2019 STAAR English 2

After sentence 1

After sentence 2

After sentence 4

After sentence 5

For example

In conclusion

Overall

Instead

A misstep by just one student and a flaw is created that is visible in the perfectly coordinated display.

A misstep by just one student creates a visible flaw in the perfectly coordinated display.

A misstep by just one student creates a flaw in the perfectly coordinated display, the flaw is visible.

A misstep by just one student creates a visible flaw that can be seen in the perfectly coordinated display.

Sentence 9

Sentence 13

Sentence 18

Sentence 20

It’s foolish to buy several bottles of water each day when there’s no good reason for doing this.

People need to stop doing this now and protest against bottled-water companies.

These problems can be solved, however, if people choose to drink water from reusable containers instead of plastic bottles.

The list of problems that people are causing, such as increasing pollution, by buying bottled water is endless.

Bottled water may be attractively packaged, but it is simply processed tap water.

Bottled water is simply processed tap water because it is attractively packaged.

Bottled water may be attractively packaged, so it is simply processed tap water.

Bottled water is attractively packaged, because it is simply processed tap water.

Because bottled water can cost so much, a reusable water bottle is a wise investment.

People think bottled water is harmless, and other plastic containers are just as bad.

Money is a concern for many people, so it should be saved whenever possible.

Bottled water is a huge monetary expense, but the cost to our planet is even greater.

Also consider that many bottles are discarded into landfills, where the bottles release chemicals as they decompose over hundreds of years.

Also consider that landfills are filled with released chemicals, where they decompose many discarded bottles over hundreds of years.

These bottles, decomposing over hundreds of years, should also be considered to release chemicals where they have been discarded into landfills.

Over hundreds of years, landfills are filled with many bottles, and it should also be considered that the bottles decompose and release chemicals.

The future of our planet depends on people like you doing away with a terrible threat—plastic water bottles.

We should make the decision today to be smart about our finances and responsible with our planet by opting for reusable water bottles.

Think of how much you can help the fish in our lakes, rivers, and oceans by avoiding bottled water.

Choose reusable water bottles, and watch your savings grow.

Change being to I am

Insert a comma after childhood

Change plays to playing

Sentence 2 should not be changed.

I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness that teases my nostrils.

As I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness teases my nostrils.

Pulling gently at its crisp brown shell, the aroma of its gooey sweetness teasing my nostrils.

When I pull gently at its crisp brown shell, and the aroma of its gooey sweetness teasing my nostrils.

Insert a comma after grass

Change reminds to reminding

Change playing to to play

Change Soccer to soccer

Insert a comma after way

Change is processed to has processed

Change centers’ to centers

Sentence 18 should not be changed.

Delete the comma

Insert a comma after today

Change innocent to inocent

Make no change to sentence 20.

Change Organization to organization

Change the colon to a comma

Change species to species’

No change is needed in sentence 1.

Delete since

Change accustomed to acustomed

Change to trying to to try

No change is needed in this sentence.

Change Doing to When we do

Delete the comma after though

Change preferances to preferences

Change simply to simple

Change whose to who’s

Change brought to bringing

Delete the comma after try

No change is needed in sentence 18.

Lines 3 through 5

Lines 9 and 10

Lines 17 through 19

Lines 28 and 29

wants to be honest about how little he understands the creative impulse

does not want to mislead his daughter into believing that she has special talent

is now willing to risk hurting his daughter’s self-esteem by telling her the truth about her work

wants to admit his confusion about the sometimes-stifling life choices that creative people make

a child sees the sky as a magical ocean full of mysterious creatures

the speaker hopes to save his daughter from a terrible future

artists experience a sea of wild and unpredictable emotions

there is a danger that artists may get lost in their own creations

the daughter will develop an interest in more practical pursuits as she matures

the speaker expects his daughter’s art to transform as she grows older

the daughter’s paintings will become more whimsical as she develops her technical skills

the speaker believes that his daughter will one day be a successful professional artist

In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s creative struggles, while in stanza 2, he imagines her eventual success as an artist.

In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s paintings, while in stanza 2, he describes his own artwork.

In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s art as an expression of childhood, while in stanza 2, he considers her future as a mature artist.

In stanza 1, the speaker focuses on his daughter’s early artistic success, while in stanza 2, he questions whether she should pursue a career as a painter.

show the son’s fear of being touched by his father

imply that the father may not really be dying after all

emphasize how aged and decrepit the father appears to his son

suggest that the son has little respect for his father

He blames himself for his father’s long absences.

He thinks his father never gave them the opportunity to be close.

He is too willing to forgive his father for lying.

He is unwilling to share what he knows with his father

“Now all that seems so unimportant, you know?”

“Remembering a man’s stories makes him immortal, did you know that?”

“I had dinner with a prime minister once, William.”

“I wasn’t going to tell you about the two-headed lady, Mr. Smarty-pants,” he says.

naive

hypercritical

indignant

sarcastic

he values his father’s advice

he regrets not paying attention to his father in the past

he believes his father is dying

he believes his father will tell him a secret

He must choose between impressing his son with outlandish stories and admitting that he is a financial failure.

He must resolve feelings about his failure to persuade his son to follow in his footsteps.

He must decide whether to continue to pursue his dreams or devote himself to helping his son.

He must reconcile his lifelong desire to be important with the knowledge that he neglected his family.

a place of tremendous comfort

a place with limited opportunities

the best place to raise a family

a place of haunting memories

disappointing his father

imitating his father

trying to impress his father

making peace with his father

as though they must prove something

embarrassed by their ignorance

compelled to admit their mistakes

challenged to explain something difficult

While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” is optimistic, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish is cynical.

While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” seems caring, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish seems self-centered.

While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” is open-minded, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish is judgmental.

While the father in “To a Daughter with Artistic Talent” seems defensive, the father in the excerpt from Big Fish seems relaxed.

depict a world that seems more fanciful than realistic

contain imagery drawn from well-known fairy tales

are difficult for others to understand

portray heroic characters

inner turmoil

stubbornness

guilt

exaggerated self-confidence

The speaker in the poem worries that his daughter gets carried away by her imagination, while the narrator in the story admires the way his father uses his imagination.

The speaker in the poem believes that his daughter paints to express her true feelings, while the narrator in the story believes that his father tells stories to escape reality.

The speaker in the poem thinks his daughter paints to bring them closer together, while the narrator in the story thinks his father tells stories to distance himself from others.

The speaker in the poem believes that painting is good for his daughter’s health, while the narrator in the story worries that his father’s stories are a symptom of illness.

To encourage people to visit national parks

To advocate for coexistence of humans and wildlife in urban areas

To explain methods for tracking a cougar through Griffith Park

To persuade people to convert urban cities back to natural spaces

relish my experiences

cougar kin

adapt to life

urban interface

To argue that human-built environments are not suitable for wildlife

To illustrate a shift in her perspective regarding wildlife habitats

To explain that mountain lions are vastly different from other types of wildlife

To prove that she has experience on the subject of mountain lions

Milkweed plants are enjoyed by several species of butterflies.

Milkweed plants are becoming more available in cities.

Milkweed plants can be grown in any environment.

Milkweed plants are essential for the migration of monarch butterflies.

relief

surprise

humiliation

pride

Certain urban spaces should be abandoned by people because wildlife need them more.

Larger species of wildlife are not as strong as smaller species of wildlife.

Humans need to change their understanding of wildlife preservation.

More national parks should be formed to help wildlife.

To emphasize that wildlife living in urban areas is more common than people think

To compare the wildlife found in different regions of California

To describe Mark Zuckerberg’s disapproval of the foxes living on the Facebook campus

To question whether the foxes are safe living in Menlo Park

Decisions about nature made by people

Understanding and respecting nature

Multiple species of plants and animals

Animals living in populated urban areas

To illustrate the level of excitement a movie can provide

To explain the filmmaking techniques used by movie directors

To show how movies help people cope with real-world worries

To describe the mental processes involved with making a movie

potent

racing

attentional

literally

To persuade readers to watch movies in an actual theater rather than at home

To explain why movies watched at home are less enjoyable

To give advice for ways to enhance the home movie-watching experience

To demonstrate why the convenience of watching movies at home is appealing

Factual data

Personal experience

Persuasive argument

Anecdotal details

Movies can cause people to become emotional.

The way people relate to a movie depends on how realistic it is.

Movies can make people ignore the difference between reality and fiction.

People lose awareness of their surroundings in a movie theater.

Emotions

Selective attention

Comprehension

Spacial awareness

To contrast the enjoyment received from older and newer movies

To express concern regarding the ways people often watch movies today

To suggest that newer movies lack emotional appeal for viewers

To explain why theater attendance has declined in recent years

To inform people about what makes a movie-watching experience enjoyable

To analyze the techniques moviemakers use to create popular movies

To compare the experiences of watching a movie at home and in a theater

To persuade people to avoid watching movies on smart phones