Reading and Writing 4

Unit 8 Achievement Test

© 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Name: ERICK GOMEZ

Date: 02/24/2024

PART 1: READING SKILLS

Read the editorial. Then use the information to complete the activities that follow.

Creating a Smartphone Monster

1 I remember it as if it were yesterday—walking through the front door of my
mother’s house and shouting, “It’s here!” Mom poked her head out of the kitchen,
rolled her eyes when she saw the smartphone packaging, and then disappeared
again. Not the best start, I’ll admit. Still, I had done my research, and all the
latest studies showed that it was very helpful for seniors to learn how to use new
technology devices. So, I decided I would be the one to make it happen!
2 Hours later, I finally ensured that her email account and contacts were set up. I
did not relent until we reviewed a few apps1 and figured out the all-important
ringtone. It was a long night, but even as I left, I knew that my mother had only
retained half of what I had told her (if I was lucky). It’s not that there’s anything
wrong with her. In fact, she’s one of the smartest people I know. It’s just that
she came from a generation that didn’t have mobile phones at all, let alone
smartphones. This influx of information was all very new and confusing.
3 After a few days of phone calls, her anxiety slowly diminished until my mother
finally stopped asking how to do every little thing on her phone. It wasn’t until
I had the urge to go shopping with her that I became conscious of the monster
I had created. You see, Mom was now a smartphone addict. She used her phone
for everything. Should I wonder aloud about anything at all, she would twitch
excitedly and say, “They have an app for that.” She was also suddenly a compulsive
email checker—the same woman who used to go days at a time between email
responses.
4 But her biggest dependency was her texting. My jaw dropped when I came out
of a store and found her fingers moving at the speed of light. “Mom!” I called
to her, but she was “in the zone” and the temptation to continue texting was
apparently too great. (I learned later that she was discussing a recipe with Aunt
Lucy.) Trying to get her attention, I reached for her phone, triggering what could
only be described as the mother-daughter cat fight of the century—right in the
middle of a shopping mall. All the while, she clutched her smartphone as if her
life depended on it, screaming “Help!” at the top of her lungs.
5 Later, that evening, I told my husband about her smartphone dysfunction
and how we would have to slowly wean her away from using it. Hopefully she
wouldn’t have any withdrawal symptoms. I watched him literally cry from
laughing so hard. “Don’t you see the humor in all of it?” he finally asked when he
saw I wasn’t smiling. I think my silence answered his question.
1
app: application, or program for a mobile device
1
Reading and Writing 4
Unit 8 Achievement Test
© 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

A. Choose the best answer.

1. The editorial was written to explain how smartphones are ____.

A. difficult to understand
B. easy to get addicted to
C. necessary for everyone
D. extra helpful for seniors

2. The author refers to the latest research studies in paragraph 1 to support her opinion
that ____.

A. her mother should have a smartphone

B. her mother uses a smartphone too much
C. new technology is developed all the time
D. smartphones are the best type of technology

3. What does the pronoun it refer to in the following excerpt from paragraph 1:
“So, I decided I would be the one to make it happen!”

A. doing research on technology

B. getting her mother a smartphone
C. telling her mother about research
D. teaching seniors about technology

4. What does the pronoun it refer to in the following excerpt from paragraph 5:
“ ‘Don’t you see the humor in all of it?’ ”

A. trying to find a solution to her mother’s problem

B. going shopping with her mother and having a fight
C. having to stop her mother from using her smartphone
D. getting her mother a smartphone that she learned how to use

B. Read each statement. Write T if the statement is true or F if it is false.

F 5. The author’s mother does not want the smartphone when the author gives it to her.
F 6. The author’s mother never really understands how her smartphone works.
V 7. The author believes her mother should not use her smartphone as much as she does.
F 8. The author plans to get her mother a different kind of mobile phone.

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Reading and Writing 4
Unit 8 Achievement Test
© 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

PART 2: VOCABULARY

A. Circle the letter of the word that means the same as the boldfaced vocabulary word.

9. device
A. guide B. machine C. error

10. trigger
A. cause B. harm C. fix

11. anxiety
A. carefulness B. happiness C. nervousness

12. dysfunction
A. structure B. result C. problem

13. diminish
A. forgive B. decrease C. lie

B. Read each sentence. Circle the word that has the stronger meaning.

14. We will (confirm / ensure) that your personal information is safe.

15. I have the (idea / urge) to call my friend in Colorado.
16. His (compulsive / enthusiastic) behavior started after he lost his phone.
17. There is a constant (arrival / influx) of new technology.

PART 3: GRAMMAR

Choose the correct phrasal verbs to complete the paragraph.

I normally 18. (think back on / look up to) my big sister, but last week was not one of those times.

My sister just got the latest smartphone with the newest features. She 19. (picked up it / picked it up) at

the store. When she got home, she saw that it wasn’t working and she had to 20. (go back / go away). My

sister was so mad that she 21. (turned up / turned down) the extended service plan. She complained to

me all night about it to the point that I just had to 22. (tune out / out tune) the noise!

3
Reading and Writing 4
Unit 8 Achievement Test
© 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

PART 4: WRITING SKILLS

A. Use the events in the box to form a causal chain. Not all of the events will be used.

Buying a new smartphone Focusing on smartphone app Hearing about a fun new game
while with others app from a friend
Downloading the game on Having relationships/ Spending time with new
your smartphone friendships suffer friends

Cause:
23. Hearing about a fun new game
app from a friend
↓
Effect (becomes Cause):
24. Downloading the game on
your smartphone
↓
Effect (becomes Cause):
25. Focusing on smartphone app
while with others
↓
Effect:
26. Having relationships/
friendships suffer

B. Complete each sentence with the correct cause-and-effect signal word in parentheses. Write
the correct word on the line.

27. I’ve stopped taking my smartphone with me when I go to the gym ________________________ I
(since / so)
used to talk through my whole workout!

28. My job requires that I travel a lot. ________________________ I must have a smartphone.
(For this reason, / As)
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Reading and Writing 4
Unit 8 Achievement Test
© 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

29. I am trying to find the best phone service plan ________________________ I need to save money.
(thus / because)
30. I lost my smartphone while I was at the movies. ________________________ I had to buy another
(Consequently, / Due to)
one.