BENCHMARK REVIEWLANGUAGE ARTS Important Vocabulary Main Idea/Thesis /Unifying IdeaRelevant detail relates or supports the topic sentence.Irrelevant detail does not relate nor support the topic sentence.Parallel Structure - is the repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a sentence. Logical Order order of importance.Which compound sentence is punctuated 1 correctly?A. Riding a bicycle is excellent exercise and I ride my bicycle every day.B. San Francisco is my favorite city, but I dont visit my favorite city often.C. I have read The Secret Life of Bees but I have not read Angelas Ashes.D. I heard a loud thump the cat had upset the goldfish bowl.

Answer: B. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction that connects two independent clauses.

3Where should the comma be placed in the 2 sentence below?

Playing cards is easy for some people but I alwayshave trouble.

A. After easyB. After peopleC. After ID. After cards

Answer: B Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction that connects two independent clauses.

4Where should the semicolon be place in the 3 sentence below?

The large Asian supermarket fascinates me I canfind everything from frozen chow mien to soybean sprouts in one place.A. After everythingB. After meC. After fromD. After supermarket

Answer: B Use a semicolon to connect two closely related or parallel independent clauses.

5Which sentence is punctuated correctly? 4

A. Roman and Tom were both in science class this morning; they gave an interesting presentation on their research.

John wanted to be a pharmacist but he changed his mind, after taking chemistry.

Jodie went to the candy store; often and the clerk even knew his name and dentist.

D. The air was clear it was a smog free day.Answer: A Use a semicolon to connect two closely related or parallel independent clauses.

6Which choice BEST punctuates the complex 5sentence below?Although she knows the rules she breaks them allthe time when she can get away with it.

A. Although she knows the rules, she breaks them all time when she can get away with it.B. Although, she knows the rules she breaks them all the time when she can get away with it.C. Although she knows the rules she breaks them all the time, she can get away with it.D. Although she knows the rules she breaks them, all the time she can get away with it.

Answer: A Use a comma after an introductory dependent clause to separate it from theindependent clause.

7Which of the following sentences has 6 correct capitalization?

A. The picnic will be held on the fourth of july.B. Our newspaper the elk grove banner, is the most read publication in the area.C. President Johnson gave medals to Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan.D. The Washington D.C. area is beautiful in the Spring.

Answer: C8Which change is needed to make the 7 sentence below correct?

Now, we will hear from our most famouscitizen, senator Ruth Anne Calvin.

A. Remove the quotation marks before Now.B. Use a capital S in senator.C. Use a capital c in citizen.D. Use a small c in Calvin.

Answer B9In the sentence below, what change should be 8made to correct the capitalization error?

This year, our summer vacation will take us northinto Virginia, where we will visit Williamsburg, andthen into west Virginia to Charleston, and then westinto Cincinnati, Ohio.

A. Use a capital W in the second west.B. Use a small letter w in Williamsburg.C. Use a capital W in west Virginia.D. Use a capital N in north.

Answer: C10 9(1)Years ago, many families would listen to the radio,read, or play games together. (2) My favorite thing to dois to watch cartoons. (3) In addition, children were morephysically active before they had television. (4)The television is a wonderful invention, but it also hasdisadvantages. (5) Before television, families used tospend more time together.Which sentence is irrelevant to the main idea?A. 1B. 2C. 3D. 5

Answer: 2 The main idea is what people did before televisions. My favorite cartoon to watch does not support that. 11 10(1)John wanted make a cake for his brothers birthday. (2)First,John asked his brother what type of cake he liked. (3)Then, hewent to the store to buy the ingredients. (4)Next he puteverything out on the counter. (5)It was ten oclock when hestarted. (6)He mixed the ingredients according to the directions. (7)After the cake was done, he iced it. (8)Finally, he cleaned up.

Which sentence in the paragraph contains unrelatedinformation? (irrelevant to the main idea)

A. 2B. 3C. 4D. 5

Answer: D 12 11(1)After the boys had been sitting for a little while, they began to thinkabout what they wanted to do when they grew up. (2)First, Rupertsaid that he wanted to fight crime and maybe be a detective. (3) Healways liked the cartoon Inspector Gadget, and he always liked to readmystery stories to find out how the good guys solved the puzzle. (4)Then, John said that he wanted to be an astronaut. (5)He wanted tobe the first man to walk on Mars. (6)His grandpa had been a pilot inthe war, and he was always telling John stories about flying. (7)Theyhad a good time talking about their future dreams.Which sentence does not support the paragraph? (irrelevant to the main idea)A. 7B. 6C. 5D. 4

Answer: B13 12Which sentence show the correct placement of the underlined modifier?

We fed the peanuts to the elephants we bought at the store. B. We gave cookies to the students with colorful decorations.C. Mary bought a car that needs some minor repairs.D. I saw deer and antelopes on the way to Denver.

Answer: C. 14 13Which sentence shows the correct placement of the underlined modifier?

Rolling down the hill, Squiggly was frightened that the rocks would land on the campsite.

B. Squiggly was frightened that the rocks rolling down the hill would land on the campsite.

Answer B15 14Which sentence shows the correct placement of the underlined modifier?

A I had to take down the shutters painting the house yesterday.

B. Painting the house yesterday, I had to take down the shutters.

Answer: B16 15The yo-yo is a toy that has been played with by kids forover twenty-five hundred years. Its the second oldest toy in history, the oldest being the doll. In ancient Greece, children often placed a yo-yo on a family altar as a rite of passage into adulthood. The popularity of the yo-yo continues today. It was even the first toy sent into outer space during a space mission.What is the author's purpose in writing the paragraph?A. to entertainB. to persuadeC. to informD. to explain The Williamsburg Homecoming Parade will be held on Saturday, October 23rd, on Cumberland Avenue. There will be many marching bands in the parade, and several floats will participate in the floats contest. If you have a float you want to enter in the contest, please contact Mrs. Emily Cavanaugh at 691-5555 at the Williamsburg High School. The fee for each float entry is $15, which goes to cover the cost of the judging. The homecoming parade will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. at Thornhill Circle, and the marching bands and floats will travel along Cumberland Avenue to Henderson Avenue, where they will disband. 1716. What kind of writing is the selection? (slide 16)A. fictionB. expositoryC. mythD. legend17. What is the authors purpose in writing the selection? A. to explainB. to entertainC. to informD. to persuadeAnswers: 16. B; 17. - C19 18Aesops fable:Once upon a time there was a fox that entered anactors house and began rummaging through all theactors costumes. The fox found a mask that was anadmirable imitation of a human face. He then said,Although this is a beautiful face, it is valuelessbecause it has no brains.

18. What is the theme of the fable? (The underlyingmeaning or insight into life.)

A. Actors have masks.B. You cant trust a fox.C. Beauty is nothing without brains.D. Masks are valueless.

Answer C20 The Woman and Her Hen 19A long time ago there lived a woman who was not rich, yet had a sturdy roof over her head, clothes to wear, andenough food so that she would never go hungry. Thewoman owned a hen that supplied her with one eggeveryday. However, the woman often dreamed of what lifemight be like if she had more of everything.One day as she was gathering her one egg from her hen,she had an idea of how to get more eggs. I shall startfeeding my hen double her usual allowance of barley, saidthe woman, and that will make her produce two eggs eachday instead of only one.Thus, the next day the hen got twice her usual barleyallowance; but instead of producing two eggs, the hen laid none.The moral of the story is covetousness overreaches itself.

19.What is the topic of this passage? (Slide 19)A. wealthB. eggsC. greedD. hens20. What is the theme of this passage? (Slide 19)A. Dont be too greedy.B. You should only want one egg.C. Hens only lay one egg.D. Too much barley is bad for hens.

Answers: 19 C; 20 A 22 The Gift 21No, no, no! I wanted the silver Starman with the metallic blue helmet!Garrett listened to his younger brother, Wes, throw his latest tantrum over agift his parent had brought back with them from New Mexico. Garrett wasthrilled with his own gift, a new video game, and didnt see why Wesleycouldnt be happy with his, too.

Im sorry, Wesley, said his mother patiently.

I hate this one! said Wesley, and threw the Starman on the floor, stompedoff to his room, and slammed the door behind him.

Garrett looked up from playing his video game and saw disappointment written on hismothers face. This is a cool game, Mom, thanks for getting it for me.

His mother smiled a weary smile. Youre welcome. Im glad I could please someone.If Wesley didnt spend half his time complaining, he might actually be happy, saidGarrett.

I know, said his mother, but convincing Wesley of that is difficult.

2221. What is the theme of this passage? (Slide 21)A. Video games are fun.B. Parents should pay more attention to what their children want.C. Never throw tantrumsD. Being greedy can make you unhappy.22. How are the themes similar in both passages? (Slide 19 & 21)A. They both show that greed is bad.B. They both tell morals of fables.C. They both are about views held long ago.D. They both are about main characters that have special traits.

Answers: 21 D; 22- A24 23The wind picked up, and Maria started to shiver.She really wished that she had brought a jacketwith her. It was that time of the year when it waswarm enough during the day to wear shortsleeves, but it would get cold once the sun wentdown. Maria hoped that she wasnt going to comedown with a cold. With the school dancescheduled for the upcoming week, the last thingshe needed was to be sick.

24The underlined sentence in the paragraphabove is a: (Slide 23)

A. topic sentenceB. closing sentence.C. supporting sentence.

Answer: A A topic sentence is usually found at the beginning of a sentence, but it can also be found at the middle or end of a sentence. The controlling idea of the paragraph is She really wished that she had brought a jacketwith her. All the other sentences in the paragraph supports that controlling idea.26251)Ollie was riding his bike in his neighborhoodwhen he saw a dirt driveway leading into thewoods. 2)He wondered what it led to, but didntride down it for fear that he would betrespassing. 3)He realized that he had neverseen any cars driving in or out of it. 4)When hegot home, he asked his mother if she knew whatwas at the end of the driveway.26Which sentence would BEST follow sentence 4in the paragraph above? (Slide 25)A. She said there was no driveway and that what he had seen was a mirage.B. His mother wasnt home, and he forgot all about it.C. She said there was a house back there, but it had been abandoned.D. It turned out that it was Ollies driveway all along.Answer: C2827Which word BEST fills in the blank in the sentence below?

Yesterday evening everyone _______ a newproject.

A. beganB. begunC. had begunD. beginnedAnswer: A2928 Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, my family and I visit my aunts house late in the day after we finish dinner. My cousins have a holiday tradition of playing a card game called, Setback. For many years, I would just watch and try to figure out how the game was played, but last Thanksgiving they needed another player and asked me to join the game. It took me a while to get used to it, but soon Jim, my teammate, and I were winning. I can't wait until Christmas when we play again. Its fun to be a part of this tradition.29What is the unifying idea of this paragraph?(from Slide 28)

A. Setback is a fun card game.B. It is good to visit relatives on holidays.Watching people play is good preparation in case they need a replacement.Family traditions are good to have on holidays.

Answer: D31 301. He decided that he could sell some of them.2. That would be a perfect place for him to sell some cards.3. Frank didnt know what to do with all his baseball cards.4. There was a baseball card show going on at a school nearby.

How should these sentences be ordered to create alogical paragraph?A. 3, 4, 1, 2B. 2, 3, 1, 4C. 3, 1, 4, 2D. 4, 1, 3, 2Answer: C32 31The other day, I heard on a news report that obesity in this country is at an all-time high. This motivated me to go out and get a membership at a local gym. When I am over there, I use the exercise bikes, treadmills, and weight machines. Also, Ive found that being in good shape has not only physical but psychological benefits, too. People who work out tend to be in better moods. I think this is mainly due to the fact that, instead of sitting around doing nothing, they are up and doing something good for their bodies.32What is the unifying idea of this paragraph?(from Slide 31)A. The benefits of exerciseB. The value of being a member of a fitness clubC. Being in a good moodD. Lifting weightsAnswer: A34 33Which of the following is NOT a supporting sentence? (from Slide 31)

A. When I am over there, I use the exercise bikes, treadmills, and weight machines.B. This motivated me to go out and get a membership at a local gym.C. Ive found that being in good shape has not only physical but psychological benefits, too.D. People who work out tend to be in better moods.

Answer: A When I am over there, I use the exercise bikes, treadmills, and weight machines is not a benefit of exercise.35Verb Tense: Change tense to match sentence. 34 30. You look really great! Have you (work) out at the fitness center recently?

31.What (do) you do when the accident occurred?

32. I (try) to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

33. I have (have) the same car for ten years. I'm thinking about buying a new one.

Answers. 30) worked31) did32) tried33) had3635Which verb correctly completes this sentence?

After I _______for nearly an hour, we finally left.

A. waitingB. had been waitingC. waitsD. waited3736Which sentence has correct parallel structure?

A. Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.

B. Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.Answer: B hiking, swimming, riding; not to ride3837Which sentence has correct parallel structure?

A. The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed manner. B. The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.

Answer: B 3938Which sentence has correct parallel structure?

A) My dog not only likes to play fetch, but also chase cars.

B) My dog likes not only to play fetch, but also to chase cars. Answer B40Organizational Structure39

The eye is made up of many parts. The white part of the eye is called the sclera, and the colored part is called the iris. The iris comes in many colors, including brown, blue, green, and hazel. The iris is covered by the cornea, which is clear and round.

What is the organizational structure of the paragraph?Time orderC. DescriptionCause and effect D. Compare and contrast

You will send your child, will you, into a room where the table is loaded with sweet wine and fruit-some poisoned, some not?-you will say to him, "Choose freely, my little child! It is so good for you to have freedom of choice; it forms your character-your individuality! If you take the wrong cup or the wrong berry, you will die before the day is over, but you will have acquired the dignity of a free child."

What is the speakers tone in this passage (consider his apparent feelings about young children having freedom)?A) sincere/honestB) sarcastic/mockingC) joyful/rejoicingTone 40Answer: B Think of how you interpret the tone of a speakers voice. How would it sound?

42

"I am not mad," [the monster] cried energetically, "the sun and the heavens, who have viewed my operations, can bear witness of my truth. I am the assassin of those most innocent victims; they died by my machinations. A thousand times would I have shed my own blood, drop by drop, to have saved their lives; but I could not, my father, indeed I could not sacrifice the whole human race."

What is the speakers tone? A) sorry/remorseful B) angry/vindictiveC) humorous/happyTone 41Answer: A The clue words to determine the speakers tone are cried energetically, innocent victims, and I would have shed my own blood to save their lives.43

The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way even if you sniffle a little they wont hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying, theyll start talking about it and soon itll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.

What is the mood of this paragraph?A) irritatedB) thoughtfulC) horrifiedMood42Answer: C Clue words cry, beaten up, screaming, 44

It was a purple and red mass of swollen flesh, welts and knots imposed one upon another, some of them beginning to heal, some oozing the yellowish liquid of infection. She stared in disbelief for several seconds, then she leaned down and touched the mutilated flesh.

What is the mood of this paragraph?A) nauseatedB) worriedC) frustrated

Mood43Answer: A clue words purple and red swollen flesh, oozing yellowish liquid, mutilated flesh.45

You learn something about yourself in the process. You learn you can do your best even when its hard, even when youre tired and maybe hurting a little bit. Youre going to get your share of bumps and bruises. Youre going to get your foot stepped on or your knuckles cut up. Then youll find out you can still play hard, still do your job.

What is the mood of this paragraph?EcstaticEmpoweredJoyous

Mood44Answer: B Clue phrases you can do your best even when its hard, even when youre tired and maybe hurting a little bit.46