Question 1-5 pertain to the following excerpt from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll:
Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, ‘and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice ‘without pictures or conversation?’
So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!’ (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again. The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was labeled ‘ORANGE MARMALADE’, but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.
‘Well!’ thought Alice to herself, ‘after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn’t say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!’ (Which was very likely true.)
1. Which line from the passage shows that Alice didn’t think the talking rabbit was very strange?
- ‘and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice ‘without pictures or conversation?’
- as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid
- nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!’
- In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.
2. Which answer best shows what happens in the passage?
- Alice sits next to her sister on a riverbank when she starts to feel sleepy.
- Alice jumps down a well and sees some shelves as she falls.
- Alice meets a talking rabbit and becomes very good friends with it.
- Alice sees a talking rabbit and follows it into a very, very deep hole.
3. How is Alice’s world in the first two paragraphs different from the way it is in the rest of the passage?
- Alice’s world is more realistic in the first two paragraphs.
- Alice’s world is more interesting in the first two paragraphs.
- Alice’s world is less believable in the first two paragraphs.
- Alice’s world is less colorful in the first two paragraphs.
4. Read this sentence from the passage:
Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In this sentence, “burning with curiosity” means that Alice was very
- hot
- sick
- interested
- angry
5. What does the picture show about the story?
- It shows that rabbits are like people.
- It shows how strange its events are.
- It shows how a waistcoat looks.
- It shows that the rabbit is late.
Questions 6-10 pertain to the following passages:
The Woman Who Made a Wizard
In 1998, a new writer named J. K. Rowling amazed parents and teachers alike by inspiring young people to read. She did this with the help of a young wizard named Harry Potter. Rowling’s book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was just the first in a series that would capture the world’s imagination.
Joanne Rowling was born in Glouchester, England, in 1965. In the 1990s, she was a mother dreaming of a career as a writer. However, she was not able to get any of her stories published. Then one day while riding a train, she got an idea. She imagined a boy who seemed ordinary in every way. Little did he know he had powers that were anything but ordinary. In fact, little Harry Potter had such amazing powers that he was already famous in the world of his fellow wizards. Suddenly, this “normal” boy is thrown into a series of incredible adventures. He faces all kinds of creatures, villains, and dangerous situations, while making some loyal new friends along the way.
Although it was long, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonebecame a major hit with young readers. They could not wait to find out what Harry did next. J. K. Rowling did not make them wait long. She published Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets just a year after her first book. Once again, the book was a success, and Rowling followed the sequel with five more in the series.
In 2007, J. K. Rowling published her final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. By this point, both Harry and the readers who loved him had grown up. Rowling was ready to move on too, announcing plans to not only write more children’s books, but ones for adults, as well. No matter what J. K. Rowling does next, she will always have many, many fans grateful that she created the most famous little wizard in modern literature.
From the Pages to the Screen
J. K. Rowling became one of the most popular writers in the world when she created a wizard named Harry Potter. The seven novels in her series sold millions of copies. So it was no great surprise when she was offered the chance to bring her wizard from the pages of her books to movie screens. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone had been in print for little over a year when Warner Bros. films bought the rights to make it into a movie. J. K. Rowling had great control over the movie. Since her book was set in England, she made sure the movie was filmed and set there, too. She also insisted that all of the actors were British, and young Daniel Radcliffe was chosen to play Harry. Rowling worked closely with the actors, telling them things about their characters Harry Potter readers didn’t even know yet.
J. K. Rowling’s work helped make the movie version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone the big success it was when it came out in 2001. Although its title was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the story was still true to the one she created in her first Harry Potter book. Audiences loved the movie just as much as readers loved the book, and each new Harry Potter book received its own movie version. The final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released in two parts in 2010 and 2011. With that, the Harry Potter series came to an end. But that wonderful wizard continues to be just as popular as ever.
6. Read the sentence from the second passage:
J. K. Rowling became one of the most popular writers in the world when she created a wizard named Harry Potter.
Which sentence from the passage supports the idea that J. K. Rowling was “one of the most popular writers in the world”?
- The seven novels in her series sold millions of copies.
- J. K. Rowling had great control over the movie.
- With that, the Harry Potter series came to an end.
- They could not wait to find out what Harry did next.
7. What would you know if you read only both passages?
- Both the Harry Potter books and the movies take place in England.
- Harry Potter was a character in both books and movies.
- The Harry Potter books ended in 2007, and the movies ended in 2011.
- Audiences loved the Harry Potter books and the Harry Potter movies.
8. How were the Harry Potter books and the Harry Potter movies similar?
- They both came out in 1998.
- They both starred Daniel Radcliffe.
- They both had final chapters released in two parts.
- They both were very popular.
9. How are both passages organized?
- Compare and contrast
- Cause and effect
- Problem and solution
- Order of events
10. How is the first passage different from the second one?
- The first passage is about a person, and the second one is about movies.
- The first passage is about a wizard, and the second one is about a writer.
- The first passage is about England, and the second one is about America.
- The first passage is about Harry Potter, and the second one is about Daniel Radcliffe.
Answers and Explanations
1. C: Alice hears the rabbit talk, which is something rabbits cannot do. But she did not “think it so very much out of the way.” This means she did not think it was very strange.
2. D: Choice D shows what happens through the whole passage. Choice A shows what happens in only the first paragraph. Choice B shows what happens in only the sixth paragraph. Choice C does not happen in the passage at all.
3. A: In the first paragraph of the passage, Alice is just sitting next to her sister on a riverbank. There is nothing unusual about the rabbit when she first sees it at the end of the second paragraph. In the third paragraph, the rabbit begins talking. Then Alice follows it into a hole where strange things happen. Such new developments are not realistic.
4. C: The common phrase “burning with curiosity” means that someone is very interested in something. It does not mean someone is actually burning, so choice A is wrong.
5. B: The picture shows how strange the story is by giving you a clear idea of what Alice saw. A rabbit wearing clothes, standing like a person, and reading a watch is very strange indeed. The picture shows a rabbit that is a lot like a person, but this is not how rabbits really are. So choice A is wrong. The picture does show how a waistcoat looks, but this is not very important to the story. So choice C is wrong too. Choice D is wrong because simply reading a watch does not mean someone is late.
6. A: Only a very popular writer could sell millions of books. Choices B and C do not show that J. K. Rowling was very popular. Choice D is from the first passage, not the second one.
7. C: Only the first passage mentions that the Harry Potter books ended in 2007. Only the second passage mentions that the Harry Potter movies ended in 2011. But choices A, B, and D are all mentioned in the second passage.
8. B: Both the Harry Potter books and the Harry Potter movies were very popular. Choice A is wrong, because only the book first came out in 1998. An actor cannot star in a fictional book, so choice B is wrong. The first passage does not say that the final Harry Potter book was released in two parts, so choice C is wrong.
9. D: Both passages are organized in the order of when things happened. Choice A, compare and contrast, is where the writer points out the things that are similar and different about two or more things. Choice B, cause and effect, is where the writer shows how something caused something else to happen. Choice C, problem and solution, is where the writer introduces a problem and explains how it was solved.
10. A: The first passage is a biography of J. K. Rowling. A biography is the story of a person’s life. The second passage is about the movies based on J. K. Rowling’s books.
