1st Nine-Week Checkpoint

Part I - Academic Vocabulary

Directions: Match the vocabulary word with its example.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

point

Conflict
Exposition
Annotate
character trait
paraphrase

A. Writing in the margins to better comprehend what we

are reading.
B. Rachel struggles with holding back her tears
C. Rachel is shy.
D. Putting a text in your own words.
E. That horrible day all started on my eleventh birthday
with an ugly, red sweater. My name is Rachel.

plot
setting
resolution
climax/turning

A. Phyllis Lopez claims the sweater. Its too late.

Rachels day is ruined.
B. This story was about(in your own words and short)
C. The story flows in a good pace in a series of events
with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
D. Rachel puts on the sweater.
E. The story takes place in Mrs. Prices math class on
Rachels birthday

summary

quote
rising action
analyze
falling action
theme

A. I read a story paragraph by paragraph and monitor

my own comprehension
B. Its not, I dont, youre notnot mine, I finally said.
C. Rachel starts to cry in front of the class.
D. Dont judge a book by its cover.
E. Mrs. Price holds up the sweater and asks whose it is
25.

26.

27.Part II Paired Text

28.Lessons in Baseball
29. By Chick Moorman
30.
As an 11-year-old, I was addicted to baseball. I listened to baseball games on the radio. I
watched them on TV. The books I read were about baseball. I took baseball cards to
church in hopes of trading with other baseball card junkies. My fantasies? All about
baseball.
I played baseball whenever and wherever I could. I played organized or sandlot. I played
catch with my brother, with my father, with friends. If all else failed, I bounced a rubber
ball off the porch stairs, imagining all kinds of wonderful things happening to me and my
team.
It was with this attitude that I entered the 1956 Little League season. I was a shortstop
not good, not bad, just addicted.
Gordon was not addicted. Nor was he good. He moved into our neighborhood that year
and signed up to play baseball. The kindest way of describing Gordon's baseball skills is
to say that he didn't have any. He couldn't catch. He couldn't hit. He couldn't throw. He
couldn't run.
In fact, Gordon was afraid of the ball.
I was relieved when the final selections were made and Gordon was assigned to another

team. Everyone had to play at least half of each game, and I couldn't see Gordon
improving my team's chances in any way. Too bad for the other team.
After two weeks of practice, Gordon dropped out. My friends on his team laughed when
they told me how their coach directed two of the team's better players to walk Gordon
into the woods and have a chat with him. "Get lost" was the message that was delivered,
and "get lost" was the one that was heard.
Gordon got lost.
That scenario violated my 11-year-old sense of justice, so I did what any indignant
shortstop would do. I tattled. I told my coach the whole story. I shared the episode in full
detail, figuring my coach would complain to the League office and have Gordon returned
to his original team. Justice and my team's chances of winning would both be served.
I was wrong. My coach decided that Gordon needed to be on a team that wanted him
one that treated him with respect, one that gave everyone a fair chance to contribute
according to their own ability.
Gordon became my teammate.
I wish I could say Gordon got the big hit in the big game with two outs in the final
inning. It didn't happen. I don't think Gordon even hit a foul ball the entire season.
Baseballs hit in his direction (right field) went over him, by him, through him, or off
him.
It wasn't that Gordon didn't get help. The coach gave him extra batting practice and
worked with him on his fielding, all without much improvement.
I'm not sure if Gordon learned anything from my coach that year. I know I did. I learned
to bunt without tipping off my intention. I learned to tag up on a fly if there were less
than two outs. I learned to make a smoother pivot around second base on a double play.
I learned a lot from my coach that summer, but my most important lessons weren't about
baseball. They were about character and integrity. I learned that everyone has worth,
whether they can hit .300 or .030. I learned that we all have value, whether we can stop
the ball or have to turn and chase it. I learned that doing what is right, fair, and honorable
is more important than winning or losing.
It felt good to be on that team that year. I'm grateful that man was my coach. I was proud
to be his shortstop. And I was proud to be his son.
31.
32. From whose point of view is the story told?
A. Gordon
C. The coach
B. The shortstop
D. A third person narrator
E.
33. What was the main conflict?
A. The other team is cruel Gordon
C. Gordon was a terrible player
B. The shortstop wasnt sure he
D. Gordon couldnt play on the
wanted Gordon on his team
team he wanted to
E.
34. All of the following were a result of Gordon joining the team EXCEPT.
A. With practice, Gordon became a great player.

B. Gordon got extra help from his coach

C. Gordon was finally placed on a team that wanted him
D. The shortstop learned more than baseball that season
F. The Spirit of the Game Sara Tucholsky and Mallory Holtman
G.
H. This is Sara Tucholskys story, but it is also so much more.
I.
J.
Sara Tucholsky was a determined player. She had earned a spot on Western
Oregons softball team as a walk-on. She had earned a scholarship through hard
work. In her senior year, during what would become her final softball game, she hit
her first and last homerun. What happened after that hit is the real story.
K.
In the last college game she ever played, Sara was in a slump. She had three
hits in her last 34 at-bats. She was frustrated. With two runners on base, Sara came
to bat in the second inning of a 0-0 game that would decide which team would go
to the NCAA Division II playoffs. The loser would go home.
L.
She took the first pitch for a strike.
M.
It was senior day in Ellensburg at Central Washington University, so a couple
dozen parents were there with video cameras. If it hadn't been senior day, Sara
doesn't know if anyone would have captured what unfolded. Sara's parents, Mike
and Ann, who rarely missed a game, weren't there to see what happened.
N.
The next pitch would have caught the outside corner. It would have been strike
two. But Sara crushed it.
O.
The ball sailed over the fence in left-center field. Sara had never had that sweet
feeling before. She had never hit a home run not in practice, not in a game,
never.
P.
"You don't feel anything," she said about the impact of ball hitting bat. "It was
so smooth."
Q.
Had the story ended there, it would have been amazing. The former walk-on, in
the biggest game of her life, hits a home run (spoiler alert) that would help her
team win the game that put them in the regional playoffs.
R.
In her excitement, never having hit a ball far enough to which they allow you to
jog around the bases, Sara missed first base. That's fine. It happens all the time.
She was only a couple of feet past the bag when she realized her mistake. All she
need to do was calmly turn, take a couple of steps back, touch first and continue on
her way to glory.
S.
But Sara, being Sara, panicked. She planted hard to make a mad dash back to
first.
T.
"I saw my knee move in a way it shouldn't move," Sara said.
U.
Suddenly, she went down. She crawled and reached for first base. When she got
there, she hugged it like it was a life preserver. She didn't know it at the time, but
she had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. She couldn't move.
One of the Central Washington parents with a video camera had filmed the home
run, but when the poor girl fell at first base, she turned it off.
V.

Western coach Pam Knox rushed onto the field, and talked to the umpires near the
pitcher's mound. The umpires said Knox could place a substitute runner at first.
Tucholsky would be credited with a single and two RBIs, but the home run would be
erased.
W.
The umpires said a player cannot be assisted by their team around the bases,"
Knox said. "But it is her only home run in four years. She is going to kill me if we
sub and take it away. But at same time I was concerned for her. I didn't know what to
do...
X.
"That is when Mallory stepped in."

Y.

Mallory Holtman is the greatest softball player in Central Washington history.

Normally when the conference's all-time home run leader steps in, Pam Knox and
other conference coaches grimace.
Z.
But on senior day, the first baseman volunteered a simple, selfless solution to her
opponents' dilemma: What if the Central Washington players carried Tucholsky
around the bases?
AA.
The umpires said there was nothing in the rule book to preclude help from
the opposition. Holtman asked her teammate, junior shortstop and honors program
student Liz Wallace of Florence, Mont., to lend a hand. The teammates walked over
and picked up Tucholsky and resumed the home-run walk, pausing at each base to
allow Tucholsky to touch the bag with her uninjured leg.
AB.
"We started laughing when we touched second base," Holtman said. "I
said, 'I wonder what this must look like to other people.'"
AC.
Holtman got her answer when they arrived at home plate. She looked up
and saw the entire Western Oregon team in tears.
AD.
"My whole team was crying," Tucholsky said. "Everybody in the stands
was crying. My coach was crying. It touched a lot of people."
AE.
Even the hecklers in right field quieted for a half inning before resuming
their tirade at the outfielder who replaced Tucholsky.
AF.
Western Oregon won the game 4-2 and extinguished Central Washington's playoff
hopes. Afterward, Coach Frederick of Central said he received a clarification from the
umpiring supervisor, who said NCAA rules allow a substitute to run for a player who
is injured after a home run. The clarification, however, could not diminish the glory
of Holtman's and Wallace's gesture. Holtman downplayed her role, which her coach
said is typical of the White Salmon, Wash. native.
AG.
"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It
was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain and she deserved a home
run... .
AH.
"This is a huge experience I will take away. We are not going to remember
if we won or lost, we are going to remember this kind of stuff that shows the
character of our team. It is the best group of girls I've played with. I came up with the
idea but any girl on this team would have done it."
AI.
Tucholsky went to the doctor Tuesday. Her knee was still swollen; her trainer
suspects she has torn her anterior cruciate ligament. She will be in the dugout this
weekend when Western Oregon attempts to cement an NCAA berth with games
against Seattle and Western Washington.
AJ.
Tucholsky will graduate this spring as a business major with a minor in health.
She plans to continue her studies at Portland State and pursue a career in the health
field. But she will never forget the generosity of her opponents in her final collegiate
game.
AK.
"Those girls did something awesome to help me get my first home run,"
she said. "It makes you look at athletes in a different way. It is not always all about
winning but rather helping someone in a situation like that."
AL.
Holtman knows something of knee injuries. On May 8, she is scheduled to
have arthroscopic surgery on both knees, which have pained her all season. On June
7, she will graduate with a degree in business. She intends to study sports
administration in graduate school at Central Washington.
AM.
Holtman believes the sport has made her a better person. She wants to give
back. Mallory Holtman plans to do that by becoming a coach.
AN.
In a later interview when asked if this experience had changed her, Saras
response

AO.
"This home run did not change me as a person, but it has had a huge
impact on how I see a moment," Sara wrote. "What I learned from Mallory that day
is that we always have the opportunity, in every moment, to see the bigger picture.
And if we can pause in moments like those and make choices based on integrity
and kindness, I think we'd see a lot more good in this world."
AP.
AQ.
AR.

Article adapted from:

AS. The Western Oregon Home Run That won an ESPY and Changed College
Softball Forever
AT.By Keith Sharon, The Oregonian
December 16, 2014 at 8:33 AM, updated December 16, 2014 at 9:56 AM
AU.
35. What is the setting of this story?
A. Sara is hurt on the field
B. Senior Day at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington
C. A ball field in Western Orgeon
D. Sara is walk-on player for her team
AV.
36. All of the following are false statements EXCEPT
A. Sara hit her first homerun
B. This was playoff game
C. Mallory Holtman was Saras teammate
D. Central Washington lost the playoff game
AW.
37. What can you infer about Mallory Holtmans character based on her actions?
A. She is a cocky player determined to win at all costs
B. She is kind and has integrity
C. She only helped Sara so they could get on with the game
D. She is a smart ball player and will help her team win the game
AX.
38. When comparing both stories what would be a valid common theme for both stories?
A. Winning is the most important thing in sports
B. Its not whether you win or lose its how you play the game
C. Winning or losing is a team effort
D. You will always get better if you work hard
AY.
AZ.
39. (Constructed response)When comparing both stories select one of the following themes
and show how each story conveys that theme. Use textual evidence from each story to
support your answer.
There are bigger lessons in sports than winning
Taking the easy way isnt always the right way
And act of kindness can make the difference
BA.
BB.
BC. Part III Grammar
BD. Grammar questions: Use the following short passage to answer
questions 1-4.

BE.
BF.

It was the same story every day. My sister jumped on

her new bed.

Sis jumped and Mom warned her.

fall and break your arm, Mom said repeatedly.

Youll

Finally, the

fateful day arrived. While joyously jumping on the bed, my

sister lost her balance and fell.
BG.
24)
The simple subject of the second sentence is which of the
following words or phrases?
a. My
b. sister
c. My sister
d. jumped
BH.
25)
The simple predicate of the second sentence is which of the
following words or phrases?
b. My
b. sister
c. My sister
d. jumped
BI.
26)
The simple subject(s) of the fifth sentence is which of the
following words or phrases?
a. day
b. arrived c. Finally arrived d. fateful day
BJ.
27)
The compound predicate(s) of the third sentence is which of the
following words or phrases?
a. Sis, Mom b. Sis
c. jumped, warned
d. jumped
BK.
BL.
BM. Use the following short passage to answer questions 5-8
1
BN.
I had no other choice, I had to get to Johns house.
2

I rode my old yellow bike.

the top of the line in its day.

mess.

It was a Schwinn Ranger, and

4

Now, it was a dirty rusty

The seat groaned as I mounted the bike, and I

6

wasnt sure the pedals support my weight. Off I went,

though, as fast as my wheels would carry me.
BO.
28)
Identify the adjective(s) in the second sentence.
a. my
b. I, bike
c. I, my
d. old, yellow
BP.
BQ.
29)
Identify the possessive pronoun(s) in the second sentence.
a. my
b. I, bike
c. I, my
d. old, yellow
BR.
BS.
30)
Identify the adjectives(s) in the fourth sentence.
a. It
b. mess
c. dirty
d. dirty, rusty
BT.
BU.
31)
Identify the pronoun(s) in the sixth sentence.
a. I, my, me
b. I, me
c. wheels, I, my
d. Off, fast

BV.
32)
Explain the function of pronouns. Why do we use them in
sentences, and give examples of what life would be without them.
BW.
BX.
BY.
BZ.
33)
Write a short campaign speech for one of these parts of speech
(adjective, preposition, adverb, or conjunction). Tell why that one
should be voted a sentences Best supporting Actor. Be sure to give
examples to strengthen your argument.
CA.
CB.
CC.
CD.