English High School Assessment Preparation

Introduction

As we continue to prepare for the English assessments, one of the most useful things we can do is analyze the questions, decipher what the questions are asking, and discuss multiple approaches for solving the problems.

Why?

If we are familiar with the question formats and we know how to read the questions, we will be able to answer any question put forth on the actual test.

Directions

· Visit the website given below.

· Once you get there, read each question, then answer it.

· After you view the correct answer, click on the section next to each question that says, “View Core Learning Goal, Expectation, and Indicator this item tested.”

· On your Question Analysis Handout, please write what the question is assessing.

For Example

Question:

Read the story “Nonrepresentational Art.” Then answer the following item. Read this sentence from paragraph 3 of the story.

Louise, who is a great believer in the benefits of physical exercise, had the idea that it would be a pleasant excursion for us to walk from her house across Tallahassee to her friend’s house.

The narrator most likely uses the words “pleasant excursion” in this sentence to suggest that her sister’s idea is

A. brilliant

B. insightful

C. ridiculous

D. scary

Answer: C

View Core Learning Goal, Expectation, and Indicator this item tested.

Goal 1:

The student will demonstrate the ability to respond to a text by employing personal experiences and critical analysis.

Expectation 1.2:

The student will construct, examine, and extend meaning of traditional and contemporary works recognized as having significant literary merit.

Indicator 1.2.2:

The student will determine how the speaker, organization, sentence structure, word choice, tone, rhythm, and imagery reveal an author’s purpose.

On the Question Analysis Handout you might write the following for this question:

This question is assessing our ability to read something critically and make meaning of the text by examining elements such as diction, syntax, tone, and imagery.

In Conclusion

Your job is to not only practice the HSA questions, but also to interpret what the question is assessing.

Website

http://mdk12.org/assessments/high_school/look_like/2009/english/v1.html