STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) English I (STAAR EOC) Flashcards

24 sample cards from the English I (STAAR EOC) deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. What is parallelism (parallel structure) as a rhetorical/persuasive technique?

   Parallelism is using the same grammatical form for related ideas to create balance and rhythm (e.g., 'reading, writing, and speaking'), making writing more persuasive and memorable.

2. What is the difference between a logical appeal and an emotional appeal in persuasion?

   A logical appeal (logos) uses facts, statistics, and reasoning; an emotional appeal (pathos) uses feelings, vivid language, and personal stories to sway the audience.

3. What are the essential parts of an argumentative essay?

   An introduction with a clear thesis/claim, body paragraphs with reasons and evidence, acknowledgment and rebuttal of counterarguments, and a conclusion restating the position.

4. What is a thesis statement and where does it usually appear?

   A thesis statement is one or two sentences stating the essay's main argument or central claim. It usually appears at the end of the introduction.

5. What is the difference between an analytical essay and an argumentative essay?

   An analytical essay examines and explains how/why a text works (breaking it into parts); an argumentative essay takes a position and persuades the reader to agree using evidence.

6. In essay writing, what does 'elaboration' mean?

   Elaboration is developing ideas by explaining, analyzing, and connecting evidence to the claim with details, examples, reasoning, and commentary, rather than just stating facts.

7. What is the difference between 'development' and 'organization' in essay scoring?

   Development refers to the depth and relevance of ideas, evidence, and elaboration; organization refers to the logical structure, coherence, and use of transitions.

8. What are transition words and why are they important in essays?

   Transitions are words/phrases (e.g., furthermore, however, for example, as a result) that connect ideas and guide the reader smoothly between sentences and paragraphs, improving coherence.

9. When revising, what is the difference between 'revising' and 'editing'?

   Revising improves content, ideas, organization, and clarity (the 'big picture'); editing corrects surface errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics.

10. In a revising-and-editing question, how do you fix a sentence with a misplaced modifier?

    Move the modifying word or phrase next to the word it is meant to describe so the sentence is clear (e.g., 'Walking to school, I saw a dog' not 'I saw a dog walking to school' if I was walking).

11. What is a short constructed response (SCR), and what structure should it follow?

    An SCR is a brief written answer (typically a paragraph) to a text-based question. It should state a clear answer/claim, cite specific textual evidence, and explain how the evidence supports the answer.

12. What does the 'RACE' strategy stand for for constructed responses?

    Restate the question, Answer it, Cite evidence from the text, and Explain how the evidence supports the answer.

13. What is the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause?

    An independent clause has a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought (can stand alone); a dependent (subordinate) clause has a subject and verb but cannot stand alone.

14. What is subject-verb agreement?

    A verb must agree in number with its subject: singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs (e.g., 'The dog runs' vs. 'The dogs run').

15. What is a pronoun-antecedent agreement error?

    It occurs when a pronoun does not match its antecedent in number or gender (e.g., 'Each student must bring their book' should be 'his or her book' for strict agreement).

16. When should you use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)?

    Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) when it joins two independent clauses (e.g., 'I ran, and she walked').

17. What is the correct use of a semicolon?

    A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction (e.g., 'It was late; we went home'), or separates list items that already contain commas.

18. What is the difference between its and it's?

    'Its' is a possessive pronoun (belonging to it); 'it's' is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has.'

19. What is a run-on sentence, and how can it be corrected?

    A run-on joins two independent clauses with no proper punctuation or conjunction. Fix it by using a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

20. What is a sentence fragment?

    A fragment is an incomplete sentence that is missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought and is punctuated as if it were a full sentence.

21. What is a compound sentence versus a complex sentence?

    A compound sentence joins two or more independent clauses (with a comma + conjunction or semicolon); a complex sentence has one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause.

22. What is a context clue, and how does it help with vocabulary?

    A context clue is information in the surrounding text (definition, synonym, antonym, or example) that helps a reader figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

23. How can knowing common roots and affixes help determine word meaning? Give an example.

    Word parts carry meaning, so analyzing them reveals a word's meaning. Example: 'in-' (not) + 'vis' (see) + '-ible' (able to be) = invisible, 'not able to be seen.'

24. What is the difference between a word's denotation and its connotation?

    Denotation is a word's literal dictionary definition; connotation is the emotional or cultural association it carries (e.g., 'home' denotes a residence but connotes warmth and belonging).

What this deck covers

English I (STAAR EOC) flashcards FAQ