8TH GRADE ELA CUMULATIVE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Read this excerpt from The Land, Part 4.
"If it makes no difference," I said, "then just go ahead and mess up and end up not
going. You figure you want to go, though, then you treat those horses like you always
do, and you keep your temper, even around your daddy." Mitchell didn't say anything.
He just gave me a look and walked away, but I knew I'd gotten to him.
How does Mitchell ensure that he is invited on the trip with Paul and Paul's father? -
Correct Answers -by keeping his temper in check in front of Paul's father
Read the excerpt from The Land.
It was some three days later when Mitchell and I were brushing down the horses in the
stalls my daddy was renting, Mitchell said to me, "That man from Alabama, one wanted
you to ride for him, he come askin' me 'bout you. Came to the stables earlier."
This dialogue advances the plot by telling the reader that Paul - Correct Answers -may
have an opportunity to ride Sutcliffe's horse.
Read the excerpt from "Broken Chain."
Eventually he [Alfonso] grew bored and went outside with an old gym sock to wipe down
his bike, a ten-speed from Montgomery Ward. His thumbs were tired and wrinkled and
pink, the way they got when he stayed in the bathtub too long.
Why does Soto most likely include the imagery of Alfonso's thumbs in this passage? -
Correct Answers -to develop the idea that Alfonso cares a lot about appearances
Read the quotation by Dorothea Lange about the photo "Migrant Mother" from Years of
Dust.
I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do
not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember
she asked me no questions. . . . I did not ask her name or history. She told me her age,
that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from
the surrounding fields, and birds that the children had killed. She had just sold the tires
from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled
, around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped
me. There was a sort of equality about it.
How does this quotation appeal to readers' emotions? - Correct Answers -It appeals to
readers' sympathy by describing difficult times.
Which sentence accurately uses the word "infer"? - Correct Answers -There were a
number of hints that helped us infer the answer.
Which is the most reliable website? - Correct Answers -
birminghamcommunitylibrary.org
Read the passage from "The Lady, or the Tiger."
The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of
the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is
difficult to find our way. Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question
depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at
a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but
who should have him?
Which phrase from the passage most helps the reader analyze whether the princess
chooses the lady or the tiger? - Correct Answers -a study of the human heart
Norichika is researching for a post about the cultural significance of hip-hop music.
Which is the most reliable source for his research? - Correct Answers -a university
study about hip-hop music and society
An author lists additional resources at the end of an information text to - Correct
Answers -help readers find additional information on the topic.
Read the passage from When Birds Get Flu and Cows Go Mad! by John DiConsiglio.
Perhaps the best news about mad cow is that people do not catch it easily. Chances
are, millions of people have eaten infected beef. But, for reasons scientists still do not
understand, only about 150 people have gotten vCJD and died from it.
The tone of the passage is - Correct Answers -reassuring.
Read the post from Bryn's Breakfast Blog.
I love cereal in the morning, but here's the problem: most cereal is sugary and not very
nutritious, and the cereal that's good for me is not usually that tasty. So, I have a
solution I'm going to share with you. Follow these quick and easy steps, and you can
enjoy a nutritious and wonderful breakfast forever. I use the healthy cereal that my mom
always buys. First, I add fruit—strawberries, banana, whatever we have in the house.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Read this excerpt from The Land, Part 4.
"If it makes no difference," I said, "then just go ahead and mess up and end up not
going. You figure you want to go, though, then you treat those horses like you always
do, and you keep your temper, even around your daddy." Mitchell didn't say anything.
He just gave me a look and walked away, but I knew I'd gotten to him.
How does Mitchell ensure that he is invited on the trip with Paul and Paul's father? -
Correct Answers -by keeping his temper in check in front of Paul's father
Read the excerpt from The Land.
It was some three days later when Mitchell and I were brushing down the horses in the
stalls my daddy was renting, Mitchell said to me, "That man from Alabama, one wanted
you to ride for him, he come askin' me 'bout you. Came to the stables earlier."
This dialogue advances the plot by telling the reader that Paul - Correct Answers -may
have an opportunity to ride Sutcliffe's horse.
Read the excerpt from "Broken Chain."
Eventually he [Alfonso] grew bored and went outside with an old gym sock to wipe down
his bike, a ten-speed from Montgomery Ward. His thumbs were tired and wrinkled and
pink, the way they got when he stayed in the bathtub too long.
Why does Soto most likely include the imagery of Alfonso's thumbs in this passage? -
Correct Answers -to develop the idea that Alfonso cares a lot about appearances
Read the quotation by Dorothea Lange about the photo "Migrant Mother" from Years of
Dust.
I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do
not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember
she asked me no questions. . . . I did not ask her name or history. She told me her age,
that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from
the surrounding fields, and birds that the children had killed. She had just sold the tires
from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled
, around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped
me. There was a sort of equality about it.
How does this quotation appeal to readers' emotions? - Correct Answers -It appeals to
readers' sympathy by describing difficult times.
Which sentence accurately uses the word "infer"? - Correct Answers -There were a
number of hints that helped us infer the answer.
Which is the most reliable website? - Correct Answers -
birminghamcommunitylibrary.org
Read the passage from "The Lady, or the Tiger."
The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of
the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is
difficult to find our way. Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question
depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at
a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but
who should have him?
Which phrase from the passage most helps the reader analyze whether the princess
chooses the lady or the tiger? - Correct Answers -a study of the human heart
Norichika is researching for a post about the cultural significance of hip-hop music.
Which is the most reliable source for his research? - Correct Answers -a university
study about hip-hop music and society
An author lists additional resources at the end of an information text to - Correct
Answers -help readers find additional information on the topic.
Read the passage from When Birds Get Flu and Cows Go Mad! by John DiConsiglio.
Perhaps the best news about mad cow is that people do not catch it easily. Chances
are, millions of people have eaten infected beef. But, for reasons scientists still do not
understand, only about 150 people have gotten vCJD and died from it.
The tone of the passage is - Correct Answers -reassuring.
Read the post from Bryn's Breakfast Blog.
I love cereal in the morning, but here's the problem: most cereal is sugary and not very
nutritious, and the cereal that's good for me is not usually that tasty. So, I have a
solution I'm going to share with you. Follow these quick and easy steps, and you can
enjoy a nutritious and wonderful breakfast forever. I use the healthy cereal that my mom
always buys. First, I add fruit—strawberries, banana, whatever we have in the house.
