English IV – Powell
1st Nine Weeks Study Guide
Below are terms you need to know for your 1st Nine Weeks Exam.
1. epic
2. imagery
3. theme
4. thesis statement
5. summarize
Below are skills you will be asked to perform.
1. compare and contrast
2. find character traits
3. find textual evidence
4. draw conclusions
5. predict
6. make pronouns and antecedents agree
Complete the practice test attached.
1st Nine Weeks Study Guide
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
DIRECTIONS Sean is writing a research paper on the building of the Hoover Dam. His research question is
What made the Hoover Dam the most amazing engineering accomplishment of its time? Read Sean’s draft and
answer the following questions. Note: Sean has not yet included page numbers for his sources.
Hoover Dam:
Conquering the Mighty Colorado River
(1) Hoover Dam, sometimes referred to as Boulder Dam, was constructed between 1931 and 1935 to
harness the waters of the wild Colorado River. (2) The dam was a challenging task for even the most
experienced professionals. (3) Many have called Hoover Dam a wonder of the modern world because of its
unprecedented massive size and its designers’ ingenuity in overcoming obstacles that were considered
impossible barriers at the time (Stevens).
(4) Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet high, more than twice the height of the highest dam built before it. (5) It is
1,244 feet across the top and 660 feet thick at the bottom. (6) It weighs 6.6 million tons and contains more
than 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete (“Hoover Dam”).
(7) Hoover Dam set the precedent for modern dam-building technology, though there are higher and more
massive dams today.
(8) The engineers who designed Hoover Dam came up with ingenious solutions to the problems of
building such a massive concrete structure. (9) For example, they first had to figure out how to force the river
to flow around the construction site. (10) To solve this problem they built four huge diversion tunnels to take
the water through the canyon walls while they were building the dam. (11) Another seemingly
insurmountable problem was that the concrete would have taken over a century to cool completely if it had
been poured in one huge form. (12) To overcome this, the engineers came up with a building-block system
and a network of cooling tubes to speed the process. (13) Engineers also invented a complex system of cables
and pulleys to transport materials and workers up and down the sides of the canyon and across the face of the
dam. (14) These and other innovations are reasons why Hoover Dam still stands as a monument to human
ingenuity (“Hoover Dam”).
(15) Along with being massive and ingenious in its construction, Hoover Dam was also built in an
amazingly short period of time. (16) More than 5,000 men found jobs during the Great Depression working
on the dam. (17) Ila Clements-Davey, a dam worker’s daughter, said, “The men were just swarming over the
whole place, they just looked like a hill of ants” (The American Experience). (18) However, working
conditions were harsh.
It was a brutal job under the best of circumstances. But the summer of 1931 was one of the hottest on
record. The men worked in blistering heat without shade or adequate drinking water. Workers
collapsed from the heat. . . . (The AmericanExperience).
(19) Shifts were long. (20) Carbon monoxide poisoning from the trucks’ exhaust fumes was common. (21)
Falls from the canyon walls and other work-related accidents were unfortunately common as well. (22)
Workers were paid $4.00 per day. (23) Work never stopped on the dam—the men worked in three shifts,
around the clock, to complete the job on time (The American Experience). (24) Not only did they complete it
on time, but they beat the government’s deadline by more than two years!
(25) The energy harnessed behind the dam provided power to the populations of Arizona, Nevada, and
California, and the water of the newly formed Lake Mead would provide fresh water and irrigation for the
same region (“Story of Hoover Dam”). (26) Human beings had conquered the mighty Colorado, which had
flowed unchecked and wild for millions of years.
(27) President Herbert Hoover, for whom the dam was named, summed up the achievement in these
words:
Civilization advances with the practical application of knowledge in such structures as the one being
built here in the pathway of one of the great rivers of the continent. The spread of its values in human
happiness is beyond computation.
(28) Hoover Dam is an amazing example of how humans harness the forces of nature.
Works Cited
The American Experience: Hoover Dam. Dir. Stephen Stept. Videocassette.
PBS Video, 1999.
“Herbert Hoover and the Colorado River.” Hoover Dam. U.S. Department
of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. 16 April 2002.
<http://www.hooverdam.com/History/hhoover.html>.
“The Story of Hoover Dam.” Hoover Dam. U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Reclamation. 16 April 2002.
<http://www.hooverdam.usbr.gov/History/index.htm>.
“Hoover Dam: Source of the American West’s Oasis Civilization.”
SunsetCities.com. 16 June 2002.
<http://www.sunsetcities.com/hoover-dam.html>.
Stevens, Joseph E. Hoover Dam: An American Adventure. Norman and
London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.
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1. Which sentence, if added after sentence 2, would give readers the BEST overview of the research and main
ideas?
a. It was the biggest thing anyone had ever seen, and Americans were thrilled to have built it.
b. It was more expensive than any other public project that had ever been built before in the
United States, but cost was beside the point where Hoover Dam was concerned.
c. It was constructed in a surprisingly short period of time under harsh conditions; and it
tamed the mighty Colorado.
d. Many new devices had to be invented to achieve its construction, such as the drilling
jumbo and a cooling system to harden the concrete.3
2. Which is the BEST thesis statement to add to the introduction?
a. The Hoover Dam is so large it attracts tourists from all over the world.
b. The dam was the most significant engineering feat of its time and changed life in the
Southwest.
c. Workers were eager to participate in the construction of the dam because jobs were hard to
get during the Great Depression.
d. Engineers had to work nonstop in order to create a large dam so quickly.
3. Refer to Sean’s research question to determine which of the following topics would be the BEST additional
main idea.
a. how the Hoover Dam was named by government leaders
b. explanation of the job of “highscalers,” who worked suspended from high canyon walls
c. the political process of getting the dam project approved and funded
d. the artworks that enhance the appearance of the dam and the visitors’ center
4. Which sentence represents the BEST elaboration to insert after sentence 6?
a. It makes one feel tiny to stand at the base of the dam.
b. Hoover Dam attracts thousands of tourists every year, generating millions of dollars for
the state of Nevada.
c. In fact, it was the first single structure to contain more masonry than the Great Pyramid at
Giza.
d. However, the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington dwarfs the Hoover Dam with its sheer
mass.
5. Which sentence should be deleted because it does not directly support the point of the fourth paragraph?
a. sentence 17
c. sentence 22
b. sentence 18
d. sentence 24
6. What summary might BEST replace the long quotation in the fourth paragraph?
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7.
____
8.
____
9.
____ 10.
a. It was extremely hot.
b. The men were proud to be working on the dam, even during the summer of 1931.
c. The men wanted hats and ice water to help them endure the heat.
d. Temperatures soared in the summer of 1931, and many men became severely ill.
Which of the following would be the BEST elaboration to insert after sentence 25?
a. Many people missed the uncontrolled and unpredictable nature of the Colorado River.
b. Lake Mead became a popular fishing spot for local sports enthusiasts.
c. Moreover, the residents and farmers of the valleys would no longer have to fear river
floods.
d. Energy from the Hoover Dam supplied weapons factories during World War II.
What is the BEST way to summarize the main points of the paper for the conclusion?
a. Hoover Dam was the most amazing engineering accomplishment of its time.
b. Hoover Dam was an amazing accomplishment because of its size, the speed of its
construction, and the impact it had on life in the Southwest.
c. Anyone who sees Hoover Dam in person can’t help but be awed by its size and its
strength.
d. President Hoover would be so proud to see the dam today, still holding back the mighty
Colorado and providing power to the desert.
Which addition at the end of sentence 28 would BEST restate the thesis?
a. by using brute force and determination to win at any cost.
b. through sheer determination and hard work.
c. by engineering ingenious structures that provide greater quality of life.
d. while employing thousands of workers.
Which of the following would be the BEST thought-provoking idea to conclude the paper?
a. During the 1930s, no one thought the Hoover Dam could be built. What “impossible” task
will we accomplish next?
b. I hope to be able to visit the Hoover Dam in person some day.
c. What do you think makes the Hoover Dam such an enduring symbol of human ingenuity?
d. Think about this—what if the Hoover Dam had never been built?