Selection

Name: Date: Test

Read the selection in your Student Edition and choose the best answer to each question.

A Soldier for the Crown

by Charles Johnson

1 Read this sentence from paragraph 2.

There was suspense, the feeling that the future was not already written by white hands.
The imagery in this sentence suggests that Alexander —

wants to control her own future

likes not knowing what comes next
lacks confidence about her decision
feels unsettled by the idea of uncertainty

2 The author uses rhetorical questions in paragraph 4 to show —

that the main character is content with her options

that the main character is still uncertain about her future
how the main character made decisions about her escape
how the main character meticulously planned to escape

3 Read the quote from paragraph 4 of the selection.

Even as your boat eased away from the harbor, some leaped from the docks into the water,
swimming toward the ship for this last chance to escape slavery. Seeing them, you’d thought, That
might have been me.
Which statement paraphrasing this quote uses correct subject-verb agreement?

The character on the boat, who is watching the others swim toward it, realize it is only because of
luck that she is not among them.
The character on the boat, who is watching the others swim toward it, realizes it is only because of
luck that she is not among them.
The character on the boat, who are watching the others swim toward it, realize it is only because of
luck that she is not among them.
The character on the boat, who are watching the others swim toward it, realizes it is only because of
luck that she is not among them.

Grade 11 1 Selection Test

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 Selection
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4 Read the sentence from paragraph 15 of the selection.

Over the first months, then years of the seesawing war, you, Titus, and Caesar served His
Majesty’s army in more capacities than you had fingers on the hand: as orderlies to the white
officers, laborers, cooks, foragers, and as foot soldiers who descended upon farms abandoned by
their white owners, burning the enemy’s fortifications and plundering plantations for much-
needed provisions; as spies slipping in and out of southern towns to gather information; and as
caretakers to the dying when smallpox swept through your regiment, weakening and killing
hundreds of men.
Capacities is the plural form of the word capacity. What is the meaning of the suffix -ity as used in this
word?

The state or condition of

To take hold of or receive
Relating to or characterized by
The process of doing something

5 Read the sentence from paragraph 19 of the selection.

But, miraculously, as the war began to wind down, you were given the elusive, long-coveted
British pass.
What is the meaning of the suffix -ive as used in the word elusive?

Resulting from
Tending toward
Characterized by
Staying the same

Grade 11 2 Selection Test

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 Selection
Name: Date: Test

6 How is Alexander’s nature as a gambler important to the plot? Mark whether each statement is true or
false.

True False

It shows her willingness to take risks. □ □

It emphasizes the luck she has throughout the story. □ □
It shows her feelings about being involved in the war. □ □
It emphasizes how she felt about her brother’s death. □ □

7 The author uses second-person point of view to help the reader —

better understand the supporting characters

become more fully immersed in the story
find the main character more believable
keep track of events in the story

8 The author tells the story out of chronological order to —

communicate a feeling of unease

emphasize symbolism in the story
create a surprising plot twist
tell the most important events first

Grade 11 3 Selection Test

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9 Which two excerpts from paragraph 4 of the selection use suspense to develop the plot?

you pull a long-shanked pipe from your red-tinted coat, pack the bowl with tobacco, and strike a
friction match against a nail in your bootheel
blacks who fought for the crown are struggling desperately to leave on His Majesty’s ships departing
from New York harbor
Seeing them, you’d thought, That might have been me. But it wasn’t
Yet you wonder what to call yourself now. A loyalist? A traitor? A man without a country?
you’ve always been lucky that way, at taking risks

10 The ambiguity about the identity of the main character influences the plot by —

illustrating why she is taking such a great risk by escaping

explaining why she is going to Nova Scotia in the first place
helping develop the relationship between her and the British
adding another level of difficulty to the challenge before her

11 How does the act of Alexander disguising her gender advance the plot? Cite evidence from the
text to support your answer.

Grade 11 4 Selection Test

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Name: Date: Test

12 This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A
Which characteristic of the main character does the author develop at the beginning of
the story?

Her greatest desire is to gain freedom from slavery.

Her concern is for her own well-being and not others’.
She is the type of person who never fails to take risks.
She wants to participate in the action, not just sit and watch.
Part B
Which quote from the selection best supports the answer to Part A?

There was something about gambling that you could not resist. (paragraph 2)
Whichever way the dice fell or the cards came up, you began and ended your day a slave.
(paragraph 2)
Yet you wonder what to call yourself now. A loyalist? A traitor? A man without a country?
(paragraph 4)
From the start, you were fighting for no one but yourself. (paragraph 5)

Grade 11 5 Selection Test

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Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills - ELA/Reading (2017) Answer Key:
A Soldier for the Crown Selection Test
Item Item Stem Correct TEKS DOK
Number Answer

1 Read this sentence from paragraph 2. A 8D 2

There was suspense, the feeling that the
future was not already written by white
hands.
The imagery in this sentence suggests
that Alexander —

2 The author uses rhetorical questions in B 6A, 2

paragraph 4 to show — 8F

3 Read the quote from paragraph 4 of the B 9D 1

selection.
Even as your boat eased away from the
harbor, some leaped from the docks into
the water, swimming toward the ship for
this last chance to escape slavery. Seeing
them, you’d thought, That might have
been me.
Which statement paraphrasing this
quote uses correct subject-verb
agreement?

Grade 11 6 Selection Test

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 Item Item Stem Correct TEKS DOK
Number Answer

4 Read the sentence from paragraph 15 of A 2B 2

the selection.
Over the first months, then years of the
seesawing war, you, Titus, and Caesar
served His Majesty’s army in more
capacities than you had fingers on the
hand: as orderlies to the white officers,
laborers, cooks, foragers, and as foot
soldiers who descended upon farms
abandoned by their white owners,
burning the enemy’s fortifications and
plundering plantations for much-needed
provisions; as spies slipping in and out of
southern towns to gather information;
and as caretakers to the dying when
smallpox swept through your regiment,
weakening and killing hundreds of men.
Capacities is the plural form of the word
capacity. What is the meaning of the
suffix -ity as used in this word?

5 Read the sentence from paragraph 19 of A 2B 2

the selection.
But, miraculously, as the war began to
wind down, you were given the elusive,
long-coveted British pass.
What is the meaning of the suffix -ive as
used in the word elusive?

6 How is Alexander’s nature as a gambler True: It shows her willingness…; It emphasizes the 6B 3
important to the plot? Mark whether luck…
each statement is true or false. False: It shows her feelings…; It emphasizes how
she felt…

7 The author uses second-person point of B 6A 2

view to help the reader —

8 The author tells the story out of C 8B 2

chronological order to —

9 Which two excerpts from paragraph 4 of C, D 6C 3

the selection use suspense to develop
the plot?

Grade 11 7 Selection Test

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 Item Item Stem Correct TEKS DOK
Number Answer

10 The ambiguity about the identity of the D 6B 2

main character influences the plot by —

11 How does the act of Alexander
disguising her gender advance the plot?
Cite evidence from the text to support
your answer.
Sample Answer: Disguising her gender is what 5C, 3
allows Alexander to fight for her freedom. 6B
Although she doesn’t disguise her gender in her
escape from the plantation where she is enslaved,
she does disguise herself before joining the army.
Her disguise not only shields her from being
recognized and sent back to Master Selby, or from
receiving unwanted advances, but it also allows
her to fight: “you haven’t the slightest idea after
years of war which of these names fits…though on
one matter you are clear: From the start, you
were fighting for no one but yourself”
(paragraphs 4–5). Likewise, her hidden identity
allows the author to shock the reader with the
concluding plot twist, which clarifies parts of the
story that may not have quite made sense.

12A Part A C 6B 3
Which characteristic of the main
character does the author develop at the
beginning of the story?

12B Part B A 5J 3
Which quote from the selection best
supports the answer to Part A?

Grade 11 8 Selection Test

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