The writer would like to revise the beginning of the essay using a reference to the context. In this case, the author is choosing to use the geographical location of the audience who will read the essay—people in Texas. Which of the following passages should the writer insert before Sentence 1 as a way to refer to context?
A There are many types of spiders in Texas. Some are big and some are tiny. Most of these spiders are not harmful to humans. Most people in Texas are not afraid of spiders.
B Most people in Texas know the story of David and Goliath. David came out of that conflict as the winner even though Goliath was much bigger. The lesson from the story is that you don’t always have to be afraid of a big foe.
C Everything is bigger in Texas. That’s what they say, but it’s not necessarily true. When it comes to tarantulas, for instance, the Texas Brown has a four-inch leg span. That doesn’t even come close to the leg span of the South American Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula.
D Texas is a state of varied cultures and geographies. You would think that everything worth seeing or knowing about in the world already exists right here in Texas. Just think of Six Flags, Big Bend, and the Alamo. There is one thing, however, that we can’t claim in Texas: the Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula.
The author wants to revise the essay to connect with readers in high school. She decides to compare the size of the Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula to a common object so readers can visualize it more easily. Which of the following could be added at the end of Sentence 1 to help high school readers connect to the topic?
A (about the size of an automobile air filter)
B (about the size of a small pizza)
C (about the size of a large omelet pan)
D (a little bigger than a Basque beret)
A The name might make you imagine a spider jumping out of a tree and attacking a pigeon, ripping it to pieces, feathers and blood everywhere. Well, it’s not that fascinating.
B Queen Victoria was Queen of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. During her reign, there were many explorations of lesser-known parts of the world. South American jungles were one of the regions to be explored. On one of these expeditions, some explorers sighted a Goliath tarantula.
C Many people have names that come from other members of the family. Some have names that are borrowed from the names of famous people. Some even have names related to something that was happening at the time of their birth.
D Juliet says in Romeo and Juliet, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” It would be fascinating if this were also true of tarantulas.
A Having an aggressive family member can be disruptive to family fun.
B If you want an unusual but non-aggressive pet, a good choice is a newt. Newts are easy to care for and completely docile.
C Even a dog or a cat can be aggressive. Once I had a parakeet that was aggressive, so it’s hard to be absolutely sure you won’t end up with an aggressive pet.
D Even if tarantula-wise things are really not always bigger in Texas, things tarantula-wise turn out to be nicer in Texas. We can be thankful for that.
All complete. Great job!
