Reading Comprehension Assessment Series
GRADE 7
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
The Neuroscience of Memory:
Reconstruction, Reliability & the Constructed Self
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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. Study the table, then read the passage and
annotate as you go.
|
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 and annotate carefully—underline
unfamiliar words, circle context clues, and note figurative language. The
category label in brackets on each question identifies the specific vocabulary
skill being tested. Written responses require formal academic register,
complete sentences, and direct textual citation.
PASSAGE: MEMORY AS PAINTING —
CONSTRUCTIVE NEUROSCIENCE & THE STORY OF THE SELF
Memory, in the popular imagination, is
conceived as a repository—a mental library or filing cabinet in which
experiences are stored intact and retrieved on demand. This conception is not
merely incomplete; it is fundamentally misleading. Contemporary neuroscience
has established, with accumulating certainty, that human memory is not a
passive recording device but an active, constructive process—one that
reconstructs the past each time it is accessed, introducing alterations,
distortions, and confabulations that the rememberer experiences as authentic
recollection. Memory, in short, is not a photograph. It is a painting—revised
with each viewing.
The neurological substrate of memory
formation involves the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure deep within the
medial temporal lobe, which plays a critical role in consolidating short-term
experiences into long-term memories. During the process of consolidation, or
the stabilization of a memory trace over time, the hippocampus coordinates with
the neocortex to distribute memory storage across distributed neural networks.
Each time a memory is retrieved, it enters a state of reconsolidation—a period
of temporary vulnerability during which it can be modified, strengthened, or
distorted before being re-stored. This is not a design flaw but a feature:
reconsolidation allows memory to be updated with new information.
The constructive nature of memory has
profound implications for the reliability of eyewitness testimony in criminal
proceedings. Elizabeth Loftus, a cognitive psychologist whose research has
transformed the legal treatment of memory, demonstrated through decades of
controlled experiments that memories can be systematically altered through the
introduction of post-event information. In her most famous experimental
paradigm, subjects who witnessed a simulated car accident were later asked
either "How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?" or
"How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?" The
single word change—"hit" versus "smashed"—produced
significant differences in speed estimates, and subjects asked the
"smashed" version were more likely to report seeing broken glass that
had never existed.
This phenomenon—the distortion of memories
through subsequent exposure to misleading information—is called the
misinformation effect. The misinformation effect is not confined to laboratory
conditions; it operates in every domain in which memory is queried, including
therapy, journalism, historical testimony, and legal proceedings. Loftus's work
became legally consequential when the Innocence Project, a legal advocacy
organization, demonstrated that eyewitness misidentification was the leading
contributing factor in the wrongful convictions of hundreds of innocent people
in the United States.
The philosophical implications of
constructive memory are equally unsettling. If every act of remembering is also
an act of revision, then the self—which is substantially constituted by its
memories—is not a stable entity but a perpetual reconstruction. The philosopher
Derek Parfit argued that personal identity over time is not a deep metaphysical
fact but a conventional fiction, sustained by the continuity of memory and
psychological connectedness rather than by any underlying substance. If Parfit
is right—and constructive memory neuroscience provides one form of empirical
support for his position—then what we call the self is less a thing than a
process: a story told and retold, with each retelling subtly altering the text.
The practical consequences of this
understanding are significant. Therapeutic practices that encourage clients to
"recover" suppressed memories of childhood trauma have been
criticized on the basis of Loftus's findings, since the process of suggestion-based
recovery may itself create the memories it purports to retrieve. Educational
practices that privilege rote memorization over active reconstruction may be
working against the brain's actual memory architecture. And legal systems that
treat eyewitness testimony as inherently more credible than circumstantial
evidence may be systematically privileging the brain's most unreliable output.
SECTION A — CONTEXT CLUES (2 pts each)
Questions 1–6: Use context clues to determine
word and phrase meanings.
1. [Context Clues — Direct Definition] Paragraph two defines
"consolidation" as "the stabilization of a memory trace over
time." Using this definition, which of the following would be an example
of memory consolidation?
DOK 1 · CRM
A-1
▸ Tests
restatement clue recognition.
A) Witnessing a car accident and
having a vivid but unstable image of it immediately afterward
B) A memory that initially feels
unclear and incomplete gradually becoming more stable and accessible over the
days and weeks following the original experience
C) Retrieving a stored memory and
discovering it has been altered since it was originally formed
D) Forgetting a memory entirely
because it was never strongly encoded in the first place
2. [Context Clues — Direct Definition] The passage defines the
"misinformation effect" as "the distortion of memories through
subsequent exposure to misleading information." Which real-world scenario
is the most direct example of the misinformation effect?
DOK 1 · CRM
A-1
▸ Tests
definition-transfer.
A) A witness to a robbery forgets the
perpetrator's face because significant time has passed and the memory has faded
through disuse
B) A witness who accurately remembers
a crime scene changes their account after a police officer, during questioning,
mentions a detail that was not actually present at the scene
C) A child misremembers a birthday
party as happier than it actually was because childhood memories are often
emotionally colored
D) A soldier who experienced combat
trauma is unable to form new memories due to hippocampal damage
3. [Context Clues — Inference]
Paragraph two describes reconsolidation as "a period of
temporary vulnerability" during which memories can be modified. The word
"vulnerability" is typically used to describe living things that can
be hurt. What does applying "vulnerability" to a memory suggest about
how neuroscientists conceptualize memories?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
inference of evaluative phrase.
A) It suggests memories are
considered worthless or fragile in scientific literature
B) It implies memories are treated as
dynamic, living-like entities with states that can be threatened or altered,
not as inert stored data files—borrowing the language of organic fragility to
describe a biochemical process
C) It suggests the period of
reconsolidation is dangerous for the person whose memory is being
reconsolidated
D) "Vulnerability" is a
neutral technical term in neuroscience with no additional connotation beyond
its literal meaning
4. [Context Clues — Inference]
The passage uses the word "confabulations" in
paragraph one to describe what memory introduces when it reconstructs the past.
The passage says these are things "the rememberer experiences as authentic
recollection." Using this context and the fact that the word contains the
root "fabul-" (related to stories or fabrication), what does
"confabulations" most likely mean?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
inference from suffix and context.
A) Deliberate lies invented by a
person who wants to deceive others about what actually happened
B) Unconsciously fabricated details
or narratives that the rememberer genuinely believes are accurate memories, not
lies but sincere false recollections
C) Emotional embellishments that a
person adds to a memory to make it more interesting when retelling it to others
D) Scientific distortions
deliberately introduced by researchers during memory experiments to test
subject susceptibility
5. [Context Clues — Inference]
The passage describes eyewitness testimony as the brain's
"most unreliable output." The word "output" is typically
used in computing and engineering contexts. What does applying
"output" to the brain suggest about how the author conceptualizes
memory?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
inference of legal/epistemic term.
A) It suggests the author believes
the brain is a simple machine with predictable and mechanically reliable
functions
B) It frames the brain as a
processing system that receives inputs (experiences) and produces outputs
(memories)—allowing the author to apply the standards of engineering
reliability to biological memory, which in turn makes the claim that eyewitness
testimony is unreliable sound like a technical finding rather than a personal
judgment
C) It implies the author disagrees
with using neuroscience terminology in legal and psychological contexts
D) "Output" is a colloquial
term with no specific computing or engineering connotation in this context
6. [Context Clues — Inference]
Parfit argues that personal identity is a "conventional
fiction." The word "conventional" can mean (1) following
tradition, (2) based on agreement or social convention rather than natural
fact, or (3) ordinary and unoriginal. Which meaning is most active here, and
why does Parfit call identity a "fiction" rather than an
"illusion"?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
inference of philosophical idiom.
A) Meaning (1)—personal identity is a
traditional belief passed down through cultural inheritance
B) Meaning (2)—personal identity is
not a natural fact discovered in nature but a construct maintained by shared
psychological and social conventions; Parfit calls it a "fiction"
rather than an "illusion" because a fiction is a deliberately
constructed narrative that serves useful purposes even when everyone knows it's
not literally true, while an "illusion" is something mistakenly
believed to be real—distinguishing useful construction from simple error
C) Meaning (3)—Parfit is suggesting
that personal identity is a conventional, unoriginal concept without
philosophical interest
D) All three meanings are
simultaneously active, making "conventional fiction" an intentionally
paradoxical phrase
SECTION B — FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE (2 pts each)
Questions 7–12: Identify and interpret
metaphors, similes, irony, personification, and allusion.
7. [Figurative Language — Extended Metaphor] The passage presents two competing
metaphors for memory: a "repository" (library or filing cabinet) and
a "painting revised with each viewing." Analyze what is accurate and
what is misleading about the repository metaphor according to the passage.
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
competing metaphor analysis.
A) The repository metaphor is
entirely accurate and the passage uses the painting metaphor only to add
literary interest
B) The repository metaphor captures
the intuitive experience of memory as a place where stable records are stored
and retrieved; what it misses, according to the passage, is memory's
reconstructive and dynamic quality—the filing cabinet implies that what is
retrieved is identical to what was stored, which the neuroscience shows is
false; the painting metaphor corrects this by emphasizing that the act of
retrieval is also an act of alteration
C) Both metaphors are equally
inaccurate, and the passage argues that no metaphor can adequately describe how
memory actually works
D) The filing cabinet metaphor is
more scientifically accurate because it correctly emphasizes the storage and
retrieval functions of the hippocampus
8. [Figurative Language — Simile]
The passage describes the hippocampus as "a
seahorse-shaped structure." This is a purely visual simile. Why might a
science writer choose to include this comparison in an otherwise technical
explanation of memory formation?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
simile precision.
A) The hippocampus genuinely
resembles a seahorse in function as well as appearance, and the comparison
carries scientific meaning
B) The simile anchors an abstract
technical term to a concrete, familiar image, providing readers with an
immediate physical reference point that makes the description of a brain
structure less intimidating and more memorable—a strategic use of figurative language
to improve scientific comprehension
C) The simile is factually
inaccurate; the hippocampus does not actually resemble a seahorse, and the
comparison should be understood as a loose approximation
D) The simile proves the passage is
directed at a non-scientific audience and lacks the technical rigor expected in
academic writing
9. [Figurative Language — Metaphor/Irony] The passage states that
reconsolidation's vulnerability to distortion "is not a design flaw but a
feature." This phrasing borrows from software engineering. Analyze the
irony embedded in describing a biological process using the language of deliberate
engineering design.
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
irony in structural framing.
A) There is no irony; the passage is
using technical language neutrally to describe a biological process
B) The irony is layered: in software,
a "feature" is intentional and beneficial; by calling memory's
malleability a "feature" rather than a "flaw," the author
is making a strong functional argument—but the engineering language implies
intentional design, which biology doesn't possess in the same sense; the
phrasing is thus simultaneously scientifically accurate (reconsolidation serves
adaptive purposes) and gently ironic (the brain wasn't "designed" by
anyone, yet its apparent imperfections serve elegant functions)
C) The irony is that software
engineers made computers more reliable than human memory, exposing the brain's
inferiority
D) There is no irony;
"feature" is a standard neuroscientific term for a beneficial
biological process
10. [Figurative Language — Metaphor]
The final paragraph of the passage describes the self as
"a story told and retold, with each retelling subtly altering the
text." Analyze the implications of the "story" metaphor for
understanding personal identity. What does it mean to be a "story"
rather than a "thing"?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
narrative metaphor analysis.
A) Being a "story" implies
the self is fictional and therefore morally insignificant—personal
responsibility and individual identity are illusions that cannot be
meaningfully upheld
B) Being a "story" rather
than a "thing" implies the self is dynamic, narrative, and
process-based rather than static, substantial, and object-like; a story has
coherence and continuity without requiring an unchanging substrate; it can be
revised without ceasing to be itself; and it is constituted by its telling
rather than existing independently of narration—which corresponds precisely to
how constructive memory creates continuity of identity through ongoing
reconstruction rather than fixed storage
C) The story metaphor implies the
self is something others create through their perceptions of us, not something
we create through our own memories
D) Being a "story" implies
personal identity is arbitrary and could be completely rewritten at any time
without consequence
11. [Figurative Language — Paradox]
The passage claims that therapeutic recovery of
"suppressed memories" may "create the memories it purports to
retrieve." Identify the paradox in this claim and explain what it reveals
about the relationship between the therapeutic process and the memories it
uncovers.
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
paradox recognition and analysis.
A) There is no paradox; the passage
is simply saying that therapy creates false memories, which is a
straightforward claim without contradiction
B) The paradox is that the
therapeutic process—designed to uncover existing hidden memories—may itself be
the agent that brings into existence the memories it believes it is merely
discovering; the searcher creates what it seeks; the act of looking for a memory
may produce the memory it purports to find, making it impossible to distinguish
retrieved memories from therapeutically suggested ones—a paradox with profound
clinical and ethical consequences
C) The paradox is that suppression
and recovery are contradictory processes, and one cannot suppress and recover
the same memory simultaneously
D) The paradox is that therapists who
believe in memory recovery are themselves subject to the misinformation effect
12. [Figurative Language — Allusion/Metaphor] The passage alludes to Parfit's
argument that personal identity is "less a thing than a process." How
does this distinction between "thing" and "process"
function as a philosophical metaphor, and what does it imply about our ordinary
understanding of ourselves?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
conceptual metaphor from philosophy.
A) The distinction is purely
terminological; Parfit means the same thing whether he calls identity a
"thing" or a "process"
B) The thing/process distinction is a
deep philosophical metaphor: a "thing" implies substance, solidity,
boundaries, and persistence through time as the same entity; a
"process" implies continuous change, no fixed substrate, and identity
as a pattern of activity rather than a static object—the distinction challenges
our intuition that there is a stable "me" persisting through time and
replaces it with the image of a river, which maintains its identity through
continuous flow rather than fixed substance
C) The distinction is primarily a
neuroscientific claim about the physical architecture of memory storage, not a
philosophical metaphor
D) Parfit's distinction implies the
self is illusory and that we should not be held legally or morally responsible
for our past actions
SECTION C — MULTIPLE MEANINGS (2 pts each)
Questions 13–16: Select the contextually
correct meaning of polysemous words.
13. [Multiple Meanings] Loftus's
car accident study is described as "her most famous experimental
paradigm." In different contexts, "paradigm" can mean (1) a
standard or typical example, (2) a model or pattern that others follow, or (3)
in philosophy of science, the framework of assumptions within which a field
operates. Which meaning is most active here?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
polysemy of "paradigm."
A) The philosophical meaning—Loftus's
experiment overturned the entire framework of assumptions about memory in
cognitive psychology
B) The standard example meaning—the
experiment is a particularly well-known and representative instance of her
research methodology, used as a model and reference point for subsequent
studies in the field
C) The pattern meaning—the experiment
established a set of procedures that all subsequent memory researchers are
required to follow
D) All three meanings are
simultaneously active, as Loftus's experiment was simultaneously an example, a
model, and a framework-changing event
14. [Multiple Meanings] The
passage states the misinformation effect "operates in every domain in
which memory is queried." The word "queried" can mean (1)
questioned or asked about, (2) doubted or cast doubt upon, or (3) formally
interrogated in a legal or database context. Which meaning is most precise
here?
DOK 2 · CRM
B-2
▸ Tests
polysemy of "query."
A) The doubt meaning—whenever a
memory is doubted, it becomes vulnerable to distortion
B) The questioned/asked about
meaning—whenever a person is asked to recall a memory (in therapy, legal
testimony, journalism, or any other context), the act of retrieval makes the
memory vulnerable to the misinformation effect
C) The legal interrogation
meaning—the misinformation effect applies specifically and exclusively to
formal legal questioning contexts
D) All three meanings are present and
together suggest that any act of asking about memory constitutes both
interrogation and potential distortion
15. [Multiple Meanings] The
final paragraph states that legal systems may be "privileging the brain's
most unreliable output." Here "privileging" is used as a verb.
In different contexts, "privilege" as a verb can mean (1) to give
special status or advantage to, (2) to protect from disclosure in a legal
proceeding, or (3) to treat as more important or authoritative than something
else. How do meanings (1) and (3) work together in this sentence?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
polysemy of "privilege" as verb.
A) Only meaning (2) applies; legal
systems privilege eyewitness testimony by legally protecting it from challenge
B) Meanings (1) and (3) work
together: legal systems both grant eyewitness testimony special status
(elevated weight in judicial proceedings) AND treat it as more authoritative
than other evidence (circumstantial evidence)—double-prioritizing the very type
of evidence the neuroscience shows to be most distortion-prone, which is the
irony the passage is exposing
C) Only meaning (3) applies; courts
consider eyewitness testimony more authoritative but do not give it any formal
legal advantages over other evidence types
D) "Privileging" is used
purely as a synonym for "using," with no additional connotation of
status or authority
16. [Multiple Meanings] The
passage uses "substrate" twice: first as "neurological
substrate" and implicitly in Parfit's claim that identity has no
"underlying substance." In chemistry and biology, a
"substrate" is the surface or material on which an organism lives or
a reaction occurs. How does this technical meaning inform both its neurological
use and Parfit's philosophical claim?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
polysemy of "substrate."
A) "Substrate" is a purely
technical term in both neuroscience and philosophy with no figurative resonance
between the two domains
B) Both uses draw on the
chemical/biological meaning of a foundational material on which processes
occur: "neurological substrate" describes the physical brain
structures (hippocampus, neocortex) that support memory formation; Parfit's
claim that identity has no "underlying substance" denies the
existence of a metaphysical equivalent of the neurological substrate—claiming
there is no foundation beneath the psychological processes, just the processes
themselves—making the two uses mirror images of each other across the physical
and philosophical domains
C) "Substrate" in the
neurological context is a purely physical term, while in the philosophical
context it is a purely figurative one, and the two uses should not be connected
D) Both uses of "substrate"
refer specifically to the hippocampus as the physical foundation of both memory
and personal identity
SECTION D — CONNOTATION & TONE (2 pts each)
Questions 17–20: Analyze how specific word
choices shape the passage's tone and meaning.
17. [Connotation & Tone] The
passage describes the philosophical implications of constructive memory as
"equally unsettling." The word "unsettling" is used in an
academic scientific context. Analyze what effect this word has on the passage's
tone at this point.
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
connotation of "unsettling."
A) "Unsettling" is a
neutral scientific term indicating a finding that requires further study
B) "Unsettling" (disturbing
a sense of stability or security) introduces a moment of explicit subjective
vulnerability in an otherwise analytical passage—the author acknowledges that
these findings are not merely intellectually interesting but personally
destabilizing to the reader's sense of self, briefly abandoning the detached
scientific register to acknowledge the human stakes of the argument
C) "Unsettling" suggests
the philosophical implications are less rigorously established than the
neuroscientific findings
D) "Unsettling" is used
ironically to understate the severity of the philosophical challenge posed by
constructive memory
18. [Connotation & Tone] The
passage states that therapeutic recovery "may itself create the memories
it purports to retrieve." The word "purports" means "claims
or appears to do something without necessarily doing it." What does using
"purports" instead of "tries to" or "is designed
to" reveal about the author's attitude toward suggestion-based memory
recovery therapy?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
connotation of "purports."
A) "Purports" is a neutral
legal term indicating that the therapy makes a formal claim about its methods
B) "Purports" carries a
skeptical and slightly ironic connotation—implying the author views the
therapy's claim to retrieve pre-existing memories as an unsubstantiated
assertion rather than an established fact; it is the word one uses when one believes
a claim is pretentious or misleading, distinguishing what something claims to
do from what it actually does
C) "Purports" is a
scientific term equivalent to "intends to" with no skeptical
implication
D) "Purports" indicates the
author's neutrality—neither endorsing nor criticizing the therapy's claims
about memory retrieval
19. [Connotation & Tone] The
passage states that neuroscience has established the constructive nature of
memory "with accumulating certainty." Why does the author choose
"accumulating" rather than "established" or
"proven"?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
connotation of "accumulating."
A) "Accumulating" weakens
the claim by implying the evidence is still insufficient to draw definitive
conclusions
B) "Accumulating" conveys a
dynamic, ongoing process of evidence-building that is more scientifically
honest than the binary of "proven/unproven"—it acknowledges that
scientific certainty is not a single moment of discovery but a gradual
convergence of evidence from multiple sources over time, and that
"certainty" in science is always provisional and continuing to grow
stronger
C) "Accumulating" and
"established" are synonymous in scientific writing; the choice is
stylistic
D) "Accumulating" implies
the author is uncertain about the findings and hedging their claims
deliberately
20. [Connotation & Tone] The
final sentence states that legal systems may be "systematically
privileging" the brain's most unreliable output. What does the word
"systematically" add to the critique that "often
privileging" would not?
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
▸ Tests
connotation of "systematically."
A) "Systematically" and
"often" are interchangeable in this context
B) "Systematically" (in an
organized, predictable way that operates as part of a system rather than
occasionally or randomly) implies this is not an accidental error that courts
sometimes make but a structural feature of the legal system itself—a built-in
bias that operates consistently and by design; "often" would suggest
intermittent error, while "systematically" suggests an institutional
flaw requiring structural rather than individual correction
C) "Systematically" is a
weaker term than "often" because it implies the error is unconscious
and therefore less serious
D) "Systematically" implies
the error is intentional and that courts knowingly prefer eyewitness testimony
despite awareness of its unreliability
SECTION E — SHORT ANSWER (10 pts each)
DOK 3–4
| CRM C-3 / D-4 |
Complete sentences and specific textual evidence required.
21. [Figurative Language — Analysis]
The passage opens with two competing metaphors for memory: a
"repository" (library/filing cabinet) and a "painting revised
with each viewing." It later introduces a third metaphor for the self: a
"story told and retold." Analyze the progression from repository →
painting → story. What does each metaphor add that the previous one could not
capture? Do these three metaphors form a coherent analytical argument, or do
they pull in different directions? (DOK 3 | CRM C-3)
DOK 3 · CRM
C-3
22. [Connotation / Word Choice — Evaluation] The passage uses borrowed
vocabulary from three different fields: computing ("output,"
"architecture," "feature vs. flaw"), engineering
("design"), and narrative fiction ("story,"
"text," "retelling"). Analyze why a writer about
neuroscience and philosophy would borrow vocabulary from these specific
domains. What does each domain's vocabulary add to the argument? Is the mixing
of technical and narrative language a strength or a weakness of the passage?
Defend your evaluation with specific examples. (DOK 4 | CRM D-4)
DOK 4 · CRM
D-4
SECTION F — EXTENDED RESPONSE (20 pts)
DOK Level 4
| CRM D-4 |
Minimum 10–14 sentences. Formal academic register.
23. [Vocabulary & Figurative Language — Synthesis] This passage presents the
neuroscience of memory as having implications that extend across at least four
domains: law, therapy, education, and philosophy of personal identity. In a
carefully organized extended response: (1) select the TWO domains you find most
significantly affected by constructive memory theory and explain why, using
specific vocabulary from the passage; (2) analyze how the passage's figurative
language—particularly the contrasting metaphors of photograph/painting and
thing/process—prepares readers to understand the practical implications in
these domains; (3) evaluate whether the passage's final sentence constitutes a
strong conclusion—does calling eyewitness testimony the brain's "most
unreliable output" effectively synthesize the passage's argument, or does
it oversimplify?; and (4) the passage implies but never fully addresses: if
memory is reconstructive and the self is a story, does this undermine moral
responsibility? Construct your own argument about this implication, using the
passage's vocabulary and figurative language as your primary tools.
DOK 4 · CRM
D-4
SECTION G — VOCABULARY JOURNAL (4 pts each × 5 words)
Select FIVE challenging words or phrases from
the passage. For each: write the passage sentence, explain the meaning from
context, and write your own original sentence using the word correctly.
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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