21 Prepare an organized, developed composition in Edited American English in response to instructions regarding content, purpose, and audience.
For example:
• expressing and supporting views on an issue of current concern
• responding to an opinion or viewpoint presented in an excerpt
• synthesizing information presented in two or more excerpts
• comparing and contrasting information presented in two or more excerpts
APPENDIX C
Reading practice items
While becoming a teacher, I spent most of my time with books. I read books about the subjects I would teach in school and books that explained how to teach the subjects. As a new teacher, I relied on books to help my students learn. But I learned, and now the basis for my teaching is to help students apply what they have learned to the real world.
1. Which of the following would most likely be the next line of this passage?
(A) The world is a dangerous and intimidating place; be wary of it.
(B) Children should be taught to seek whatever the world has to offer.
(C) A teacher has to be in the world, not just study about the world.
(D) But you can't forget about books.
2. Which of the following is the underlying moral of this passage?
(A) Teaching art is very rewarding.
(B) Children learn a lot from field trips.
(C) There is much to be said for teachers who think of their students’ experiences first.
(D) Firsthand experiences are important for children's learning and development.
The American alligator is found in Florida and Georgia, and has also been reported in other states, including North and South Carolina. Weighing in at more than 400 pounds, the length of an adult alligator is twice that of its tail. Adult alligators eat fish and small mammals while young alligators prefer insects, shrimp, and frogs.
An untrained person may mistake a crocodile for an alligator. Crocodiles are found in the same areas as alligators and both have prominent snouts with many teeth. The crocodile has a long thin snout with teeth in both jaws. The alligator's snout is wider with teeth only in the upper jaw.
3. Which of the following would be a good title for this passage?
(A) Large Reptiles.
(B) Eating Habits of Alligators.
(C) The American Alligator.
(D) How Alligators and Crocodiles Differ.
4. Which of the following would be a way to distinguish an alligator from a crocodile?
(A) Number of teeth.
(B) Shape of snout.
(C) Habitat.
(D) Diet.
5. Which of the following best describes the purpose of the passage?
(A) All animals are noteworthy.
(B) Reptiles are interesting animals.
(C) To educate readers about differences in similar animals.
(D) To describe the life cycle of wetland creatures.
Remove the jack from the trunk. Set the jack under the car. Use the jack to raise the car. Remove the lug nuts. Remove the tire and replace it with the doughnut. Reset the lug nuts loosely and use the jack to lower the chassis to the ground. Tighten the lug nuts once the tire is touching the ground.
6. Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?
(A) Using a jack.
(B) Changing a tire on a car.
(C) Maintaining a car.
(D) Following directions.
Farmers and animals are fighting over rain forests. The farmers are clearing the forests and driving out the animals to make room for crops. If this battle continues, the rain forest will disappear. Both the farmers and the animals win lose, and the soil in the cleared forest will form a hard crust.
Of course, there are global implications as well. Clearing the forests increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The most promising solution to the problems caused by clearing the rain forests is the education of the local farmers.
7. Which information below is not provided in the passage?
(A) Reasons the animals are being run out.
(B) Reasons the farmers need more land.
(C) Effects of lost rain forests.
(D) Ways that people can help globally.
8. What most likely would the opinion of the author be about wildlife conservation?
(A) All animals must fend for themselves.
(B) Damage to the earth affects both people and animals.
(C) Our greatest resource on earth is the human intellect.
(D) Testing products on animals is a practice that should be outlawed.
APPENDIX D