Pathways Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking 2e: Level 1 Unit 2 Test

Name: _Triet M. Dang_______ Class: __TX2023-HN5______ Date: _November 29th 2023

VOCABULARY 1:
Choose the best words to complete each paragraph. Use each word only once. Not all words will be
used.

• attend
• believe
• decide
• education
• government
• independent
• leader
• motivated
• ordinary

1. It's hard to ______believe___, but my grandmother will be going to university next year. She says that she has
always wanted to study art history. She will ____decide________ which university to attend soon.

2. When I was younger, I went to an unusual school, so my primary education was not _ordinary__. My school
let students choose what and when to study. It really helped me become __independent_____ and not rely on
help from others.

3. I heard that the ____government_____ wants to make our country into a world ___leader____________ in
education. It plans to improve the education system and offer more skills training programs.

4. My sixth-grade teacher was called Ms. Lynch. At the time, I was not a very good student, but she really
__motivated_____________ me to study harder. Thanks to her, my grades improved and I now
__attend_____________ a great university.

VOCABULARY 2:
Choose the best form of the word to complete these conversations.

_b.___ 5. Man: I'd like to learn more about the history of science. Do you have any ____________?
Woman: There are some good books that I can recommend. Let me write down the titles for you.
a advise
.
b advice
.
_a.___ 6. Man 1: Excuse me? I'd like to use this computer ____________ my voice. How can I do that?
Man 2: Well, this software will let you do that ... but you'll need a microphone.
a to record
.
b has recorded
.
__a.__ 7. Woman: I heard you're planning to major in history at university. Why's that?

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 Man: I like learning about how life in the past was both ____________ to and different from life now.
a similar
.
b similarity
.
__a.__ 8. Man: I wish I was better at public speaking. I think it's an important ____________.
Woman: I saw a poster at the library advertising a free public speaking course. Maybe you should take it.
a skill
.
b skills
.
_b.___ 9. Woman 1: Has anybody come up with a good ____________ to the problem yet?
Woman 2: Janet had a couple of creative ideas, but unfortunately neither of them worked.
a solve
.
b solution
.
_b.___10. Woman: I've heard that a Chinese company ____________ a new system for learning languages.
Man: That sounds interesting. Is it only for learning Chinese or for any language?
Woman: I think it works for several languages, but I don't know much about it.
a development
.
b has developed
.
_a.___ 11. Man 1: This assignment is too difficult for me. I think I should just ____________.
Man 2: Don't do that. I'm sure that your professor could help you if you talk to her.
a give up
.
b gave up
.

READING REVIEW:
Review the reading passage from Unit 2. Then answer the questions. Write ONE WORD OR A
NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

THE WORLD'S OLDEST FIRST GRADER

On January 12, 2004, Kimani Maruge knocked on the door of the primary school in his village in
Kenya. It was the first day of school, and he was ready to start learning. The teacher let him in and gave him a
desk. The new student sat down with the rest of the first graders: six- and seven-year-old children. However,
Kimani Maruge was not an ordinary first grader. He was 84 years old - the world's oldest first grader.
Fighting to Stay in School
Kimani Maruge was born in Kenya in 1920. At that time, primary education in Kenya was not free,
and Maruge's family didn't have enough money to pay for school. When Maruge grew up, he worked hard as
a farmer. In the 1950s, he fought with other Kenyans against the British colonists. After years of fighting,
Kenya became independent in 1963.

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

 In 2003, the Kenyan government began offering free primary education to everyone, and Maruge
wanted an education, too. However, it wasn't always easy for him to attend school. Many of the first graders'
parents didn't want an old man in their children's class. School officials said that a primary education was only
for children. But the school principal, Jane Obinchu, believed Maruge was right. With her help, he was able to
stay in school.
Maruge was a motivated and successful student. While in primary school, he studied Swahili,
English, and math. He did well in these subjects. In fact, he was one of the top five students in his first grade
class. By the second grade, Maruge became the school's student leader. And even though life was sometimes
difficult, Maruge stayed in school until the seventh grade.
In 2008, Maruge had to move to a refugee camp because of fighting in his village. However, even
during those difficult times he continued to go to school. Later that year, he moved to a home for the elderly.
Some of the residents of the home were illiterate, and Maruge taught them to read and write. He also
continued going to school.
Inspired to Learn
In 2005, Maruge flew in a plane for the first time in his life. He traveled to New York City, where he
gave a speech at the United Nations. He spoke about the importance of education and asked for help to
educate the people of Kenya. Maruge also wanted to improve primary education for children in Africa.
Maruge died in 2009 at age 89, but his story continues to inspire many people. The 2010 movie The
First Grader showed Maruge's amazing fight to get an education. After watching the movie, many older
Kenyans decided to start school. One of those people was 19-year-old Thoma Litei. Litei said, "I knew it was
not too late. I wanted to read, and to know more language, so I came [to school] to learn. That is why it is
important for his story to be known."

12. Kimani Maruge's first day of school was in early ____January 12___________, 2004.

13. Unlike the other students, who were all either six or seven, Maruge was __84_____________.

14. Maruge did not attend school as a child because education in those days was not __free_____________.

15. Some of the ___ parents ____________ of the other students at his school were not happy that Maruge was
there.

16. Maruge was such a good student that he was among the top ______five_________ students in his class.

17. After learning how to read and write at school, Maruge taught these skills to ___residents_________ of a
home for older people.

18. While he was in New York City, Maruge gave a ___speech_________ about the value of a good education.

19. A __movie__________ about Maruge's life inspired many older Kenyans to get an education.

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

 READING PRACTICE:
Read the passage and complete the sentences below. Write TWO WORDS from the passage to
complete each sentence.

A The modern world moves so fast that it can seem difficult to succeed. As a result, many
people are looking for a strategy or a system for doing well. Parents especially want to help
their children grow up and be successful. This feeling is why many people were interested
in grit when Angela Duckworth wrote her book of the same name. The idea that simply
having determination and not giving up could lead to success is an attractive one. But is
grit really so great?
B One problem with the idea is that not everyone agrees having grit is important. Some
studies support the idea that grit leads to success. For example, children with grit who take
part in spelling competitions are more likely to study harder and do better than children
with less grit. But other studies suggest that people with a lot of grit are only slightly more
likely to be successful than people without this characteristic.
C Duckworth says people with grit have a strong interest in, or passion for, one subject.
They also have a feeling that this subject is important and will make a difference to the
lives of other people. When they are combined, these two feelings are important for
helping people stick to their work and achieve success. However, many children are unsure
what they want to do until they are in their late teens, early twenties, or even older. And
until they find their passion, they cannot use their grit to work hard and be successful.
D There are other questions surrounding the idea of grit. Are people born with a certain
level of grit that cannot be changed? Or can people learn how to be more gritty and
successful? Until scientists learn the answers to these questions, it is not clear whether
teachers should try to teach their students how to have more grit. Even if teachers do
decide to try, how should they teach it? Grit is not a subject like math or science with
knowledge that can easily be explained. Perhaps helping students find ways to raise their
motivation level would help, but nobody is sure.
E Still, despite these unsolved problems and unanswered questions, the idea of grit is an
interesting one. People who want to be successful will keep trying to develop more grit.
After psychologists have done more research and conducted more studies, perhaps we will
know better how to help them do this.

20. According to the passage, parents want to raise their children to __be
successful____________________________.

21. The writer defines grit as a combination of not giving up and __having determination___________________.

22. Research shows that children with grit work harder and do better in __spelling competitions__________.

23. Angela Duckworth says having grit means being passionate about ______________________________.

24. A problem is that many people do not find their passion until at least their
______________________________.

25. People are unsure if a person's level of grit is fixed at birth or if it can ______________________________.

26. Nobody knows how to teach grit, but it may help to increase students' ______________________________.

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

READING SKILL REVIEW - IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS OF PARAGRAPHS:
Each paragraph should have a main idea. Being able to recognize the main idea will help you
understand a writer's ideas and arguments more easily.

Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-E from the list of headings below. Not all of the headings
will be used.

A The modern world moves so fast that it can seem difficult to succeed. As a result,
many people are looking for a strategy or a system for doing well. Parents especially want
to help their children grow up and be successful. This feeling is why many people were
interested in grit when Angela Duckworth wrote her book of the same name. The idea that
simply having determination and not giving up could lead to success is an attractive one.
But is grit really so great?
B One problem with the idea is that not everyone agrees having grit is important. Some
studies support the idea that grit leads to success. For example, children with grit who
take part in spelling competitions are more likely to study harder and do better than
children with less grit. But other studies suggest that people with a lot of grit are only
slightly more likely to be successful than people without this characteristic.
C Duckworth says people with grit have a strong interest in, or passion for, one subject.
They also have a feeling that this subject is important and will make a difference to the
lives of other people. When they are combined, these two feelings are important for
helping people stick to their work and achieve success. However, many children are
unsure what they want to do until they are in their late teens, early twenties, or even older.
And until they find their passion, they cannot use their grit to work hard and be
successful.
D There are other questions surrounding the idea of grit. Are people born with a certain
level of grit that cannot be changed? Or can people learn how to be more gritty and
successful? Until scientists learn the answers to these questions, it is not clear whether
teachers should try to teach their students how to have more grit. Even if teachers do
decide to try, how should they teach it? Grit is not a subject like math or science with
knowledge that can easily be explained. Perhaps helping students find ways to raise their
motivation level would help, but nobody is sure.
E Still, despite these unsolved problems and unanswered questions, the idea of grit is an
interesting one. People who want to be successful will keep trying to develop more grit.
After psychologists have done more research and conducted more studies, perhaps we
will know better how to help them do this.

1. Different views about whether or not grit is a factor in success

2. Predictions about how the idea of grit will continue to develop
3. Reasons why the idea of grit has been studied by few scientists
4. Things we need to know before we can actually teach grit
5. What people with grit need, and why this might be a problem
6. Why people these days are so interested in the idea of grit

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

27. Paragraph A matches heading __________

28. Paragraph B matches heading __________

29. Paragraph C matches heading __________

30. Paragraph D matches heading __________

31. Paragraph E matches heading __________

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company