DIRECTIONS: DO NOT WRITE ON THIS TEST. Bubble the letter for the best answer
on your answer document.
DIRECTIONS: For questions 1-4 refer to “Johanna in Jamaica”.
1. Choose the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word.
Chatting with my sisters about being queen one day was irresistible.
a. too tempting to ignore
b. easy to ignore
c. not concerning at all
d. extremely concerning
2. Choose the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word.
… how the music blared …
a. made a very low sound
b. made a very high pitched sound
c. made a very loud sound
d. made no sound at all
3. Choose the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word.
… follow her advice without hesitation …
a. pause or delay
b. caring
c. speeding up
d. anxiety
4. What is Johanna’s problem from the story?
a. She does not have a costume because her parents won’t make or buy one.
b. She wants to be queen, but her parents haven’t decided if she can be queen.
c. She wants to go to the Jamaican Festival, but her parents haven’t decided if
they’re going to let her go.
d. She needs to stop waking up her father.
DIRECTIONS: For questions 5-15 refer to The Night of San Juan.
5. Choose the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word.
… Jose Manuel who was forbidden from joining us ...
a. recommended
b. ordered
c. not permitted
d. asked
6. Choose the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word.
… a mischievous grin …
a. naughty
b. gentle
c. loud
d. dark
7. Choose the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word.
Even though Aitza was very reluctant, we convinced her to try our plan.
a. eager
b. disappointed
c. willing
d. slow and unwilling
8. Why does Jose Manuel always play on the balcony?
a. He likes the balcony.
b. His grandmother does not want him to play in the street.
c. His grandmother thinks Amalia is too mischievous.
d. Jose Manuel may not know how to swim.
9. The girls put the note in the basket because they want
a. to taste the grandmother’s corn fritters.
b. to teach Jose Manuel how to swim.
c. an excuse to go up to Jose Manuel’s apartment.
d. Jose Manuel to drop his ball off of the balcony.
10. The girls invite Jose Manuel to the beach that evening because
a. they want him to celebrate the Night of San Juan.
b. they want him to play ball on the beach.
c. they can all buy coconut sherbet by the harbor.
d. they want to teach Jose Manuel how to swim.
11. What lesson do the girls learn by the end of the story?
a. It is always better to mind your own business.
b. It is a mistake to judge people before you know them.
c. The Night of San Juan is a special day in Puerto Rico.
d. Jose Manuel’s grandmother make delicious corn fritters.
12. What is the best way to state the genre of this story?
a. realistic fiction
b. historical fiction
c. science fiction
13. Walking backward into the sea three times at midnight on the Night of San Juan
will bring
a. health.
b. wealth.
c. good luck.
d. peace.
14. What is the problem the girls face when they return home?
a. They were mean to Jose.
b. They did not ask permission to bring Jose to the beach.
c. They were rude to Jose’s grandmother.
d. They got into trouble at school.
15. Contrast Amalia and Aitza.
a. Amalia is the most daring of the two.
b. Aitza is the most daring of the two.
c. Amalia is more cautious.
d. The girls are not very different.
DIRECTIONS: For questions 16-20 refer to “Islands of the Caribbean”.
16. Which island is not described in “Islands of the Caribbean”?
a. Haiti
b. Dominican Republic
c. Cuba
d. Jamaica
17. How did Puerto Rico become a US Territory?
a. Spain gave Puerto Rico to the US after losing the Spanish-American war.
b. Spain gave Puerto Rico to the US after winning the Spanish-American war.
c. Puerto Rico joined the US after losing the Spanish-American war.
d. England gave Puerto Rico to the US after losing the Spanish-American war..
18. Which country’s name is from an Indian word meaning “high ground”?
a. Puerto Rico
b. Dominican Republic
c. Haiti
d. Cuba
19. Which is the capital of Cuba?
a. Santo Domingo
b. Port-au-Prince
c. Havana
d. San Juan
20. Which country makes up Hispaniola with Haiti?
a. Puerto Rico
b. Dominican Republic
c. only Haiti
d. Cuba
For questions 21-25 use the passage “A Carnival Costume” to help you find the best
answer.
A Carnival Costume
Marisole had a problem: How could she get a costume for the Carnival celebration?
Marisole lived on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. “Carnival is the most fun holiday of all,”
Marisole said to her friend Nicolette. “I really want to march in the parade and ride on a float. I
want to wear a beautiful costume that everyone will notice.”
“Do you want an elegant, fancy costume?” Nicolette asked.
“Well, that would be irresistible. Who could turn that down?”
Marisole said slowly, with hesitation. “But I am reluctant to ask my parents because a
fancy costume costs a lot of money.”
“Why don’t we make you a costume?” Nicolette suggested.
“We don’t know how to sew,” Marisole answered.
“That won’t be a problem,” Nicolette assured her. The girls sewed fabric scraps together
and gossiped about the people in town as they worked. They shared rumors they had heard
about everyone. Soon the costume was done.
“It’s ugly,” Marisole said. “It does not fit me.”
“You’re right—it’s horrible,” Nicolette agreed. “What can we do now?”
“Let’s ask your grandmother to help us,” Marisole said. “She makes beautiful costumes.”
But the girls knew that Mrs. Blanco would be very busy making costumes for Carnival.
Mrs. Blanco’s store was filled with customers. Throwing feathers into the air,
mischievous children ran in and out of the racks of bright skirts and tops. “That’s forbidden!”
mothers yelled as their kids giggled.
Mrs. Blanco said, “I want to help you, but I have too much work to do.”
“We’ll help you by cleaning the store,” the girls said. “We’ll run errands. We’ll do what
you need.”
“Then I will have time to make your costume,” Mrs. Blanco said.
The morning of Carnival, Mrs. Blanco gave Marisole her costume. It was beautiful.
“Thank you! Thank you!” Marisole said as she gave Mrs. Blanco a big hug.
As the music blared loudly through the streets, Marisole took her place on the float. Her
costume shimmered in the bright Caribbean sunlight. “I feel like a princess,” she said.
21. As it is used in the passage, gossiped means
a.
spoke seriously.
b.
argued.
c.
talked loudly.
d.
told stories about others.
22. “Do you want an elegant, fancy costume?” In this sentence elegant means
a.
stylish.
b.
handmade.
c.
small.
d.
expensive.
23. What problem does Marisole have when the story opens?
a.
She has a costume for Carnival, but she wants a nicer one.
b.
She wants a costume for Carnival, but she has not been invited to be on a
float.
c.
She wants a costume for Carnival, but she does not have the money to
buy one.
d.
She has a costume for Carnival, but her parents will not let her go.
24. What is Marisole’s first solution to the problem?
a.
She asks her parents to buy her a better costume.
b.
She gets her friend Nicolette to invite her to be on a float.
c.
She and Nicolette convince her parents to let her go.
d.
She and her friend Nicolette make a costume.
25. What is Marisole’s second solution to the problem?
a.
She helps Mrs Blanco in exchange for a costume.
b.
She pays Mrs. Blanco to make her a costume.
c.
She does not go to Carnival.
d.
She and Nicolette borrow a costume from Mrs. Blanco.