School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Items: Reading Grade 8

 (1) Selected Response Public Release
Read the story 'Arachne' and 'Damon and Pythias' and answer the following question.

By allowing Pythias to settle his affairs, Dionysus shows that he can be —

  1. brave
  2. compassionate
  3. indifferent
  4. indecisive

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 (2) Selected Response Public Release
Read the story 'Arachne' and 'Damon and Pythias' and answer the following question.

Which of these lines from the myth of Arachne best signals that the climax of the myth is about to occur?

  1. "Let me counsel you to withdraw your words."
  2. "Let her appear and put me to the test."
  3. "... Arachne began to feel doom stealing closer and closer."
  4. "... and immediately began weaving a web of shimmering threads."

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 (3) Selected Response Public Release
Read the story 'Wang Yani' and answer the following question.

In paragraph 3, the author most likely uses the word inspired instead of motivated to emphasize the —

  1. unusual style of Yani's work
  2. connections Yani has to other artists
  3. early start to Yani's career
  4. delight painting brings to Yani

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 (4) Selected Response Public Release
Read the story 'Wang Yani' and answer the following question.

Which of these ideas would be most important to include in a summary of this article?

  1. The reaction of Yani's father when she ruined his painting
  2. The sources of Yani's inspiration for her paintings
  3. Yani's age when her painting was made into a postage stamp
  4. Yani's use of a personal seal to sign her paintings

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_8_008.xml

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 (5) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read the story 'Arachne' and 'Damon and Pythias' and answer the following question.

Choose one sentence from either "Arachne" or "Damon and Pythias" that best expresses the author's message. Explain how the sentence you chose best expresses that message. Support your choice with details from the myth.

Write your answer on your answer document.

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 (6) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read the story 'Arachne' and 'Damon and Pythias' and answer the following question.

How is Athena's disguise important to the myth of Arachne?
Support your answer with details from the myth.

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/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_8_002.xml

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 (7) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read the story 'Wang Yani' and answer the following question.

Think about one of Wang Yani's qualities. Explain how someone you know or have read about also has that quality. Use information from the article to support your answer.

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 (8) Brief Constructed Response Public Release
Read the story 'Wang Yani' and answer the following question.

What advice would Yani probably give to young people? Use details from both the article and the quotation to support your answer.

Write your answer on your answer document.

/share/assessment_items/xml/items/msa_ela_8_007.xml

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