OSSLT Released Questions (2006-2007)

Nelson Mandela made an honorary Canadian

1. What question is not answered in paragraph 1 of this news report?

   Who?

   Why?

   What?

   Where?
2. Which of the following shows how South Africa has progressed in its fight against racism?

   A black man became president.

   President Mandela was imprisoned.

   Mandela became the first honorary Canadian citizen.

   South Africa divided black people from white people.
3. According to paragraph 4 of this selection, Chrétien praised Mandela for his

   generosity.

   civilized manner.

   rejection of revenge.

   commitment to freedom.
4. The best meaning for the word “tolerant” as used in paragraph 4 is

   patient.

   pleasant.

   different.

   accepting.
5. Honorary Canadian citizenship was awarded to Nelson Mandela and Raoul Wallenberg because they

   joined their families in Canada.

   were friends with the Prime Minister.

   represented the values of Canadian people.

   helped Canadians in the Second World War.
6. Do Canadians benefit from people becoming honorary citizens? Explain your answer using information in the selection and your own ideas.

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Writing

1. Choose the correct option to fill in the blank.

   __________________ got wet when it rained.

   He and I

   Him and I

   He and me

   Me and him
2. Select the sentence that is written correctly.

   Mrs. Brown is a teacher who help students.

   Dr. Smith, like many other doctors, study diseases.

   Of all the building materials, wood is one of the best.

   Vitamin A is one of many vitamins that is good for you.
3. Choose the best opening sentence for this paragraph.

   _______________________________________ ____________________ The trail is a great place for people living in the city to get out into the fresh air and exercise. Cyclists, walkers, in-line skaters and people pushing baby carriages all share this beautiful trail. On special occasions, the trail is used for marathon races and fundraising walks. The Waterfront Trail is an asset to the Mississauga community.

   Parts of the Waterfront Trail use Mississauga’s roadways.

   Litter has become a problem for the Mississauga Waterfront Trail.

   The Waterfront Trail has become popular among Mississauga’s citizens.

   Some citizens of Mississauga are questioning the building of the Waterfront Trail.
4. Choose the sentence that does not belong in this paragraph.

   (1) Avalanches occur often in western Canada. (2) When the snow on steep mountainsides gets too heavy, it starts to slide. (3) Avalanches can slide at speeds of 300 kilometres an hour. (4) Sometimes there are covered bridges over trains travelling through mountainous areas. (5) When there is a dangerous buildup of snow, avalanche experts start an avalanche on purpose. (6) This way they can prevent people from getting hurt by unexpected avalanches.

   Sentence 2

   Sentence 3

   Sentence 4

   Sentence 5

Writing

1. Choose a time of year and explain how it affects the way you feel.

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News Report

1. Write a news report based on the headline and picture provided in the booklet.

   • You will have to make up the facts and information, answering some or all of the following questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
   • You must relate your newspaper report to both the headline and the picture.

   Students raise money for a good cause

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Reading

1. According to this selection, what changed in the running shoe in 1962?

   the use of latex

   the high cut style

   the design of the sole

   the "breathable" nylon uppers
2. The phrase closest in meaning to "vulcanizing" as used in line 9 of this selection is

   heating rubber.

   inflating the heel area.

   dipping feet into liquid latex.

   creating rubber-soled running shoes.
3. "Further improvements followed: designer colours, new sole patterns, ‘breathable’ nylon uppers, pumps that inflate the heel area and more." What is the purpose of the colon (:) in this sentence?

   to signal a contradiction

   to link an idea and examples

   to separate two contrasting ideas

   to introduce an emphatic statement
4. In this selection, "but" (line 11) signals that a contrasting point is going to be made. What other word in this selection does the same thing?

   after

   when

   further

   however
5. Why would the ability to inflate the heel area be an improvement to the running shoe?

   It cushions the impact.

   It makes the latex last longer.

   It cools the foot inside the shoe.

   It produces different sole patterns.
6. The information in this passage is organized

   according to time.

   through comparisons.

   using supported opinion.

   by advantages and disadvantages.
7. Summarize this selection. Include a main idea and one point that supports it.

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Writing a Series of Paragraphs

1. Write a minimum of three paragraphs expressing an opinion on the topic below. Develop your main idea with supporting details (proof, facts, examples, etc.).

   Should every student be required to take a Physical Education class every year of high school?

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Grammar

1. Select the sentence that is written correctly.

   "Yes, it is." she replied.

   "My friend writes songs" I said, "as well as music."

   "Where did he learn to write songs and music" asked Ranjit?

   "Isn’t that the song that your friend wrote for you?" asked Jan.
2. Choose the sentence that has correct punctuation.

   Kathys brothers grew up in Sudbury, but they didn’t play hockey on the towns team.

   Kathy’s brothers grew up in Sudbury, but they didn’t play hockey on the town’s team.

   Kathys’ brothers grew up in Sudbury, but they didn’t play hockey on the town’s team.

   Kathy’s brothers’ grew up in Sudbury, but they didn’t play hockey on the towns’ team.
3. Choose a place to insert the following sentence: “After ten minutes, we got to the ticket booth and paid for the tickets.”

   (1) My brother and I wanted to go to the school play. (2) The first thing we had to do was to wait in line to buy our tickets. (3) Then we had to find seats in the crowded hall. (4) After another wait, the lights were turned off. (5) Finally, the play began.

   after Sentence 1

   after Sentence 2

   after Sentence 3

   after Sentence 4
4. Choose the option that best combines all the information in the boldfaced sentences.

   • Her team was winning by one point.
   • There was one minute left to play.
   • Tara scored a goal.

   There was one minute left to play and Tara scored a goal.

   When Tara scored a goal, her team was winning by one point.

   Tara’s team was winning by one point when Tara scored a goal with one minute to play.

   Scoring a goal, Tara’s team was winning by one point and it was in the last minute of play.

Famous at Fifteen

1. Flavia moved to Paris in about

   1988.

   1990.

   1994.

   2000.
2. Why are there parentheses around “pronounced Bu-JO”? (paragraph 1)

   This information is not accurate.

   This information is not essential.

   It is a quotation from another source.

   The writer is uncertain about this information.
3. What is the best meaning for “evolved” as used in paragraph 2?

   finished

   changed

   simplified

   lengthened
4. Paragraph 3 refers to “another challenge.” What was the first challenge?

   inventing different characters

   basing characters on people she knew

   predicting how characters would react to each situation

   thinking of new situations for the characters to face
5. According to this selection, what happened when Flavia found it hard to write?

   She would become depressed.

   She got support from her friends.

   She revised what she had written.

   She concentrated on getting to the end.
6. Which of the following best describes the way Flavia approached her writing?

   She made sure she wrote every day.

   She became impatient when revising her work.

   She finished the book before showing anyone.

   She allowed herself freedom as she wrote.
7. What does this selection suggest about Flavia’s attitude toward being a published author?

   She loves all the attention she gets.

   She likes having to work on a computer.

   She does not want it to take over her life.

   She finds being a celebrity very annoying.
8. Which one of the paragraphs listed below relates most closely to the selection’s title, “Famous at Fifteen”?

   paragraph 4

   paragraph 5

   paragraph 7

   paragraph 8
9. The main purpose of this selection is to

   show how hard it is to get published.

   explain how to get help from your family.

   demonstrate that luck determines success.

   describe how a teenager became successful.

Cheat

1. What do the ellipsis points ( . . . ) at the end of paragraph 3 suggest?

   Nadi has nothing else to say.

   Nadi knows what Tom thinks.

   Nadi is uncertain of what to say next.

   Nadi doesn’t want to hurt Tom’s feelings.
2. “How did you ever come up with such an idea? I mean, it was —” (paragraph 7) Which of the following would best complete Nadi’s sentence?

   so unusual.

   not as good as mine.

   so perfectly obvious.

   copied from somewhere else.
3. In paragraph 15, Nadi is “confused” because she

   is afraid she has cheated.

   is unsure of the effect of Tom’s decision.

   thinks the competition might be cancelled.

   wonders if Tom will have to write another story.
4. “She began to wonder if she had once read a story about a horse that saved a town.” (paragraph 17) Which of the following is the most likely reason for this ending?

   to suggest that Nadia has cheated

   to raise questions in the reader’s mind

   to show that Nadi’s head is full of stories

   to bring the storyline to a clear conclusion
5. How do Nadi’s feelings about the results of the competition change during this selection?

   from concern to relief

   from happiness to anger

   from acceptance to doubt

   from uncertainty to certainty
6. Using information from this selection, explain what Nadi’s actions show about her character.

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7. Do you think Tom had an “unfair advantage”? (paragraph 14) Explain your answer using information from this selection and your own ideas.

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Writing

1. State one of your goals in life. Explain why it is important to you.

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How Airbags Work

1. What is the best meaning for the word “impact” as used in the first paragraph?

   crash

   safety

   injury

   protection
2. What is represented by each line marked on the right side of the shaded bar?

   1 millisecond

   10 milliseconds

   100 milliseconds

   1000 milliseconds
3. What does the star at the top of the shaded bar stand for?

   a noise

   inflation

   an injury

   a collision
4. The long arrows connecting the illustrations to the shaded bar are used to show

   why the airbag inflates.

   when each event happens.

   how the airbag saves lives.

   what happens to the driver.
5. Why are there numbers in the subheadings?

   They show the order of events.

   They tell how quickly the airbag inflates.

   They explain the pictures in the boxes beside them.

   They introduce the descriptions that follow the subheadings.
6. What would a driver most likely say after experiencing the activation of the airbag in this selection?

   The honking horn was caused by the escaping gas.

   When the airbag hit my chest, it was like a gentle push.

   It all happened so fast that I didn’t even see the bag inflate.

   As soon as I felt the bump, I took off my glasses so they wouldn’t be broken.