Section I- Topic Development/Conventions of Punctuation (7 Minutes)

1.
[1]
NO CHANGE
During a sixth period bathroom break last year, I found an A.
B. will need
ugly black swastika scrawled on the bathroom wall. I
C. needs
D. needed
need a couple of seconds to regain my composure, to try
1
2. The author is thinking of moving sentence two (2) in paragraph
to understand why someone would put a symbol of mass
two [2]. Where is the most logical place to move sentence two (2)?
F. NO CHANGE
murder and a reminder of the Holocaust on our school
G. Before sentence one (1)
walls.
H. After sentence three (3)
J.

[2]
(1) I dont want to believe that someone would draw a
swastika as a prank. (2) I still think of that graffiti.
(3) When I read about nooses being hung around the
nation by attention-seeking copycats, I was shocked that
3
newspapers reported these acts as a joke.
[3]
They see this as a joke. I see it as terror.
4
[4]
(1) The noose, the Souths enduring symbol of racial
hatred, has returned and is hanging right in front of our
eyes. (2) The recent racially hued controversy and wave
of hate crimes may have originated in Jena, Louisiana. As
racial tension grew at that school, six black students beat
up a white student. (3) The victim went to the hospital but
still attended a social gathering that evening. (4) But the
six attackers, known now as the Jena Six, were charged
with attempted murder.
[5]
The case grew into a cause as people across the nation
questioned the stiff charges and what they believed was
uneven justice delivered in the South. And the hate is still
6
spreading.
[6]
Nooses were looped over a tree at the University of
Maryland, tied around the neck of Tupac Shakurs statue
in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and draped on the office
doorknob of a black Columbia University professor.
7

3.
A.
B.
C.
D.

[8]

NO CHANGE
When I read about nooses being hung around the
nation, by attention-seeking copycats,
When I read, about nooses being hung around the
nation, by attention-seeking copycats,
DELETE the underlined portion

4. The subject and verb of the underlined sentence is respectively:

F. joke; see
G. they; joke
H. they; see
J.
as; joke
5. Where should the author add the following sentence into
paragraph four [4]?
A day after a black student sat under the white tree at the local
high school, three nooses hung from the giant oak.
A. After sentence one (1)
B. After sentence two (2)
C. After sentence three (3)
D. After sentence four (4)

6.
F.
G.
H.
J.

7.
A.
B.

C.

[7]
In a typical year, about half a dozen noose cases are
reported, according to Mark Potok, director of the
Intelligence Project for the Southern Poverty Law Center,
which monitors hate crimes. This year, there have been
more than 50 noose cases reported.

DELETE sentence two (2) from the paragraph

D.

NO CHANGE
For instance,
Because
DELETE the underlined portion

NO CHANGE
Nooses were looped over a tree at the University of
Maryland, tied around the neck, of Tupac Shakurs
statue, in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and draped on the
office doorknob of a black Columbia University
professor.
Nooses were looped over a tree at the University of
Maryland, tied around the neck of Tupac Shakurs
statue in Stone Mountain, Georgia and draped on the
office doorknob of a black Columbia University
professor.
DELETE paragraph six [6]

This leads me to question the validity of justice for all

Americans. These noose cases are obviously hate crimes,
but the law doesnt include noose-related incidents in
hate-crime statues or they have minimal penalties. When
people who suffer, see a noose hanging in front of their
home, justice is not being served.
8

8.

F.
G.
H.
J.

NO CHANGE
When people who suffer see a noose hanging in front
of their home,
When people who suffer see a noose hanging in front
of their home
DELETE the underlined portion.

[9]
You might say the country has changed since the time of
legally sanctioned racism, and it has. The problem is, its
changing again. We can no longer call ourselves an equal
country if hanging nooses passes as a prank.
[10]
This is a hate crime, and it needs to be recognized. Its not
funny. Its not a joke. The sight of a noose sends shivers
through the black community, just as a swastika still
terrorizes Jews.
[11]
(1) We say weve changed. (2) So, America, prove it.
(3)Call these hate crimes what they are: terror

9. Where is the most logical place to put sentence three (3) in

paragraph eleven [11]?
A. NO CHANGE
B. Before sentence one (1)
C. Before sentence two (2)
D. DELETE sentence three (3)

Section II Main Idea/Supporting Details/Meanings of Words (6 Minutes)

1

In January of 1692, the daughter and niece of

Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village became
ill. When they failed to improve, the village doctor,
William Griggs, was called in. His diagnosis of
bewitchment put into motion the forces that would
ultimately result in the death by hanging of nineteen
men and women. In addition, one man was crushed
to death; seven others died in prison, and the lives of
many were irrevocably changed.

10

15

20

25

35
To understand the events of the Salem witch trials, it
is necessary to examine the times in which
accusations of witchcraft occurred. There were the
ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in
Massachusetts Bay Colony. A strong belief in the
devil, factions among Salem Village fanatics and
rivalry with nearby Salem Town, a recent small pox
epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes
created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Soon
prisons were filled with more than 150 men and
women from towns surrounding Salem. Their names
had been "cried out" by tormented young girls as the
cause of their pain. All would await trial for a crime
punishable by death in 17th-century New England,
the practice of witchcraft.

10. As used in line 9, the word irrevocably most nearly

means.
A.
B.
C.
D.

forever
needs more information
can be forgotten about easily
made easier

11. In lines 7-9, the author gives details about a man being
crushed and people dieing in prison to:
F.
G.
H.
J.

Prove that Salem was a terrible place to live.

Give information about Reverend Samuel Parris.
Show that people died in different ways during the
witch trials.
Prove that bewitchment was a serious problem in
Salem.

12. According to the second paragraph (lines 11-25) which

of the following is NOT mentioned:
A.
B.
C.
D.

Young girls would accuse others as the cause of

their pain.
Residents of Salem had a strong belief in the devil.
Massachusetts Bay Colony had more stresses than
the rest of New England.
Small pox was a serious illness at the time of the
witch trials.

13. As used in line 22, the word tormented most nearly

means:
F.
G.
H.
J.

30

guilty
severe mental or physical suffering
forced to speak
innocent

40

In June of 1692, the special Court of Oyer (to hear)

and Terminer (to decide) sat in Salem to hear the
cases of witchcraft. Presided over by Chief Justice
William Stoughton, the court was made up of
magistrates and jurors. The first to be tried was
Bridget Bishop of Salem who was found guilty and
was hanged on June 10. Thirteen women and five
men from all stations of life followed her to the
gallows on three successive hanging days before the
court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps in
October of that year. The Superior Court of
Judicature, formed to replace the "witchcraft" court,
did not allow spectral evidence. This belief in the
power of the accused to use their invisible shapes or
spectres to torture their victims had sealed the fates of
those tried by the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The
new court released those awaiting trial and pardoned
those awaiting execution. In effect, the Salem witch
trials were over.

45

50

As years passed, apologies were offered, and

restitution was made to the victims' families.
Historians and sociologists have examined this most
complex episode in our history so that we may
understand the issues of that time and apply our
understanding to our own society. The parallels
between the Salem witch trials and more modern
examples of "witch hunting" like the McCarthy
hearings of the 1950's, are remarkable.

14. Based on the third paragraph (lines 26-45), what ended

the Salem witch trials?
A.
B.
C.
D.

The special court of Oyer and Terminer heard cases

of witchcraft.
Chief Justice William Stoughton chose magistrates
and jurors.
The new court released those awaiting trial.
The Superior Court of Judicature did not allow
spectral evidence.

15. As used in line 44, the pardoned most nearly means:

F.
G.
H.
J.

the act of speeding up.

the act of forgiving for a wrongdoing.
to give up on.
to make a complaint.

16. According to the passage, historians examine the Salem

witch trials in order to:
A.
B.
C.
D.

understand how the issues connect to our own

society.
prove that our society is much better.
show the progression of the court system in America.
find out how to catch witches.

17. As used in line 48, the word restitution most nearly

means:
F.
G.
H.
J.

to hold a grudge.
to act like something never happened.
to be a part of history.
to compensate for a loss.

Section IV Writing Prompt

NAME: ___________________

The plot of The Crucible consists of many battles between many opposites. In as essay, identify one such
opposite and explain why Arthur Miller included it. (Remember to use paragraphs, thesis, MELT, and all the
other writing strategies we have covered in this class, and you have learned in previous years)