In 1943, the war in the Pacific raged on. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt went to rally the troops’ spirits, despite the disapproval of military command. Roosevelt planned a grueling itinerary. She visited several islands and hundreds of wounded in her first 6 days. The indefatigable First Lady inspected Navy hospitals, delivered a speech, attended receptions, and visited convalescing officers, all within 12 hours of her arrival. She lifted spirits among the wounded and morale among the troops. She continued her exhausting tour for a month, speaking to every patient in troop hospitals and taking down addresses to contact family members. Roosevelt traveled non-stop, risked her life, and greeted the last patient she saw with the same heartfelt sincerity as the first.

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the passage?

A day with Humpbacks

I sat on the deadlands of Neah Bay, Washington, and watch a mother humpback and her calf slip through the icy Pacific waters. I recognize this effluence by her distinctive tall patterns, as unique to this humpback, as my fingerprints are to me. Once, heavy hunting using harpoons extirpated populations of humpbacks to recover.

As this gray female rises to the surface, she exhales, sending up a spout nearly 20 feet high. She rolls on her side and lifts her scalloped edge flipper in salute the slaps it on the water. I adjust my lens and take shot. This is the only type of whale hunting I find acceptable – hunting with a camera.

Which of the following statements about the passage is true?

Beard Superiority

Unlike most others who follow along with popular trends, I am able to truly see that the beard is superior to the mustache. First, you have so much more hair and space to work with when styling a beard than you do with a mustache. You can’t trim and cut a beard into so many styles, the Muttonchop, the Goatee, the Stubble, the Chin Strap. You can even add things to your beard, braids, beads, glitter, and color- the possibilities of what you can add to a beard are endless. There are even professional competitions that surround the stylish nature of beards.

Which of the following is a counterclaim to the argument in the passage?

Dear Aunt Suzanne,

I have a few minutes before I get on the bus from Galway back to Dublin and wanted to tell you how my class trip to Ireland is going. We just spent 2 days on inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands, which are just off the central west coast of Ireland. We took a ferry from Galway, a ride that takes about an hour and was quite gray and stormy.

For an island that is only about 12 square miles, there is a lot to do and see on this Mor! After eating steak and vegetable stew and brown bread with butter, we went to the sweater market, where all kinds of woolen products are sold. The Aran Islands are known for their wool because sheep thrive here and generations have used woolen sweaters and hats to survive long cold days of fishing on the open sea. In fact, I learned that each family or clan has its own signature knitting pattern and some are able to tell which family someone belongs to by the pattern of their sweater! The healthy pattern is an interesting combination of twists and braids and I found you a birthday souvenir with a beautiful example.

Which of the following sentences accurately summarizes the passage?

The next day, we rented bicycles and toured the island. We saw ancient rums, a prehistoric hill fort, and a white sand beach. We climbed down to a mysterious rock formation known as the “wormhole,” a rectangular hole in a stone shore that fills with thrashing waves ad looks like houses of a terrible serpent. The wormhole will be difficult to find, and when we stopped someone for directions, she only spoke Galect. Sometimes this island seems stuck in an earlier fame.

SAJOFEWJKE

(New) Copy the inner string above on a piece of paper. Cross out the second and last letters. Replace all vowels with the letter C. Insert an O before second C. Cross out the first and third letters. Double the second letter.

Which of the following letter sequences remains on the page?
Follow the instructions keenly.

Which of the following is the main purpose of a newspaper editorial written in support of education reform?

A student is looking for information about the periodic table in a chemistry textbook. Which of the following textbook features should the student use to find the pages where this topic is discussed

A day with Humpbacks

I sat on the deadlands of Neah Bay, Washington, and watched a mother humpback and her calf slip through the icy Pacific waters. I recognized this humpback by her distinctive tall patterns, as unique to her as my fingerprints are to me. Once, heavy hunting using harpoons decimated populations of humpbacks, but they have since started to recover.

As this gray female rises to the surface, she exhales, sending up a spout nearly 20 feet high. She rolls on her side and lifts her scalloped edge flipper in salute, then slaps it on the water. I adjust my lens and take a shot. This is the only type of whale hunting I find acceptable – hunting with a camera!

Which of the following statements conveys the main idea of the passage?

On February 2 of each year, the United States observes the unusual holiday Groundhog Day, a day of hope that winter is over and spring is beginning. The tradition has been officially observed in the US since the 1800s and is believed to have developed from European folk traditions in which a bear, fox, badger, or even hedgehog would serve as the symbolic metrologist. Although other cultures and towns observe Groundhog Day (or something similar) the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania takes special pride in being home to the one true forecasting, the groundhog, Punxsutawney Grounding Club to perpetuate the joyful rituals and events surrounding Groundhog Day. Over the years, these rituals and events have come to include a scavenger hunt, a talent show, and a ball.

Legend has it that on Groundhog Day the official weather-forecasting groundhog awakens from hibernation and comes out of his burrow to look for his shadow. If he sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter are to come and Punxsutawney Phil goes back to bed. However, if he does not see his shadow, Punxsutawney Phil takes this as a sign that spring has arrived and he remains above ground. Of course, common sense tells us that February 2 is too early for spring to begin and that while animals may be attuned to various elements of nature from which humans might learn, they are unlikely to act on their instincts based on a schedule set by the Gregorian calendar. Nevertheless, a visit to Pennsylvania to the Punxsutawney Phil and all the fun inspires each year might provide the loath of hope needed to reach the end of winter.

What source would be most useful in determining reliability of Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions over a number of years?

Letter from the chair of Elkinsiville Society

Many of you have heard about the proposed northward expansion of the Interstate, which currently ends just south of Elkinsiville. In the recent debate over how it this work go forward, the focus has been on weighing economic costs and benefits. Indeed, many local politicians claim to favor the project because it will bring jobs in the short term and more visitors to Elkinsiville in the long term. These politicians also argue that the proposed plan is the least environmentally damaging way to expand the highway farther upstate. This cannot be true, however, since the proposed expansion involves not just the widening of existing roads, but also the construction of more than a dozen miles of new-terrain highway.

Which of the following statement can be supported by evidence from the passage?

Peanut Butter Cookies

Grandma Harry 30 minutes         Cookies/Desserts        Makes 1 dozen 

1 egg white

¾ cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup flour

Beat egg white until foamy. Stir in sugar, and beat again until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in peanut butter and vanilla. Add flour in small increments until dough forms. Chill dough for at least 2 hours. Roll into balls, roll in sugar, press down with a fork, and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet. These are very fragile.

Which of the following statements is true?