1. Paired Passages Practice for Positively Perfect Pupils! (Say that 3 times fast!) 1)Read both articles on your own silently. 2)Answer the questions for each article, as well as the questions pertaining to both passages. 3)Write the crossover short answer response. 4)Hold on to your paper. Your guest teacher will be going over the answers at the end of the period.

2. Which statement is NOT an example of fact? A.Julissa Sperling found Nigel outside her home and brought him to Micco after seeing one of her ads. B.He was the happiest bird. He was singing and talking without control. C.The reunion was brought about by a Southern California veterinarian. D.Teresa Micco then tracked Nigel's microchip to Darren Chick, a Brit who lives in Torrance. The idea that Nigel was a happy bird is a matter of opinion since Nigel didn’t tell us himself that he was happy. The other three quotes are facts from the passage.

3. Which word means the same as facilitated in paragraph 11? A.skilled B.difficult C.aided D.challenged Remember that you can use a dictionary on the test this week. “Aided” is the best choice here. It’s a synonym for “facilitated.” Try substituting each answer choice into the sentence and see which one means the same thing.

4. What is the author’s purpose for writing this article? A.To inform the reader about African Grey Parrots B.To explain how parrots learn different languages C.To entertain the reader with a story about the new skill a parrot learned while away from home. D.To explain why it is important to microchip your pets in case they ever get lost This article isn’t about all African Grey Parrots, just one. It also is not about how all parrots learn languages, since Nigel is an unusual case. Though the micro-chipping helped reunite Nigel to his owner, this is also not the focus. The purpose here is to entertain you with a unusual story about a parrot’s new language skills. C is the best choice.

5. Which of the following quotes from the article best expresses the main idea? A.Teresa Micco then tracked Nigel's microchip to Darren Chick, a Brit who lives in Torrance. B.Little is known about Nigel's whereabouts the past four years, but Chick says the bird's British accent is gone, and it now chatters in Spanish. C.It's the fifth parrot reunion facilitated by Micco, who has been running ads for her own missing bird for nine months. D.A pet parrot that spoke with a British accent when it disappeared from its home four years ago has been reunited with its owner — and the bird now speaks Spanish. Choice D is best because it captures all of the major elements of this article: the parrot flying away, the parrot being found, and the parrot now speaking a different language. The other three options only hit one of those elements, but D covers all three, making it the strongest choice.

6. Which of the following best summarizes the article? A.Darren Chick’s African Grey Parrot, Nigel, spoke with a British accent when he went missing. Four years later, Teresa Micco who was searching for her own missing bird returned him. No one knew where Nigel had been during those four years, but he returned speaking Spanish. Julissa Sperling initially found Nigel and said he was the happiest bird. B.Julissa Sperling found Nigel, the African Grey Parrot, and kept him at her dog-grooming business. Nigel was very happy and sang nonstop. He also kept saying, “I’m from Panama” and “What happened?” in Spanish. C.When Nigel was reunited with his owner, he bit him. Teresa Micco, a veterinarian, said this behavior was not unusual and that he should settle down soon. This is the fifth reunion that Micco has facilitated while she searches for her own lost bird. D.A missing parrot who spoke with a British accent when he was lost was reunited with his owner speaking Spanish. A veterinarian who was searching for her own missing parrot made the reunion possible. This is a bit of a tricky one because A and D both sound right. However, A has a bit TOO much detail to be a strong summary. A summary is going to cover all the major points of the article without providing too many unnecessary details. D is the best summary.

7. The tone of this selection can be best described as – A.Jovial B.Puzzling C.Shocking D.Content We don’t know why this has happened, so the mystery here is a bit puzzling. Remember: tone is how the audience feels. Even though Ben’s parents are shocked, puzzled is more appropriate for our point of view. Choice B is the best fit for this question.

8. The author introduces the subject of the piece as “Ben McMahon of Melbourne, Australia…” in order to… A. Establish a tone. B. Establish a setting. C. Establish a time frame. D. Establish gender. It’s important that setting is established in order to have a bigger surprise for the audience when we discover that McMahon is now speaking Mandarin. These simple few words cannot establish a distinct tone, nor is a time frame mentioned here. Gender is established, but is not critical. B is the best choice.

9. Which line best demonstrates how Ben McMahon has put his new knowledge of Mandarin to use? A. The Chinese-speaking friends McMahon has made along the way say the Australian is the best non-native speaker they've met. B. He is currently living and studying in Shanghai, and he has also spent time leading Mandarin tours of Melbourne and hosting a Chinese television show. C. McMahon had taken Mandarin in high school, but admits he was never close to mastering the Chinese dialect. D. McMahon's surgeon is unable to fully explain the sudden burst of knowledge, but describes his patient's skills as new circuits at work. The only choice that really shows McMahon APPLYING his knowledge is choice B. The other options are true statements, but the question is very specific – how is he applying the new language? B is the only answer that addresses this focus.

10. What does the author mean when he describes McMahon’s condition as “truly astounding” in paragraph 1? A. Truly commonplace B. Truly terrifying C. Truly surprising D. Truly eerie Make sure you are looking up words that you don’t know, even if they are in the answer choices. McMahon’s condition is definitely not commonplace, and it’s not really terrifying. Eerie implies a spooky or creepy vibe. Surprising is definitely the word that is the best synonym for astounding here.

11. The author introduces the reactions of Ben McMahon’s parents in order to… A. Demonstrate their joy to hear that their son was going to be okay, and their shock at his new language skills. B. Establish their frustration at the doctor’s inability to determine the cause of his new language skills. C. Show their anger surrounding the cause of the car accident that put their son in a coma for a week. D. Provide a visual of the scene within Ben McMahon’s hospital room. Go back and look at this portion of the text. What were the reactions of the parents? The article clearly states that they were both “shocked by his new language skills” and “overjoyed to hear that their son was going to be okay.” If you go back to the passage and check, this question was very straightforward. Don’t assume you know the answer! Always double check the text for validation.

12. The author’s purpose for writing this selection is to – A.Inform readers how extraordinary the brain can function and change one’s life B.Tell readers if they want to remember a 2 nd language to be involved in a brain injury C.Promote McMahon’s television show D.Tell the story of Ben McMahon and how he learned a 2 nd language The focus here is really how mysterious and extraordinary the human brain is. Even though the article does tell the story of Ben McMahon, the larger purpose is to capture the amazing capabilities of the human brain. A is correct.

13. What is the purpose of paragraph 4? A.To illustrate McMahon’s successes since gaining his new ability B.To boast about McMahon’s fame C.To summarize how McMahon is living is life now D.To announce that McMahon is the “best non- native speaker” Clues like “putting his surprising new skill to use” should lead readers to understand that McMahon is applying his new language in his daily life in Australia. It’s more than just a summary of his life. McMahon is taking advantage of his new language skills and having great success.

14. The author’s use of irony is best demonstrated by A.Illustrating how a serious car accident can provide a positive effect on someone’s life B.Showing McMahon’s parents being excited about their son’s new language skills C.Doctors being unable to fully explain McMahon’s condition D.McMahon’s English “circuits” being damaged and his Mandarin “circuits” engaged to make up for his loss in English “circuitry” Remember that irony is when the opposite of the intended outcome happens. One would think that a serious car accident would destroy a person’s life. For McMahon, his life improved! A is the best choice for this question.

15. What opinion is most likely going to be shared by the writers of both articles? A.Animals and humans both need a lot of practice in order to learn a new language. B.The brain, both animal and human, can do amazing things. C.Languages can only be learned when a person (or bird!) lives in a new culture. D.There is no logical explanation for how these two occurrences took place. There are explanations for both events; McMahon didn’t live in a new culture to learn the language, nor did he have a lot of practice. It just came to him. This article is all about the amazing powers of the brain. B is the best option here.

16. What can the reader infer is a major difference between Nigel and McMahon’s new language skills? A.McMahon had a brain injury, while Nigel most likely was taken in by a Spanish speaking family. B.McMahon was in a car accident, but Nigel chose to fly away from home on purpose. C.Nigel is not able to process language since he is an animal, while McMahon is since he’s human. D.McMahon is secretly just a liar who already knew Mandarin, while Nigel legitimately learned a new language. When we infer, we are putting the pieces together ourselves. There is no proof that McMahon is making up his story or that Nigel flew away on purpose. We can infer, though, that Nigel learned his new language from his “foster family,” while McMahon’s brain was rewired due to his accident.

17. Both articles are written with the purpose to – A.Inform readers about unique stories of language acquisition B.Entertain audiences C.Persuade readers to take language classes D.A and B only Though entertaining, this article is meant to also inform audiences about how people (and animals!) have learned new languages. These articles are written both with the purpose to entertain and inform readers.

18. How do the authors of both articles conclude similarly? A.Both choose to conclude by focusing on the power of the human (or bird) brain. B.Both leave audiences with the idea that Nigel and McMahon are happy and doing well. C.Both leave the audience with unanswered questions about what happened to Nigel and McMahon. D.There is no similarity in the way these two articles conclude. It’s really important to look back at both concluding paragraphs; don’t just assume you know the answer without checking the text. Both articles address the idea of happiness, for Nigel and for McMahon.

19. Crossover Short Answer Prompt: How are the approaches of the two articles (“Australian Man Awakes from Coma Speaking Fluent Mandarin” and “Parrot Missing for Years Returns Speaking Spanish”) similar? Support your answer with evidence from both selections.