2020 Test A English

Practice questions from 2020 Test A English, with an explanation of every answer.

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Scientists now believe that Jupiter

What is the best way to combine the sentences? (1) Scientists now believe that Jupiter may have as many as seventy-nine moons. (2) One of Jupiter’s moons is named Io.…
- Type Combining and revising sentences
- NYS standards 7L1, 7L3a
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Read this paragraph. In September 2016 the National Museum

Read this paragraph. In September 2016 the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened as part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum is already the Smithsonian’s third most…
- Type Sentence structure
- NYS standards 7L1, 7L2
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
The Appalachian Trail

Read this sentence. The Appalachian Trail is a really long trail that a lot of people do each year. Which revision of the sentence uses the most precise language?
- Type Precise language and style
- NYS standards 7L3a
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
In 1962 the agile athletic Wilt Chamberlain

Which edit should be made to correct this sentence? In 1962 the agile athletic Wilt Chamberlain became the first and only professional basketball player in the United States to score…
- Type Punctuation
- NYS standards 7L2
- Difficulty 2 of 5
When coal was used to heat homes

Read this paragraph. (1) When coal was used to heat homes, it frequently left soot stains on the walls. (2) Brothers Cleo and Noah McVicker, who owned a cleaning product…
- Type Grammar and usage, Punctuation
- NYS standards 7L1, 7L2
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Find Time to Volunteer

Which revision of sentence 2 uses the most precise language?
- Type Precise language and style
- NYS standards 7W1c, 7L3a
- Difficulty 1 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
Find Time to Volunteer

Which sentence should follow sentence 4 to introduce the main claim of the passage?
- Type Introductions and conclusions
- NYS standards 7W1a
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Find Time to Volunteer

Which sentence is least relevant to the ideas presented in the second paragraph (sentences 5–10) and should be deleted?
- Type Supporting details
- NYS standards 7W1b
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Find Time to Volunteer

Which of these would best follow sentence 12 and support the ideas presented in the third paragraph (sentences 11–12)?
- Type Supporting details
- NYS standards 7W1b
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Find Time to Volunteer

Which concluding sentence should replace sentence 22 to provide the best support for the argument presented in the passage?
- Type Introductions and conclusions
- NYS standards 7W1e
- Difficulty 3 of 5
The Benefits of Indoor Plants

Which sentence should follow sentence 3 to best introduce the topic of the passage?
- Type Introductions and conclusions
- NYS standards 7W2a
- Difficulty 3 of 5
The Benefits of Indoor Plants

Which transition word or phrase should be added to the beginning of sentence 5?
- Type Transitions
- NYS standards 7W2d
- Difficulty 3 of 5
The Benefits of Indoor Plants

Which sentence could best follow sentence 13 to support the ideas in the third paragraph (sentences 11–14)?
- Type Supporting details
- NYS standards 7W2b
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
The Benefits of Indoor Plants

Which sentence presents ideas irrelevant to the topic of the passage and should be deleted?
- Type Supporting details
- NYS standards 7W2b
- Difficulty 2 of 5
The Benefits of Indoor Plants

Which concluding sentence should follow sentence 17 to best support the information presented in the passage?
- Type Introductions and conclusions
- NYS standards 7W2e
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Champion of the Channel

What do the newspaper editor’s comments in paragraph 1 reveal about the challenges Ederle faced in attempting her feat?
- Type Inferences and conclusions
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R6
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Champion of the Channel

Which sentence is the best summary of the steps that Ederle took to prepare for her second attempt to swim across the English Channel?
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
Champion of the Channel

Read this sentence from paragraph 4. During her first channel-crossing attempt she had worn a standard one-piece swimsuit that, after the lengthy hours of swimming across the channel, had stretched…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L4a
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Champion of the Channel

Which statement describes how the author’s use of a problem-and-solution structure in paragraph 5 contributes to the development of ideas in the passage?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Champion of the Channel

Which sentence best supports the idea that Ederle succeeded in swimming across the channel because of her innovative approach to the challenge?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Champion of the Channel

Paragraph 7 contributes to the development of the central idea of the passage by
- Type Text structure, Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R2
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Champion of the Channel

The idea that many people were interested in Ederle’s attempt to swim the channel is illustrated in the passage mainly through the
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Champion of the Channel

Which sentence from the passage best conveys the author’s perspective regarding the impact of Ederle’s accomplishment?
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R4
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Champion of the Channel

The table supports the information in paragraph 9 mainly by
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R1
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books

The details in paragraph 1 convey a central idea of the passage by noting that
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R5
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books

Which evidence from the passage best supports the claim that “print definitely isn’t dead” (paragraph 1)?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R8
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books

The studies described in paragraph 6 are important to the author’s observations in paragraphs 7 and 8 because the findings
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R8
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books

What is the best summary of the research into the effects of e-book reading?
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R1
- Difficulty 3 of 5
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books

Which sentence from the passage suggests that people in the future will likely choose e-books over print books?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1
- Difficulty 2 of 5
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books

Which evidence in the passage is most relevant to the author’s claim that “our expectations of e-book reading… might affect how we approach the text” (paragraph 9)?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R8, 7R1
- Difficulty 3 of 5
5 Reasons Physical Books Might Be Better Than E-Books

Which sentence from the passage best reveals the author’s point of view about e-books?
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R1
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Snowy Mountains

The description in the first stanza (lines 1–7) helps establish a central idea of the poem by
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R5
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Snowy Mountains

Read line 5 from the poem. Pillars of the sky at rest The line helps develop the theme of the poem by suggesting that the mountains
- Type Word meaning and figurative language, Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R4, 7R2
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Snowy Mountains

How does isolating the word “Uprise” in line 7 affect the meaning of the poem?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R4
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Snowy Mountains

How does the poet develop the speaker’s point of view in the second stanza (lines 8–14)?
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R4
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
Snowy Mountains

Which line from the poem best supports the idea that people have sacrificed priceless natural beauty in order to make a profit?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Snowy Mountains

Which detail from the poem reflects the speaker’s view that people often fail to appreciate what is familiar?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R6
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Snowy Mountains

How do the details in the third stanza (lines 15–26) most contribute to the development of a theme of the poem?
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R1
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Snowy Mountains

Read lines 21–22 from the poem. Barrier broken down by those who do not need The joy of time-resisting storm-worn stone, How do the lines help convey the speaker’s point…
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R4
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Snowy Mountains

Read lines 23–26 from the poem. The mountains swing along The south horizon of the sky; Welcoming with wide floors of blue-green ice The mists that dance and drive before…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7L5, 7R4
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

In paragraph 2, how does the phrase “when all three had taken the trouble to tell her” affect the tone in the first part of the excerpt?
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5c
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the idea that Margaret is unaccustomed to traveling to new places by train?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

Read this sentence from paragraph 4. She strained her eyes into the darkness, and tried to make out things from the two or three specks of light that danced about…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

How do Margaret’s earlier interactions with the conductor, brakeman, and porter affect the plot?
- Type Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R3, 7R1
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

Read paragraph 9 from the excerpt. A moment of useless screaming, running, trying to attract some one’s attention, a sickening sense of terror and failure, and the last car slatted…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

How does Margaret’s experience in paragraph 9 emphasize a theme of the excerpt?
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R3
- Difficulty 5 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

Read paragraph 10 from the excerpt. Margaret stood dazed, reaching out helpless hands, then dropped them at her sides and gazed after the fast-retreating train, the light on its last…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from A Voice in the Wilderness

How does paragraph 11 contribute to the plot of the excerpt?
- Type Text structure, Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Invention of the Telegraph

Which statement describes how the author’s use of problem-solution in paragraph 2 contributes to the development of ideas in the passage?
- Type Text structure, Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Invention of the Telegraph

Which statement describes how the author’s use of sequencing in paragraph 3 contributes to the overall structure of the passage?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Invention of the Telegraph Earlier Signal Systems

The details of the section “The Growth of an Idea” convey a central idea of the passage by suggesting that
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R5
- Difficulty 5 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Invention of the Telegraph

Read this sentence from paragraph 7. The desperate Morse gave the go-ahead, and the line was completed in time for the dramatic and spectacularly successful link between the Supreme Court…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5c
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Invention of the Telegraph

Which sentence is the best summary of how Morse obtained the funding necessary to build his telegraph system?
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Invention of the Telegraph

The idea that, in the mid-nineteenth century, the United States was mostly unaware of the possibilities of electricity is illustrated in the passage mainly through the
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Invention of the Telegraph

With which statement would the author most likely agree?
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R2
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Invention of the Telegraph

How does the map provide additional support for a central idea of the passage?
- Type Textual evidence, Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R2
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Invention of the Telegraph Earlier Signal Systems

How does the graph support the ideas in paragraph 8?
- Type Textual evidence, Text structure
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R5
- Difficulty 3 of 5