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ELA 8 - Unit I Pretest

Last updated over 4 years ago
18 questions
Read each passage and answer the appropriate questions.

PASSAGE 1

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. 5
I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,
Speaking indifferently to him, 10
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?

PASSAGE 2

The Secret Heart by Robert Coffin

Across the years he could recall
His father one way best of all.

In the stillest hour of night
The boy awakened to a light.

Half in dreams, he saw his sire 5
With his great hands full of fire.

The man had struck a match to see
If his son slept peacefully.

He held his palms each side the spark
His love had kindled in the dark. 10

His two hands were curved apart
In the semblance of a heart.

He wore, it seemed to his small son,
A bare heart on his hidden one,

A heart that gave out such a glow 15
No son awake could bear to know.

It showed a look upon a face
Too tender for the day to trace.

One instant, it lit all about,
And then the secret heart went out. 20

But it shone long enough for one
To know that hands held up the sun.
1

With which of the following statements would the speaker of Passage 1
most likely agree?

1

The speaker’s purpose in Passage 1 is most likely to...

1

In Passage 2, the father stands over his son because...

1

Of the following themes or central ideas, which one is NOT present in either Passage 1 or Passage 2?

1

The main purpose of the repetition in line 13 of Passage 1 is to...

1

While they share a common theme, in what ways do the structures and styles of Passages 1 and 2 compare?

1

Which of the following is true about the structure of Passage 1?

1

Which of the following is true about the structure of Passage 2?

Passage 3

Distracted driving: Stay focused when on the road
By Teddi Dineley Johnson

It’s 8 a.m., and you jump in your car to drive to school. You have every intention of driving safely, but within minutes of merging onto the highway you’ve already checked your makeup in the mirror, fiddled with your car’s radio, made two calls on your cellphone, and sent a text message to your sister. You might not realize it, but you’re a distracted driver.

Each time you take your focus off the road, even if just for a split second, you’re putting your life and the lives of others in danger. An emerging and deadly epidemic on the nation’s roads, distracted driving-related crashes caused at least 5,500 deaths and nearly 450,000 injuries in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation….

“Driving a car is a very complex task,” says Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, which estimates that distractions are associated with 15 percent to 25 percent of crashes at all levels. “It requires your complete attention. All it takes is a glance away for more than two seconds and you can get into serious trouble.”

Distracted driving is any activity that takes your attention away from the road…. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes three main types of distractions while driving. Visual distractions cause you to take your eyes off the road, manual distractions cause you to take your hands off the wheel and cognitive distractions, such as listening to a talk radio show, cause you to take your mind off what you are doing. Driving is a great privilege, but with that privilege also comes responsibility.

Passage 4

Distractions and Teens

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Teens are especially vulnerable to distractions while driving and are more likely than other age groups to be involved in a fatal crash where distraction is reported. While driver distractions come in many forms, texting while driving is especially dangerous.

“Teenagers get into the most crashes the first six months after they have gotten their licenses, so it’s important that they focus on driving and not get distracted by electronic devices,” Harsha says. Teen drivers are far more likely to send and receive text messages while driving than adults. Also, a teen’s crash risk goes up when there are teen passengers in the car. Parents need to take a strong stand with their teens, Harsha says. Prohibit teens from using electronic devices while driving and restrict them from carrying teenage passengers.

“It seems so common sense not to text while driving, but people are so connected to their electronic devices that they kind of forget themselves,” Harsha says. The research found that text messaging causes drivers to take their eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds over a six-second interval. That means at 55 mph, a texting driver would travel the length of a football field without looking at the road.

Passage 5

Banning texting while driving is not the answer

At least one group of researchers is making a case against laws banning texting while driving. Researchers at the Swedish National Road and Transport Institute found that driver education is more effective than a ban, partly because people would disobey a law and partly because hands-free devices meant to replace texting as a safer alternative do not actually lower crash figures.
1

Which of the following best reflects the claim in Passage 3?

1

Which of the following would be irrelevant information in Passage 3?

1

Which of the following best reflects the claim in Passage 4?

1

Which of the following serve as sound reasoning in both Passages 3 and 4 to support the claims?

1

Passage 5 could be a stronger argument if it included what piece of relevant evidence?

1

On which point do passages 3 and 4 differ in interpretation?

1

In which of the following ways do Passages 3, 4, and 5 provide conflicting information?

1

If you were writing an argument essay against teens texting while driving, which of the following would be the best evidence/reason to support your claim?

1

Which of the following structural items would add strength to an essay against teens texting while
driving?

1

A solid conclusion in an argument essay against teens texting while driving would...