Sus Test Questions & Answers
Read the excerpt from Justice Sotomayor's speech "A Latina Judge's Voice."
For me, a very special part of my being Latina is the mucho platos de arroz, gandules y pernir—
rice, beans and pork—that I have eaten at countless family holidays and special events. My
Latina identity also includes, because of my particularly adventurous taste buds, morcilla, pig
intestines; patitas de cerdo con garbanzo, pigs' feet with beans; and Ia lengua y orejas de
cuchifrito, pigs' tongue and ears. I bet the Mexican-Americans in this room are thinking that
Puerto Ricans have unusual food tastes. Some of us, like me, do
Read the excerpt from Justice Sotomayor's speech "A Latina Judge's Voice."
How does the speaker's use of Spanish names for food most affect the tone and meaning of this
excerpt? - ANSWERSIt shows her strong connection to her heritage.
Read the excerpt from Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech.
Where four decades ago there was rubble, today in West Berlin there is the greatest industrial
output of any city in Germany—busy office blocks, fine homes and apartments, proud avenues,
and the spreading lawns of park land. Where a city's culture seemed to have been destroyed,
today there are two great universities, orchestras and an opera, countless theaters, and
museums. Where there was want, today there's abundance.
Which statement best explains the use of rhetoric in this paragraph? - ANSWERSReagan uses
parallelism to compare the past to the present.
Read the excerpt from "Water Flowing from Toilet to Tap May Be Hard to Swallow."
As California scrambles for ways to cope with its crippling drought and the mandatory water
restrictions imposed last month by Gov. Jerry Brown, an array of ideas that were long dismissed
as too controversial, expensive or unpleasant are getting a second look. One is to conserve more
water; another is to turn nearby and abundant sources of water, like the Pacific Ocean, into
drinking water through desalination.
,Yet another is to recycle the water Californians have already used. And therein lies a marketing
challenge that can be even greater than the technological one.
Which statement best summarizes the writer's claim? - ANSWERSCalifornia may have a hard
time convincing residents to drink recycled wastewater.
Read Ahmad's argument in favor of changing the minimum driving age from 16 to 15.
Every year, millions of teenagers look forward to the freedom of earning their driver's license. It
has been proven over time that teenagers are fully responsible by the time they are 15, and
making teens wait until they are 16 to obtain a driver's license is wrong. Many teenagers play
sports, work jobs, and have an active social life when they are 15. It would be beneficial to the
functioning of society if these people were able to independently drive themselves around.
Parents agree, too. Most people believe that the streets would be safer if the minimum driving
age were reduced to 15.
What is the best evaluation of Ahmad's reasoning? - ANSWERSIt is illogical because it relies on
faulty reasoning.
Read the excerpt from a speech to the school board about the art department.
Art is the foundation of what it means to be a human. So many things try to push their way into
being more important. We need to refocus ourselves and reevaluate our priorities. We should
not cut the funding to the school's art department, because the students will suffer. Everyone
thinks that art class is just fun and games. We always think that we need to prioritize everything
else first. But it is everything else that will suffer when we lack art and beauty in our lives.
Which ideas from the excerpt would be most appropriate to include in a summary? Select two
options. - ANSWERS"Art is the foundation of what it means to be a human."
"We should not cut the funding to the school's art department, because the students will
suffer."
, Read the passage from chapter 17 of The Prince.
Therefore a prince, so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not to remind the
reproach of cruelty; because with a few examples he will be more merciful than those who,
through too much mercy, allow disorders to arise, from which follow murders or robberies; for
these are wont to injure the whole people, whilst those executions which originate with a
prince offend the individual only.
Which statement best summarizes the author's claim? - ANSWERSA cruel prince may be better
for his subjects in the long run.
When analyzing an argument, which element should you identify first? - ANSWERSthe claim
Karol is writing an argumentative essay for his high school paper. Read his claim.
Classes should not begin before 9 a.m.
Which statements provide the best evidence to support his claim? Select two options. -
ANSWERSWhen teenagers get enough sleep, fewer use drugs or become depressed.
Students who drive to school when tired are more likely to have accidents.
Read these sentences from Paco's evaluation of Dan DeLuca's argument in the article "Dylan's
Nobel Prize Settles Debate: Rock Lyrics Are Poetry."
(1) In addition to quoting comments about Dylan's contributions to literature, DeLuca examines
Dylan's writing and its influences.
(2) Despite a somewhat confusing presentation of evidence, in the end, DeLuca's argument is
convincing.
(3) In his article, DeLuca attempts to come to grips with the decades-old question "Are rock
lyrics poetry?"
Read the excerpt from Justice Sotomayor's speech "A Latina Judge's Voice."
For me, a very special part of my being Latina is the mucho platos de arroz, gandules y pernir—
rice, beans and pork—that I have eaten at countless family holidays and special events. My
Latina identity also includes, because of my particularly adventurous taste buds, morcilla, pig
intestines; patitas de cerdo con garbanzo, pigs' feet with beans; and Ia lengua y orejas de
cuchifrito, pigs' tongue and ears. I bet the Mexican-Americans in this room are thinking that
Puerto Ricans have unusual food tastes. Some of us, like me, do
Read the excerpt from Justice Sotomayor's speech "A Latina Judge's Voice."
How does the speaker's use of Spanish names for food most affect the tone and meaning of this
excerpt? - ANSWERSIt shows her strong connection to her heritage.
Read the excerpt from Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech.
Where four decades ago there was rubble, today in West Berlin there is the greatest industrial
output of any city in Germany—busy office blocks, fine homes and apartments, proud avenues,
and the spreading lawns of park land. Where a city's culture seemed to have been destroyed,
today there are two great universities, orchestras and an opera, countless theaters, and
museums. Where there was want, today there's abundance.
Which statement best explains the use of rhetoric in this paragraph? - ANSWERSReagan uses
parallelism to compare the past to the present.
Read the excerpt from "Water Flowing from Toilet to Tap May Be Hard to Swallow."
As California scrambles for ways to cope with its crippling drought and the mandatory water
restrictions imposed last month by Gov. Jerry Brown, an array of ideas that were long dismissed
as too controversial, expensive or unpleasant are getting a second look. One is to conserve more
water; another is to turn nearby and abundant sources of water, like the Pacific Ocean, into
drinking water through desalination.
,Yet another is to recycle the water Californians have already used. And therein lies a marketing
challenge that can be even greater than the technological one.
Which statement best summarizes the writer's claim? - ANSWERSCalifornia may have a hard
time convincing residents to drink recycled wastewater.
Read Ahmad's argument in favor of changing the minimum driving age from 16 to 15.
Every year, millions of teenagers look forward to the freedom of earning their driver's license. It
has been proven over time that teenagers are fully responsible by the time they are 15, and
making teens wait until they are 16 to obtain a driver's license is wrong. Many teenagers play
sports, work jobs, and have an active social life when they are 15. It would be beneficial to the
functioning of society if these people were able to independently drive themselves around.
Parents agree, too. Most people believe that the streets would be safer if the minimum driving
age were reduced to 15.
What is the best evaluation of Ahmad's reasoning? - ANSWERSIt is illogical because it relies on
faulty reasoning.
Read the excerpt from a speech to the school board about the art department.
Art is the foundation of what it means to be a human. So many things try to push their way into
being more important. We need to refocus ourselves and reevaluate our priorities. We should
not cut the funding to the school's art department, because the students will suffer. Everyone
thinks that art class is just fun and games. We always think that we need to prioritize everything
else first. But it is everything else that will suffer when we lack art and beauty in our lives.
Which ideas from the excerpt would be most appropriate to include in a summary? Select two
options. - ANSWERS"Art is the foundation of what it means to be a human."
"We should not cut the funding to the school's art department, because the students will
suffer."
, Read the passage from chapter 17 of The Prince.
Therefore a prince, so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not to remind the
reproach of cruelty; because with a few examples he will be more merciful than those who,
through too much mercy, allow disorders to arise, from which follow murders or robberies; for
these are wont to injure the whole people, whilst those executions which originate with a
prince offend the individual only.
Which statement best summarizes the author's claim? - ANSWERSA cruel prince may be better
for his subjects in the long run.
When analyzing an argument, which element should you identify first? - ANSWERSthe claim
Karol is writing an argumentative essay for his high school paper. Read his claim.
Classes should not begin before 9 a.m.
Which statements provide the best evidence to support his claim? Select two options. -
ANSWERSWhen teenagers get enough sleep, fewer use drugs or become depressed.
Students who drive to school when tired are more likely to have accidents.
Read these sentences from Paco's evaluation of Dan DeLuca's argument in the article "Dylan's
Nobel Prize Settles Debate: Rock Lyrics Are Poetry."
(1) In addition to quoting comments about Dylan's contributions to literature, DeLuca examines
Dylan's writing and its influences.
(2) Despite a somewhat confusing presentation of evidence, in the end, DeLuca's argument is
convincing.
(3) In his article, DeLuca attempts to come to grips with the decades-old question "Are rock
lyrics poetry?"
