English Language Arts 8 (Grade 8) Midterm — Units 5–6

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. Which is a primary source about the Civil War?
   1. A. A documentary about the war made in 2010
   2. B. A textbook chapter about the war
   3. C. An encyclopedia article on Civil War battles
   4. D. A diary written by a soldier during the war
2. In MLA style, how are entries on the Works Cited page arranged?
   1. A. From the longest source to the shortest
   2. B. By the date each source was published
   3. C. Alphabetically by the author's last name
   4. D. In the order sources appear in the paper
3. Which is the best definition of plagiarism?
   1. A. Using others' words or ideas without giving credit
   2. B. Summarizing a source and then citing it
   3. C. Reading many sources before you write
   4. D. Quoting a source and citing it correctly
4. Which research question is best focused for a short report?
   1. A. What are all the effects of exercise on people?
   2. B. Is exercise good for you or bad for you?
   3. C. How many push-ups did I do yesterday?
   4. D. How does daily exercise affect teens' sleep?
5. When you copy a writer's exact words into your paper, you must
   1. A. list the source only in your Works Cited
   2. B. put them in quotation marks and cite the source
   3. C. put them in italics without a citation
   4. D. change at least one word in each sentence
6. Which source is most credible for a report on volcanoes?
   1. A. An online forum where anyone can post answers
   2. B. A social media post with no author listed
   3. C. A website from a national geological survey agency
   4. D. A personal blog by someone who visited a volcano once
7. What is the purpose of a Works Cited page?
   1. A. To summarize the main argument of the paper
   2. B. To give full details for each source cited in a paper
   3. C. To list the writer's own opinions on the topic
   4. D. To thank the people who helped with the paper
8. What does it mean to paraphrase?
   1. A. Copy a writer's exact words inside quotation marks
   2. B. Restate an idea in your own words while keeping its meaning
   3. C. Shorten a whole book into one sentence
   4. D. List a source at the end of a paper
9. Which search terms would work best to find how bees pollinate crops?
   1. A. history of farming in Europe
   2. B. why do things happen in nature
   3. C. bees pollination crops
   4. D. bugs
10. Which is a correctly formatted MLA in-text citation for a quotation from page 42 of a book by Ana Garcia?
    1. A. (Garcia 42)
    2. B. (Garcia, 2015, p. 42)
    3. C. [Garcia: 42]
    4. D. (page 42, Garcia)
11. In a play, what is a scene?
    1. A. A section within an act, often marking a change of place
    2. B. The list of characters printed at the start of a script
    3. C. A large section of the play made up of several acts
    4. D. A long speech given directly to the audience by one actor
12. What is free verse?
    1. A. Poetry that tells a story in rhyming stanzas
    2. B. Poetry without a regular rhyme scheme or meter
    3. C. Poetry with exactly fourteen lines
    4. D. Poetry with three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables
13. Read the sentence: "The classroom was a beehive of activity." Which figurative language does it use?
    1. A. Onomatopoeia
    2. B. Metaphor
    3. C. Simile
    4. D. Personification
14. What is an aside in a play?
    1. A. A scene that flashes back to events from the past
    2. B. A short remark only the audience is meant to hear
    3. C. A song performed between two acts of the play
    4. D. A long speech given alone on an empty stage
15. Read the line: "The moon kept watch over the sleeping town." Which figurative language does it use?
    1. A. Onomatopoeia
    2. B. Hyperbole
    3. C. Simile
    4. D. Personification
16. Read the stanza: "The morning sun climbs slow and bright, / It chases off the last of night; / The sparrows sing from every tree, / And call the waking world to see." What is the rhyme scheme?
    1. A. ABAB
    2. B. AABB
    3. C. ABBA
    4. D. ABCB
17. In a poem, what is a stanza?
    1. A. A group of lines, like a paragraph in prose
    2. B. The person who speaks in the poem
    3. C. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
    4. D. The title and author of the poem
18. In a play script, what are stage directions?
    1. A. The lines that characters say to each other
    2. B. The reviews written after opening night
    3. C. The list of actors who perform each role
    4. D. Notes on actions, setting, or how lines are spoken
19. What is a soliloquy?
    1. A. A speech one character gives to others on stage
    2. B. A speech a character gives alone on stage, revealing inner thoughts
    3. C. A brief remark to the audience that others on stage cannot hear
    4. D. A conversation between two or more characters
20. Read the line: "Silly Sally slid down the slippery slope." Which sound device does it use?
    1. A. Onomatopoeia
    2. B. Hyperbole
    3. C. Alliteration
    4. D. Simile

Part 2: Written Response

21. Compare reading a scene from a play with reading a poem. Explain how stage directions and dialogue work differently from stanzas and figurative language, using one example of each.