4/11/2018 Teacher Tests - Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

4.12.18

Question 1

Excerpt from Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail

by Theodore Roosevelt

Winter Weather

When the days have dwindled to their shortest, and the nights seem never ending, then all the
great northern plains are changed into an abode of iron desolation. Sometimes furious gales blow
out of the north, driving before them the clouds of blinding snow-dust, wrapping the mantle of
death round every unsheltered being that faces their unshackled anger. They roar in a thunderous
bass as they sweep across the prairie or whirl through the naked canyons; they shiver the great
brittle cottonwoods, and beneath their rough touch the icy limbs of the pines that cluster in the
gorges sing like the chords of an Aeolian har p_<D . Again, in the coldest midwinter weather, not a
breath of wind may stir; and then the still, merciless, terrible cold that broods over the earth like the
shadow of silent death seems even more dreadful in its gloomy rigor than is the lawless madness
of the storms. All the land is like granite; the great rivers stand still in their beds, as if turned to
frosted steel. In the long nights there is no sound to break the lifeless silence . Under the ceaseless,
shifting play of the Northern Lights, or lighted only by the wintry brilliance of the stars, the snow-
clad plains stretch out into dead and endless wastes of glimmering white.

Then the great fire-place of the ranch house is choked with blazing logs, and at night we have to
sleep under so many blankets that the weight is fairly oppressive. Outside, the shaggy ponies
huddle together in the corral, while long icicles hang from their lips, and the hoar-frost whitens the
hollow backs of the cattle. For the ranchman the winter is occasionally a pleasant holiday, but more
often an irksome period of enforced rest and gloomy foreboding.

In the winter there is much less work than at any other season, but what there is involves great
hardship and exposure. Many of the men are discharged after the summer is over, and during
much of the cold weather there is little to do except hunt now and then, and in very bitter days
lounge listlessly about the house. But some of the men are out in the line camps, and the
ranchman has occasionally to make the round of these; and besides that, one or more of the
cowboys who are at home ought to be out every day when the cattle have become weak, so as to
pick up and drive in any beast that will otherwise evidently fail to get through the season - a cow
that has had an unusually early calf being particularly apt to need attention. The horses shift for
themselves and need no help. Often, in winter, the Indians cut down the cottonwood trees and feed

https://tn.nextera .questarai.com/Admin/cab /create-test 1/27

4/11/2018 Teacher Tests - Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

the tops to their ponies; but this is not done to keep them from starving, but only to keep them
from wandering off in search of grass. Besides, the ponies are very fond of the bark of the young
cottonwood shoots, and it is healthy for them.

The men in the line camps lead a hard life, for they have to be out in every kind of weather, and
should be especially active and watchful during the storms. The camps are established along some
line which it is proposed to make the boundary of the cattle's drift in a given direction. For example,
we care very little whether our cattle wander to the Yellowstone; but we strongly object to their
drifting east and south-east towards the granger country and the Sioux reservation, especially as
when they drift that way they come out on flat, bare plains where there is danger of perishing.
Accordingly, the cowmen along the Little Missouri have united in establishing a row of camps to the
east of the river, along the line where the broken ground meets the prairie. The camps are usually
for two men each, and some fifteen or twenty miles apart; then, in the morning, its two men start
out in opposite ways, each riding till he meets his neighbor of the next camp nearest on that side,
when he returns. The camp itself is sometimes merely a tent pitched in a sheltered coulee <D , but
ought to be either made of logs or else a dug-out in the ground. A small corral and horse-shed is
near by, with enough hay for the ponies, of which each rider has two or three. In riding over the
beat each man drives any cattle that have come near it back into the Bad Lands, and if he sees by
the hoof-marks that a few have strayed out over the line very recently, he will follow and fetch them
home. They must be shoved well back into the Bad Lands before a great storm strikes them; for if
they once begin to drift in masses before an icy gale it is impossible for a small number of men to
hold them, and the only thing is to let them go, and then to organize an expedition to follow them
as soon as possible. Line riding is very cold work, and dangerous too, when the men have to be out
in a blinding snow-storm, or in a savage blizzard that takes the spirit in the thermometer far down
below zero. In the worst storms it is impossible for any man to be out.
1 Aeolian harp: a musical instrument played by the wind named after Aeolus, the ancient Greek
god of the wind.
2 coulee: gully

Excerpt from Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail, by Theodore Roosevelt. In the public domain.

https://tn.nextera .questarai.com/Admin/cab /create-test 2/27

4/11/2018 Teacher Tests - Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

The following item has two parts. Answer Part A and then answer Part B.

Part A
What is the author's main purpose in paragraphs 2 and 37

A. to describe the variety in the winter landscape

B. to explain the dangers horses encounter in winter

C. to explain the reasons so few men are needed in winter
D. to describe the challenges faced by the ranchmen in winter

Part B

What is the primary strategy the author uses to advance his purpose in paragraphs 2 and 3?

A. He compares the effect of cold weather on the horses to its effect on cattle.

B. He portrays the ranchmen's experiences as an exciting adventure.

C. He depicts the ranchmen's indoor and outdoor activities as being equally difficult.

D. He defines the tasks undertaken by men who have been assigned specific roles.

https://tn.nextera .questarai.com/Admin/cab /create-test 3/27

4/11/2018 Teacher Tests - Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

Question 2

Which central ideas does Roosevelt develop in the passage?

Winter in the northern plains creates spectacular scenes of natural beauty; residents have a variety of
opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Winter in the northern plains is a time for rest and reflection; the workload is lighter than that in other seasons .
Winter in the northern plains brings extreme weather; the conditions endanger livestock and their
caretakers alike.
Winter in the northern plains presents challenges; cows with early calves need particular attention.

Question 3

The following item has two parts. Answer Part A and then answer Part B.

Part A
Which phrase most precisely states the function of paragraph 1?

A. to introduce ways humans cope with a severe winter

B. to introduce features of the outdoor winter setting

C. to establish the harshness and cruelty of the winter
D. to establish the relationship between humans and wintertime

Part B
Select three quotations from paragraph 1 that best support its purpose.

When the days have dwindled to their shortest, and the nights seem never ending, then all the great northern
plains are changed into an abode of iron desolation. Sometimes furious gales blow out of the north, driving
before them the clouds of blinding snow-dust, wrapping the mantle of death round every unsheltered being
that faces their unshackled anger. They roar in a thunderous bass as they sweep across the prairie or whirl
through the naked canyons; they shiver the great brittle cottonwoods, and beneath their rough touch the icy
limbs of the pines that cluster in the gorges sing like the chords of an Aeolian harp1. Again, in the coldest
midwinter weather, not a breath of wind may stir; and then the still, merciless, terrible cold that broods over
the earth like the shadow of silent death seems even more dreadful in its gloomy rigor than is the lawless
madness of the storms.

https://tn.nextera .questarai.com/Admin/cab /create-test 4/27

4/11/2018 Teacher Tests - Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

Question 4
This question has two parts. Answer Part A and then answer Part B.

Part A

Which contrast does the author develop in paragraph 1?

A. a contrast between the plains in winter and the plains in milder seasons

B. a contrast between stormy winter conditions and calm winter conditions

C. a contrast between daylight in winter and nighttime in winter

D. a contrast between the early months of winter and the later months of winter

Part B

How does this contrast help develop the central ideas in the passage?

A. The contrast shows that people belong indoors in the winter.

B. The contrast shows that the ranch hands deserve a time of rest.
C. The contrast shows that this part of the country is unusual.

D. The contrast shows that winter is a cruel season.

Question 5

Which statement best describes the relationship between paragraphs 1 and 47

https://tn.nextera .questarai.com/Admin/cab /create-test 5/27

4/11/2018 Teacher Tests - Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

A. The description of winter in paragraph 1 reinforces the line camp challenges described in paragraph
4.
B. The description of men's jobs in paragraph 1 is repeated in greater detail in paragraph 4.
C. The description of the plains in paragraph 1 helps explain the geographical features mentioned in
paragraph 4.
D. The description of the silence in paragraph 1 helps emphasize the men's loneliness discussed in
paragraph 4.

Question 6

In paragraph 1, the author uses the phrase "lawless madness" to describe winter storms. Which
phrase best expresses the connotation of "lawless madness"?

The storms seem like untamed foolishness.

The storms seem like a messy commotion.

The storms seem like an unpleasant spectacle.

The storms seem like an uncontrollable frenzy.

Question 7

The following item has two parts. Answer Part A and then answer Part B.

Part A
Which meaning of the word oppressive is used in paragraph 2?

A. harsh
B. stifling
C. unbearable
D. worrying

Part B
Which word from the first sentence of paragraph 2 best helps the reader understand the
meaning of oppressive?

A. "choked"
B. "blazing"

C. "weight"

D. "fairly"

https://tn.nextera .questarai.com/Admin/cab /create-test 6/27

4/11/2018 Teacher Tests - Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program

Question 8

In paragraph 3 the author mentions giving ponies food to prevent them from wandering.
Which section of paragraph 4 best explains why animals should not wander in the winter?

The men in the line camps lead a hard life, for they have to be out in every kind of weather, and
should be especially active and watchful during the storms. The camps are established along some
line which it is proposed to make the boundary of the cattle's drift in a given direction. For example,
we care very little whether our cattle wander to the Yellowstone; but we strongly object to their
drifting east and south-east towards the granger country and the Sioux reservation, especially as
when they drift that way they come out on flat, bare plains where there is danger of perishing.

Accordingly, the cowmen along the Little Missouri have united in establishing a row of camps to the
east of the river, along the line where the broken ground meets the prairie.

Question 9

Which two sentences, when combined, provide the best summary of the passage?

A. Winter on the northern plains is fierce and limits the amount of work that can be done.

B. At night, the snow-covered plains are lit only by Northern Lights and the stars.

C. Horses, unlike some of the cattle, do not need help getting through the winter.

D. Some men work on line camps, patrolling daily to keep cattle from roaming east.

E. The line men have a small campsite for themselves and a shed and corral for their
horses.

F. Hoof-marks in the snow show the linemen where cattle may have wandered away.

https://tn.nextera .questarai.com/Admin/cab /create-test 7/27