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Adapted from Wonderwings and other Fairy Stories by Edith Howes (1900)
Little Fairy Tenderheart was weeping. She sat on a ledge that overlooked the world, and her tears fell fast. In twos and threes her sisters flew from Fairyland to put their arms about her, but none could comfort her. "Come, dance and sing with us and forget your grief," they said. She shook her head. "The terrible fighting!" she said. "See where far below men rage, killing each other. Rivers run red with blood, and the sorrow of weeping women rises through the air to where I sit. How can I dance and sing?"
"It is the world at war," said an older fairy sadly. "I too have wept in earlier days when men have fought. But our tears are wasted, little sister. Come away."
Fairy Tenderheart looked eagerly at her. "You who have observed the world so many years," she said, "tell me why such dreadful deeds are done down there."
The older fairy bent her eyes on the blackened plains of earth. "I cannot tell you that," she slowly said. "We watch and pity, but we cannot know what works in the hearts of men that they should gather in their millions to destroy their brothers and themselves. No other creature turns on its own kind and kills so terribly as man."
The underlined word “observed” most nearly means __________.
“Observed” means watched or noticed. The author says, "'You who have observed the world so many years,' \[Fairy Tenderheart\] said, 'tell me why such dreadful deeds are done down there.'" Here, "observed" is being used to mean watched, especially since the passage's second sentence tells us that Fairy Tenderheart "sat on a ledge and overlooked the world," meaning that she is watching the world.
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Adapted from Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston (1896)
Daniel Webster was a great statesman. As a little boy he was called "Little Black Dan." When he grew larger, he was thin and sickly-looking, but he had large, dark eyes. People called him "All Eyes."
He was very fond of his brother Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a little older than Daniel. Both the boys had fine minds. They wanted to go to college, but their father was poor.
Daniel had not much strength for work on the farm, so little "All Eyes" was sent to school and then to college. Ezekiel stayed at home and worked on the farm.
While Daniel was at school, he was unhappy to think that Ezekiel could not go to college also. He went home on a visit. He talked to Ezekiel about going to college. The brothers talked about it all night. The next day Daniel talked to his father about it. The father said he was too poor to send both of his sons to college. He said he would lose all his little property if he tried to send Ezekiel to college, but if their mother and sisters were willing to be poor, he would send the other son to college.
The mother and sisters were asked. It seemed hard to risk the loss of all they had. It seemed hard not to give Ezekiel a chance. They all shed tears over it.
The boys promised to take care of their mother and sisters if the property should be lost. Then they all agreed that Ezekiel should go to college too.
Daniel taught school while he was studying to help pay the expenses. After Daniel was through his studies in college, he taught school in order to help his brother. When his school closed, he went home. On his way, he went round to the college to see his brother. Finding that Ezekiel needed money, he gave him a hundred dollars. He kept but three dollars to get home with.
The father's property was not sold. The two boys helped the family. Daniel soon began to make money as a lawyer. He knew that his father was in debt. He went home to see him. He said, "Father, I am going to pay your debts."
The father said, "You cannot do it, Daniel. You have not money enough."
"I can do it," said Daniel, "and I will do it before Monday evening."
When Monday evening came round, the father's debts were all paid.
In the context of the passage, which of the following is a synonym of the underlined word "fine?"
Based on the above context, the word "fine" must mean something like "intelligent" or "cunning" because the next sentence discusses how the two boys wanted to attend college. The correct answer choice is "sharp," which means clever and perceptive. None of the other answer choices fit correctly into the specific context above. "Attractive" means pleasing to the senses; "decent" means satisfactory; "unique" means being one of a kind; "juvenile" means childish or inappropriate.
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Adapted from The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook (1902)
One day, a crane was sitting on a rock far out in the water when he heard a voice say, "Grandfather Crane, Grandfather Crane, please come and carry us across the lake." It was the voice of a child and when the crane had come to the shore, he saw two little boys holding each other's hands and crying bitterly.
"Why do you cry?" asked the crane, "and why do you wish to go across the lake, away from your home and friends?"
"We have no friends," said the little boys, crying more bitterly than ever. "We have no father and no mother and a cruel witch troubles us. She tries all the time to do us harm and we are going to run away where she can never find us."
"I will carry you over the lake," said the crane. "Hold on well, but do not touch the back of my head, for if you do, you will fall into the water and go to the bottom of the lake. Will you obey me?"
"Yes, indeed, we will obey," they said. "We will not touch your head, but please come quickly and go as fast as you can. We surely heard the voice of the witch in the woods."
It really was the witch and she was saying over and over to herself, "I will catch them and I will punish them so that they will never run away from me again. They will obey me after I have caught them."
The crane bore the two little boys gently to the other shore and when he came back, there stood the witch.
"Dear, gentle crane," she said, "you are so good to everyone. Will you carry me over the lake? My two dear children are lost in the woods and I have cried bitterly for them all day long."
The spirit of the lake had told the crane to carry across everyone that asked to be taken over, so he said, "Yes, I will carry you across. Hold on well, but do not touch the back of my head, for if you do, you will fall into the water and go to the bottom of the lake. Will you obey me?"
"Yes, indeed, I will," said the witch, but she thought, "He would not be so timid about letting me touch the back of his head if he were not afraid of my magic. I will put my hand on his head and then he will always be in my power." So when they were far out over the lake, she put her hand on the crane's head, and before she could say "Oh!" she was at the bottom of the lake.
"You shall never live in the light again," said the crane, "for you have done no good on earth. You shall be a whitefish."
Which of the following is a synonym of the underlined word "timid?"
The witch declares that the crane "would not be so timid about letting me touch the back of his head if he were not afraid of my magic." We can guess that timid is somewhat related to being afraid, since the witch believes the crane's timid behavior is due to him being afraid of her magic. The best answer choice is "apprehensive," defined as anxious or fearful that something bad will happen.
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Adapted from The Lion and the Mouse by Aesop, translated by Joseph Jacobs (1909)
Once, when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon woke the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.
"Pardon, O King," cried the little Mouse, "forgive me this time and I shall never forget it. Who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.
Some time after, the Lion was caught in a trap and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.
Just then, the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse.
Which of the following is a synonym of the underlined word "gnawed"?
"Gnaw" is defined as to bite or nibble at something persistently, so "bit" is the best answer choice. It fits the context of the sentence because the Mouse bites on the ropes to free the Lion from the trap.
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Adapted from The Fox and the Crow by Aesop, translated by Joseph Jacobs (1909)
A Crow, having stolen a bit of meat, perched in a tree and held it in her beak. A Fox, seeing this, longed to possess the meat himself and by a wily stratagem, succeeded. "How handsome is the Crow," he exclaimed, "in the beauty of her shape and in the fairness of her complexion! Oh, if her voice were only equal to her beauty, she would deservedly be considered the Queen of Birds!"
This he said deceitfully, but the Crow, anxious to refute the reflection cast upon her voice, set up a loud caw and dropped the flesh. The Fox quickly picked it up, and thus addressed the Crow, "My good Crow, your voice is right enough, but your wit is wanting."
Which of the following is a synonym of the underlined word "deceitfully"?
"Deceitfully" is defined as the practice of tricking someone by concealing the truth or outrightly lying. Since "sly" is defined as showing a cunning or deceitful nature, "slyly" is the best answer choice. The other answer choices do not accurately describe the trickery that the Fox used in his attempt to steal the Crow's meat.
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Adapted from The Fox and the Crow by Aesop, translated by Joseph Jacobs (1909)
A Crow, having stolen a bit of meat, perched in a tree and held it in her beak. A Fox, seeing this, longed to possess the meat himself and by a wily stratagem, succeeded. "How handsome is the Crow," he exclaimed, "in the beauty of her shape and in the fairness of her complexion! Oh, if her voice were only equal to her beauty, she would deservedly be considered the Queen of Birds!"
This he said deceitfully, but the Crow, anxious to refute the reflection cast upon her voice, set up a loud caw and dropped the flesh. The Fox quickly picked it up, and thus addressed the Crow, "My good Crow, your voice is right enough, but your wit is wanting."
Which of the following is a synonym of the underlined word "wanting?"
In the context of the passage, "wanting" can be defined as lacking in a certain quality. "Insufficient" is the best answer choice because it means not sufficient or lacking. You can use the context of the sentence to determine that the Fox believes that the Crow's wit is lacking because she was easily tricked by him. It may be tempting to choose "desirable," since a want can be a desire, but it is important to look at the context of the sentence for clues.
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Adapted from "Sea-slugs and Cuttlefish" by Charles Darwin in A Book of Natural History (1902, ed. David Starr Jordan)
I was much interested, on several occasions, by watching the habits of a cuttlefish. Although common in the pools of water left by the retiring tide, these animals were not easily caught. By means of their long arms and suckers, they could drag their bodies into very narrow crevices; and when thus fixed, it required great force to remove them. At other times they darted, with the rapidity of an arrow, from one side of the pool to the other, at the same instant discoloring the water with a dark chestnut-brown ink. These animals also escape detection by a very extraordinary, chameleon-like power of changing their color. They appear to vary their tints according to the nature of the ground over which they pass: when in deep water, their general shade was brownish-purple, but when placed on the land, or in shallow water, this dark tint changed into one of a yellowish green.
This cuttlefish displayed its chameleon-like power both during the act of swimming and whilst remaining stationary at the bottom. I was amused by the various arts to escape detection used by one individual, which seemed fully aware that I was watching it. Remaining for a time motionless, it would then stealthily advance an inch or two, like a cat after a mouse; sometimes changing its color, it proceeded, till having gained a deeper part, it darted away, leaving a dusky train of ink to hide the hole into which it had crawled.
What does the author compare to “like a cat after a mouse"?
In context, the author says, "Remaining for a time motionless, it would then stealthily advance an inch or two, like a cat after a mouse." Although the expression “like a cat after a mouse” seems to indicate something hunting something else, the author is actually using it merely to describe the “stealthy” movement of the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish is moving slowly, an inch at a time, much like a cat that is hunting a mouse.
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Adapted from The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Van Loon (1921)
I am going to take you to the top of the highest pyramid and I am going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed of the eyes of a hawk. Way, way off, in the distance, far beyond the yellow sands of the desert, you will see something green and shimmering. It is a valley situated between two rivers. It is the land of mystery and wonder which the Greeks called Mesopotamia—the "country between the rivers."
The names of the two rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris. They begin their course amidst the snows of the mountains of Armenia and slowly they flow through the southern plain until they reach the muddy banks of the Persian gulf. They perform a very useful service. They turn the arid regions of Western Asia into a fertile garden.
The valley of the Nile had attracted people because it had offered them food upon fairly easy terms. The "land between the rivers" was popular for the same reason. It was a country full of promise and both the inhabitants of the northern mountains and the tribes which roamed through the southern deserts tried to claim this territory as their own and most exclusive possession. The constant rivalry between the mountaineers and the desert-nomads led to endless warfare. Only the strongest and the bravest could hope to survive, and that will explain why Mesopotamia became the home of very strong people_._
When the author says he is “going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed of the eyes of a hawk,” he most nearly means __________.
When the author says he is “going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed of the eyes of a hawk,” he means he wants you to “pretend you can see over very long distances.” Hawks have very good vision over long distances, and the author is creating a scenario whereby his audience is standing atop a pyramid in Egypt and looking all the way, across hundreds of miles, at the plains of Mesopotamia. This is most clearly shown in the sentence that follows the underlined text, where the author says, “Way, way off, in the distance, far beyond the yellow sands of the desert, you will see something green and shimmering.” The key phrase is “way, way off, in the distance."
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The planet Jupiter has many moons. The most well known moons are the four biggest moons. The Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei, discovered these four moons in 1610. They are named Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and lo. The biggest of these four moons is Ganymede with a diameter of 5,262.4 km. In fact, if Ganymede were not bound to Jupiter, it would be considered a planet in its own right. Callisto is almost an exact twin of the planet Mercury, Europa is very smooth, and lo is has many active volcanoes. Although there are 57 moons that have been discovered around Jupiter, these four are the most well known.
Which of Jupiter's moons has a smooth appearance?
The answer is found in this sentence:
"Callisto is almost an exact twin of the planet Mercury, Europa is very smooth, and lo is has many active volcanoes."
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The planet Jupiter has many moons. The most well known moons are the four biggest moons. The Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei, discovered these four moons in 1610. They are named Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and lo. The biggest of these four moons is Ganymede with a diameter of 5,262.4 km. In fact, if Ganymede were not bound to Jupiter, it would be considered a planet in its own right. Callisto is almost an exact twin of the planet Mercury, Europa is very smooth, and lo is has many active volcanoes. Although there are 57 moons that have been discovered around Jupiter, these four are the most well known.
Who discovered the four biggest moons of Jupiter?
The answer is ifound in this sentence:
"The Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei, discovered these four moons in 1610."
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Keeping Gusland Amusement Park clean is no small task. Workers use 900 brooms, 90 dust pans and 800 mops a year to keep the park looking its best. Workers collect approximately 12 tons of trash during a busy day—about 8.7 million pounds annually, but not all of the refuse collected in the park goes to the landfill. Every year, Gusland Park recycles approximately 3.1 million pounds of cardboard; 1.1 million pounds of green waste; 270,000 pounds of office paper; 331,260 pounds of glass bottles; 270,280 pounds of plastic bottles; and 14,240 pounds of aluminum cans. The streets of Gusland are washed and steam-cleaned after closing each day. Keeping Gusland looking clean takes teamwork and a lot of hard work!
About how many pounds of trash are collected each year at Gusland Park?
The correct answer is in this sentence:
"They collect approximately 12 tons of trash during a busy day—about 8.7 million pounds annually."
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California is a beautiful state! It became a state on September 9, 1850. Its capital City is Sacramento. California is approximately 158,706 square miles and is the 3rd largest state in the USA. The population is roughly 37,679,000 residents. Its largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. California borders Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.
When did California earn its statehood?
Use the information from this sentence to answer the question:
"It became a state on September 9, 1850."
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California is a beautiful state! It became a state on September 9, 1850. Its capital City is Sacramento. California is approximately 158,706 square miles and is the 3rd largest state in the USA. The population is roughly 37,679,000 residents. Its largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. California borders Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.
Which is not one of the largest cities in California?
Use the information from the passage to answer the question:
"Its largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco."
Sacramento is a city in California. Its the state's capital, but it is not listed as one of the largest cities.
Therefore, Sacramento is NOT one of the largest cities in California.
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Adapted from A Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens (1905)
King Henry the Seventh did not turn out to be as fine a man as the nobility and people hoped, in the first joy of their parting from Richard the Third. He was very cold, crafty, and calculating, and would do almost anything for money. He possessed considerable ability, but his chief merit appears to have been that he was not cruel when there was nothing to be gained by being so.
What was King Henry the Seventh’s best quality?
According to the author, King Henry the Seventh was not as good a man as people had hoped he would be. Instead, the author describes his many negative qualities before conceding that the King was, at least, never cruel when he did not have to be.
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Adapted from Ten Great Events in History by James Johannot (1887)
The children of Germany and France caught the madness of the hour, and resolved upon a crusade of their own. Inspired by the preaching of a fanatical priest named Nicholas, twenty thousand young boys assembled at Cologne. They came from all ranks of life; the heir of the proud noble marched side by side with the son of the humblest peasant. Sisters, priests, and servants joined the throng, swelling the numbers and adding to the confusion. They stayed in Cologne for several weeks, set back by chaos and disease. Eventually the ill-fated group set off for the Holy Land, but their difficulties were just beginning.
Who helped inspire the Children’s Crusade?
In the second and third lines of the passage, the author specifically mentions how twenty thousand young boys were “Inspired by the preaching of a fanatical priest named Nicholas."
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Adapted from Ten Great Events in History by James Johannot (1887)
The children of Germany and France caught the madness of the hour, and resolved upon a crusade of their own. Inspired by the preaching of a fanatical priest named Nicholas, twenty thousand young boys assembled at Cologne. They came from all ranks of life; the heir of the proud noble marched side by side with the son of the humblest peasant. Sisters, priests, and servants joined the throng, swelling the numbers and adding to the confusion. They stayed in Cologne for several weeks, set back by chaos and disease. Eventually the ill-fated group set off for the Holy Land, but their difficulties were just beginning.
Which of these was not a setback encountered by the crusaders in Cologne?
In the fourth and fifth lines, the author specifically mentions the factors of “confusion”, “chaos and disease” which cause the crusaders to be delayed. There is no mention of warfare as a hindrance.
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Adapted from A Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens (1905)
France was a far richer country than Scotland, and the new King was eager to conquer it. So, he left Scotland alone, and pretended that he had a claim to the French throne. He had, in reality, no right at all; but that mattered little in those times. He brought over to his cause many little princes and rulers and with these forces Edward invaded France; but he achieved little by that, except running himself into debt. The next year he did better; gaining the harbor of Sluys. This success, however, was very short-lived, for the King’s allies took fright at the siege of Saint Omer and ran away, leaving their weapons and allegiance behind them. When Philip, the French King, arrived with his army some moments later, Edward proposed to settle the difference by single combat with him. The French King said, he thanked him; but seeing as how the English King was without allies the French King would take his chances.
Why would the King rather capture France than Scotland?
In the first sentence of the passage, the author states, “France was a far richer country than Scotland, and the new King was eager to conquer it.”
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Adapted from A Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens (1905)
France was a far richer country than Scotland, and the new King was eager to conquer it. So, he left Scotland alone, and pretended that he had a claim to the French throne. He had, in reality, no right at all; but that mattered little in those times. He brought over to his cause many little princes and rulers and with these forces Edward invaded France; but he achieved little by that, except running himself into debt. The next year he did better; gaining the harbor of Sluys. This success, however, was very short-lived, for the King’s allies took fright at the siege of Saint Omer and ran away, leaving their weapons and allegiance behind them. When Philip, the French King, arrived with his army some moments later, Edward proposed to settle the difference by single combat with him. The French King said, he thanked him; but seeing as how the English King was without allies the French King would take his chances.
When does the English King lose his allies?
In the sixth sentence of the passage, the author says that “the King’s allies took fright at the siege of Saint Omer and ran away.”
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Adapted from The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 2., No. 24 (June, 1898)
There is a very interesting account of the origin of the Red Cross Society. About forty years ago, M. Henry Dimont, a native of Switzerland, having witnessed the unnecessary suffering of the wounded, from lack of care, at the battle of Solferino, published a book, pointing out the necessity of forming a group of nurses to work in the cause of humanity in time of war, regardless of nationality of the injured, and who should be permitted to aid the wounded on the battle-field, under the protection of a flag which should be recognized as neutral. So much interest was taken in the idea that the outcome was a convention held at Geneva in 1864, which was attended by representatives from sixteen of the great nations of the world, who signed an agreement that they would protect members of the association when caring for the wounded on the field of battle. It was decided that the work of the Red Cross Society should not be confined to times of war, but that in case of disasters and calamities the organization was to provide aid. During the past seventeen years the American Red Cross Society has served in fifteen disasters and famines, and Russians, Armenians, and Cubans have all received aid from this society.
Which of these nationalities does the article NOT mention as receiving help from the Red Cross Society?
At the end of the passage the author mentions how the “Russians, Armenians, and Cubans” have all received aid from the Red Cross. Although Henry Dimont is from Switzerland, there is no mention of the Red Cross helping the Swiss.
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Adapted from The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 2., No. 24 (June, 1898)
There is a very interesting account of the origin of the Red Cross Society. About forty years ago, M. Henry Dimont, a native of Switzerland, having witnessed the unnecessary suffering of the wounded, from lack of care, at the battle of Solferino, published a book, pointing out the necessity of forming a group of nurses to work in the cause of humanity in time of war, regardless of nationality of the injured, and who should be permitted to aid the wounded on the battle-field, under the protection of a flag which should be recognized as neutral. So much interest was taken in the idea that the outcome was a convention held at Geneva in 1864, which was attended by representatives from sixteen of the great nations of the world, who signed an agreement that they would protect members of the association when caring for the wounded on the field of battle. It was decided that the work of the Red Cross Society should not be confined to times of war, but that in case of disasters and calamities the organization was to provide aid. During the past seventeen years the American Red Cross Society has served in fifteen disasters and famines, and Russians, Armenians, and Cubans have all received aid from this society.
The Red Cross Society was quickly expanded to include __________.
Shortly after its inception, the Red Cross Society expanded to include disaster relief. The passage says: “It was decided that the work of the Red Cross Society should not be confined to times of war, but that in case of disasters and calamities the organization was to provide aid.”
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