PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
LESSON PLANS
Differentiated Learning
Advanced Proficient,
Level Honors
TEST VERSION #1
Proficient
Level 1
TEST VERSION #2
with Guided Reading
Questions (GRQ)
Partically Proficient
Level 2
TEST VERSION #3
With Guided Reading
Questions (GRQ) and
Paraphrased Answers
Reading the Text
*Students read text
individually.
*Students read text
individually or together.
*Students address the
guided reading questions
(GRQ) individually or
together, silently, verbally,
or in writing.
*Students read text
individually or together.
*Students address the
guided reading questions
(GRQ) individually or
together, silently, verbally,
or in writing.
Answering Multiple
Choice, Reviewing
Answers and
Explanations.
*Students answer
questions 1-12.
*Teacher presents
answerkey and
explanations, and students
reflect on their
performances
*Students answer
questions 1-6. Teacher
presents answer key and
explanations. Students
reflect on their
performances.
*Students answer
questions 7-12. Teacher
presents answer key and
explanations. Students
reflect on their
performnaces.
*Students answer
questions 1-6 by matching
the answer to the
paraphrased answer.
provided. Teacher presents
answer key and
explanations.
*Students answer
questions 7-12 without
paraphrased answers.
Teacher presents answer
key and explanations.
Writing the Essay
Writing an essay in one
column of a piece of paper
may best represent the
environment of PARCC's
computer-based test.
Graphic organizers are
not given.
*Students write an essay.
*Students compare their
essay to this unit's sample
essay or to their
classmates' essays.
*Students score their
essays using the PARCC
Analytic Writing Rubric.
*Students complete an
organizer.
*Students write an essay.
*Students compare their
essays.
*Students score their
essays using the PARCC
Analytic Writing Rubric.
*Students complete a n
organizer.
*Students share their
graphic organizers.
*Students write an essay.
*Students score their
essays using the PARCC
Analytic Writing Rubric.
Scoring the Essay
See Rubric: https://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/Grade6-11ELACondensedRubricFORANALYTICANDNARRATIVEWRITING.pdf
Scoring the Multiple
Choice
See other Scoring Notes and Practice Tests: http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#
To simulate the computer environment of the PARCC test, teachers may ask students take this test on a
computer using Word. On a computer, teachers can encourage students to highlight only in yellow, blue, and
pink, to write their essay in one column, and to print or email their answers.
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10
PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
Today you will read and analyze passages
from two short stories. As you read these
texts, you will gather information and answer
questions about each text individually and
about the relationship between the texts so
you can write an analytical essay.
1. Part A

A. overt
______________________________________

B. aggressive
Read the following excerpt from "The Story of
an Hour” by Chopin, a short story written in
1894. Then, answer the questions.

C. suggestive

D. subtle
“The Story of An Hour”
by Kate Chopin
1. Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with
a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to
her as gently as possible the news of her
husband's death.
2. It was her sister Josephine who told her, in
broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in
half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards
was there, too, near her. It was he who had
been in the newspaper office when intelligence
of the railroad disaster was received, with
Brently Mallard's name leading the list of
"killed." He had only taken the time to assure
himself of its truth by a second telegram, and
had hastened to forestall any less careful, less
tender friend in bearing the sad message.
3. She did not hear the story as many women
have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability
to accept its significance. She wept at once, with
sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms.
When the storm of grief had spent itself she
went away to her room alone. She would have
no one follow her.
4. There stood, facing the open window, a
comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank,
pressed down by a physical exhaustion that
haunted her body and seemed to reach into her
soul.
What is the meaning of the word veiled as it is
used in paragraph 2?
2. Part B
Which quotation best represents the meaning of
the word veiled?

A. ”...revealed in half concealing...”

B. “It was her sister Josephine who told
her...”

C. “...as gently as possible...”

D. “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted
with a heart trouble...”
3. Part A
The central idea of this passage is best described
by which of the following statements?

A. Having felt frustrated with her husband,
Mrs. Mallard experiences guilt when she
hears about her husband's death.

B. Having felt restricted by her marriage,
Mrs. Mallard experiences joy when she
hears about the death of her husband.

C. Having been abused by her husband,
Mrs. Mallard experiences satisfaction when
she hears about her husband's death.
5. She could see in the open square before her
house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10
PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain
was in the air. In the street below a peddler was
crying his wares. The notes of a distant song
which some one was singing reached her faintly,
and countless sparrows were twittering in the
eaves.

D. Having been dependent on her
husband, Mrs. Mallard experiences anxiety
when she hears about the death of her
husband.
6. There were patches of blue sky showing
here and there through the clouds that had met
and piled one above the other in the west facing
her window.
4. Part B
7. She sat with her head thrown back upon the
cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except
when a sob came up into her throat and shook
her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep
continues to sob in its dreams.

A. “When the storm of grief had spent
itself she went away to her room alone.
She would have no one follow her.”

B. “But now there was a dull stare in her
eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off
yonder on one of those patches of blue
sky.”

C. “When the storm of grief had spent itself
she went away to her room alone.”

D. “But she saw beyond that bitter
moment a long procession of years to
come that would belong to her absolutely.
And she opened and spread her arms out
to them in welcome.”
8. She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose
lines bespoke repression and even a certain
strength. But now there was a dull stare in her
eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on
one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a
glance of reflection, but rather indicated a
suspension of intelligent thought.
9. There was something coming to her and she
was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did
not know; it was too subtle and elusive to
name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky,
reaching toward her through the sounds, the
scents, the color that filled the air.
10. Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously.
She was beginning to recognize this thing that
was approaching to possess her, and she was
striving to beat it back with her will--as
powerless as her two white slender hands
would have been. When she abandoned herself
a little whispered word escaped her slightly
parted lips. She said it over and over under hte
breath: "free, free, free!" The vacant stare and
the look of terror that had followed it went from
her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her
pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood
warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.
11. She did not stop to ask if it were or were not
a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and
exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the
suggestion as trivial. She knew that she would
Which of the following quotes best support your
answer?
5. Part A
Which of the following statements best identifies
the cause of Mrs. Mallard's “heart trouble”?

A. Mrs. Mallard's long-standing jelousy
toward her sister most likely causes her
“heart trouble”.

B. Mrs. Mallard's new-found resentment
toward her husband most likely causes her
“heart trouble”,

C. The new-found freedom in Mrs.
Mallard's life most likely causes her “heart
trouble”.
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10
PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
weep again when she saw the kind, tender
hands folded in death; the face that had never
looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray
and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter
moment a long procession of years to come that
would belong to her absolutely. And she opened
and spread her arms out to them in welcome.
12. There would be no one to live for during
those coming years; she would live for herself.
There would be no powerful will bending hers in
that blind persistence with which men and
women believe they have a right to impose a
private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind
intention or a cruel intention made the act seem
no less a crime as she looked upon it in that
brief moment of illumination.
______________________________________
Read the poem from "To My Dear and Loving
Husband” by Bradstreet, who is known as the
first American Woman Writer. Then, answer
questions 7-12.
“To My Dear and Loving Husband”
by Anne Bradstreet
1. If ever two were one, then surely we.
2. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
3. If ever wife was happy in a man,
4. Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
5. I prize thy love more than whole Mines of
gold
6. Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
7. My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
8. Nor ought but love from thee give
recompetence.
9. Thy love is such I can no way repay.
10. The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
11. Then while we live, in love let's so persever
12. That when we live no more, we may live
ever.

D. The long-standing strain of Mrs.
Mallard's marriage most likely causes her
“heart trouble”.
6. Part B
Which of the following paragraphs best supports
your answer?

A. Paragraph 11

B. Paragraph 12

C. Paragragh 10
 D. Paragraph 1
___________________________________________
7. Part A “To My Dear and Loving Husband”
Which phrase best relays the meaning of the
word manifold as it is used in line 10 of “To My
Dear and Loving Husband”?

A. with great wealth

B. one more time

C. again and again

D. with good health
8. Part B
Which lines best clarify the meaning of the word
manifold?

A. “5. I prize thy love more than whole
Mines of gold 6. Or all the riches that the
East doth hold.
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10
PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
“To My Dear and Loving Husband”
by Anne Bradstreet
1. If ever two were one, then surely we.
2. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
3. If ever wife was happy in a man,
4. Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
5. I prize thy love more than whole Mines of
gold
6. Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
7. My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
8. Nor ought but love from thee give
recompetence.
9. Thy love is such I can no way repay.
10. The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
11. Then while we live, in love let's so persever
12. That when we live no more, we may live
ever.

B. “9. Thy love is such I can no way repay.
10. The heavens reward thee manifold, I
pray. ”

C. “3. If ever wife was happy in a man,
4. Compare with me, ye women, if you
can.”

D. “1. If ever two were one, then surely
we. 2. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then
thee.”
9. Part A
The details in the last three lines of the poem
develop the theme by ______?

A. discussing the nature of their rewards in
heaven.

B. stressing the challenging nature of
marriage.

C. emphasizing the eternal nature of their
love.

D. revealing the effect of death on their
love.
10. Part B
Which of the following quotes best support your
answer?

A. “in love let's so persever / That when we
live no more,”

B. Then while we live, in love let's so
persever”

C. “The heavens reward thee manifold, I
pray.”

D. “That when we live no more, we may
live ever.”
“To My Dear and Loving Husband”
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10
PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
by Anne Bradstreet
1. If ever two were one, then surely we.
2. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
3. If ever wife was happy in a man,
4. Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
5. I prize thy love more than whole Mines of
gold
6. Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
7. My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
8. Nor ought but love from thee give
recompetence.
9. Thy love is such I can no way repay.
10. The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
11. Then while we live, in love let's so persever
12. That when we live no more, we may live
ever.
11. Part A
“The Story of an Hour” differs from “To My Dear
and Loving Husband” mainly iin the depiction
of_____?

A. the future

B. marriage

C. disappointment

D. death
12. Part B
Which of the following lines from “To My Dear and
Loving Husband” best support your answer?

A. Lines 11-12

B. Lines 9-10

C. Lines 6-7

D. Lines 1-2
Now that you have read and answered
questions about the passages from “The
Story of an Hour” and “To My Dear and Loving
Husband”, write an essay in which you
identify and explain a theme that is similar in
both passages. In your essay, discuss how
each author uses the characters, events, and
settings in the passages to develop the theme.
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10
PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10
PARCC PBA PRACTICE TEST #1 (ELA, Literary Analysis Task) TEST VERSION #1
Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.9, 12.10