Use Narrative Techniques Practice Test

Read the narrative and answer the question.

Emma stood in the bathroom doorway, holding the curling iron like it was a microphone. The mirror light buzzed. Her hair smelled faintly burned, and a thin ribbon of steam rose from the sink where she’d run water to calm a curl that wouldn’t listen.

From the living room, her mom called, “We leave in ten.”

Emma’s stomach tightened. The school concert outfit lay on her bed—black pants, white shirt—perfectly plain, like it belonged to someone who never worried.

She tried again. Clamp. Twist. Wait.

The curl slipped out and flopped flat.

Emma blinked fast. Her eyes stung.

In the mirror, she saw her own hands pause, knuckles pale around the handle. She set the iron down carefully, as if a loud sound would break her.

“I can’t,” she whispered, though no one was in the bathroom to hear.

Which revision would best improve the use of reflection to deepen Emma’s feelings in the final lines?​​

Read the narrative and answer the question.

Jamal’s shoes squeaked on the gym floor as he jogged toward the free-throw line. The scoreboard buzzed, then went quiet. Coach’s whistle hung from his neck like a warning.

Jamal bounced the ball once. Twice. The orange blur rose and fell against his palm. His fingers felt too long, like they didn’t belong to him.

He looked up. The rim seemed farther away than it had in practice. Somewhere in the bleachers, a sneaker tapped—tap, tap, tap—like a clock.

Jamal inhaled. The air smelled like rubber and old sweat. He set his feet. He lifted the ball.

For a second, everything slowed: the ball’s pebbled surface, the bright white net, the silence that pressed on his ears.

Then he shot.

The ball arced. Hit the back rim. Popped up.

Jamal’s stomach dropped.

Swish.

Noise crashed back into the gym.

How does the author’s pacing (slow then fast) affect the free-throw moment?​​