Unit 1: CCR Unit Exam
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Last updated 3 months ago
16 questions
(This passage is an excerpt from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening)
Mrs. Pontellier reached over for a palm-leaf fan that lay on the porch and began to fan herself, while Robert sent between his lips light puffs from his cigarette. They chatted incessantly: about the things around them; their amusing adventure out in the water—it had again assumed its entertaining aspect; about the wind, the trees, the people who had gone to the Cheniere; about the children playing croquet under the oaks, and the Farival twins, who were now performing the overture to “The Poet and the Peasant.”
Robert talked a good deal about himself. He was very young, and did not know any better. Mrs. Pontellier talked a little about herself for the same reason. Each was interested in what the other said. Robert spoke of his intention to go to Mexico in the autumn, where fortune awaited him. He was always intending to go to Mexico, but some way never got there. Meanwhile he held on to his modest position in a mercantile house in New Orleans, where an equal familiarity with English, French and Spanish gave him no small value as a clerk and correspondent.
He was spending his summer vacation, as he always did, with his mother at Grand Isle. In former times, before Robert could remember, “the house” had been a summer luxury of the Lebruns. Now, flanked by its dozen or more cottages, which were always filled with exclusive visitors from the “Quartier Francais,” it enabled Madame Lebrun to maintain the easy and comfortable existence which appeared to be her birthright.
Mrs. Pontellier talked about her father’s Mississippi plantation and her girlhood home in the old Kentucky bluegrass country. She was an American woman, with a small infusion of French which seemed to have been lost in dilution. She read a letter from her sister, who was away in the East, and who had engaged herself to be married. Robert was interested, and wanted to know what manner of girls the sisters were, what the father was like, and how long the mother had been dead.
When Mrs. Pontellier folded the letter it was time for her to dress for the early dinner. “I see Leonce isn’t coming back,” she said, with a glance in the direction whence her husband had disappeared. Robert supposed he was not, as there were a good many New Orleans club men over at Klein’s.
When Mrs. Pontellier left him to enter her room, the young man descended the steps and strolled over toward the croquet players, where, during the half-hour before dinner, he amused himself with the little Pontellier children, who were very fond of him.
Required
6
In the first paragraph of the attached passage, the word “incessantly” most nearly means ____.
In the first paragraph of the attached passage, the word “incessantly” most nearly means ____.
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6
When the narrator in the attached passage repeatedly uses the title Mrs. to refer to one of the characters, it creates a(an) ____ tone.
When the narrator in the attached passage repeatedly uses the title Mrs. to refer to one of the characters, it creates a(an) ____ tone.
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6
Which one of the following statements might be accurately inferred based on the attached passage?
Which one of the following statements might be accurately inferred based on the attached passage?
Required
6
Details in the passage suggest that the characters are ____.
Details in the passage suggest that the characters are ____.
Passage 1:
As a working mother of a teenage student, I cannot support moving the start time of school to after 8:30 am. School currently starts at 7:20, which means that I can drop my freshman student off at 7:00, on my way to work and ensure that she has made it to school.
She works after school at a part-time job so that she can afford to buy some of the luxuries she wants. Moving the start time of school to later would mean that she wouldn’t be able to get to work until later, which means she wouldn’t be home until later, and then when is she supposed to get her homework done and unwind?
My daughter has worked hard to make the junior varsity softball team. A later start to school means that practice would start later, games would be later, and she would not have enough time to participate in the sport she loves, do her homework, be social with her friends, work a part-time job, and still get to bed at a decent hour.
Our family schedule already accounts for early mornings. She wakes up at 5:30, drags herself out of bed to get ready for school or to finish homework she didn’t get done the night before and has to be ready to leave by 6:45. Moving the start time later will be terribly disruptive to our family schedule and will be a huge inconvenience.
Passage 2:
Moving high school’s start time to after 8:30 a.m. will have huge benefits for our teenage students. As a high school principal, I watch exhausted students stumble sleepily onto campus trying to get to that 7:20 class on time. They are in no shape to learn as they are drained physically, mentally, and emotionally from a lack of sleep. They stay up late and wake up too early. Teenagers’ internal clocks tend to shift during puberty, making it difficult for them to fall asleep early and necessitating that they sleep later the next morning.
More rest for students means better attendance, higher test scores, and fewer sports-related injuries. Students who are well-rested are more focused and alert. They are happier, healthier, and make better decisions that when they are sleep-deprived.
For the good of our students, we must push the start of school to later in the day.
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6
Reviewing the attached two passages, the author of passage 2 would most likely criticize the author of passage 1 for ____.
Reviewing the attached two passages, the author of passage 2 would most likely criticize the author of passage 1 for ____.
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6
In passage 2 (attached), when the author states “Teenagers’ internal clocks tend to shift during puberty,” that is an ____.
In passage 2 (attached), when the author states “Teenagers’ internal clocks tend to shift during puberty,” that is an ____.
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6
Which one of these statements might be accurately inferred from the attached passage?
Which one of these statements might be accurately inferred from the attached passage?
Tick-borne diseases are on the rise and prevention should be on everyone’s mind, particularly during the spring, summer, and early-fall when ticks are most active. From May through July, people will get more tick bites and tick-borne diseases than any other time of year in the United States. It’s especially important to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones (including pets) from ticks during this season, as well as any time during warmer months when you’re outside.
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6
The main purpose of the attached passage is to ____.
The main purpose of the attached passage is to ____.
This is an excerpt from an article entitled “Posting personal experiences on social media may help you remember them in the future”
A new study – the first to look at social media’s effect on memory – suggests posting personal experiences on social media makes those events much easier to recall. “If people want to remember personal experiences, the best way is to put them online,” said Qi Wang, the lead author of the study and professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology.
“Social media - blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and others alike - provide an important outlet for us to recall memories, in the public space, and share with other people.”
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6
In the attached passage, the description of Qi Wang as being “the lead author of the study and professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology” is intended for what purpose?
In the attached passage, the description of Qi Wang as being “the lead author of the study and professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology” is intended for what purpose?
Many past studies may have overestimated human generosity, if a new piece of research is any clue.
The study recreated a game often used in laboratory experiments to assess people’s willingness to give away money, or their altruism.
Participants are typically granted anonymity. But the new study was designed to afford an assurance of anonymity even more believable than usual. It was set up so that participants would be unaware any experiment was even happening – or that any decision would even be counted, let alone watched.
Under this seemingly greater level of secrecy, the level of giving plunged to zero.
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6
The main idea of the attached passage is ____.
The main idea of the attached passage is ____.
One of the primary reasons the United States has become more reliant on foreign sources for mineral commodities is the large increase in mineral commodities used by the United States, both in type and quantity. For instance, a National Research Council report showed that computers went from using just 12 elements in the 1980s to as many as 60 by 2006. Many of these minerals are not distributed evenly across the globe, and some countries have larger reserves than others. Chile, for instance, has more than twice the copper reserves of the country with the next largest (Australia), and provided the United States with 50 percent of its copper imports in 2016. Another primary reason the United States has become more reliant on foreign sources for mineral commodities is the relative cost of production for the minerals. Policy decisions in the United States and other countries, as well as relative concentrations of mineral resources, affect the comparative cost of mineral production.
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6
According to the attached passage, the U.S. has become more reliant on foreign sources for mineral commodities because ____.
According to the attached passage, the U.S. has become more reliant on foreign sources for mineral commodities because ____.
While America may not appear to have the kind of hunger that is pervasive in other countries, that’s not to say it doesn’t exist.
Hunger remains a concern for millions of Americans, and for people who are “food insecure,” the average reported need for food has increased, based on data from Map the Meal Gap 2017, a new report released by Feeding America, a non-profit hunger-relief organization.
The report describes the cost of food and food insecurity in communities across the United States.
Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all members of a household.
According to the USDA, the number of Americans identified as food insecure decreased from 50 million in 2009 to 42 million in 2015. Still, Map the Meal Gap finds that the individuals who are food insecure report needing an average of nearly $530 more per person in 2015 to afford enough food, representing a 13 percent increase since 2008.
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6
Which of the following best describes the tone of the attached passage?
Which of the following best describes the tone of the attached passage?
New Social Movement Seeks to Replenish Purchasing Power
The 99 percent has watched gas prices follow a perpetual climb that has left consumers wallowing at the pump. By the beginning of April, the national average was $3.92. Though it’s since fallen about 18 cents for most regions, the west coast is still staring at billboards offering $4.37 a gallon.
Fuel isn’t the only cost crippling middle-class Americans. While the consumer price index (CPI) may be relatively unchanged on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Wall Street Journal says core inflation is rising – and the Federal Reserve can’t ignore that for long.
Core inflation, an estimate excluding food and energy costs, rose in April for the eighth time in the past 11 months. The increase in core inflation can be pinned on the typical products and services, which are primarily the ones we can’t live without.
“CPI numbers report annual spikes in the usual suspects: rent, used cars, air fares and medical services. As higher and higher prices meet stagnant income levels, Americans lose their purchasing power,” says Joe Kalfa, founder of All Our Power (AOP). AOP is a growing social movement seeking to create the world’s largest group purchasing organization with free membership.
Group purchasing gives individuals a platform to negotiate with megacorporations, and AOP wants to put purchasing power back into consumer hands.
As more people join the movement, AOP aims to secure discounts and membership benefits for a variety of consumer products – car rentals, health insurance, cell phone plans, groceries and maybe even gas. The trend in Groupon-style buying shows marked interest in discount opportunities. The Occupy protests made income inequality a national issue, but purchasing power is still diminishing.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, average personal income rose from 2009 to 2010. However, the richest 1 percent of Americans received 90 percent of that growth. More recently, MarketWatch reported that hourly earnings flat lined, and when adjusted for inflation, wages actually dropped.
As a result, U.S. News Weekly says big retailers like Costco and Target saw sales below expectations. With two eyes glued to income inequality and consumer unrest, AOP may offer a solution for individuals who are tired of unreasonable prices.
To learn more about your purchasing power, visit www.allourpower.com.
Required
6
What is the main idea of the text?
What is the main idea of the text?
(1) “We are not getting another pet,” Mom said firmly. (2) It seemed there was no changing her mind on this one. (3) Pepper had been gone for just over three weeks and all hope of her return had disappeared from our hearts. (4) Mom was the most devastated by her absence as she’d had that dog longer than any of us kids had been alive. (5) Mom had gotten Pepper when she was just 10 weeks old.
(6) Life without Pepper at home was lonely. (7) My brother, sister, and I missed playing with Pepper. (8) We missed feeding her, bathing her, and to have her curl up at our feet when we’d watch TV. (9) But Mom was adamant. (10) No new pets.
(11) Eight weeks after Pepper disappeared, one of our neighbors said she thought she saw a dog that looked like Pepper at the local animal shelter. (12) We could not let this lead go unchecked, so we piled in the car and headed to the shelter. (13) When we got there, we scoured the cages, searching for our beloved Pepper, but no luck.
(14) In the last row of kennels was a young pup who sat timidly, looking out through the fence with large, mournful eyes. (15) He didn’t bark, he didn’t jump up and down, he didn’t circle around like a maniac. (16) He just sat. (17) Waiting. (18) When Mom passed his kennel, he caught her eye. (19) She stopped and peered through the gloomy darkness at him. (20) He looked at her, too, never taking his eyes off of her. (21) She stared right back. (22) Slowly, a grin spread across her face and Mom said, “Kids, we’ve found a new friend.”
Required
6
What is the best way to rewrite sentence 5 in the attached passage?
What is the best way to rewrite sentence 5 in the attached passage?
Required
6
What transition word could be added to the beginning of sentence 14 in the attached passage?
What transition word could be added to the beginning of sentence 14 in the attached passage?
Required
10
Passage: Happiness is not based on reason, but on imagination and experience. It is the state where everything in one's life aligns with their wishes and will. The question of what makes one happy is personal and can only be discovered through individual experience, not refined principles. Each person must find their own path to happiness. Once found, following that path brings happiness, and knowing that one is on the right path contributes to their overall happiness. -Adapted from Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.
Assignment: Are people happier if they discover their own version of happiness rather than someone else's idea of what it means to be happy?
Plan and write a multi-paragraph essay (300-600 words) in which you explain your opinion about the question above. Support our ideas with a clear argument and examples from media, books, current events, or personal experiences.
Passage: Happiness is not based on reason, but on imagination and experience. It is the state where everything in one's life aligns with their wishes and will. The question of what makes one happy is personal and can only be discovered through individual experience, not refined principles. Each person must find their own path to happiness. Once found, following that path brings happiness, and knowing that one is on the right path contributes to their overall happiness.
-Adapted from Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.
Assignment: Are people happier if they discover their own version of happiness rather than someone else's idea of what it means to be happy?
Plan and write a multi-paragraph essay (300-600 words) in which you explain your opinion about the question above. Support our ideas with a clear argument and examples from media, books, current events, or personal experiences.