1. A magician wants to make all of his tricks a mystery to his audience. What verb should he use to say this?
- Mysterize
- Mystify
- Mysterious
- Mysteried
2. In the fable “The Crow and the Pitcher,” the crow drops small stones into a pitcher of water. What does this say about the character of the crow?
- The crow is good at throwing things.
- The crow is angry that no one gave him water.
- The crow is not strong enough to lift bigger rocks.
- The crow is smart enough to solve a tricky problem.
3. You are writing a paper on the continents of the world. What would be the best idea with which to end your paper?
- How much you love all of the continents
- How some continents are better than others
- How all of the continents come together to form the world
- How all of the continents are colored differently on a world map
4. Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” What was he trying to say?
- The tip of a pen is sharper than the point of a sword.
- There are more pens in the world than swords.
- People like to write more than they like to use swords.
- Written words are more powerful than fighting.
5. At Annie’s school, the basketball game on Wednesday precedes the bake sale on Friday. What does the prefix pre- mean?
- Before
- During
- After
- Until
6. You think that longer novels are better than short ones; they give the characters more of a chance to grow and develop. How can you best link these two thoughts together?
- Longer novels are better than short ones. They give the characters more of a chance to grow and develop.
- Longer novels are better than short ones because they give the characters more of a chance to grow and develop.
- Longer novels are better than short ones, therefore they give the characters more of a chance to grow and develop.
- Longer novels are better than short ones when they give the characters more of a chance to grow and develop.
7. Identify which spelling of “they’re,” “there,” or “their” is used incorrectly in the following sentence: “They’re about to get their boots and go hiking, but there worried about the rain and the mud.”
- There
- They’re
- Their
- None of the above
8. There is a poem that you have just read at school. Even though it makes you cry, you still love that poem. How would you use a picture to show this?
- Draw a picture of yourself crying over the poem.
- Draw a picture of your classmates crying over the poem.
- Draw a picture of yourself holding up a sign that says, “I love this poem!”
- Draw a picture of yourself sleeping with the poem tucked under your pillow.
9. Your best friend asks you how caterpillars turn into butterflies. You know the answer, but it is too complicated to explain in one sentence. How would you best express the explanation for your friend?
- Write a paragraph for each step of the process, with each step clearly labeled.
- Draw a Venn diagram of the things butterflies and caterpillars have in common.
- Look up the facts on how many butterflies fly south to Mexico each year.
- Write a paper, beginning with the time when butterflies are the prettiest.
10. Which is the best way to begin the last paragraph of your essay? a. “What do you think about this paper?”
- “What do you think about this paper?”
- “In conclusion…”
- “In my next paper…”
- “Let me begin by saying…”
Answers and Explanations
1. B: The Latin suffix -ify means “to make something become.” To mystify is to make something become a mystery.
2. D: In this fable, the Crow cannot get a drink of water from the pitcher on his own. He uses the stones to raise the water level in the pitcher so that he can drink. This is an important lesson about using the things around us to help solve our problems.
3. C: A and B only tell your readers what you think about the continents instead of allowing the readers to use your information to decide for themselves. The colors of the continents on a map do not say anything about what the continents are really like.
4. D: If you look at a pen, and look at a sword, it seems like a sword would snap the pen in two. However, take a moment to think of how important words are. Words can hurt or help many people at once. Words last a long time and change people’s lives. That is why Bulwer-Lytton wrote that words are more powerful than fighting.
5. A: “Pre-” is part of a word that means “before.” The basketball game on Wednesday comes before, or precedes, the bake sale on Friday.
6. B: “Because” is the best word to use when the second part of a sentence supports the first part.
7. A: This sentence should end, “but they’re worried about the rain and the mud.” The word “they’re” is a contraction of the words “they” and “are.” The word “there” points to a place, as in, “The boot is over there,” making its usage in the sentence incorrect.
8. D: Answers A and B will make everyone think that you did not like the poem. If you choose answer C, you are making a drawing when you do not need to: you could just write out the sentence, “I like this poem!” and it would have the same effect. Only answer D shows your love for the poem in a way that does not need words.
9. A: The best way to answer a complex question is to go through each step of the answer from beginning to end.
10. B: You want your readers to know that the essay is coming to an end. The other three answers all sound like they are beginning an idea instead of ending it.
