Compare Structure of Multiple Texts Practice Test
•10 QuestionsRead the two texts.
Text A
At 6:10 a.m., Rosa zipped her backpack and checked the weather. Cloudy, but not raining. At 6:18, she waited at the corner, counting the seconds between cars. At 6:25, the bus arrived late, sighing open its doors. At 6:41, she slid into her seat and opened her math notebook, determined to redo the problems she’d missed.
At 7:05, her pencil snapped. She stared at the broken point like it had betrayed her. At 7:06, she remembered the presentation in first period—the one she hadn’t practiced enough. At 7:07, her stomach tightened. The bus hit a bump, and her notebook slid to the floor.
At 7:12, she took a slow breath and picked it up. At 7:13, she wrote one sentence for her presentation. Then another. By 7:20, the words began to line up.
Text B
Rosa’s pencil snaps, and the sound is too sharp for a morning that was supposed to be ordinary.
Later, she’ll remember the bus bump, the notebook on the floor, the way her stomach tightened like a knot pulled hard. She’ll remember thinking she was already behind before the day even started.
Earlier, she had checked the weather, zipped her bag, and waited at the corner with the stubborn hope that being prepared could control everything. The bus had arrived late anyway.
Now, with the broken pencil in her hand, she chooses a different kind of control. She breathes. She writes one sentence. Then another. The day is still coming, but she is, too.
How does the difference between Text A’s and Text B’s time structures affect the reader’s experience?
Read the two texts.
Text A
At 6:10 a.m., Rosa zipped her backpack and checked the weather. Cloudy, but not raining. At 6:18, she waited at the corner, counting the seconds between cars. At 6:25, the bus arrived late, sighing open its doors. At 6:41, she slid into her seat and opened her math notebook, determined to redo the problems she’d missed.
At 7:05, her pencil snapped. She stared at the broken point like it had betrayed her. At 7:06, she remembered the presentation in first period—the one she hadn’t practiced enough. At 7:07, her stomach tightened. The bus hit a bump, and her notebook slid to the floor.
At 7:12, she took a slow breath and picked it up. At 7:13, she wrote one sentence for her presentation. Then another. By 7:20, the words began to line up.
Text B
Rosa’s pencil snaps, and the sound is too sharp for a morning that was supposed to be ordinary.
Later, she’ll remember the bus bump, the notebook on the floor, the way her stomach tightened like a knot pulled hard. She’ll remember thinking she was already behind before the day even started.
Earlier, she had checked the weather, zipped her bag, and waited at the corner with the stubborn hope that being prepared could control everything. The bus had arrived late anyway.
Now, with the broken pencil in her hand, she chooses a different kind of control. She breathes. She writes one sentence. Then another. The day is still coming, but she is, too.
How does the difference between Text A’s and Text B’s time structures affect the reader’s experience?