1.
Practice 1: Good Enough for Grandma?
Mom was busy in the kitchen when my brother Marco and I got home from school Friday. "Did you remember your grandmother's coming today?" she asked.
"Sure, Mom," we laughed. "Didn't you notice we cleaned our rooms?"
Mom smiled. "Thanks. I know I shouldn't be nervous, but my mother hasn't been here in almost six years! As I was growing up, her house always looked perfect. So I want everything to be . . . well . . ."
"Perfect," I said with a smile. "What else can we do to help before she gets here?"
Mom looked around, "You two could set the table. Use the good china . . . and be very careful with the glasses. . . . Grandma gave those to your dad and me before you were born!"
As Mom prepared a sumptuous meal, Marco and I set the table. We carefully put a plate, glass, and silverware at each place. I taught Marco how to line up the forks on the left side of each plate and the knives and spoons on the right. In the center of the table, we placed a set of tall white candles. Then we stepped back and looked at our work. It seemed something was missing. "What's missing?" I asked Marco.
"Napkins?" he asked. "And I don't think Mom would want us to use paper ones!"
We both laughed. Marco opened a drawer and took out the nice cloth napkins Mom saved for special occasions. The soft white squares were folded in the middle, and we placed one on each plate. "Do you think that looks good enough?" I mumbled.
"No," Marco whispered. "Let's make them look fancier. Remember that restaurant we went to last year? Their napkins were folded to look like crowns! Now that was elegant!"
I nodded and unfolded the cloth napkin in front of me. "Look," I said, pointing to the creases in the cloth, "these lines make triangle shapes. That gives me a great idea! Let's do origami . . . that'll make the napkins unique!"
Marco looked confused, so I explained, "Origami's a kind of folding art. People usually use paper, but you can use cloth. You make boats, birds, or flowers just by folding. No glue, tape, or staples are needed!"
Mom overheard us. "I know how to make an origami bird and flower," she said. She quickly folded a napkin, then unfolded it to show us how the shapes fit together.
Just then, Dad came home from work and showed us how to make a crown and a boat. "Okay," he said, "in 20 minutes your Grandma will walk through that door. Better get these napkins folded once and for all!"
We did. We placed a different origami napkin on each plate. Now, the table looked elegant! And just in time.
Grandma arrived by taxi and shared hugs all around. She gave us gifts from a bag labeled ORLY AIRPORT- PARIS. Then, as she walked into the dining room, she said, “Oh my, who fixed these fabulous folded napkins? I’ve never seen anything so perfect!”
We all smiled . . . happy that Grandma thought Mom's home was perfect, too!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION: You can draw a conclusion that Marco is younger than the narrator because
Correct Answer
C. The narrator teaches him how to set a table and explains what origami is.
Explanation
The correct answer is "the narrator teaches him how to set a table and explains what origami is." This implies that Marco is younger because the narrator is taking on a teaching role and explaining something to him. This suggests that Marco is still learning and the narrator is guiding him.
2.
Practice 1: Good Enough for Grandma?
Mom was busy in the kitchen when my brother Marco and I got home from school Friday. "Did you remember your grandmother's coming today?" she asked.
"Sure, Mom," we laughed. "Didn't you notice we cleaned our rooms?"
Mom smiled. "Thanks. I know I shouldn't be nervous, but my mother hasn't been here in almost six years! As I was growing up, her house always looked perfect. So I want everything to be . . . well . . ."
"Perfect," I said with a smile. "What else can we do to help before she gets here?"
Mom looked around, "You two could set the table. Use the good china . . . and be very careful with the glasses. . . . Grandma gave those to your dad and me before you were born!"
As Mom prepared a sumptuous meal, Marco and I set the table. We carefully put a plate, glass, and silverware at each place. I taught Marco how to line up the forks on the left side of each plate and the knives and spoons on the right. In the center of the table, we placed a set of tall white candles. Then we stepped back and looked at our work. It seemed something was missing. "What's missing?" I asked Marco.
"Napkins?" he asked. "And I don't think Mom would want us to use paper ones!"
We both laughed. Marco opened a drawer and took out the nice cloth napkins Mom saved for special occasions. The soft white squares were folded in the middle, and we placed one on each plate. "Do you think that looks good enough?" I mumbled.
"No," Marco whispered. "Let's make them look fancier. Remember that restaurant we went to last year? Their napkins were folded to look like crowns! Now that was elegant!"
I nodded and unfolded the cloth napkin in front of me. "Look," I said, pointing to the creases in the cloth, "these lines make triangle shapes. That gives me a great idea! Let's do origami . . . that'll make the napkins unique!"
Marco looked confused, so I explained, "Origami's a kind of folding art. People usually use paper, but you can use cloth. You make boats, birds, or flowers just by folding. No glue, tape, or staples are needed!"
Mom overheard us. "I know how to make an origami bird and flower," she said. She quickly folded a napkin, then unfolded it to show us how the shapes fit together.
Just then, Dad came home from work and showed us how to make a crown and a boat. "Okay," he said, "in 20 minutes your Grandma will walk through that door. Better get these napkins folded once and for all!"
We did. We placed a different origami napkin on each plate. Now, the table looked elegant! And just in time.
Grandma arrived by taxi and shared hugs all around. She gave us gifts from a bag labeled ORLY AIRPORT- PARIS. Then, as she walked into the dining room, she said, “Oh my, who fixed these fabulous folded napkins? I’ve never seen anything so perfect!”
We all smiled . . . happy that Grandma thought Mom's home was perfect, too!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION: Why might you conclude that Grandma lives in France?
Correct Answer
B. She had a bag labeled PARIS.
Explanation
Based on the information given in the passage, the only piece of evidence that suggests Grandma lives in France is that she had a bag labeled PARIS. This indicates that she may have been in Paris recently or that she has some connection to the city. The other options, such as coming in a taxi, not visiting in six years, or liking to hug people, do not provide any direct evidence or connection to France.
3.
Practice 1: Good Enough for Grandma?
Mom was busy in the kitchen when my brother Marco and I got home from school Friday. "Did you remember your grandmother's coming today?" she asked.
"Sure, Mom," we laughed. "Didn't you notice we cleaned our rooms?"
Mom smiled. "Thanks. I know I shouldn't be nervous, but my mother hasn't been here in almost six years! As I was growing up, her house always looked perfect. So I want everything to be . . . well . . ."
"Perfect," I said with a smile. "What else can we do to help before she gets here?"
Mom looked around, "You two could set the table. Use the good china . . . and be very careful with the glasses. . . . Grandma gave those to your dad and me before you were born!"
As Mom prepared a sumptuous meal, Marco and I set the table. We carefully put a plate, glass, and silverware at each place. I taught Marco how to line up the forks on the left side of each plate and the knives and spoons on the right. In the center of the table, we placed a set of tall white candles. Then we stepped back and looked at our work. It seemed something was missing. "What's missing?" I asked Marco.
"Napkins?" he asked. "And I don't think Mom would want us to use paper ones!"
We both laughed. Marco opened a drawer and took out the nice cloth napkins Mom saved for special occasions. The soft white squares were folded in the middle, and we placed one on each plate. "Do you think that looks good enough?" I mumbled.
"No," Marco whispered. "Let's make them look fancier. Remember that restaurant we went to last year? Their napkins were folded to look like crowns! Now that was elegant!"
I nodded and unfolded the cloth napkin in front of me. "Look," I said, pointing to the creases in the cloth, "these lines make triangle shapes. That gives me a great idea! Let's do origami . . . that'll make the napkins unique!"
Marco looked confused, so I explained, "Origami's a kind of folding art. People usually use paper, but you can use cloth. You make boats, birds, or flowers just by folding. No glue, tape, or staples are needed!"
Mom overheard us. "I know how to make an origami bird and flower," she said. She quickly folded a napkin, then unfolded it to show us how the shapes fit together.
Just then, Dad came home from work and showed us how to make a crown and a boat. "Okay," he said, "in 20 minutes your Grandma will walk through that door. Better get these napkins folded once and for all!"
We did. We placed a different origami napkin on each plate. Now, the table looked elegant! And just in time.
Grandma arrived by taxi and shared hugs all around. She gave us gifts from a bag labeled ORLY AIRPORT- PARIS. Then, as she walked into the dining room, she said, “Oh my, who fixed these fabulous folded napkins? I’ve never seen anything so perfect!”
We all smiled . . . happy that Grandma thought Mom's home was perfect, too!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION: What conclusion can you draw about an everyday meal at Marco's house?
Correct Answer
D. The family uses paper napkins.
Explanation
Based on the information given in the passage, the conclusion that can be drawn about an everyday meal at Marco's house is that the family uses paper napkins. This can be inferred from the conversation between Marco and his brother where they joke about using paper napkins, indicating that they do not typically use them for everyday meals.
4.
Practice 1: Good Enough for Grandma?
Mom was busy in the kitchen when my brother Marco and I got home from school Friday. "Did you remember your grandmother's coming today?" she asked.
"Sure, Mom," we laughed. "Didn't you notice we cleaned our rooms?"
Mom smiled. "Thanks. I know I shouldn't be nervous, but my mother hasn't been here in almost six years! As I was growing up, her house always looked perfect. So I want everything to be . . . well . . ."
"Perfect," I said with a smile. "What else can we do to help before she gets here?"
Mom looked around, "You two could set the table. Use the good china . . . and be very careful with the glasses. . . . Grandma gave those to your dad and me before you were born!"
As Mom prepared a sumptuous meal, Marco and I set the table. We carefully put a plate, glass, and silverware at each place. I taught Marco how to line up the forks on the left side of each plate and the knives and spoons on the right. In the center of the table, we placed a set of tall white candles. Then we stepped back and looked at our work. It seemed something was missing. "What's missing?" I asked Marco.
"Napkins?" he asked. "And I don't think Mom would want us to use paper ones!"
We both laughed. Marco opened a drawer and took out the nice cloth napkins Mom saved for special occasions. The soft white squares were folded in the middle, and we placed one on each plate. "Do you think that looks good enough?" I mumbled.
"No," Marco whispered. "Let's make them look fancier. Remember that restaurant we went to last year? Their napkins were folded to look like crowns! Now that was elegant!"
I nodded and unfolded the cloth napkin in front of me. "Look," I said, pointing to the creases in the cloth, "these lines make triangle shapes. That gives me a great idea! Let's do origami . . . that'll make the napkins unique!"
Marco looked confused, so I explained, "Origami's a kind of folding art. People usually use paper, but you can use cloth. You make boats, birds, or flowers just by folding. No glue, tape, or staples are needed!"
Mom overheard us. "I know how to make an origami bird and flower," she said. She quickly folded a napkin, then unfolded it to show us how the shapes fit together.
Just then, Dad came home from work and showed us how to make a crown and a boat. "Okay," he said, "in 20 minutes your Grandma will walk through that door. Better get these napkins folded once and for all!"
We did. We placed a different origami napkin on each plate. Now, the table looked elegant! And just in time.
Grandma arrived by taxi and shared hugs all around. She gave us gifts from a bag labeled ORLY AIRPORT- PARIS. Then, as she walked into the dining room, she said, “Oh my, who fixed these fabulous folded napkins? I’ve never seen anything so perfect!”
We all smiled . . . happy that Grandma thought Mom's home was perfect, too!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION: From the story, what can you conclude about the narrator and Marco?
Correct Answer
A. They usually don't keep their rooms clean!
Explanation
The correct answer is "They usually don't keep their rooms clean!" This can be concluded from the conversation between the narrator, Marco, and their mother. When their mother asked if they remembered their grandmother was coming, they responded by saying they cleaned their rooms. This implies that cleaning their rooms is not a regular occurrence for them, suggesting that they usually don't keep their rooms clean.
5.
Practice 2: Time After Time Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow How do we know what time it is? Earth is divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour in a day. All locations within one zone share the same time. MARKING MERIDIANS How do we know where one time zone starts and another ends? Picture the world as a large orange—not that color or fruitiness, just that shape. Well, time zones are divided by meridians—imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole (the top of the orange to the bottom). The meridians split the world into sections, like equal slices of orange. The prime, or zero, meridian runs through Greenwich, England. By international agreement in 1884, that's been the starting point from which all time is calculated. TIME MARCHES ON Doesn't it appear that the sun moves from east to west? Well, it doesn't. Earth actually turns from west to east as it rotates on its axis. And like Earth, time moves from west to east. So from that prime meridian in Greenwich, you add one hour for each time zone as you move east. You subtract one hour for each zone as you move west. Let's say you're in London, England, and it's 3 P.M. on Monday. You want to know what time it is in Paris, France, to the east. Just add one hour for each time zone between the two cities and you'll discover it's 4 P.M. on Monday in Paris. If you want to know the time to the west, subtract an hour per zone. You discover that when it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 10 A.M. in New York, 9 A.M. in Chicago, 8 A.M. in Denver, and 7 A.M. in Los Angeles. Farther west, across the Pacific Ocean, time continues to change hour by hour. Finally, about halfway around the world from England, an imaginary zigzag line forms the International Dateline . . . and suddenly it's another day! If it weren't, you'd continue going west and get back to London before you left! But instead, if it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 7 P.M. on Tuesday in Hong Kong! QUESTION: If you lived in Chicago, what could you conclude about time in Denver?
Correct Answer
C. It would be one hour earlier than in Chicago.
Explanation
Based on the information provided in the passage, if you move west from Chicago to Denver, you subtract one hour for each time zone. Since Chicago is in the Central Time Zone and Denver is in the Mountain Time Zone, it can be concluded that Denver is one hour behind Chicago. Therefore, the correct answer is that the time in Denver would be one hour earlier than in Chicago.
6.
Practice 2: Time After Time
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow
How do we know what time it is? Earth is divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour in a day. All locations within one zone share the same time.
MARKING MERIDIANS
How do we know where one time zone starts and another ends? Picture the world as a large orange—not that color or fruitiness, just that shape. Well, time zones are divided by meridians—imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole (the top of the orange to the bottom). The meridians split the world into sections, like equal slices of orange. The prime, or zero, meridian runs through Greenwich, England. By international agreement in 1884, that's been the starting point from which all time is calculated.
TIME MARCHES ON
Doesn't it appear that the sun moves from east to west? Well, it doesn't. Earth actually turns from west to east as it rotates on its axis. And like Earth, time moves from west to east. So from that prime meridian in Greenwich, you add one hour for each time zone as you move east. You subtract one hour for each zone as you move west.
Let's say you're in London, England, and it's 3 P.M. on Monday. You want to know what time it is in Paris, France, to the east. Just add one hour for each time zone between the two cities and you'll discover it's 4 P.M. on Monday in Paris.
If you want to know the time to the west, subtract an hour per zone. You discover that when it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 10 A.M. in New York, 9 A.M. in Chicago, 8 A.M. in Denver, and 7 A.M. in Los Angeles. Farther west, across the Pacific Ocean, time continues to change hour by hour. Finally, about halfway around the world from England, an imaginary zigzag line forms the International Dateline . . . and suddenly it's another day! If it weren't, you'd continue going west and get back to London before you left! But instead, if it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 7 P.M. on Tuesday in Hong Kong!
QUESTION: If it were noon in Chicago, what could you conclude?
Correct Answer
D. All of the above
Explanation
The correct answer is "all of the above". Based on the information given in the passage, if it is noon in Chicago, it would be one hour earlier in Denver (subtracting one hour per time zone as you move west), one hour later in New York (adding one hour per time zone as you move east), and it could also already be the next day somewhere in the world, depending on how far west you go. Therefore, all of the given options are correct conclusions.
7.
Practice 2: Time After Time
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow
How do we know what time it is? Earth is divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour in a day. All locations within one zone share the same time.
MARKING MERIDIANS
How do we know where one time zone starts and another ends? Picture the world as a large orange—not that color or fruitiness, just that shape. Well, time zones are divided by meridians—imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole (the top of the orange to the bottom). The meridians split the world into sections, like equal slices of orange. The prime, or zero, meridian runs through Greenwich, England. By international agreement in 1884, that's been the starting point from which all time is calculated.
TIME MARCHES ON
Doesn't it appear that the sun moves from east to west? Well, it doesn't. Earth actually turns from west to east as it rotates on its axis. And like Earth, time moves from west to east. So from that prime meridian in Greenwich, you add one hour for each time zone as you move east. You subtract one hour for each zone as you move west.
Let's say you're in London, England, and it's 3 P.M. on Monday. You want to know what time it is in Paris, France, to the east. Just add one hour for each time zone between the two cities and you'll discover it's 4 P.M. on Monday in Paris.
If you want to know the time to the west, subtract an hour per zone. You discover that when it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 10 A.M. in New York, 9 A.M. in Chicago, 8 A.M. in Denver, and 7 A.M. in Los Angeles. Farther west, across the Pacific Ocean, time continues to change hour by hour. Finally, about halfway around the world from England, an imaginary zigzag line forms the International Dateline . . . and suddenly it's another day! If it weren't, you'd continue going west and get back to London before you left! But instead, if it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 7 P.M. on Tuesday in Hong Kong!
QUESTION: What can you conclude from the words, By international agreement . . . in paragraph 2?
Correct Answer
C. All the countries of the world use these time zones.
Explanation
The phrase "By international agreement" suggests that the concept of time zones is universally accepted and applied by all countries. It implies that all countries of the world have agreed to use these time zones as a standard for calculating time. Therefore, the correct answer is "All the countries of the world use these time zones."
8.
Practice 2: Time After Time
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow
How do we know what time it is? Earth is divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour in a day. All locations within one zone share the same time.
MARKING MERIDIANS
How do we know where one time zone starts and another ends? Picture the world as a large orange—not that color or fruitiness, just that shape. Well, time zones are divided by meridians—imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole (the top of the orange to the bottom). The meridians split the world into sections, like equal slices of orange. The prime, or zero, meridian runs through Greenwich, England. By international agreement in 1884, that's been the starting point from which all time is calculated.
TIME MARCHES ON
Doesn't it appear that the sun moves from east to west? Well, it doesn't. Earth actually turns from west to east as it rotates on its axis. And like Earth, time moves from west to east. So from that prime meridian in Greenwich, you add one hour for each time zone as you move east. You subtract one hour for each zone as you move west.
Let's say you're in London, England, and it's 3 P.M. on Monday. You want to know what time it is in Paris, France, to the east. Just add one hour for each time zone between the two cities and you'll discover it's 4 P.M. on Monday in Paris.
If you want to know the time to the west, subtract an hour per zone. You discover that when it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 10 A.M. in New York, 9 A.M. in Chicago, 8 A.M. in Denver, and 7 A.M. in Los Angeles. Farther west, across the Pacific Ocean, time continues to change hour by hour. Finally, about halfway around the world from England, an imaginary zigzag line forms the International Dateline . . . and suddenly it's another day! If it weren't, you'd continue going west and get back to London before you left! But instead, if it's 3 P.M. on Monday in London, it's 7 P.M. on Tuesday in Hong Kong!
QUESTION: After reading the article, the best conclusion I can draw is that...
Correct Answer
A. If you know the time in one place, you can figure out the time in other places.
Explanation
The best conclusion that can be drawn from the article is that if you know the time in one place, you can figure out the time in other places. This is because the Earth is divided into time zones, and as you move east or west, the time changes by one hour for each time zone. The article explains how the meridians and the prime meridian in Greenwich, England, are used to calculate and determine the time in different locations. Therefore, by knowing the time in one place, you can calculate the time in other places based on their respective time zones.
9.
Practice 3: Your Crowning Glory
Human hair may be curly or straight, and either a blonde-haired person, red, brown, black, white, or a mixture thereof. But everyone's hair is relatively the same in the way it grows.
Hair is a threadlike structure that grows from the skin. Below the scalp, at the bottom of each hair, is a tiny pit called a follicle. It leads down to the hair's root. Cells at the base of the root begin to move up. As they do, they harden and become a strand of hair.
The hair on your head grows in stages. Follicles actively produce hair for three to six years, then rest for about three months. There's an average of 100,000 hairs on the human head, and about 10% are resting at any given time. We lose about 70–100 hairs every day from our resting follicles!
Sometimes it seems your hair grows fast, but it normally grows less than inch (13 mm) a month. Children's hair grows faster than adults' hair, and everyone's hair grows faster in summer than winter!
QUESTION: You can conclude that about 90% of the follicles on your head...
Correct Answer
C. Are producing hair at this time.
Explanation
About 90% of the follicles on your head are producing hair at this time. The passage states that there are an average of 100,000 hairs on the human head, and about 10% are resting at any given time. This implies that the remaining 90% of the follicles are actively producing hair.
10.
Practice 3: Your Crowning Glory
Human hair may be curly or straight, and either a blonde-haired person, red, brown, black, white, or a mixture thereof. But everyone's hair is relatively the same in the way it grows.
Hair is a threadlike structure that grows from the skin. Below the scalp, at the bottom of each hair, is a tiny pit called a follicle. It leads down to the hair's root. Cells at the base of the root begin to move up. As they do, they harden and become a strand of hair.
The hair on your head grows in stages. Follicles actively produce hair for three to six years, then rest for about three months. There's an average of 100,000 hairs on the human head, and about 10% are resting at any given time. We lose about 70–100 hairs every day from our resting follicles!
Sometimes it seems your hair grows fast, but it normally grows less than inch (13 mm) a month. Children's hair grows faster than adults' hair, and everyone's hair grows faster in summer than winter!
QUESTION: If it is winter, you can conclude that...
Correct Answer
A. Your hair is growing slower than it did last summer.
Explanation
In the passage, it is mentioned that everyone's hair grows faster in summer than in winter. Therefore, if it is winter, it can be concluded that the hair is growing slower than it did last summer.
11.
Practice 3: Your Crowning Glory
Human hair may be curly or straight, and either a blonde-haired person, red, brown, black, white, or a mixture thereof. But everyone's hair is relatively the same in the way it grows.
Hair is a threadlike structure that grows from the skin. Below the scalp, at the bottom of each hair, is a tiny pit called a follicle. It leads down to the hair's root. Cells at the base of the root begin to move up. As they do, they harden and become a strand of hair.
The hair on your head grows in stages. Follicles actively produce hair for three to six years, then rest for about three months. There's an average of 100,000 hairs on the human head, and about 10% are resting at any given time. We lose about 70–100 hairs every day from our resting follicles!
Sometimes it seems your hair grows fast, but it normally grows less than inch (13 mm) a month. Children's hair grows faster than adults' hair, and everyone's hair grows faster in summer than winter!
QUESTION: What might you logically conclude about the growth of hair in summer?
Correct Answer
D. Heat and sweat make hair grow faster
Explanation
In the given passage, it is mentioned that everyone's hair grows faster in summer than winter. This implies that heat and sweat have a stimulating effect on hair growth. Therefore, it can be logically concluded that heat and sweat make hair grow faster.