Rogozin J.H.

S Kiryat Ata Version A

Name ______________________ Class _____
th
Comparative Test 9 Grade A Levels - May 2011
Part I - READING COMPREHENSION - IS SEEING BELIEVING?
"Seeing is believing" is a common expression in English: it means that we can believe
what we see. But how true is this? Can we trust our eyes alone?
Have you ever been to a magic show? A magician performs tricks and we seldom
understand how they have been done, even if we have been watching
5. carefully and we have been following each logical step of the trick.
Such tricks played on our eyes are called "optical illusions", and they are not only seen in magic
shows. An optical illusion is something which deceives our eyes and brain. In other words, it looks
as though we see something different from what it really is. In fact, it is a trick played on our eyes.
10. Optical illusions are used by the magicians in their tricks to make us believe that
what we see is reality. There are many different kinds of optical illusions.
One kind of optical illusion is a mirage. This is the strange effect of climatic conditions, in which
objects appear which are not really there. For example, there are stories of desert travelers who have
seen water in the distance, when in reality
15. there hasn't been any.
Many things seem different when they are seen from an unusual viewpoint. For example, if you put
the lower half of a pencil into a glass of water and look through the sides of the glass, the pencil
looks crooked or broken. This optical illusion is caused because light passes through air and water at
different speeds.
20. Also, if an everyday object is viewed under a microscope, it may look so
different that it is not obvious what it is.
Camouflage also makes things look different, or rather makes them difficult to see. It is the way
that the color or the shape of something makes it blend into its surroundings. Many animals are
protected in nature because they are camouflaged
25. by their color. Soldiers also camouflage themselves by wearing colors similar to
their surroundings.
Although there are several ways of seeing things, there is no doubt that human beings prefer to
see things that we can understand easily. Disorder seems illogical to our brains, and if what we see
gives our brains only limited information, we will
30. fill in the missing details ourselves so that we see something that is organized
and which we can understand.
So, is seeing believing? Can we always believe what we see? Sometimes we can and sometimes
we can't, but we usually enjoy the challenge of trying to find out.
Comparative Test 2011 - 9th Grade A Levels Version A

A. Circle the correct answer to complete each sentence: (4X3= 12 points)

1. "Seeing is believing" …
a. is a common expression in English .
b. is only true when discussing optical illusions.
c. has to do with how well a person can see.

2. Human beings…
a. can't understand optical illusions.
b. don't see details clearly.
c. look for organization and logic in what they see.

3. Optical illusions…
a. were developed by magicians.
b. are tricks played on our eyes.
c. are a picture of reality.

4. Putting pencil in water is an example of …

a. how to use camouflage.
b. how to break a pencil.
c. how to demonstrate an optical illusion.

B. Complete the sentences: (3X4= 12 points)

1. In the desert people may see ________________________________________________.

2. An unusual viewpoint can __________________________________________________.

3. Animals camouflage themselves in order to _____________________________________.

C. Answer the following questions based on the passage :

1. What happens when we see a magic trick? (lines 1-10) (4 points)

___________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. Complete the chart according to the text? (lines 5-26) (4 X2 = 8 points)

Type of optical illusion Example / Explanation

A mirage

Soldiers' uniforms

An unusual view point

The object looks so different you can't tell

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Comparative Test 2011 - 9th Grade A Levels Version A
what the object really is
D. Find the words or phrases in the passage that have a similar meaning.
(5X2= 10 points)
1. very clear (lines 20-25) - ________________
2. does (lines 1-5) - ____________________
3. not close, far away place (lines 15-10)- ____________
4. the part of the body that we use for thinking (lines 5-10) - ____________
5. small bits of information (lines 25-30) -____________________.

Part II - Language
E. Choose the right word to complete the sentence. (2X10= 20 points)

1. Some teenagers don't think of the dangerous (affect / effect / affection) of using drugs they

do not realize that using drugs (affects / effectively / effected) their thinking and their

personality. It doesn't matter what their parents tell them to do it is never (effectively /

effective / affected).

2. I am not a (doubtful / doubts / doubting) person but I don't trust her new boyfriend.

I (doubt / doubts / doubted) him the first time I saw him and my (doubting / doubtable /

doubts) proved to be justified when I met an old friend who told me that he had seen that man

with another girl.

3. Human beings should know their (limitations / limitable / limited) and not try to do

dangerous things. Our ability to function under stress is quite (limiting / limited / limitation) .

Therefore we should (limitation / limited / limit) ourselves only to our ability and not push

ourselves to the (limit / limiting / limited) .

F. Fill in each blank with one word only. You can use vocabulary from the text (Part I)
(7X1= 7)
Adults often complain about teenagers. One of the most ___________________ complaints is
about teenagers' rooms. Adults see them like a complete mess and decide that teenagers
are not ___________________. For the ___________________ , order is simply knowing
where things are and not putting everything neatly in its place.
The reason for different opinions between adults and teenagers is ___________________.
Adults like their surroundings to be orderly and put things where they think they
___________________ be. However, teenagers ____________________ spend long hours

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Comparative Test 2011 - 9th Grade A Levels Version A
organizing their things. Some parents even wonder if their children live in a fantasy world, out
of touch with ____________________, because of the way their rooms look.
G. Shon wrote an e-mail to Yonat . Fill in the correct tense in his e-mail. (10X2= 20 points)

Hi Yonat,
I am writing to tell you about what ____________________ (happen) to me yesterday.
____________________ (you, meet) my English teacher? I am sure you have.
Well, we ____________________ (write) a test when a noise____________________
(hear) in class. He immediately yelled at me and told me ___________________ (hand in)
the paper. I ____________________ (try) to convince him that I _____________________
(not do) anything wrong. It didn't help. He said that my parents _____________________
(invite) to school for a conference with my homeroom teacher.
He____________________ (hate) me and always picks on me. He ____________________
(never / like) me!
I am so unhappy!
Bye,
Shon

H. Writing (7 points)
Write 4-5 sentences about a happy / an unhappy experience
you have been through. Describe the event, the problem and
your feelings. Pay attention to sentence structure and
grammar.

___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4
Comparative Test 2011 - 9th Grade A Levels Version A

Answer key
A. Circle the correct answer to complete each sentence: (4X3= 12 points)

1. "Seeing is believing" …
a. is a common expression in English .
b. is only true when discussing optical illusions.
c. has to do with how well a person can see.

2. Human beings…
a. can't understand optical illusions.
b. don't see details clearly.
c. look for organization and logic in what they see.

3. Optical illusions…
a. were developed by magicians.
b. are tricks played on our eyes.
c. are a picture of reality.

4. Putting pencil in water is an example of …

a. how to use camouflage.
b. how to break a pencil.
c. how to demonstrate an optical illusion.

B. Complete the sentences: (3X4= 12 points)

1. In the desert people may see _______objects which aren't really there /
water in the distance.
2. An unusual viewpoint can_____ make things look different .
3. Animals camouflage themselves in order to ______protect themselves in nature_.
C. Answer the following questions based on the passage :
1. What happens when we see a magic trick? (lines 1-10) (4 points)
We see something different from what it really is /
We believe that what we see is reality

2. Complete the chart according to the text? (lines 5-26) (4 X2 = 8 points)

Type of optical illusion Example / Explanation
A mirage A strange effect of climatic conditions
Travelers who see water in the distance
Camouflage Soldiers' uniforms
An unusual view point A pencil in a glass of water / if you put a ….
Under a microscope The object looks so different you can't tell what the object really is
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Comparative Test 2011 - 9th Grade A Levels Version A

D. Find the words or phrases in the passage that have a similar meaning.
(5X2= 10 points)
1. very clear (lines 20-25) - obvious _____
2. does (lines 1-5) - performs____
3. not close, far away place (lines 15 -10)- in the distance ___
4. the part of the body that we use for thinking (lines 5-10) - ____ brain
5. small bits of information (lines 25-30) - details -

Part II - Language
E. Choose the right word to complete the sentence. (2X10= 20 points)

1. Some teenagers don't think of the dangerous (affect / effect / affection) of using drugs they

do not realize that using drugs (affects / effectively / effected) their thinking and their

personality. It doesn't matter what their parents tell them to do it is never (effectively /

effective / affected).

2. I am not a (doubtful / doubts / doubting) person but I don't trust her new boyfriend. I

(doubt / doubts / doubted) him the first time I saw him and my (doubting / doubtable /

doubts) proved to be justified when I met an old friend who told me that he had seen that man

with another girl.

3. Human beings should know their (limitations / limitable / limited) and not try to do

dangerous things. Our ability to function under stress is quite (limiting / limited / limitation) .

Therefore we should (limitation / limited / limit) ourselves only to our ability and not push

ourselves to the (limit / limiting / limited) .

F. Fill in each blank with one word only. You can use vocabulary from the text (Part I)
(7X1= 7)

Adults often complain about teenagers. One of the most __common / frequent _ complaints
is about teenagers' rooms. Adults see them like a complete mess and decide that
teenagers are not _organized____. For the __teenager / adolescent___ , order is simply
knowing where things are and not putting everything neatly in its place.
The reason for different opinions between adults and teenagers is _clear / obvious____.
Adults like their surroundings to be orderly and put things where they think they

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Comparative Test 2011 - 9th Grade A Levels Version A
must / should ___ be. However, teenagers rarely/ seldom / __ spend long hours organizing
their things. Some parents even wonder if their children live in a fantasy world, out of touch
with _reality__, because of the way their rooms look.

G. Shon wrote an e-mail to Yonat . Fill in the correct tense in his e-mail. (10X2= 20 points)

Hi Yonat,
I am writing to tell you about what __happened___ (happen) to me yesterday.
___Have you met_ (you, meet) my English teacher? I am sure you have.
Well, we _were writing_ (write) a test when a noise __was heard____
(hear) in class. He immediately yelled at me and told me __to hand in_ (hand in) the paper.
I _tried / was trying _ (try) to convince him that I _hadn't done__ (not do) anything wrong. It
didn't help. He said that my parents _would be invited_ (invite) to school for a conference
with my homeroom teacher.
He ___hates___ (hate) me and always picks on me. He _has never liked____ (never / like)
me!
I am so unhappy!
Bye,
Shon

H. Writing (7 points)
Write 4-5 sentences about a happy / an unhappy experience you
have been through. Describe the event, the problem and your
feelings. Pay attention to sentence structure and grammar.

___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________