.

―I can't believe you went there,‖ I said. ―How old were you?‖

―Oh, I don't know. Eight or nine.‖

―You know, my mother even taught sewing there, to cut the tuition.‖

Maggie suddenly got serious. ―You don't mean Mrs. Trudeau?‖

It was discombobulating. ―You knew her? That was my mother. Her second

husband's name was Trudeau.‖

Having met by accident on a small island thirty miles at sea in the off-season,

having come from different cities, and given the differences in our ages, we had

30 assumed that our pasts could have nothing in common. We sat pondering the

coincidence that they did.

Maggie's eyes widened. ―I just thought of something.‖ She stood up.

―Come upstairs for a second.‖

We went up to the bedroom, and she pointed to a silver cigar box on the

bureau. ―Didn't you say that was your mother's?‖

I nodded. ―She inherited it from her father and then it came to me.‖

―Wow.‖

I didn't understand what she was getting at. She picked up the silver box and

we sat on the edge of the bed. ―Why did I always keep it with me? In Cali,

40 Sydney, Montreal, Boston and then here, I always took it along for some reason.‖

―What on earth are you talking about?‖

―My project,‖ she said. ―My project with Mrs. Trudeau was to make a little

needle case, a little flannel book with my initial embroidered on the front. We

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 made it together.‖ She opened the silver box. ―Here it is.‖

Indeed, there it was, along with the other sewing paraphernalia she kept there.

A tired-looking flannel rectangle with wide, childish stitches and the letter M.

―It was supposed to be for Mother's Day, but for some reason I kept it,‖ she

said. ―It's been in here for months now. Isn't that strange? You could say the two

objects wanted to come together.‖ She looked up with a smile. ―And they used us

50 to do it.‖

We were silent for a time, contemplating the silver box and needle case. An

eerie moment, but for some reason, oddly reassuring. The two objects seemed to

exist in a state of profound calmness, a stillness which I noticed for the first time,

and which suggested a sort of otherworldly peace. A peace safely beyond the

possibility of disturbance.

―Hey, I know it's old-fashioned,‖ Maggie whispered, ―but you ought to

write this up.‖

75. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) The exposition occurs when

a. the narrator describes how he earns a living

b. Maggie answers the telephone in the kitchen

c. Maggie shows the narrator her handmade needle case

d. the narrator realizes the coincidence in his and Maggie‘s

pasts

76. (CCGPS 10.RIT.5) In lines 2-5, what method of characterization does the author use to describe Maggie?

a. comments from the narrator

b. direct quotations from Maggie

c. description of Maggie‘s actions

d. dialogue from other characters

77. (CCGPS 10.RIT.5) The description of the setting ―on a small island thirty miles at sea in the off-season‖ in line 28 helps create a mood of

a. isolation

b. disbelief

c. suspense

d. expectation

78. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) The phrase ―she pointed to a silver cigar box on the bureau‖ in lines 34-35 appeals to your sense of

a. hearing

b. touch

c. sight

d. smell

79. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) The description of the needle case in line 46 appeals to your sense of

a. hearing

b. sight

c. smell

d. touch

80. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) In lines 39-40, the author characterizes Maggie by

a. explaining her actions

b. quoting her directly

c. describing her appearance

d. revealing her thoughts

81. (CCGPS 10.RIT.5) The plot‘s resolution reveals that Maggie is

a. sentimental

b. forgetful

c. immature

d. innocent

82. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) The narrator of ―The Mystery of Coincidence‖ tells the story from which point of view?

a. first person

b. second person

c. third-person omniscient

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 d. third person limited

83. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) Based on the excerpt, you can predict that the next time his sister India calls, the narrator will

a. tell her that Maggie is still angry with her

b. share the story of the coincidence

c. complain about living with Maggie

d. ask his sister where she went to school

84. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) What conclusion can you draw about the personalities of Maggie and the narrator?

a. Maggie is intellectual, and the narrator is practical.

b. Both Maggie and the narrator try to avoid taking risks.

c. Maggie is outgoing, and the narrator is introspective.

d. Both Maggie and the narrator enjoy the bustle of urban

life.

Directions: Read the following selection ―Stones Aplenty‖ by Arutro Vivante. Then answer the questions that follow.

There was, at the south end of the large, level front lawn of the college, a long

low stone wall which the students playfully called ―The end of the world,‖ as if

there were nothing or nothing worthwhile beyond it. A rough, uncultivated slope

there was, with plenty of stones and outcroppings. It dropped steeply down

toward a wood and the valley below. A few miles farther was a tall green mountain,

and beyond it, on the left, a range of the faint-blue color of distance.

One morning, toward the beginning of term, when I was teaching there, I saw

a series of stone structures standing on the wall. They bore a vague resemblance

to human figures—at least each had a head and what could be construed to be

10 a neck, a trunk, shoulders, and even limbs. The term ―rough-hewn‖ could hardly

fit them—none of the stones had been cut; they were intact, left as nature had

made them. Yet they weren't put together in an artless or haphazard way.

They defied easy definition. Statues, monuments, pilings? Whatever they

were, they bespoke a practiced hand. Something primitive and at the same time

astute about them—each stone placed in such a way that made sense, well

balanced, sturdy, not easily blown off. Also, I could see they had been carefully

chosen, and certainly, below the wall, scattered on the slope, there was a vast

assortment of stones.

I asked a few students and teachers if they knew who might be their artificer,

20 but if they noticed them at all, they had paid little or no attention to them. At

any rate, they didn't seem to know. And this, of course, added to their mystery

in my mind. I praised them and asked others: ―Who made those wonderful stone

structures on the ‗end-of-the-world‘ wall?‖ But no one I approached knew, nor

did my interest rouse theirs.

Then, a few days later, a pleasant young student, a freshman, a boy, from a

fiction class that I was teaching, came into my office. He didn't have anything

special to discuss—no paper, story, poem or essay. He said he had just come in to

talk. I asked him what other courses he was taking, and he shrugged his

shoulders.

30 ―I'm just looking around,‖ he said. ―I like to ride here and there on my

motorbike. Do you want to see it? It's out there.‖ He went to the window. ―There

by the wall.‖

I got up and looked. ―It's nice and light,‖ I said.

―It takes me over all kinds of terrain. I came to Vermont because of all the

country roads here. So many of them, and each one prettier than the next or last. I

have a detailed map of the whole state, and I ride from place to place. Often I

stop, get off and walk along the streams, and I put one stone on another and

another and another till I have a kind of statue, or not altogether a statue, a pile of

stones, a shape. You may have seen what I did on the ‗end-of-the-world‘ wall.‖

40 ―Did you do those?‖ I said, though by this time I had little doubt he must be

their maker. ―I've been admiring them all these last few days, ever since I first

saw them. And I've been asking about them, but no one was able to tell me. I think

they are wonderful. I'm sure glad to know who did them at last—that it is you.‖

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 Again I went to see the stone structures and stood a while contemplating

them. Then, a day or two later, to my dismay, I found that they'd gone. I asked a

gardener about them.

―Christine had them pulled down,‖ he said. Christine was in charge of

buildings and grounds. Everyone here called everyone else, even the college

president, by their first names.

50 ―Oh dear,‖ I said. ―I really liked them. It's a shame.‖

―I liked them too,‖ he said.

―Why did they pull down your stones?‖ I asked the student the next time he

came to my office.

―I don't know.‖

―Pulling them down was vandalism, at no risk, by the person in charge.‖

―I don't care,‖ he said. ―They weren't built to last, and I have plenty more

on the banks of streams.‖

―And if a flood sweeps them away?‖

―I don't mind. I do them for the doing.‖

60 ―You are a real artist,‖ I said.

He didn't even stay till the end of term. He rode away on his slight

motorcycle and did not return.

Since then, by streams and river banks, I've often paused and wondered about

him and his work, hoping that envious hands and sweeping floods spared some of

his shapes. And still I can almost hear him saying, ―It doesn't matter.‖

85. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) The description of the setting in lines 1–6 creates a mood that is

a. gloomy

b. thrilling

c. peaceful

d. confusing

86. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) In which part of the story‘s plot does the narrator notice the stone wall?

a. exposition

b. rising action

c. climax

d. falling action

87. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) Which word best describes the tone of lines 25–29?

a. sarcastic

b. formal

c. solemn

d. matter-of-fact

88. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) In lines 25–29, the author characterizes the student through the narrator‘s comments and the student‘s

a. actions

b. reputation

c. thoughts

d. appearance

89. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) The student‘s motorbike is a symbol of his

a. enthusiasm for speed and risk

b. love of freedom and independence

c. embracing of maturity and responsibility

d. appreciation for works of art

90. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) From lines 34–39, you can infer that the student prefers

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 a. being outside to studying indoors

b. driving a car to riding a motorbike

c. painting landscapes to sculpting

d. attending school to making art

91. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) You can infer from lines 52–54 that the student

a. wants to leave school before the end of the term

b. cares little that the statues have been taken down

c. feels closer to the narrator than to other professors

d. is responsible for removing the stone statues

92. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) In lines 52–60, the author characterizes the student as carefree through the student‘s

a. physical appearance

b. internal thoughts and feelings

c. dialogue with the narrator

d. decisions about school

93. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) Which conclusion can you draw about the narrator‘s attitude toward the student?

a. The student‘s defiant attitude annoys the narrator.

b. The narrator admires the student‘s artistic talent.

c. The student‘s decision to quit school frustrates the

narrator.

d. The narrator envies the student‘s love of nature.

94. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) Which sentence best states one theme of the story?

a. Natural beauty is stronger and more powerful than

human emotion.

b. In order to become a student, you must first be a teacher.

c. A monument can be more impressive than the person it

honors.

d. Permanence is not the most important aspect of beauty.

Directions: Read the following excerpt from the novel Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska and the two supplemental selections about the author and the

historical and cultural context. Use this background material to help you answer the questions that follow.

In this high-hearted mood I began to look for a room where I could be

alone. All the room-to-let signs that I passed seemed like so many doors opening

to a new life. The first house I tried, the to-let room was on the top floor. I flew up

the five flights of stairs as on wings.

―You have a room?‖ I asked, my eyes laughing and my voice singing the

joy in me.

A hard, mean look hit me in the face.

―I don‘t take girls.‖ And the woman slammed the door.

In the next house, I walked up a little slower, and my voice had a

10 quietness not like my own. A washed-out, thin-lipped woman with little

suspicious eyes examined me. ―No girls,‖ snapped this one, too.

―Why no girls?‖ I dared ask the skinny tsarina.

―I want to keep my house clean. No cooking, no washing. Less trouble,

less dirt, with men.‖

My heart sank to my feet. But I forced myself to hunt on. I had to find a

place to live.

In the rear basement, a fat yenteh, in a loose wrapper, showed me a little

coffin of a room, dark as the grave. ―I got three girls sleeping here already. And

there‘s yet a place for a fourth in the bed. I charge only three dollars a month.‖

20 ―I want a room all alone to myself.‖

―You? A room alone?‖ She gave me one fierce look till my cheeks began

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 to burn. ―This is a decent house. I‘m a respectable woman.‖

On and on I searched. . . . Each place took it out of me more and more. For

the first time in my life I saw what a luxury it was for a poor girl to want to be

alone in a room.

My knees bent under me. I was ready to drop from weariness when I saw a

crooked sign, in a scrawling hand, ―Private Room, A Bargain Cheap.‖

It was a dark hole on the ground floor, opening into a narrow airshaft. The

only window where some light might have come in was thick with black dust.

30 The bed see-sawed on its broken feet, one shorter than the others. The

mattress was full of lumps, and the sheets were shreds and patches. But the room

had a separate entrance to the hall. A door I could shut. And it was only six dollars

a month.

―This is just the thing for me,‖ I cried. ―I‘ll clean it up like a little palace.‖

Through half-shut eyes the woman examined me. ―Can you pay on time?‖

she asked.

―Of course I can pay.‖ I drew myself up, tall as the ceiling.

―By what you work?‖

―I‘m not asking for any charity that I should have to tell you my business.‖

40 ―But I got to know if you‘re working steady, to pay me my rent.‖

―You won‘t have to worry. I‘m working by day and studying for a teacher

by night.‖

She drew back as if I was about to rob her. ―My gas! My gas bill. What I‘d

get from your rent, I‘d lose on the gas. I already had an experience with one like

you. She took out books from the library. And in the middle of the night, I could

see by the crack in the door that she was burning away my gas, reading.‖

I looked at the room. A separate door to myself – a door to shut out all the

noises of the world, and only six dollars. Where could I get such a bargain in the

whole East Side?

50 Like a drowning person clinging to a rope, my tired body edged up to that

door and clung to it. My hands clutched at the knob. This door was life. It was air.

The bottom starting-point of becoming a person. I simply must have this room

with the shut door. And I must make this woman rent it to me. If I failed to get it,

I‘d drop dead at her feet.

―Look only on me!‖ I commanded her. ―You‘re a smart woman. You

ought to know yourself on a person, first sight. Here, I give you a month‘s rent in

advance.‖ And I pushed the six dollars into her hand.

Her whole face lighted up with friendliness. She counted the money. Then

kissing each dollar for good luck, she handed me the key.

60 At last alone, in my room. I let go everything, the weight of my body

falling against the closed door. The aloneness was enough for me, and in a

moment it sank me to sleep.

The first thing when I opened my eyes, I counted out the money I had left

in my little knot. Only three dollars and sixty-five cents between me and hunger.

A job. And I must get it at once.

It was slack season in the factories. I walked the streets, wondering where

to turn for work, when I passed a laundry. A big printed sign was in the window:

―Ironer wanted.‖

As I opened the door, a blinding wave of heat struck my face. The air was

70 full of the sweaty smell of washing clothes. At the back, girls could scarcely be

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 seen through the clouds of steam. Hair was sticking to their faces. Necks streamed

with sweat.

A huge, bulgy-faced man sat on the counter, marking collars.

―Do you need an ironer?‖ I asked.

He looked at me from his big height till I felt like a speck of dust under his

feet. With a grunt, he went on marking the laundry.

I put my courage into my teeth and faced him. ―You got a sign out, ‗Ironer

wanted.‘‖

―Yes, but not you,‖ he growled. ―I want someone who can swing an iron.‖

80 And he pointed with his thumb to a husky German woman with giant, red arms,

who ironed a white dress with big, steady strokes. ―That‘s the kind I need for an

ironer.‖

―But let me only show you how good I can iron,‖ I begged. ―I was quicker

than the big ones in my shop.‖

He tried me with an iron at an empty board with a small lot. But though I

put all my strength into it, I was so nervous with him watching me, I thought the

job was lost. But the man nodded kindly as I handed him the ironed apron. ―You

got guts all right,‖ he chuckled. ―I‘ll start you at the mangle for five a week, and

later I‘ll break you into an ironer.‖

Historical Background

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many immigrants arrived on the shores of the United States in pursuit of greater opportunity and security. These

turn-of-the-century immigrants settled in crowded urban areas, living in neighborhoods with others who shared the same cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Staying among fellow transplants allowed the immigrants to maintain a sense of their Old World customs and values.

The children of immigrant families, however, came into more frequent contact with other immigrant cultures and the culture of their new homeland. They

let go of many of the foreign traditions of their parents, embracing the new way of life in America. Such severe shifts in values and customs caused clashes

within families. Women who broke away from conventional roles and sought greater independence faced particularly harsh criticism from their families.

These women also faced great pressure from society. Even in the United States, women were largely expected to serve domestic roles. Women who sought

personal fulfillment through education or employment, or who did not marry as expected, risked society‘s condemnation. Although this disapproval did not

stop many women from continuing their quest for independence, such women frequently faced hardship and loneliness.

Author's Backgound

Anzia Yezierska led a fiercely independent life based on the standards of her time. She was born in Pinsk, Poland, in 1885 to a large family. Her father

spent his time studying religious texts while her mother worked to support the family. They were poor and often hungry.

When Yezierska and her family came to Ellis Island in the 1890s, they lived on Manhattan‘s Lower East Side with other Jewish relatives who were also

seeking a better life in America. Yezierska‘s father clung to Old World values and spent his days in religious study, while her mother and siblings labored

to maintain a meager existence. Yearning for independence and seeing many possibilities in the New World, Anzia left home by the age of seventeen. She

worked long hours in factories and eventually won a scholarship to attend Columbia University‘s Teachers College. Yezierska‘s interest in writing began

during her college years.

Described as dynamic and aggressive, Yezierska refused to conform to traditional feminine roles. She married twice and had a daughter with her second

husband, but the couple divorced. Yezierska eventually turned her daughter over to her father‘s care in order to devote more of her time to pursuing her

own goals and career. Yezierska died in 1970 with several novels and books of short stories to her credit. Her experiences as an American immigrant

influenced all of her writing, and the semi-autobiographical novel Bread Givers remains Yezierska‘s most popular work.

95. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) Which word best describes the tone of lines 1–6?

a. formal

b. sentimental

c. optimistic

d. ironic

96. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) The women‘s refusals to rent the narrator a room are part of the plot‘s

a. exposition

b. rising action

c. climax

d. resolution

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 97. (CCGPS 10.RIT.6) From lines 9–10, you can infer that the narrator feels

a. uncertain

b. satisfied

c. exhausted

d. peaceful

98. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) In lines 28–31, the description creates a mood of

a. confusion

b. humor

c. excitement

d. gloom

99. (CCGPS 10.RIT.4) In lines 35–46, the author achieves a realistic style through the use of

a. dialogue

b. figurative language

c. sensory images

d. tone

100. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) The imagery in line 69 appeals to the reader‘s sense of

a. hearing

b. sight

c. touch

d. smell

101. (CCGPS 10.RIT.2) Lines 83–89 support the theme by showing the narrator‘s

a. determination to make it on her own

b. desire to increase her social status

c. refusal to perform physical labor

d. belief that life works out for the best

102. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) In the excerpt, a conflict exists between the narrator and

a. herself

b. society

c. the environment

d. an antagonist

103. (CCGPS 10.RIT.7) Based on the author‘s background, what hardships did both Yezierska and the narrator face?

a. poverty

b. illness

c. loneliness

d. divorce

104. (CCGPS 10.RIT.7) Which part of Yezierska‘s background most likely influenced her ideas for events in the excerpt?

a. her father‘s dedicated religious studies

b. seeing the possibilities in the New World

c. the family‘s moving to Manhattan

d. attending college on a scholarship

105. (CCGPS 10.RIT.7) How does the narrator‘s search for a room reflect the historical and cultural context of the excerpt?

a. The narrator will not share a room.

b. Lodgings are generally dirty and small.

c. The first month‘s rent is due in advance.

d. Landlords will not rent to a single woman.

106. (CCGPS 10.RIT.1) The details from the setting that best reflect the excerpt‘s historical context are the

a. references to amounts of money

b. listings of rooms for rent

c. descriptions of the characters

d. observations about available jobs

Directions: Read the following selection by Andrea De Porti titled The Most Exciting Voyages of Discovery – from the African Expeditions to the Lunar

Landing. Then answer the questions that follow.

Finally, on January 18, the ship became completely locked in the ice.

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 Despite numerous attempts, it proved impossible to dislodge it. Marooned in the

interminable expanse of the frozen sea, Endurance began drifting with the ice in

its slow progress around the Weddell Sea. Throughout the rest of the summer,

its crew made valiant attempts to move it and carried on the ship‘s normal

routines, but it was clear that Shackleton and his men were going to have to pass

the winter in the ice field.

Autumn brought snowstorms and falling temperatures as the sun sank

ever closer to the horizon; on May 1, it disappeared for the duration of the long

10 Antarctic night. Toward the end of the winter, disaster struck: The terrible

pressure of the ice at last overcame the resistance of Endurance’s hull, leaving it

crushed and sinking in the grip of the ice and turning its crew into castaways,

hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement, in one of the most

inhospitable places on Earth. All they had was what they could retrieve from the

ship, 60 huskies and their provisions. As spring came, their situation became

more, not less, dangerous as the majestic jigsaw of the ice, still drifting

northwest, began to break into pieces beneath their feet, becoming more and

more treacherous and impossible to walk upon. The castaways were able to hunt

seals and birds in order to survive, but were also obliged to slaughter their dogs.

20 When the pack ice finally melted in March 1916, they took to the sea in

Endurance’s longboats, in a terrifying voyage through snowstorms, between

banks of floating ice and schools of whales, until they managed to make land at

Elephant Island, a desolate rock whipped by winds at the northern tip of the

Antarctic Peninsula. Here Shackleton decided to attempt to get back to South

Georgia, where he might find help, with a few companions on board the

longboat James Caird, leaving the rest of the expedition on Elephant Island. He

faced a dreadful voyage of some 800 miles (1,300 km) that had never been

attempted before—let alone in an open boat a mere 22 feet (7 m) long.

Incredibly, in two weeks, he nevertheless succeeded in reaching South Georgia,

30 where he was greeted by one of the whalers who had seen him on his way a

year and a half before. Shackleton, however, was unrecognizable when he arrived,

with a grizzled beard, grim as death, his clothes in tatters and his hair encrusted

with salt.

107. (CCGPS 10.W.9) Which is the best way to paraphrase the sentence contained in line 2?

a. In spite of their attempts, the ship was stuck in the ice.

b. Even though the ship was stuck in the ice, the crew tried

to move it.

c. The crew tried many times, but they could not get the

ship out of the ice.

d. The crew attempted the impossible by trying to dislodge

the ship.

108. (CCGPS 10.W.9) Which is the best way to paraphrase the sentence contained in lines 14–15?

a. The crew could recover only sixty dogs and supplies

from the ship.

b. The crew could save only 60 dogs and their supplies

from the ship.

c. They found provisions and sixty dogs retrieved from the

ship.

d. The huskies helped them retrieve some of the items from

the ship.

109. (CCGPS 10.L.3) Which is the correct way to use the author‘s idea in the sentence in lines 15–18 without plagiarizing?

a. When spring came, the ―majestic jigsaw of the ice‖

began to break under them (31).

b. Breaking ice made the circumstances ―more, not less,

dangerous‖ in the spring (De Porti 31).

c. The unstable ice became ―treacherous‖ when it started to

break into pieces (De Porti).

d. The ice, still drifting northwest, began to break into

pieces, making it difficult to walk upon.

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012

110. (CCGPS 10.W.9) Which is the best way to summarize the sentence contained in lines 23–26?

a. James Caird was the longboat that Shackleton used

when he left Elephant Island and headed out to sea.

b. Several members of the expedition left Elephant Island

on a longboat and headed back to South Georgia.

c. Taking the James Caird, a longboat, some of the crew

headed for South Georgia, leaving others behind.

d. Shackleton, with a few of his crew members, attempted

to return to South Georgia for help.

111. (CCGPS 10.L.3) Which is the correct way to use the author‘s idea in the sentence in lines 26–28 without plagiarizing?

a. This had never been tried before, let alone in an open

boat—it would be ―dreadful.‖

b. He was about to attempt a risky trip that had never been

tried before (De Porti).

c. Traveling 800 miles in an open boat was sure to be ―a

dreadful voyage‖ (De Porti 31).

d. In an open boat a ―mere 22 feet (7 m) long,‖ the trip

would be ―dreadful‖ (p. 31).

Directions: Read the following selection from ―The Imp of the Perverse‖ by Edgar Allan Poe. Then answer the questions that follow.

It is impossible that any deed could have been wrought with more thorough

deliberation. For weeks, for months, I pondered upon the means of the murder. I

rejected a thousand schemes, because their accomplishment involved a chance of

detection. At length, in reading some French memoirs, I found an account of a

nearly fatal illness that occurred to Madame Pilau, through the agency of a candle

accidentally poisoned. The idea struck my fancy at once. I knew my victim‘s habit

of reading in bed. I knew, too, that his apartment was narrow and ill-ventilated.

But I need not vex you with impertinent details. I need not describe the easy

artifices by which I substituted, in his candlestand, a wax-light of my own making,

10 for the one which I there found. The next morning he was dead in his bed, and the

verdict was,—―Death by the visitation of God.‖

Having inherited his estate, all went merrily with me for years. The idea of

detection never obtruded itself. Of the remains of the fatal taper, I had myself

carefully disposed, nor had I left the shadow of a clue by which it would be

possible to convict, or even to suspect me of the crime. It is inconceivable how

rich a sentiment of satisfaction arose in my bosom as I reflected upon by absolute

security. For a very long period of time, I reveled in this sentiment. It afforded me,

I believe, more real delight than all the mere worldly advantages accruing from my

sin. There arrived at length an epoch, after which this pleasurable feeling took to

20 itself a new tone, and grew, by scarcely perceptible gradations, into a haunting and

harassing thought—a thought that harassed because it haunted. I could scarcely get

rid of it for an instant. It is quite a common thing to be thus annoyed by the ringing

in our ears, or memories, of the burden of an ordinary song, or some unimpressive

snatches from an opera. Nor will we be less tormented though the song in itself be

good, or the opera air meritorious. In this manner, at last, I would perpetually find

myself pondering upon my impunity and security, and very frequently would catch

myself repeating, in a low, under-tone, the phrases ―I am safe—I am safe.‖

One day, while sauntering listlessly about the streets, I arrested myself in

the act of murmuring, half aloud, these customary syllables. In a fit of petulance at

30 my indiscretion I re-modelled them thus: —―I am safe—I am safe—yes, if I do not

prove fool enough to make open confession.”

No sooner had I uttered these words, than I felt an icy chill creep to my

heart. I had had (long ago, during childhood) some experience in those fits of

perversity, whose nature I have been at so much trouble in explaining, and I

remembered that in no instance had I successfully resisted their attacks. And now

my own casual self-suggestion, that I might possibly prove fool enough to make

open confession—confronted me, as if the very ghost of him I had murdered—and

beckoned me on to death.

At first, I made strong effort to shake off this nightmare of the soul. I

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 40 whistled—I laughed aloud—I walked vigorously—faster and still faster. At length

I saw—or fancied that I saw—a vast and formless shadow that seemed to dog my

footsteps, approaching me from behind, with a cat-like and stealthy pace. It was

then that I ran. I felt a wild desire to shriek aloud. Every succeeding wave of

thought overwhelmed me with new terror, for, alas! I understood too well that to

think, in my condition, was to be undone. I still quickened my steps. I bounded

like a madman through the crowded thoroughfares. But now the populace took

alarm, and pursued. Then—then I felt the consummation of my fate. Could I have

torn out my tongue, I would have done it—but a rough voice from some member

of the crowd now resounded in my ears, and a rougher grasp seized me by the arm.

50 I turned—I gasped for breath. For a moment, I experienced all the pangs of

suffocation; I became blind, and deaf, and giddy; and at this instant it was no

mortal hand, I knew, that struck me violently with a broad and massive palm upon

the back. At that blow the long-imprisoned secret burst forth from my soul.

They say that I spoke with distinct enunciation, but with emphasis and

passionate hurry, as if in dread of interruption before concluding the brief but

pregnant sentences that consigned me to the hangman and to hell.

Having related all that was necessary for the fullest judicial conviction, I

fell prostrate in a swoon.

But why shall I say more? To-day I wear these chains, and am here. To-

60 morrow I shall be fetterless!—but where?

112. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) Which sentence best paraphrases the sentence in line 2?

a. The murder would take a long time.

b. I created the murder plan in one week.

c. I planned the murder for a long time.

d. The murder should happen at night.

113. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) Which tone does the author use in lines 12–17?

a. Formal

b. Silly

c. Whimsical

d. Pessimistic

114. (CCGPS 10.RL.1) The sensory details in lines 28–29 help you visualize the narrator‘s

a. House

b. Clothing

c. Friends

d. Actions

115. (CCGPS 10.RL.2) Which mood do the sensory details in lines 40–42 create?

a. humorous

b. lighthearted

c. anxious

d. sad

116. (CCGPS 10.RL.4) Which sentence best paraphrases the sentence in lines 46–47?

a. The fearful people ignored me.

b. The frightened people chased me.

c. I got scared when the people chased me.

d. I surprised the people when I chased them.

117. (CCGPS 10.RL.1) Which phrase contains sensory details?

a. ―No sooner had I‖

b. ―prove fool enough to‖

c. ―gasped for breath‖

d. ―the consummation of my fear‖

118. (CCGPS 10.RL.6) The story‘s first-person point of view helps the author express

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 a. strength

b. ideas

c. opinions

d. emotions

119. (CCGPS 10.RL.5) What is this excerpt‘s form, or genre?

a. suspense

b. love

c. western

d. comedy

120. (CCGPS 10.RL.5) The excerpt‘s form reveals that the author‘s purpose is to

a. explain a time period

b. make you laugh

c. increase your anticipation

d. describe a relationship

Directions: (CCGPS 10L4, 10L5, 10L6) Please pick the best answer based on the directions below.

Match the following roots with the definitions.

121. twenty A. decem, dec

122. hundred B. vigint

123. ten C. cent

124. thousand D. mill

125. ninth E. nona

Match the following roots with the definitions.

126. middle A. tempor

127. hinge;pivot B. annu, enni

128. measure; manner C. mod

129. year D. medi

130. order; rank; series E. cardin

131. time AB. ord, ordin

Match the following words with the definitions.

132. of great weight; heavy; massive A. expansive

133. to rely; place trust B. impassive

134. high-priced; costly C. opponent

135. having a wide range or extent; comprehensive D. depend

136. without emotion; apathetic; unmoved E. transpose

137. being opposite, as in position AB. ponderous

138. to change the relative position, order, or sequence of AC. expensive

Match the vocabulary word with its antonym.

139. adjacent A. homogenous

140. miscellaneous B. give in

141. resist C. decline

142. supersede D. lower

143. incline E. distant

Match the word with its synonym.

144. fugitive A. retreat

145. cursory B. wanted

146. extravagant C. extreme

147. recede D. careless

Fill in the blanks with the correct word.

a. superseded b. mobility c. divergent

148. ___________ thinking resulted in the students coming up with several designs for the few recumbent bicycle.

149. With limited ____________, it is difficult for handicapped people to travel to scenic parks.

150. The iPhone4S has ___________ the iPhone3 by leaps and bounds.

Directions: Read the following quotation. Then read the prompt that follows and complete the writing activity.

Benchmark #4 -- Final Exam

Spring 2012 ―The good critic is he who relates the adventures of his soul among masterpieces.‖

Anatole France

Prompt: Write a critical review of one of your favorite movies. As Anatole France suggests, a good critical review includes your own opinions and

experiences. Explain what makes the movie one of your favorites.