Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Grades 9 and 10--FSA ELA Question Stems


Scholars: Review the following question types for the FSA ELA. The more familiar you are with the wording and types of questions on the test, the better you will perform. You might even cut and paste the question types into a Word document and place it in your binder. In that way, when you read selections you can ask yourself these questions and improve your skill set for the assessment. Good luck!

****


Use the following Item Stems as models to brainstorm ideas and create questions for the reading selection.


Item Stems for Literature                                         Create Questions


1. Select two words or phrases in the

passage that support the idea that

the character was _____.

[Hot Text]


2. Which quotation supports the idea

that Character A is sympathetic to

Character B?

[Multiple Choice]


3. Character A’s view of Character B

changes during the course of the

text. Select a detail from the text

that supports this conclusion.

 [Hot Text]


4. Part A: How does the main character

change from the beginning of the

text to the end?

Part B: Provide a detail from the text that

supports this conclusion.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


5. Part A: How does Character A feel about

asking Character B to _____?

Part B: Which detail from the text

supports the answer in Part A?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


6. What is a theme of the passage?

 [Multiple Choice]


7. What is a theme of the passage?

 [Open Response]


8. Read this sentence from the text:

(Excerpted text)

Part A: How does this sentence affect the

theme of the passage?

Part B: What is a theme from the

passage?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


9. Part A: Which is a theme of the passage?

 Part B: Which detail supports the

development of the theme in Part

A?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


10. Part A: How does the author develop the

theme of sympathy for others

throughout the text?

Part B: Which detail from the text

supports this conclusion?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


11. Identify a theme of the passage.

Then, explain how the author uses

details to develop this theme.

[Open Response]


12. Which detail shows how

the main character changes by

the end of the passage?

[Hot Text]


13. How does the main

character change from

the beginning of the

passage to the end?

[Multiple Choice]


14. Explain how the main

character changes at the

end of the passage.

Then, provide a detail

from the passage to

support your choice.

[Open Response]


15. Part A: How does the main

character change?

Part B:  How does the change

affect the plot?

[Two-Part Hot Text] 


16. How does the change in

the main character help

develop the theme?

[Multiple Choice]


17. Explain how the contrast

the author creates

between Character A

and Character B helps

develop the theme of

the passage.

[Multiple Choice]

18. Read the following sentence from

the passage: (Excerpted text)

What does the phrase (excerpted

text) mean?

[Multiple Choice]


19. The author describes a character

as looking _____ and speaking

_____. How does this word choice

impact the meaning of the

passage?

[Multiple Choice]


20. What is the effect of the repetition

of the word _____ throughout the

passage?

[Open Response]      


21. Part A: How do paragraphs 1–4 help to

establish the tone of the passage?

Part B: Select the two words in

paragraphs 1–4 that establish the

tone of the passage.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


22. Explain how the author describes

Character A. Then, explain how

this affects the tone.

[Open Response]


23. Part A: How does the author’s word

choice aid in character development?

Part B: What does this word choice

convey about the meaning of the

text?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


24. Select the sentence that creates

tension in the plot.

[Hot Text]


25. How does the author use structure

to convey a sense of tension in the

passage?

[Multiple Choice]


26. How does the author’s decision to

use a slow pace in telling the story

affect the meaning of the text?

[Multiple Choice]


27. Part A: How does the author set the tone

of the passage?

Part B: How does the tone support the

meaning?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


28. Explain how the author creates the

pacing of the passage. Then,

explain the effect the pace has on

the meaning of the passage.

[Open Response]


29. (Excerpted text)

How does the order of events in

the passage affect the meaning of

this quotation?

[Multiple Choice]


30. Select two pieces of dialogue from

the text that convey the main

character’s perspective.

[Hot Text]


31. Select two sentences from the text

that show the main character’s

point of view regarding the town.

[Hot Text]


32. Explain how the main character

feels about the town. Then, give

details from the text to support

your answer.

[Open Response]


33. Explain how the main character

feels about the leaders of the

town. Then, explain why the main

character feels this way.

[Open Response]


34. Read this excerpt from the text:

(Excerpted text)

Part A: What does this reveal about the

main character?

Part B: How does it emphasize the main

character’s perspective?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


35. Read this excerpt from the text:

(Excerpted text)

Part A: How does this excerpt reflect the

culture from which the main

character comes?

Part B: How does it affect the meaning of

the passage’s ending?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


36. Part A: Which element from the works is

emphasized in the poem?

Part B: Which element from the works is

emphasized in the painting?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


37. What is a difference between the

two works?

[Multiple Choice]


38. Each work features the same

character. How is the character

treated in the poem?

[Open Response]


39. Part A: What is emphasized in the poem

that is not emphasized in the

painting?

Part B: Select a detail from the text that

supports your answer.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


40. Part A: What is emphasized in the poem

that is not emphasized in the

painting?

Part B: How does this affect the poem’s

meaning?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


41. Part A: What is a difference between the

works?

Part B: How does this affect the poem’s

meaning?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


42. How does the author’s reference

to the source material help

advance the plot?

[Multiple Choice]


43. Part A: How does the author change the

source material?

Part B: What impact does this decision

have on the meaning of the play?

 [Two-Part Hot Text]


44. Part A: What is a theme that the source

work and the play share?

Part B: How is the playwright’s approach

to the theme different from that

of the previous author?

[Two-Part Hot Text]



Item Stems for Informational Texts


45. Select two words or phrases in the

article that support the idea that

_____ is difficult to find.

[Hot Text]


46. Which quotation supports the idea

that _____ is difficult to find?

[Multiple Choice]


47. Read this excerpt from the text:

(Excerpted text)

Select two details from the text

that support the author’s

conclusion.

[Hot Text]


48. Part A: How do state officials feel about

preserving the animal’s habitat?

Part B: Which detail from the text

supports the answer in Part A?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


49. Part A: Based on the article, how does the

author feel about preserving the

animal’s habitat?

Part B: Which detail from the text

supports the answer in Part A?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


50. What is a central idea of the text?

[Multiple Choice]


51. What is the main theme of the text?

[Open Response]


52. Read this phrase from the text:

(Excerpted text)

Part A: How does this phrase affect the

central idea of the text?

Part B: What is a central idea of the text?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


53. Part A: Which is a central idea of the text?

Part B: Which detail supports the

development of the central idea in

Part A?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


54. Part A: A central idea of the text is _____.

How does the author develop this

central idea throughout the text?

Part B: Which detail from the text

supports this conclusion?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


55. Identify a central idea of the text.

Then, explain how the author uses

details to develop this central idea.

[Open Response]


56. How does the author order the

ideas in the text?

[Multiple Choice]


57. Select three sentences from the

text that show how the author

uses _____ as a way to develop

the ideas in the text.

[Hot Text]


58. The author attempts to show that

_____ has an impact on _____.

Select three details that show this

connection.

[Hot Text]


59. Part A: How does the author develop

ideas throughout the text?

Part B: Select three details from the text

that show the development of the

author’s ideas.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


60. Part A: How does the author develop

ideas throughout the text?

Part B: What effect does this have on the

meaning of the text?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


61. How does the author use sources

to support the viewpoint? How does

this selection affect the meaning of

the text?

[Open Response]


62. Read this phrase from the article:

(Excerpted text)

What does the phrase (excerpted

text) mean as it is used in the

article?

[Multiple Choice]


63. The author describes the animal as

(excerpted text). How does this

word choice affect the meaning of

the article?

[Multiple Choice]

64. What is the impact of the author’s

word choice when describing the

animal throughout the article?

[Open Response]


65. Part A: How do paragraphs 1 through 3

help to establish the tone of the

article?

Part B: Select two words in paragraphs 1

through 3 that establish the tone

of the article.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


66. Explain how the author describes

the animal. Then, explain how this

affects the tone of the article.

[Open Response]


67. Part A: How does the author’s word

choice develop the tone?

Part B: How does this word choice affect

the meaning of the text?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


68. Which sentence helps develop the

idea that preserving the animal’s

habitat will have negative

consequences?

[Multiple Choice]


69. Select two sentences in the text

that help develop the idea that

preserving the animal’s habitat

will have negative consequences.

[Hot Text]


70. Read this phrase from the text:

(Excerpted text)

What impact does this phrase

have on the development of the

author’s ideas?

[Multiple Choice]


71. Part A: Select the paragraph that refines

the idea that there is too little

information to make an informed

decision.

Part B: How does this paragraph support

the author’s purpose?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


72. Part A: How does the author order the

ideas in the text?

Part B: What effect does the order of

ideas have on the meaning of the

text?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


73. Explain how the structure of the

article refines the ideas in the

article. Then, explain how this

affects the meaning of the text as

a whole. [Open Response]


74. Select two phrases from

paragraphs 1 through 3 that

convey the author’s purpose.

[Hot Text]


75. Select two sentences from the text

that show the author’s point of

view regarding _____.

[Hot Text]


76. Explain the author’s viewpoint

about _____.

[Open Response]


77. Part A: Select two phrases from

paragraphs 1 through 3 that show

the author’s purpose.

Part B: What is the author’s purpose in

the article?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


78. Part A: How does the author’s word

choice convey the point of view?

Part B: Select two details from the text

that support your answer.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


79. Part A: What is the author’s purpose in

the article?

Part B: How does the author use rhetoric

to advance the purpose of the

article?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


80. Part A: Which element from both works is

emphasized in the text?

Part B: Which element from both works is

emphasized in the video?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


81. What is a difference between the

two works?

[Multiple Choice]


82. Each work features information

about _____. How is this

information treated differently in

the video than it is in the text?

[Open Response]


83. Part A: What is emphasized in the text

that is not emphasized in the

video?

Part B: Select a detail from the text that

supports your answer.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


84. Part A: What is emphasized in the video

that is not emphasized in the text?
Part B: How does this affect the video’s

meaning?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


85. Part A: What is a difference between the

works?

Part B: How does this affect the text’s

meaning?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


86. Which detail advances the

argument that too little is known

about _____?

[Multiple Choice]


87. Select two details in the text that show

the author’s purpose.

[Multi-Select]


88. Part A: Select two details in the text that

reveal the author’s tone.

Part B: What is the author’s tone?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


 89. Which detail is irrelevant to the

author’s primary claim?

 [Multiple Choice]


90. Part A: What is the author’s claim in the

text?

Part B: Select two details that support the

author’s claim in the text.

[Two-Part Hot Text]


91. Part A: What is the author’s primary

claim?

Part B: How effectively does the author

support the claim with evidence?

[Two-Part Hot Text]


92. Select a detail from each text that

shows how the two texts treat the

theme of _____ similarly.

[Hot Text]


93. Part A: Which theme do the texts have in

common?

Part B: How do the texts treat this theme

similarly?

 [Two-Part Hot Text]


94. Explain how the texts develop and

treat the theme of _____ in the

same way.

[Open Response]