Selection: L-21

L-21

Grade level: 12

Word count: 3146 words

Author: Stephen Crane

Synopsis: Four men, trapped in a small boat after their ship sinks, face an uncertain future.

Excerpt: A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high.

Question: The narrator compares sitting in the lifeboat to

1. riding a wild horse.
2. running through a dark, unfamiliar woods.
3. falling from a cliff.
4. sitting in a speeding carriage.

Selection: L-24

L-24

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2818 words

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer

Synopsis: The General Prologue is the first part of a text written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Here, the first half of the Prologue is presented.

Excerpt: There was also in our company a nun, a PRIORESS, called Madam Eglantine, a demure and simply-smiling lady; she could chant by heart the whole of the divine service, sweetly entuning it through her nose; she spoke French well and properly as it is spoken at the school of Stratford-le-Bow, but the French of Paris was to her unknown. Her table manners were precisely well bred and delicate; she never let a morsel fall from her lips nor let a stain of sauce drip upon her napkin; she was very cheerful, pleasant, and amiable in bearing, and took great pains to behave in impeccable fashion, to be stately in manner, and to appear worthy of reverence. She kept several little dogs, which she fed with roast meat, or milk, and fine bread, but she wept if one of them died or if someone hit it smartly with a stick; so charitable and piteous was her nature that a dead or bleeding mouse in a trap would wring her heart. Her cloak was exquisitely sewn; on her arm was a pair of beads of small coral, garnished with green, from which depended a handsome gold brooch, with a great A engraved upon it, and underneath, the motto, "Amor vincit Omnia" ("Love conquers all").

Question: The Prioress was the head of a priory, or a religious house. In this excerpt, Chaucer included descriptions of her "well-bred and delicate" table manners, her "impeccable fashion," and her devotion to her little dogs to whom she fed "roast meat, or milk, and fine bread" to imply

1. she was more concerned about appearing aristocratic than being pious.
2. her dedication to charity was surpassed only by her dedication to prayer.
3. most religious leaders did not know how to behave in a social setting.
4. a person who mistreats animals is very likely to mistreat other people.

Selection: L-11

L-11

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2359 words

Author: Diane Lang

Synopsis: Two techie students challenge themselves to develop an innovative means of transportation.

Excerpt: Right before February recess, Ariel's physics teacher approached her after class. "Hey, here's something you might find interesting," he said, handing her a pamphlet. "It's a national competition; so winning is probably a long shot, but with your talent, you've got a decent chance."

Question: When Ariel's teacher approached her about the contest, his tone could be described as

1. straightforward and encouraging.
2. vague and discouraging.
3. demanding and confident.
4. cautious and indifferent.

Selection: L-31

L-31

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2141 words

Author: Luke Cooper

Synopsis: Landscape architect Frederic Law Olmsted was a mastermind of great urban sanctuaries, including New York's Central Park.

Excerpt: The ability to create the illusion of seclusion in the heart of one of the world's busiest metropolises is a feat unmatched before or since. "This isn't a piece of natural landscape that someone has put a fence around," observed writer Adam Gopnik. "Just the opposite. It's a stage set. ... It's every bit as artificial as Disney World."

Question: What did writer Adam Gopnik mean when he described Central Park as "a stage set"?

1. It was a man-made site with every detail added for a specific purpose.
2. It was a piece of natural landscape surrounded by a fence to protect it.
3. It was a place where people had to be quiet to experience the sounds of nature.
4. It was a stage on which people could act out their frustrations with city life.