(1) I grew up on a property far from town. We had to wake up very early to catch the school bus to town. My parents worked, and when we came home after school, my brother and I were usually left to look after ourselves. The next house was miles away. As a result, I spent a lot of time alone. (2) My brother loved television. I didn’t. I loved to read, and when I wasn’t reading, I was exploring the forest near my parents’ home. (3) The best times I spent in the forest meadows were with my grandmother. She was alone a lot, too. When we did have the chance to be together, we loved the same things—finding tiny violets under the grass, for example. A warm wind on our faces, the sun warming our hair. We would hold hands and enjoy being together. We talked about the people we knew and how to get along with them. Every time I met her, she had a new piece of praise for me. (4) Because I spent so much time alone, my imagination was set alight, and I became a dreamer. A writer. Sometimes it seemed to me that the kids who were with their friends all the time had not learned to imagine in the same way that I did. (5) And because I had the encouragement and love of my grandmother, even for the short times that I was with her, I was able to believe in myself, and make something of my writing.

Question

Part A What is the central idea that the author reflects on in this essay? a. The author reflects on how nature affected her relationships. b. The author reflects on the way that grandmothers shape young lives. c. The author reflects on the role that her brother played in her childhood. d. The author reflects on how being by herself helped to develop her creativity. Part B Which quotation from the excerpt best supports the essay’s main idea? a. I loved to read, and when I wasn’t reading, I was exploring the forest near my parents’ home. (paragraph 2) b. The best times I spent in the forest meadows were with my grandmother. (paragraph 3) c. When we did have the chance to be together, we loved the same things— finding tiny violets under the grass, for example. (paragraph 3) d. Because I spent so much time alone, my imagination was set alight, and I became a dreamer. (paragraph 4) LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Vocabulary Identify the choice that best answers the question. 13. Which of the following words contains the prefix en-? a. enormous b. entirety c. encircle d. entity

Answer 1

Part A: The central idea that the author reflects on in this essay is:
d. The author reflects on how being by herself helped to develop her creativity.

Part B: The quotation that best supports the essay’s main idea is:
d. Because I spent so much time alone, my imagination was set alight, and I became a dreamer. (paragraph 4)

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Vocabulary
The choice that best answers the question regarding which word contains the prefix en- is:
c. encircle