Reading Comprehension Assessment Series
GRADE 4
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
The Silk Road: Trade, Transmission &
the Language of Connection
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Webb's
Depth of Knowledge · Hess's Cognitive Rigor Matrix
Context
Clues ·
Figurative Language · Multiple Meanings · Tier
2 & Tier 3 Vocabulary
Frustration-Level
Text ·
Full-Stack Assessment
Student
Name: _________________________________
Date: ____________
Teacher:
_________________________________
Period / Class: ____________
SKILL REFERENCE: VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
QUESTION CATEGORIES
Seven question types assess your full
vocabulary-in-context skill set. The table below defines each category and its
cognitive demand level.
|
Question Category |
Skill Tested |
DOK / CRM Range |
Points |
|
Context Clues — Direct
Definition |
Locate embedded definition;
infer from appositive or restatement |
DOK 1–2 / A-1–B-2 |
2 pts each |
|
Context Clues — Inference |
Use surrounding sentences to
infer meaning without an explicit definition |
DOK 2–3 / B-2–C-3 |
2 pts each |
|
Figurative Language —
Metaphor |
Interpret a non-literal
comparison embedded in the text |
DOK 2–3 / B-2–C-3 |
2 pts each |
|
Figurative Language — Idiom
/ Simile / Personification |
Identify figurative meaning;
explain rhetorical effect |
DOK 2–3 / B-2–C-3 |
2 pts each |
|
Multiple Meanings |
Choose the meaning of a
polysemous word that fits the specific context |
DOK 2–3 / B-2–C-3 |
2 pts each |
|
Connotation / Tone |
Distinguish between
denotative meaning and connotative weight; identify author's tone |
DOK 3 / C-3 |
2 pts each |
|
Short Answer — Vocabulary |
Construct definitions;
explain figurative meaning; analyze word choice effect |
DOK 3–4 / C-3–D-4 |
10 pts each |
|
Extended Response |
Analyze how vocabulary and
figurative language work together to develop meaning and tone |
DOK 4 / D-4 |
20 pts |
DIRECTIONS
Read the passage carefully. Annotate for
unfamiliar words, figurative language, and word choices that seem deliberate.
The category label in brackets on each question tells you which vocabulary
skill is being tested. For written responses, cite specific words or phrases
and use formal academic register.
PASSAGE: THE SILK ROAD — WEB, TAPESTRY
& NERVOUS SYSTEM
Long before the age of container ships,
fiber-optic cables, or intercontinental air travel, human beings found a way to
connect the world. For more than a millennium—a period of one thousand years—a
network of overland and maritime trade routes linked the civilizations of
China, Central Asia, Persia, Arabia, India, Africa, and Europe in a web of
commercial and cultural exchange. Scholars call this network the Silk Road,
though the name is something of a misnomer: the routes traded far more than
silk, and they were never a single road at all.
The Silk Road earned its name from one of its
most prized commodities—goods that are bought and sold—silk fabric woven in
Chinese workshops with a skill and secrecy so jealously guarded that China
maintained a monopoly on its production for centuries. European aristocrats,
Middle Eastern merchants, and Indian royalty paid extraordinary prices for
Chinese silk because it was impossible to obtain anywhere else. The Chinese
government was so protective of its silk-making knowledge that smuggling
silkworm eggs or mulberry seeds out of the empire was punishable by death.
But silk was only one thread in the vast
tapestry of Silk Road exchange. Spices including cinnamon, pepper, and cardamom
flowed westward from South and Southeast Asia, so valuable that they were
sometimes used as currency—a medium of exchange accepted in place of money.
Paper and gunpowder, both invented in China, traveled westward and eventually
transformed the intellectual and military landscapes of Europe. Glassware and
gold moved eastward from the Roman and Byzantine empires. Ideas, mathematical
systems, religious beliefs, and artistic styles crossed borders as invisibly as
the wind, leaving their marks on civilizations that never met face to face.
The Silk Road was not simply a conduit for
material goods—it was a crucible of civilizational contact. The spread of
Buddhism from India to China, the dissemination of Islam across Central Asia,
and the diffusion of Greek philosophical traditions into Arabic scholarship all
traveled, at least in part, along Silk Road routes. The Black Death—the
catastrophic bubonic plague that killed roughly one-third of Europe's
population in the fourteenth century—also traveled the Silk Road, carried in
the bodies of rodents aboard merchant caravans, demonstrating with terrible
clarity that trade routes carry everything that travels with traders.
The Silk Road began to decline in the
fifteenth century as European maritime powers developed oceanic trade routes
that were faster, cheaper, and capable of moving greater quantities of goods.
The Ottoman Empire's control of overland routes into Asia also made land-based
trade increasingly costly and dangerous for European merchants. By the
sixteenth century, the Age of Exploration—itself made possible in part by
navigational and astronomical knowledge that had traveled the Silk Road
centuries earlier—had effectively rendered the ancient network obsolete.
Contemporary scholars argue that the Silk
Road's true legacy is not the silk or the spices or even the gunpowder—it is
the proof that human beings have always sought connection across distance and
difference, and that the exchange of ideas is at least as consequential as the
exchange of goods. The Silk Road was not merely a trade route; it was, for a
thousand years, the nervous system of the ancient world.
SECTION A — CONTEXT CLUES (2 pts each)
Questions 1–6: Use context clues to determine
word and phrase meanings.
1. [Context Clues — Direct Definition] In paragraph one, the word
"millennium" is immediately followed by the phrase "a period of
one thousand years." What type of context clue is this, and what does it
tell you about the Silk Road's duration?
DOK 1 · CRM
A-1
▸ Tests
recognition of parenthetical restatement as a context clue type.
A) A contrast clue showing that a
millennium is shorter than most people assume
B) A direct definition/restatement
clue embedded by the author; it tells us the Silk Road operated for one
thousand years
C) An example clue providing specific
centuries that illustrate the word's meaning
D) An inference clue requiring the
reader to calculate the length of time from dates given elsewhere in the
passage
2. [Context Clues — Direct Definition] Paragraph two defines
"commodities" as "goods that are bought and sold." Based on
this definition, which of the following would NOT be a commodity on the Silk
Road?
DOK 1 · CRM
A-1
▸ Tests
application of an embedded definition to distinguish examples from
non-examples.
A) Silk fabric woven in Chinese
workshops
B) Cinnamon and pepper shipped from
South Asia
C) A religious belief adopted by
travelers during a long journey
D) Glassware produced by Roman
craftsmen and sold to eastern buyers
3. [Context Clues — Inference]
In paragraph two, the passage describes China's silk-making
knowledge as "jealously guarded." Using context clues in the same
paragraph—including the penalty for smuggling silkworm eggs—what does
"jealously guarded" most precisely mean in this context?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
inference from behavioral consequences as context for an idiomatic phrase.
A) Protected with intense
possessiveness and enforced with severe consequences for anyone who attempted
to steal or share it
B) Hidden from the Chinese people
themselves, who were not allowed to observe the silk-making process
C) Guarded by jealous merchants who
competed with each other for the profits of silk production
D) Protected by Chinese soldiers who
patrolled the borders to prevent silk from being exported
4. [Context Clues — Inference]
Paragraph three states that spices "were sometimes used
as currency—a medium of exchange accepted in place of money." Using this
context, what does "medium of exchange" mean?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
parsing of an appositive definition with embedded subordination.
A) A message carried between two
trading partners to confirm the terms of a commercial agreement
B) Something that both parties in a
transaction agree to accept as payment, enabling trade without the use of coins
or paper money
C) A transportation method used to
move valuable goods safely across long distances
D) An intermediary merchant who
negotiates between buyers and sellers who speak different languages
5. [Context Clues — Inference]
In paragraph four, "dissemination" is used to
describe how Islam spread across Central Asia. The passage also uses the words
"spread" and "diffusion" in the same sentence to describe
similar processes. Using these synonyms as context clues, what does
"dissemination" most likely mean?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests use
of adjacent synonyms within a single sentence as reciprocal context clues.
A) The forced imposition of a
religion on a conquered population through military means
B) The gradual scattering or
spreading of something—an idea, belief, or practice—across a wide area through
contact and transmission
C) The formal documentation of
religious practices in manuscripts carried by merchants along trade routes
D) The conversion of an entire
population from one religion to another in a single historical event
6. [Context Clues — Inference]
Paragraph five states that the Age of Exploration
"rendered the ancient network obsolete." Using context clues in the
same paragraph—particularly that maritime routes were "faster, cheaper,
and capable of moving greater quantities"—what does "rendered
obsolete" most precisely mean, and what does the word "rendered"
add to the meaning of "made obsolete"?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
inference of a two-word phrase and the specific contribution of a causative
verb.
A) "Rendered obsolete"
simply means "made old"; "rendered" and "made"
are identical in meaning with no distinction
B) "Rendered obsolete"
means caused something to become outmoded and no longer useful or competitive;
"rendered" (to cause something to become) adds the sense of an active
transformation—the maritime routes actively caused the Silk Road's obsolescence
rather than it simply aging on its own
C) "Rendered obsolete"
means permanently destroyed, indicating that the Silk Road ceased to exist as a
physical network
D) "Rendered" is a cooking
term borrowed figuratively to suggest that the maritime routes melted down and
dissolved the Silk Road's value
SECTION B — FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE (2 pts each)
Questions 7–12: Identify and interpret
metaphors, similes, irony, and figurative language structures.
7. [Figurative Language — Metaphor]
Paragraph one describes the Silk Road as "a web of
commercial and cultural exchange." What does the metaphor of a
"web" communicate about the Silk Road's structure?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
interpretation of a structural metaphor.
A) The Silk Road was fragile and
could be destroyed by a single disruption to any of its connections
B) The Silk Road was a network of
interconnected, overlapping routes and relationships—not a single straight
line—with each strand linked to and dependent on others, just as a spider's web
is a system of interlocking threads rather than a single path
C) The Silk Road was controlled by a
central power, like a spider at the center of a web, that directed all trade
D) The Silk Road was designed to trap
and extract wealth from the civilizations connected to it, as a web traps
insects
8. [Figurative Language — Metaphor]
In paragraph three, the author writes that "ideas,
mathematical systems, religious beliefs, and artistic styles crossed borders as
invisibly as the wind." What does this simile emphasize about the movement
of ideas compared to the movement of physical goods?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
comparison of figurative meaning for tangible vs. intangible commodities.
A) Ideas were less valuable than
physical goods because they could not be sold or taxed by governments
B) Unlike physical goods—which could
be tracked, taxed, seized, and counted—ideas moved silently, without record,
and without the capacity to be stopped at borders; the simile emphasizes their
intangibility and the impossibility of controlling their flow
C) Ideas moved faster than physical
goods because they did not require transportation by caravan or ship
D) Ideas were dangerous, like wind,
because they disrupted stable societies and caused political revolutions
9. [Figurative Language — Metaphor]
Paragraph three describes the variety of Silk Road goods as
"one thread in the vast tapestry of Silk Road exchange." Analyze this
metaphor. What does calling silk "one thread" in a
"tapestry" imply about silk's relative importance, and what does
calling the overall exchange a "tapestry" imply about how its
elements relate to one another?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
layered metaphor analysis—two embedded comparisons in a single figure.
A) The metaphor implies that silk was
the most valuable and central element, since a single thread can represent the
entire cloth
B) Calling silk "one
thread" diminishes its importance relative to the whole—it is necessary
but not sufficient; calling the exchange a "tapestry" implies that
all the traded goods, ideas, and relationships were interwoven into a unified,
intricate, and meaningful whole, with no single element able to represent the
entirety
C) The metaphor is purely decorative
and carries no analytical meaning about the relative significance of silk
D) The metaphor contradicts the
passage's opening claim that the Silk Road earned its name from silk, since a
single thread is trivial
10. [Figurative Language — Metaphor]
The passage describes the Silk Road as both "a crucible
of civilizational contact" (paragraph 4) and "the nervous system of
the ancient world" (paragraph 6). Analyze both metaphors. What does each
comparison add that the other does not?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
comparative analysis of two extended metaphors in the same passage.
A) Both metaphors mean exactly the
same thing—that the Silk Road was important—and are simply stylistic variations
B) "Crucible" emphasizes
transformation under intense conditions—a crucible is a vessel in which
materials are heated and changed into something new—suggesting the Silk Road
transformed the civilizations it connected; "nervous system" emphasizes
communication, coordination, and interdependence—suggesting the Silk Road was
what made the ancient world function as a connected whole rather than isolated
parts. Together they capture both transformation and connectivity
C) "Crucible" refers to the
destructive aspects of the Silk Road (including the plague) while "nervous
system" refers only to its positive cultural effects
D) "Crucible" is a more
accurate metaphor because the Silk Road primarily involved the mixing of
material goods, while "nervous system" overstates its role as a
communication network
11. [Figurative Language — Irony/Understatement] The author calls the name
"Silk Road" a "misnomer," meaning an inaccurate or
misleading name. What is ironic about the fact that historians still use this
name centuries after recognizing it is technically inaccurate?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
recognition of historical irony embedded in factual content.
A) There is no irony; historians use
inaccurate names all the time without recognizing the problem
B) The irony is that
historians—people professionally committed to accuracy—continue to use a name
they know to be misleading, suggesting that evocative and memorable language
sometimes persists over more accurate terminology because it captures something
true about the network's identity even when it misrepresents its contents
C) The irony is that silk was the
most important commodity, so the name is actually more accurate than historians
admit
D) There is no irony because
"Silk Road" is now considered a technical term, not a descriptive
name, and therefore its accuracy is irrelevant
12. [Figurative Language — Synecdoche] In the final paragraph, scholars
say the Silk Road's true legacy is "proof that human beings have always
sought connection across distance and difference." The word
"distance" likely refers literally to geography. What might "difference"
refer to figuratively in this context, given the passage's content?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
figurative extension of a word beyond its literal geographic reference.
A) "Difference" refers
exclusively to the different currencies used along the Silk Road, which made
currency exchange necessary
B) "Difference" extends to
encompass language, religion, culture, political systems, and ethnicity—all the
human variations that made the Silk Road's exchanges remarkable, since
connecting people across those differences required not just physical routes
but a willingness to trade with and learn from those profoundly unlike oneself
C) "Difference" is a
synonym for "distance" in this context, providing a rhythmic
variation without additional meaning
D) "Difference" refers to
the economic inequalities between rich and poor nations that the Silk Road's
trade system both reflected and reinforced
SECTION C — MULTIPLE MEANINGS (2 pts each)
Questions 13–16: Select the contextually
correct meaning of polysemous words.
13. [Multiple Meanings] The
word "guarded" appears in "a skill and secrecy so jealously
guarded." In different contexts, "guarded" can mean (1)
protected by soldiers, (2) cautious and reserved in speech, or (3) carefully
protected from disclosure. Which meaning is most active in this context?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
disambiguation of a word with physical, behavioral, and figurative senses.
A) Protected by actual soldiers
stationed at Chinese silk workshops around the clock
B) Cautious and reserved, because
Chinese silk workers refused to discuss their methods even in private
C) Carefully protected from
disclosure or discovery—the knowledge was maintained as a closely held secret,
not merely physically secured
D) Guarded by law, meaning the
secrecy was encoded in Chinese legal statutes that criminalized disclosure
14. [Multiple Meanings] The
word "conduit" in paragraph four ("not simply a conduit for
material goods") comes from a Latin word meaning "to lead" or
"to channel." In engineering, a conduit is a pipe or channel through
which something flows. How does this physical meaning inform the word's
figurative meaning in this context?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
etymology as a context clue for figurative meaning.
A) The physical meaning is
irrelevant; in this context "conduit" simply means "route"
without any additional connotation
B) The physical meaning of a pipe or
channel informs the figurative use: the Silk Road is being described as a
passive channel through which goods flowed—but the author immediately
complicates this by saying it was more than that, introducing the contrast between
a mere pipe and a "crucible" that actively transforms what passes
through it
C) The physical meaning indicates
that the Silk Road included actual pipes and aqueducts used to transport liquid
goods across Central Asia
D) The etymological root "to
lead" indicates the Silk Road was primarily a military supply route rather
than a commercial one
15. [Multiple Meanings] In
paragraph five, the word "control" appears in "The Ottoman
Empire's control of overland routes." In different contexts,
"control" can mean (1) physical domination through military force,
(2) administrative oversight and regulation, or (3) the ability to set prices
and conditions. Which meaning or combination of meanings is most appropriate in
this context, and how does the specific meaning affect the reader's
understanding of why European merchants found the routes "costly and dangerous"?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
application of multiple simultaneous senses of a polysemous word to contextual
interpretation.
A) Only the administrative meaning
applies; the Ottomans simply issued trading licenses that European merchants
found inconvenient
B) All three meanings are
simultaneously applicable: Ottoman control meant military authority over the
physical routes, administrative power to regulate who could use them, and
economic power to set tolls and tariffs—together making land-based Silk Road
trade expensive (tolls), administratively cumbersome, and physically risky
(military enforcement), which explains why maritime routes became more
attractive
C) Only the military meaning applies;
the Ottomans blocked trade routes entirely through military force, making them
impassable for European merchants
D) "Control" here is
figurative and means only that the Ottomans had a cultural and religious
influence over the regions through which the Silk Road passed
16. [Multiple Meanings] In
the final paragraph, the word "consequential" describes the exchange
of ideas as "at least as consequential as the exchange of goods." The
word can mean (1) important and significant, or (2) having notable consequences
or effects. How do both meanings operate simultaneously in this sentence, and
what does the word imply about the relationship between significance and
effect?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
dual-meaning activation and their logical relationship within the sentence.
A) Only the first meaning applies;
the author is making a claim about importance, not about specific historical
effects
B) Both meanings operate
simultaneously and reinforce each other: to call the exchange of ideas
"consequential" is to claim both that it was important (worthy of
attention) and that it had profound lasting effects on civilizations—the
sentence implies that significance and historical consequence are inseparable,
and that true importance is measured by what changes as a result
C) Only the second meaning applies;
the author is making a specific empirical claim about historical effects
without any evaluative judgment about importance
D) The two meanings of
"consequential" contradict each other in this sentence, making the
author's claim ambiguous and difficult to evaluate
SECTION D — CONNOTATION & TONE (2 pts each)
Questions 17–20: Analyze how word choices
create tone and carry connotative weight.
17. [Connotation & Tone] In
paragraph four, the author describes the Black Death as
"catastrophic" and its effects as killing "roughly one-third of
Europe's population." Why does the author include this devastating detail
in a passage that is primarily about trade and cultural exchange?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
understanding of connotative contrast—dark detail in an otherwise celebratory
passage.
A) To argue that the Silk Road was
ultimately more harmful than beneficial and should be remembered primarily for
the plague it spread
B) To demonstrate with dark irony
that trade routes are morally neutral conduits—they carry both
civilization-building ideas and civilization-destroying diseases with equal
efficiency—deepening the passage's central argument about the Silk Road's
complexity and power
C) To shift the passage's tone
entirely toward tragedy for the final two paragraphs
D) To provide historical balance by
counterweighting the positive descriptions of silk and spice trade with a
negative example
18. [Connotation & Tone] The
author describes silk-making knowledge as "jealously guarded" rather
than "carefully protected" or "kept secret." What does the
word "jealously" add to the description?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
identification of emotional connotation layered onto a neutral concept.
A) "Jealously" is a neutral
synonym for "carefully" with no additional emotional weight
B) "Jealously" adds a human
psychological dimension—it suggests possessiveness, fear of losing something
precious, and an almost irrational intensity of protection that goes beyond
rational security measures; it makes the Chinese government's attitude feel
emotionally charged rather than merely strategic
C) "Jealously" implies the
Chinese government was envious of other nations' products and protected silk in
retaliation
D) "Jealously" softens the
description by suggesting that the protection was driven by insecurity rather
than genuine confidence in silk's value
19. [Connotation & Tone] The
final sentence of the passage calls the Silk Road "the nervous system of
the ancient world." Consider the connotation of "nervous system"
versus a simpler phrase like "the most important trade route." What
does "nervous system" communicate that the simpler phrase does not?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
connotative comparison between figurative and literal descriptive language.
A) "Nervous system" and
"most important trade route" communicate the same basic claim; the
difference is purely rhetorical
B) "Nervous system" implies
that the Silk Road was not merely one important feature of the ancient world
but its fundamental connective infrastructure—the system without which no
coordinated activity was possible, just as a body cannot function without its
nervous system—elevating the Silk Road from a useful feature to an existential
necessity
C) "Nervous system"
emphasizes that the Silk Road was primarily a communication network for
transmitting information rather than a commercial system for trading goods
D) "Nervous system" implies
the Silk Road was fragile and vulnerable, because nervous systems can be
damaged by injury—unlike the more robust infrastructure suggested by "most
important trade route"
20. [Connotation & Tone] The
author opens the passage with "Long before the age of container ships,
fiber-optic cables, or intercontinental air travel, human beings found a way to
connect the world." Analyze the tonal effect of beginning with the phrase
"Long before." What attitude toward the Silk Road does this opening
establish?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
recognition of temporal framing as a tonal and connotative device.
A) It establishes a tone of
scientific neutrality, simply placing the Silk Road chronologically before
modern technologies
B) It establishes a tone of
admiration and wonder—by invoking all the sophisticated modern technologies
that facilitate global connection and then saying humans achieved something
comparable long before any of these tools existed, the author frames the Silk
Road as a remarkable achievement that deserves to be understood on its own
terms rather than dismissed as primitive
C) It establishes a tone of
nostalgia, implying that the Silk Road era was superior to the modern age of
technology
D) It establishes a skeptical tone,
suggesting the author doubts whether the Silk Road actually achieved the global
connections that modern technologies make possible
SECTION E — SHORT ANSWER (10 pts each)
DOK 3–4
| CRM C-3 / D-4 |
Complete sentences. Direct textual citation required.
21. [Figurative Language — Analysis]
The passage uses three distinct metaphors to describe the
Silk Road: a "web," a "tapestry," and a "nervous
system." Each metaphor emphasizes a different quality. Identify what
specific quality of the Silk Road each metaphor highlights. Then evaluate:
which of the three metaphors do you find most accurate and illuminating, and
why? (DOK 3 | CRM C-3)
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
22. [Connotation — Evaluation]
The author writes that the Black Death "also traveled
the Silk Road, carried in the bodies of rodents aboard merchant caravans,
demonstrating with terrible clarity that trade routes carry everything that
travels with traders." Analyze the phrase "with terrible
clarity." What does "terrible clarity" mean? Why does the author
describe the clarity as "terrible" rather than simply saying the
plague demonstrated something important? What does this specific word choice reveal
about the author's attitude toward the Silk Road and its consequences? (DOK 4 |
CRM D-4)
DOK 4 · CRM
D-4
SECTION F — EXTENDED RESPONSE (20 pts)
DOK Level 4
| CRM D-4 |
Minimum 10 sentences.
23. [Vocabulary & Figurative Language — Synthesis] The author uses the word
"misnomer" in paragraph one to establish that "Silk Road"
is an inaccurate name. Yet the passage then uses a series of figurative
metaphors—web, tapestry, crucible, nervous system—to describe the same network.
In a well-organized extended response: (1) explain the irony of criticizing the
Silk Road's name as a "misnomer" while then using multiple figurative
metaphors that are also literally inaccurate; (2) analyze how each major metaphor
in the passage contributes to a specific aspect of the author's argument; (3)
evaluate whether figurative language or precise vocabulary is more effective
for communicating the Silk Road's significance; and (4) construct your own
metaphor for the Silk Road that captures something none of the existing
metaphors do, and defend your choice.
DOK 4 · CRM
D-4
SECTION G — VOCABULARY JOURNAL (4 pts each × 5 words)
Select FIVE challenging words or phrases. For
each: write the passage sentence; explain meaning from context; write your own
original sentence.
Word 1:
Word / Phrase:
___________________________________________
Sentence from
passage:
Meaning from
context:
My original sentence:
Word 2:
Word / Phrase:
___________________________________________
Sentence from
passage:
Meaning from
context:
My original sentence:
Word 3:
Word / Phrase:
___________________________________________
Sentence from
passage:
Meaning from
context:
My original sentence:
Word 4:
Word / Phrase:
___________________________________________
Sentence from
passage:
Meaning from
context:
My original sentence:
Word 5:
Word / Phrase:
___________________________________________
Sentence from
passage:
Meaning from
context:
My original sentence:
ASSESSMENT SCORING GUIDE
|
Section |
Points Possible |
Points Earned |
DOK Level |
CRM Cell |
|
Sec A: Context Clues MC (×6) |
12 |
___ |
1–3 |
A-1 / B-2 / C-3 |
|
Sec B: Figurative Language
MC (×6) |
12 |
___ |
2–3 |
B-2 / C-3 |
|
Sec C: Multiple Meanings MC
(×4) |
8 |
___ |
2–3 |
B-2 / C-3 |
|
Sec D: Connotation &
Tone MC (×4) |
8 |
___ |
3 |
C-3 |
|
Sec E: Short Answer (×2) |
20 |
___ |
3–4 |
C-3 / D-4 |
|
Sec F: Extended Response |
20 |
___ |
4 |
D-4 |
|
Sec G: Vocabulary Journal |
20 |
___ |
2 |
B-2 |
|
TOTAL |
100 |
___ |
— |
— |
Grade 3
— The Underground Railroad
Section A — Key Details MC
(Questions 1–5):
Q1: B
Q2: C
Q3: B
Q4: C
Q5: B
Section B — Main Idea /
Theme MC (Questions 6–10):
Q6: A
Q7: C
Q8: B
Q9: B
Q10: B
Section F — Vocabulary
(Questions 14–15):
Q14: B
Q15: C
Open-Response
Scoring: Apply DOK/CRM Rubric below.
Grade 4
— The Dust Bowl
Section A — Key Details MC
(Questions 1–5):
Q1: B
Q2: A
Q3: B
Q4: C
Q5: B
Section B — Main Idea /
Theme MC (Questions 6–10):
Q6: B
Q7: C
Q8: B
Q9: B
Q10: B
Section F — Vocabulary
(Questions 14–15):
Q14: B
Q15: B
Open-Response
Scoring: Apply DOK/CRM Rubric below.
Grade 5
— Gutenberg's Printing Press
Section A — Key Details MC
(Questions 1–5):
Q1: B
Q2: C
Q3: B
Q4: B
Q5: B
Section B — Main Idea /
Theme MC (Questions 6–10):
Q6: B
Q7: B
Q8: B
Q9: B
Q10: B
Section F — Vocabulary
(Questions 14–15):
Q14: C
Q15: B
Open-Response
Scoring: Apply DOK/CRM Rubric below.
Grade 6
— The Columbian Exchange
Section A — Key Details MC
(Questions 1–5):
Q1: B
Q2: C
Q3: B
Q4: B
Q5: B
Section B — Main Idea /
Theme MC (Questions 6–10):
Q6: B
Q7: A
Q8: B
Q9: B
Q10: B
Section F — Vocabulary
(Questions 14–15):
Q14: B
Q15: B
Open-Response
Scoring: Apply DOK/CRM Rubric below.
Grade 7
— Women's Suffrage
Section A — Key Details MC
(Questions 1–5):
Q1: B
Q2: B
Q3: B
Q4: B
Q5: B
Section B — Main Idea /
Theme MC (Questions 6–10):
Q6: B
Q7: B
Q8: B
Q9: B
Q10: B
Section F — Vocabulary
(Questions 14–15):
Q14: B
Q15: C
Open-Response
Scoring: Apply DOK/CRM Rubric below.
Grade 8
— The Space Race
Section A — Key Details MC
(Questions 1–5):
Q1: B
Q2: B
Q3: B
Q4: B
Q5: B
Section B — Main Idea /
Theme MC (Questions 6–10):
Q6: B
Q7: B
Q8: B
Q9: B
Q10: B
Section F — Vocabulary
(Questions 14–15):
Q14: C
Q15: B
Open-Response
Scoring: Apply DOK/CRM Rubric below.
DOK
/ CRM Open-Response Rubric
|
Score |
DOK |
Summary / Key Detail Accuracy |
Main Idea / Theme Analysis |
Register & Citation |
|
18–20 |
4 — Extended |
Complete, precise,
text-specific; no omissions |
Evaluates; synthesizes
across multiple paragraphs |
Tier 3 vocabulary; formal
register; cited accurately |
|
14–17 |
3 — Strategic |
Mostly accurate; minor
omissions |
Analytical; explains rather
than retells |
Tier 2; generally formal;
partial citations |
|
9–13 |
2 — Skills |
Partially accurate; some
paraphrase errors |
Some analysis; mixes summary
and interpretation |
Mixed register; general
references to text |
|
0–8 |
1 — Recall |
Inaccurate or absent |
Retelling only; no
analytical claim |
Informal; no textual
evidence |
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