STAAR EOC TestEngIII Writing

English III
Writing
Administered April 2013
RELEASED
Copyright © 2013, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express
written permission from the Texas Education Agency.
TX-EOC-E3W__Release-Form_April-2013__r4__061713.indd 1 6/25/13 10:09 AM

TX-EOC-E3W__Release-Form_April-2013__r4__061713.indd 2 6/17/2013 11:07:20 AM
WRITING
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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill
in the answer on your answer document.
William wrote the following article for his school newspaper. Before he submits the
article, he would like you to read it and think about how it should be revised.
When you finish reading, answer the questions that follow.
© iStockphoto.com/Andres Balcazar
© iStockphoto.com/Andrew Manley
© iStockphoto.com/Gene Chutka
The Internet
(1) When my parents were growing up in the 1970s and wanted to talk to
someone far away, they picked up a phone. (2) When they needed to send
something in writing, they dropped a letter in the mail. (3) Today’s kids are
growing up in a very different world when it comes to communicating and
accessing information. (4) Chances are good that when they want to do any of the
activities mentioned above, they will turn to the Internet every time.
(5) Research shows that 50 percent of Americans now use the Internet every
day. (6) Some studies suggest percentages even higher than that! (7) The
majority of these people are using the Internet to send or receive e-mails. (8) The
next most common use is gathering information. (9) With the aid of a search
engine, such as Yahoo! or Google, a student can conduct research for a paper,
product information can be obtained, a parent can investigate a sick child’s
symptoms, and an unemployed businessperson can explore job opportunities.
(10) The list goes on and on.
(11) Today people can bank, shop, and even earn a college degree online.
(12) There’s also a growing number of people whose jobs involve telecommuting.
(13) Instead of driving to an office, these people work from their homes via the
Internet. (14) They have traded professional work attire and lunches out for
working in their pajamas and raiding their own refrigerator. (15) The Internet has
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even changed the way some people meet their spouse. (16) One survey revealed
that 17 percent of recently married couples had met online. (17) That makes the
Internet the third most common method of spousal introductions today, led only
by introductions through mutual friends or through work and school connections.
(18) Use of the Internet has also been credited with saving lives. (19) In one
example, a woman in Germany who was watching a webcast of a North Sea sunset
noticed the distress signals of a tourist lost on the frozen waters. (20) She alerted
authorities, who were able to save the man from freezing to death. (21) In
another example, an Atlanta man saw a woman collapse on a street corner and
used his phone to send a Twitter message over the Internet. (22) Paramedics soon
arrived to care for the woman. (23) A UCLA study found that using the Internet
helps elderly adults suffering with dementia by changing brain activity and
improving function. (24) And an online social network has been credited with
finding a kidney for an ailing Iowa man. (25) The man’s son posted a message on
Facebook and found a college friend willing to donate a kidney.
(26) The influence of the Internet on our society is everywhere. (27) It’s
connecting people in ways that people before could have never imagined.
(28) How will the Internet be used in the future? (29) No one knows for sure, but
it seems that the possibilities are almost limitless.
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1 William wants to add an additional detail to help develop his introduction. Read the first
paragraph again. What is the best idea William could add after sentence 2?
A Because they felt a need to communicate, they searched for ways that fit into the
reality of their times.
B And if they needed to research a topic, they headed to the local library and cracked
open an encyclopedia.
C The mailbox was only blocks from their house.
D They didn’t have cable television, MP3 players, or cell phones.
2 What is the best revision to make in sentence 9?
F With the aid of a search engine, such as Yahoo! or Google, a student can conduct
research for a paper, a consumer can obtain product information, a parent can
investigate a sick child’s symptoms, and an unemployed businessperson can explore
job opportunities.
G With the aid of a search engine, such as Yahoo! or Google, a student can conduct
research for a paper, and product information can be obtained by a parent who can
investigate a sick child’s symptoms while an unemployed businessperson is exploring
job opportunities.
H With the aid of a search engine, such as Yahoo! or Google, there is so much that can
be done, a student can conduct research for a paper, a consumer can obtain product
information, a parent can investigate a sick child’s symptoms, and an unemployed
businessperson can also explore job opportunities.
J With the aid of a search engine, such as Yahoo! or Google, a student can conduct
research for a paper, product information can be obtained, investigating of a sick
child’s symptoms by a parent is possible, and job opportunities by an unemployed
businessperson can be explored.
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3 William wants to add a sentence to provide a better transition between the second paragraph
(sentences 5–10) and the third paragraph (sentences 11–17). Read both paragraphs again.
Which of the following would be the most effective sentence to add to the beginning of the
third paragraph (right before sentence 11)?
A It is an ever-changing, ever-growing list.
B What would we do without the Internet and all its amazing uses?
C In fact, the Internet has done more than change the ways we communicate and obtain
information.
D However, the Internet is a powerful tool that requires knowledge and appropriate
respect.
4 One of the details that William has included in the fourth paragraph (sentences 18–25) is
interesting but does not support the main idea of the paragraph. Which sentence should
William delete from this paragraph?
F Sentence 18
G Sentence 20
H Sentence 21
J Sentence 23
5 William has not chosen the most effective words in sentence 27. Which of the following could
best replace the phrase people before and create a more effective sentence?
A friends of the past
B earlier generations
C previous ancestors
D her family
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In the following paper Ron hopes to convince his readers of the value of serving in
a developing nation. Read Ron’s paper and look for ways he should revise it. Then
answer the questions that follow.
© Ariel Skelley/Blend Images/CORBIS

Why Serve?
(1) There is no running water or electricity. (2) There are no roads or cars.
(3) Primitive huts rise on stilts above the muddy paths that wind through the
jungle. (4) But just beyond the village lies an interesting sight. (5) A dozen
American teenagers in jeans and T-shirts are joking and laughing as they wield
hammers and nails to help build a small cabin.
(6) Why would American teenagers want to abandon their own lives to spend
a summer working harder than they have ever worked in some of the most
extreme conditions imaginable? (7) More importantly, why should they? (8) There
are actually many reasons why kids should look for opportunities to serve in
developing nations. (9) This kind of service is good for the recipients and for the
teens.
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(10) Statistics show that America’s youth watch an average of 1,500 hours of
television a year. (11) Other data suggest that roughly 17 percent of American
teens are obese. (12) A reduction in TV time has proved to be one of the most
effective ways to reduce weight gain in teens. (13) Although a trip to serve in a
developing country would last only a few weeks, it would get a student off the
couch and away from the television—and all the tempting junk food that usually
accompanies TV viewing. (14) This jump start to a healthier lifestyle could make a
lasting impression, helping the student eventually improve his or her overall
health.
(15) Furthermore, by serving in areas with little material wealth, teens can
begin to understand that possessions don’t bring lasting happiness. (16) Spending
time with a family as its members celebrate the birth of a goat that will provide
milk for their children makes having the latest video game seem a lot less
important. (17) These kinds of experiences might change how students look at the
world. (18) They’ll return home and be changed. (19) They’ll probably be more
appreciative of what they have and less focused on the things they think they
need.
(20) Finally, serving other people is good for teenagers’ self-esteem. (21) In
today’s schools, competition is rampant. (22) Students who don’t make the best
grades, excel in sports, or climb to the top of the popularity ladder can begin to
feel less significant than them. (23) But teens who experience the satisfaction of
building a house or digging a well discover a different kind of success. (24) They
learn what it feels like to do something that really matters. (25) Suddenly their
own lives have more purpose and meaning.
(26) Not every American teen is obese, focused on material possessions, or
striving to compete. (27) Nevertheless, every American teen could benefit from
serving in a developing nation. (28) The experience will not only help make the
world a better place for others, but it will also help the teen become a better
person.
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6 Ron wants to strengthen the introduction to his paper by adding the following detail to the
first paragraph (sentences 1–5).
Clouds of mosquitoes buzz incessantly in the

steamy heat.
Where is the most effective place for Ron to insert this sentence?
F After sentence 3
G After sentence 4
H After sentence 5
J Ron should not insert this sentence. It does not belong in this paragraph.
7 Reread the entire paper and think about its thesis. How can Ron rewrite sentence 9 to more
clearly articulate the thesis?
A This kind of service is obviously beneficial to those who receive the assistance, but
surprisingly, it is also good for the teens who volunteer.
B This kind of service can be beneficial to more than just those who receive it and
participate in it.
C There are a host of good reasons why this kind of service can be helpful to the
community, school, and nation as a whole.
D Service in a developing nation can be an important part of the maturation process for
students who need to get out of their comfort zone and learn to be more independent.
8 Ron would like to add another example to support the idea he has presented in the fourth
paragraph (sentences 15–19). Which of the following could best follow sentence 16 and
accomplish this goal?
F Digging a ditch is hard work, but in many parts of the world, it’s a daily occurrence.
G Other activities that people engage in together, such as playing music or sports, will
feel equally meaningful and important when you participate.
H People around the world view the role of home and family in many different ways.
J Watching a group of kids gladly share a tattered book will make American teens less
likely to beg for yet another pair of new shoes.
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9 What is the most effective way to combine sentences 18 and 19?
A When they return home, it will have changed, probably to be more appreciative of what
they have and less focused on the things they think they need.
B Since they return home, they’ll probably be more appreciative of what they have and
less focused on the things they think they need to change.
C Upon returning home, they’ll probably be more appreciative of what they have and less
focused on the things they think they need.
D They’ll return home and be changed, they’ll probably be more appreciative of what
they have and less focused on the things they think they need.
10 There is an indefinite reference in sentence 22. To correct this problem, Ron should replace
the pronoun them with —
F students
G their peers
H other sports
J their grades
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Anthony wrote the following paper in response to a science class assignment. Read
Anthony’s paper and think about the revisions he should make. When you finish
reading, answer the questions that follow.
© iStockphoto.com/Christa Brunt
Glaciers
(1) Carving valleys, crowning mountains, and stretching for miles upon frozen
miles, glaciers have sculpted Earth’s landscape on every continent except
Australia. (2) These ever-changing landforms are breathtaking to observe and also
provide valuable clues to both the history and the future of our planet.
(3) Today glaciers cover about 10 percent of Earth’s land areas, slow-moving
masses of ice and snow. (4) However, this wasn’t always the case. (5) During the
last ice age, most of Canada, New England, and the upper midwestern United
States was covered by a gargantuan sheet of ice. (6) Scientists believe that
today’s North American glaciers are remnants of this vast icy expanse.
(7) One of the key characteristics of a glacier is that it’s constantly in motion.
(8) It can be thought of as a frozen river, always moving from an area of higher
elevation to one of lower elevation. (9) A delicate balance of pressure, melting,
and freezing contributes to the movement of a glacier. (10) Moving, it takes rocks
and pieces of land along with it. (11) Many of today’s mountain and valley
formations were carved out by the glaciers of long ago.
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(12) Glaciers contain information about what the world was like before our
time. (13) To learn these secrets, scientists remove and study ice cores from
glaciers around the world. (14) Bubbles of air compressed within these cores are
like tiny time capsules of information.
(15) Scientists also study glaciers to predict what may happen in the future.
(16) One thing they have noticed is that the majority of the world’s glaciers are
currently retreating, or shrinking. (17) No one is certain just how this loss will
affect our planet. (18) However, since glaciers contain about 75 percent of the
world’s freshwater, the consequences could be severe. (19) If all that ice melts,
Earth’s sea level could rise more than 200 feet, causing coastal areas to flood and
forcing people living in those areas to relocate. (20) Many scientists believe that
such a scenario would bring devastating and irreversible changes to our planet.
(21) Experts suggest that we all do our part to respect and protect Earth’s
glaciers. (22) We can study them and enjoy them, but we should also learn to
minimize our impact on them. (23) Of our past, present, and future are these
majestic mountains of ice, which are an important part.
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11 What is the best way to revise sentence 3?
A Today glaciers cover with slow-moving masses of ice and snow about 10 percent of
Earth’s land areas.
B Today glaciers and slow-moving masses of ice and snow cover about 10 percent of
Earth’s land areas.
C Today glaciers cover about 10 percent of Earth’s land areas, they are slow-moving
masses of ice and snow.
D Today glaciers, slow-moving masses of ice and snow, cover about 10 percent of Earth’s
land areas.
12 The transition from sentence 9 to sentence 10 is not clear. How can Anthony revise
sentence 10 to create a more effective transition?
F As it moves, the glacier takes rocks and pieces of land along with it.
G Taking rocks and pieces of land along with it, the glacier moves along.
H This movement, which takes rocks, takes pieces of land along with it.
J To move rocks, it takes pieces of land along with it.
13 Anthony wants to tell more about the idea he expressed in sentence 14. Which of the
following sentences would best follow and support sentence 14?
A They tell about the atmosphere and the types of life that might have been present
when the glacier was formed.
B They hold information about the past just like a little time capsule would.
C These bubbles are found in the glaciers themselves.
D Glaciers are most likely to form in areas with freezing temperatures and an abundance
of snowfall.
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14 Anthony would like to add the following detail to the fifth paragraph (sentences 15–20).
If this pattern of retreat continues at its present

rate, many glaciers will be gone within just a few
decades.
Read the paragraph carefully. Where is the most appropriate place to add this sentence?
F After sentence 15
G After sentence 16
H After sentence 17
J After sentence 20
15 Anthony has written an awkward closing sentence. How can he revise sentence 23 to provide
a more effective closing for his paper?
A They are of our past, present, and future, these majestic mountains of ice.
B These majestic mountains of ice are an important part of our past, present, and future.
C Our past, present, and future are an important part of these majestic mountains of ice.
D An important part of our past, present, and future, these majestic mountains of ice.
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When Mitchell heard about a particular historic event, he was impressed by the
participants’ courage. He wanted to know more, so he did some research. Then he
wrote the following paper to share what he had learned. Read Mitchell’s paper and
look for the corrections he needs to make. After you finish reading, answer the
questions that follow.
© Jack Moebes/CORBIS
Sit-In at the Five-and-Dime
(1) The year 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of a dramatic event. (2) In
1960 four black teenagers, freshmen at North Carolina agricultural and technical
College, walked into a Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and made
history.
(3) To appreciate the significance of the event, you must first understand the
setting. (4) At that time F. W. Woolworth was a popular nationwide chain of variety
stores, or five-and-dimes, which sold practically everything—from account books
and medicines to pencils and zippers. (5) Many variety stores also have lunch
counters so that their patrons could grab a bite to eat while shopping.
(6) Greensboro’s Woolworth, like every Woolworth, welcomed all shoppers.
(7) However, like most public eateries across the South, Greensboro’s lunch
counter had its own strict policy, its stools were for whites only.
(8) That was the way it was on February 1, 1960, when Franklin McCain, Ezell
Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, and Joseph McNeil entered the
Greensboro Woolworth. (9) They purchased some school supplies and then
headed straight to the lunch counter. (10) There the four young African American’s
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sat down on the vinyl-and-chrome swivel stools facing the counter. (11) Each
young man knew exactly why he was there.
(12) McCain recalls the moment, saying, “I had the most wonderful feeling.
(13) I had a feeling of liberation, restored manhood. . . . (14) Mind you, [I was]
just sitting on a dumb stool. . . . ” (15) McCain remembers being asked to leave.
(16) He remembers a policeman arriving. (17) And he remembers a white
customer, an elderly woman, starring at him. (18) He recalls his surprise when she
walked over and said, “I am so proud of you.” (19) I only regret that you didn’t do
this 10 years ago.”
(20) What the four young men were doing was demanding equality.
(21) Politely and silently they were sitting in for justice. (22) On that February day
they kept their seats until the lunch counter closed. (23) The next day the men
returned, but this time others joined them. (24) The Greensboro sit-ins continued
for six months. (25) With thousands of blacks and whites protesting until the store
owners finally desegregated the lunch counter. (26) The young men, who soon
became known as the Greensboro Four, inspired lunch-counter sit-ins throughout
the South.
(27) History remembers the Woolworth five-and-dime as the site of a
breakthrough in the Civil Rights movement. (28) When the Greensboro store
closed in 1993, two eight-foot sections of the lunch counter were removed.
(29) One section went to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., the other
was preserved by the Greensboro Historical Society. (30) Fifty years after the
Greensboro Four sat at the whites-only counter, the former Woolworth store was
reopened as the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. (31) There visitors
can perch on a vinyl-and-chrome stool, lean on the counter, and imagine what it
might have been like to sit down and take a stand.
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16 What change, if any, should be made in sentence 2?
F Delete the first comma
G Change agricultural and technical to Agricultural and Technical
H Change in to it was in
J Make no change
17 What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 5?
A Change have to had
B Change their to there
C Change patrons to patron’s
D No change is needed in this sentence.
18 What is the correct way to write sentence 7?
F However, like most public eateries across the South, Greensboro had a lunch counter.
Which had its own strict policy of stools for whites only.
G However, like most public eateries across the South, Greensboro’s lunch counter had its
own strict policy. With stools that were for whites only.
H However, like most public eateries across the South, Greensboro’s lunch counter had its
own strict policy: its stools were for whites only.
J Sentence 7 is written correctly in the paper.
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A Change African American’s to African Americans
B Change sat down to who sat down
C Change facing to they were facing
D No change needs to be made in sentence 10.
F Change customer to custommer
G Delete the comma after woman
H Change starring to staring
J No change needs to be made in sentence 17.
21 What change needs to be made in sentence 18?
A Change He to And
B Insert a comma after surprise
C Delete the comma after said
D Delete the quotation marks at the end of the sentence
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22 What is the correct way to rewrite sentences 24 and 25?
F The Greensboro sit-ins continued for six months, thousands of blacks and whites
protested until the store owners finally desegregated the lunch counter.
G The Greensboro sit-ins continued for six months with thousands of blacks and whites
protesting until the store owners finally desegregated the lunch counter.
H The Greensboro sit-ins continued for six months with thousands of blacks and whites
protesting. Until the store owners finally desegregated the lunch counter.
J Sentences 24 and 25 are written correctly in the paper.
23 What is the correct way to rewrite sentence 29?
A One section went to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. While the other was
preserved by the Greensboro Historical Society.
B One section went to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.; the other was
preserved by the Greensboro Historical Society.
C One section went to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., and the other was
preserved. By the Greensboro Historical Society.
D Sentence 29 is correct as it is written.
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Veronica has been thinking about possibilities for her future occupation. She knows
that young women today have a lot of options but realizes that this wasn’t always
the case. In fact, women often had to pretend to be men in order to perform
certain jobs. Veronica decided to write a paper about some of these women.
Proofread Veronica’s paper carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
Incognito:
Women Who Worked in Disguise
(1) Today we find women in most occupations. (2) They serve in the military,
pilot planes, perform surgery’s, and manage corporations. (3) However, women
have traveled long, hard roads to achieve equal opportunity. (4) Some have even
had to make the journey in disguise.
(5) In the early 1800s, the Hudson’s Bay Company hired fur traders for the
Canadian frontier. (6) These jobs were for men only. (7) A Scottish woman named
Isabel Gunn fell in love with a fur trader, she disguised herself as a man, said her
name was John Fubbister, and followed her boyfriend to Hudson Bay. (8) In
Canada the two separated, but Gunn kept her job as a trader. (9) Although the
company assumed that women didn’t have the strength required for toting furs in
harsh weather; there’s no record of Gunn’s employers ever realizing that she was
a woman. (10) In 1807, when Gunn gave birth, her secret was finally revealed.
(11) Isabel Gunn may have been the only European woman to have worked as a
Hudson’s Bay fur trader.
(12) A few centuries ago women were expected to wait at home as their
husbands and brothers went to sea. (13) Maritime careers were for men only.
(14) The first women to work aboard naval and merchant ships did so in disguise.
(15) One was Mary Lacy, who in 1759 dressed in her brother’s clothes, took the
name William Chandler, and joined the British Royal Navy. (16) She stayed
undercover long enough to serve as a dockyard apprentice, become a certified
shipwright, and gained a pension in the Royal Navy.
(17) Another story coming from California, where in the 1800s, Wells Fargo
hired Charley Parkhurst to drive a stagecoach. (18) Parkhurst became known as a
fast, skillful driver, well able to control “his” horses. (19) Decades before American
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women won the right to vote, Charley Parkhurst registered as a voter in Santa
Cruz County. (20) Nobody guessed that Charley was really Charlene. (21) Legend
says it was an undertaker who finally discovered Parkhurst’s true sex.
(22) History is replete with stories of women working in disguise. (23) Some
went incognito to serve as soldiers. (24) Revolutionary War Private Robert
Shurtleff was really Deborah Sampson, and Civil War soldier Franklin Thompson
was actually Sarah Emma Edmonds. (25) Eighteenth-century French
Mathematician Émilie du Châtelet disguised herself as a man in order to study
science. (26) And it’s reported that in the nineteenth century Nellie Green wore
men’s clothing so that she could attend medical school. (27) Female employees
have disguised their gender by signing documents with initials, and female authors
have used masculine pen names. (28) Fortunately, in modern America such
deception is unnecesary as most workplaces recruit, welcome, and respect female
employees.
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24 What change should be made in sentence 2?
F Change military to Military
G Change perform to preform
H Change surgery’s to surgeries
J Change manage to managed
A A Scottish woman named Isabel Gunn fell in love with a fur trader. When she disguised
herself as a man, said her name was John Fubbister, and followed her boyfriend to
Hudson Bay.
B A Scottish woman named Isabel Gunn fell in love with a fur trader after disguising
herself as a man who said her name was John Fubbister and followed her boyfriend to
Hudson Bay.
C A Scottish woman named Isabel Gunn fell in love with a fur trader and disguised
herself as a man and said her name was John Fubbister and followed her boyfriend to
Hudson Bay.
D A Scottish woman named Isabel Gunn fell in love with a fur trader, disguised herself as
a man, said her name was John Fubbister, and followed her boyfriend to Hudson Bay.
26 What change should be made in sentence 9?
F Change toting to totting
G Change the semicolon to a comma
H Change there’s to theirs
J Change realizing to realized
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A Change She stayed to Staying
B Change apprentice to apprentise
C Change gained to gain
D No change should be made in sentence 16.
F Another story coming from California was in the 1800s when Wells Fargo hired Charley
Parkhurst he was to drive a stagecoach there.
G Another story comes from California, where in the 1800s, Wells Fargo hired Charley
Parkhurst to drive a stagecoach.
H Another story comes from California. Where in the 1800s, Wells Fargo hired Charley
Parkhurst to drive a stagecoach.
J Another story comes from California, in the 1800s, Wells Fargo hired Charley Parkhurst
to drive a stagecoach there.
A Change Mathematician to mathematician
B Change disguised to disguising
C Insert a comma after man
D No change is needed in this sentence.
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F Change is to isn’t
G Change unnecesary to unnecessary
H Change respect to respects
J Sentence 28 is correct as it is written.
BE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS

ON THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.
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WRITTEN COMPOSITION #1: Persuasive
Read the information in the box below.
It has been said that humans are social animals who

need to be with other humans in order to function well
and be happy. Several studies have shown, however,
that spending time alone can improve performance on
some tasks, encourage the development of individual
personalities, enhance creative thinking, and help our
minds and bodies work better.
Some people believe that we should seek out solitude rather than avoid it. Think carefully
about this idea.
Write an essay stating your opinion on which is more beneficial—spending time with others or
spending time alone.
Be sure to —
• state your position clearly

• use appropriate organization
• provide specific support for your argument
• choose your words carefully
• edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling
Page 26

USE THIS PREWRITING PAGE TO
PLAN YOUR COMPOSITION.
MAKE SURE THAT YOU WRITE YOUR COMPOSITION

ON THE LINED PAGE LABELED “COMPOSITION #1”
IN THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.
Page 27


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WRITTEN COMPOSITION #2: Analytical
Read the following excerpt from In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall.
1 One day, when I was sitting by the trickle of water in Buffalo Wood,
pausing for a moment in the coolness before returning from a scramble in
Mlinda Valley, I saw a female bushbuck1 moving slowly along the nearly dry
streambed. Occasionally she paused to pick off some plant and crunch it. I
kept absolutely still, and she was not aware of my presence until she was
little more than ten yards away. Suddenly she tensed and stood staring at
me, one small forefoot raised. Because I did not move, she did not know
what I was—only that my outline was somehow strange. I saw her velvet
nostrils dilate as she sniffed the air, but I was downwind and her nose gave
her no answer. Slowly she came closer, and closer—one step at a time, her
neck craned forward—always poised for instant flight. I can still scarcely
believe that her nose actually touched my knee; yet if I close my eyes I can
feel again, in imagination, the warmth of her breath and the silken impact of
her skin. Unexpectedly I blinked and she was gone in a flash, bounding
away with loud barks of alarm until the vegetation hid her completely from
my view.
2 It was rather different when, as I was sitting on the Peak, I saw a

leopard coming toward me, his tail held up straight. He was at a slightly
lower level than I, and obviously had no idea I was there. Ever since arrival
in Africa I had had an ingrained, illogical fear of leopards. Already, while
working at the Gombe, I had several times nearly turned back when,
crawling through some thick undergrowth, I had suddenly smelled the rank
smell of cat. I had forced myself on, telling myself that my fear was foolish,
that only wounded leopards charged humans with savage ferocity.
3 On this occasion, though, the leopard went out of sight as it started to

climb up the hill—the hill on the peak of which I sat. I quickly hastened to
climb a tree, but halfway there I realized that leopards can climb trees. So I
uttered a sort of halfhearted squawk. The leopard, my logical mind told me,
would be just as frightened of me if he knew I was there. Sure enough,
there was a thudding of startled feet and then silence. I returned to the
Peak, but the feeling of unseen eyes watching me was too much. I decided
to watch for the chimps in Mlinda Valley. And, when I returned to the Peak
several hours later, there, on the very rock which had been my seat, was a
neat pile of leopard dung. He must have watched me go and then, very
carefully, examined the place where such a frightening creature had been
and tried to exterminate my alien scent with his own.
Excerpt from IN THE SHADOW OF MAN by Jane Goodall. Copyright © 1971 by Jane van Lawick-Goodall.
Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
1
A bushbuck is a small striped African antelope.
Page 29

WRITTEN COMPOSITION #2: Analytical
Think carefully about the ways in which Goodall describes her encounter with the bushbuck as
opposed to her encounter with the leopard.
Write an essay analyzing the difference between the two encounters.
Be sure to —
• clearly state your thesis

• organize and develop your ideas effectively
• provide relevant and specific evidence from the text
• choose your words carefully
• edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling
Page 30


Page 31


IN THE ANSWER DOCUMENT. STOP
Page 32

STAAR
English III
Writing
April 2013
TX546301 1 2 3 4 5 A B C D E Printed in the USA DPSS/ISD6192

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English III

Administered April 2013

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growing up in a very different world when it comes to communicating and

product information can be obtained, a parent can investigate a sick child’s

symptoms, and an unemployed businessperson can explore job opportunities.

(10) The list goes on and on.

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by introductions through mutual friends or through work and school connections.

Facebook and found a college friend willing to donate a kidney.

it seems that the possibilities are almost limitless.

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C The mailbox was only blocks from their house.

D They didn’t have cable television, MP3 players, or cell phones.

2 What is the best revision to make in sentence 9?

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A It is an ever-changing, ever-growing list.

A friends of the past

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© Ariel Skelley/Blend Images/CORBIS

hammers and nails to help build a small cabin.

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own lives have more purpose and meaning.

(26) Not every American teen is obese, focused on material possessions, or

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Clouds of mosquitoes buzz incessantly in the

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miles, glaciers have sculpted Earth’s landscape on every continent except

elevation to one of lower elevation. (9) A delicate balance of pressure, melting,

formations were carved out by the glaciers of long ago.

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like tiny time capsules of information.

majestic mountains of ice, which are an important part.

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J To move rocks, it takes pieces of land along with it.

C These bubbles are found in the glaciers themselves.

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If this pattern of retreat continues at its present

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stores, or five-and-dimes, which sold practically everything—from account books

(6) Greensboro’s Woolworth, like every Woolworth, welcomed all shoppers.

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young man knew exactly why he was there.

(16) He remembers a policeman arriving. (17) And he remembers a white

this 10 years ago.”

became known as the Greensboro Four, inspired lunch-counter sit-ins throughout

(27) History remembers the Woolworth five-and-dime as the site of a

might have been like to sit down and take a stand.

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F Delete the first comma

G Change agricultural and technical to Agricultural and Technical

17 What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 5?

A Change have to had

B Change their to there

C Change patrons to patron’s

D No change is needed in this sentence.

18 What is the correct way to write sentence 7?

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