TSIA2 English Language Arts and Reading Notes

College Board and TSIA2 English Language Arts and Reading

College Board

  • Mission-driven, non-profit organization.

  • Connects students to college success and opportunity.

  • Founded in 1900 to expand access to higher education.

  • Membership association of over 6,000 leading education institutions.

  • Dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.

  • Helps more than seven million students prepare for college through programs and services.

  • Includes SAT® and Advanced Placement® Program.

  • Serves the education community through research and advocacy.

  • Website: collegeboard.org

Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) English Language Arts and Reading

  • Covers four main categories:

    • Two reading-focused.

    • Two writing-focused.

Reading-Focused Categories

  • Literary text analysis:

    • Explicit information.

    • Inferences.

    • Author’s craft.

    • Vocabulary.

  • Informational text analysis and synthesis:

    • Main ideas and supporting details.

    • Inferences (single-passage).

    • Author’s craft.

    • Vocabulary.

    • Synthesis (paired argumentative passages).

Writing-Focused Categories

  • Essay revision and editing:

    • Development.

    • Organization.

    • Effective language use.

    • Standard English conventions.

  • Sentence revision, editing, and completion:

    • Conventions of grammar.

    • Conventions of usage.

    • Conventions of punctuation.

Sample Questions (1-15)

Passage Context

  • Two young women visit a bookshop in the fictional town of Brahmpur, India.

Details about the Imperial Book Depot

  • One of the two best bookshops in town.

  • Located on Nabiganj, a fashionable street.

  • The last bulwark of modernity before Old Brahmpur.

  • Greater following among students and teachers than the University and Allied Bookshop, despite being farther from campus.

  • Run by two brothers, Yashwant and Balwant, who are almost illiterate in English but energetic and entrepreneurial.

  • Has the best stock in town and are helpful to customers.

  • Customers write down book names on order forms if a book is unavailable.

  • A student is paid to sort new arrivals.

  • Proprietors engage university teachers to suggest titles for ordering.

  • Teachers appreciate this as it ensures books needed for courses are available to students.

  • Many teachers resent the University and Allied Bookshop for being unresponsive and high-handed.

Lata and Malati's Visit

  • Lata and Malati visit Nabiganj after classes.

  • They engage in "ganjing" (wandering around and having coffee at the Blue Danube coffee house).

  • Drawn into the Imperial Book Depot.

  • Each goes to her favorite shelves: Malati to novels, Lata to poetry.

  • Lata pauses by the science shelves, feeling a sense of wonder at the vastness of learning beyond her.

  • She enjoys this feeling, which suits her serious mood.

Question 1

  • The first paragraph suggests that university students and teachers prefer the Imperial Book Depot over the bookshop closer to campus.

Question 2

  • The narrator indicates that the Imperial Book Depot employs students and relies on teachers for information.

Question 3

  • In sentence 8, "readily" most nearly means easily.

Question 4

  • The third paragraph suggests that Lata regards science as an unfamiliar but intriguing subject.

Passages on Paperless Offices

Passage 1

  • Paperless offices are growing in popularity due to advancing technology.

  • Going paperless is environmentally friendly and may save on overhead expenses.

  • It may be expensive in the long run, depending on company size and needs.

  • Using less paper is presented as an alternative to a completely paperless office.

Passage 2

  • Many companies are choosing not to go paperless due to high costs.

  • Going paperless requires up-to-date hardware and software, which can be expensive.

  • Businesses may need to hire IT personnel for system monitoring, user training, and backups.

  • Ensuring online security is vital and requires close monitoring.

  • The costs outweigh the benefits for many small businesses.

Question 5

  • The author of Passage 1 would likely criticize the author of Passage 2 for failing to consider the alternative of using less paper instead of eliminating all paper.

Passages on Telecommuting

Passage 1

  • Research suggests that people who work from home are more productive.

  • Telecommuters were 13% more productive and worked longer hours.

  • They took less time off than in-office counterparts.

  • The rate of at-home workers quitting their jobs was lower.

  • Telecommuters reported being happier due to fewer commutes, fewer sick day worries, and fewer office distractions.

Passage 2

  • The author was relieved to return to the office after working from home for a year.

  • The office provides a set schedule and a work-free environment after hours.

  • Working from home blurred the lines between work and leisure.

Question 6

  • The authors of both passages would probably characterize telecommuters as being generally hardworking.

Passage on Dentures

  • Early dentures (700 BCE, Etruscans) were made of animal teeth and gold bands.

  • 16th-century Japan: wooden teeth held in place by suction.

  • 18th and 19th centuries: "natural" look with ivory or porcelain teeth on gold or vulcanite plates.

  • Modern dentures: mostly plastic teeth on a metal base, though some still use porcelain.

Question 7

  • The author uses the term "natural" to indicate that the dentures of the 18th and 19th centuries resembled real human teeth.

Passage on Copyright Laws

  • American copyright laws initially applied only to books but now cover sound recordings, motion pictures, and computer programs.

  • The Copyright Act of 1790 allowed 14 years of protection with a 14-year extension.

  • The Copyright Act of 1909 extended protection to 28 years with a 28-year renewal.

  • The Copyright Act of 1976 extended it further to 75 years.

Question 8

  • The main purpose of this passage is to indicate how copyright laws have changed.

Passage on Edible Insects

  • Eating bugs is a healthy, green way to reduce your environmental footprint.

  • Farming insects has a lower environmental impact than raising livestock.

  • Bugs are easier to harvest and require less water and land.

  • Insects are high-protein, low-fat.

  • Crickets, silkworms, and tarantulas have been eaten for hundreds of years in many cultures.

Question 9

  • In the first sentence, "expanding" most nearly means broadening.

Passage on the Film Nosferatu

  • The 1922 German Expressionist film Nosferatu is influential and a classic vampire movie.

  • Based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but the villain is called "Count Orlok."

  • Prana Film couldn't secure the rights to Stoker’s novel.

  • Prana Film went bankrupt to avoid copyright lawsuits from Stoker’s widow.

Question 10

  • In context, "secure" (sentence 3) most nearly means obtain.

Passage on Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

  • PVC is used in most water-carrying pipes in the United States.

  • Known for corrosion resistance and durability compared to metal pipes.

  • Accidentally discovered in 1835 by Henri Victor Regnault.

Question 11

  • It can be inferred from the passage that metal pipes are more likely to corrode than PVC pipes.

Passage on Vending Machines

  • The first coin-operated vending machines in the US were installed on the New York City railway system in 1888.

  • They sold "Tutti-Frutti" chewing gum.

  • Machines were updated with animated figures.

Question 12

  • All of the following statements about the vending machines discussed in the passage are true EXCEPT they were originally designed to entertain customers.

Passage on Noah Webster

  • America’s founders include Noah Webster.

  • Webster sought to legitimize an "American English" independent of British spelling and pronunciation.

  • He authored an influential dictionary.

  • He removed the "u" from "colour."

Question 13

  • According to the passage, Noah Webster authored a new dictionary.

Passage on Desert Locusts

  • Swarms of locusts are responsible for damage across three continents.

  • The desert locust Schistocerca gregaria consumes its body weight in food each day.

  • They devour virtually any type of vegetation.

  • Millions of locusts can cause catastrophic damage to the food supply.

  • Requires a big, sustained rainstorm to thrive.

Question 14

  • The passage is primarily about the damage done by swarms of desert locusts.

Passage on American Front Porches

  • Some historians attribute the origins of front porches to classical Roman porticos.

  • Our word “porch” derives from the Latin portico.

  • Roman porticos were connected to public or religious structures.

  • The loggias of Renaissance Venice provide a better starting point.

  • The loggia became popularized throughout Europe by Andrea Palladio.

  • English colonists spread the loggia to the American colonies.

Question 15

  • The author disagrees with the historians and says No, because Roman porticos had public uses rather than domestic ones

Essay Draft on What Happens in Our Brains When We Read

  • Parts of the brain associated with language development and processing play a central role.

  • Words and phrases activate other parts of our brains, including those responsible for smell, touch, motion, and empathy.

Study 1

  • Participants read words and were scanned by a brain imaging machine.

  • When subjects looked at words such as “perfume,” their primary olfactory cortex lit up.

  • When they saw words such as “chair,” this region remained dark.

Study 2

  • Metaphors involving texture, such as “The singer had a velvet voice,” roused the sensory cortex.

  • Phrases such as “The singer had a pleasing voice” did not.

  • The sensory cortex is responsible for perceiving texture through touch.

Study 3

  • Sentences like “Pablo kicked the ball” caused brain activity in the motor cortex.

  • Activity was concentrated in different parts of the motor cortex depending on whether the movement was arm-related or leg-related.

Further Evidence

  • Detailed interactions among characters in a book are treated as something like real-life social encounters.

  • Reading produces a vivid simulation of reality.

  • The brain does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life.

Question 16

  • In context, "them" in sentence 4 should be replaced with their brains.

Question 17

  • Sentence 5 provides unnecessary information and should be deleted from the second paragraph

Question 18

  • In another study, metaphors involving texture, such as “The singer had a velvet voice,” roused the sensory cortex, the part of the brain responsible for perceiving texture through touch, while phrases such as “The singer had a pleasing voice” did not.

Question 19

  • Information about a study that showed substantial overlap in the parts of the brain used to understand stories and those used to navigate interactions with other people

Sentence Correction Questions (20-30)

Question 20

*But has

Question 21

*their

Question 22

*with its historical sites and beautiful weather

Question 23

*Whenever

Question 24

*dog impressed the judges

Question 25

*tobacco, the

Question 26

*Children who are taught by precept rather than by example

Question 27

*With the increase in fuel prices, some truck drivers are

Question 28

*there, she had

Question 29

*collecting is a hobby

Question 30

*After taking