2021 Test A English

Practice questions from 2021 Test A English, with an explanation of every answer.

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
The engineers tried some other things

Read this sentence. The engineers tried some other things in the hope of finding a more effective insulation for the compartment. What is the most precise revision for the words…
- Type Precise language and style
- NYS standards 7L3a
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
In 1967 Kathrine Switzer

Which revision corrects the error in sentence structure in the paragraph? In 1967 Kathrine Switzer signed up for the Boston Marathon using her first and middle initials instead of her…
- Type Sentence structure
- NYS standards 7L1, 7L2
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
The blobfish

Which sentence in the paragraph contains an error in construction? (1) The blobfish, a creature that certainly resembles its name, is an unusual fish whose body is mostly composed of…
- Type Grammar and usage
- NYS standards 7L1
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Cracking the Code

What is the best way to combine sentences 3 through 5 to clarify the relationship between ideas?
- Type Combining and revising sentences
- NYS standards 7W1d, 7L3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Cracking the Code

Which sentence should follow sentence 5 to best state the main claim in the passage?
- Type Introductions and conclusions
- NYS standards 7W1a
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Cracking the Code

Which revision of sentence 10 provides the best transition to the argument in the third paragraph (sentences 10–13)?
- Type Transitions
- NYS standards 7W1d
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Cracking the Code

Which sentence would best follow sentence 13 and support the ideas in the third paragraph (sentences 10–13)?
- Type Supporting details
- NYS standards 7W1b
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Cracking the Code

Which concluding sentence would best follow sentence 20 and support the argument presented in the passage?
- Type Introductions and conclusions
- NYS standards 7W1e
- Difficulty 3 of 5
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

How does paragraph 1 introduce the ideas that ravens may perceive time and plan for the future?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

Read this sentence from paragraph 1. At Lund University in Sweden, researchers argue that ravens may be able to think ahead and even plan for the future. Which sentence from…
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R8
- Difficulty 2 of 5
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

Read these sentences from paragraph 2. For example, many animals hoard food so that they will not run out later, but scientists who study animals would not call hoarding a…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L4a
- Difficulty 1 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

In the first experiment described in paragraph 4, which of the ravens’ behaviors provides the strongest evidence for the claim that the birds are capable of planning?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R8
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

Read this sentence from paragraph 4. In both experiments, the ravens waited patiently for up to seventeen hours for the researcher to return. How does this sentence fit into the…
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R8
- Difficulty 3 of 5
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

How does paragraph 5 fit into the overall structure of the passage and contribute to the development of ideas?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R8
- Difficulty 3 of 5
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

The author conveys a point of view on the study of animal intelligence mainly by
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R5
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
The Best Laid Plans of Ravens

With which statement would the author of the passage most likely agree?
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R1
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

Read these sentences from paragraph 2. Dad always said Mom could make all the dishes he’d had back in Vermont as well as though she were a New Englander herself,…
- Type Text structure, Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R5
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

Read this sentence from paragraph 3. “I’ll be taking the train tomorrow night,” I said aloud, more to hear it myself. This remark contributes to the conflict in the excerpt…
- Type Development of ideas and characters, Text structure
- NYS standards 7R3, 7R5
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

Read this sentence from paragraph 9. I tried to, and then I just sat still and looked straight at it. How does the phrase “looked straight at it” contribute to…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5a
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

The words “cold” and “dark” affect the tone in paragraph 10 by
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5c
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

Which sentence from the excerpt provides evidence that Ellen has a lot in common with her father?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

Read these sentences from the excerpt. Mom seems to think of nothing farther away than today or perhaps yesterday or tomorrow morning. (paragraph 1) Mom was fixing oatmeal for tomorrow…
- Type Text structure, Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

The flashback in paragraphs 10–24 affects the plot by
- Type Text structure, Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 5 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from Winter Wheat

Which sentence from the excerpt provides evidence that Mom wants Ellen to understand the family’s heritage?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 1 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
Massachusetts: Lowell National Historical Park

Read this sentence from paragraph 1. As one Scottish traveler observed during his visit to America, “Niagara and Lowell are the two objects I will longest remember in my American…
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Massachusetts: Lowell National Historical Park

A central idea that Lowell was “one of America’s most significant industrial cities” (paragraph 1) is conveyed in the passage primarily through a description of the
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R5
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Massachusetts: Lowell National Historical Park

Which sentence from paragraph 2 best supports the idea that Lowell became “a bustling industrial city” (paragraph 1) in a short period of time?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Massachusetts: Lowell National Historical Park

Read this sentence from paragraph 3. From the early to mid-1800s, women left the constricted lifestyle of small rural towns and rural areas for independent industrial city life. Which statement…
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Massachusetts: Lowell National Historical Park

Read this sentence from paragraph 5. Although Lowell received an influx of Irish families during this time, the Irish were a part of the city’s history from its birth, and…
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Massachusetts: Lowell National Historical Park

Which sentence best summarizes the mill girls’ experience as the dominant workforce in Lowell?
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R3
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Massachusetts: Lowell National Historical Park

The reason Lowell lost its status as an industrial leader is best illustrated through the
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Ode to Fireworks

The comparison in lines 8–9 of the poem is used to convey
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5a
- Difficulty 2 of 5
- Level Below grade 7
Ode to Fireworks

Read lines 22–23 from the poem. the sky at night written upon with those jewels. What does the word choice in these lines convey about the speaker?
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5c
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Ode to Fireworks

The use of italics on the word “night” in line 24 is most likely intended to emphasize the
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R4
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Ode to Fireworks

What is the purpose of the repeated words “rising and falling” in lines 26 and 37?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R4
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Ode to Fireworks

What impact does the phrase “Everything is a constant celebration” (line 33) have in the poem?
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5a
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Ode to Fireworks

Read lines 41–42 from the poem. I kept waiting for those childhood bursts, watching as they escorted us home. How does this memory affect the speaker?
- Type Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R3, 7R4
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Ode to Fireworks

The fireworks in the poem represent the speaker’s
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7R2
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

Read paragraph 2 from the excerpt. To the proprietors of… mangy lynxes, moth-eaten coyotes, and dancing bears I returned courteous but uncompromising refusals—of course, first submitting all such letters, together…
- Type Text structure, Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

Read this sentence from paragraph 3. The professor, who was sitting at his desk before a pile of letters and replies submitted for approval by me, pushed his glasses down…
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7R1
- Difficulty 5 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

How does the exchange between the professor and the narrator in paragraphs 8–11 contribute to the development of the characters?
- Type Text structure, Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R3, 7R5
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

The professor’s observations in paragraphs 15–17 create tension in the excerpt by causing the narrator to feel
- Type Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R3, 7R4
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

How does the interaction between the narrator and the professor in paragraphs 26–28 contribute to the development of the theme?
- Type Text structure, Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R2
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

Which sentence from the excerpt best explains why the professor is eager to send the narrator on an expedition?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

How does paragraph 34 help develop the plot of the excerpt?
- Type Text structure, Development of ideas and characters
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

Which sentence best demonstrates the professional relationship between the narrator and the professor?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from In Search of the Unknown

How does the author develop the contrast between the narrator’s point of view and the professor’s point of view?
- Type Author's purpose and point of view
- NYS standards 7R6, 7R5
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

Read this sentence from paragraph 2. But cuteness and weirdness aside, the platypus research results are a gold mine for medical researchers. The sentence contributes to the overall structure of…
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R2
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

The phrase “evolutionary DNA tapestry” in paragraph 3 conveys the idea that the platypus
- Type Word meaning and figurative language
- NYS standards 7R4, 7L5a
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

How do paragraphs 4–6 contribute to the development of ideas in the excerpt?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

How does paragraph 8 fit into the overall structure of the excerpt?
- Type Text structure
- NYS standards 7R5, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

Which sentence gives the best summary of the section “Same and Different” (paragraphs 9–11)?
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R3
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

The details in paragraphs 12–14 about the platypus’s different abilities convey a central idea of the excerpt by
- Type Central idea and theme
- NYS standards 7R2, 7R5
- Difficulty 3 of 5
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the idea that the same DNA material results in the same traits even in different classes of animals?
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R8
- Difficulty 5 of 5
- Level Above grade 7
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

How can researching the genomes of other animals inform scientists’ understanding of human health and disease?
- Type Key details
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R3
- Difficulty 2 of 5
Excerpt from “Research Riddle Resolved”

The author elaborates on the idea that creating a full analysis of platypus DNA was an important scientific endeavor mainly through
- Type Textual evidence
- NYS standards 7R1, 7R2
- Difficulty 4 of 5
- Level Above grade 7