WKCE Diagnostic

Practice Test
GRADE 10
Reading
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WKCE Diagnostic Test
Turkey
The word Turkey brings to mind exotic images—
jewel-colored tiles set against whitewashed walls,
minarets and gilded spires, rugged mountains, volca-
noes, and blue, crystalline seas. Turkey is also known for
its exquisite handicrafts—rugs, wood inlays, embroidery
and woven fabrics, and ornate leatherwork.
Turkey is an urban nation. The country’s five
largest cities have millions of inhabitants. The popula-
tion of the Istanbul metropolitan area alone is over fif-
teen million. Turkey is also rural. Much of the country’s
population continues to live in small cities, towns, and
farming villages.
Turkey is a bridge between Europe and Asia. Part
of Turkey is in Europe and part is in Asia. The two sec-
tions of the country are separated by two narrow straits,
the Dardanelles and Bosporus, and the sea that lies
between them, the Sea of Marmara. European Turkey,
known as Thrace, is about the size of the state of
Massachusetts. It is bordered by Greece and Bulgaria to
the west. Turkey in Asia is called Anatolia. Anatolia is
about the size of Texas. It is bordered by Russia and
Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Iraq.
Present-day Turkey is at the center of what was
once the mighty Ottoman Empire. At its largest, in the
1500s, the Ottoman Empire reached from what is
today Kuwait in the Persian Gulf, east across North
Africa to Algeria. In Europe, the Ottoman Empire
included the present-day nations of Greece, Albania,
Macedonia, Bosnia, and Romania, among others.
The Ottoman dynasty has its origins around 1300.
At that time, Muslim soldiers led by Prince Osman I
began expanding their territory in the name of Islam.
Most of the territory they invaded and took over was
part of the Christian Byzantine Empire. In 1453, the
Ottomans took over the city of Constantinople, renam-
ing it Istanbul, the city where Europe and Asia meet.
Ottoman rulers worked hard to expand their rule.
Suleiman the Magnificent (1520–1566) captured Iraq,
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Hungary, and Albania. His navy ruled the
Mediterranean. Suleiman created centers of learning
and art, codified the laws and structure of the state, and
turned his empire into one of the great powers of
Europe.
But after Suleiman’s death, the Ottoman Empire
began to fall apart. By the 19th century, most of the
European territory had broken away into independent
states, and the Ottomans had begun to lose North
Africa. In 1829, Greece became an independent coun-
try. Other ethnic groups revolted. In 1878, Serbia,
Romania, and Montenegro became independent
nations as well.
World War I (1914–1918) led to the death of the
Ottoman Empire. The empire allied itself with
Germany and Austria, and with their defeat at the hand
of the Allies, the Ottoman Empire collapsed. The only
part that was left of the once vast empire was Turkey,
which became a republic in 1923.
Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s first president, began to
modernize Turkey. During his rule, control of the
courts and schools was taken away from Muslim lead-
ers, and women attained the right to vote. Non-
religious schooling was required for all children.
After the death of Ataturk in 1938, Turkey was
ruled by democratically elected governments until
1960, when a military uprising removed Prime Minister
Menderes from office and then executed him. Civilian
government returned to Turkey in 1982.
Today, Turkey’s cities are modern and industrial-
ized. Turks work in modern buildings and wear
European-style clothes. Few women wear veils. Turkey
is a favorite tourist site. Visitors tour Istanbul; the Copyright © McDougal Littell
ancient ruins in Ephesus; treasures in Dalyan and
Caunus; Bodrum, the land of the Crusaders; and
Antalya, the Turquoise Coast resort. The ancient land of
the Ottomans has become part of the global economy.
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WKCE Diagnostic Test
1 According to the passage, why did the
Ottoman Empire gradually collapse?
A The countries separated from the
empire.
B Its rulers became weak.
C Famine and poverty overtook the
country.
D Too many different languages were
spoken in the empire.
2 Why did the author most likely write this
selection?
A to inform readers about the roots of
modern Turkey
B to shock readers with tales of the
decadence of the Ottoman Empire
C to explain to readers why Turkey fought
on the losing side of World War I
D to convince readers to accept a new
interpretation of the origins of the
Ottoman Empire
3 According to the passage, which event
occurred last?
A The Ottomans took over the city of
Constantinople.
B Turkey became a republic.
C Civilian government returned to Turkey
after a period of military rule.
D Ataturk died.
4 Read the following sentence from the
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passage.
Suleiman created centers of learning and
art, codified the laws and structure of the
state, and turned his empire into one of
the great powers of Europe.
Which of the following means about the
same as codified ?
A systematically arranged
B recently invented
C translated
D completely destroyed
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5 How does the author support the claim
that Turkey is an urban nation?
A The author goes through Turkey’s
history and gives the reader dates and
facts that are important.
B The author states that Turkey is no
longer ruled by the military and is
instead ruled by an elected government.
C The author shows that Turkey is the
bridge between Europe and Asia, which
makes it essential to the economy.
D The author shows how people dress and
where they work and what types of
cities and industries Turkey has.
6 Which of the following is a good summary
of the passage?
A The history of Turkey is complex and
turbulent.
B Turkey is the nucleus of what was the
Ottoman Empire. Kemal Ataturk began
to modernize Turkey, and today,
Turkey’s citizens are modern and indus-
trialized.
C Today, Turkey is popular with tourists
who visit the country’s ancient ruins
and relax on its Turquoise Coast.
D After the death of Suleiman, the
Ottoman Empire began to fall apart.
Ultimately, the Ottoman Empire
collapsed as a result of World War I.
7 How is the European part of Turkey
different from the Asian part of Turkey?
A The European part is rural, while the
Asian part is urban.
B The European part is the size of
Massachusetts, while the Asian part is
the size of Texas.
C The European part is known for its
exquisite handicrafts, while its Asian
part is known for its exotic images.
D The European part was never part of
the Ottoman Empire; only the Asian
part was.
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WKCE Diagnostic Test

8 Who began to modernize Turkey, and how did he do it? Use details and information from the
passage to support your answer.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test
Richard Bentley: Judged Too Swiftly
Richard Bentley, the most prominent classical
scholar of the 1700s, is notorious today as the person
who antagonized Jonathan Swift into writing The Battle
of the Books. Swift, who wrote Gulliver’s Travels in 1728,
remains one of the most frequently read authors in
British literature and is famous for his biting satires.
These stories ridicule people and behavior for the pur-
pose of improving society. Although Bentley’s role in
the fight between old learning and new learning in The
Battle of the Books merits extensive discussion, it is
important to understand Bentley’s life and career before
they became forever connected to the literary history of
Swift. Swift is important, of course, as the author of
The Battle of the Books, but his satire would not have
been written if not for the work of Richard Bentley.
Bentley’s Career in Classics
Bentley was born in 1662 near the city of Wakefield
in England, and he studied Latin both at home and at
grammar school. He entered St. John’s College at
Cambridge University when he was only 14 years old—
the usual age for college entrance was 17 or 18. After
finishing his undergraduate degree, he continued his
study of classics (that is, the languages and literature of
ancient Greece and Rome), while living as a teacher in
London. During this time, when he was around 30 years
old, he published many papers on classical writings,
many of which were considered masterpieces of accurate
literary criticism. Professors in Europe and England soon
considered him one of England’s brightest young stars.
Although a “dunce” in the eyes of Swift, Bentley was
respected and admired in some circles.
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The Battle of Ideas
Despite his legitimate success in the field of classi-
cal studies, Bentley is probably most remembered for
his part in the debate between the ancients and mod-
erns in Swift’s The Battle of the Books. On one side of
this debate were those writers who supported more tra-
ditional and conservative philosophies of art and educa-
tion; they favored older styles of learning, so they were
known as the “ancients.” On the other side, the “mod-
erns” supported the modern advancement of physical
and mathematical sciences. Swift favored the ancients,
but Bentley was considered a modern. He soon was
involved in a paper war with the ancients, against
whom he wrote many critical papers. Much of his criti-
cism was well received, but some of the writers he con-
demned were Swift’s friends. Thus, Swift decided to use
him as the target for attack on the modern philoso-
phies, in part because Swift did not agree with him and
in part because Bentley had attacked his friends.
Final Judgments
Even though Bentley is considered a learned classi-
cal scholar by those who know his work—a statue of
him stands on the grounds of Cambridge University—
most people only know him as the ill-tempered and
complaining character from The Battle of the Books.
Because Swift’s writings are still read today and Bentley’s
generally are not, Swift’s harsh judgment of the classical
scholar remains the accepted view.
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WKCE Diagnostic Test

9 Read the following sentence from the
passage.
Although Bentley’s role in the fight
between old learning and new learning in
The Battle of the Books merits extensive
discussion, it is important to understand
Bentley’s life and career before they
became forever connected to the literary
history of Swift.
Which of the following means about the
same as merits?
A awards
B deserves
C gets a trophy
D continues
10 If Swift’s writings were not so popular
today, how would Bentley probably be
judged?
A as the person who held back the
writings of Swift
B as an intelligent scholar of classical
literature
C as the president of Cambridge
University
D as an intelligent child who wasted his
talent
12 The primary purpose of this passage it to
A refer the reader to many of Bentley’s
literary works.
B explain how Bentley’s reputation has
been affected by Swift.
C reveal to the reader the close friendship
Swift and Bentley shared.
D demonstrate the different types of
literary criticism.
13 Swift attacked Bentley in The Battle of the
Books because he felt
A that the older styles of learning that
Bentley favored were outdated.
B less confident about his own work.
C that Bentley was mean-spirited.
D loyalty towards his friends and did not
agree with Bentley’s modern style.
14 To better understand the work of Bentley,
the author might recommend that one
should
A analyze his childhood.
B learn to read Greek and Latin.
C read Swift’s commentary about him.
D read Bentley’s literary criticism.

11 Which of the following statements is a

FACT?
A Bentley was ill-tempered and
complained a great deal.
B Swift favored modern mathematical Copyright © McDougal Littell

advancements.
C Bentley published many papers on
classical writings.
D Most people consider Bentley to be a
learned classical scholar.

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WKCE Diagnostic Test

15 What methods does the author use to convince readers that Bentley has been misjudged by
history? Use details and information from the reading to explain your answer.
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WKCE Diagnostic Test
from The Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, rippling
and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached
below her knee and made itself almost a garment for
her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly.
Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a
tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
On went her old brown jacket; on went her old
brown hat. With whirl of skirts and with the brilliant
sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and
down the stairs to the street.
Where she stopped, the sign read “Mme. Sofronie.
Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran and
collected herself, panting, before madame, large, too
white, chilly, and hardly looking the “Sofronie.”
“Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.
“I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and
let’s have a sight at the looks of it.”
Down rippled the brown cascade.
“Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass
with a practiced hand.
“Give it to me quick,” said Della.
Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy
wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking
the stores for Jim’s present.
She found it at last. It surely had been made for
Jim and no one else. There was none other like it in any
of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out.
It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in
design, properly proclaiming its value by substance
alone and not by meretricious ornamentation—as all
good things should do. It was even worthy of The
Watch. As soon as she saw it, she knew that it must be
Jim’s. It was like him. Quietness and value—the
description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they
took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87
cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be prop-
erly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as
the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on
account of the old leather strap that he used in place of
a chain. . . .
At 7 o’clock the coffee was made, and the frying
pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook
the chops.
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Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in
her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the
door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on
the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned
white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying little
silent prayers about the simplest everyday things, and
now she whispered: “Please, God, make him think I am
still pretty.”
The door opened, and Jim stepped in and closed it.
He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was
only twenty-two—and to be burdened with a family!
He needed a new overcoat, and he was without gloves.
Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a set-
ter at the scent of a quail. His eyes were fixed upon
Della, and there was an expression in them that she
could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor
surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the
sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply
stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his
face.
Della wriggled off the table and went for him.
“Jim, darling,” she cried, “don’t look at me that
way. I had my hair cut off and sold it because I couldn’t
have lived through Christmas without giving you a
present. It’ll grow again—you won’t mind, will you? I
just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say ‘Merry
Christmas!’ Jim, and let’s be happy. You don’t know
what a nice—what a beautiful, nice gift I’ve got for
you.”
“You’ve cut off your hair? asked Jim, laboriously, as
he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the
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hardest mental labor.
“Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like
me just as well, anyhow? I’m me without my hair, ain’t I?”
Jim looked about the room curiously.
“You say your hair is gone? he said, with an air
almost of idiocy.
“You needn’t look for it,” said Della. “It’s sold, I tell
you—sold and gone too. It’s Christmas Eve, boy. Be
good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my
head were numbered,” she went on with a sudden seri-
ous sweetness, “but nobody could ever count my love
for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?”
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WKCE Diagnostic Test
Out of his trance Jim seemed to quickly wake. He
enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with
discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the
other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a
year—what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit
would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought
valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark
assertion will be illuminated later on.
16 What are Della’s and Jim’s prized
possessions?
A hair and chain
B hair and watch
C love and Christmas gifts
D twenty dollars and love
17 When Della finds out how much Madame
Sofronie is paying for hair, why does Della
say, “Give it to me quick”?
A She was in a hurry.
B She didn’t trust Madame Sofronie.
C She was afraid she might change her
mind.
D The stores were about to close.
18 Upon seeing Della, Madame says, “Take yer
hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks of
it.” Which statement below is closest in
meaning to Madame’s comment?
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A Take your hat off and let me see your
hair.
B Take your hat off and let me cut your
hair off.
C Take your hat off and let me see what
you look like.
D Take your hat off and look away from
me.
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Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and
threw it upon the table.
“Don’t make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about
me. I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a hair-
cut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like
my girl any less. But if you unwrap that package, you
may see why you had me going awhile at first.”
19 What conclusion can you draw about Jim’s
feelings when he asks, “You’ve cut off your
hair?”
A anger
B disbelief
C disapproval and outrage
D peculiarity
20 Which of the following statements best
summarizes Della’s understanding of Jim’s
reaction?
A She thought Jim was ill.
B Jim threatened her.
C She was uncertain of his reaction.
D She thought Jim hated her.
21 What words in the selection compare the
watch chain to Jim?
A none other like it
B simple and chaste
C proclaiming its value by substance alone
D quietness and value
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WKCE Diagnostic Test

22 How would you describe Della and Jim’s relationship? Use details and information from the
reading to explain your answer.

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