Name _____________________

Student Number: ________________

Reading and Writing Skills Assessment PIE Level 4

Spring 2013, Week 4

The purpose of this test is to see how much vocabulary and grammar you know, how much you understand what you read, and how well you have learned the writing skills covered in class.

The test will take about 40 minutes.

Try to answer every question.

PART 1: READING COMPREHENSION (15 minutes)

Read the entire passage. Fill in the letter of the best answer on your answer sheet. What Marijuana Does to You By Scott Isbell Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. A survey conducted in 2007 found that 14.4 million individuals in the US alone had smoked marijuana at least once during the previous month. It is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint), but may also be smoked in a pipe. Sometimes, it is mixed with food or brewed as tea. Furthermore, it can be combined with other, more powerful drugs, such as crack cocaine. When a person smokes marijuana, he usually feels its effect within minutes. The immediate feelings increased heart rate, lessened body movements and balance, and a dreamy, unreal state of mind occur within the first 30 minutes. These short-term effects usually disappear in two to three hours, but they could last longer, depending on how much marijuana the user takes, the strength of the marijuana, and the presence of other drugs added into the mix. As the typical marijuana user breathes in more smoke and holds it inside his body longer than he would a cigarette, marijuana creates a severe impact on ones lungs. Aside from the discomfort that goes with sore throats and chest colds, it has been found that one joint of marijuana is equivalent to the cancer-producing chemicals in five cigarettes. The mental consequences of marijuana use are also severe. Marijuana smokers have poorer memories and brain power than those who do not smoke it. Animals given marijuana by researchers have even suffered brain damage.
1. Paragraph 1 mainly discusses _____. a. why marijuana is popular b. where to get marijuana c. what marijuana is 2. The term used for marijuana that is smoked as a cigarette is a _____. a. pipe b. joint c. cocaine 3. When a person smokes marijuana, he can feel its effect within _____. a. 30 minutes b. 2 hours c. 3 hours 4. The word severe means very bad or _____. a. serious b. nervous c. jealous 5. We can infer from Paragraph 3 that marijuana is _____ cigarettes. a. as expensive as b. very different from c. more dangerous than 6. According to the whole passage, marijuana has many _____. a. negative effects b. different kinds c. young users 7. Students who smoke marijuana probably _____. a. go to jail b. get low grades c. make many friends

PART 2: VOCABULARY (5 minutes)

2. 1 Write the best vocabulary word that completes the sentences. Some words may need to be changed to the correct form. A. abusing

8. An addict _______________ signs like red eyes and shaking hands.

B. contradictory

9. There are places that help addicts who cannot stop _______________ drugs.

C. exhibit D. furthermore

10. Doctors sometimes have _______________ ideas on how to help addicts. Some believe that we should be nice to addicts, but others say we should be strict.

2.2 One of the words in the box is defined in the sentence. Rewrite the sentence using the right word from the box. 11. Solar panels are effective but the power they provide is brief. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 12. Many countries are beginning to rely on windmills for energy. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Nuclear power is a possible replacement for fossil fuels, but it may not be 100% safe. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ capacity advocate substitute fluctuate depend awake temporary steep severe

PART 3: WRITING (20 minutes)

Summary: Write a short summary paragraph about the article using your own words. What Marijuana Does to You By Scott Isbell Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. A survey conducted in 2007 found that 14.4 million individuals in the US alone had smoked marijuana at least once during the previous month. It is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint), but may also be smoked in a pipe. Sometimes, it is mixed with food or brewed as tea. Furthermore, it can be combined with other, more powerful drugs, such as crack cocaine. When a person smokes marijuana, he usually feels its effect within minutes. The immediate feelings increased heart rate, lessened body movements and balance, and a dreamy, unreal state of mind occur within the first 30 minutes. These short-term effects usually disappear in two to three hours, but they could last longer, depending on how much marijuana the user takes, the strength of the marijuana, and the presence of other drugs added into the mix. As the typical marijuana user breathes in more smoke and holds it inside his body longer than he would a cigarette, marijuana creates a severe impact on ones lungs. Aside from the discomfort that goes with sore throats and chest colds, it has been found that one joint of marijuana is equivalent to the cancer-producing chemicals in five cigarettes. The mental consequences of marijuana use are also severe. Marijuana smokers have poorer memories and mental aptitude than those who do not smoke it. Animals given marijuana by researchers have even suffered structural damage to the brain.

Please write your summary below. ___________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________. 4

Answer Key 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. C B A A C A B MI DET DET VOC INF MI INF

8. exhibits 0.5 if exhibit 9. abusing 10. contradictory 11. Solar panels are effective but the power they provide is temporary. 12. Many countries are beginning to depend on windmills for energy. 13. Nuclear power is a possible substitute for fossil fuels, but it may not be 100% safe.

Level 4, Spring 2013

4 The summary identifies the main idea(s) clearly and accurately and includes the most important details. The summary includes the title of article, and/or the authors nameand the source. The summary always uses appropriate verbs to describe the writing acts (reports, argues, tells, etc.) The summary paraphrases correctly and effectively. The summary includes few grammatical errors. The summary uses transition words effectively, making the writing flow.

Summary Writing Rubric Rater Initials:______________ Total score:_______/12

3 Some part of the main idea is not stated or unclear. The summary leaves out some important details or included some unimportant or inaccurate details. The summary may not use the title of article and rarely uses accurate verbs for the writing acts, but it does attribute some sentences to the author or to the article (i.e This article is about . .; The author talks about . ..); The summary paraphrases incorrectly and/or contains language that is too close to the orginal. The summary includes some errors in grammar that interfere with meaning. The summary uses transition words in a limited/incorrect way. 2.5 The main idea(s) stated is unclear or not specifically stated. Most important details are left out. Many unimportant or inaccurate details are included. No sentences talk explicitly about the article or author. Ineffective paraphrasing , Some sentences are too similar to the original. 2 The main idea(s) is not present in the summary. Mainly unimportant or inaccurate details are included. No sentences talk explicitly about the article or the author. Many sentences and phrases are often taken directly from the original article with no attribution or paraphrasing. 3.5 The summary identifies most of the main idea(s) and includes many of the important details. It includes no inaccurate details and few unimportant details. The summary includes the title of article. The summary often uses accurate verbs for the writing acts (reports, argues, tells, etc). The summary paraphrases correctly but not always effectively.

Student Name: _____________________________

Content Summary

Context Summary

Language Use

The summary includes many errors in grammar that interfere with meaning. The summary uses transition words but in a very limited/incorrect way. *If the student simply copies the prompt or writes nothing, writes in a foreign language or is off topic, he or she may receive a score of 0. *A student receives the score of a descriptor if the student has two or more elements of the descriptor in his/her answer Key points to be included in the summary Source info Title: What Marijuana Does to You Author: Scott Isbell Main idea: Marijuana has many harmful/negative effects. Details: 1. Most commonly used illegal drug in the world. 2. Immediate feelings increased heart rate, lessened body movements and balance, and a dreamy unreal state of mind 3. Marijuana is more dangerous than cigarettes. Concluding sentence: Marijuana can also affect the brain.

The summary includes some errors grammar that do not interfere with meaning. Generally the summary uses transition words effectively.

The summary includes many errors in grammar that make it unintelligible. The summary simply presents isolated ideas without using transition words.