Pretest Answers

Read the excerpt of a conversation between Sadako and her father, Mr. Endo, from "Morning Rain.” " Sa , I think I’ll visit with the Iwanagas this afternoon. I didn’t see them the last time. Then there’s a movie I want to see at the Fuji-kwan. Don’t expect me for supper. I’ll eat something down in Nihon-machi.” "Okay.” Sadako was rather relieved. Supper times were always uneasy when her father was visiting from San Francisco, where he worked as a gardener for a well-to-do family (it was the same job he had held before the war). She tried her best to keep a pleasant digestible conversation going, but she always ended up tensely, delivering an overly ebullient monologue. Which word best describes Mr. Endo’s tone?

Read the passage. "I can’t find it anywhere,” Jo cried. "I really thought it was here,” she said, shoving books and various scraps of paper to the side of the desk. "Are you sure?” her mom asked, eyeing Jo from the doorway. "Maybe you took it off before you went swimming yesterday. Maybe we should check on the table downstairs.” "No, I’m positive I left it here. I remember taking it off before I left for basketball practice today,” Jo said, as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. "If I don’t find that ring, Grandma is going to be so upset with me!” Which word best describes the mood of this passage?

Read the passage. As the girls approached the abandoned house at the end of the street, their pace slowed. They could see one lone light on through the cracked glass in a window. Why had they decided to take a run this late at night? Which word best describes the mood of this passage?

Read the passage. Crunch! The back of Mrs. Miller’s van crumpled slightly and folded into ripples. Jana slowly unfastened her seat belt and stepped out of the car. She thought to herself, "How could I not have seen Mrs. Miller’s van? Out of all the vehicles in this parking lot, I had to back into my Spanish teacher’s?” Mrs. Miller approached Jana in the parking lot. Luckily, she had not been in the van but was just leaving the building. "Oh no! Jana, what happened?” asked Mrs. Miller as she stared at the twisted metal on her van. "I am so sorry, Mrs. Miller. I promise I didn’t see your van!” pleaded Jana. "Well, these things happen sometimes,” answered Mrs. Miller. "I know it was an honest mistake. However, you will need to call your insurance company because I need to have this fixed right away!” Which word best describes Mrs. Miller's tone?

Read the passage. Johnny was just leaving the locker room after football practice. Back on the field, he heard someone yell. "I could use a little help out here!” It was Coach Wilson. He was pushing some type of machine around the football field. Johnny headed in his direction. "How can I help, Coach?” Johnny asked. Coach Wilson explained that he needed help lining the field for the big game. This was something Johnny had never done before, but he agreed to pitch in. Johnny and Coach Wilson spent the next hour adding crisp, white chalk lines to the field. That evening, an unexpected storm caused the field to become soaked from all the rain. It washed the white lines away. When Johnny and the coach arrived at the field, they couldn’t believe their eyes. "All of our hard work has been washed away,” mumbled Johnny. "I can't believe we have to do this again.” Which word best describes Johnny’s tone at the end of the passage?

Read the passage. The man sat in his car, silently preparing for the interview. He reread his notes and practiced how he would answer specific questions. He forgot some of what he wanted to say, which distracted him from his task. He started to ask himself different questions, such as "What if I don’t say the right things?” and "What if I don’t know the answer to a question?” He felt himself start to sweat as these new questions presented themselves. He really needed the job, as his rent was coming due. However, he knew that feeling calm was just as important in an interview as being prepared. He had a few minutes left before his interview time, so he closed his eyes and began to picture a forest scene with a river and tall trees. "I’ve got this,” he reminded himself. Which detail best creates an anxious mood in the passage?

Read the passage. Amir could not imagine a better day! He had woken up early and enjoyed a tasty breakfast. The sky was a bright blue, and the sun shone brightly. During algebra, Amir found out he had attained the highest score on last Friday’s quiz. Then, at track practice, he set a new personal best in the 100-meter dash. Which word best describes the mood of this passage?

What is the tone of a literary text?

Which sentence is an example of indirect characterization?