10th Grade ELA – Pre-test Assessment 2

Part A

In paragraph 1, what is the meaning of the word entranced as it is used in the sentence “Sachiko was entranced with the picture”?

Part B

Which two quotations from later in the passage further emphasize the meaning of entranced?

A. “Perhaps they aren’t out tonight, someone whispered.”
B. “And on down the river, and on and on, were fireflies, lines of them wavering out from this bank and the other and back again . . . .”
C. “. . . there, in that delicate moment before the last light goes, were fireflies, gliding out over the water in low arcs . . . .”
D. “In that last moment of light, with the darkness creeping up from the water and the moving plumes of grass still faintly outlined . . . .”
E. “Sachiko could see it all even now, here inside with her eyes closed. . . . Surely it was the impressive moment of the evening . . . .”
F. “. . . as though she were joining them there, soaring and dipping along the surface of the water . . . .”

Part A

Which option best captures a central theme of the passage?

Part B

Which quotation is most relevant to a central theme of the passage?

A. “They could still see each other’s faces when they left the house, but by the time they reached the river it was only short of pitch dark.” (paragraph 1)
B. “A river it was called; actually it was no more than a ditch through the paddies, a little wider perhaps than most ditches, with plumes of grass bending over it from either bank and almost closing off the surface. A bridge was still dimly visible. . . .” (paragraph 1)
C. “They turned off their flashlights and approached in silence; fireflies dislike noise and light.” (paragraph 2)
D. “Dark, dreamy, rather . . . might one say? Perhaps something of the child’s world, the world of the fairy story in it. . . . Something not to be painted but to be set to music, the mood of it taken up on a piano or a koto.” (paragraph 2)

Part A

Throughout the passage, the author builds suspense. Which structural choice contributes most directly to suspense?

A. The author begins the passage by mentioning a strange house Sachiko stayed in.
B. The author describes the things Sachiko did throughout the day before describing what she did during the evening.
C. The author dwells on Sachiko and her friends searching for the fireflies in the dark prior to describing the finding of the fireflies.
D. The author describes Sachiko reflecting on her experience with the fireflies.

Part B

Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?

A. “It was a strange house, of course, but it was probably less the house than sheer exhaustion that kept Sachiko awake.” (paragraph 1)
B. “If you are going to play in the fields you had better change your clothes, they were told, and four muslin kimonos—prepared especially for them?— were laid out, each with a different pattern . . . .” (paragraph 1)
C. “A river . . . with plumes of grass bending over it from either bank and almost closing off the surface. A bridge was still dimly visible a hundred yards or so ahead . . . .” (paragraph 1)
D. “. . . the moment that made the firefly hunt worth while. . . . A firefly hunt has indeed none of the radiance of a cherry blossom party.” (paragraph 2)

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