Heroes rise from adversity. That theme forms the focus of the critical lens essay in a sample comprehensive English examination. The exam, which is part of a larger series of sample standardized tests, also includes two short response questions and 25 multiple-choice questions. A third of the multiple-choice items are based on a dictation passage, while the other two-thirds connect to two first-person literary and informational passages as well as a poem.

Concepts

test preparation, reading comprehension, essay writing

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Find one or two additional texts related to the controlling idea of life choices and have learners practice answering the first short response question with those texts
• Review common literary elements and literary techniques before administering the exam

Classroom Considerations

• Use the conversion chart to compare raw student scores to where they would fall on the official test scale

Pros

• Includes passages from modern and high-interest texts, such as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
• Provides rubrics to help grade the essay and short response questions

Cons

• The final essay requires that readers have previously read novels that fit the theme

Common Core

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.4 RL.9-10.5 RL.11-12.1 RL.11-12.2 RL.11-12.5 RI.11-12.1 RI.11-12.4 W.9-10.9.a W.11-12.9.a