Score Level 3

This response demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of the texts. The selection of the bottom photograph (ghost crabs similarly situated - battling the powerful tide) and the idea of "the simple beauty of the crabs" are supported by expressed information ('ghost crab lying in a pit he had dug just above the surf;' 'a creature in its own world'). Moving beyond the literal, the student clarifies and extends understanding through an in-depth interpretation of the photograph (symbolize the power of outside forces in Carson's essay; triumph of life over the 'harsh realities;' embodies the world of ideas about life itself that Carson strives to describe).

Through an interweaving of literal information and insight, this response demonstrates an understanding of the complexities of the texts. The student selects the top photo (the crab and the ocean as a 'symbol that stood for life itself') and demonstrates an understanding of the figurative significance of both the ocean (metaphor for the vast, harsh relentlessness of life) and the crab (metaphor for the way people overcome changes in life). The student further clarifies and extends understanding by emphasizing the peril of the crab (its alone, facing the ocean) An insightful conclusion completes this thoughtful response. (Photograph one represents the power of life, the vastness of it. Although there is no crab to stand up to the ocean, the photograph effectively describes the metaphor of the ocean as life described by Carson.)