ELA Testlet 006 - Writing Organization and Content

A student is writing an essay about virtual field trips. Read the draft:

The virtual experience allows students to connect with what they are learning in a way that

is interesting and motivating. Whether they are climbing the pyramids of Egypt or walking

the Great Wall of China, students are able to feel as if they are actually on a field trip.

Students get to experience places they may not be able to travel to otherwise.

Which sentence would be the best introduction for the paragraph?

Read a student’s journal entry:

Let me tell you about the craziest dream I have ever had. I woke up to get ready for school

but realized all the socks in my dresser drawer were missing. I searched all over the house

but could not find them. It wasn’t until I opened the fridge and saw all my socks neatly

folded that I realized I must have been dreaming.

Choose the best concluding sentence for the student's journal entry.

Read the paragraph from a student’s informational essay about an event in history:

____________________________________The Tokio Express, a container ship, was traveling from the Netherlands to New York City when it was unexpectedly hit by a gigantic wave. The harsh force of the wave tilted the cargo ship dramatically, and it dropped several containers into the sea. One of the containers was filled with approximately five million colorful LEGO bricks. Shortly after the incident, the LEGO pieces began washing ashore throughout the United Kingdom. LEGO pieces have continued to wash ashore for over twenty-five years.

Choose one of the sentences below that is the best introduction for the paragraph.

Read the paragraph from a student’s biography about Jackie Robinson:

In 1942, Robinson was drafted and sent to an Army cavalry unit in Fort Riley, Kansas,

where he was selected for officer training. He was later transferred to Fort Hood, Texas,

and joined the 761st Black Panthers Tank Battalion. Before leaving the Army in 1944,

Robinson served as a coach for Army athletics in Kentucky. It was during this time that he

met a fellow African-American who played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro

American Baseball League and urged Robinson to try out for the team.

Which title would be the best heading for this section of the biography?

A student is writing an informational report about the history of candy in the United States.

Read the student’s draft:

In our world of endless choices of candy and other sweet treats, it is hard to imagine a

time when candy did not exist. Historically, “candy” was used as medicine when people

had stomach trouble or sore throats. For example, peppermint sticks were a type of candy

used as medicine. Early Native Americans and colonial Americans used sap from trees to

make maple syrup, which was combined with other foods, such as nuts and dried fruits, to

make candy. Cocoa was also popular in colonial America, but sugary chocolate candy

wasn’t known to the colonists or Native Americans. People instead used cocoa in different

recipes. However, as food science and technology progressed, the production of

chocolate candy and other types of candy, such as jelly beans, grew in popularity.

Which sentence would be the best conclusion for the student’s draft?