<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<competency testname="Adaptive Reading Test 15" shuffle_choices="1" shuffle_questions="0" displaytype="list">
<direction><![CDATA[Choose the best answer to each question.]]></direction>
<qa name="q48" theta="0.529411764705879" difficulty="0.5" discrimination="0.312538153958997" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1090" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Colonists also did not agree with the setup of the British government. They said "no taxation without representation." This meant they should not have to pay taxes because there were no colonists in the British government. There was no one to represent the colonies when laws were being made. The colonists thought the British were taking their money without considering their opinions. This went against their rights as British citizens.<br><br></em>What did the colonists mean by "no taxation without representation"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[They did not want to pay the British government when they were not allowed to make laws.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[They did not think the British government really used money to pay for its wars.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[They thought that paying money was unfair to the British who did not live in the colonies.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[They wanted their money to pay for more British soldiers to come to the colonies to protect them.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q21" theta="-1.76470588235294" difficulty="0.789473684210526" discrimination="0.306906374588328" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="700" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Select the sentence with a word that means "difficult" in it.]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[The team had a hard task ahead of it.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[After all, just two years earlier the United States had suffered a shutout.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It was almost impossible, but the United States had pulled ahead of the mighty English.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[These days, soccer is increasingly popular here.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q806" theta="-1.52941176470589" difficulty="0.764705882352941" discrimination="0.459201253424011" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="740" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The Great Plains stretch from Canada to Mexico across the middle of the country.<br><br></em>How does the word "stretch" affect the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[It indicates that the Great Plains area extends over a large expanse of land.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It indicates that the Great Plains area can change in different ways.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It suggests that the Great Plains area is constantly changing in shape.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It suggests that the Great Plains area is getting larger in size.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q694" theta="-0.764705882352944" difficulty="0.666666666666667" discrimination="0.21764339381519" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="870" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[When the Aboriginal narrator in "Benang" is able to float above the ground, it may seem fantastical. The levitation is making a reference to Australian colonial policies. It was said that these rules and policies "uplifted” natives.<br><br></em>Which phrase from the selection helps you understand the meaning of "levitation"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[float above the ground]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a reference to Australian]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[the Aboriginal narrator]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[these rules and policies]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q527" theta="-2.76470588235294" difficulty="0.909090909090909" discrimination="0.503608158357733" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="530" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Some think the Clean Power Plan caused coal miners to lose their jobs. There are other reasons for the job losses, though. One is new machines. These have taken over many of the jobs coal miners once did. Also, the use of coal in the U.S. has been declining.<br><br></em>Which word could replace "declining" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the last sentence above?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[dropping]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[continuing]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[developing]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[improving]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q532" theta="-2.58823529411765" difficulty="0.888888888888889" discrimination="0.296807654500668" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="560" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Sydney has also been a part of her brother's troop. She has learned about camping, first aid, cooking and saving money. A Boy Scout gets badges for doing these things. Having 21 badges is part of being an Eagle Scout. Sydney cannot earn these.<br><br></em>What is a "badge"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[an award for learning to do something]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a place where Boy Scouts go camping]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a rule against girls becoming Boy Scouts]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a way of cooking and saving money]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q709" theta="-1" difficulty="0.705882352941177" discrimination="0.492311257625627" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="830" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The tool is put into the snowpack. It uses sensors to find problems, such as ice from which the snow on top could slide, or crystals that could crumble under pressure.<br><br></em>Which word could BEST replace "crumble" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[collapse]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[develop]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[shrink]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[slide]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q602" theta="-2.11764705882353" difficulty="0.833333333333333" discrimination="0.633422458768309" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="640" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Mexico also wants its teachers to be more qualified.<br><br></em>Which answer choice BEST explains what the author means by "more qualified"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[to be better trained to teach]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to be better able to memorize]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to be better at working in the government]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to be better speakers of many languages]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1151" theta="-2.64705882352941" difficulty="0.894736842105263" discrimination="0.274443136463457" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="550" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The revised order, signed with none of the flourish of his first version, eliminates some of the most contentious aspects in an effort to surmount the court challenges that are sure to come. Trump's first order, issued just a week after his inauguration, was halted by federal courts.<br><br></em>Which two words would BEST replace "contentious" and "surmount" in the selection above?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[controversial; overcome]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[acrimonious; repeal]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[hostile; defeat]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[offensive; obstruct]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q726" theta="0.764705882352938" difficulty="0.461538461538462" discrimination="0.373935462872237" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1130" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The team then asked scientists in the region about possible locations. Finally, they located a crop of the tubes in a lagoon full of rotting wood. The location, adds Distel, remains a secret to prevent the site from being disturbed by shell collectors.<br><br></em>Which sentence uses "disturbed" in the SAME way as the last sentence in the selection?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[The small child disturbed the careful arrangement of toys.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[She became disturbed when her cell phone stopped working]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The boy was very disturbed when he saw his friend cheating.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The noise of the dog barking really disturbed our sleep.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q901" theta="0.117647058823526" difficulty="0.555555555555556" discrimination="0.653912270739677" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1020" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The misfiring Patriots offense again squandered their next possession and Atlanta was back on the charge, powering forward with a nine-play drive that ended with Ryan lobbing a 6-yard pass to Tevin Coleman for a touchdown.<br><br></em>Which two words could BEST replace "squandered" and "lobbing" in the excerpt above?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[lost; throwing]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[dropped; flipping]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[missed; flinging]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[spent; protesting]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q486" theta="-1" difficulty="0.705882352941177" discrimination="0.240291329148321" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="830" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Coral lives deep on the ocean floor. It grows into big colonies called coral reefs. Many sea creatures live in coral reefs.<br><br></em>What is the focus of this paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[what a coral reef is]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[how to find a coral reef]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[when coral grows]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[why coral is in the ocean]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q921" theta="-1" difficulty="0.705882352941177" discrimination="0.609614807345752" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="830" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Believing that Smith was dead, she was astonished that he’d never informed her that he was alive or intervened as matters worsened between the colonists and the Powhatans.<br><br></em>The author uses the word "intervened" to mean:]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[stepped in]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[avoided conflict]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[gave up control]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[helped fight]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q585" theta="-0.470588235294121" difficulty="0.625" discrimination="0.556590595703831" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="920" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[They started after me. I turned my horse quickly towards Charlestown Neck, and then pushed for the Medford Road.<br><br></em>Which sentence uses the word "pushed" in the SAME way as it is used above?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[I pushed for the finish line when I sensed the other racers behind me.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[My parents have always pushed me to study harder.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[She pushed her favorite baby dolls in the play stroller.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The children got in trouble after they pushed each other on the playground.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1030" theta="0.823529411764703" difficulty="0.458333333333333" discrimination="0.273172712360863" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1140" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[He published more books that detailed his time abroad, pushing for imperialism and the colonization of New England.<br><br></em>Adding which of these sentences to the selection above would help explain the meaning of the word "imperialism"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[Smith believed that England had a supreme right to authority over new lands in America.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Smith believed that creating new settlements would bring economic prosperity to England.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Smith believed that England and Native American tribes could share power over colonies.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Smith believed that the people of England would learn much from settlements in new lands.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q467" theta="1.58823529411764" difficulty="0.368421052631579" discrimination="0.307403426034727" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1270" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[During last summer's strike, ASARO artists put up posters backing the teachers. Police took them all down.<br><br></em>Which answer choice explains what the author means by "backing"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[standing up for]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[fighting against]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[following behind]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[leading the way]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q947" theta="0.470588235294115" difficulty="0.523809523809524" discrimination="0.647683688984627" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1080" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[We always seemed to disagree, and then the arguments always wore me out so that I finally gave in to keep you from doing something desperate.<br><br></em>Von Kurowsky uses the word "desperate" to mean:]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[drastic]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[eager]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[inspiring]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[monstrous]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q186" theta="1.05882352941176" difficulty="0.423076923076923" discrimination="0.491288192254835" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1180" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA["It's hard manual labor, but there's nothing wrong with hard manual labor."<br><br></em>What can be inferred from the above sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[People hiring young children to work in fields find it reasonable.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Cigarette makers agree that harvesting nicotine involves hard manual labor.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Young children are subjected to work in hazardous conditions in the U.S.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Parents of young children force their kids to work for long hours.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q464" theta="-1.11764705882353" difficulty="0.714285714285714" discrimination="0.683549328303267" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="810" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Many outrageous events happen in these books. Readers are not meant to believe these events are all real. Instead, they are invited to think about their meaning.<br><br></em>Which word could replace "outrageous" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence above?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[crazy]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[boring]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[happy]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[real]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q93" theta="-0.70588235294118" difficulty="0.653846153846154" discrimination="0.518341305480886" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="880" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA["To expose bones that haven't seen the light of the sun for 80 million years is just pretty incredible."<br><br></em>What is the meaning of the word "incredible" as used in the above sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[amazing]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[absurd]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[impossible]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[unbelievable]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q340" theta="2.76470588235294" difficulty="0.19047619047619" discrimination="0.235592609388684" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1470" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[<em>The Fish and Wildlife Service identifies the northern spotted owl as a threatened species. This triggered the need to designate its critical habitat. The 2012 designation expanded the size of several earlier designations.<br><br></em>Which conclusion is BEST supported by the paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[Earlier designations of critical habitats for the northern spotted owl were not sufficient to protect the owl from being threatened.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The Fish and Wildlife Service is obligated to designate critical habitats for any wildlife species that are threatened.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The size of the most recent designated critical habitat for the northern spotted owl was determined by the number of northern spotted owls in the area.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The Fish and Wildlife Service typically extends the size of a critical habitat in small increments over many years.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q648" theta="-1.64705882352942" difficulty="0.772727272727273" discrimination="0.386567203707204" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="720" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Hunger leads to stunted growth and affects the brain's growth. It can also lead to poor health throughout a person's life.<br><br></em>What does the author mean by "stunted"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[underdeveloped]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[extremely thin]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[unnecessary]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[very strong]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q530" theta="-0.882352941176474" difficulty="0.684210526315789" discrimination="0.550540893365142" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="850" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[New Order Still Seems To Target Muslims<br><br></em>What does the word "target" mean?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[single out]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[accept]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[anger]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[ignore]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q179" theta="1.76470588235294" difficulty="0.346153846153846" discrimination="0.309616593596495" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1300" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Which statement BEST supports the fact that it is challenging for veterans to get used to civilian work culture?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[He recalled applying for a job and being told that he, and other vets, hadn't been picked for interviews because they didn't have the keyword "manager" on their resumes - not a common term in the military.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The economy's not helping. I had my resume on Monster.com for a while, and that went nowhere.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The nonprofit in 2011 received a $30,000 grant from the Kessler Foundation in West Orange, N.J., and set up the training, which led to 50 veterans with disabilities getting work as home-based customer-service representatives for companies such as PSE&G and Johnson & Johnson.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Roughly a dozen veterans were chosen for the pilot program, where they are interning for Horizon in Newark during the day and taking software development and business courses at night, said Peggy Coons, Horizon's senior vice president of human resources.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q572" theta="-1.29411764705883" difficulty="0.730769230769231" discrimination="0.301905911558823" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="780" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[They will get excited about learning coding, Freeman said, when they realize “they can do this.”<br><br></em>Which word could replace "realize" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[understand]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[celebrate]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[explain]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[prove]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1162" theta="1.52941176470588" difficulty="0.375" discrimination="0.505872984189676" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1260" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Her own family, though, was perhaps not as proud of Lazarus' outspoken and brazen efforts as those in the Jewish sisterhood. After the poet died, her sisters worked to craft a narrative for Lazarus that ran counter to the way she lived, painting her as a "more demure and feminine" spinster, according to the JWA, and they even refused to grant permission to republish her Jewish poems.<br><br></em>Which option could replace the word "demure" without altering the meaning of the second sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[reserved]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[audacious]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[confident]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[intelligent]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q593" theta="-2.35294117647059" difficulty="0.863636363636364" discrimination="0.486362486469653" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="600" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Excavating the area is difficult. There are houses and buildings on top of it and the ground below is filled with rainwater. The statue's head was broken in earlier times because of this.<br><br></em>Which option below explains the meaning of "excavating"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[digging up and removing objects from the ground]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[handling delicate objects that break easily]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[replacing houses and sewers that need repair]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[using a bulldozer to move heavy objects]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q899" theta="2.11764705882353" difficulty="0.291666666666667" discrimination="0.750780954629926" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1360" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[After the Falcons were flustered on a crucial drive, the Patriots won the ball back.<br><br></em>An epic drive hinged on a logic-defying 23-yard reception to Julian Edelman, who somehow gathered a blocked pass to put the Patriots in enemy territory.<br><br></em>Which idea is BEST supported by the information in these paragraphs?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[A few unexpected maneuvers helped the Patriots earn their victory.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[As soon as Patriots player Julian Edelman ran onto the field, the game was over for the Falcons.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The Falcons' overconfidence at the beginning of the game ultimately led to their defeat.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The Patriots' victory was secured by using specific strategies to intimidate the Falcons.]]></answer></qa>
</competency>