Ohio Achievement Test, Grade 8 Reading

By The Editors of REA and Dana Passananti

REA's Grade 8 Ohio Achievement Test - Reading - Test Prep! Fully aligned with the Academic Content Standards of the Ohio Department of Education Are you prepared to excel on this state high-stakes assessment exam? * Take the diagnostic Pretest and find out what you know and what you should know * Use REA's advice and tips to ready yourself for proper study and practice Sharpen your knowledge and skills * The book's full subject review refreshes knowledge and covers all four standards on the official exam: Acquisition of Vocabulary, Reading Process, Informational Text, and Literary Text * Smart and friendly lessons reinforce necessary skills * Key tutorials enhance specific abilities needed on the test * Targeted drills increase comprehension and help organize study * Color icons and graphics highlight important concepts and tasks Practice for real * Create the closest experience to test-day conditions with a full-length practice Posttest * Chart your progress with detailed explanations of each answer * Boost confidence with test-taking strategies and focused drills Ideal for Classroom, Family, or Solo Test Preparation! REA has helped generations of students study smart and excel on the important tests. REA’s study guides for state-required exams are teacher-recommended and written by experts who have mastered the test.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Research & Education Association
• Release date: Jan 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780738668628

Book preview

Ready, Set, Go! Ohio Achievement Test, Grade 8 Reading (REA)

The Editors of REA

The standards presented in this book were created and implemented by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). For further information, visit the ODE website at www.ode.state.oh.us/proficiency.

Space Colonization photo (p. 55) courtesy NASA.

Margaret Murie photo (p. 122) by Associated Press.

Research & Education Association

61 Ethel Road West

Piscataway, New Jersey 08854

E-mail: [e-mail]

Ready, Set, Go!

Ohio Achievement Test, Reading, Grade 8

Copyright © 2006 by Research & Education Association, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number 2006924034

9780738668628

International Standard Book Number 0-7386-0240-X

REA® is a registered trademark of

Research & Education Association, Inc.

D0

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

About Research & Education Association

Acknowledgments

SUCCEEDING ON THE OHIO GRADE 8 READING ACHIEVEMENT TEST

PRETEST

ANSWER SHEETS

ANSWER KEY

Lesson 1: Word Recognition

Lesson 2: Inferences and Conclusions

Lesson 3: Author’s Purpose

Lesson 4: Literature, Part 1

Lesson 5: Literature, Part 2

POSTTEST

ANSWER SHEETS

ANSWER KEY

About Research & Education Association

Founded in 1959, Research & Education Association is dedicated to publishing the finest and most effective educational materials—including software, study guides, and test preps—for students in middle school, high school, college, graduate school, and beyond. Today, REA’s wide-ranging catalog is a leading resource for teachers, students, and professionals.

We invite you to visit us at www.rea.com to find out how REA is making the world smarter.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Larry B. Kling, Vice President, Editorial, for his editorial direction; Pam Weston, Vice President, Publishing, for setting the quality standards for production integrity and managing the publication to completion; Christine Reilley, Senior Editor, for project management; Diane Goldschmidt, Associate Editor, for post-production quality assurance; Christine Saul, Senior Graphic Artist, for cover design; Jeremy Rech, Graphic Artist, for interior page design; and Jeff LoBalbo, Senior Graphic Artist, for post-production file mapping.

We also gratefully acknowledge the writers, educators, and editors of REA, Northeast Editing, and Publication Services for content development, editorial guidance, and final review.

SUCCEEDING ON THE OHIO GRADE 8 READING ACHIEVEMENT TEST

ABOUT THIS BOOK

This book provides excellent preparation for the Ohio Grade 8 Reading Achievement Test. Inside you will find lessons, drills, strategies, and test practice—all of it with a single-minded focus: success on this achievement test.

This book is divided into several parts: a pretest, which introduces students to some of the key components on the actual test, including:

Fiction and nonfiction reading excerpts

Multiple-choice questions

Short-answer writing prompts

Following the pretest is a lesson section, which teaches students about the different types of questions on the reading test, step by step. Students will begin with shorter selections and easier questions and conclude each lesson by completing full-length selections and questions modeled after those on the Achievement Test. Answer explanations are provided for each question in each lesson. Tips are also given below each question to guide students toward answering the question correctly. Lastly, this book includes a full-length posttest, which is modeled after the Ohio Grade 8 Reading Achievement Test.

Begin by assigning students the pretest. Answers and answer explanations follow the pretest. Then work through each of the lessons one by one. When students have completed the book, they should complete the posttest. Answers and answer explanations follow the posttest.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

FOR STUDENTS: To make getting through the book as easy as possible, we’ve included icons shown on the next page that highlight sections like lessons, questions, and answers. You’ll find that our practice tests are very much like the actual Achievement Test you’ll encounter on test day. The best way to prepare for a test is to practice, so we’ve included drills with answers throughout the book, and our two practice tests include detailed answers.

FOR PARENTS: Ohio has created grade-appropriate learning standards that are listed in the table in this introduction. Students need to meet these objectives as measured by the Ohio Grade 8 Reading Achievement Test. Our book will help your child review for the achievement test. It includes review sections, drills, and two practice tests complete with explanations to help your child focus on the areas he/she needs to work on to help master the test.

FOR TEACHERS: No doubt, you are already familiar with the Ohio Grade 8 Reading Achievement Test and its format. Begin by assigning students the pretest. An answer key and detailed explanations follow the pretest. Then work through each of the lessons in succession. When students have completed the subject review, they should move on to the posttest. Answers and answer explanations follow the posttest.

ICONS EXPLAINED

Icons make navigating through the book easier by highlighting sections such as lessons, questions, and answers as explained below:

Question

Answer

Tip

Lesson

Activity

Writing Task

WHY STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE THE OHIO GRADE 8 READING ACHIEVEMENT TEST

The Ohio Grade 8 Reading Achievement Test measures the extent to which students are meeting the standards set forth by the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Board of Regents. Ohio teachers, curriculum experts, business experts, and parents developed the standards and the test in cooperation with the Ohio State Board of Education.

WHAT’S ON THE OHIO GRADE 8 READING ACHIEVEMENT TEST

READING SELECTIONS

Reading selections on the Ohio Grade 8 Reading Achievement Test can be fiction or nonfiction informational. There are a wide variety of subjects addressed in the reading passages, with most passages being at or near grade level.

READING QUESTIONS

Most questions on the Ohio Grade 8 Reading Achievement Test are multiple-choice. Both multiple-choice and open-ended questions are based on the Ohio Learning Standards, which follow.

OHIO GRADE 8 READING ACHIEVEMENT TEST STANDARDS

¹

Acquisition of Vocabulary: 31

Define unknown words through context clues and the author’s use of comparison, contrast, and cause and effect.

Apply knowledge of connotation and denotation to determine the meaning of words.

Identify the relationships of pairs of words in analogical statements (e.g., synonyms and antonyms) and infer word meanings from these relationships.

Infer the literal and figurative meaning of words and phrases and discuss the function of figurative language, including metaphors, similes and idioms.

Examine and discuss the ways that different events (e.g., cultural, political, social, technological, and scientific events) impact and change the English language.

Use knowledge of Greek, Latin and Anglo-Saxon roots, prefixes and suffixes to understand complex words and new subject-area vocabulary (e.g., unknown words in science, mathematics and social studies).

Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.

Reading Process: Concepts of Print, Comprehension Strategies and Self-Monitoring Strategies: 48, 65, 82

Apply reading comprehension strategies, including making predictions, comparing and contrasting, recalling and summarizing and making inferences and drawing conclusions.

Answer literal, inferential, evaluative and synthesizing questions to demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate print texts and electronic and visual media.

Monitor own comprehension by adjusting speed to fit the purpose, or by skimming, scanning, reading on, looking back, note taking or summarizing what has been read so far in text.

Use criteria to choose independent reading materials (e.g., personal interest, knowledge of authors and genres, or recommendations from others).

Independently read books for various purposes (e.g., for enjoyment, for literary experience, to gain information or to perform a task).

Reading Applications: Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text: 48, 65, 99

Compare and contrast text features, including format and headers of various informational texts in terms of their structure and purpose.

Identify and use the organizational structure of a text, such as chronological, compare-contrast, cause-effect, problem-solution, and evaluate its effectiveness.

Compare and contrast the treatment, scope and organization of ideas from different sources on the same topic.

Analyze information found in maps, charts, tables, graphs, diagrams, cutaways and overlays.

Assess the adequacy, accuracy and appropriateness of an author’s details, identifying persuasive techniques (e.g., bandwagon, testimonial and emotional word repetition) and examples of bias and stereotyping.

Identify the author’s purpose and intended audience for the text.

Analyze an author’s argument, perspective or viewpoint and explain the development of key points.

Recognize how to cite facts, draw inferences and present opinion in informational text.

Distinguish the characteristics of consumer materials (e.g., warranties, product information, instructional materials), functional or workplace documents (e.g., job-related materials, memoranda, instructions) and public documents (e.g., speeches or newspaper editorials).

Reading Applications: Literary Text: 48, 65, 82

Identify and explain various types of characters (e.g., flat, round, dynamic, static) and how their interactions and conflicts affect the plot.

Analyze the influence of setting in relation to other literary elements.

Explain how authors pace action and use subplots, parallel episodes and climax.

Compare and contrast different points of view (e.g., first person and third person limited, omniscient, objective and subjective), and explain how voice affects literary text.

Identify and explain universal themes across different works by the same author and by different authors.

Explain how an author’s choice of genre affects the expression of theme or topic.

Identify examples of foreshadowing and flashback in a literary text.

Explain ways in which the author conveys mood and tone through word choice, figurative language, and syntax.

Examine symbols used in literary texts.

TIPS FOR THE STUDENT

Students can do plenty of things before and during the actual test to improve their test-taking performance. The good thing is that most of the tips described in the following pages are easy!

Preparing for the Test

Test Anxiety

Do you get nervous when your teacher talks about taking a test? A certain amount of anxiety is normal and it actually may help you prepare better for the test by getting you motivated. But too much anxiety is a bad thing and may keep you from properly preparing for the test. Here are some things to consider that may help relieve test anxiety:

Share how you are feeling with your parents and your teachers. They may have ways of helping you deal with how you are feeling.

Keep on top of your game. Are you behind in your homework and class assignments? A lot of your classwork-related anxiety and stress will simply go away if you keep up with your homework assignments and classwork. And then you can focus on the test with a clearer mind.

Relax. Take a deep breath or two. You should do this especially if you get anxious while taking the test.

Study Tips & Taking The Test

Learn the Test’s Format. Don’t be surprised. By taking