Question

Manny realizes that the castle described in the book he is reading stands for a larger idea: paradise. Which literary device is the author using?

Answer 1

A.

irony
B.

symbolism
C.

paradox
D.

hyperbole

Answer 2

Hey There Ryan!

Any Ideas?

Answer 3

irony- sarcasm, mockery
symbolism- the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
paradox- contradiction
hyperbole- exaggeration

Answer 4

Question 1 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Which text feature provides explanatory information?

Title
Sidebar
Subheading
Image

Question 2 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Which sentence is written correctly?

Its about to escape because it's leash is so loose.
It's about to escape because its' leash is so loose.
Its about to escape because its leash is so loose.
It's about to escape because its leash is so loose.

Question 3 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)Read this sentence and answer the question below:

Bess is clearly a reliable employee, but Anna is rude to customers, doesn't meet her deadlines, and is often late to work.

Based on the context in this sentence, which word would be the best replacement for reliable?

Courteous
Dependable
Offensive
Unstable

Question 4 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Which synonym best describes a friendly competition?

Battle: combat between two people
Conflict: fight, battle, or war
Enmity: feeling of active dislike or hate
Match: contest between two or more

Question 5 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)

The Mystery of Loch Ness
By Kayden Mitchell

Of all the mysteries in the world, none has been as popular as that of the Loch Ness Monster. Perhaps the biggest mystery is whether it is convincing evidence or a simple desire to believe that keeps the myth alive.

Loch Ness is a lake in Scotland. The loch, or lake, is known for sightings of a mysterious monster. Most who see this monster, known as Nessie, describe something with a long neck and several humps above the water. Sometimes the "monster" is moving in these sightings, and sometimes it is still. Many have suggested that Nessie might be a plesiosaur (plea-see-a-soar), an aquatic dinosaur that was trapped in the loch after the last ice age.

The plesiosaur theory presents several problems. First, the plesiosaur is an air breather. Such a creature would need to surface often and, therefore, be seen more frequently. Second, it's unlikely that the same creature has lived in the loch since the last ice age. Today's creature would have to be the offspring of an original plesiosaur trapped long ago. This would suggest multiple creatures in the loch (needed to produce offspring). Again, sightings would be more frequent if this were the case.

So from a purely logical stand point, the existence of such a large and ancient creature is unlikely. But assume for a minute that it is possible. What would a plesiosaur need to live in an enclosed lake?

Tropical waters: Scientists believe plesiosaurs were warm-blooded. Like crocodiles and alligators, plesiosaurs would need to live in warm waters. The loch is very cold with temperatures averaging about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 Celsius).
Food: Like other warm-blooded creatures, plesiosaurs would need a large quantity of food. If there is a group of Nessies, then even more food would be needed. Because the loch is full of silt (underwater dust) not much light gets into the deepest areas. So the food chain, which would depend on plankton, is very weak at its base. As a result, there is probably not enough food to support such a large creature.
However, the plesiosaur theory is not the only one. Many other ideas attempt to explain the sightings and "photographs." But two separate sonar surveys of the loch have not found any evidence of a creature larger than a salmon. The last survey1, completed in 2007 by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), involved 600 different sonar beams. Using satellite navigation systems, the team made sure every inch of the loch was searched. The team found nothing.

With cell phones and digital cameras, one would think that sightings of Nessie would increase. This has not happened. The BBC team believes the legend of Nessie has endured because people see what they want to see. To prove this, the team used a fence post, raising it before groups of tourists. Afterwards several of the tourists asked to draw pictures of what they had seen drew pictures of a monster's head.

1 "BBC 'proves' Nessie does not exist." 27 July, 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3096839.stm

Read this sentence from the essay:

Many have suggested that Nessie might be a plesiosaur (plea-see-a-soar), an aquatic dinosaur that was trapped in the loch after the last ice age.

Based on the text, what does the word aquatic mean?
Growing or living in water
Growing or using gills
Needing or liking moisture
Soaking or sinking in depth

Question 6 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)Read the following quote from a story in the student newspaper:

"Dean Strubler has harassed this student body for the last time," Student Government President Tristan Moore said. "We are just children to him, not adults who can make our own decisions."

What does Tristan Moore use to express his thoughts?

Irony
Literal language
Metaphor
Simile

Question 7 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)Which situation would be most likely to benefit from a flashback in the narration?

When it is important to cover previous events quickly for context
When it is important to increase tension by distracting the reader
When it is important to slow down the main action in a narrative
When it is important to suggest the passage of time

Question 8 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)Read the excerpt below and then answer the question that follows:

The Book of Dragons
Chapter III The Deliverers of Their Country, an excerpt
By E. Nesbit

It all began with Effie's getting something in her eye. It hurt very much indeed, and it felt something like a red-hot spark—only it seemed to have legs as well, and wings like a fly. Effie rubbed and cried—not real crying, but the kind your eye does all by itself without your being miserable inside your mind—and then she went to her father to have the thing in her eye taken out. Effie's father was a doctor, so of course he knew how to take things out of eyes.

When he had gotten the thing out, he said: "This is very curious." Effie had often got things in her eye before, and her father had always seemed to think it was natural—rather tiresome and naughty perhaps, but still natural. He had never before thought it curious.

Effie stood holding her handkerchief to her eye, and said: "I don't believe it's out." People always say this when they have had something in their eyes.

"Oh, yes—it's out," said the doctor. "Here it is, on the brush. This is very interesting."

Effie had never heard her father say that about anything that she had any share in. She said: "What?"

The doctor carried the brush very carefully across the room, and held the point of it under his microscope—then he twisted the brass screws of the microscope, and looked through the top with one eye.

"Dear me," he said. "Dear, dear me! Four well-developed limbs; a long caudal appendage; five toes, unequal in lengths, almost like one of the Lacertidae, yet there are traces of wings." The creature under his eye wriggled a little in the castor oil, and he went on: "Yes; a bat-like wing. A new specimen, undoubtedly. Effie, run round to the professor and ask him to be kind enough to step in for a few minutes."

"You might give me sixpence, Daddy," said Effie, "because I did bring you the new specimen. I took great care of it inside my eye, and my eye does hurt."

The doctor was so pleased with the new specimen that he gave Effie a shilling, and presently the professor stepped round. He stayed to lunch, and he and the doctor quarreled very happily all the afternoon about the name and the family of the thing that had come out of Effie's eye.

But at teatime another thing happened. Effie's brother Harry fished something out of his tea, which he thought at first was an earwig. He was just getting ready to drop it on the floor, and end its life in the usual way, when it shook itself in the spoon—spread two wet wings, and flopped onto the tablecloth. There it sat, stroking itself with its feet and stretching its wings, and Harry said: "Why, it's a tiny newt!"

The professor leaned forward before the doctor could say a word. "I'll give you half a crown for it, Harry, my lad," he said, speaking very fast; and then he picked it up carefully on his handkerchief.

"It is a new specimen," he said, "and finer than yours, Doctor."

It was a tiny lizard, about half an inch long—with scales and wings.

So now the doctor and the professor each had a specimen, and they were both very pleased. But before long these specimens began to seem less valuable. For the next morning, when the knife-boy was cleaning the doctor's boots, he suddenly dropped the brushes and the boot and the blacking, and screamed out that he was burnt.

And from inside the boot came crawling a lizard as big as a kitten, with large, shiny wings.

"Why," said Effie, "I know what it is. It is a dragon like the one St. George killed."

And Effie was right. That afternoon Towser was bitten in the garden by a dragon about the size of a rabbit, which he had tried to chase, and the next morning all the papers were full of the wonderful "winged lizards" that were appearing all over the country. The papers would not call them dragons, because, of course, no one believes in dragons nowadays—and at any rate the papers were not going to be so silly as to believe in fairy stories. At first there were only a few, but in a week or two the country was simply running alive with dragons of all sizes, and in the air you could sometimes see them as thick as a swarm of bees. They all looked alike except as to size. They were green with scales, and they had four legs and a long tail and great wings like bats' wings, only the wings were a pale, half-transparent yellow, like the gear-boxes on bicycles.

Why does the author continue to have the creatures appear in a variety of places in this story?
To encourage readers to guess what will happen next
To keep the reader guessing what the creatures are
To make the action more predictable
To suggest the problem is quickly spreading

Question 9 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)

The Mystery of Loch Ness
By Kayden Mitchell

Of all the mysteries in the world, none has been as popular as that of the Loch Ness Monster. Perhaps the biggest mystery is whether it is convincing evidence or a simple desire to believe that keeps the myth alive.

Loch Ness is a lake in Scotland. The loch, or lake, is known for sightings of a mysterious monster. Most who see this monster, known as Nessie, describe something with a long neck and several humps above the water. Sometimes the "monster" is moving in these sightings, and sometimes it is still. Many have suggested that Nessie might be a plesiosaur (plea-see-a-soar), an aquatic dinosaur that was trapped in the loch after the last ice age.

The plesiosaur theory presents several problems. First, the plesiosaur is an air breather. Such a creature would need to surface often and, therefore, be seen more frequently. Second, it's unlikely that the same creature has lived in the loch since the last ice age. Today's creature would have to be the offspring of an original plesiosaur trapped long ago. This would suggest multiple creatures in the loch (needed to produce offspring). Again, sightings would be more frequent if this were the case.

So from a purely logical stand point, the existence of such a large and ancient creature is unlikely. But assume for a minute that it is possible. What would a plesiosaur need to live in an enclosed lake?

Tropical waters: Scientists believe plesiosaurs were warm-blooded. Like crocodiles and alligators, plesiosaurs would need to live in warm waters. The loch is very cold with temperatures averaging about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 Celsius).
Food: Like other warm-blooded creatures, plesiosaurs would need a large quantity of food. If there is a group of Nessies, then even more food would be needed. Because the loch is full of silt (underwater dust) not much light gets into the deepest areas. So the food chain, which would depend on plankton, is very weak at its base. As a result, there is probably not enough food to support such a large creature.
However, the plesiosaur theory is not the only one. Many other ideas attempt to explain the sightings and "photographs." But two separate sonar surveys of the loch have not found any evidence of a creature larger than a salmon. The last survey1, completed in 2007 by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), involved 600 different sonar beams. Using satellite navigation systems, the team made sure every inch of the loch was searched. The team found nothing.

With cell phones and digital cameras, one would think that sightings of Nessie would increase. This has not happened. The BBC team believes the legend of Nessie has endured because people see what they want to see. To prove this, the team used a fence post, raising it before groups of tourists. Afterwards several of the tourists asked to draw pictures of what they had seen drew pictures of a monster's head.

1 "BBC 'proves' Nessie does not exist." 27 July, 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3096839.stm

Which best summarizes the results of sonar surveys?
The simple tools cannot search at depths where the creature lives.
The satellite navigation could not map the entire lake bottom.
There are too many large salmon in the loch to find much else.
They have found no evidence of anything bigger than a salmon.

Question 10 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Read the excerpt below and then answer the question that follows:

The Book of Dragons
Chapter III The Deliverers of Their Country, an excerpt
By E. Nesbit

It all began with Effie's getting something in her eye. It hurt very much indeed, and it felt something like a red-hot spark—only it seemed to have legs as well, and wings like a fly. Effie rubbed and cried—not real crying, but the kind your eye does all by itself without your being miserable inside your mind—and then she went to her father to have the thing in her eye taken out. Effie's father was a doctor, so of course he knew how to take things out of eyes.

When he had gotten the thing out, he said: "This is very curious." Effie had often got things in her eye before, and her father had always seemed to think it was natural—rather tiresome and naughty perhaps, but still natural. He had never before thought it curious.

Effie stood holding her handkerchief to her eye, and said: "I don't believe it's out." People always say this when they have had something in their eyes.

"Oh, yes—it's out," said the doctor. "Here it is, on the brush. This is very interesting."

Effie had never heard her father say that about anything that she had any share in. She said: "What?"

The doctor carried the brush very carefully across the room, and held the point of it under his microscope—then he twisted the brass screws of the microscope, and looked through the top with one eye.

"Dear me," he said. "Dear, dear me! Four well-developed limbs; a long caudal appendage; five toes, unequal in lengths, almost like one of the Lacertidae, yet there are traces of wings." The creature under his eye wriggled a little in the castor oil, and he went on: "Yes; a bat-like wing. A new specimen, undoubtedly. Effie, run round to the professor and ask him to be kind enough to step in for a few minutes."

"You might give me sixpence, Daddy," said Effie, "because I did bring you the new specimen. I took great care of it inside my eye, and my eye does hurt."

The doctor was so pleased with the new specimen that he gave Effie a shilling, and presently the professor stepped round. He stayed to lunch, and he and the doctor quarreled very happily all the afternoon about the name and the family of the thing that had come out of Effie's eye.

But at teatime another thing happened. Effie's brother Harry fished something out of his tea, which he thought at first was an earwig. He was just getting ready to drop it on the floor, and end its life in the usual way, when it shook itself in the spoon—spread two wet wings, and flopped onto the tablecloth. There it sat, stroking itself with its feet and stretching its wings, and Harry said: "Why, it's a tiny newt!"

The professor leaned forward before the doctor could say a word. "I'll give you half a crown for it, Harry, my lad," he said, speaking very fast; and then he picked it up carefully on his handkerchief.

"It is a new specimen," he said, "and finer than yours, Doctor."

It was a tiny lizard, about half an inch long—with scales and wings.

So now the doctor and the professor each had a specimen, and they were both very pleased. But before long these specimens began to seem less valuable. For the next morning, when the knife-boy was cleaning the doctor's boots, he suddenly dropped the brushes and the boot and the blacking, and screamed out that he was burnt.

And from inside the boot came crawling a lizard as big as a kitten, with large, shiny wings.

"Why," said Effie, "I know what it is. It is a dragon like the one St. George killed."

And Effie was right. That afternoon Towser was bitten in the garden by a dragon about the size of a rabbit, which he had tried to chase, and the next morning all the papers were full of the wonderful "winged lizards" that were appearing all over the country. The papers would not call them dragons, because, of course, no one believes in dragons nowadays—and at any rate the papers were not going to be so silly as to believe in fairy stories. At first there were only a few, but in a week or two the country was simply running alive with dragons of all sizes, and in the air you could sometimes see them as thick as a swarm of bees. They all looked alike except as to size. They were green with scales, and they had four legs and a long tail and great wings like bats' wings, only the wings were a pale, half-transparent yellow, like the gear-boxes on bicycles.

Based on the conclusion in the bolded paragraph, what do we know about the creature in Effie’s eye?
It is a bat.
It is a fairy.
It is a newt.
It is a dragon.

Question 11 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Which sentence is correctly punctuated?

"Let's get going," Ginnie shouted, "it's getting dark!"
"Let's get going, Ginnie shouted, It's getting dark!"
"Let's get going!," Ginnie shouted "It's getting dark!"
"Let's get going!" Ginnie shouted. "It's getting dark!"

Question 12 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)A student is revising the sentence below:

I know Brendan was upset, but I feel he overreacted. You would have thought he'd just lost his best friend, the way he would bemoan his fate.

Based on the context of this sentence, which is the best synonym for bemoan?

Complain: express dissatisfaction or annoyance
Grieve: cause distress to someone
Nag: annoy with persistent fault-finding
Provoke: stimulate or incite

Question 13 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Which of the following correctly combines the two sentences?

She dusted the table.
He vacuumed the rug.

She dusted the table and he vacuumed the rug.
She dusted the table, he vacuumed the rug.
She dusted the table, and he vacuumed the rug.
When she dusted the table he vacuumed the rug.

Question 14 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)Which website would most likely offer the most reliable fact-based information about the invasive species in Florida habitats?

Invasivespeciesinfo.gov
Huffingtonpost.com
Sciencetoday.com
Blogs.pjstar.com

Question 15 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Which transition word suggests an author is about to explain a contrasting idea?

Furthermore
However
Therefore
Regardless

Question 16 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Read this sentence:

The commotion we saw on the first day of school was nothing compared to the disturbance and confusion we saw on the last day of school.

Which word from the sentence gives a clue to the meaning of commotion?

First
Compared
Disturbance
Last

Question 17 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)A student is completing a research project on the life of author Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865. Which of the following would provide the most reliable information?

A biography of Carroll in an encyclopedia
A movie about the life of Carroll
A news article written at the time of Carroll's death
A review of other books by Carroll

Question 18 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)What is the main purpose of the transition word in this sentence?

Meanwhile, Jacey waited for the fitting room to become available.

It connects a series of similar events.
It connects the present action to previous events.
It implies a gap in time has occurred.
It suggests a contrasting event.

Question 19 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)Which transition would best connect the two sentences below?

No one takes these Bigfoot sightings seriously.
No significant scientific study of either the facts or the cause of the sightings has been done.

Nevertheless
Rather
Therefore
Whereas

Question 20 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)

The Mystery of Loch Ness
By Kayden Mitchell

Of all the mysteries in the world, none has been as popular as that of the Loch Ness Monster. Perhaps the biggest mystery is whether it is convincing evidence or a simple desire to believe that keeps the myth alive.

Loch Ness is a lake in Scotland. The loch, or lake, is known for sightings of a mysterious monster. Most who see this monster, known as Nessie, describe something with a long neck and several humps above the water. Sometimes the "monster" is moving in these sightings, and sometimes it is still. Many have suggested that Nessie might be a plesiosaur (plea-see-a-soar), an aquatic dinosaur that was trapped in the loch after the last ice age.

The plesiosaur theory presents several problems. First, the plesiosaur is an air breather. Such a creature would need to surface often and, therefore, be seen more frequently. Second, it's unlikely that the same creature has lived in the loch since the last ice age. Today's creature would have to be the offspring of an original plesiosaur trapped long ago. This would suggest multiple creatures in the loch (needed to produce offspring). Again, sightings would be more frequent if this were the case.

So from a purely logical stand point, the existence of such a large and ancient creature is unlikely. But assume for a minute that it is possible. What would a plesiosaur need to live in an enclosed lake?

Tropical waters: Scientists believe plesiosaurs were warm-blooded. Like crocodiles and alligators, plesiosaurs would need to live in warm waters. The loch is very cold with temperatures averaging about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 Celsius).
Food: Like other warm-blooded creatures, plesiosaurs would need a large quantity of food. If there is a group of Nessies, then even more food would be needed. Because the loch is full of silt (underwater dust) not much light gets into the deepest areas. So the food chain, which would depend on plankton, is very weak at its base. As a result, there is probably not enough food to support such a large creature.
However, the plesiosaur theory is not the only one. Many other ideas attempt to explain the sightings and "photographs." But two separate sonar surveys of the loch have not found any evidence of a creature larger than a salmon. The last survey1, completed in 2007 by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), involved 600 different sonar beams. Using satellite navigation systems, the team made sure every inch of the loch was searched. The team found nothing.

With cell phones and digital cameras, one would think that sightings of Nessie would increase. This has not happened. The BBC team believes the legend of Nessie has endured because people see what they want to see. To prove this, the team used a fence post, raising it before groups of tourists. Afterwards several of the tourists asked to draw pictures of what they had seen drew pictures of a monster's head.

1 "BBC 'proves' Nessie does not exist." 27 July, 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3096839.stm

Read this sentence from the essay:

As a result, there is probably not enough food to support such a large creature.

Based on the text, what does the phrase to support such a large creature mean?
To give the animal enough to eat
To include a varied food source
To support a wide range of creatures
To take care of all its needs

Question 21 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Read this sentence:

Usually Casey is a bundle of energy, but her high fever made her lethargic all weekend.

What antonym context clue helps find the meaning of lethargic?

Bundle
Energy
Fever
Usually

Question 22 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(LC)Which sentence uses correct punctuation?

My gymnastics, coach helped me plan a difficult exciting routine.
My gymnastics coach helped me plan a difficult, exciting routine.
My gymnastics, coach, helped me plan a difficult exciting routine.
My gymnastics coach helped me plan a difficult exciting, routine.

Question 23 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(MC)

The Mystery of Loch Ness
By Kayden Mitchell

Of all the mysteries in the world, none has been as popular as that of the Loch Ness Monster. Perhaps the biggest mystery is whether it is convincing evidence or a simple desire to believe that keeps the myth alive.

Loch Ness is a lake in Scotland. The loch, or lake, is known for sightings of a mysterious monster. Most who see this monster, known as Nessie, describe something with a long neck and several humps above the water. Sometimes the "monster" is moving in these sightings, and sometimes it is still. Many have suggested that Nessie might be a plesiosaur (plea-see-a-soar), an aquatic dinosaur that was trapped in the loch after the last ice age.

The plesiosaur theory presents several problems. First, the plesiosaur is an air breather. Such a creature would need to surface often and, therefore, be seen more frequently. Second, it's unlikely that the same creature has lived in the loch since the last ice age. Today's creature would have to be the offspring of an original plesiosaur trapped long ago. This would suggest multiple creatures in the loch (needed to produce offspring). Again, sightings would be more frequent if this were the case.

So from a purely logical stand point, the existence of such a large and ancient creature is unlikely. But assume for a minute that it is possible. What would a plesiosaur need to live in an enclosed lake?

Tropical waters: Scientists believe plesiosaurs were warm-blooded. Like crocodiles and alligators, plesiosaurs would need to live in warm waters. The loch is very cold with temperatures averaging about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 Celsius).
Food: Like other warm-blooded creatures, plesiosaurs would need a large quantity of food. If there is a group of Nessies, then even more food would be needed. Because the loch is full of silt (underwater dust) not much light gets into the deepest areas. So the food chain, which would depend on plankton, is very weak at its base. As a result, there is probably not enough food to support such a large creature.
However, the plesiosaur theory is not the only one. Many other ideas attempt to explain the sightings and "photographs." But two separate sonar surveys of the loch have not found any evidence of a creature larger than a salmon. The last survey1, completed in 2007 by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), involved 600 different sonar beams. Using satellite navigation systems, the team made sure every inch of the loch was searched. The team found nothing.

With cell phones and digital cameras, one would think that sightings of Nessie would increase. This has not happened. The BBC team believes the legend of Nessie has endured because people see what they want to see. To prove this, the team used a fence post, raising it before groups of tourists. Afterwards several of the tourists asked to draw pictures of what they had seen drew pictures of a monster's head.

1 "BBC 'proves' Nessie does not exist." 27 July, 2003.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3096839.stm

What is the most likely reason the author focused on only one possible explanation for Nessie?
This theory has more evidence than others.
This theory has the least evidence.
This theory is very popular.
This theory is typical of other theories.

Question 24 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

(HC)Read the text below:

Dad gazed dejectedly at the endless pile of laundry covering the dining table and the living room couch.

What does the figurative language in this text suggest?

Dad feels badly about the housework.
Dad is overwhelmed by the amount of laundry.
The laundry is never ending.
The laundry has taken over the house.

Question 25 (Essay Worth 5 points)

(HC)Read the excerpt below and then answer the question that follows:

The Book of Dragons
Chapter III The Deliverers of Their Country, an excerpt
By E. Nesbit

It all began with Effie's getting something in her eye. It hurt very much indeed, and it felt something like a red-hot spark—only it seemed to have legs as well, and wings like a fly. Effie rubbed and cried—not real crying, but the kind your eye does all by itself without your being miserable inside your mind—and then she went to her father to have the thing in her eye taken out. Effie's father was a doctor, so of course he knew how to take things out of eyes.

When he had gotten the thing out, he said: "This is very curious." Effie had often got things in her eye before, and her father had always seemed to think it was natural—rather tiresome and naughty perhaps, but still natural. He had never before thought it curious.

Effie stood holding her handkerchief to her eye, and said: "I don't believe it's out." People always say this when they have had something in their eyes.

"Oh, yes—it's out," said the doctor. "Here it is, on the brush. This is very interesting."

Effie had never heard her father say that about anything that she had any share in. She said: "What?"

The doctor carried the brush very carefully across the room, and held the point of it under his microscope—then he twisted the brass screws of the microscope, and looked through the top with one eye.

"Dear me," he said. "Dear, dear me! Four well-developed limbs; a long caudal appendage; five toes, unequal in lengths, almost like one of the Lacertidae, yet there are traces of wings." The creature under his eye wriggled a little in the castor oil, and he went on: "Yes; a bat-like wing. A new specimen, undoubtedly. Effie, run round to the professor and ask him to be kind enough to step in for a few minutes."

"You might give me sixpence, Daddy," said Effie, "because I did bring you the new specimen. I took great care of it inside my eye, and my eye does hurt."

The doctor was so pleased with the new specimen that he gave Effie a shilling, and presently the professor stepped round. He stayed to lunch, and he and the doctor quarreled very happily all the afternoon about the name and the family of the thing that had come out of Effie's eye.

But at teatime another thing happened. Effie's brother Harry fished something out of his tea, which he thought at first was an earwig. He was just getting ready to drop it on the floor, and end its life in the usual way, when it shook itself in the spoon—spread two wet wings, and flopped onto the tablecloth. There it sat, stroking itself with its feet and stretching its wings, and Harry said: "Why, it's a tiny newt!"

The professor leaned forward before the doctor could say a word. "I'll give you half a crown for it, Harry, my lad," he said, speaking very fast; and then he picked it up carefully on his handkerchief.

"It is a new specimen," he said, "and finer than yours, Doctor."

It was a tiny lizard, about half an inch long—with scales and wings.

So now the doctor and the professor each had a specimen, and they were both very pleased. But before long these specimens began to seem less valuable. For the next morning, when the knife-boy was cleaning the doctor's boots, he suddenly dropped the brushes and the boot and the blacking, and screamed out that he was burnt.

And from inside the boot came crawling a lizard as big as a kitten, with large, shiny wings.

"Why," said Effie, "I know what it is. It is a dragon like the one St. George killed."

And Effie was right. That afternoon Towser was bitten in the garden by a dragon about the size of a rabbit, which he had tried to chase, and the next morning all the papers were full of the wonderful "winged lizards" that were appearing all over the country. The papers would not call them dragons, because, of course, no one believes in dragons nowadays—and at any rate the papers were not going to be so silly as to believe in fairy stories. At first there were only a few, but in a week or two the country was simply running alive with dragons of all sizes, and in the air you could sometimes see them as thick as a swarm of bees. They all looked alike except as to size. They were green with scales, and they had four legs and a long tail and great wings like bats' wings, only the wings were a pale, half-transparent yellow, like the gear-boxes on bicycles.

How would you summarize the events in the story so far? Be sure to use details from the text to support your answer.

Answer 5

i need help

Answer 6

plz help