WKCE Test Practice 1

GRADE 10
Language Arts
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WKCE Test Practice 1

Directions: Read each passage. Choose the best way to write each numbered section and mark the
letter for your answer. If the section needs no change, mark the choice “Best as is.”

1 A newspapers, and
Traditional Artists
B newspapers; and
1
The growth of radio, television, newspapers C newspapers also
2 D Best as is
and other media have drawn many artists and

performers to the attention of the public. For 2 A can be drawing

B had drew
every famous and generously paid rock star or
C has drawn
actor, however, there are thousands of other D Best as is
3
highly talented artists which remain relatively 3 A artists, which
unknown. Perhaps no area of artistic endeavor B artists who
4 C artists that
receives as little recognition as folk art. This lack
D Best as is
of widespread appreciation for the indigenous
4 A as less
arts is particularly sad in a country like the
B less
5
United States, with it’s rich tapestry of cultures. C as least
6 D Best as is
With your recognition of America’s folk art,
5 A with its
the national Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
B with our
awards $5,000 grants to exceptional artists who C with their
7
have chose to use traditional art forms. Those D Best as is

honored by the program include a Hispanic 6 A In formal recognition of America’s folk art,

carver of saints, a Cajun fiddler, a quilter from B With the process of formally recognizing
the folk art of America, Copyright © McDougal Littell
Missouri, an Appalachian ballad singer, a group C Recognizing the formal types of art that
should be recognized in our country,
of African American gospel singers, an Ojibwa
D Best as is
storyteller, and a Pueblo potter.
7 A choose
B had chose
C will be choosing
D Best as is

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WKCE Test Practice 1

8 A help and been
Traditional Artists continued
B help, and be
8
One cannot help and be struck by the C help being
9 D Best as is
magnificent diversity of the art forms, a

phenomenon that reflect the diversity of the 9 A a phenomenon that reflects

B a reflecting phenomena with
American heritage. In the year 2000, one of the
C a reflection that is phenonmenal without
recipients of a National Heritage Fellowship D Best as is

from the NEA was pioneering dancer Frankie 10 A that can be best understood
Manning. The dazzling Lindy Hop was just one B that was known
C with people who are knowing
of dozens of dances included in a style that
D Best as is
would be labeled swing dancing. At age 3,
11 Which of the following sequences of sen-
Manning moved from his native Florida to tences will make paragraph 3 most logical?
10
Harlem, a New York City neighborhood that A 1,3,4,2
B 3,1,2,4
knows as a vibrant center for African American
C 2,4,3,1
artists. As the choreographer for a dance team
D Best as is
at Harlem’s famed Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s,
12 A motion of the dancers comes to a halt
Manning helped popularize the dance craze suddenly and they become still,
B stoppage of the movement is done
called the Lindy Hop.
suddenly,

Manning developed many innovations for C dancers suddenly stop moving,

D Best as is
swing dancing, including “freeze” steps, in
12
which the dancers are going to stop all of a
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sudden, and the “aerial,” a maneuver in which

two dance partners lock arms and one dancer is

flipped in a midair somersault over the back

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WKCE Test Practice 1

13 At this point, the writer is considering adding
Traditional Artists continued
the following sentence:
The Lindy Hop was named after Charles
of the other dancer. 13 Many of these
Lindbergh, who made the first solo, nonstop
decades-old dance moves are still used today. flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, and
14
who helped invent the artificial heart in 1936.
In the midst of his career, Manning has Would this be a relevant addition at this
point in the essay?
appeared with many popular entertainers,
A Yes, because Lindbergh was also a great
including Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, Benny innovator.

Goodman, and Ella Fitzgerald. Manning won a
Tony Award for choreographing the show
“Black and Blue.”
B Yes, because it lets the reader know other
details that enhance the essay.
C No, because few Americans in the 1930s
were interested in Lindbergh.
D No, because the information distracts the
reader from the main points of the
paragraph.

14 A Above and beyond his career,

B During his career,
C Even without his remarkable career,
D Best as is

15 Which of the following provides the most

logical and succinct conclusion to this essay?

A With his incredible footwork and his will-

ingness to teach others, Manning has
done a great deal to promote a tradition-
al art form that Americans can call their
own.
B Manning was also an employee of the
United States Postal Service for 30 years. Copyright © McDougal Littell

C Some art forms are more popular than

others, but swing dancing has
experienced a revival in the past decade.
D Best as is

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WKCE Test Practice 1

16 A little you
Pangaea
B little, you
You are there in geography class, watching C little; you
D Best as is
the teacher point to a map of the world.
16
Daydreaming a little. You gaze at the shapes on 17 A East coast
B east Coast
the map. Suddenly you notice that the bulge on
C east coast
17
the East Coast of South America looks as if it D Best as is
18
would fit neat into the indented coast of 18 A be fitting neatly
western Africa across the ocean. B have fitted neat
C fit neatly
Most scientists who study the earth now D Best as is
19
believe that, in fact, these continents were
19 A that, factually
joined until about 100 million years ago. They B that the facts in

base this belief on rock layers and fossils C which, in truth,

D Best as is
common to both South America and Africa.
20 A is having been
Further support is provided by the theory of
B was
plate tectonics, which states that the outer shell C is
20
of the earth always has been and still is being D Best as is

constantly in motion. 21 A plates, these

B plates. These
According to this theory, the outer shell of
C plates, those
the earth is broken up into large chunks, called D Best as is
21
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tectonic plates these move slowly on the 22 A has lain

22
partially molten rock that lays beneath them. B lies
C had laid
D Best as is

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WKCE Test Practice 1

25 The writer is considering adding this
Pangaea continued
sentence to Paragraph 4:
Mighty rivers of lava flowed onto the surface of
About 200 million years ago, there was a single
the land.
landmass, called Pangaea. Over a period of 65 Where would be the most logical place to
insert this sentence?
million years, Pangaea broke up into two
A Before the sentence that begins
smaller masses—Gondwanaland and Laurasia. “Scientists believe...”
23
South America and Africa were originally part of B Before the sentence that begins “This
eruptive...”
Gondwanaland, but they too began to drift C Before the sentence that begins “This
further...”
apart, eventually arriving at their current
D This sentence would not be a good
positions on the globe. addition to Paragraph 4.

Scientists believe that a massive eruption of 26 A builds the contribution of

24 B would lead to contributing, in a way, to
lava could not help but break apart Pangaea.
C also greatly contributed to
This eruptive outpouring happened in the
D Best as is
Triassic period. Soon afterward, in the Jurassic
27 At this point, the writer would like to add a
period, the force of the Atlantic Ocean sentence that contributes scientific data to
26 the paragraph and makes the conclusion
contributes the splitting of the landmass. 27 more logical. Which choice best accomplishes
both purposes?
This further supports the theory that continents
A There are animals in Australia that are
that are now thousands of miles apart once not found on any other continent, so the
land must have broken into pieces.
were part of one gigantic mass.
B Research on the age of volcanic rocks
23 A was originally part of found in Brazil shows that they were
formed at the same time as similar basalt
B would become parts of Copyright © McDougal Littell
rock found in North America and Europe.
C are becoming part of
C People from two countries that are
D Best as is located on the opposite sides of the
world can still share common beliefs.
24 A couldn’t have not broken apart
D The Atlantic Ocean is the world’s second
B helped break apart largest ocean, and it is most narrow off
C helps break the northeast coast of Brazil.
D Best as is

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WKCE Test Practice 1

28 The writer is considering adding these para-
graphs to a larger essay about energy, oil
and natural gas. Would this essay about
Pangaea contribute to the larger work?
A No, because there is no detailed discus-
sion about the relationship between
sources of energy and the origin of the
world’s continents.
B No, because the writer fails to discuss
other types of fuel, such as wind power
and solar energy.
C Yes, because the essay needs to have a
basis in scientific data.
D Yes, because oil and natural gas are
formed many miles beneath the earth’s
surface.
30 Suppose the writer had chosen to add sen-
tences about the nature of lava and how it
functions scientifically under the Earth’s sur-
face. Would this be an excellent addition to
this essay?
A No, because this essay is about Pangaea,
not about lava.
B No, because the writer fails to discuss
other elements under the Earth’s surface.
C Yes, because it would be interesting to
understand what creates lava and how it
works.
D Yes, because lava is an important energy
source.

29 The writer uses the terms “Triassic period”

and “Jurassic period” in the final paragraph.
What effect do these two terms have on the
paragraph?

A They make the sequence of events

difficult to follow.
B They add terminology that is unnecessary
and confusing.
C They reflect a knowledge of the terms
used by specialists in the field.
D They add a sense of irony to the writing.
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WKCE Test Practice 1
Atomic Power
In 1945, President Harry Truman made a
31
decision that had changed the world forever.
Less than one month after the first atomic
32
bomb was tested, he ordered the U.S. military
to use an atomic bomb in the war against
Japan. A plane called the Enola Gay flew the
33
bomb over Hiroshima Japan and, dropped it. As
the plane sped away, the bomb went off in the
34
air over the city. It destroyed everything for four
miles all around and killed 80,000 people. More
people died later as a result of radiation
poisoning. Three days later, the United States
dropped a second bomb, this time on the city
35
of Nagasaki. Faced with tremendous
destructing, the Japanese government
surrendered.
36 In the past 50 years, powerful countries
have spent millions of dollars on nuclear research
to create even more destructive weapons.
31 A made a decision that changed
B had made a decision that had changed
C made a decision that was changed for
D Best as is
52 Preparing for the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam
Date
32 A was tested. He ordered
B was tested—he ordered
C was tested and he ordered
D Best as is
33 A Hiroshima Japan and dropped it.
B Hiroshima Japan, and dropped it.
C Hiroshima, Japan, and dropped it.
D Best as is
34 A within a four-mile radius
B in a gigantic circle of four whole miles
C as far as the eye could see for four miles
D Best as is
35 A Facing with tremendous destruction,
B Facing the more tremendous destruction
around them,
C Faced with tremendous destruction,
D Best as is
36 Which sentence, if added at this point,
would make a good opening sentence for
Paragraph 2 and provide a good transition
from the previous paragraph?
A Today, Nagasaki remains one of Japan’s
biggest ports, and its main industry is
shipbuilding.
B Even though the United States and Japan
are no longer literally at war, they are in a
battle for consumers in the global Copyright © McDougal Littell
automobile market.
C Although the bombs brought World War
II to an end, the cost to the world has
been great.
D This surrender, which happened on
August 14, 1945, brought relief to
people all over the world.
 Name
WKCE Test Practice 1
Atomic Power continued
37
It is obvious that the governments of these
38
countries care more about power then for your
people because the weapons they build could
destroy millions at the touch of a button. Those
precious financial resources could have been
39
used for productive things. Instead, they were
spent on dangerous weaponry.
40
Today, nuclear power has many uses, and
however many of them are positive, generating
41
nuclear power is a very risky type of procedure
when it is put into actual practice. Accidents at
nuclear power plants have caused considerable
damage to people and property. In 1986, there
37 A Obviously you can see that
B It is one of the most obvious things in the
world that
C It will become obvious that
D Best as is
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38 A more for your power than for your
people
B more about power than people
C more powerfully about atomic power
then for humans
D Best as is
39 The writer is thinking of replacing the
phrase “productive things” with the
phrase “education, medical research, and
agricultural studies.” If this were done, the
sentence would become:
A irrelevant, because this is an essay on
atomic power.
B awkward, because it is not clear exactly
how the money could have been spent
differently.
C more persuasive, because specific
information is more compelling than
general descriptions.
D more light-hearted in tone, adding some
relief from the overall foreboding feeling
that the writer creates.
40 A although many of them are positive,
B whenever many of them are positive,
C and, on a positive note,
D Best as is
41 A a very risky practice.
B procedurally, a practice with many risks.
C a risky procedure that requires practice.
D Best as is
53
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WKCE Test Practice 1
Atomic Power continued
was an explosion at a nuclear reactor in
Chernobyl. 42 The explosion released
43
radiation that contaminated vast portions of
Europe, especially the areas that are now the
countries of Belarus and Ukraine. It has been
estimated that as many as 8,000 people died
from this accident and the resulting cleanup. 44
42 The writer is considering adding the follow-
ing true parenthetical statement at this point
in the essay: (The city was then part of the
Soviet Union, but today it is part of Ukraine.)
Would this be a relevant addition to the
paragraph?
A Yes, because the changing of countries’
borders is an integral element to this
essay.
B Yes, because it provides more precise
information about where a key event
occurred.
C No, because many readers will not be
familiar with the nation of Ukraine.
D No, because this parenthetical statement
would fit better in another paragraph.
54 Preparing for the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam
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43 A that had already begun to contaminate
B that contaminants
C which, contaminates
D Best as is
44 Which of the following sentences would
make the best conclusion for Paragraph 3?
A What would President Harry Truman
think about that if he were alive today?
B The initial official reports stated that far
fewer people had died.
C One of the results of the collapse of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
was that in 1991, Belarus, Russia, and
Ukraine agreed to form the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
D This tragedy serves as a harsh reminder
that nuclear power can be deadly even
during times of peace.
45 The writer wishes to add this sentence to the
essay:
Now that the fighting had ended in Europe, the
United States turned its attention to the Pacific.
The most logical and appropriate place for
this sentence is after
A the first sentence in Paragraph 1.
B the last sentence in Paragraph 1.
C the last sentence in Paragraph 2.
D the first sentence in Paragraph 2.
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WKCE Test Practice 1

46 In your own words, write a conclusion to this
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
piece on Browning. For this answer, make
1806–1861 sure you use complete sentences and check
your work for correct spelling, capitalization,
“How do I love thee, let me count the and punctuation.
ways,” is one of the most quoted lines in
English literature. During her lifetime, Elizabeth
Barrett Browning was England’s most famous
woman poet. Born in 1806, Browning received
an unusual education for a woman of her time.
She studied Latin and Greek and read
voraciously in history, philosophy, and literature.
Her first volume of poetry was published when
she was thirteen. Though she had intellectual
freedom, her tyrannical father forbid her or any
of his eleven children to marry. By the age of
thirty-nine, Barrett was a prominent woman of
letters who lived in seclusion as an invalid in her 47 What would be a better title for this work?
father’s house, where she occasionally received
A The Life and Work of Elizabeth Barrett
visitors.
Browning
One of the visitors was Robert Browning,
B Love Poems
who, moved by her poetry, wrote to tell her, “I
do as I say, love these books with all my heart- C The Love Life of Elizabeth Barrett
and I love you too.” One evening in 1846, the Browning
Brownings eloped and moved to Italy. She D Life in Italy
wrote the Sonnets from the Portuguese, a
sequence of forty-four sonnets in which she 48 In your own words, describe why Elizabeth
recorded the stages of her love for her husband, Barrett Browning is considered to be an
Robert Browning, which she presented under a important poet. For this answer, make sure
guise of a translation from the Portuguese you use complete sentences and check your
language. These love poems have become some work for correct spelling, capitalization, and
of the most famous in all of English literature. punctuation.
Barrett’s verse novel Aurora Leigh (1857)
has attracted critical attention. The poem
Copyright © McDougal Littell

depicts the growth of a woman poet and is the

first work in English by a woman writer in
which the heroine herself is an author. The
work deals with the subjects of women in
Victorian society.

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WKCE Test Practice 1

49 Combine these two sentences correctly.
The work deals with women in Victorian society.
Women were not given the same vocational
opportunities as men.
50 Choose the sentence that is written correctly.
A Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s contribution
to literature is immense, she is a valued
poet and thinker.
B Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s contribution
to literature is immense she is a valued
poet and thinker.
C Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s contribution
to literature is immense; she is a valued
poet and thinker.
D Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s contribution
to literature is immense: she is a valued
poet and thinker.

51 Why is it significant that Browning wrote a novel in verse with a heroine who is a poet?

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WKCE Test Practice 1

52 How would you best describe this passage?
Child Labor
A a biography of Lewis Hine.
In the early part of the twentieth century, it
was not uncommon for U.S. children to be B a history of child labor laws.
employed in numerous work environments, such C a history of labor unions.
as factories, mines, and fields. Some workers
D a persuasive essay about the value of
were amazingly only 3 years old. Many children
work.
labored in dangerous, unhealthy conditions.
The air in coal mines was filled with dust, and lint 53 Why do you think it is significant that Hine
filled the air in cotton mills. Factory work was was a photographer and a schoolteacher?
repetitious, and nearly all the employers paid For this answer, make sure you use complete
children less than what adults earned. Glass sentences and check your work for correct
factories operated around the clock, and boys spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
were often assigned to the night shift. These
unfortunate lads worked around hot, treacherous
machinery from 5:00 P.M. until 3:00 A.M.
Some children worked 12 hours per day, six
days per week. Whether they worked indoors or
outdoors, many children labored in their bare
feet. Accidents in coal mines were not rare, and
when they did occur, they were frequently fatal.
One adult who felt strongly about changing
this situation was Lewis Hine. He was a
schoolteacher and a photographer who became
an investigative reporter for the NCLC (National 54 Combine these two sentences.
Child Labor Committee). Hine traveled
throughout the United States, photographing Whether they worked indoors or outdoors, chil-
children whose economic plight forced them to dren worked in their bare feet. The conditions the
do manual labor. Hine’s camera captured images children worked in were unhealthy and unsafe.
of shrimp pickers in Mississippi, coal miners in
Pennsylvania, plastic flower-makers in New York,
oyster shuckers in Louisiana, produce sellers in
Ohio, and cranberry haulers in New Jersey.
Copyright © McDougal Littell

During Hine’s first travels early in the

century, some states did have child-labor laws,
but they were not strictly enforced. In 1916 and
1918 federal laws restricting the employment of
children were passed. However, the Supreme
Court declared these laws unconstitutional
because they infringed upon states’ rights.

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WKCE Test Practice 1

55 In your own words, write a thesis statement that addresses whether or not you support child labor
laws and why.

56 In the past decade, the salaries of average professional athletes have increased into the multi-
million-dollar range. Some people feel that professional athletes are highly overpaid; others feel
that the entertainment, inspiration, and money they generate to millions of fans justifies their
salaries. Write a letter to the editor of a sport’s magazine expressing your views on this issue.

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58 Preparing for the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam