English II December Interval...

Many assessment items in this interval were originally collected or written by Collegiate Academies. The assessment items are used here with their permission.

English II

December Interval Assessment/Post-Test

SCHOLAR OATH I understand that I may receive a zero on this exam if I:

● give or receive help during the test;

● copy another student’s answers or allow another student to copy my answers;

● use notes, books, or other aids, including cell phones and other electronic devices;

● do not follow the instructions given;

● cause a disturbance of any kind;

● remove test materials from the room.

English II December Interval Assessment/Post-Test

Session 1: Writing

After reading the passage, write a well-developed multi-paragraph essay that explains the relationship

between power and fame. Use specific details from the passage to support your response.

The novel Endymion was written by Benjamin Disraeli, who served twice as the prime minister of England.

Endymion tells the story of a young man captivated by the world of politics and ambition. In the passage

below, the main character, Endymion, is having coffee with the Baron Sergius, a wealthy and powerful

man who lives a private life and whom Endymion has just met.

As you read the passage below, consider what it is saying about fame and power.



Session 2: Reading and Research

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Classifying the Stars, by Annie J. Cannon

[1] Sunlight and starlight are composed of waves of various lengths, which the eye, even aided by a

telescope, is unable to separate. We must use more than a telescope. In order to sort out the component

colors, the light must be dispersed by a prism, or split up by some other means. For instance, sunbeams,

passing through raindrops, are transformed into the myriad-tinted rainbow. The familiar rainbow spanning

the sky is Nature's most glorious demonstration that light is composed of many colors.

[2] The very beginning of our knowledge of the nature of a star dates back to 1672, when Isaac

Newton gave the world the results of his experiments on passing sunlight through a prism. To describe the

beautiful band of rainbow tints, produced when sunlight was dispersed by his three-cornered piece of

glass, he took from the Latin the word spectrum, meaning an appearance. The rainbow is the spectrum of

the sun.

[3] Hardly a more fascinating page in man's search for knowledge is to be found than this story of the

analysis of light. May I rehearse just a few points of the story which are vital to the subject of classifying

the stars? In 1814, more than a century after Newton, the spectrum of the sun was obtained in such purity

that an amazing detail was seen and studied by the German optician Fraunhofer. He saw that the multiple

spectral tints, ranging from delicate violet to deep red, were crossed by hundreds of fine dark lines. In

other words, there were narrow gaps in the spectrum where certain shades were wholly blotted out.

[4] For fifty years, many searched for a Rosetta stone to solve the baffling mystery of these

hieroglyphics traced by Nature's hand in the radiant sunbeams. The solution was actually found by

studying the light of one of the best-known and commonest substances existing on our planet. It has

sometimes happened that scientific men have been hardly able to earn their salt, but they have been able

to prove that this omnipresent earthly substance, salt, or at least its sodium constituent, exists in the sun

and distant stars.

[5] We must remember that the word spectrum is applied not only to sunlight, but also to the light of

any glowing substance when its rays are sorted out by a prism or a grating. Each substance thus treated

sends out its own vibrations of particular wave lengths, which may be likened to singing its own song. Now

the spectrum of salt, called sodium chloride by chemists, is very simple and includes two bright yellow

lines. In the spectrum of the sun exactly the same shades of yellow are cut out by two black lines. Could

there be any connection? Could the earthly yellow lines be made to change to black? Yes, it was found by

experiment that they would do so instantly if a cooler vapor of salt were placed between the prism and a

source of light that emits all wave lengths. Thus it was reasoned that some of the bright yellow light from

the sun's hot surface was absorbed by cooler sodium vapors in the sun's atmosphere. Likewise two

thousand black lines in the sun's spectrum were traced to iron, and indeed all the common substances, so

familiar to us here on earth, have been found to exist in the sun by comparing its "absorption" spectrum

with the bright line spectra given by these substances in laboratories.

[6] It might have been expected that the sun, our parent, would contain the familiar earthly elements,

as we were certainly, in a distant age, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. But what about the stars, so

far away, apparently so faint? The sun outshines even the brilliant Sirius, the Dog Star, ten billion times.


But the light of a star may be magnified several thousand fold by a telescope. Then, with a spectroscope

attached to the telescope, we may behold a radiant and beautiful sight, for the twinkling starlight becomes

a band showing all the rainbow colors, also crossed by the telltale dark lines. The stars then are suns.

[7] Do the stars differ among themselves? If so, how may we learn about them? Although the human

eye is such an admirable instrument, and, aided by the magnifying powers of a telescope, can penetrate

far into space, it is not well adapted to observe the spectra of the stars. Fortunately, just at the time when

astronomers were peering at starlight, chemists were as eagerly at work with compounds of bromides and

silver, little dreaming that in their mixing-bowl lay the means of solving the riddle of the centuries

concerning the great inverted bowl above their heads. The photographic method that the chemists

developed has now completely superseded visual observations of stellar spectra. The film is more

successful in registering faint light than the eye, and is sensitive also to rays which are too short or too

long for the small gamut of human vision.

[8] The Harvard Observatory was the first to undertake the photography of stellar spectra on a large

scale. With a prism placed over the lens of a telescope, the spectrum of every star of sufficient brightness

in the field of view can be photographed. We lose the beauty of the colors in the process, for they affect

the film only as a background of light on which the dark lines are engraved. But stars can be classified

from the position and strength of these lines.

[9] Twenty years ago it was assumed that stars differ in composition, that the A stars might have a

monopoly of hydrogen, and the B stars, of helium, but the combined labors of chemists, physicists, and

astronomers have pointed the way to the belief that the differences are mainly in temperature, and that

the class of a star expresses the temperature which is required to produce the observed atmospheric

conditions. The classifying of stars has moreover led to the belief that there is no new kind of matter in the

universe, for the main features of the spectra of all stars can be accounted for in terms of substances

known on earth.

[10] The Great Nebula of Andromeda, which is faintly visible to the naked eye, looks something like a

stationary comet. It is apparently not connected with our own universe of suns, but constitutes a separate

system, to which the picturesque term Island Universe is sometimes applied. This system is estimated to

be so far away that light, travelling 186,000 miles a second, requires nearly a million years to arrive; in

other words, we see the nebula as it was a million years ago. Yet photographs exposed for many hours with

large telescopes have revealed, in this Nebula of Andromeda, the existence of suns of Class G, like our

own luminary.

[11] Thus, peering into far-away spaces of the heavens, and looking back, as it were, into bygone epochs

of time, we find stars composed of the same elements necessary to us today, vibrating in the same

rhythm, sending out waves of the same lengths.

[12] Classifying the stars has helped materially in all studies of the structure of the universe, than which

no greater problem is presented to the human mind. While teaching man his relatively small sphere in

creation, it also encourages him by its lessons of the unity of nature, and shows him that his power of

comprehension allies him with the great intelligence that encompasses all.


1. Read the sentence from paragraph 1 below.

“For instance, sunbeams, passing through raindrops, are transformed into the myriad-tinted rainbow. The

familiar rainbow spanning the sky is Nature’s most glorious demonstration that light is composed of many

colors.”

What word or group of words from the paragraph best helps in understanding the meaning of myriad-

tinted? (RI.9-10.4, RI.9-10.1)

A. sunbeams

B. familiar

C. most glorious

D. many colors

2. How does paragraph 8 contribute to the overall development of ideas in the text? (RI.9-10.5)

A. It extends information presented in paragraph 7 and clarifies the main idea of the text

B. It presents a counterclaim that discredits information presented in paragraph 7

C. It contrasts modern techniques with older classification methods presented in paragraph 4

D. It presents a different credible scientific opinion regarding the classification of stars

3. According to the passage, which of the following is not used to classify stars? (RI.9-10.2)

A. Their compositional differences

B. Their iron content

C. Their temperature

D. The dark lines on their light spectra


4. Read the sentence from paragraph 12.

"While teaching man his relatively small sphere in creation, it also encourages him that his power of

comprehension allies him with the great intelligence that encompasses all."

What is the meaning of sphere in this sentence? (RI.9-10.4)

A. globe

B. place

C. planet

D. specialty

5. How does the author structure the text? (RI.9-10.5)

A. Steps of a single process

B. Chronologically

C. Comparison and contrast

D. Whole to a part

6. The author uses questions in the text in all of the following ways except… (RI.9-10.5)

A. To organize the writer’s explanation

B. To transition to new information

C. To guide the reader’s thinking

D. To introduce opposing perspectives

7. The author primarily uses which rhetorical device in this passage? (RI.9-10.6)

A. Anecdotes

B. Ethos

C. Logos

D. Pathos


8. Which sentence best explains the author’s purpose in the text? (RI.9-10.6)

A. To persuade readers that specific classification techniques are better than others

B. To inform readers about the scientific development of star classification

C. To explain to readers the step-by-step difference in classification techniques

D. To describe how salt was used to help distinguish colors and classify stars

9. Part A: Read the following sentence from paragraph 3.

Hardly a more fascinating page in man’s search for knowledge is to be found than this story of the analysis

of light.

What does the language in this sentence reveal about the author’s point of view? (RI.9-10.6)

A. The author is passionate about the history of star classification

B. The author highly respects the work of Isaac Newton

C. The author finds history more interesting than the science

D. The author was one of the original scientists to analyze light

10. Part B: Which sentence best supports the author’s point of view identified in Part A? (RI.9-10.1)

A. “He saw that the multiple spectral tints, ranging from delicate violet to deep read, were crossed by

hundreds of fine dark lines.” Paragraph 3

B. “It might have been expected that the sun, our parent, would contain the familiar earthly elements,

as we were certainly, in a distant age, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.” Paragraph 6

C. “We lose the beauty of the colors in the process, for they affect the film only as a background of

light on which the dark lines are engraved.” Paragraph 8

D. “Classifying the stars has helped materially in all studies of the structure of the universe, than

which no greater problem is presented to the human mind.” Paragraph 12


Read the selections below and answer the questions that follow.

“Loveliest of Trees” by Houseman, A. E.

Loveliest of Trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten, [5]

Twenty will not come again,

And take from seventy springs a score1,

It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom

Fifty springs are little room, [10]

About the woodlands I will go

To see the cherry hung with snow.

“Sonnet 60” by Shakespeare

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,

So do our minutes hasten to their end;

Each changing place with that which goes before,

In sequent toil all forwards do contend.

Nativity, once in the main of light, [5]

Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown'd,

Crooked elipses 'gainst his glory fight,

And Time that gave doth now his gift confound2.

Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth

And delves3 the parallels in beauty's brow, [10]

Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth,

And nothing stands but for his scythe4 to mow:

And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,

Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.

1 Twenty years 2 Continuing to make worse

3 Digs

4 A tool used in farming fields, also the tool the Grim Reaper carries


11. In “Loveliest of Trees,” the cherry tree represents (RL.9-10.4)

A. the loss of youth with age.

B. a commitment to maturity.

C. a promise to appreciate life while still living.

D. the breathtaking glory of nature.

12. In “Loveliest of Trees,” the second stanza serves to (RL.9-10.2)

A. demonstrate how joyful the author is.

B. explain why the author is riding in the woods.

C. draw the reader’s attention to the author’s wisdom.

D. emphasize the author’s age.

13. In “Sonnet 60,” the comparison is the first two lines is used to (RL.9-10.2)

A. demonstrate how time is fleeting.

B. demonstrate how time is eternal.

C. demonstrate how powerful time’s effects are.

D. demonstrate change over time.

14. Lines 5-8 in “Sonnet 60” mostly describe (RL.9-10.2)

A. the ways in which children lose their innocence.

B. the progression of life over time and the ways in which things worsen.

C. the progression of life over time and the ways in which life is enriched.

D. the ways in which humans fight for life against the problems of youth.


15. The two poems have all of the following in common except… (RL.9-10.2)

A. Both provided insight into the human struggle to remain young.

B. Both include figurative references to nature.

C. Both attempt to provide an explanation of time’s impact on humans.

D. Both conclude that aging can be fought with attention to life’s details.

16. Which of the following best describes Shakespeare’s perspective in “Sonnet 60”? (RL.9-10.2)

A. Life is short-lived, so we must celebrate while we can.

B. Time passes without reason, but it is good for the human soul.

C. Time is unforgiving and unrelenting.

D. Time is the most powerful force and can enrich one’s life.

17. What is the most important theme that the two poems have in common? (RL.9-10.2)

A. Growing old is a challenge for many people.

B. Nature should be appreciated.

C. People should always treat the people who love them kindly.

D. Children should behave maturely.


Research

18. Ben is using an Internet search engine to find information for a report about the works of Sophocles.

Which search entry would return the most useful information? (W.9-10.8)

A. When did Sophocles write?

B. Sophocles plays

C. Greek theater

D. Sophocles Greece

19. A student is writing a report about the current monarchy in England. Which source would have the

most relevant information? (W.9-10.8)

A. Brazier, Rodney. Constitutional Reform: Reshaping the Monarchy. England: Oxford Publishing, 2008.

B. Dupree, Angelica. Kings and Queens: A History of British Monarchy. New York: New Line Books,

1998.

C. Crawell, William. Monarchy Rebellions. England: Longman Press, 2011.

D. Simpson, Elizabeth. The Monarchy into the 21st Century. California: Riverside Books, 2010.

20. Jenny has to write a five page research paper on a topic of her choice. She wants to write about the

U.S. National Parks Service. What would be the best research question? (W.9-10.7)

A. Why were the National Parks created?

B. How many National Parks are there in the United States?

C. Can you camp in the National Parks?

D. Which plants and animals live in the U.S. National Parks?


21. Jolie is writing a research report using multiple sources. She wants to include a quote from “Magical

Realism in the Works of Nikolai Gogol” by John Hardy and Nicholas Stanton. Which of the following is the

correct parenthetical citation? (W.9-10.8)

A. Like other authors, Nikolai Gogol’s magical realism, “involves the direct and physical intervention of

the divine or the demonic in an otherwise unexceptional flow of events.” (Hardy and Stanton 126)

B. Like other authors, Nikolai Gogol’s magical realism, “involves the direct and physical intervention of

the divine or the demonic in an otherwise unexceptional flow of events” (“Magical Realism in the

Works of Nikolai Gogol” 126).

C. Like other authors, Nikolai Gogol’s magical realism, “involves the direct and physical intervention of

the divine or the demonic in an otherwise unexceptional flow of events” (126).

D. Like other authors, Nikolai Gogol’s magical realism, “involves the direct and physical intervention of

the divine or the demonic in an otherwise unexceptional flow of events” (Hardy and Stanton 126).


Session 3: Reading and Proofreading

Read the passage about two men who were stranded after attempting to find gold in the arctic and answer

the questions that follow.

Excerpt from “In a Far Country” by Jack London

[1] With little to do, time became an intolerable burden to them. This naturally made them still lazier.

They sank into a physical lethargy which there was no escaping, and which made them rebel at the

performance of the smallest chore. One morning when it was his turn to cook the common breakfast,

Weatherbee rolled out of his blankets, and to the snoring of his companion, lighted first the slush lamp

and then the fire. The kettles were frozen hard, and there was no water in the cabin with which to wash.

But he did not mind that. Waiting for it to thaw, he sliced the bacon and plunged into the hateful task of

bread-making. Cuthfert had been slyly watching through his half-closed lids.

[2] Consequently there was a scene, in which they fervently blessed each other, and agreed,

henceforth, that each do his own cooking. A week later, Cuthfert neglected his morning ablutions, but

none the less complacently ate the meal which he had cooked. Weatherbee grinned. After that the foolish

custom of washing passed out of their lives.

[3] As the sugar-pile and other little luxuries dwindled, they began to be afraid they were not getting

their proper shares, and in order that they might not be robbed, they fell to gorging themselves. Their

luxuries suffered in this gluttonous contest, as did also the men.

[4] In the absence of fresh vegetables and exercise, their blood became impoverished, and a

loathsome, purplish rash crept over their bodies. Yet they refused to heed the warning.

[5] Next, the muscles and joints began to swell, the flesh turning black, while their mouths, gums and

lips took on the color of rich cream. Instead of being drawn together by their misery, each gloated over the

other’s symptoms as the scurvy took its course.

[6] They lost all regard for personal appearance, and for that matter, common decency. The cabin

became a pigpen, and never once were the beds made or fresh pine boughs laid underneath. Yet they

could not keep to their blankets, as they would have wished; for the frost was inexorable, and the fire box

consumed much fuel. The hair of their heads and faces grew long and shaggy, while their garments would

have disgusted a ragpicker. But they did not care. They were sick, and there was no one to see; besides,

it was very painful to move about.

[7] To all this was added a new trouble—the Fear of the North. This Fear was the joint child of the

Great Cold and the Great Silence, and was born in the darkness of December, when the sun dipped below

the horizon for good. It affected them according to their natures.

[8] Weatherbee fell prey to the grosser superstitions, and did his best to resurrect the spirit, which

slept in the forgotten graves. It was a fascinating thing, and in his dreams they came to him from out of

the cold, and snuggled into his blankets, and told him of their toils and troubles ere they died. He shrank

away from the clammy contract as they drew closer and twined their frozen limbs about him, and when

they whispered in his ear of things to come, the cabin rang out with his frightened shrieks. Cuthfert did not

understand—for they no longer spoke—and when thus awakened he invariably grabbed for his revolver.

Then he would sit up in bed, shivering nervously, with the weapon trained on the unconscious dreamer.

Cuthfert deemed the man going mad, and so came to fear for his life.


[9] His own malady assumed a less concrete form. The mysterious artisan who had laid the cabin, log

by log, had pegged a wind-vane to the ridgepole. Cuthfert noticed it always pointed south, and one day,

irritated by its steadfastness of purpose, he turned it toward the east. He watched eagerly, but never a

breath came to disturb it. Then he turned the vane to the north, swearing never again to touch it till the

wind did blow. But the air frightened him with its unearthly calm, and he often rose in the middle of the

night to see if the vane had veered—then degrees would have satisfied him. But no, it poised above him

as unchangeable as fate.

22. Part A: In the third paragraph, the word gluttonous means (RL.9-10.4)

A. sugar coating.

B. rich cooking.

C. excessive eating.

D. expensive dining.

23. Part B: Which line from the text supports your answer to question 22? (RL.9-10.1)

A. “As the sugar-pile and other little luxuries dwindle”

B. “they fell to gorging themselves”

C. “their blood became impoverished”

D. “a loathsome, purplish rash crept over their bodies”

24. What caused the men’s sickness? (RL.9-10.3)

A. poor diet

B. purple rash

C. poor hygiene

D. cold weather


25. The author uses personification in paragraph 7 in all of the following ways except… (RL.9-10.4)

A. Cold is personified to emphasize the situation’s severity

B. Silence is personified emphasizes the setting’s isolation

C. December is personified to emphasize the difference between the character’s situation and the

ordinarily joyous time of year

D. Fear is personified to emphasize its constant role in the characters’ daily lives

26. Why does the author include the image of the wind-vane in the final paragraph? (RL.9-10.4)

A. To symbolize Cuthfert’s future

B. To enhance Weatherbee’s nightmares

C. To personify Cuthfert’s desperation

D. To hyperbolize the cold setting

27. What kind of mood does the author establish at the end of the passage? (RL.9-10.5)

A. excited

B. suspenseful

C. surprised

D. sarcastic

28. The characters undergo several changes in many ways over the course of the story. All of the following

change for the characters except their… (RL.9-10.3)

A. mental health

B. appearance

C. relationship

D. conflict


Proofreading

29. Which sentence uses commas correctly? (L.6.2a)

A. Grand Canyon National Park which was, one of the first national parks in the United States, is

located in Arizona.

B. Grand Canyon National Park which, was one of the first national parks, in the United States, is

located in Arizona.

C. Grand Canyon National Park, which was one of the first national parks in the United States, is

located in Arizona.

D. Grand Canyon National Park, which was one of the first national parks, in the United States, is

located in Arizona.

30. Which sentence is written correctly? (L.9-10.1b)

A. Anya hurried quick to make it to the school bus on time.

B. Anya hurried real quickly to make it to the school bus on time.

C. Anya hurried quickly to make it to the school bus on time.

D. Anya hurried really quick to make it to the school bus on time.

31. Read the following paragraph.

(1) Recycling is essential for a healthy environment. (2) Our trash has to go somewhere, and usually that

is in a landfill or dump which can catch fire, smell and emit toxic chemicals. (3) We dump more than 180

million tons of garbage annually. (4) By recycling some of this trash, we can reduce the waste produced,

save energy, save natural resources, reduce air and water pollution, and create jobs.

Which sentence contains an error? (L.4.1f)

A. Sentence 1

B. Sentence 2

C. Sentence 3

D. Sentence 4


32. Which sentence is written correctly? (L.3.1f)

A. Although book bannings may seem like things of the past, it is alive and well today.

B. Although book bannings may seem like a thing of the past, it is alive and well today.

C. Although book banning may seem like a thing of the past, it is alive and well today.

D. Although book banning may seem like a thing of the past, they are alive and well today.

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English II December Interval...

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