Pre-AP English 1 Practice Test

Reading Passage

Passage from Richard Shelton, Selected Poems 1969–1981, 1982.

The Stones

I love to go out on summer nights and watch the stones grow. I think they grow better here in the desert, where it is warm and dry, than almost anywhere. Or perhaps it is only that the young ones are more active here.

Young stones tend to move about more than their elders consider good

5 for them. Most young stones have a secret desire which their parents had before them but have forgotten ages ago. And because this desire involves water, it is never mentioned. The older stones disapprove of water and say, “Water is a gadfly who never stays in one place long enough to learn anything.” But the young stones try to work themselves into a position,

10 slowly and without their elders noticing it, in which a sizable stream of water during a summer storm might catch them broadside and unknowing, so to speak, push them along over a slope down an arroyo. In spite of the danger this involves, they want to travel and see something of the world and settle in a new place, far from home, where they can raise their own

15 dynasties, away from the domination of their parents.

And although family ties are very strong among stones, many have succeeded; and they carry scars to prove to their children that they once went on a journey, helter-skelter and high water, and traveled perhaps fifteen feet, an incredible distance. As they grow older, they cease to brag

20 about such clandestine adventures.

It is true that old stones get to be very conservative. They consider all movement either dangerous or downright sinful. They remain comfortably where they are and often get fat. Fatness, as a matter of fact, is a mark of distinction.

25 And on summer nights, after the young stones are asleep, the elders turn to a serious and frightening subject—the moon, which is always spoken of in whispers. “See how it glows and whips across the sky, always changing its shape,” one says. And another says, “Feel how it pulls at us, urging us to follow.” And a third whispers, “It is a stone gone mad.”

Which choice best describes the theme of the poem?

Reading Passage

Passage from Richard Shelton, Selected Poems 1969–1981, 1982.

The Stones

I love to go out on summer nights and watch the stones grow. I think they grow better here in the desert, where it is warm and dry, than almost anywhere. Or perhaps it is only that the young ones are more active here.

Young stones tend to move about more than their elders consider good

5 for them. Most young stones have a secret desire which their parents had before them but have forgotten ages ago. And because this desire involves water, it is never mentioned. The older stones disapprove of water and say, “Water is a gadfly who never stays in one place long enough to learn anything.” But the young stones try to work themselves into a position,

10 slowly and without their elders noticing it, in which a sizable stream of water during a summer storm might catch them broadside and unknowing, so to speak, push them along over a slope down an arroyo. In spite of the danger this involves, they want to travel and see something of the world and settle in a new place, far from home, where they can raise their own

15 dynasties, away from the domination of their parents.

And although family ties are very strong among stones, many have succeeded; and they carry scars to prove to their children that they once went on a journey, helter-skelter and high water, and traveled perhaps fifteen feet, an incredible distance. As they grow older, they cease to brag

20 about such clandestine adventures.

It is true that old stones get to be very conservative. They consider all movement either dangerous or downright sinful. They remain comfortably where they are and often get fat. Fatness, as a matter of fact, is a mark of distinction.

25 And on summer nights, after the young stones are asleep, the elders turn to a serious and frightening subject—the moon, which is always spoken of in whispers. “See how it glows and whips across the sky, always changing its shape,” one says. And another says, “Feel how it pulls at us, urging us to follow.” And a third whispers, “It is a stone gone mad.”

Based on the poem, which statement best describes the relationship between the young stones and the old stones?

As used in line 21, “conservative” most nearly means

The Enduring Relevance of Margaret Atwood

(1) Acclaimed author Margaret Atwood remembers being seventeen years old, walking across a football field on her way home from school, and writing a poem. (2) “I wrote a poem in my head and then I wrote it down, and after that writing was the only thing I wanted to do,” she recalls. (3) After she wrote her first poem in 1956, Margaret Atwood continued writing and produced an array of award-winning literature. (4) Her literature has inspired artists, composers, and screenwriters. (5) Her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, first published in 1986, was adapted into a film, an opera, and a miniseries that earns eight Emmy Awards, including the first Outstanding Drama Series for a streaming show. (6) Elizabeth Moss won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the protagonist Offred in the miniseries. (7) Her historical fiction novel Alias Grace, first published in 1996, has been developed into a second streaming miniseries. (8) While many are critical of her work, Atwood’s literature has continued to be relevant and popular due to her focus on the human experience and the importance of human rights.

Which choice most effectively combines sentences 3 and 4 at the underlined portion?

Which choice is the most effective version of the underlined words in sentence 5

The writer is considering deleting sentence 6. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?