Name: Date:

Campus (circle one): SE NC SW EE G NF BrO W FW NS E WO NB Teacher: ______________

YES Prep Public Schools

Unit 1 Exam
English I
September 2017
Multiple Choice + Free Response: 90 minutes
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for their own behavior. Honesty, integrity, and respect for each other are expected at YES. Actions or attempted
actions that do not uphold these ideals violate the YES Prep Public Schools Honor Code.

A students word is expected to be complete truth; therefore, lying and forgery are violations of the Honor
Code.
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cheating are violations of the Honor Code.
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Code.
Students who witness an Honor Code violation are expected to report the action to the Dean of Students. Working
together, we can ALL create a community of learners who value hard work, creativity, and commitment to college
matriculation. It is crucial that every member of the YES community students, parents, and staff understands
the importance of the YES Honor Code and strives to maintain its integrity.

I, , have read, signed, and agreed to abide by the YES Prep Public
Schools Honor Code. Any Honor Code violations (no matter how small) will be immediately reported to the Dean
of Students and will be dealt with according to the YES Prep Public Schools cheating policy.

Testing Guidelines & Directions

You will have 90 minutes to take this reading test. This includes reading three passages, answering 18
multiple choice questions, bubbling all answers on your scantron, and answering two open-ended response
questions.
You may answer the questions in any order.
You may use a pen/pencil and a highlighter.
You may use a dictionary or thesauruses.
If you finish before the 90 minutes have passed, you may check your work.

Page 1 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

Section 1: Reading

Directions: In Eugenia Colliers story, Marigolds, a young girl narrates her childhood
experiences antagonizing her outcast neighbor, Miss Lottie. Read the story, and answer the
questions that follow.

Excerpt from Marigolds1

by Eugenia Collier

(1) I leaped furiously into the mounds of marigolds and pulled madly, trampling and pulling and
destroying the perfect yellow blooms. The fresh smell of early morning and of dew-soaked marigolds
spurred me on as I went tearing and mangling and sobbing while Joey2 tugged my dress or my waist
crying, Lizabeth stop, please stop!
(2) And then I was sitting in the ruined little garden among the uprooted and ruined flowers,
crying and crying and it was too late to undo what I had done. Joey was sitting beside me, silent and
frightened, not knowing what to say. Then, Lizabeth, look.
(3) I opened my swollen eyes and saw in front of me a pair of large calloused feet; my gaze
lifted to the swollen legs, the age-distorted body clad in a tight cotton dress, and then the shadowed
Indian face surrounded by stubby white hair. And there was not rage in the face, now that the garden
was destroyed and there was nothing any longer to be protected.
(4) "M-miss Lottie!" I scrambled to my feet and just stood there and stared at her, and that was
the moment when childhood faded and womanhood began. That violent, crazy act was the last act of
childhood. For as I gazed at the immobile face with sad, weary eyes, I gazed upon a kind of reality
which is hidden to childhood. The witch was no longer a witch but only a broken old woman who had
dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility. She had been born in squalor and had
lived in it all her life. Now at the end of that life she had nothing except a falling-down hut, a wrecked
body, and John Burke, the mindless son of her passion. Whatever verve there was left in her,
whatever was of love and beauty and joy that had not been squeezed out by life, had been there in
the marigolds she had so tenderly cared for...
(5) There are times when the image of those passionate yellow mounds returns with a painful
poignancy. For one does not have to be ignorant and poor to find that his life is barren as the dusty
yards of our town. And I too have planted marigolds.

1
marigolds: a type of yellow flower
2
Joey is Lizabeths younger brother.

Page 2 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

1 Which of the following is the best summary of the passage?

A Lizbeth, a young girl, destroys her poor neighbors flowers in a moment of childish rage.
She looks back on this memory now with regret and embarrassment.
B Lizbeth, a young girl, picks marigolds without permission. Her younger brother Joey
asks her to stop, but she will not. Miss Lottie sees the child and stops her.
C Joey, the younger brother of Lizbeth, stops his older sister from destroying her
neighbors garden. Although Lizbeth feels sorry, it is clear that the neighbor deserved it.
D Miss Lottie has a beautiful garden that her neighbor, Lizbeth, destroys out of envy.
Lizbeth looks up apologetically, and Miss Lottie instantly forgives her wrongdoing.

2 Ms. Lottie tenderly cares for the marigolds because she

F is a lonely woman who gardens for a living

G believes marigolds will bring her good fortune and happiness
H wants to improve her already opulent environment
J is desperate to create beauty in her decaying surroundings

3 Joeys attitude toward the narrator can be described as one of

A adulation
B enthusiasm
C concern
D disdain

4 Joeys pleas for Lizabeth to stop tearing up the marigolds and to look up

F foreshadow interpersonal conflict between Joey and Lizabeth

G create suspense and heighten the mood
H indicate Joeys dramatization of Lizabeths fury
J reveal Joeys anger and dismay at his sisters actions

5 The marigolds symbolize

A the narrators loss of innocence
B the narrators unhappiness with nature
C Miss Lotties acceptance of her poverty
D Miss Lotties depression about her poverty

6 What is the meaning of the word verve as it is used in paragraph 4?

F promise
G understanding
H sadness
J energy

Page 3 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

Directions: Read the passage below, and answer the questions that follow.
Progress
by Michael Demchsak
1 I live in the same town where my parents and
my grandparents grew up. In fact, most of the people
and places that were part of my grandparents and
parents lives are still here. My dad says that nothing
much ever really changes around here, and I used to
take him at his word. Now Im not so sure.
2 Not too long ago, Josh Rundberg came into
Coopers Grocery, where I was working my after-
school job running the cash register. It must have
been May; the snow was gone, but the hardwood
trees hadnt shown their leaves yet.
3 Hey, Aaron, have you been down by the old
Peterson farm lately? he asked.
4 No. Why?
5 Well, there are some big, yellow machines
down there, and theyre digging up dirt and pushing it
around.
6 The Peterson farm sat adjacent to Mallard Lake
and had been sold years ago to some man down in
the city. No one had ever seen him in the area. I guess
everyone in town was lucky that he never did anything
with the propertyuntil now.
7 I thought about what Josh said and decided to
take a detour on my way home. Sure enough, as I
stopped my bike and got off to look around, there was
a bulldozer and a grader, and men were felling trees
with chainsaws and burning piles of slash timber,
leaving only a stumpy stubble where the forest once
encroached on the farm. I stood straddling my bike
and stared before slowly pedaling home.
8 After seeing the carnage at the Peterson farm, I
knew that I had to go to Mallard Lake. When my
sisters and I were younger, Dad would take us on a
trail that ran past the old Peterson farm and then
through the thick woods to Mallard Lake. We visited
the lake in every season. In the spring, we would revel
in the soft greens of the evergreen forest and skip
stones across the water. We would camp there in the
summer and toast marshmallows over the fire as the
moon rose in the night sky. In autumn, just as the sun
was setting, it seemed as if the leaves of the
hardwood trees had burst into flame. In winter the
bare branches of the birch trees were
Page 4 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam
outlined in white against a crisp blue sky. It seemed
like Mallard Lake had gone on this way for a thousand
years and would continue for a thousand more.
9 It was nearly a month before I could find a free
day. The day I went was one of those tourist-postcard
days when lilacs perfume the whole town, the leaves
are fresh and green, and sunlight dapples the forest
floor.
10 When I reached the farm, it was early and the
equipment was parked over on the west side of the
property with not a worker in sight. I took the trail into
the woods as I had done ever since I was a kid and
began the near mile-long trek back toward the lake. It
all seemed untouched and quiet and serene as ever. I
wondered what the old farm was being turned into,
but I contented myself with the thought that at least
Mallard Lake would still be Mallard Lake.
11 As I walked, the memories kept coming back to
me. I passed the large blackberry patch that had
provided for many a pie and many a jar of jam, but it
was too early for berries. Further on, I came to the
granite outcrop where we used to stop and eat lunch.
Realizing that I was hungry, I stopped and took out
the food that I had brought, some biscuits and bacon
left over from breakfast, and began eating. While I ate,
looking at the familiar surroundings, a feeling of
contentment spread through me. I knew the place
and the place knew me. I felt like I was home.
12 I continued on the trail and began walking
down the west shore, the sun now high overhead.
Then a flicker of color moving against the greenery
caught my eye. I stood and stared, frozen in place.
13 No, I whispered. Over by the lake, four
wooden stakes topped with bright orange plastic tape
were fluttering in the breeze. Someone was building a
house on the shores of Mallard Lake. A passionate
disappointment welled up inside me, and I slowly
recognized that nothing remains the same forever.
Everything has to change.
Multiple Choice Section
7 The author most likely wrote this passage

A to describe his fond childhood memories of the setting.

B to explore the positive and negative aspects of land development.
C to explain how the loss of a childhood hangout affects a young man.
D to convince readers to preserve undeveloped land.

8 The final paragraph of the story suggests that

F the housing development will pollute the water in Mallard Lake.

G someone had left some trash on the shore of Mallard Lake.
H the trail near the Peterson farm was about to be improved.
J the narrator can no longer return to the Mallard Lake of his youth.

9 Which excerpt from the passage best reveals Aarons feelings about his old childhood hangout?

A ...I used to take him at his word. (Paragraph 1)

B The day I went was one of those tourist-postcard days. (Paragraph 9)
C We would camp there in the summer and toast marshmallows over the fire. (Paragraph 8)
D I knew the place and the place knew me. (Paragraph 11)

10 Which of the following quotations from the passage best reveals the main conflict in the passage?

F After seeing the carnage at the Peterson farm, I knew that I had to go to Mallard Lake. (Paragraph 8)
G It seemed like Mallard Lake had gone on this way for a thousand years and would continue for a
thousand more. (Paragraph 8)
H I knew the place and the place knew me. I felt like I was home. (Paragraph 11)
J I slowly recognized that nothing remains the same forever. (Paragraph 13)

11 Read the following excerpt from paragraph 7 of the passage.

...men were felling trees with chainsaws and burning piles of slash timber, leaving only a stumpy stubble
where the forest once encroached on the farm.

What does encroached mean as it is used in the passage?

A defeated
B advanced
C revealed
D abused

Page 5 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

12 Read the following excerpt from paragraph 13 of the passage.

No, I whispered. Over by the lake, four wooden stakes topped with bright orange plastic tape were fluttering
in the breeze.

Why does the author choose the word whispered to describe the narrators voice?

F to reveal the narrators reverence towards nature

G to illustrate the narrators belief in the resilience of nature
H to convey the narrators shock at the destruction of nature
J to demonstrate the narrators fear of growing old

Directions: Use both Marigolds and Progress to answer the following question.

13 The themes shared between both stories include all of the following except

A change can be painful

B change is always superfluous and harmful
C growing up is difficult but inevitable
D destruction of the natural world comes at the hands of men

Page 6 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

Directions: Read the poem, Sunday Morning Early, by David Romtvedt and analyze. Then, answer
the questions that follow.

Sunday Morning Early

by David Romtvedt

My daughter and I paddle identical red kayaks

across the lake. Pulling hard, we slip easily
through the water. Far from either shore
it hits me that my daughter is a young woman,
5 and suddenly everything is a metaphor for how
short a time we are granted on earth:
the red boats on the blue-black water,
the russet and gold of late summers sunburnt grasses,
the empty blue sky. We stop and listen to the stillness.
10 I say, Its Sunday, and here we are
in the church of the out-of-doors.
Then I wish Id had the sense to stay quiet.
Thats the trick in lifelearning to leave well enough alone.

Our boats drift north to where the chirring

15 of grasshoppers reaches us from the rocky hills.
A clap of thunder beyond those hills. How well sound
travels over water. I want to say just the right thing,
something stronger and truer than a lame I love you.
I want my daughter to know that, through her, I live
20 a life that was closed to me before. I paddle up
beside her, lean out from the boat, and touch
her hand. I start to speak, then stop.

14 Which words best help the reader understand the meaning of the word russet in line 8?

F blue-black water
G boats, grasses
H gold, sunburnt
J empty blue sky

Page 7 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

15 Read the following lines from the poem.

I say, Its Sunday, and here we are

in the church of the out-of-doors.

By using this analogy, the poet emphasizes

A the speakers authority as a parent

B the importance of spending time with family
C the speakers emotional vulnerability
D the sacredness of nature

16 Which line best explains why the speaker begins to speak at the end of the poem but then stops?

F A clap of thunder beyond those hills.

G it hits me that my daughter is a young woman,
H the russet and gold of late summers sunburnt grasses,
J Thats the trick in life learning to leave well enough alone.

17 What does the poet mean by the lines suddenly everything is a metaphor for how/short a time we are
granted on earth?

A Nature often serves as a reminder that time does not stand still.
B Time passes differently for different people.
C The future presents uncertainty
D Ordinary occurrences in nature cannot always be described.

18 What is the most likely reason the poet ends the first stanza after line 13?

F To emphasize the poems central message

G To indicate a change in the poems setting
H To introduce new details about the poems speaker
J To highlight a shift in point of view

Page 8 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

 Name: Date:
Campus (circle one): SE NC SW EE G NF BrO W FW NS E WO NB Teacher: ______________

Directions: Using the passages from the multiple choice section of your exam, respond to the prompt below and
compose your response on the lines provided. You may organize your rough draft in the blank space below, but
ONLY the response on the lines provided will be scored.

OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE QUESTION 1

Why does the narrator in the poem Sunday Morning Early stop speaking at the end of the poem? Support your answer
with evidence from the text.

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You may use this space to plan:

Page 9 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section

 Name: Date:
Campus (circle one): SE NC SW EE G NF BrO W FW NS E WO NB Teacher: ______________

Directions: Using the passages from the multiple choice section of your exam, respond to the prompt below and
compose your response on the lines provided. You may organize your rough draft in the blank space below, but
ONLY the response on the lines provided will be scored.

OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE QUESTION 2

How are Lizbeth in Marigolds and Aaron in Progress similar? Support your answer with evidence from BOTH texts.

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You may use this space to plan:

Page 10 of 10 YES Prep English I Unit 1 Exam Multiple Choice Section