<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<competency testname="Adaptive Reading Test 9" shuffle_choices="1" shuffle_questions="0" displaytype="list">
<direction><![CDATA[Choose the best answer to each question.]]></direction>
<qa name="q30" theta="1.41176470588235" difficulty="0.384615384615385" discrimination="0.618094504365255" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1240" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The program's first group of teens all live in a tough Chicago neighborhood: Little Village.<br><br></em>What is the meaning of the word "tough" as used in the above sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[dangerous]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[difficult]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[hard]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[strong]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q300" theta="-0.941176470588239" difficulty="0.692307692307692" discrimination="0.579249587357682" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="840" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[<em>Earth has a moon that circles around it. The planet Saturn has many moons that circle around it.<br><br></em>What does the word "circle" mean in this selection?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[to travel around another object]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to be shaped like a round ball]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to go through different phases]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to explore objects in space]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1144" theta="1.76470588235294" difficulty="0.346153846153846" discrimination="0.26698851943344" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1300" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The tribes requested the temporary injunction last week after Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners got federal permission to lay pipe under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota.<br><br></em>What does the word "injunction" mean? What does it convey in this sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[an instruction to stop working; a legal tone]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a final ruling on the case; a desperate tone]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a request to have your complaints heard by a judge; a pleading tone]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[the removal of project equipment; a technical tone]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q329" theta="0.882352941176468" difficulty="0.454545454545455" discrimination="0.353808368907803" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1150" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[<em>Fewkes and his crew dug up and repaired the Sun Temple. It “brought to light a type of ruin hitherto unknown in the park,” as he said in a 1916 report to the secretary of the interior, whose department oversees national parks.<br><br></em>What is the meaning of the phrase "brought to light" as it is used in Fewkes' comment?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[revealed]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[transformed]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[illustrated]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[developed]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1094" theta="2.8235294117647" difficulty="0.181818181818182" discrimination="0.804260947290467" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1480" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[And if we are not obedient to the gods, there is a danger that we shall be split up again and go about like the profile figures having only half a nose which are sculptured on monuments.<br><br></em>What is conveyed by comparing humans to "profile figures having only half a nose which are sculptured on monuments"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[the idea that the gods will punish humans by making them look unusual]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[the idea that being split up again would improve humans' appearance]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[the idea that human art recognizes the threat from the gods]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[the idea that humans will be changed to resemble handsome sculptures]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q108" theta="-0.411764705882356" difficulty="0.619047619047619" discrimination="0.417044982738616" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="930" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Also, the colonists had cleared land, fought the Indians and lost family members while building a colony that enhanced the British Empire.<br><br></em>How does the word "enhanced" affect the TONE of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[It conveys the idea that the colonists had helped make the British Empire larger and richer.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It conveys the idea that the colonists were not organized enough to fight the British Empire.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It conveys the sense that the colonists were costly and damaging for the British Empire.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It conveys the sense that the colonists had asked the British Empire where they should live.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q160" theta="0.647058823529409" difficulty="0.476190476190476" discrimination="0.450834902874213" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1110" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Which of the following BEST shows the attachment of campers to the two family camps?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[The memories are so deep and so important and so loving and so family- and community-oriented, I think most people are still in shock.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[In the same meadow where San Jose campers have been gathering for singalongs around a nightly campfire, the trees have been trimmed way back and brush hauled away.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[In late May, a crew of volunteers spent a day making 20 green Adirondack chairs that will be taken to Echo Lake for the summer.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[In many ways, though, it's only a dream for the neighboring Berkeley Tuolumne Family Camp, whose own Facebook page is now a memorial site.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q545" theta="-2.76470588235294" difficulty="0.909090909090909" discrimination="0.549051605650435" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="530" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[They use artifacts and fossils like bones. After testing and analyzing them, scientists try to figure out what life was like back then.<br><br></em>What does "artifacts" refer to in this selection?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[objects from the past]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[false information]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[items worth a lot of money]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[old stories]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q173" theta="2.29411764705882" difficulty="0.269230769230769" discrimination="0.491669932343436" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1390" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[At the rim of the Grand Canyon, busloads of Chinese tourists jostled on a recent day with 20-something backpackers and an Amish family with rambunctious boys in suspenders and straw hats, all eager for a prime viewing spot.<br><br></em>What is the meaning of the word "rambunctious" as used in the above sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[exuberant]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[introvert]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[impatient]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[rude]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1048" theta="2" difficulty="0.307692307692308" discrimination="0.292562167608853" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1340" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Temperature changes also influence the timing of important ecological events, causing birds to migrate sooner and plants to bloom and leaf earlier.<br><br></em>The author uses the word "influence" to mean:]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[alter]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[bolster]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[discourage]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[sustain]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q957" theta="0.999999999999997" difficulty="0.428571428571429" discrimination="0.566607223745199" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1170" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Liz Tyson, director of CAPS, said laws to protect zoo animals have not been effective. “Our ongoing monitoring work over the years has uncovered numerous examples of non-compliance with legal standards but we were shocked to discover the extent of the failings across the industry,” she said.<br><br></em>Why does Tyson include the phrase "the extent of the failings"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[to show that the zoo industry's failure to take care of animals is very widespread]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to show that some zoos in the industry are much worse than others at taking care of animals]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to show that some zoos in the industry have failed so completely at taking care of animals that they have been shut down]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[to show that the zoo industry occasionally fails to take care of animals adequately]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1025" theta="2.88235294117646" difficulty="0.136363636363636" discrimination="0.753408308589959" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1490" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[These conditions cause low energy or “immuno-deficiency,” which means the body fails to produce a strong immune response, leaving the person more susceptible to infection and illness.<br><br></em>Which word, if it replaced "susceptible" in the sentence, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[hospitable]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[predisposed]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[prone]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[vulnerable]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q576" theta="2.47058823529411" difficulty="0.238095238095238" discrimination="0.411718693289285" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1420" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[As scientists and historians gather more information, they change their theories.<br><br></em>Which of the following words, if it replaced the word "theories" in the sentence above, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[behaviors]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[conclusions]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[ideas]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[thoughts]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q840" theta="-2.11764705882353" difficulty="0.833333333333333" discrimination="0.332395733596499" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="640" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[In this way we might produce a short handle to make a hatchet instead of a full-sized ax.<br><br></em>Which option is the best definition of the word "hatchet" as used in the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[a small ax]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a big ax]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a hammer]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a knife]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q490" theta="-2.35294117647059" difficulty="0.863636363636364" discrimination="0.296807654500668" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="600" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Thieves took anything they thought might be valuable.<br><br></em>What does the word "valuable" mean in the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[worth a lot of money]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[easy to carry]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[interesting to look at]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[large in size]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1137" theta="1.41176470588235" difficulty="0.384615384615385" discrimination="0.446551702449732" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1240" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Youth “counterculture” carved out new spaces for experimentation and alternative views about what constituted a good society, while a New Left made up of civil rights and anti-war activists developed as the war in Vietnam dragged out and became increasingly bloody, confounding and ultimately unpopular.<br><br></em>Which sentence BEST explains why the war was "increasingly bloody"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[By early 1968, there were 550,000 combat troops in Vietnam and rising casualties with no end in sight.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[By the time of his assassination in November 1963, there were 16,000 American military personnel stationed in Vietnam.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The anti-war movement, and the anti-war music, that ran parallel to the increasingly large numbers of young men drafted into the Army was also rooted in broader changes that were taking place in America.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The soldiers drafted to fight in Vietnam were born during the massive baby boom that began in 1946, following the victory of World War II.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q27" theta="-1.94117647058824" difficulty="0.80952380952381" discrimination="0.531971049286436" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="670" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Which of these sentences contains a word/ phrase that means finding fault in something or someone?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[State officials blame the dropping numbers on the failing coal mines.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The lack of money adds to the hardship.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Governor Steve Beshear said he would consider changes.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Since 2001, it has lost more than 1,000 kids.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q874" theta="0.882352941176468" difficulty="0.454545454545455" discrimination="0.302658221789551" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1150" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[I don't want to compromise my marriage or my relationship with my parents when I already believe in it (Catholicism) and grew up in it, so why would I have to leave it? I feel like it's easier to accept both, she says.<br><br></em>Which of the following words, if it replaced the word "compromise" in the sentence above, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[develop]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[endanger]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[ruin]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[weaken]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1035" theta="2.05882352941176" difficulty="0.294117647058824" discrimination="0.645791555497665" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1350" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Society is a bit insular in Minya. They say there's some extremism here, says Marco Adel, one of the centre's founders.<br><br></em>What is the connotation of the word "insular" in the selection above? Which sentence from the introduction supports your answer?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[Negative; It's a surprising scene in the traditional province, which more often makes headlines for family feuds or sectarian violence against its large Coptic Christian minority.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Negative; But the founders of the Alwanat Centre in Minya city are determined to make it the first ballet school in the wider Upper Egyptian province of the same name.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Positive; In Egypt's conservative southern province of Minya, young girls in black leotards and white tights wobble on their tip toes to classical music in a room painted with colourful motifs.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Positive; In the almost two years since ballet lessons started at the centre, they have become a great success, with parents driving up to one hour from nearby towns to bring their children to lessons.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q431" theta="-3" difficulty="0.944444444444444" discrimination="0.489764405493517" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="490" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The sun is very far away. The Earth travels in an orbit around the sun. Sometimes, Earth is a little closer to the sun than at other times. But, Earth being closer to the sun usually does not make much difference in our weather.<br><br></em>What does the word "travels" mean in this paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[moves]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[changes]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[shifts]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[takes a vacation]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q842" theta="1.70588235294117" difficulty="0.352941176470588" discrimination="0.469737202824877" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1290" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[It has inspired frustrated Facebook posts from parents, who are tired of cleaning up after the junior chemists.<br><br></em>How does the word "frustrated" affect the TONE of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[It conveys the feelings of irritation that parents are expressing about the mess their kids' slime makes.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It conveys the feelings of anger that parents are expressing at those teaching kids to make slime.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It conveys the feelings of discouragement that the parents have when the slime turns out bad.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It conveys the feelings of embarrassment that the parents have about their messy children.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1065" theta="-0.529411764705886" difficulty="0.631578947368421" discrimination="0.56626257614259" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="910" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The body metabolism gets increasingly dysfunctional, impacting the brain and other vital organs. At that point, therapeutic feeding treatment is necessary to save their lives, as the body has lost the ability to process normal foods, Sacco said. People may have to be fed through tubes or through their veins in these cases.<br><br></em>Adding which of these sentences to the selection would help explain the meaning of the word "metabolism"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[A person's metabolism works to convert food to energy.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[A person's metabolism helps make healthy bones.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[A person's metabolism helps regulate the body's temperature.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[A person's metabolism protects them from infection.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q557" theta="-1" difficulty="0.705882352941177" discrimination="0.480424189697953" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="830" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[A certain group of men made a living by capturing the slaves who had run away and returning them to their masters.<br><br></em>What does the phrase "made a living" mean in the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[earned money]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[had fun]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[helped people]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[stayed alive]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1122" theta="1.76470588235294" difficulty="0.346153846153846" discrimination="0.711540310244505" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1300" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[In 1849, pioneering neurophysiologist Augustus Waller published one of the first scientific examinations of frog tongues.<br><br></em>What does the word "pioneering" convey?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[a sense that Waller laid the groundwork for frog tongue research]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a sense that although Waller had good intentions, his studies were flawed]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a sense that neurophysiology was a well-established field of research]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a sense that Waller was dedicated to helping threatened amphibian species]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q145" theta="0.882352941176468" difficulty="0.454545454545455" discrimination="0.401468118018422" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1150" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Which of the following sentences best describes why fast food chains will have to raise the prices?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[Shrinking profitability may force the chains to increase prices.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[They may be budget-friendly, but the food is just really bad.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[They offer different levels of deals instead of a flat menu of super-cheap options.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Customers are turning away from cut-rate cuisine in part because it isn't as cheap as it used to be, analysts said.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q483" theta="-2.52941176470588" difficulty="0.884615384615385" discrimination="0.552750487004867" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="570" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Climate change is affecting farming in the Northeast. Heavy rain and snow make it harder to grow food. Summers are longer and drier. The farmers grow less food. Warmer weather harms animals like cows. They make less milk and have fewer calves.<br><br></em>What is the focus of this paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[the effect of climate change on food]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[how farmers grow food in the Northeast]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[the reasons summers are longer and drier]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[why farmers like warm summers]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1114" theta="2.94117647058823" difficulty="0.0769230769230769" discrimination="0.282726013267636" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1500" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[She has overheard offensive conversations about Muslims by people who don't realize she is a follower of Islam because she doesn't wear a hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women as a tenet of their faith to dress modestly.<br><br></em>Which version of this sentence creates a more indignant tone by replacing the word "offensive"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[She has overheard REPREHENSIBLE conversations about Muslims by people who don't realize she is a follower of Islam because she doesn't wear a hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women as a tenet of their faith to dress modestly.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[She has overheard DISCOURTEOUS conversations about Muslims by people who don't realize she is a follower of Islam because she doesn't wear a hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women as a tenet of their faith to dress modestly.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[She has overheard OFF-COLOR conversations about Muslims by people who don't realize she is a follower of Islam because she doesn't wear a hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women as a tenet of their faith to dress modestly.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[She has overheard UNCIVIL conversations about Muslims by people who don't realize she is a follower of Islam because she doesn't wear a hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women as a tenet of their faith to dress modestly.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1136" theta="1.8235294117647" difficulty="0.333333333333333" discrimination="0.298137797664465" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1310" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Early in "The Gauntlet," for instance, an exchange between Farah and her friends Alex, who is African-American, and Essie, who is white, exemplifies the novel's meshing of items familiar to people from Muslim-majority countries and references to mainstream American pop culture.<br><br></em>Which option could replace "meshing" in the sentence WITHOUT altering the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[combination]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[arrangement]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[entanglement]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[inclusion]]></answer></qa>
</competency>