The GED Language Arts,

Reading Test

Passing the GED Language Arts, Reading Test

Jean Dean
ABE/GED Teacher

Mentor Teacher

California Distance Learning Project

www.cdlponline.org

GED
Video Partner
#11

Passing the GED Reading Test

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the
silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

TEST OVERVIEW:
Time: 65 minutes
The test consists of fiction and nonfiction readings.
Fiction excerpts include readings from novels, short stories, folk tales, poetry, and
plays.
Nonfiction excerpts include readings from reviews, essays, articles, speeches,
biographies, business documents, and articles about the visual arts.
The test consists of 40 multiple-choice questions.
30 of the questions come from fiction readings.
10 of the questions come from nonfiction readings.
There are seven passages.
Three of the passages are from prose fiction (novels, short stories, and folk tales).
Poetry and plays have one passage each.
Nonfiction has two passages.
There are three literary time periods. One passage comes from each of these periods:
Before 1920
1920-1960
After 1960
The following reading skills are tested:
Comprehensionidentifying the main idea, the purpose of a selection, supporting
details, and using context clues to discover the meaning of unknown words
2

Applicationapplying ideas to a new context

Analysisrecognizing the way material is organized, including identifying

inferences, figurative language, and knowing an authors style or tone

Synthesiscombining understanding of passage with extra information you bring

to the passage, looking at an authors style, tone, point of view, and purpose

The number of questions you answer in each reading skill area is as follows:
Comprehension
8 questions
Application
6 questions
Analysis
12-14 questions
Synthesis
12-14 questions
All readings have a purpose question at the beginning of the reading. Read this
question to acquaint yourself with the topic. You do not have to answer this question.
Rather, use it as a guide to focus on as you read the excerpt.
SCORING
All your correct answers are counted. You are not penalized for wrong answers.
Therefore, do not leave any blanks. Eliminate the obviously wrong choices, and give
an educated try to determine the correct answer.
The scoring center converts your raw score (total number of right answers) to a threedigit standard score. In California you must have a standard score of 410 or higher to
pass the reading test.

Video 11 Focus: what the test is and how to prepare for it

You Will Learn From Video 11:

How to answer comprehension, application, analysis and
synthesis questions.
How to analyze fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama
readings.
To read the purpose question in order to orient yourself to the
reading.
How to apply test-taking tips to build confidence in taking the
test.
Points to Remember:

You read everyday

and use critical skills
already.

The more prepared

you are, the more
confident you will
be, so read, read,
read!

Pleasure reading,
like the newspapers,
magazines, and your
mail, all give you
opportunities to
develop skills.

Some of the lines of

the passages are
numbered. If a
question refers to a
particular line, make
sure you go to that
line and read the
excerpt.

Words You Need to Know:

While viewing the video, put the following vocabulary words in

the blanks: purpose question, passages, comprehension,
drama, and application. Answers are on page 19.
1. There are seven _____________or readings on the test.
2. The passages are taken from fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and
_____________.
3. The basic reading skill is _______________ or understanding
what you read.
4. _____________ type questions require you to transfer ideas to
a new format.
5. Always remember to read the ____________________at the
top of the passage.

Reading is a skill that you possess. By watching the videos and by doing the exercises in the
accompanying GED Video Partner Workbooks, you will become that much more proficient in
your reading skills. Becoming a skillful reader sets the pattern for learning lifelong.
The readings you view are selected from writings in nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama.
Some readings are from modern day communications, and some are from times long ago or
classical readings. There are questions of varying complexity asked about each of the readings.
THE PURPOSE QUESTION: WHAT IT IS, WHERE IT IS FOUND, AND WHY YOU
SHOULD ALWAYS READ IT
At the beginning of every reading is a question. The purpose of the question is to give a reason
for reading the material. Use this question to focus your reading. You are not required to
answer this question. It is given only to help you concentrate on the ideas presented in the
excerpt. Here is a typical purpose question:
HOW DID DEATH VALLEY GET ITS NAME?
Now as you read the following
question.

paragraph, focus on the above

In Death Valley in the United States is the

lowest and hottest spot in the country. This
valley, located in California near the Nevada
border, is 282 feet below sea level. It is not
uncommon for temperatures to reach 125 degrees. A record of 134 degrees for the nation was
recorded in 1931. Its grim name was given by a group of gold seekers in 1849.
Lets explore the four thinking skills necessary to do well on the GED Reading Test.
COMPREHENSION: 8 questions out of 40
This skill is the primary one. When an author directly states a fact, an idea, or details about
something, a question about this idea is called a comprehension question. In this workbook you
will learn how to analyze comprehension questions by learning to do the following skills:

Identify the main idea of a paragraph

State the purpose of a passage

List the supporting details

Use context clues to discover the meaning of unknown words

Identifying the stated main idea of a paragraph: What the selection is about is the main idea.
Many times the author puts the main idea in the first sentence of the paragraph as a topic
sentence. Sometimes the central message is in the last sentence of the paragraph. The main idea
of a paragraph, no matter where it is placed, will always tell what the whole paragraph is about.
To find the main idea, make sure you read the whole paragraph.

Stating the purpose of a passage: Sometimes the author has the purpose of providing
information to the reader. All writing should have a purpose. Manuals, schedules, recipes, and
advertisements are informative forms of writing. Some writing is written to influence the reader.
Ask yourself: Why was this written? How will it affect me?
Listing the supporting details: Authors support their main ideas by including examples, facts,
figures, and explanations. The supporting details give the reader a more complete picture. To
find the details, the reader scans, or rereads quickly, but carefully, the portion for the specific
information he/she is looking for.
Practice some of these skills in answering the following questions. Notice the purpose question
centered above the reading. Focus on this question as you read the passage.

WHAT WERE THE CONDITIONS OF OLIVER TWISTS BIRTH?

Although I am not disposed to maintain that being born in a workhouse, is in itself the most
fortunate and enviable circumstance that can possibly befall a human being, I do mean to say that
in this particular instance, it was the best thing for Oliver Twist that could by possibility have
occurred. The fact is that there was considerable difficulty in inducing Oliver to take upon
himself the office of respiration, --a troublesome practice, but one which custom has rendered
necessary to our easy existence; and for some time he lay gasping on a little flock mattress,
rather unequally poised between this world and the next: the balance being decidedly in favour
of the latter. Now, if, during this brief period, Oliver had been surrounded by careful
grandmothers, anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profound wisdom, he would
most inevitably and indubitably have been killed in no time. There being nobody by, however,
but a pauper old woman, who was rendered rather misty by an unwonted allowance of beer; and
by contract; Oliver and Nature fought out
a parish surgeon who did such matters
the point between them. The result was,
that after a few struggles, Oliver breathed,
sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to
the inmates of the workhouse the fact
of a new burden having been imposed
upon the parish, by setting up as loud a
cry as could reasonably have been
expected from a male infant who had
not been possessed of that very useful
appendage, a voice, for a much longer
space of time than three minutes and a
quarter.
Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist

Circle the correct answer. Answers are on page 19.

1. In order to live as a human being, a new baby must first

A. open his eyes.
B. wiggle his toes and fingers.
C. breathe.
D. cry.
2. Who were in attendance at Oliver Twists birth?
A. grandmothers
B. doctors
C. nurses
D. a slightly drunk woman and a parish surgeon
3. Oliver cried in a loud voice, how long after his first breath?
A. 3 minutes
B. 3 seconds
C. over 3.25 minutes
D. 5 minutes
4. Olivers birth was greeted as a
A. wonderful event.
B. burden to society.
C. mixed blessing.
D. celebrated occasion.
5. Charles Dickens wrote in a sarcastic, negative tone. What is the purpose of using such
dismal descriptions?
A. to scare those who read his work
B. to worry mothers who were expecting children and feared childbirth
C. to show the misery experienced by certain segments of society at this time
D. to express his distorted views of mankind
Using context clues to discover the meaning of unknown words: Unknown words can be
unlocked by using the other words in the sentences or paragraphs to help identify the meaning of
the word. The context, or surrounding phrases, will sometimes give direct clues to figuring out
the meaning when you cant use a dictionary. And, of course, you cant use a dictionary on the
GED test. Answers are on page 19.

Use context clues to find the meaning of the word, poachers, constant and extrovert. Write the
answer in the blank.
1. The crocodile is now faced with extinction from one enemy it cannot handle, the
poachers, men who are hunting the crocodile out of existence.
Poachers means _________________________________________________________
2. Not all caves are cold. Some are amazingly warm. Strangely enough, the temperature in
a cave, whatever it may be, scarcely varies one degree all year. No spot on the earths
surface has such a constant temperature.
Constant means __________________________________________________________
3. Dorothy was an extrovert, while Walter was just the opposite and would much rather be
by himself.
Extrovert means __________________________________________________________

APPLICATION: 6 questions out of 40

The skill of application requires you to use not only comprehension-type reasoning, but to take
these skills a step further. You must not only be able to find the main idea and supporting
details, but now you must apply these abilities to a totally new and different situation. You must
transfer what you have learned to a completely new context or setting. The question will alert
you to the new situation, so read the question carefully.
Read the passage below to practice this skill. Again, notice the purpose question at the beginning
of the reading. Make sure to focus on it as you read the passage.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE HIGH WAGES PAID SERVANTS?

Women servants are now so scarce, that from thirty and forty shillings a year, their wages are
increased of late to six, seven, nay, eight pounds per annum, and upwards insomuch that an
ordinary tradesman cannot well keep one; but his wife, who might be useful in his shop or
business, must do the drudgery of household affairs; and all this because our servant-wenches are
so puffed up with pride nowadays, that they never think they go fine enough: it is a hard matter
to know the mistress from the maid by their dress; nay, very often the maid shall be much the
finer of the two. Our woolen manufacture suffers much by this, for nothing but silks and satins
will go down with our kitchen-wenches to support which intolerable pride, they have insensibly
raised their wages to such a height as was never known in any age or nation but this.
Daniel DeFoe, Everybodys Business Is Nobodys Business: Or, Private Abuses, Public Grievances: Exemplified in the Pride,
Insolence, and Exorbitant Wages of Our Women, Servants, Footmen, Etc

Circle the correct answer. Answers are on page 19.

1. What is the purpose of this writing?
A. to inform the public about the drudgery of housework
B. to notify the manufacturers to make more silks and satins
C. to praise the servants for dressing so well
D. to complain of the high wages of servants in hopes of reducing the wages
2. A female servant now sees herself as
A. plain Patricia.
B. fancy Fran.
C. a hard working Hanna.
D. an unemployed Ursula.
3. If a servant was to select the vegetable for the dinner paid for by her escort, she would
not choose
A. potatoes.
B. endive.
C. truffles.
D. asparagus.

ANALYSIS: 12-14 questions out of 40

Analysis-type questions require the reader to utilize a variety of skills. The reader dissects the
whole passage to see the authors component parts. The parts put together express the authors
message. You must learn to:
Make inferences
Interpret figurative language
Identify the sequence of events
Recognize cause and effect
Understand comparison and contrast
Making inferences: By noticing details and putting them together, the reader can infer what is
the authors intention. The writer hints, but does not always state certain facts directly. An
educated guess by the reader or reading between the lines is called making an inference.
Read the following paragraph and practice your inference skills.
9

As Emily looked out the window, she could see the leaves floating off the trees: red, yellow,
orange and brown. They glided through the air and landed all over the grass and pavement.
She pulled her warm sweater around her and settled back to enjoy natures show.

Circle the correct answer. Answers are on page 19.

1. From the information in this paragraph, you can infer that the season is
A. winter.
B. spring.
C. summer.
D. fall.
2. You can also infer from the paragraph that Emily is:
A. annoyed that she will have to rake the leaves.
B. pleased to welcome the new season.
C. sad that summer is over.
D. puzzled since she hadnt been aware of the time.

Interpreting figurative language: Words can be taken literally when writers say exactly what
they mean, or they can be taken figuratively. A figurative expression does not mean exactly
what it says. It expresses the message with words selected for effect, not literal truth.
In the conversation that follows, the speakers, discussing the plight of their friend, Betty, use
figurative language to express their feelings.
ROB:
I cant believe that Joe. Hes not worth a hill of beans. Look what he
has done to Betty. Shes bawling her eyes out.
CLAY :

ROB:

Yes, I was furious

no explanation or
held my tongue
last time I
Well, Joes really

Betty if she never

with Joe. He stood Betty up again, with

apology! I was furious with him, but I
since he is already angry with me for the
corrected him.

in the doghouse this time. I dont blame

gives him the time of day again!
10

Now read the same conversation, but with literal language.

ROB:
CLAY:

ROB:

I cant believe that Joe. Hes a worthless person, not worthy of respect.
Look what he has done to Betty. She is crying excessively.
Yes, I was furious with Joe. He did not keep his date with Betty, with no
explanation or apology! I was furious with him, but I didnt yell at him
since he is already angry with me for the last time I corrected him.
Well, Joes really in trouble now. I dont blame Betty if she never speaks
to him again..

Do you notice that the figurative statements are more expressive?

Write L in front of each statement that is used literally. Write F in front of each statement that is
meant figuratively. Answers are on page 20.
______1. After winning the lottery, Evelyn will be on Easy Street.
______2. It is not a fake, its the real McCoy.
______3. The doctor says Im in wonderful health.
______4. The doctor says Im as fit as a fiddle.
______5. Margaret blew her stack..

Identifying the sequence of events: Certain types of writing are organized by the order in which
the events take place. Newspapers, history, and fiction writing sometimes use this technique.
Look for such words as: first, second, third, finally, after, before, then, and next.
Read the passage below and think about the sequence it presents.
Making Turkey Gravy
Everyone loves to put lots and lots of gravy on his mashed potatoes. Therefore, it is important to
know how to make good gravy. First, the cook should scrape up the pieces of turkey left in the
pan in which it was cooked. Next, the turkey pieces and juices in which the turkey was cooked
should be poured into a fat separating cup. Pour only the juices and turkey pieces back into the
cooking pan, leaving the fat in the separating cup. Bring the liquid to a boil. Then add a mixture
of cornstarch and water to the liquid to thicken the gravy. Finally, enjoy it over hot, garlic
mashed potatoes.
11

Underline the four words in the paragraph, Making Turkey Gravy, which indicate the sequence
of events. According to the directions, which sequence below is correct? Write the correct
number in the following blank. Answers are on page 20.
1. Thaw the turkey before cooking.
2. Pour the juices and pieces of turkey into a fat separating cup. Then pour the fat into the
cooking pan.
3. Pour the juices and pieces of turkey into a fat separating cup. Then pour the juices and
pieces of turkey back into the cooking pan after separating off the fat.
4. Finally thicken the gravy with cornstarch and water mixture.
Recognizing cause and effect: One way to organize writing is to use a method of analysis called
cause-and-effect relationship. An author presents a situation or happening. This is known as the
cause. The result or reaction to the situation is called the effect. Words such as: reason, so,
since, effect, due to, because, outcome, basis ,if and when are key terms that tell you the passage
is probably built around cause-and-effect.
Think of one thing that could happen as an outcome of the first action in each sentence. Write an

effect on each line. Look at the example first.

Example:

The rock band did not show up for the concert, so the audience demanded their money back.

Answers are on page 20.

1. Because the basketball team practiced diligently all week, ________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
2. Joann bought me a birthday gift,_____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3. Due to the rainy weather,___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
4. Since Kay missed the early bus to work,
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

12

Understanding comparison and contrast: To show similarities, a writer uses comparisons. To

show differences, a writers uses contrasts. Comparison and contrast writings will use words such
as: compare, contrast, differ, less than, similar, on the other hand, although, better than, and
both.
Read the following sentences and decide if they describe two things that are the same. If so
write, compare. If the sentence describes two things that are different, write, contrast. Read the
example first.
Answers are on page 20.

Example: In the teachers speech and the saleswomans talk, they both use persuasive words.
compare
1. The real estate agent spoke convincingly of the booming market, while the teacher used
numbers to teach word problems.___________________
2. Both the professor and the computer salesman knew their facts and

figures._________________

3. Although the daycare teacher loved children and planned well for the lessons, the
educational toys saleswoman presented the same concepts with a slightly different and
unique approach. ___________________________
4. The appearance of the gym teacher and the sports representative was similar as they both
wore the latest athletic shoes and warm up suits.
__________________________

SYNTHESIS: 12-14 questions out of 40

This skill is the most complex of all the thought processes. The reader must analyze different
parts of a passage to understand it as a whole. Then the reader must apply information from
outside the reading to increase his/her understanding of it. You will combine your understanding
of the excerpt with your own personal knowledge and world experiences to gain a more thorough
understanding. Some of the skills you will need are:
Learning to detect the authors tone or mood,
Recognizing who is telling the story,
Determining the purpose of a passage, and
Integrating information outside of a reading with knowledge from within the reading.

13

Learning to detect the authors tone or mood: Synthesis questions ask you to conclude what the
authors tone is for the entire passage. Sometimes the tone is displayed by the conversation a
character has with another character. The reader detects the tone by the word choices of an
author.
Read the paragraph about a mother opening her front door after working all day. Think about the
tone.
Nancy couldnt believe her eyes. There was food of every description. Baked ham, scalloped
potatoes, corn on the cob, tossed green salad, brownies and cookies, and so much more. How did
her friends and neighbors know? Times had been rough, and many nights, after coming home
from work feeling dead tired, she could only offer her family sandwiches for dinner. Her
birthday dinner was not going to be any exception. Until. . . someone must have known! Not
birthday cake with candles was sitting on
only dinner, real dinner, but also a
the kitchen table. And friends and
family, all smiling and singing Happy
Birthday to You.
Circle one of the following words that
Answer is on page 20.

friendly

suspenseful

describe the tone of this selection.

grateful

sarcastic

Recognizing who is telling the story: Either an author, an outside narrator, or one of the
characters in the story can tell the events of a story. The point of view is determined by whoever
is telling the story. You will have additional practice on determining the point of view in Chapter
13 on prose fiction.
Determining the purpose of a passage: Every author has a purpose for writing. Synthesis
questions require the reader to determine the main idea of a multi-paragraph reading. You have
had practice in finding the purpose of a paragraph, but a synthesis question will require you to
evaluate the entire reading with many paragraphs.
Integrating information outside of a reading with knowledge from within the reading: Some
synthesis questions will ask you to evaluate the reading in light of some additional information
that the question provides. Sometimes this is information about what happened before or after
the event described, or sometimes, it is information about the author. With this additional
information, the reader is asked to draw conclusions. There are usually two or three of this type
of question on the test.

14

Look back at the excerpt from Oliver Twist. If you were given additional information that
indicated that Oliver Twist not only was born in a workhouse, but that his mother died at his
birth, what conclusion could you make regarding the following question? Answer is on page 20.

1. Knowing this information, which of these life situations would Oliver Twist experience
as he grows up?
A. an easy life
B. a life filled with challenges to overcome
C. a life with things handed to him
D. an exemplary life all would envy

Interactive Activity:
try your hand at
questions and answers
commentary that follow.
painting, The Elated
Crocker Art Museum in
Using the information
five questions that test
answering
application, analysis,
you are working alone,
answers. Sample

Working with a classmate,

developing GED type
using the picture and
This article is a review of a
Troubadour, found in the
Sacramento, California.
about the painting, write
your classmates skill in
comprehension,
and synthesis questions. If
write five questions and
answers are on page 20.

After Gerrit van Honthorst, Dutch (1590-1656), The Elated Troubadour, not dated. Oil on canvas. Crocker Art
Museum, E.B. Crocker Collection. Artletter Sept/Oct. 2003

September/October 2003
The Crockers Very Merry Violinist
The Elated Troubadour is an excellent example of a highly influential tradition in Dutch
seventeenth-century painting that grew out of Italy. Specifically, Dutch artists in and
around Utrecht adopted the radical painting style of Caravaggio, marked by dramatic
juxtapositions of lights and darks and the celebration of lower-class figures in high art.
15

Utrecht artists who embraced this pictorial stylethe so-called Caravaggistiincluded

Terbruggen, Honthorst, Abraham Bloemaert, Cornelis van Poelenburch, Jan Both and
many others. In addition to painting landscapes, mythological and religious scenes,
these artists often treated a very limited range of conventional, genre subjects including
musical groups, revelers, card players, drinkers, and gamblers. Typical of the work of
Terbruggen and Honthorst, the Crockers painting depicts a single, middle-aged male,
smiling, fancifully dressed, and holding a glass and musical instrument. In these
paintings, the sometimes-voyeuristic act of looking is thematized. In the Crockers Merry
Violinist, for example, the troubadour looks closely (even longingly) at his drink, just as
the viewer is meant to look closely (even admiringly?) at him. In an era of strict Calvinist
admonitions against wanton behavior, these pictures may well have provided a
vicarious means for enjoying common activities not allowed in elite, upstanding,
Reformed Protestant circles.
Given this strict religious climate however, many twentieth-century scholars have
argued for the emblematic, and possibly moralizing, aspect of these Dutch genre
paintings. By this account, such paintings about drinkers or gamblers were thought to
warn viewers against the evils of such behaviors. Yet as art historian Wayne Franits has
argued, this interpretation of painting as a form of moral admonishment is problematic
because it assumes that painters operated in league with pastors of the Reformed
Church for the moral improvement of their patrons, despite the fact that religious
personnel openly objected to the subjects of the paintings as being indecent (lichte) or
ungodly (afgodische).1 Thus, while strict Calvinists may have wished to interpret the
paintings as warnings against moral turpitude, it is likely that such subjects
simultaneously reflected a secular interest in, or taste for, the pictorialization of
prostitution, drinking, gambling and dancing. Indeed, such activities flourished in
brothels, music houses, and taverns in seventeenth-century Utrecht.
1

Wayne Franits, Emerging from the Shadows: Genre Painting by the Utrecht Caravaggisti and Its Contemporary
Reception, in Masters of Light: Dutch Painters in Utrecht in the Golden Age, exh. cat., The Walters Art Gallery,
Baltimore, and The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), p. 115.

16

Please write your questions and your answers here.

Question

Answer

1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

4.

4.

5.

5.

EXERCISE
nothing about it. Here she was a bothering
about Moses, which was no kin to her, and
no use to anybody, being gone, you see, yet
finding a power of fault with me for doing a
thing that had some good in it. And she
took snuff too; of course that was all right,
because she done it herself.

Using the techniques you have been

practicing in comprehension, application,
analysis, and synthesis, answer the
following questions. There will be five
answers, with only one answer being the
correct one.
WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR HUCK FINN TO
LIVE WITH THE WIDOW DOUGLAS?

Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim

old maid, with goggles on, had just come to
live with her, and took a set at me now, with
a spelling-book. She worked me middling
hard for about an hour, and then the widow
made her ease up. I couldnt stood it much
longer. Then for an hour it was deadly dull,
and I was fidgety. Miss Watson would say,
Dont put your feet up there, Huckleberry;
and dont scrunch up like that,
Huckleberryset up straight.; and pretty
soon she would say, Dont gap and stretch
like that, Huckleberry, why dont you try to
behave?
Mark Twain , The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

After supper she got out her book and

learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers;
and I was in a sweat to find out all about
him; but by-and-by she let it out that Moses
had been dead a considerable long time; so
then I didnt care no more about him;
because I dont take no stock in dead people.
Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked
the widow to let me. But she wouldnt. She
said it was a mean practice and wasnt clean,
and I must try to not do it any more. That is
just the way with some people. They get
down on a thing when they dont know

17

Circle the correct answer.

Answers are on page 21.
1. From the words and grammar used by Huck, the reader infers that Hucks education is:
(1) only minimal
(2) of a high degree
(3) college level
(4) street language
(5) hard to determine
2. If Huck were to eat dinner in a restaurant, which would he not choose?
(1) a pizza place
(2) a five star restaurant
(3) a casual, fast food type
(4) a hamburger stand
(5) an automatic vending machine
3. Moses and the Bulrushers would be found in which book or magazine:
(1) dictionary
(2) thesaurus
(3) Bible
(4) sports magazine
(5) music review
4. The main idea of these paragraphs is
(1) to show how Huck Finn sees life as opposed to how Widow Douglas sees life.
(2) to make fun of Hucks speech.
(3) to illustrate how Widow Douglas is more educated than Huck Finn.
(4) to show the difference between adults and children in the south.
(5) to make the reader feel sorry for Huck Finn.
5. How did Huck feel as Widow Douglas read to him about Moses?
(1) He was sweating.
(2) He was excited to learn about him until he found out that Moses was no longer living.
(3) He was bored and wished she would stop.
(4) He was confused.
(5) He was interested but too hot.
6. No stock in dead people means:
(1) People who have died have bought no stock.
(2) A person who is dead is of no interest to the speaker.
(3) Dead people should not be talked about.
(4) The stock of dead people is important to no one.
(5) Only Southern people understand the true meaning.

18

Answers, Examples, and Explanations

Page 4: Words You Need to Know
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

passages
drama
comprehension
application
purpose question

Page 7: Comprehension
1. C Comprehension (supporting details) In the last sentence, Oliver breathed,
sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates. . .
2. D Comprehension (supporting details) There being nobody by, however, but
a pauper old woman . . .and a parish surgeon.
3. C Comprehension (supporting details) In the last sentence, a male infant who
had not been possessed of that very useful appendage, a voice, for a much longer
space of time than three minutes and a quarter. A quarter being equal to .25 or 15
seconds.
4. B Comprehension (supporting details) a new burden having been imposed
upon the parish
5. C Comprehension (unstated purpose)
Page 8: Context Clues
1. men who are hunting the crocodile out of existence
2. scarcely varying in measurement
3. a person liking to be with other people
Page 9: Application
a. D Comprehension Answer found in first, long sentence.
b. B Application The servants no longer see themselves as being subservient and
thus would choose a name not degrading to themselves.
c. A Application The servants would not choose potatoes as they are too common.
Page 10: Inference
a. D The clues are: falling leaves, pulling sweater around her.
b. B enjoy natures show is the clue.

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Page 11: Figurative Language

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

F
F
L
F
F

Page 12: Sequence of Events

a. First, next, then, finally
b. 3
Page 12: Cause and Effect (Any answers similar to these answers are accepted.)
1.
2.
3.
4.

they won the game easily.

since weve been dating over one year.
we will do indoor activities this weekend.
I will have to take the later bus, but Ill still be on time.

Page 13: Comparison and Contrast

1.
2.
3.
4.

contrast
compare
contrast
compare

Page 14: Tone or Mood

1.

grateful

Page 15: Integrating Outside Information

1.

Page 17: Interactive Activity

Sample Questions and Answers (There may be other possible questions.)
1. What does Elated Troubadour mean? Merry Violinist
2. Is the violinist of upper or lower class? Lower class
3. How would you describe the artists technique? Uses lights and darks together
4. What does the word vicarious mean? To experience something without really
taking part in the activity

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5. What is the viewer of the painting vicariously experiencing? The joy of drinking
which was looked down upon by society of that time

Page 18: EXERCISE

1. (1) Analysis Phrases such as learned me, let it out, and didnt care no more
support this answer.
2. (2) Application He would be most at home in a casual place.
3. (3) Synthesis The key word here is Moses and the reader must relate him to
the Bible.
4. (1) Comprehension (main idea) All details point to this conclusion.
5. (2) Comprehension (supporting details) I was in a sweat to find out all about
him; but by-and-by she let it out that Moses had been dead.
6. (2) Comprehension (context)

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