EOC: Reading/Literature & Research (2003 VDOE Released Items)

The phrase "entry-level position" is intended to --
1. persuade only those with multiple years of job experience to apply for this position
2. encourage applicants who possess the necessary skills but might not yet have job experience
3. show that this job primarily involves the entry of data into various computer databases
4. invite applicants who would like to receive free training in the skills required for the job
1. Operation
2. Maneuver
3. Orchestration
4. Management
The job description indicates that keyboard specialists are expected to --
1. receive training from the Virginia Department of Personnel and Training
2. hire office workers when additional help is needed
3. correct the spelling and punctuation of handwritten drafts
4. repair copiers and other kinds of office machines
What paragraph contains information about how many words a minute an applicant must be able to type?
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
Which skill is most important for a keyboard specialist to have?
1. Making speeches to large audiences
2. Paying close attention to details
3. Planning to meet long-term goals
4. Finding creative solutions to problems
There is enough information in the job description to show that --
1. word processors are more efficient to use than computers
2. the job of a keyboard specialist varies from one office to another
3. it is more important to know word usage than English grammar
4. keyboard specialists earn more in Virginia than in most other states
Which question is not answered in this job description?
1. What is the telephone number for the Virginia Department of Personnel and Training?
2. Does the job require contact with persons outside the office?
3. In what order are the files maintained?
4. What kind of material does a keyboard specialist type?
1. Making copies
2. Answering telephone
3. Referring visitors
4. Dictating material to be typed
Laura's stage directions in line 25 suggest that her character is--
1. self-assured and can't wait for Jim to arrive for dinner
2. scared to have anyone try the salmon her mother made for dinner
3. nervous about preparing dinner for her family and a guest
4. unsure about what she should do to prepare herself for the guest
In line 32, Amanda says: "I told you I wasn't going to humor you, Laura. Why have you chosen this moment to lose your mind?" Which best describes the effect of this statement?
1. The audience would feel pity for Tom since he made Laura uncomfortable.
2. The audience would turn against Tom for upsetting his sister Laura.
3. The audience would consider Amanda too critical for reprimanding Laura.
4. The audience would be angry at Laura for upsetting her mother Amanda.
The stage directions for the play help produce a tone of--
1. tension
2. elation
3. depression
4. exhaustion
Amanda's attitude toward Laura is one of--
1. respect and love
2. discontent and amusement
3. frustration and caring
4. happiness and silliness
What is the best example of situational irony in this scene?
1. The only boy Laura ever liked is coming for dinner.
2. It is raining the night Tom is bringing Jim to dinner.
3. Amanda has chosen to make salmon for the guests.
4. Tom did not mention to Jim that he had a sister.
Amanda is best described as--
1. an extraordinary chef
2. a supreme entertainer
3. an assertive mother
4. a strict disciplinarian
Which archetype of American literature does Laura best embody in this scene?
1. The fool
2. The rugged individualist
3. The shrew
4. The innocent
The age of the characters affects the way in which the scene is interpreted, but the ages are not stated directly. Which line best helps a reader to estimate the ages of the characters?
1. Line 1
2. Line 12
3. Line 38
4. Line 43
This selection can be identified as a play because it has--
1. diaglogue and setting
2. setting and conflict
3. conflict and characters
4. characters and stage directions
The rhyme scheme in the first stanza is--
1. a a b b
2. a b a b
3. a b c d
4. a b c b
In stanza 1, fire balloons are described as "frail" and "illegal" in order to--
1. foreshadow what happens in the second half of the poem
2. illustrate why the people in that part of the world use fire balloons
3. reflect what happens in the first half of the poem
4. explain why the poet felt compelled to write about fire balloons
Which lines from the poem suggest fleeting love?
1. Lines 3 and 4
2. Lines 7 and 8
3. Lines 13 and 14
4. Lines 21 and 22
The references to color in lines 27 ("stained bright pink underneath") and 32 ("rose-flecked") indicate that--
1. flowers were blooming
2. the fire balloons were different colors
3. the animals may have been injured
4. the animals are unusual
1. speaker
2. baby rabbit
3. owls
4. armadillo
What is the effect of putting the last stanza in italics?
1. It provides structural unity for the poem.
2. It emphasizes the word choice of this stanza.
3. It introduces a new speaker.
4. It illustrates that this is the most significant stanza.
Which line contains an example of simile?
1. Line 14 - "they flare and falter, wobble and toss;"
2. Line 22 - "It splattered like an egg of fire"
3. Line 33 - "and then a baby rabbit jumped out,"
4. Line 37 - "Too pretty, dreamlike mimicry!"
The armadillo in this poem serves as--
1. a symbol
2. an allusion
3. a foil
4. a cliché
Naomi most likely began her paper with quoted lines of poetry in order to--
1. demonstrate the importance of the blacksmith in early American life
2. describe in detail what an American chestnut tree looks like
3. make the introductory paragraph easier to understand
4. show that the chestnut tree was once an important part of American life
Naomi has supported her thesis for this paper with all of the following except--
1. facts about the Asian fungus that attacked the American chestnut trees
2. her own experience with American chestnut trees
3. others' opinions about the future of American chestnut trees
4. figures about the size of American chestnut trees
According to this paper, the new blight will help the American chestnut tree by--
1. providing a source of knowledge about tree diseases
2. attacking the fungus that has ravaged them
3. bringing the public's attention and support to the problem
4. causing importers to stop bringing in foreign trees
Which question is not answered in paragraph 4 of this paper?
1. Why is the Asian fungus dangerous to the chestnut tree?
2. How does the Asian fungus travel from tree to tree?
3. Where was the chestnut tree blight first noticed?
4. How did the Asian fungus enter the United States?
Naomi included enough information in this paper to show that--
1. it is probably too late to save the American chestnut tree
2. the threat to the American chestnut tree has been successfully eradicated
3. scientists might be able to save the American chestnut tree
4. the American chestnut tree is now thriving in this country
In paragraph 5, the word demise means--
1. defiance
2. discovery
3. death
4. development
Which question does Naomi not attempt to answer in this paper?
1. How does the fungus disease destroy the Asian fungus?
2. What was the natural range of the American chestnut?
3. In what ways has the timber of American chestnuts been used?
4. When was The American Chestnut Foundation established?
Which of these would best help the reader evaluate the accurate use of information in this paper?
1. Consulting the sources cited in the paper
2. Finding the word "chestnut" in a dictionary
3. Looking for additional facts in other sources
4. Examining an American chestnut tree
Al Gore's image of America drowning in an "endless stream of waste" is designed to elicit what emotion in the reader?
1. Fear
2. Sympathy
3. Hostility
4. Regret
Al Gore uses the phrases "throwaway society" and "out of sight, out of mind." These are examples of--
1. metaphor
2. hyperbole
3. irony
4. cliché
The organizational structure of the selection from Al Gore's book is best described as--
1. spatial sequence
2. compare/contrast
3. time sequence
4. problem/solution
The tone of this selection from Al Gore's book is best described as--
1. scholarly
2. hostile
3. cautionary
4. empathetic
Chief Seattle says, "Like a man dying for many days, he is numb to the stench." This is an example of--
1. metaphor
2. hyperbole
3. simile
4. symbolism
In paragraph 5, Chief Seattle asks three questions; each time, he answers the question himself. What is the effect of this?
1. It engages the reader more directly than a simple statement would.
2. It creates reader sympathy for the fate of the Indian.
3. It reflects Chief Seattle's educational background.
4. It frustrates the reader because it is not straightforward.
Chief Seattle's warning, "Continue to contaminate your bed, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste," can be described as--
1. a critique of Al Gore's essay
2. an explanation of the concept Al Gore presents
3. a foreshadowing of the concerns expressed in Al Gore's essay
4. the antithesis of Al Gore's essay
If you were to write a research paper in which you used these selections as examples, which of the following most likely describes the topic of the paper?
1. Native American attitudes toward the early settlers
2. Attitudes toward the environment over time
3. Al Gore and Chief Seattle: A Study in Contrasts
4. What should America do with its garbage?

EOC: Reading/Literature & Research (2003 VDOE Released Items)

Multiple-Choice ExerciseContent © 2003 Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education; Permission to Use Granted by VDOE; Author of Activity: Tami Maloney; All rights reserved. No commercial, for-profit use of this material is allowed. E-mail comments and questions to Tami Maloney.

Multiple-Choice Exercise
Content © 2003 Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education; Permission to Use Granted by VDOE; Author of Activity: Tami Maloney; All rights reserved.
No commercial, for-profit use of this material is allowed. E-mail comments and questions to Tami Maloney.