hs reading nevada hspe instructional materials

NevadaDEPARTMENTOFEDUCATION

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HSPEREADING

Copyright 2009 by the Nevada Department of Education

InstructionalMaterialsfor the

HIGHSCHOOLPROFICIENCYEXAM

Page Copyrght 2009 by the Nevada Department of Educaton

KEITH W. RHEAULT Superintendent of Public

InstructionSTATE OF NEVADA

SOUTHERN NEVADA OFFICE1820 E. Sahara, Suite 205

Las Vegas, Nevada 89104-3746

GLORIA P. DOPF Deputy Superintendent

Instructional, Research and Evaluative Services

(702) 486 - 6455 Fax: (702) 486 - 6450

JAMES R. WELLS Deputy Superintendent

Administrative and Fiscal Services

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 700 E. Fifth Street

Carson City, Nevada 89701-5096 (775) 687 - 9200 Fax: (775) 687 - 9101

MOODY STREET OFFICE 1749 Moody Street, Suite 40

Carson City, Nevada 89706-2543

Dear Educators,

The following materials, developed as a collaborative effort between the Nevada Department of Education and WestEd, a nonprofit research, development, and service agency, are designed to be used as part of a guided instructional activity to support student performance on assessments. While these materials can provide students with practice in answering assessment items, we believe it is critical that these materials be used to help students understand the elements of the state assessment and to guide them in the use of effective strategies that will support their ability to comprehend and take a variety of assessments. If you choose, however, to use this support document solely as a practice activity, we highly recommend that you go back over each item with students and investigate each response to better understand their knowledge of the assessment.

Purpose of Reading TextThe purpose of reading must be taught to students. The state criterion-referenced tests include two types of reading passages: literary and expository.

By using these materials, you can identify, read, and discuss these different text types and the corresponding knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate. These same reading analysis skills apply to core classes such as math, science, and social studies.

Vocabulary Knowledge The Nevada Department of Education believes that students are not thoroughly being taught the content vocabulary of the Nevada Reading Content Standards. Students in Nevada, therefore, must have repeated experiences with hearing (oral vocabulary), reading, and writing the vocabulary of the standards in order to be successful on the state assessment as well as classroom and district assessments. For example, grade appropriate vocabulary such as: character traits, authors purpose, organizational structure, and analysis are terms used in the assessments.

Types of QuestionsThe reading assessment includes two basic types of questionsmultiple-choice items for all grades (3 through 8 and high school) and constructed-response items for grades 4 through 8. To help prepare students for constructed-response questions, we have provided you with:

1. the student checklist (included in the student test booklet at grades 4 and 5) 2. the general student rubric (included in the student test booklet at grades 6 through 8) 3. item-specific rubrics

With the use of these materials, students can become familiar with the different types of questions used on the state assessments. They can learn to use the checklist or rubric to determine if they have answered the constructed-response questions completely. Familiarity with the tools provided as part of the assessment and the vocabulary of the standards can result in less anxiety on the part of students and teachers. (Please note that the student checklist and general rubric can be on the walls of your classroom


throughout the school year. As you assign constructed-response questions, students can use these tools as they develop their responses.)

The types of questions included in these instructional materials (and in the state assessments) allow for the assessment of different levels of cognitive complexity. The questions are developed so that students cannot just skim and scan the passages to find the answers; they must go back and reread the text to determine the correct answer, including drawing inferences and conclusions from what they have read. Teaching students to identify, write, and use different levels of questioning skills as they read can only lead to improved comprehension and achievement on classroom, state, and national assessments. We suggest that you engage students in question writing so they not only can recognize these levels of complexity, but can begin to formulate them as well.

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels - In addition to measuring a broad spectrum of reading content domains, the Nevada Proficiency Examination Program includes questions to assess three Depth of Knowledge levels. These DOK levels are based on descriptions developed by Dr. Norman Webb and adapted for Nevada's reading assessments. The following are the three DOK levels used on Nevadas reading assessments:

DOK Level 1: Recall - Level 1 requires the recall of facts or use of basic skills. A level 1 item consists of literal recall from text, paraphrasing, or simple understanding of a single word or phrase. A level 1 item may require a simple connection between sentences, which may be considered a very basic inference.

DOK Level 2: Use of Concepts and Skills - Level 2 requires comprehension and mental processing of text or portions of text. A level 2 item includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. A level 2 item requires the application of skills and concepts. Some important concepts are covered but not in a deeply complex way.

DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving - Level 3 requires abstract reasoning, critical thinking, and/or the application of abstract concepts to new situations.

Length of PassagesWestEd constructs the assessment forms and includes a range of passage lengths as described below. NDE and WestEd believe that it is important for students to have opportunities to read passages of differing lengths as a part of the regular curriculum. Students should have experience in sustaining comprehension with passages of varying lengths. We do not want students to be surprised by the volume of reading required on the state assessment.

The following represent the guidelines for passage lengths for each grade level:

Grade 3 300 500 words Grade 4 300 550 words Grade 5 400 700 words Grade 6 400 800 words Grade 7 500 950 words Grade 8 500 1000 words HSPE 500 1200 words


Students should be made aware of the length of the assessment at their grade level, as well as passage lengths for successive grades. We believe this will allow them to understand, for example, what a 500-word text actually looks like, so they are not overwhelmed on the day of the assessment when they encounter one of the longer passages.

We hope that interaction with these instructional materials will lead to lowered anxiety and better understanding of the assessment that is being presented to students. If you have questions about the reading materials or how to embed this information into your curriculum, please contact Darrin Hardman (grades 3 5) at [email protected]; Joanne Jones (grades 6 8) at [email protected]; or Beverly Mudd (high school) at [email protected].

Thank you,

Cindy Sharp K 12 CRT/HSPE Consultant Nevada Department of Education


ReadingHSPE

Name:

This booklet contains reading questions for you to answer. The questions in the Test Booklet are all multiple-choice. For each question, you will be given four answer choicesA, B, C, and D. You are to choose the correct answer from the four choices. Each question has only one right answer.

HSPE Reading Instructonal Materals

Go OnCopyrght 2009 by the Nevada Department of Educaton

Inthispassage,anartistwithauniqueviewonhermessystudioconfrontsaproblem.Readthepassage.Thenanswerquestions1through6.

Cleaning Day Mchelle Kennans studo was a mess. Yes, there was the standard art-studo debrssquashed,

uncapped pant tubes oozed color over the worktable; the floor looked lke a clown had exploded; the fine sable brushes yearned to be freed from ther acrylc cocoons. But the mess went far beyond that, venturng nto landfill terrtory. Take, for nstance, an orange, whch had been used as a model for one of Kennans pantngs, long snce abandoned to the ravages of tme and mold. It now looked more lke a graysh-green rodent than a ctrus frut. Crumpled peces of sketch paper lttered the floor, gvng glmpses of abandoned studesan eye wth an overly arched brow, an elbow bent just so, an ear spralng lke a delcate seashell. The place was a dump.

By contrast, Kennans pantngs were mmaculate. They were perfect, pure. The panted orange, whose model had long snce become more scence project than food, looked good enough to eat better than good enough. It looked so real, so lfelke, that vewers mouths would water at ts sght. More than one swore they could smell an actual orange when gazng at the work.

Mchelle Kennan was a photo-realstc panter. Her pantngs looked lke photographsreally, really bg photographs. They typcally stood about twenty feet tall. Her pantngs towered over the vewer, lookng for all the world lke huge, precsely detaled photographs. It was only when someone neared Kennans work, hs nose nearly touchng the canvas, that he could see the metculous brush strokes. Those strokes, repeated mllons of tmes, combned to create, for nstance, the gant orangea mouthwaterngly dmpled, enormously orangey orange. And Kennans mmaculate pantngs stood n drect contrast to the filth n whch they were created.

Kennan hadnt always been so unkempt. There had been a tme when she was very clean and tdyperhaps obsessvely so. After use, her brushes were soaked, cleaned, dred, and returned to specfied places n her brush box. Pant tubes were wped clean, capped, and arranged n a neat row accordng to hue, from lghtest to darkest, left to rght. Her easel was as clean as the day she brought t home from the art store, not a stray brush stroke to be found.

5 Interestngly, durng ths tme of cleanlness, Kennans pantngs were not greatat least n her own mnd. Most people thought they were very good. It wasnt that her oranges ddnt look lke orangesthey dd. But they certanly ddnt make people smell oranges or provoke spontaneous mouthwaterng. They smply looked lke paintings of oranges, unnspred and flat.

At that tme, Kennan had been frustrated n her work. She knew that n order for her pantngs to leap the great dvde between good and great, shed have to breathe lfe nto them somehow. Instead of pantng mere lkenesses, she yearned to gve her subjects a new lfe on canvas, where they would breathe and sgh and truly live. But how? Kennans deepest fear was that she smply lacked the talent necessary to make that grand leap.

And so, Kennan hurled herself nto her art. She began spendng all her wakng and most of her sleepng hours n her studo. She lterally ate and drank pantnot on purpose, mnd you. But f you pant whle eatng, youre bound to nclude a bt of cadmum red or cobalt blue nto your det. And as Kennan devoted more and more of her tme and energy to pantng, she had less and less to gve to housekeepng. Gradually, her easel became caked wth color. Meals, absently chewed whle Kennan worked, were left to st and gather fuzz. Her unwashed clothes lay lmp where dropped upon the floor.

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It was durng ths tme of extreme dedcaton to her craft that Kennans art made the fateful leapt became great. Kennan felt that these new works were not just panted by her, but rather had been gven lfe by her. When Kennan made ths realzaton, t was as though she had awakened from a dream. But her elaton was short-lved. Now aware, she looked around her, blnkng, and was stunned at what she saw. The wreckage that surrounded her made her swoon.

Kennan wanted to begn cleanng mmedately. She wanted to scrub the studo of the horrd mess untl t gleamed as t had before. She wanted to move to another studo and start over fresh. She wanted to . . .

0 Butwait, she thought. What f t was the very dsorder n the world around her that allowed her to gve new lfe to her work? What f she needed ths mess n order to be great?

Now, whether or not the mess around Kennan had anythng to do wth her newfound abltes does not really matter. What does matter was that Kennan beleved t dd. So, lke a supersttous ptcher on the mound who rubs hs lucky rabbts foot, Kennan vowed to keep her studo as t was for fear of endng her wnnng streak.

And so t went for years. Kennans work gradually became more renowned and was hghly n demand. And supply of that demand was not easy. Kennans pantngs were so large and metculously created, and Kennan herself such a perfectonst, that each pantng took Kennan about sx months to complete. And all the whle, her studo became more of a mess.

Then came cleanng day. It was an honest mstake. One of Kennans neghbors was movng out and had hred a cleanng

servce to gve hs studo a thorough cleanng. The neghbor had had a copy of Kennans keys just n case and had accdentally gven t to the cleaners. And n the cleaners came, the mop brgade, sweepng through the studo lke a fastdous tornado, cleanng, dustng, and shnng everythng n ther path. True to ther msson, they dd a thorough cleanng. They left nothng behnd. Well, nearly nothng.

5 Even before Kennan entered her studo, she knew that somethng was wrong. It ddnt smell rghtt smelled lke pne. Kennan fumbled for her keys and threw open the door. The studo stood almost completely bare except for Kennans worktable, on whch sat her brushes, cleaned and put away, and her pants, arranged accordng to hue, lghtest to darkest, left to rght. Next to the worktable, leanng up aganst the wall, stood a fresh canvas.

Kennan stood n the empty, too-clean room. Her eyes clmbed the twenty-foot canvas. Its blank, whte expanse towered over her.

Cleaning Day. 2009 WestEd.

fastidious: very careful, partcular, or demandng, especally n matters relatng to detals

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1 How does the author create the tone of the first paragraph?A He uses sarcasm and dstorted

descrptons to create a cyncal tone.B He uses vvd word choce and lengthy

sentences to create an awed tone.C He uses sophstcated sentences

and ornate language to create a superor tone.

D He uses figuratve language and humorous comparsons to create an amused tone.

Answer the following questions about the passage Cleaning Day.

2 Whch s the best analyss of the authors use of the phrase fastdous tornado n paragraph ?

A The phrase suggests that the cleaners create more havoc than order when they work; the term fastdous s ntended to be prmarly ronc.

B The phrase ndcates that the cleaners know they only have a short tme to complete ther work; the word tornado partcularly shows ther sense of urgency.

C The word fastdous speaks to the thorough job the cleaners are dong, whle the word tornado hnts that the results wll probably be dsastrous. The contrast between the two terms echoes the contrast between Kennans art and her studo.

D The word fastdous shows that the cleaners are delberately runng Kennans studo, whle the word tornado shows how quckly and destructvely they are workng. The two terms together show the depth of the authors use of sensory detals.



3 Whch sentence from the passage most effectvely shows that Kennan s obsessed wth her pantngs?

A Crumpled peces of sketch paper lttered the floor, gvng glmpses of abandoned studesan eye wth an overly arched brow, an elbow bent just so, an ear spralng lke a delcate seashell.

B It was only when someone neared Kennans work, hs nose nearly touchng the canvas, that he could see the metculous brush strokes.

C And so, Kennan hurled herself nto her art.

D Meals, absently chewed whle Kennan worked, were left to st and gather fuzz.

4 Whch best descrbes the relatonshp between the settng and the plot?A The settng s the source of the man

conflct.B The settng creates calmness n the

fallng acton.C The settng bulds tenson between the

characters.D The settng s manly of sgnficance n

the resoluton.

5 Whch comment on humanty s the author relayng n the passage?A Lfe-changng decsons sometmes get

made for us.B Well-ntentoned people bear the brunt

of lfes hardshps.C True greatness requres a balance

between work and other aspects of lfe.D Most dscplned people have a hard

tme allowng ther creatvty to floursh.

6 How would the resoluton most lkely have been dfferent f the passage were told n the first person pont of vew wth Kennan as the narrator?

A The talent of Kennan would have been more strongly emphaszed.

B Kennans reflectons on the future of her art would have been ncluded.

C Kennans appearance would have been more strongly emphaszed.

D A conversaton between Kennan and her neghbor would have been ncluded.

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ThisexcerptfromBarbaraCharlineJordansfamouskeynoteaddressandtheaccompanyingsidebargiveinsightintoanimpressivefigureinAmericanhistory.Readthepassage.Thenanswerquestions7through12.

An Excerpt from Barbara Charline Jordans 1976 National Convention Keynote Address

Even as I stand here and admt that we have made mstakes, I stll beleve that as the people of Amerca st n judgment on each party, they wll recognze that our mstakes were mstakes of the heart. Theyll recognze that.

And nownow we must look to the future. Let us heed the voce of the people and recognze ther common sense. If we do not, we not only blaspheme our poltcal hertage, we gnore the common tes that bnd all Amercans. Many fear the future. Many are dstrustful of ther leaders, and beleve that ther voces are never heard. Many seek only to satsfy ther prvate workwants; to satsfy ther prvate nterests. But ths s the great danger Amerca facesthat we wll cease to be one naton and become nstead a collecton of nterest groups: cty aganst suburb, regon aganst regon, ndvdual aganst ndvdual; each seekng to satsfy prvate wants. If that happens, who then wll speak for Amerca? Who then wll speak for the common good?

Ths s the queston whch must be answered n 97: Are we to be one people bound together by common sprt, sharng n a common endeavor; or wll we become a dvded naton? For all of ts uncertanty, we cannot flee the future. We must not become the New Purtans and reject our socety. We must address and master the future together. It can be done f we restore the belef that we share a sense of natonal communty, that we share a common natonal endeavor. It can be done.

There s no executve order; there s no law that can requre the Amercan people to form a natonal communty. Ths we must do as ndvduals, and f we do t as ndvduals, there s no Presdent of the Unted States who can veto that decson.

5 As a first stepAs a first step, we must restore our belef n ourselves. We are a generous people, so why cant we be generous wth each other? We need to take to heart the words spoken by Thomas Jefferson: Let us restore the socal ntercourseLet us restore to socal ntercourse that harmony and that affecton wthout whch lberty and even lfe are but dreary thngs.

A naton s formed by the wllngness of each of us to share n the responsblty for upholdng the common good. A government s nvgorated when each one of us s wllng to partcpate n shapng the future of ths naton. In ths electon year, we must define the common good and begn agan to shape a common future. Let each person do hs or her part. If one ctzen s unwllng to partcpate, all of us are gong to suffer. For the Amercan dea, though t s shared by all of us, s realzed n each one of us.



And now, what are those of us who are elected publc officals supposed to do? We call ourselves publc servants but Ill tell you ths: We as publc servants must set an example for the rest of the naton. It s hypocrtcal for the publc offical to admonsh and exhort the people to uphold the common good f we are derelct n upholdng the common good. More s requredMore s requred of publc officals than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More s requred. We must hold ourselves strctly accountable. We must provde the people wth a vson of the future.

If we promse as publc officals, we must delver. IfIf we as publc officals propose, we must produce. If we say to the Amercan people, It s tme for you to be sacrficalsacrfice. If the publc offical says that, we [publc officals] must be the first to gve. We must be. And agan, f we make mstakes, we must be wllng to admt them. We have to do that. What we have to do s strke a balance between the dea that government should do everythng and the dea, the belef, that government ought to do nothng. Strke a balance.

Let there be no llusons about the dfficulty of formng ths knd of a natonal communty. Its tough, dfficult, not easy. But a sprt of harmony wll survve n Amerca only f each of us remembers that we share a common destny; f each of us remembers, when self-nterest and btterness seem to preval, that we share a common destny.

0 I have confidence that we can form ths knd of natonal communty.

Who Will Speak for the Common Good? Near the begnnng of her speech, Representatve Barbara Jordan stated, There s somethng specal about tonght. What s dfferent? What s specal? I, Barbara Jordan, am a keynote speaker.

Wth those words began the first keynote address by any woman, let alone an Afrcan Amercan woman, at a poltcal partys natonal conventon, where presdental canddates are selected.

It was not always clear that ths would be Jordans destny. Born n 9 n Houston, Texas, Jordan ntally planned to become a pharmacst. Then, one day at hgh school, her aspratons changed. It was career day, and one of the speakers was an Afrcan Amercan female lawyer. Jordan was mesmerzed by the lawyers speech, and she went home that evenng wth a new career goal: to get a law degree. Wth hard work, she dd just that, graduatng from Boston Unversty Law School n 959.

Jordan began her law practce workng out of her parents dnng room. As word of her reputaton as an excellent lawyer spread, she was able to afford an office downtown.

In 90, Jordan became actvely nvolved n poltcs, volunteerng for a presdental campagn. She decded to run for office n the Texas House of Delegates n 92. She lost. She ran agan n 9. She lost agan. Ever determned, she ran for office n the Texas State Senate n 9 and won. She was the first Afrcan Amercan woman to be elected to the Texas Senate, and she served untl 972.

In 972, Jordan was elected as a representatve to the U.S. Congress. She was the first Afrcan Amercan female to represent the southern states n the House of Representatves.

(sdebar contnued on next page) hypocritical: clamng to have feelngs or vrtues one does not have

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(sdebar, contnued) In 97, she and John Glenn, a senator from Oho and the first Amercan to orbt the Earth, were asked to be the keynote speakers at ther poltcal partys natonal conventon.

After her openng, Jordan, clearly mndful of the sgnficance of her speech, went on to say that her speech would not focus on prasng her partys accomplshments, nor would t attack her opponents. She also sad that she would not focus on descrbng the problems of Amercans, even though she was well aware of those problems. Instead, Jordan took a dfferent tack n her speech, whch s clearly revealed by the ttle of the speech: Who, then, wll speak for the common good?

Jordan delvered her speech durng a perod n U.S. hstory when the country was stll feelng the pans of ts nvolvement n the Vetnam War. Although the 97 Pars Peace Accord had ended U.S. mltary partcpaton n the war, Amercans contnued to be dvded about the U.S.s role n the war. Amercans were also dvded about many other ssues, ncludng the resgnaton of Presdent Rchard Nxon n 97 (when he was under the threat of mpeachment), the Womens Movement, advances n cvl rghts, envronmental actvsm, and ncreased mmgraton from developng countres. The 970s were also a tme of ol shortages, job loss, and rsng crme rates. Amercans were confused and frustrated, and many felt the country had lost ts sense of drecton.

So, although Jordan dd not address these problems drectly, they were clearly n her mnd when she delvered her speech. The speech was very well receved, and many hstorans now consder t one of the best conventon keynote speeches n modern hstory.

1976 National Convention Keynote Address by Barbara Charline Jordan. Work is in the public domain. Barbara Charline Jordan Library of Congress. Who Will Speak for the Common Good? 2009 WestEd.



7 Whch technque does Jordan use n paragraph 2 of the passage?A testmonalB bandwagonC snob appealD appeal to emoton

8 Barbara Jordans argument n paragraph of the passage s based on whch belef?A Amercan socety s not beyond repar.B The Purtans could be consdered

cowards.C Amercans are destned to feel

uncertanty.D The Purtans should not have rejected

ther socety.

9 In paragraph of the passage, why does Jordan use the short sentences We must be and Strke a balance?

A to gve nstructons to her audenceB to emphasze her message through

repettonC to clarfy her deas for her audenceD to provde deas counter to her man

argument

10 Whch s the main way Jordan creates a personal tone?A by gvng examples of hypocrsesB by usng a quote from a well-known

hstorcal figureC by makng broad use of first-person

plural pronounsD by drectng a porton of what she says

to publc officals

11 In the context of the organzatonal structure of the sdebar, what s the purpose of ts thrd paragraph?

A to transton to a dscusson of Jordans hstory

B to change the focus to women who practce law

C to demonstrate another aspect of Jordans character

D to provde an example to support the rest of the text

12 Based on the passage and the sdebar, how was the content of the address nfluenced by the poltcal clmate?

A The address expressed a desre to overcome dscord n socety.

B The address acknowledged the common sense of the Amercan people.

C The address suggested that the Amercan government could energze tself.

D The address questoned whether anyone was wllng to speak for the common good.

Answer the following questions about the passage An Excerpt from Barbara Charline Jordans 1976 National Convention Keynote Address.



Inthispassage,teenageMatthewBriggsexperiencesafrighteningthunderstormatthebaseoftheGrandCanyon.Readthepassage.Thenanswerquestions13through19.

An Excerpt from The View from the Canyonby Juanta Havll

Intheearly1900stheSantaFeRailwaysentartiststotheSouthwesttopaintpicturesofthesceneryandthepeopleswholivedthere.ThepaintingswereusedasadvertisementstoenticepeopletotravelbytraintothevastandbeautifulregionsofthewesternUnitedStates.

Fourteen-year-oldMatthewBriggsaccompaniedhisfatherArthurBriggs,alandscapepainterfromChicago,onanexpeditiontotheGrandCanyonin1906.Sincearrivingatthecanyonrim,Matthewhasheardcoyotesyippinginthedistance,visitedIndianruins,metaphotographernamedHenry,gottensunburnedwhilephotographingmuledeer,andinthefollowingsceneisnowwithhisfatherandHenryatthebaseofthecanyonwheretheColoradoRiverflows.

The rver water felt wonderfully cold, ts cness a relef to Matthews sweat-soaked body. He had not expected the ntense heat on the canyon floor nor the glacal cold of the rver, a refreshng chll whch he welcomed now. As he waded near the rverbank, he looked up at the rugged slopes and caught sght of somethng movng through the brush. He recognzed the anmal and wanted to announce a coyote-sghtng to Father and Henry, who were packng the mules nearby, but he feared that speakng or turnng away for a moment would cause hm to lose sght of the swft-movng creature. In a moment the coyote vanshed, affordng hm lttle tme to take a mental pcture of the long thn legs and camouflaged coat that blended nto the landscape.

Dd you see that coyote? Matthew ponted toward the slope. Have you ever photographed a coyote, Henry?

5 I cant say as Ive ever met a coyote that would st stll for hs portrat, sad the cowboy photographer.

If you study them and sketch them long enough, youll be able to pant them, Father sad.

Consderng the stealthy creature n queston, Matthew thought hs fathers suggeston an mpossble one.

When they were packed, they set off on ther return journey, content to let the mules plod slowly up the wndng tral. They stopped to rest at a rare, shady spot, one that afforded a flat rock juttng from the canyon wall on whch they could st. Father mmedately pulled out hs sketch pad and pencl and began to draw whle Henry lay back and studed the sky wth nervous nterest. Matthew unpacked Henrys camera and sat watng for wldlfe to come nto vew. He had seen a lzard dve nto a crevce when they rode up, and he was confident that the lzard would emerge agan. Fnally, Father turned hs attenton to sketchng the clouds above.

Henrys words broke the slence: We would be wse to reach the rm before late afternoon.

0 Wthn mnutes gentle globs of ran began to plop onto the dust. Soon bgger drops fell, pckng up speed and ntensty. At first, Matthew found the randrops refreshng, and the pungent smell fillng the ar remnded hm of the turpentne that Father used to clean hs brushes, but f he remaned n the open any longer, he would soon be soaked.

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Matthew replaced the camera n the case and ran underneath the rock ledge. Father and Henry wasted no tme n jonng Matthew n the shallow cave. Ran rushed around ther protectve rock and streamed nto ther shelter, soakng ther boots. Wth no lull n the ntensty, the ran contnued to pour, and as Matthew watched sheets of water pound the dust to mud, he wondered f t would ever stop.

The streamng water carved deep ruts n the drt and gushed over the rocks n a waterfall that separated the men from the pack mules. Matthew watched the menacng waterfall wden and worred that the tethered pack mules would panc and break away from the pne trees to whch they were tethered.

Shouldnt we get the mules? he shouted.

We should have, Henry sad. If we try now, ts so slppery we could end up a thousand feet below.

5 The temperature dropped precptously, and Matthew wshed that he could retreve hs coat from one of the mule packs. Flashes of lghtnng stabbed at the landscape, and powerful thunderclaps set the mules to brayng. One mule tugged hystercally at ts rope, and when the branch t was ted to snapped, the mule slpped and fell on ts sde. The force of the rushng water swept t downward wth the supply pack strapped to ts back.

Matthew watched helplessly as the mule came to a stop aganst a stand of pne trees. The mule finally reganed ts footng and trotted out of sght, but ts pack had fallen and no doubt been swept downward by the torrents of ran. Matthew remembered that the lost supply pack had contaned Fathers pants, what food that remaned, and hs own treasures of rocks and fossls, brd feathers, and a snake skn.

Would the mule find ts way back? Matthew wondered. Would the ran ever stop and enable them to escape to the dry shelter of ther lodgngs?

Henry and Father ran for the other three mules and tred to coax them back to the overhangng rock. Matthew joned them and grabbed the rens of one mule so that he could rub ts nose and try to calm t whle an ocean of water drenched down for another hour. It was so slppery when the ran stopped that they were oblged to lead the mules nstead of mountng them and rskng a dangerous plunge down the muddy ravnes.

Soon t was dark, and wth no lantern they contnued to make ther way upward. Even wth a lantern they could not have detected the trals snce all had been washed out. Cold, hungry, wet, and tred, Matthew was haunted by the mage of the mule knocked off ts feet by the force of the water. If he had been sttng out there on the rock where he had been earler, he would have been washed away lke a fly.

20 Fnally, they returned to the lodge and collapsed n exhauston to sleep away the trauma. The next mornng Henry told them that people drown n slp canyons when sudden storms flood them.

Slp canyons are so narrow that they fill up rapdly and leave no way to escape, Henry explaned from the safety of ther breakfast table.



From now on, sad Father, you can be sure I wll heed clouds as well as sketch them.

Matthew apprecated that Henry had not mentoned death by drownng yesterday n the mdst of the perlous storm. He agreed wth Father about the clouds and would never look at them n the same way.

The poor pack mule arrved later n the mornng, scratched and brused, but Henry thought t would recover. The supples had been carred away. Pant brushes, tubes of pant, and a snake skn lay some place below.

25 Father sad that what s mportant s that they escaped harm, and predcted that one day a landscape panter on a canyon tral may have a sudden need for cobalt blue, and, lo and behold, there t wll be, n a clump of rabbt brush.

The panter n need mght even be me, he sad.

The View from the Canyon by Juanita Havill. 2009 WestEd.

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13 The author uses word choce to create a shft n mood n whch paragraphs?A 5 and B and 9C 5 and D 20 and 2

14 Whch lne from the passage most clearly foreshadows the man conflct?A The rver water felt wonderfully cold,

ts cness a relef to Matthews sweat-soaked body.

B When they were packed, they set off on ther return journey, content to let the mules plod slowly up the wndng tral.

C Father mmedately pulled out hs sketch pad and pencl and began to draw whle Henry lay back and studed the sky wth nervous nterest.

D One mule tugged hystercally at ts rope, and when the branch t was ted to snapped, the mule slpped and fell on ts sde.

15 Whch of the followng s ronc n the passage?A Three travelers have pack mules wth

them but are forced to walk to ensure ther own safety.

B A panter loses hs pants n a freak accdent but beleves they may be of use to someone else.

C A sudden ranstorm transforms a dusty canyon nto a ragng waterfall that puts people n danger.

D Two men whose careers rely on careful observaton mss the warnng sgns of a dangerous storm.

16 Ths passage s told from a thrd person lmted pont of vew. Whch s the best evdence that the narrator s aware only of Matthews thoughts and feelngs?

A Dalogue between Matthew and other characters s mnmal.

B The reader knows that Matthew has unpacked Henrys camera.

C Matthews father s referred to as Father rather than by hs first name.

D The reader knows that Matthew consders the waterfall to be menacng.

Answer the following questions about the passage An Excerpt from The View from the Canyon.

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17 Whch human experence s the author mainly relayng n the passage?A Natures dfferent qualtes mmc the

dversty of emotons humans feel.B Because of natures varous

temperaments, t s dfficult for humans to capture t n art.

C Nature s far more powerful than humanty and must be regarded wth both apprecaton and cauton.

D When the goal of humanty s to defeat nature, humans must serously consder the consequences.

18 Is the authors choce to lmt the dalogue among the characters durng the storm effectve?

A No, because t does not allow the reader necessary nsght nto what Henry and Father are thnkng.

B Yes, because t reveals to the reader the breathtakng and terrfyng beauty of the storm.

C No, because the reader s not gven a clear enough pcture of what s happenng wth the mules, the ran, and the characters.

D Yes, because t gves the reader a greater feel for the confuson, desperaton, and sense of solaton the storm caused for the characters.

19 Whch dea common to Amercan culture and lterature s most strongly expressed n ths passage?

A new frontersB comng of ageC the self-made heroD the mportance of communty



Weallknowthatbucklingourseatbeltscankeepussaferincars,buthaveseatbeltsalsocausedpeopletotakegreaterrisks?Thispassagediscussesaninterestingconceptscientistshavedubbedriskcompensation.Readthepassage.Thenanswerquestions20through25.

Buckle Up. And Behaveby Wllam Ecenbarger

In the mddle of the last century, Volvo began seekng mprovements to seat belts to protect drvers and passengers n ts vehcles. When the Swedsh automaker tred a sngle strap over the belly, the result was abdomnal njures n hgh-speed crashes. The engneers also expermented wth a dagonal chest restrant. It decaptated crash-test dummes.

Volvo then turned to a -year-old mechancal engneer named Nls Bohln, who had developed plot ejector seats for the Saab arcraft company. Bohln knew t would not be easy to transfer aerospace technology to the automoble. The plots I worked wth n the aerospace ndustry were wllng to put on almost anythng to keep them safe n case of a crash, he told an ntervewer shortly before he ded, n 2002, but regular people n cars dont want to be uncomfortable even for a mnute.

After a years research and expermentaton, Bohln had a breakthrough: one strap across the chest, another across the hps, each anchored at the same pont. It was so smple that a drver or passenger could buckle up wth one hand. Volvo ntroduced the resultpossbly the most effectve safety devce ever nvented50 years ago; other automakers followed sut. No one can tally exactly how many lves Bohlns three-pont seat belt has spared, but the consensus among safety experts s at least a mllon. Mllons more have been spared lfe-alterng njures.

But before we break out the champagne substtute to honor the three-pont seat belts dem-centennal, we mght also consder the possblty that some drvers have caused accdents precsely because they were wearng seat belts.

5 Ths counterntutve dea was ntroduced n academc crcles several years ago and s broadly accepted today. The concept s that humans have an nborn tolerance for rskmeanng that as safety features are added to vehcles and roads, drvers feel less vulnerable and tend to take more chances. The feelng of greater securty tempts us to be more reckless. Behavoral scentsts call t rsk compensaton.

The prncple was observed long before t was named. Soon after the first gasolne-powered horseless carrages appeared on Englsh roadways, the secretary of the natonal Motor Unon of Great Brtan and Ireland suggested that all those who owned property along the kngdoms roadways trm ther hedges to make t easer for drvers to see. In response, a retred army colonel named Wlloughby Verner fired off a letter to the edtor of the Times of London, whch prnted t on July , 90.

Before any of your readers may be nduced to cut ther hedges as suggested by the secretary of the Motor Unon they may lke to know my experence of havng done so, Verner wrote. Four years ago I cut down the hedges and shrubs to a heght of ft for 0 yards back from the dangerous crossng n ths hamlet. The results were twofold: the followng summer my garden was smothered wth dust caused by fast-drven cars, and the average pace of the passng cars was consderably ncreased. Ths was bad enough, but when the culprts secured by the polce pleaded that t was perfectly safe to go fast because they could see well at the corner, I realzed that I had made a mstake. He added that he had snce let hs hedges and shrubs grow back.

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Despte the colonels prescence, rsk compensaton went largely unstuded untl 975, when Sam Peltzman, a Unversty of Chcago economst, publshed an analyss of federal auto-safety standards mposed n the late 90s. Peltzman concluded that whle the standards had saved the lves of some vehcle occupants, they had also led to the deaths of pedestrans, cyclsts and other non-occupants. John Adams of Unversty College London studed the mpact of seat belts and reached a smlar concluson, whch he publshed n 9: there was no overall decrease n hghway fataltes.

There has been a lvely debate over rsk compensaton ever snce, but today the ssue s not whether t exsts, but the degree to whch t does. The phenomenon has been observed well beyond the hghwayn the workplace, on the playng field, at home, n the ar. Researchers have found that mproved parachute rp-cords dd not reduce the number of sky dvng accdents; overconfident skydvers ht the slk too late. The number of floodng deaths n the Unted States has hardly changed n 00 years despte the constructon of stronger levees n flood plans; people moved onto the flood plans, n part because of subsdzed flood nsurance and federal dsaster relef. Studes suggest that workers who wear back-support belts try to lft heaver loads and that chldren who wear protectve sports equpment engage n rougher play. Forest rangers say wlderness hkers take greater rsks f they know that a traned rescue squad s on call.

0 All of captalsm runs on rsk, of course, and t may be n ths arena that rsk compensaton has manfested tself most calamtously of late. Wllam D. Cohan, author of HouseofCards, a book about the fall of Bear Stearns, speaks for many when he observes that Wall Street bankers took the rsks they dd because they got pad mllons to do so and because they knew there would be few negatve consequences for them personally f thngs faled to work out. In other words, the benefit of ther rsk-takng was all thers and the consequences of ther rsk-takng would fall on the banks shareholders. (Meanwhle nvestors, as James Suroweck noted n a recent NewYorker column, tend to underestmate ther chances of losng ther shrts.) Late last year, 200 economstsncludng Sam Peltzman, who s now professor emertus at Chcagopettoned Congress not to pass ts $700 bllon plan to rescue the natons overextended bankng system n order to preserve some balance between rsk, reward and responsblty. Around the same tme, columnst George Wll pushed the leaders of the Bg Three automakers nto the same rsk pool.

Suppose that n 979 the government had not engneered the first balout of Chrysler, Wll wrote. Mght there have been a more sober approach to rsk throughout corporate Amerca?

Now researchers are postng a rsk compensaton corollary: humans dont merely tolerate rsk, they seek t; each of us has an nnate tolerance level of rsk, and n any gven stuaton we wll act to reduceor ncreasethe perceved rsk, dependng on that level.

Buckle Up. And Behave by William Ecenbarger. Copyright 2009 William Ecenbarger. Article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of Smithsonian magazine.



20 What s the main dea of paragraphs and 2?A The comfort of seat belts s an

mportant consderaton.B The development of safer seat belts

faced serous challenges.C Early research on dfferent seat belts

led to njures to the drvers.D Seat belts for drvers need to be

dfferent from seat belts for plots.

21 Whch words from Wlloughby Verners letter most clearly show that t s ntended to be persuasve?

A hedges and secretaryB results and twofoldC smothered and culprtsD experence and realzed

22 How does the author create the tone of paragraph ?A He uses sophstcated sentence

structure and vocabulary to create an academc tone.

B He uses passonate statements wth strong supportng evdence to create an outspoken tone.

C He uses vocabulary unque to the auto and safety ndustres to create a techncal tone.

D He uses casual sentences and refers to people by last name only to create an nformal tone.

23 Read the sentence from paragraph 9.The phenomenon has been observed well beyond the highwayin the workplace, on the playing field, at home, in the air.

Whch s the most lkely reason the author structures the last part of the sentence wth a seres of short prepostonal phrases?

A to use parallelsm that hnts at other common attrbutes of the examples

B to gve quck, clear examples that hghlght how wdespread the problem s

C to nsert a lst of as much detaled nformaton as possble to strengthen hs clam

D to provde subtle, ponted evdence that emphaszes the underlyng humor of the problem

Answer the following questions about the passage Buckle Up. And Behave.

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24 Whch assumpton les behnd Sam Peltzmans recommendaton to Congress to let the banks fal?

A The benefits of takng rsks often outwegh the problems.

B Rsky behavor occurs regardless of any attempt to stop t.

C The responsblty for a greater good rests wth each ndvdual.

D Negatve consequences cause people to change ther behavor.

25 Whch s the most accurate analyss of the organzatonal structure of the passage?A The author uses chronology to descrbe

the development of features desgned to keep people safe.

B The author uses subtopcs to ntroduce and support wth evdence a dfferent way to thnk about the topc of safety.

C The author uses a compare and contrast structure to dscuss two dfferent ways people have thought about safety over tme.

D The author uses the order of mportance structure to prortze the reasons that features desgned to keep people safe are mportant.



ThispassagebeginsafterLinkFerris,amanknowntobeanunfriendlylonerinhisvillage,findsandrestorestohealthaninjuredyoungcollie.Readthepassage.Thenanswerquestions26through31.

An Excerpt from His Dogby Albert Payson Terhune

There was a mysterously comfortng companonshp n the dogs presence. Lnk found hmself talkng to hm from tme to tme as to a fellow human. And the words dd not echo back n eere hollowness from the walls, as when he had sometmes sought to ease hs desolaton by talkng aloud to hmself.

He was embarrassed by hs general gnorance of dogs, and by hs gnorance of ths partcular dogs name. He sought to learn what the colle had been called, by tryng one famlar dog name after another. But, to such stand-by cognomens as Rover, Tge, Fdo, Ponto, Shep, and the rest, the patent gave no further sgn of recognton than a frendly waggng of hs plumed tal. And he wagged t no more nterestedly for one name than for another.

So Ferrs ceased from the effort, and decded to gve hs pet a brand-new name for such bref space as they should be housemates. After long delberaton he ht upon the name Chum, as typcal of the odd frendshp that was sprngng to lfe between the dog and hmself. And he planned to devote much tme to teachng the colle ths name.

But, to hs surprse, no such tedous perod of nstructon was necessary. In less than a sngle day Chum knew hs nameknew t past all doubt.

5 Lnk was amazed at such cleverness. For three sold months, at one tme, he had strven to teach hs horse and hs cows and a few of hs sheep to respond to gven names. And at the end of the course of patent tutelage he had been morbdly certan that not one of hs solemn-eyed pupls had grasped the lessons.

It was surprsngly pleasant to drop n at the ktchen door nowadays, n ntervals between chores or at the days end, and be greeted by that glad glnt of the eye and the ecstatc poundng of the wavy tal aganst the floor. It was stll pleasanter to see the gaze of wstful adoraton that strengthened daly as Chum and hs new master grew better and better acquanted.

Pleasantest of all was t to st and talk to the colle n the once-tedous evenngs, and to know that hs every word was apprecated and lstened to wth eager nterest, even f the full gst of the talk tself dd not penetrate to the lsteners understandng.

Lnk Ferrs, for the first tme n hs lfe, had a dog. Incdentally, for the first tme n hs lfe, he had an ntmate frendsomethng of whose love and loyalty he waxed ncreasngly sure. And he was happy.

Hs brghter sprts manfested themselves n hs farm work, transformng drudgery nto contentment. And the farm began, n small ways, to show the effects of ts owners new atttude toward labor.



0 The day after he found Chum, Lnk had trudged to Hampton, and, there, had affixed to the clapboards of the general store a bt of paper whereon he had scrawled:

FoundOne whte and brown brd dog wth leg broken. Owner can have same by payng a reward.

On hs next huckster trp to Cragswold he pnned a smlar sgn to the bulletn board of that rarefied resorts post-office. And he wated for results.

He dd more. He bought two successve copes of the countys daly paper and scanned t for word of a mssng dog. But n nether copy dd he find what he sought.

True, both edtons carred dsplay advertsements whch offered a seventy-five dollar reward for nformaton leadng to the return of a dark-sable-and-whte colle lost somewhere between Hohokus and Suffern.

5 The first tme he saw ths notce Lnk was vaguely troubled lest t mght refer to Chum. He told hmself he hoped t dd. For seventy-five dollars just now would be a godsend. And n self-dsgust he choked back a most annoyng twnge of gref at thought of partng wth the dog.

Two thngs n the advertsement puzzled hm. In the first place, as Chum was longhared and graceful, Lnk had mentally classfied hm as belongng to the same breed as dd the setters whch accompaned hunters on mountan rambles past hs farm n the autumns. Beng wholly unversed n canne lore, he had, therefore, classfied Chum as a brd dog. The word colle, f ever he had chanced to hear t before, carred no meanng to hm.

Moreover, he dd not know what sable meant. He asked Domne Jansen, whom he met on the way home. And the domne told hm sable was another name for black. Jansen went on to amplfy the theme, dctonary-fashon, by quotng a pece of sacred poetry about the sable wngs of nght.

A great load was off Lnks heart. Chum, most assuredly, was not black and whte. So the advertsement could not possbly refer to hm. The reverend gentleman, not beng a dog fancer, of course had no means of knowng that sable, n colle jargon, means practcally every shade of color except black or gray or whte.

Lnk was ashamed of hs own delght n findng he need not gve up hs peteven for seventy-five dollars. He tred to recall hs fathers nvectves aganst dogs, and to remnd hmself that another mouth to feed on the farm must mean stll sharper poverty and skmpng. But logc could not strangle joy, and lfe took on a new zest for the lonely man.

His Dog by Albert Payson Terhune. Work is in the public domain.

affixed: attached



26 Read the sentences from the passage.The day after he found Chum, Link had trudged to Hampton and, there, had affixed to the clapboards of the general store a bit of paper whereon he had scrawled:

FoundOne white and brown bird dog with leg broken. Owner can have same by paying a reward.

Whch s the best analyss of the authors word choce n the sentences?

A The author uses the word reward to show that Lnk s grateful for hs task.

B The author uses the word trudged to show that Lnk feels hestant about hs task.

C The author uses the word scrawled to show that Lnk s angry about completng hs task.

D The author uses the word affixed to show that Lnk s takng hs task very serously.

27 Whch best explans what paragraphs 9 and 9 have n common wth regard to use of language?

A The author uses repetton to emphasze the man deas of the paragraphs.

B The author nserts figuratve language that suggests a profound nternal conflct.

C The author uses precse and vvd word choce to convey the transformaton that has occurred.

D The author sgnals a sudden change by ncludng words wth sad and forebodng connotatons.

28 In whch paragraph does the flashback begn?A paragraph 5B paragraph C paragraph 0D paragraph

Answer the following questions about the passage An Excerpt from His Dog.



29 Whch nstance of characterzaton serves best to make the reader sympathetc toward Lnk?

A On hs next huckster trp to Cragswold he pnned a smlar sgn to the bulletn board of that rarefied resorts post-office.

B He bought two successve copes of the countys daly paper and scanned t for word of a mssng dog.

C The first tme he saw ths notce Lnk was vaguely troubled lest t mght refer to Chum.

D And n self-dsgust he choked back a most annoyng twnge of gref at thought of partng wth the dog.

30 The author uses dramatc rony to convey to the reader thatA Chum s probably the mssng dog

descrbed n the advertsements.B Lnk s showng that hs atttude has

changed by workng on the farm.C Lnk s dong exactly what hs father

warned hm not to do by keepng Chum.D Domne Jansen does not need to gve

quotes to explan the meanng of words.

31 Based on the passage, whch s the most lkely way Lnk wll apply what he has learned from Chum to the rest of hs lfe?

A He wll work to overcome hs need to be dependent on other people.

B He wll put more effort nto communcatng wth the other anmals on hs farm.

C He wll allow hmself to feel more freely the pleasures of companonshp and of lvng.

D He wll attempt to learn more to ncrease hs knowledge and decrease hs embarrassment.

You may want to go back and check your answers or answer questonsyou dd not complete.


Copyrght 2009 by the Nevada Department of Educaton



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Appendix I

ScoringSupportMaterials

READING


Correct Answers for Multiple-choice Items

Item Correct Content Item Correct ContentNumber Answer Cluster DOK Number Answer Cluster DOK

1 D C3 2 21 C C4 2

2 C C3 3 22 A C4 2

3 D C3 3 23 B C4 2

4 A C3 2 24 D C4 3

5 A C3 2 25 B C4 2

6 B C3 3 26 B C3 2

7 D C4 2 27 C C3 2

8 A C4 3 28 C C3 2

9 B C4 2 29 D C3 3

10 C C4 2 30 A C3 2

11 A C4 2 31 C C3 3

12 A C4 2

13 B C3 2

14 C C3 2

15 D C3 2

16 C C3 2

17 C C3 2

18 D C3 3

19 A C3 2

20 B C4 2

Detailed objectives for Content Standards and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) descriptions can be found on the Nevada Department of Education Website.



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Appendix II

AdministrativeSupportMaterials

READING


A DCB

A DCB

11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

READiNG

ANSWER DOCUmENT

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

21.22.23.24.25.26.27.28.29.30.

A DCB31.

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.

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CRT Instructional Materials


GRADE

H

Keith W. RheaultSuperintendent of Public Instruction

Office of Assessment, Program Accountability, and Curriculum 775-687-9188

hs reading nevada hspe instructional materials

Documents

skills students

vocabulary knowledge

types of reading passages

assessment items

state assessment

reading analysis skills

content vocabulary

student performance