1. What Conclusion Can You Draw from the Story Above?

EOC Study Review

Six years after his first practice, Jermaine was ready for his big shot. He took a deep breath and remembered what his coach said the first day. "Practice helps you learn the skills, but loving the game makes you a great player."
More than anything, Jermaine loved soccer. He started playing when he was eight years old. While he was not the best technical player on any team, he had more heart for the game than half the professional players in the world. He quickly accelerated his skills through practice every day. Jermaine's parents were proud of him, and his friends cheered him at every game.
Now, Jermaine was the only freshman playing on his high school varsity team. He had not played a single game, but he was so proud of his position. With two minutes left in the final game of the season, Jermaine was in the game. He played fantastically and almost scored the winning goal when he was illegally tripped. Jermaine had a penalty shot.
Jermaine took another deep breath and took his shot. Before he knew what happened, the crowd erupted into cheers, and he was lifted onto the shoulders of two teammates. Jermaine grinned from ear to ear. Now that was a soccer game!

1. What conclusion can you draw from the story above?

/ A. / Jermaine let another player kick the winning goal.
/ B. / Jermaine blocked the winning goal for his team.
/ C. / Jermaine scored the winning goal for his team.
/ D. / Jermaine fainted and missed the end of the game.

2. What can the reader predict about Jermaine?

/ A. / He will continue to play soccer.
/ B. / He will make his parents angry.
/ C. / He will learn a new sport.
/ D. / He will lose all of his friends.

Texas Facts

(1)Texas is an important agricultural state. It is a leading producer of a large number of farm products like cotton lint, cottonseed, watermelons, cabbage, spinach, horses, sheep and lambs, goats, and beef cattle. Many chickens and hogs are raised in the state. Corn, wheat, hay, rice, oats, peanuts, pecans, soybeans, citrus fruit, lettuce, sugar beets, sugarcane, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, and onions are also important agricultural products. Wheat, corn, sorghum grain, poultry, and dairy products are other leading sources of farm income in Texas.
(2) Despite this, the number of farms in Texas has decreased since 1940. As the number of farms has lessened, the size of the average working farm has increased. Texas is known for its large ranches, such as King Ranch, which covers a greater land area than the state of Rhode Island.
(3)Most people don't think about Texas when it comes to producing timber. However, consider how big Texas is. Most of the lumber cut in the state of Texas makes its way all over the U.S. as paper, lumber, and plywood. The majority of trees harvested are pine. East Texas, the area known as the Piney Woods, is the most valuable spot for producing timber.
(4)Fishing is also an important industry in Texas due to its coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. Shell-fishing, especially for shrimp, makes up the biggest portion of the industry. Smaller quantities of oysters are taken. The most important catch includes snapper, flounder, and tuna. Commercial fishing ports can be found in Port Arthur, Palacios, Brownsville, Port Isabel, and Galveston.
(5)The travel industry depends on Texas. The state is one of the leaders in national and international tourism. State attractions include Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains national parks. More than 130 state parks and recreation areas bring in more than 21 million visitors to the state each year. The Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington is a favorite attraction. Also, Six Flags AstroWorld and WaterWorld amusement centers in Houston and Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio draw tourists. Texas is also the center for hundreds of fairs, shows, and special events like the Texas State Fair and the Wurstfest in New Braunfels. In addition, many traveling to Mexico often make Texas a required stop on their way south.

3. Which line from the selection supports the idea that milk and cheese are major contributors to agricultural profits in Texas?

/ A. / "East Texas, the area known as the Piney Woods, is the most valuable spot for producing timber."
/ B. / "Also, Six Flags AstroWorld and WaterWorld amusement centers in Houston and Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio draw tourists."
/ C. / "Wheat, corn, sorghum grain, poultry, and dairy products are other leading sources of farm income."
/ D. / "Texas is known for its large ranches, such as King Ranch, which covers a greater land area than the state of Rhode Island."

4. From the description of Texas agriculture in paragraph 1, the reader can conclude that

/ A. / the state produces fewer head of cattle than it did a decade ago.
/ B. / organic vegetables are hard to find in Texas supermarkets.
/ C. / beef cattle in Texas are only fed with locally grown feed.
/ D. / parts of the state have fertile soil for growing vegetables.

5. Based on the information in paragraph 5, the reader can make which of these generalizations?

/ A. / Texas brings in workers from other countries to work in tourism.
/ B. / Texas is a popular vacation spot for travelers.
/ C. / Most visitors to Texas amusement parks are locals.
Restaurants are more expensive in Texas than in Mexico
Nathan and his best friend were in the living room of Nathan's house watching a movie on TV. The boys laughed at the images on the screen. One man bopped his friend on the head with a book. Then, he threw a pie in the friend's face. The friend fell down, but every time he tried to stand up, the other man would push him back down. Then, the friend let out a long burp. The boys laughed so hard that they almost fell out of their chairs.
Regan, Nathan's sister, came into the living room to see what was so funny. She watched for a couple seconds then turned to leave with a disgusted look on her face.
Which sentence should be added to the story to demonstrate verbal irony?
/ A. / The boys turned off the movie when Regan left the room, and they ran outside to play basketball.
/ B. / "Let me know when you guys are done expanding your minds with this intellectual show," she said.
/ C. / Going into the kitchen, she saw her brother's report card, which showed he had made straight A's again.
/ D. / In her bedroom, she called her best friend to complain about how immature her brother could be.
Sleep at Last
Himani tossed and turned in bed, willing her body to sleep. Another glance at her clock told her it was now two o’clock in the morning. “Ugh, I have to be at work in five hours,” she mumbled to herself.
Unable to get a good night’s rest in over a week, her mind had become muddled and full of migraines. Luckily, aspirin and gallons of coffee had so far prevented her from making any mistakes in surgery. Work was stressful enough as it was; she didn’t need a lawsuit.
Punching her pillow one more time, she let herself go over the day’s agenda. She had to perform a partial gastrectomy at eight and then rush over to the VA Medical Center to speak at a conference. She still needed to go over her speech.
“I might as well do that now,” she said aloud, flipping on her bedroom lamp.
Suddenly, she heard a crash from downstairs. Panicked voices and heavy footsteps ensued.
With trembling fingers, Himani grabbed the phone and dialed 911. Rushing to her bedroom window, she saw figures in black jumping into a van and peeling away.
Soon, a patrol car was at her front door, and she crept downstairs with frantic eyes to let them in.
A thorough search revealed that the burglars had silently disarmed her alarm and slipped in. But they were scared away before any damage was done. The officers saw that the wires to her television were unhooked and deduced that that was what they were doing when her light surprised them, causing them to knock over a vase.
“It was a good thing you were up, ma’am,” Officer Knight reported. “Luckily, they were just amateur robbers who thought no one was at home.”
Himani nodded in agreement. Knowing how heavy a sleeper she was when she could sleep, she shivered at what could have happened.
“We’re just going to dust for fingerprints and then be out of your way.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “I recommend a new alarm system.”
Officer Knight left her alone with her thoughts at the kitchen table. She still couldn’t believe that she hadn’t heard the robbers enter. Her mother was always telling her that this house was too big for her. Maybe she was right.
It was almost four o’clock. No way was she going to be ready for surgery in four hours. She called the hospital and spoke with the night surgeon, Dr. Croft. Luckily, it had been a slow night for him; he assured her that he could perform the gastrectomy and that he would find another doctor to work her shift.
“Just try to get some rest,” he said.
After gathering a few pieces of evidence, the police officers were gone. And Himani was left to clean up the mess. By the time eight o’clock rolled around, she was exhausted.
She called the conference coordinator at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to declare that she wasn’t going to be able to speak that day. I have more important things to do like move into a safer place, she thought to herself.
Overwhelmingly pleased with the sudden amount of free time she had, Himani double checked the locks on her doors and windows and curled up on the couch.
Within seconds, she was fast asleep.
2. What ironic situation does Himani face in the story?
/ A. / Dr. Croft is able to perform a morning surgery for her.
/ B. / A lack of sleep has caused her to have migraines.
/ C. / Her insomnia prevents her from getting robbed.
/ D. / Officer Knight tells her to replace her alarm system.
The Betrayal
Pauline stopped abruptly when she saw Betty and Katherine ahead. With their arms linked and heads close together, they were both deeply engrossed in conversation.
Pauline felt a stab of jealously. They were always telling secrets to each other and leaving her out. For once, she wanted to be the one in on the secret. She walked quickly to catch up to them but slowed down a few paces behind them, straining to hear what they were saying.
“I can’t believe it! Your sister’s pregnant! That’s awesome!” she heard Katherine say.
“Yea, but don’t tell ANYONE, ok? She hasn’t even told her husband yet.”
“You know you can trust me.”
Pauline drew further away from them and smiled. With a plan forming in her mind, she headed quickly toward homeroom.
* * * * *
Grateful for a break in the day, Pauline rushed to the cafeteria to meet Betty and Katherine. After grabbing a slice of pizza, Pauline plopped down in a seat next to them. “Hey, you two! What’s going on?”
“Hey! Nothing much. Just trying to recover from algebra.” Betty said, rolling her eyes.
“Was the test bad? I don’t have that class until last period.”
“You should do fine. I bet you’ve been studying all week,” Katherine grinned. “I have to run to the restroom. Be right back!”
After Katherine was gone, Pauline smiled conspiratorially at Betty and said, “So I heard you're going to be an aunt! Congratulations!”
Betty froze and looked at her in disbelief. “How do you know?”
“Katherine told me during 2nd period,” Pauline lied.
“What? She promised me she wouldn’t tell anyone!”
Pauline shrugged and bit into her slice of pizza. “She didn’t act like it was a secret or anything.”
“I can’t believe she broke her promise! Who knows what other secrets she’s spilled!”
“Sorry! I had no idea! Please don’t get mad at her. I would hate to be the cause of a fight between you two!”
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t say that you told me anything. I’ll find some other way to get back at her. Don’t say anything to her either, ok?"
“My lips are sealed.”
“Thanks, Pauline. You’re the only one I can trust now.”
3. At the end of the story, Betty tells Pauline, "You're the only one I can trust now." Based on the excerpt, why is this an example of dramatic irony?
/ A. / because Betty can't keep a secret either
/ B. / because Betty doesn't mean what she says
/ C. / because Pauline wants to have Betty's trust
/ D. / because Pauline is actually untrustworthy
Loving Aimi
Sayaka watched her baby sister Aimi play in the park. Aimi was always a handful, and she would run from one corner of the playground to the other in no time. "I better forget about my homework," Sayaka told herself and watched her sister intently. She packed her notebook in the backpack and thought about last year. Then, Aimi could not even walk without shoe braces. Watching her sister struggle to move around had taught Sayaka not to take anything for granted, and she had felt a stronger love for Aimi ever since.
It was Sayaka who taught baby Aimi all about alphabets and numbers. She had even taught Aimi how to ride a bicycle and to tie her shoe laces. As Aimi spread her wings like a butterfly and ran around the other kids, Sayaka shed a little teardrop. She had learned from her little sister the value of a smile. Whenever Aimi smiled and showed her four teeth, Sayaka felt as light as cotton candy. She ran toward her baby sister to wrap her in the blanket of her hugs. The two sisters giggled in the park, and their laughter echoed all the way to the sky.
4. The lines "As Aimi spread her wings like a butterfly and ran around the other kids, Sayaka shed a little teardrop" contain
/ A. / personification.
/ B. / metaphor.
/ C. / imagery.
/ D. / hyperbole.
After eating a quick lunch, Callie walked out of her house and followed the old dirt trail leading into the forest. Her anxious thoughts buzzed through her mind like a swarm of angry bees bent on destruction. She had graduated from high school less than a month ago, and the real world seemed to be closing in around her. Her worries about life after school made her future feel as bleak as the forest around her.
What am I going to do next?she wondered. There seemed to be an endless number of choices surrounding her, and she didn't know which choice to make. College or job? Small college or big university? Live at home or on campus? Become a doctor or a teacher? Everyone was so helpful at offering her more choices, but no one seemed to be able to help her make up her mind. Suddenly, Callie looked up from the path and realized that she was lost.
The tree branches reached up and choked the life from the summer sun, and Callie was plunged into a thick gloom. If she didn't find her way home soon, the harsh elements could cause her to succumb to exhaustion, exposure, or dehydration. There were too many paths to count leading into the dark forest, but Callie couldn't tell which path would lead her home and which would cause her to become more lost. The deep silence all around told her that help was nowhere to be found. She would have to find the way for herself.
The first thing to do is calm down, she told herself. I can use my strengths to find the right way. As she looked at the large tree beside her, she remembered the hundreds of trees she had climbed as a little girl. She had always been the best tree climber around. Callie grasped a low hanging branch and pulled herself into the tree. From her higher vantage point, she could see the path that led out of the forest and straight to her own back door. She climbed down and set her feet firmly on the right path. Her worried thoughts seemed to vanish along with the deep gloom. As Callie stepped into the bright sunlight on the other side of the forest, she felt confident that she could handle the next stage of her life.
5. Read this sentence from the passage.
"Her anxious thoughts buzzed through her mind like a swarm of angry bees bent on destruction."
What does the image from the passage suggest?
/ A. / The main character knows she is very intelligent.