ADULTS 12 MIDTERM EXAM

Name: Teacher: Score:

Date: Reading: Grammar: Listening: Writing: Speaking:

Instrucciones: “Esta prueba tiene como finalidad comprobar las destrezas y logros alcanzados hasta la fecha”. Este examen es personal y
debe desarrollarse en forma responsable - lea, piense, revise detenidamente cada pregunta y cumpla correctamente las consignas - No usar corrector
– No prestarse materiales – revise antes de entregar, observe que todas las preguntas estén contestadas

READING. ( ______ x 8,34 =______%)

A. Read the paragraph and answer the questions. 8 points.

The word euthanasia is of Greek origin and literally means “a good death.” The American Heritage Dictionary
defines it as “the act of killing a person painlessly for reasons of mercy.” Such killing can be done through
active means, such as administering a lethal injection, or by passive means, such as withholding medical care
or food and water.

In recent years in the United States, there have been numerous cases of active euthanasia in the news. They
usually involve the deliberate killing of ill or incapacitated persons by relatives or friends who plead that they
can no longer bear to see their loved ones suffer. Although such killings are a crime, the perpetrators are often
dealt with leniently by our legal system, and the media usually portrays them as compassionate heroeswho
take personal risks to save another from unbearable suffering.

The seeming acceptance of active forms of euthanasia is alarming, but we face a bigger, more insidious threat
from passive forms of euthanasia. Every year, in hospitals and nursing homes around the country, there are
growing numbers of documented deaths caused by caregivers withholding life - sustaining care, including food
and water, from vulnerable patients who cannot speak for themselves.

While it is illegal to kill someone directly, for example with a gun or knife, in many cases the law has put its
stamp of approval on causing death by omitting needed care. Further, many states have “living will” laws
designed to protect those who withhold treatment, and there have been numerous court rulings which have
approved of patients being denied care and even starved and dehydrated to death.

Because such deaths occur quietly within the confines of hospitals and nursing homes, they can be kept hidden
from the public. Most euthanasia victims are old or very ill, so their deaths might be attributed to a cause other
than the denial of care that really killed them. Further, it is often relatives of the patient who request that care
be withheld. In one court case, the court held that decisions to withhold life - sustaining care may be made not
only by close family members but also by a number of third parties, and that such decisions need not be
reviewed by the judicial system if there is no disagreement between decision makers and medical staff. The
court went so far as to rule that a nursing home may not refuse to participate in the fatal withdrawal of food
and water from an incompetent patient!

“Extraordinary” or “heroic” treatment need not be used when the chance for recovery is poor and medical
intervention would serve only to prolong the dying process. But to deny customary and reasonable care or to
deliberately starve or dehydrate someone because he or she is very old or very ill should not be permitted.
Most of the cases coming before the courts do not involve withholding heroic measures from imminently dying
people, but rather they seek approval for denying basic care, such as administration of food and water, to
people who are not elderly or terminally ill, but who are permanently incapacitated. These people could be
expected to live indefinitely, though in an impaired state, if they were given food and water and minimal
treatment.

No one has the right to judge that another’s life is not worth living. The basic right to life should not be abridged
because someone decides that someone else’s quality of life is too low. If we base the right to life on quality of
life standards, there is no logical place to draw the line.

To protect vulnerable patients, we must foster more positive attitudes towards people with serious and
incapacitating illnesses and conditions. Despite the ravages of their diseases, they are still our fellow human
beings and deserve our care and respect. We must also enact positive legislation that will protect vulnerable
people from those who consider their lives meaningless or too costly to maintain and who would cause their
deaths by withholding life - sustaining care such as food and water.

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 ADULTS 12 MIDTERM EXAM
Questions

1)The tone of the author can best be described as 2) In paragraph 3, the author finds starvation and
dehydration induced euthanasia is to be “more
insidious" because
A. pleading
A. euthanasia is legally considered to be a criminal act
B. argumentative
B. the public’s attitude toward euthanasia is becoming
C. compassionate
more positive
D. emphatic
C. it often involves those who cannot protest
E. empathetic
D.the patient has asked to die with dignity
E. its perpetrators are viewed as kindly caregivers

3)As used in paragraph 3, what is the best synonym for 4) The author maintains that death by withholding care
insidious? is

A. mischievous A. largely confined to hospitals

B. treacherous B. largely confined to the terminally ill
C. seductive C. often requested by family members
D. apparent D. approved by living wills
E. cumulative E. difficult to prove if prosecuted

5) As used in paragraph 7, which is the best definition of 6) Using the passage as a guide, it can be inferred that
abridged? the author would find euthanasia less objectionable in
cases in which
A. trimmed
B. curtailed I. the patient’s death is imminent
C. lengthened II. the patient has left instructions in a living will not to
D. extended provide care
E. compressed III. the patient refuses to accept nourishment

A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II and III
7) The main idea of paragraph 7 is that
8) In the final paragraph the author writes, "Despite the
ravages of their diseases, they are still our fellow human
A. lawyers will be unable to prosecute or defend
beings and deserve our care and respect." The main
caregivers
purpose of this statement is to
B. no comprehensive right or wrong definition of
euthanasia will exist
C. using a subjective standard will make the decision to A. prove a previous argument
end an individual’s life arbitrary B. illustrate an example
D. no boundary will exist between euthanasia and care C. gainsay a later statement
omission D. object to a larger idea
E. ‘quality of life’ will no longer be able to be rigidly E. justify an earlier statement
defined

B. Read the paragraph and answer the questions. 4 points.

SUMMER RAIN

The worst days of any summer are the rainy ones. We spend all year looking forward to nice weather and
long, hot days. All of winter, with its dreary gray days and bitter cold, we dream of those endless days at the
beach, laying on the sand and soaking in the bright and burning sun. And then, summer comes, and it rains.

As a child, I would wake up to rainy summer days and come close to crying. It wasn’t fair. We suffered
through months of school and miserable weather for those scant ten weeks of freedom and balmy weather.
Any day that I could not spend at the beach or playing ball with my friends seemed like a punishment for
something I didn’t even do.

On those rainy summer days, I had nothing fun to do and could only sit inside, staring out at the rain like a
Dickensian orphan. I was an only child, so there was no one else to play with. My father worked from home,
so I was not truly alone, but he could not actively play with me since he was technically at work. It was those
days that I would resign myself to whatever was on television or any books that I could find lying around. I’d
crawl through the day and pray each night that the rain would not be there the next day.

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 ADULTS 12 MIDTERM EXAM
As an adult, though, my opinion of summer rain has changed. When you have to work every day, summer is
not as eagerly anticipated. Mostly, the days run together, bleeding into each other so that theyno longer
seem like separate entities and instead feel like continuations of the same long day. Everything seems
monotonous and dull, and an ennui or listlessness kicks in. Such a mindset makes you cheer for anything
new or different. I spend the winter d reaming of summer and the summer dreaming of winter. When
summer comes, I complain about how hot it is. And then I look forward to the rain, because the rain brings
with it a cold front, which offers a reprieve — admittedly one that is all too short — from the torture of 100°
and humid days. Rainy days are still the worst days of the summer, but summer rain today means positively
beautiful — and considerably cooler — weather tomorrow.

Questions
1) The passage makes use of language that is 2) According to the passage, summer is different for
adults because
A. metaphorical
B. rhetorical A. rain brings with it cold temperatures for the following
C. formal days
D. ambiguous B. the weather is much warmer than it is for children
C. they do not get a long time off from work for the
season
D. they better know how to occupy their downtime
3) According to the passage, which of the following is a
true statement about the narrator as a child? 4) Compared to how he or she was as a child, the
narrator as an adult is
A. more realistic
A. He or she was often bored on summer days.
B. less excitable
B. He or she preferred cooler weather.
C. more idealistic
C. He or she liked staying indoors.
D. less calm
D. He or she had no siblings.
5) As used in the final paragraph, the word reprieve
most nearly means

A. a permanent conclusion
B. a short continuation
C. a higher level of pain
D. a temporary break

WRITING ( _______ X 6,67 = _______% )

Based on the reading activity. Answer these questions. (Content, Use of Grammar; Details)
1) The author of this passage describes his or her feelings about rainy summer days. In general, how do you feel
about such days? Do you agree with the author’s opinions, or do you not mind this type of weather? Briefly explain
your views below. 5 points
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) In paragraph 4, the author describes why he or she no longer looks forward to summertime the way he or she used
to do as a child. What do you think of this change? Do you believe that you will come to feel this way one day? Why or
why not? 5 points
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) The author writes in paragraph 4 that he or she “spend [s] the winter dreaming of summer and the summer
dreaming of winter.” On the other hand, many people would say that they have specific favorite seasons or times of
year. How do you feel? Do you have a favorite season, or do you always look forward to whatever is to come? Why?
5 points
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 ADULTS 12 MIDTERM EXAM
LISTENING ( ______ x 4 = _______ %)

A. Listen to the whole lecture and take notes. Look at the lecturer's visual aids as you listen. These
may help you understand part of the lecture. 15 points(L&NT skills CD 4 track 4). 15 points

State Department of Subtopic 1:

Education

School
Districs/School
Boards

School Teachers

Subtopic 2:
Funding of U.S. Public
Schools: 2010
Federal Government
State Taxes
Local Taxes

Issues and Solutions Subtopic 3:

Inequality of
Educational Opportunity

- Charter School
- School Vouchers

Educational Standards

- No Child Left Behind

- Common Core States
Standards

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 ADULTS 12 MIDTERM EXAM
B. Listen to the following questions and write short answers. Use your notes. You will hear each
conversation one time only. 10 points. (L&NT skills CD 4 track 7)
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________________________________________
7. ____________________________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________________________________________________________
9. ____________________________________________________________________________
10. ___________________________________________________________________________

SPEAKING ( ______ x 4 =______%)

A. Use your notes to create an oral summary about the lecture From the previous listening activity.
Content 10 points. Use of Grammar 10 points. Details 5 points.

GRAMMAR ( ______ x 10 =______%)

A. Look at each of these sentences and pay careful attention to the subject/verb agreement. Are they
correct or not?. Rewrite the wrong sentences. 10 points.

1. Everyone have done the homework as expected.

2. Some of the money is missing.
3. Somebody has forgotten to turn off the TV.
4. Each of the cars in the street are new.
5. The President as well as his brother was a guest.
6. Neither of the computers are working.
7. Either wine is fine, thank you.
8. The pair of gloves isn't mine.
9. The Stars and Stripes fly over the court building.
10. Twelve miles is a long distance to run.
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
9. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
10.____________________________________________________________________________________________

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