vocabulary and EOG prep

Ms. Jeffries is constantly giving us test to help us prepare for the real END of Grade Exam or what is known as the EOGs in Reading so that we can get the gist of what to expect.

What is the best definition of the word gist in the above sentence

Ms. Jeffries does not want there to be any obstacles in your preparation for the EOG Reading test, which is why she assesses what you are able to do.

What does obstacles mean:

It was quite possibly the weirdest conversation ever. I had been minding my own business, watching T.V. in the den, when the lights went out suddenly. I was home alone. The T.V went out, too. A moment later one lamp came back on, but it was flickering weakly. In the middle of the room stood a man who looked like my uncle, Norman.
“Hi David, I’m David,” he said.
I didn’t say anything. I thought that if I could reach my cell phone, I could call 911. My parents had taught me plenty of times what to do in an emergency. I thought that maybe I could jump out the half-open window, although it opened onto the roof on the second story.
“I know your parents taught you to call 911 in an emergency,” said the guy. “And I know that you’re wondering where your phone is.”
This was getting scarier. Obviously this guy had been stalking me.
“I wouldn’t recommend jumping out the half-open window,” he said with a peculiar little smile. “It opens onto the roof on the second story.”
“H-how are you doing this?” I asked. “Are you reading my mind?”
“Not really. Well, sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m reading my own mind,” he said.
“I don’t understand you.” Maybe if I told him that someone was coming home soon, he would get scared and leave.
“There’s no point telling me that someone will come home soon,” he said.
I shivered.

What mood is established by the author's description of the setting in paragraph 2?

Select right answer

Gracefully she sat down sideways, / With a simper smile.

Jesse Owens was an extraordinary athlete and man for what he was able to do by breaking down the color barrier during World War II and achieving four Gold Medals in the Olympic games.

In the above sentence, how is the word extraordinary used:

Double Davids
“Hi David, I’m David.”
It was quite possibly the weirdest conversation ever. I had been minding my own business, watching T.V. in the den, when the lights went out suddenly. I was home alone. The T.V went out, too. A moment later one lamp came back on, but it was flickering weakly. In the middle of the room stood a man who looked like my uncle, Norman.
“Hi David, I’m David,” he said.
I didn’t say anything. I thought that if I could reach my cell phone, I could call 911. My parents had taught me plenty of times what to do in an emergency. I thought that maybe I could jump out the half-open window, although it opened onto the roof on the second story.
“I know your parents taught you to call 911 in an emergency,” said the guy. “And I know that you’re wondering where your phone is.”
This was getting scarier. Obviously this guy had been stalking me.
“I wouldn’t recommend jumping out the half-open window,” he said with a peculiar little smile. “It opens onto the roof on the second story.”
“H-how are you doing this?” I asked. “Are you reading my mind?”
“Not really. Well, sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m reading my own mind,” he said.
“I don’t understand you.” Maybe if I told him that someone was coming home soon, he would get scared and leave.
“There’s no point telling me that someone will come home soon,” he said.
I shivered.
“Relax,” he said. “That would be fatally ignorant. You’re the absolute last person in the world I would hurt.”
“Why me?”
“Because if I hurt you, I hurt me,” he said. “I’ll explain, but you’ll have a hard time accepting it.”
“I’ll try.”
“OK, I am David Seam Lamont.”
“That’s my name!”
“Don’t interrupt. I was born January 11, 1992.”
“That’s when I was born! You’re trying to mess with me!”
“I told you that you would have a hard time accepting my explanation. The fact is, I am you. An older you.”
“There’s no way – “
“Just hear me out and stop interrupting. Man, I was obnoxious when I was young!” Shaking his head, he continued "I was 16 years old, sitting in this room, watching T.V. A guy came from the future and told me that he was me, and that he had invented a time machine in the future. He had come back to see himself. It was the exact same conversation you and I are having now.”
“Time machine?” I asked weakly.
“Yes, a time machine. I’m you, David, I’ve just come back in time.”
“Did you really invent a time machine?” I asked, half starting to believe it.
“We did, I did. Or, rather, we will, since it will happen in December of the year 2040.”
“Where is this machine?”
“It doesn’t go back and forth in time, the person does.”
I could almost believe it. He seemed to know everything I was thinking.
“If you really came from the future,” I said, “tell me something about it, so I can test you. Tell me who will win all the baseball games in the major leagues tomorrow.”
“I can’t remember that far back, and we never liked baseball that much. But more importantly, I can’t tell you anything about the future. If I did, you would have knowledge you are not supposed to have, and that could mess with the time stream.”
“So why are you here?” I asked.
“Just to say ‘hello,’ and look at me,” he said. “Goodbye, David, take very good care of yourself.”
“But I – ” I began to say, and then the lights dimmed again. When they came back on, he was gone. The T.V. came back on. It was an old movie, called “Back to the Future.”
That made me laugh nervously, but when the laughter passed, I had an idea. I sat down with a pencil and a pad of paper and starting taking very close notes about the movie.


How is the older David able to know what the younger David is thinking?

Select right answer

Emmett Till's mother, Mamie Till, was reluctant to allow Emmett to go to Mississippi in the summer of 1955 to stay with some of her relatives in the south, but Emmett's persistence eventually won out and she sent him to stay with her cousin, Moses (Preacher) Wright.

In the above sentence, what does persistence mean. Use context clues to figure it out.

Read the following sentence and tell us what coveted means:

“When Susan was 21 years old, she became the first woman to earn the highly coveted title of Grandmaster, which is the top level in chess.” What does “coveted” mean?

Chicago is a city that is fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action.

“Hi David, I’m David.”
It was quite possibly the weirdest conversation ever. I had been minding my own business, watching T.V. in the den, when the lights went out suddenly. I was home alone. The T.V went out, too. A moment later one lamp came back on, but it was flickering weakly. In the middle of the room stood a man who looked like my uncle, Norman.
“Hi David, I’m David,” he said.
I didn’t say anything. I thought that if I could reach my cell phone, I could call 911. My parents had taught me plenty of times what to do in an emergency. I thought that maybe I could jump out the half-open window, although it opened onto the roof on the second story.
“I know your parents taught you to call 911 in an emergency,” said the guy. “And I know that you’re wondering where your phone is.”
This was getting scarier. Obviously this guy had been stalking me.
“I wouldn’t recommend jumping out the half-open window,” he said with a peculiar little smile. “It opens onto the roof on the second story.”
“H-how are you doing this?” I asked. “Are you reading my mind?”
“Not really. Well, sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m reading my own mind,” he said.
“I don’t understand you.” Maybe if I told him that someone was coming home soon, he would get scared and leave.
“There’s no point telling me that someone will come home soon,” he said.
I shivered.
“Relax,” he said. “That would be fatally ignorant. You’re the absolute last person in the world I would hurt.”
“Why me?”
“Because if I hurt you, I hurt me,” he said. “I’ll explain, but you’ll have a hard time accepting it.”
“I’ll try.”
“OK, I am David Seam Lamont.”
“That’s my name!”
“Don’t interrupt. I was born January 11, 1992.”
“That’s when I was born! You’re trying to mess with me!”
“I told you that you would have a hard time accepting my explanation. The fact is, I am you. An older you.”
“There’s no way – “
“Just hear me out and stop interrupting. Man, I was obnoxious when I was young!” Shaking his head, he continued "I was 16 years old, sitting in this room, watching T.V. A guy came from the future and told me that he was me, and that he had invented a time machine in the future. He had come back to see himself. It was the exact same conversation you and I are having now.”
“Time machine?” I asked weakly.
“Yes, a time machine. I’m you, David, I’ve just come back in time.”
“Did you really invent a time machine?” I asked, half starting to believe it.
“We did, I did. Or, rather, we will, since it will happen in December of the year 2040.”
“Where is this machine?”
“It doesn’t go back and forth in time, the person does.”
I could almost believe it. He seemed to know everything I was thinking.
“If you really came from the future,” I said, “tell me something about it, so I can test you. Tell me who will win all the baseball games in the major leagues tomorrow.”
“I can’t remember that far back, and we never liked baseball that much. But more importantly, I can’t tell you anything about the future. If I did, you would have knowledge you are not supposed to have, and that could mess with the time stream.”
“So why are you here?” I asked.
“Just to say ‘hello,’ and look at me,” he said. “Goodbye, David, take very good care of yourself.”
“But I – ” I began to say, and then the lights dimmed again. When they came back on, he was gone. The T.V. came back on. It was an old movie, called “Back to the Future.”
That made me laugh nervously, but when the laughter passed, I had an idea. I sat down with a pencil and a pad of paper and starting taking very close notes about the movie.


What is the main reason the older David visited the younger David?

Select right answer

All night long with rush and lull / The rain kept drumming on the roof.

Read the following sentences below from the story:

“H-how are you doing this?” I asked. “Are you reading my mind?”
“Not really. Well, sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m reading my own mind,” he said.
“I don’t understand you.” Maybe if I told him that someone was coming home soon, he would get scared and leave.
“There’s no point telling me that someone will come home soon,” he said.
I shivered.
“Relax,” he said. “That would be fatally ignorant. You’re the absolute last person in the world I would hurt.”
“Why me?”
“Because if I hurt you, I hurt me,” he said. “I’ll explain, but you’ll have a hard time accepting it.”

“That would be fatally ignorant.” Which of the following is closest in meaning?

Select right answer

Laszlo Polgar believed that “geniuses are made, not born.” He encouraged all three of his daughters to pursue chess, and the results were astonishing. At one point all three sisters were ranked in the top twenty of all players in the world, including men and women.
The outstanding results began early for the Polgar sisters. Six months after Susan first learned the rules of chess, she went into a local men’s chess club and beat everyone. When Susan was 21 years old, she became the first woman to earn the highly coveted title of Grandmaster, which is the top level in chess. If that wasn’t amazing enough, Judit earned the same title the same year as her sister, but she was only fifteen. Bobby Fischer, who is sometimes considered the greatest player ever, earned the title of Grandmaster at a slightly older age than Judit did.
When the sisters were 19, 14 and 12, they were the representatives sent by Hungary to the Women’s Chess Olympiad, a competition of the best women players in the world. They beat the best teams in the world, which Hungary had never done before, and brought home the gold for their country.
The success of the sisters brings up some interesting questions. After all, many people who pay attention to chess assume that it is a skill that men simply have, and women do not. How else can we explain the fact that only 11 of the top 1,000 players in the world are women?
It turns out that the explanation may be environmental, rather than biological. In other words, the real reason why women haven’t succeeded at chess may be due to not having the opportunity to learn the game, or not having been encouraged to do well at it.
The Polgar sisters seem to be proof of what can happen when girls are encouraged to do well at the game.

What does it mean to say that success is “environmental,” not “biological?”

Select the right answer

Lives of great men remind us
We can make our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.

I’ve Got Peace Like a River


I’ve got peace like a river
in my soul
I’ve got a river in my soul
I’ve got joy like a fountain
in my soul
I’ve got a fountain in my soul
I’ve got love like an ocean
in my soul
I’ve got an ocean in my soul

What is the theme or the message of the poem/song?

Read the following paragraph: “Laszlo Polgar is a Hungarian man with two notable passions. He loves chess. He not only likes to play, he also is a collector with a huge personal library of old chess magazines, books, puzzles, and game boards.
Polgar’s other passion is education. He wrote a thesis describing the best pedagogy to teach students chess. He has also written chess theory and puzzle books..”

What does “pedagogy” mean?

Select right answer

A score of 75 or above on today's test would illustrate your knowledge of and preparation for the EOG Reading test.

What would be the best definition for the word illustrate in the above sentence:

I’ve Got Peace Like a River


I’ve got peace like a river
in my soul
I’ve got a river in my soul
I’ve got joy like a fountain
in my soul
I’ve got a fountain in my soul
I’ve got love like an ocean
in my soul
I’ve got an ocean in my soul

1. Why does the writer say peace is “like a
river”?

Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy,
January 20, 1961

This is part of the speech that John F. Kennedy gave when he became President of the United States in 1961.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or
failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been
summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who
answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need;
not as a call to battle, though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden of a long
twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" - a struggle
against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East
and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic
effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of
defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility - I
welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or
any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will
light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what
you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what
together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the
same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience
our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land
we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must
truly be our own.

Why does Kennedy start by saying “in your
hands”?

Double Davids
“Hi David, I’m David.”
It was quite possibly the weirdest conversation ever. I had been minding my own business, watching T.V. in the den, when the lights went out suddenly. I was home alone. The T.V went out, too. A moment later one lamp came back on, but it was flickering weakly. In the middle of the room stood a man who looked like my uncle, Norman.
“Hi David, I’m David,” he said.
I didn’t say anything. I thought that if I could reach my cell phone, I could call 911. My parents had taught me plenty of times what to do in an emergency. I thought that maybe I could jump out the half-open window, although it opened onto the roof on the second story.
“I know your parents taught you to call 911 in an emergency,” said the guy. “And I know that you’re wondering where your phone is.”
This was getting scarier. Obviously this guy had been stalking me.
“I wouldn’t recommend jumping out the half-open window,” he said with a peculiar little smile. “It opens onto the roof on the second story.”
“H-how are you doing this?” I asked. “Are you reading my mind?”
“Not really. Well, sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m reading my own mind,” he said.
“I don’t understand you.” Maybe if I told him that someone was coming home soon, he would get scared and leave.
“There’s no point telling me that someone will come home soon,” he said.
I shivered.
“Relax,” he said. “That would be fatally ignorant. You’re the absolute last person in the world I would hurt.”
“Why me?”
“Because if I hurt you, I hurt me,” he said. “I’ll explain, but you’ll have a hard time accepting it.”
“I’ll try.”
“OK, I am David Seam Lamont.”
“That’s my name!”
“Don’t interrupt. I was born January 11, 1992.”
“That’s when I was born! You’re trying to mess with me!”
“I told you that you would have a hard time accepting my explanation. The fact is, I am you. An older you.”
“There’s no way – “
“Just hear me out and stop interrupting. Man, I was obnoxious when I was young!” Shaking his head, he continued "I was 16 years old, sitting in this room, watching T.V. A guy came from the future and told me that he was me, and that he had invented a time machine in the future. He had come back to see himself. It was the exact same conversation you and I are having now.”
“Time machine?” I asked weakly.
“Yes, a time machine. I’m you, David, I’ve just come back in time.”
“Did you really invent a time machine?” I asked, half starting to believe it.
“We did, I did. Or, rather, we will, since it will happen in December of the year 2040.”
“Where is this machine?”
“It doesn’t go back and forth in time, the person does.”
I could almost believe it. He seemed to know everything I was thinking.
“If you really came from the future,” I said, “tell me something about it, so I can test you. Tell me who will win all the baseball games in the major leagues tomorrow.”
“I can’t remember that far back, and we never liked baseball that much. But more importantly, I can’t tell you anything about the future. If I did, you would have knowledge you are not supposed to have, and that could mess with the time stream.”
“So why are you here?” I asked.
“Just to say ‘hello,’ and look at me,” he said. “Goodbye, David, take very good care of yourself.”
“But I – ” I began to say, and then the lights dimmed again. When they came back on, he was gone. The T.V. came back on. It was an old movie, called “Back to the Future.”
That made me laugh nervously, but when the laughter passed, I had an idea. I sat down with a pencil and a pad of paper and starting taking very close notes about the movie.


Which of the following would be the BEST subtitle for this story?

Select right answer