CAHSEE Academy

Moreno Valley High SchoolJanuary 2014

One of the requirements to earn your diploma is passing the CAHSEE.

Multiple Choice

•There are 72 multiple-choice questions.•7 Word Analysis (vocabulary)•18 Reading Comprehension (non-fiction)•20 Literary Response and Analysis•12 Writing Strategies•15 Written Conventions

Essay

•Write one (1) writing application•biographical narrative•expository essay•persuasive essay•response to literature•business letter

Leads to •Passing the

CAHSEE

The passing score for

the CAHSEE is 350You should try to

achieve a 380, not just a passing score.

380 is proficient

!

*450is the

highest CAHSEE score.

Students scoring a 450 will be recognized at the second semester assembly.

Rewards for attendance to all CAHSEE Academy Days and CAHSEE test days.

Word Analysis

•Deconstruction•Context Clues•ChargeThese are just three strategies you can use to better understand words.

Root Words

Prefixes

Suffixes

Deconstruction looks at root words, prefixes, and suffixes.

are the basic elements of words.

are placed before a word to modify a term's meaning.

follow the word, such as -ly in kindly.

A root word is the foundation on which the meaning of a word is built.

Context clues are words in a sentence or paragraph that help the reader deduce

(reason out) the meaning of a word.Three major types of context clues:

Synonym: I feel completely satiated; in fact, I am so full that I could not possibly eat another morsel of food.

Antonym: Unlike Rob, who is so full of life, Rachel is lackluster.

Example: In college, you can choose courses from a broad range of academic disciplines, such as history, economics, mathematics, and psychology.

Here are two examples of Word Analysis (Vocabulary) questions found on the CAHSEE.

Notice how this type of question requires you to refer to the sentence. It gives you some context in answering the questions.

Context is the surrounding information, which can help you gain a better understanding of a word.

From “Electric Cars…”

Refer to “A Word in the Hand” handout.

Questions 26 and 27 are examples of Word Analysis (Vocabulary) questions.

These questions involve knowing literal and figurative meanings of words.

Idioms are a type of figurative language. These expressions or phrases are not literal, but are meant to be comparisons or observations that can be applied to the situation.

This is also known as a word’s connotation.

Understanding a word’s “charge” is another strategy that you can use to gain insight about a word’s meaning. You should consider your reaction to the word.

This example asks you to simply understand the meaning of the word. You can use some of the strategies (i.e. context clues) to determine the correct meaning of the word frazzled.

This author does not intend to say that dolphins are actual torpedoes, but means for you to understand that they have some traits similar to a torpedo.

The word “torpedo” influences your understanding of the word “dolphin,” as torpedoes have certain characteristics that will affect your interpretation of this sentence.

How are torpedoes and dolphins similar?

*Literary Analysis

On the CAHSEE you will be given several passages to read, followed by a series of multiple-choice questions that test your understanding of the text.

Literary text refers to passages written in a literary style, such as poems, short stories, and plays. A literary style of writing makes use of figurative language and literary devices to create a powerful image for the reader.

SimilesMetaphors

Personification

Irony

*Authors use figurative language to help the reader visualize what is happening in a story or poem. It is language that uses imaginative comparison, rather than literal statement, to give the reader a feeling about the subject.

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things, using the words “like” or “as.”

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things.

Means giving human qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics to non-human objects.

The contrast between what is said and what is meant, or between the appearance of things and their reality.

SimileMetaphor

Personification

Irony

Her hands were as cold as ice.She moves like a snail.

Her skin is velvet.“Life’s but a walking shadow.”

The trees whispered in the wind.The sun poked its head out from the clouds and shone.

In Romeo and Juliet, the other characters in the cast think Juliet is dead, but the audience knows she only took a sleeping potion.

"Oh, that's beautiful", when what they mean (probably conveyed by their tone) is they find "that" quite ugly.

Other Literary Terms You Should Know

Climax ConflictDialogue FlashbackFoil ForeshadowingGenre MonologueNarrator OnomatopoeiaPoint of View RepetitionSetting SoliloquyStanza Tone

What does this term mean?

Knowing these literary terms may make some of these questions easier to understand.

Read “The School Garden” to answer these questions.

• Today you practiced Word Analysis and Literary Analysis.• Tomorrow you will practice Writing Strategies and Reading Comprehension!• See you there!*Thank you for your attention!