ELA Writing Practice Test

Source 1: The Power of a Good Laugh, by Rob White

The Huffington Post, 6/20/2014

A nun once told me that angels fly because they take life lightly. Well, I suspect, if there
are angels flying it's because they laugh a lot. And, that's because I believe that
laughter is an expression of the soul dancing.

Everyone enjoys a good laugh. It creates space to set aside those things in the mind
that bother us. This gives us the distance that we need between a situation and
ourselves so we can respond more effectively. Therefore, laughter is not only a valuable
tool for lifting us above our burdens, it's also a great way to awaken us to new
possibilities that make life more fascinating.

Living in a world of laughter opens one's life to a world of joy. Joy is a divine quality that
is inherently creative and productive. And, when we're productive we're doing positive
things with our lives. Isn't that reason enough for laughing more?

Laughter is a cleansing agent for the body as well as the mind. It offers an experience of
effervescent wholeness that is transforming, and yet so solid and real. Nothing is more
contagious than uncontrollable laughter, especially in the sweetness of friendship where
we feel safe to let go. A good laugh causes a good mood, which offers a perfect
environment for healthy relationships. Thus, we find another benefit for laughing.

Never dismiss the power of a good laugh. The deliberate pursuit of laughter can change
your life dramatically. Sometimes you may have to go against the grain and take the
road less traveled in order to lighten up and see what's comical about a situation. But
when you do this, and learn to laugh at things not usually considered funny, you are
able to transcend ideology that stops you from being free.

Here are four common scenarios where it helps to learn to laugh:

(1) Learn to laugh at how ridiculous you can be when you're caught in foolish
dramatics. A good laugh helps you to relax, which puts an end to the power of
drama.

(2) Learn to laugh at yourself when you're feeling awkward and out of place.
Instead of wondering what you should do, do something random. Being
spontaneous and innovative opens the mind to ideas and behavior that is
delightful and attractive.

(3) Learn to open your heart to laughter when things seem bleak. When you give
yourself to laughter, you become more flexible.

(4) Learn to laugh at the insanity of complaining. You don't stop laughing
because you feel down -- you feel down because you’re whining instead of
laughing.

Richardson/Buzan 2016
 ELA Writing Practice Test

Source 2: Laughter Therapy, www.cancercenter.com

Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 2015

A growing body of research supports the theory that laughter may have therapeutic
value.
After evaluating participants before and after a humorous event (i.e., a comedy video),
studies have revealed that episodes of laughter helped to reduce pain, decrease stress-
related hormones and boost the immune system in participants.

For people living with cancer, it may seem strange to find humor when facing such
serious issues. Yet, laughter can be helpful in ways you might not have realized or
imagined. Laughter can be a natural diversion. When you laugh, no other thought
comes to mind. Laughing can also induce physical changes in the body. After laughing
for only a few minutes, you may feel better for hours. When used in addition to
conventional cancer treatments, laughter therapy may help in the overall healing
process.

According to some studies, laughter therapy may provide physical benefits, such as
helping to:
 Boost the immune system and enhance oxygen intake
 Stimulate the heart and lungs
 Relax muscles throughout the body
 Trigger the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers)
 Ease digestion/soothes stomach aches
 Relieve pain
 Improve mental functions (i.e., alertness, memory, creativity)

Laughter therapy may also help to:

 Improve overall attitude
 Reduce stress/tension
 Promote relaxation
 Improve sleep
 Strengthen social bonds and relationships
 Produce a general sense of well-being

Many hospitals now offer laughter therapy as a complementary treatment to illness.

Laughter Clubs are not centered around jokes, but rather on laughter as a physical
exercise. A laughter coach takes patients through exercises such as fake laughter and
laughter greetings. One group laughter exercise involves patients standing in a circle,
with the leader in the middle. Patients put their fingertips on their cheekbones, chest or
lower abdomen and make “ha ha” or “hee hee” sounds until they felt vibrations through
their bodies. Dr. Puckett says during these exercises, it is hard for people not to join in
because laughter is so contagious.

According to Dr. Puckett, at the end of a laughter therapy session, patients have said
things like "I didn't even think about cancer during Laughter Club".
Richardson/Buzan 2016
 ELA Writing Practice Test

Source 3: Humor Boosts Retention, by Sarah Henderson

Edutopia, MARCH 31, 2015

The Funny Bone Is Connected to the Sense of Wonder

Teachers understand that humor is inherently social. How many times have you heard
knock-knock jokes in the classroom? The contagious nature of humor naturally builds a
sense of community by lowering defenses and bringing individuals together. If the brain
is faced with an inconsistency, then laughter is the response when it is resolved in an
unexpected way. This sentence, "Memorization is what we resort to when what we are
learning makes no sense," may make us smile as our brains resolve its inconsistency.

Essentially, humor activates our sense of wonder, which is where learning begins, so it
seems logical that humor could enhance retention. A Pew Research poll showed that
viewers of humorous news shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report
exhibited higher retention of news facts than those who got their news from
newspapers, CNN, Fox News, or network stations. When Stephen Colbert demands, "If
we don't cut expensive things like Head Start, child nutrition programs, and teachers,
what sort of future are we leaving for our children?", viewers laugh and also retain the
knowledge of that specific budget issue.

A substantial body of research explains why we remember things that make us laugh,
such as our favorite, hilarious high school moment or the details of that funny movie we
saw last weekend. Neuroscience research reveals that humor systematically activates
the brain's dopamine reward system, and cognitive studies show that dopamine is
important for both goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory, while educational
research indicates that correctly-used humor can be an effective intervention to improve
retention in students from kindergarten through college.

The children's TV show Sesame Street has harnessed the power of humor for decades.
If you were asked to recall something from watching Sesame Street as a child, could
you? Most likely, yes. You may remember Grover's silly antics, Mr. Noodles' constant
confusion, or Big Bird struggling to get his friends to believe Mr. Snuffleupagus was real.
That's why researchers chose Sesame Street episodes to test the impact of humor on
retention and engagement in young children. Kindergarten and first grade students
watched either a humorous or non-humorous Sesame Street segment. When content
was tested, the children who watched the humorous segments scored higher and
showed better engagement than the control group. Their engagement transferred even
to the non-humorous portions of the lessons, resulting in improved retention throughout.

To sum up, research indicates that humor increases the strength of human connections,
and that non-aggressive, relevant, appropriate humor appears to be a helpful learning
tool. It seems to be particularly useful to sandwich humor between instruction and
repetition.

Richardson/Buzan 2016
 ELA Writing Practice Test

Writing Prompt
Write an informational essay about the ways that laughter impacts human behavior or
health. Your essay must be based on ideas, concepts, and information from the above
passage set.

Manage your time carefully so that you can

● read the passages;

● plan your response;
● write your response; and
● revise and edit your response.

Be sure to

● use evidence from multiple sources; and

● avoid overly relying on one source.

Your response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay. Write your response in
the space provided.

Richardson/Buzan 2016