HSPA Reading Passage and Strategies
There are two kinds of passages that will be
used on the HSPA:

Narrative

Persuasive
Pre-Reading Tips:

Read ALL of the questions FIRST (including the
open-ended). This will give you a purpose of
reading.

Skim and scan any titles, headlines, and subheadlines, bold and italicized words/phrases.

PREDICT: predict what you may think happen or
what the story/essay is about BEFORE reading given
all of the “clues.”
Narrative Passage Reading Tips:
Narrative passages will be a fiction story or excerpt
from a longer fiction story.

While reading try the following tips:
– Identify the four elements of fiction: characters,
setting, plot, and theme.
– Summarize with one word or phrase the action
in the story by section and/or paragraph. You
may write this summary in the margin
– Underline important words, phrases, or
sentences that will help you answer the openended questions.
Persuasive Passage Reading Tips
Persuasive passages present an authors point of view.
 While reading try the following tips:
– Identify the persuasive techniques being used.
Question the information being presented.
– Summarize sections/paragraphs with one word or
phrase, in the margins.
– Identify author’s purpose for writing/persuading.
– Identify the thesis statement and topic statements
Multiple Choice Questions







READ the directions FIRST.
READ the questions, cover the answer choices and
come up with the answer BEFORE reading the options.
Select the choice that matches your answer best.
If you don’t know the answer, then try process of
elimination. Eliminate wrong or not possible answers
first.
Don’t “add” information into the possible answers.
Refer back to the reading passage whenever possible.
Skip if not sure, go back once you finish the rest.
Review your answers once finished.
What is an open-ended question?


An open-ended question is a question that is
designed to allow a full, meaningful answer
using your own knowledge and/or feelings.
It is the opposite of a closed-ended question
(this kind of question only needs a short or
one-word answer).
Examples
Closed-Ended:
 Do you get along well
with your boss?

Who will you vote for
this election?

What color shirt are you
wearing?
Open-Ended:
 Tell me about your
relationship with your
boss.
 What do you think about
the two candidates in this
election?
 That’s an interesting
colored shirt you’re
wearing.
Miscellaneous (but VALUABLE)
thoughts…

You will not score proficient on any portion of
the HSPA if you “skip” the open-ended Qs

Be sure to answer all aspects/bullets of the
open-ended response.

Leaving out a bullet will result in a lower score.

Write SOMETHING. If you give n“0”thing,
then you get n“0”thing.
How are the OEs structured?

First Bullet: usually a question that is "close
to the text."

Second Bullet: inference level, "beyond the
text," related to characters, or events in the
story that the student needs to understand,
or the world in general (applying text to the
outside world.)

Question Ends With: "Use information from
the text to support your answer.“
QASI
•Question: Students are to simply restate the
question when answering the prompt. This creates a
familiarity with the text and also shows the test
graders that the student is aware of what is being
asked.
•Answer: Students are to answer all parts of the
question. If there are two bullets to a question, they
are to answer each bullet in a separate paragraph.
If the bullet itself has multiple parts, all parts must
be answered to receive an acceptable score.
•Support: This is perhaps the most crucial element.
The students are required to include direct support,
either in the form of quotes, paraphrases or
summaries, in their answer. A good transition is to
write "In paragraph ____ the author states...“
•Insight: This is the last step and can really increase
a student's scoring potential. They can reflect on the
question and answer and offer some insight,
whether it be a personal anecdote, allusion, or
scholastic or global reference. It creates nice closure
and offers the grader a chance to see the students
think "outside the box."
OER are scored on a scale of 0-4. The more
evidence and support you provide, the higher your
score will be!
POC
•PROOF: quote (text) from the story. You’ve got to
have text evidence to be a success!
•OPINION: This includes your analysis (opinion) that
answers the question. It helps if it comes from the
quote!
•CONNECTION: The opinion and proof connect with
similar words or ideas. Connecting your ideas is
what will get you a higher score!
If you cover all of these questions, you will be
sure to receive the highest grade possible on
your open-ended responses.
a. Read ALL parts of the question
b. Focus your answer on the question asked? (It is
often helpful to restate the question in your answer)
c. Respond to ALL bullets
d. Fully explain/develop your answer (Pretend that
your reader has never read the passage)
e. Cite specific quotes or text from the passage to
help support your answer
f. Provide additional insight to explain/develop your
answer (Make connections beyond the text)
Scoring Rubric
1. In paragraph 1, the author states that, "Republicans and Free Staters
were staging civil war."
- What language does the author use to create the mood for the story?
- Give several examples from the story that are used to create the setting.
Is the setting appropriate? Explain. Use information from the story to
support your response.
1. In “The Sniper,” there is a civil war going on in Ireland between the
Republicans and the Free Staters. The author creates a tense mood
through the use of descriptive language and similes. For example, in the
first paragraph, the author states that “machine guns and rifles broke the
silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms.” He
describes the night as being “enveloped in darkness but for the dim light
of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of
approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey.”
The author depicts the scene as being set as the “June twilight faded
into night.” The story takes place in Dublin, Ireland, atop a house with a
chimney stack. The setting is appropriate because the narrator is a
sniper. Snipers are supposed to keep hidden and take out targets
without being detected. They are never on the front lines of battle.
Moreover, Dublin is the capital of Ireland and would be a place with
important and crucial battles.
2. Create a character sketch of the narrator. What information are you given to
support your
sketch?
- Give several examples of characterization used by the author throughout the story.
- Explain whether the author introduced the narrator directly or indirectly and explain
why he did so. Use information from the story to support your response.
2. We are given a detailed character sketch of the narrator
throughout the story through the use of descriptive language. In
the second paragraph, the narrator is described as having the “face
of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of
the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who
is used to looking at death.” Also, in the third paragraph, we are
told the narrator was “too excited to eat” that morning. From these
descriptions, we can deduce that the narrator is a young man and
has most likely been in the war for some time. Also, the adrenaline
and action of the war excite him. The narrator is introduced to us
directly because the author states in the second paragraph that
“[o]n a rooftop near O'Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay
watching.” We know this is the author because the title of the story
is called “The Sniper,” so the main character must be the sniper
introduced at the beginning of the story.