Selection: I-44

I-44

Grade level: 9

Word count: 2021 words

Author: Diane Lang

Synopsis: After experiencing homelessness, Jeremy makes something of his life by starting a business and helping others.

Excerpt: After landing in Minneapolis, we took a lengthy bus ride to Star Lake Wilderness Camp, located near small-town Brainerd. Once we arrived at our campsite, we unloaded our equipment: tents, sleeping bags, water jugs, cleaning supplies, and coolers of food.

After attending night school, I slept with my sparse belongings on a bench in Jefferson Park, a dangerous area across from the Drop-In Center, a place that helps find shelter and food for homeless people. Occasionally, a volunteer at the Drop-In Center would find a bed for me, but only for a few nights--competition was really stiff.

His agent loved my work, and a year later my creations were winning the respect of artists, journalists, photographers, and celebrities alike. I became a full-time artist and traveled often to Atlanta for photo shoots, much to the delight of my parents.

Then one night in Port-au-Prince, a random band performed "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," and my days spent in Sam's Gym drifted back to me. At that particular moment, I felt empty and purposeless.

Question: Put the following settings in order from first to last as they appear in the selection.

1. Star Lake Wilderness Camp
2. Drop-In Center at Jefferson Park
3. parents' home in Atlanta, Georgia
4. band concert in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Selection: I-41

I-41

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1904 words

Author: Luke Cooper

Synopsis: Gustavo Dudamel embodies the power and magic of music.

Excerpt: "Music does more than nourish the human spirit," he adds. "Its very practice instills focus and discipline, respect for others, a spirit of collaboration, and many other positive values that make us better citizens of the world."

Dudamel is convinced that classical music can be a powerful force for social change. "When a little boy or girl, especially from a disadvantaged community, goes to [play in] the orchestra, it can change the life of a family and a community," he explains.

Question: The author of this selection is most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

1. Music instills values that can be a powerful force for making people and the world a better place.
2. Classical music is an elite art form that holds no interest for today's young people.
3. A conductor of an orchestra has a responsibility to follow the musical score as the composer intended.
4. A more mature conductor usually can generate more excitement than a younger one.

Selection: I-1

I-1

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1740 words

Author: Peter Kupfer

Synopsis: Many bright minds came together to make the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco a technological wonder.

Excerpt: The idea of building a bridge between San Francisco and Oakland had been discussed since the California Gold Rush in the 1840s, but because the water separating the two cities was so wide (more than four miles) and so deep (more than 100 feet in some places), many people thought it would be too challenging and too costly to build. Finally, in 1926, the state of California set up a special commission to plan and build a bridge connecting the two cities. The commission decided that the most suitable solution was to build two separate bridges linked by Yerba Buena Island.

Question: Why did people think it would be too difficult to build the original Bay Bridge?

1. The water at the building site was so wide and deep.
2. Steel would have to be shipped from the East Coast.
3. No suitable locations could be found on each shore.
4. A special commission said there was no money to pay for it.

Selection: I-6

I-6

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1546 words

Author: Henry David Thoreau

Synopsis: Have you ever felt that life is just work, work, work? That's just what Thoreau felt too, over 150 years ago.

Excerpt: As for my own business, even that kind of surveying which I could do with most satisfaction, my employers do not want. They would prefer that I should do my work coarsely and not too well. When I observe that there are different ways of surveying, my employer commonly asks which will give him the most land, not which is most correct.

Question: At the time this essay was written, how did Thoreau make his living?

1. as a surveyor
2. as a banker
3. as a teacher
4. as a lawmaker

Selection: I-17

I-17

Grade level: 9

Word count: 2235 words

Author: Nancy McCloskey

Synopsis: The discovery of the structure of DNA has helped people learn about their heritage.

Excerpt: Decker realized that the project was a good way to teach students about DNA and human migration, and to change their perspective on race. "By giving students this information, tangible evidence, it changes their attitudes on diversity," said Decker. "It brings history to life."

Question: According to Professor Decker, what was the most important benefit of teaching his students about DNA?

1. giving them a new perspective on racial diversity
2. increasing their knowledge of animal migration
3. inspiring them to pursue careers in science
4. providing information about life in ancient times

Selection: I-4

I-4

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1787 words

Author: Patrick Henry

Synopsis: A passionate speaker stirs his audience to make a historical decision.

Excerpt: Henry's speech had stirred up the patriotism of the people, and George Mason, one of the "Founding Fathers" of the United States, was very impressed with the young lawyer's skill as a public speaker. He said about Henry, "He is by far the most powerful speaker I ever heard. Every word he says not only engages but commands the attention, and your passions are no longer your own when he addresses them."

Question: In this excerpt, what is Mason really saying about Henry?

1. His words aroused feelings that inspired people to take action.
2. His words commanded people to do something they didn't want to do.
3. His words were too powerful for the people to understand.
4. His words angered those people who did not agree with him.

Selection: I-1

I-1

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1740 words

Author: Peter Kupfer

Synopsis: Many bright minds came together to make the new Bay Bridge in San Francisco a technological wonder.

Excerpt: The state of California has designated the bridge a "lifeline" structure. What that means is that just surviving a major earthquake without tumbling into the bay is not sufficient. Within a few hours of a big quake, the bridge should be usable by emergency vehicles rushing to provide aid to stricken residents. "There will be damage (in a major quake)," said Nader, "but the damage will be repairable, and the bridge should be quickly returned to service."

Question: If an earthquake were to hit San Francisco, the new Bay Bridge probably

1. would have minor damage.
2. would be irreparably damaged.
3. would have major damage.
4. would have no damage.

Selection: I-12

I-12

Grade level: 9

Word count: 2083 words

Author: Jake Gibson

Synopsis: The term avatar and the concept behind its use in video games have roots in Hindu mythology.

Excerpt: Without that avatar, the user could not enter these fantasy worlds because they are artificial and digitally enhanced environments that can be observed only through a gaming console or computer.

Like the gods in Hindu mythology who cannot visit Earth unless in avatar form, so too users cannot enter the fantasy worlds of their favorite video game without creating an avatar to represent them.

Question: How are Hindu avatars and video game avatars similar?

1. both allow interaction with an otherwise unreachable world
2. both have bodies that are subject to the laws of nature
3. both lack freedom and are destined to a life of struggle
4. both take the form of monsters to show their power

Selection: I-4

I-4

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1787 words

Author: Patrick Henry

Synopsis: A passionate speaker stirs his audience to make a historical decision.

Excerpt: Not long after that, Henry won a fight with the British governor of the colony, Lord Dunsmore, over the return of a large amount of the Virginia troop's gunpowder that the governor had sent to a British ship. The Governor felt the British would be safer if the gunpowder was away from the reach of the troops, but Henry challenged the Governor, who ended up making a large payment to the troops for the gunpowder he had taken.

Question: Why did Lord Dunsmore transport the troop's gunpowder to a ship offshore?

1. He was afraid the troops would use it against the British.
2. He planned to store it in a dry place so it would not be ruined.
3. He wanted to inspect it before returning it to the troops.
4. He was planning to pay the troops a good price for it.

Selection: I-12

I-12

Grade level: 9

Word count: 2083 words

Author: Jake Gibson

Synopsis: The term avatar and the concept behind its use in video games have roots in Hindu mythology.

Excerpt: The prophecy continues with Vishnu incarnating as Kalki, a warrior similar in appearance to the Rama avatar. Kalki is supposed to enter India bearing weapons and riding on a white horse. This final avatar is considered god-like, possessing unlimited power and singlehandedly defeating the invaders in India.

Question: According to the prophecy, what will the people expect to see when the avatar Kalki arrives in India to defeat the foreign invaders?

1. a warrior bearing weapons on a white horse
2. a gold-skinned god descending from heaven
3. a wild animal carrying a demon in its teeth
4. a monster ascending from the seafloor

Selection: I-19

I-19

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1977 words

Author: Karen Berman

Synopsis: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver wants students to appreciate the taste and value of healthful eating.

Excerpt: In 2002, he started a restaurant in London called Fifteen. At the restaurant, he arranged to train 15 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds each year so they could get jobs in the restaurant industry.

Oliver instituted his campaign for better lunches in London's Kidbrooke School, and took his camera crew along to film a TV show.

Soon afterward, Oliver founded a group called Feed Me Better. After drafting an online petition for better school food, he received more than 271,000 signatures.

He began with a show in which he traveled around the country eating different kinds of food. He chose as his target a community in Huntington, West Virginia, a small town known for its poor health statistics.

He called this program "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," using techniques he had developed for "Jamie's School Dinners" and "Jamie's Ministry of Food."

Question: Put the four social activist projects Oliver created in the order in which they occurred, starting with the earliest.

1. He started a restaurant called Fifteen.
2. He instituted a campaign for better lunches at Kidbrooke School.
3. He founded a group called Feed Me Better.
4. He went to West Virgina to start Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

Selection: I-11

I-11

Grade level: 9

Word count: 1755 words

Author: Joan Novelli

Synopsis: Got a wave, a spiral, or a snowflake? There's a mathematical equation for that!

Question: What does the graph of a sound wave of a human heart, as shown in this image, have to do with a fractal pattern?

1. The graph is so similar to a fractal pattern that medical researchers can use it to check a heart's health.
2. The graph, like a fractal pattern, rotates around an axis and therefore always looks the same when it spins.
3. The graph is so different from a fractal pattern that it have no scientific value.
4. Once the graph or a fractal pattern is magnified, the repetition of geometric shapes can no longer be seen.