Name: ______________________

Grade: Nine / ___

Academic Year 2023-2024
Grade 9
Pre-Assessment Exam

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Part 1: Reading Exam 10
Cherry Blossoms

Hana was almost to the moat, and she could already see the pink cherry blossom flowers. It was starting to
get dark in the late afternoon, and the pink trees up ahead were receding into shadows behind the weeping
willows’ green branches. In just a few minutes, spotlights would turn on and illuminate the cherry trees from
within, creating an otherworldly glow. Hana wanted to be in a boat when that happened, so she broke into a
brisk trot.

Normally her grandma, Sobo, would accompany her on these special trips but Sobo was feeling unwell and
was resting at home. Though she was alone, Hana could almost hear Sobo calling after her: “Hana! Hana! Stay
with me!” Hana chuckled, for she always ran ahead of her grandma when the cherry blossoms were in sight.
Plus, she had to get the best boat!

The first year Sobo took her to this park, Hana remembered, was in the middle of a weekday, when most
people were still at work. Still, there were foreign tourists paddling around in the moat and an annoying group
of loud schoolkids who were there on a field trip. Hana was supposed to be in school that day, too, but her
grandma always said that school and studying were the most important things—except when it came to viewing
the cherry blossoms. Hana was allowed to take one day off from school every year to see the blossoms with her
beloved Sobo, who claimed that the blossoms along the moat in Kitanomaru Park were the best in Tokyo, if not
all of Japan. Hana agreed.

Hana had trekked to Kitanomaru Park again this evening, even though Sobo wasn’t with her. She
approached the moat and saw only a few rowboats remaining. The man renting them out was initially hesitant to
let her take one, because he could charge more for a bigger party. He also seemed apprehensive that she might
lose one of the oars. Hana stood firm, though, reminding him that she had been there before and piloted a boat
by herself. The man conceded with a nod and directed her to a rowboat. Hana steadied herself in the rocking
vessel and pushed off the small dock, heading toward the deep center of the moat.

Hana maneuvered her boat through the water, doing her best not to crash into anyone else, but it was
difficult. The moat was filled with excited and expectant viewers who had come to see the same delightful
spectacle as she.

All of a sudden, just as the sun was receding below the horizon, the spotlights turned on. The trees’ blossoms
filled with light, making the scene unworldly and spectacular. Utterly enraptured by the vision, Hana gasped
with delight.

No matter how many times she saw the cherry blossoms, it never ceased to amaze her—and that made her
again remember her first visit to the park with Sobo. That year, Sobo had been steering the boat, and she had
gently guided it to the far corner of the moat, away from the noisy schoolkids. There a tree that was bent over
the water created a canopy of gorgeous pink flowers, an area Sobo described as the most special place in the
whole park. Sobo paddled inside the canopy, and they were soon surrounded by a lush film of fragrant pink
petals covering the water. Sobo sighed and said,. “Tomorrow these petals will be washed away. It goes by so
quickly, Hana. That’s part of what makes it so beautiful.”
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 Name: ______________________
Grade 9 Grade: Nine / ___
Pre-Assessment Academic Year 2022-2023

Hana nodded in agreement with Sobo’s observation. They dipped their hands in the water, making soft
ripples and spelling characters by pushing the petals around. They laughed, collecting as many petals as
they could, letting the water drip through their fingers.

Sobo dropped Hana off at her house late that evening and went next door to her own house. After
Hana ate supper and bathed, she drifted into a deep sleep and was soon dreaming. In her dream, Sobo
came to her bedside, and the scent of cherry blossoms enveloped the room. When Hana woke up the next
morning, she reached her hand toward the nightstand for her glass of water, and felt something different.
She picked up a lovely cherry blossom branch that was still blooming.

A splash of a nearby oar in the water shocked Hana back to reality. She steered to an empty area of
the moat, along the water’s edge, and let the vessel drift. She leaned back in the boat, gazing up at the
glowing branches.

The boat bumped gently against an earthy bank, causing Hana to sit up. When Hana pushed the boat
away from the bank, she noticed a small branch in the water, the cherry blossom blooms still attached.
She smiled. “It’s wet, but it will do,” she thought.

Read the passage and answer the questions.

1. Why does the writer include a flashback to Hana’s first visit with Soba to the
cherry blossoms?

A. to create suspense
B. to develop an exposition
C. to foreshadow an unhappy ending
D. to juxtapose companionship with loneliness

2. Cherry blossoms are important in traditional Japanese culture. What do the cherry
blossoms symbolize?

A. life
B. power
C. wisdom
D. friendship

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 Name: ______________________
Grade 9 Grade: Nine / ___
Pre-Assessment Academic Year 2022-2023

3. What lesson does Soba want Hana to learn through their annual cherry blossom trips?

A. Life is precious.

B. Cherry blossoms are sacred.

C. Japanese culture is important.

D. Life experience is more important than academics.

4. Which sentence from paragraph 7 best supports the theme?

A. “No matter how many times she saw the cherry blossoms, it never ceased to amaze her—
and that made her again remember her first visit to the park with Sobo.”

B. “That year, Sobo had been steering the boat, and she had gently guided it to the far corner
of the moat, away from the noisy schoolkids.”

C. “There a tree that was bent over the water created a canopy of gorgeous pink flowers, an
area Sobo described as the most special place in the whole park.”

D. “‘Tomorrow these petals will be washed away. It goes by so quickly, Hana. That’s part of
what makes it so beautiful.’”

5. What changes would you make for the following sentence? “Normally her grandma,
Sobo, would accompany her on these special trips but Sobo was feeling unwell and was
resting at home.”

A. Normally her grandma, Sobo, would accompany her on these special trips. But Sobo was
feeling unwell and was resting at home.

B. Normally her grandma, Sobo, would accompany her on these special trips, but Sobo was
feeling unwell and was resting at home.

C. Normally her grandma, Sobo, would accompany her on these special trips, so Sobo was
feeling unwell and was resting at home.

D. Correct as it is

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 Name: ______________________
Grade: Nine / ___
Academic Year 2022-2023
Grade 9
Pre-Assessment

Part 2: Writing Exam

________
10

Choose One Topic from the following list and write as much as you can. Your writing will be
scored using the same Marking Rubric we used in class. Please follow these instructions:

1. Read the choices carefully.

2. Give yourself enough time to plan, draft, write, and revise your writing.
3. Write in complete sentences and organize your writing to suit your topic and purpose.
4. Be sure you follow the rules of the language: spell correctly, use proper punctuation,
capitalize where appropriate, and ensure the form and tense of each verb is correct.
5. Write legibly.

TOPICS

Write a Narrative Text on 1 and Only 1 of the Following Topics.

Topic 1: Write a story about a memorable experience with a favorite family member.
Topic 2: Write a story of a time when you won something. Tell what you won and how
you won it.
Topic 3: Write a narrative text on this prompt: A little old lady gave you and a friend
some magical glitter and told you to sprinkle it on your hair and something special would
happen. What happened when you tried it? Write a story about this mysterious magical
glitter.
Note: use either the first or the third person point of view.
Writing Linguistic Vocabulary Language Total
Complexity Usage Control
Level 3
Mark 4 2 2 2 10

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 Grade: 9
Grade 9 Subject: English
Pre-Assessment First Trimester 2022-2023

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 Grade: 9
Grade 9 Subject: English
Pre-Assessment First Trimester 2022-2023

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