Final Exam Reading Section

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Read the passage and answer the questions that make sense.

READ THE FOLLOWING STORY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AFTER.

Fill in the blank with words that fit in context.
Who Took the Money?
Manuel lived in a village in Spain called Santa Maria. It was a small
village in the mountains. At 15, Manuel started working on the Spanish trains.
Every Monday morning, he went by train down to the city. He came back
home again on Friday evening. He worked for long hours, and he worked
hard.
When he was 24, he married Maria. She was from the next village.
They had two daughters, Sofia and Lucinda. Manuel did not see his family
very much. He was away for five days a week. But he had a good job, and
that was important.
Santa Maria was a poor 6. ____________. Many men there did not
have good jobs. They worked only a few months every year. Their families did
not have money for meat or coffee. Their children did not have good coats or
shoes. But Manuel's daughters always had good coats and shoes. The family
had meat, coffee, and other good things to eat. On Sundays, Sofia and
Lucinda had ice cream after dinner.
 But not all Manuel's money went to his family. Every month, he put a
little 7.___________ in the bank. He did not tell Maria about this.
"A little money in the bank is important," he thought. "But money can be
a bad thing. People can get angry and fight about money. I'm not going to tell
my wife and daughters about this money. Not now. Someday I can tell them,
and we can do something special. We can all go stay in a hotel by the sea."
Year after year, Manuel put a little money in the bank. His daughters
got married and moved to the city. Sofia married Ruiz, and they had two
children, a girl and a boy. Lucinda 8._______________ Carlos, and they had
a girl. On weekends, Sofia and Lucinda often went back to the village with
their children. The children liked the village, and they loved Manuel and Maria.
They played in the garden with the dog and the cat. They went with Manuel in
the mountains to get flowers and fruit. Maria cooked big meals for them and
made them warm clothes.
When Manuel was 65, he stopped working. Now he did not go to the
city every week. He stayed in the village with his wife. He worked in the
garden, and he took care of his fruit trees. He walked a lot in the mountains,
and sometimes he sat with his friends in the cafe. They drank coffee, talked,
and played cards. He still got money every month from the government, and
he still put a little money in the bank.
"Soon I can tell Maria and the girls about my money," he thought. "And
next summer we can all go to the seaside."
But Manuel and Maria always had lots of things to do. There was the
house and the garden, the dog and the cat, and the grandchildren. They went
to school in the city now. But sometimes they were sick, and sometimes there
was no school. Then they stayed with Manuel and Maria.
One day, Manuel's wife did not feel very well. She went to bed, and
Manuel called the doctor. The doctor said it was nothing. But after a week,
she still did not feel well. The doctor sent her to the 9. ____________ in the
city. The hospital doctors did some tests. They told the family she was very
sick. Manuel, Lucinda, and Sofia stayed with her night and day in the hospital.
A month went by and Maria did not get better. The doctors then said she was
going to die.
Sofia and Lucinda drove her home to the village. She lived for a few
more weeks. Manuel stayed with her all the time. The daughters came often.
And then, one day, she said good-bye to Manuel and she died.
Lucinda and Sofia stayed with Manuel for a week after that. They put
away all Maria's clothes and things. They cleaned the house and cooked.
Then they went back to the city, back to their families and their jobs.
Now Manuel was alone. Some women in the village said, "We can help
you in the house. We can make dinner for you and wash your clothes. You do
not have to pay us very much."
Manuel said no, he did not want help. He did not want other women in
his house. He also did not want to pay these women. He had money in the
bank, but it was not for the village women.
Some years went by. Manuel learned how to cook and how to wash his
clothes. His house was always clean, and his garden was full of fruit and
vegetables. Now his grandchildren did not come very often because they had
to study on the weekends. His
daughters said, "Why don't you come live in the city with us?"
 But Manuel did not want to leave his home. Now he did not even want
to go to the seaside. He did not want to go away without Maria. He was 77
years old. On some days, he felt very old and tired. Then he liked to sit in his
garden with his cat and his dog. Of course, these were not the same cat and
dog. They were the first cat's and dog's children's children!
One day, Manuel looked at the cat and the dog. Now they were
10.__________, too. The dog never barked, and the cat never ran after mice.
"We are all old now" Manuel said to them. "We are all going to die
before long. Then who is going to have my money? I don't want the bank to
have it! I must go and get it."
So, one morning, Manuel went to the 11.____________. He asked for
all his money. The bank manager came and talked to Manuel. He said, "What
are you going to do with this money? You have $30,000. You can't walk home
with $30,000!"
Manuel said, "It's my money. I can do what I want." He put the money
in a bag and went home. At home, he put the money under his bed. He did
not want people to find it. But that night he did not sleep well. When the cat
came into his room, he said, "Who's that?" and jumped out of bed.
"This is no good," he said. "I can't live with all this money in my house."
In the morning, he went out to the garden. He made a big hole under a
plum tree. He put the bag of money in the hole. He put dirt back in the hole,
and he put grass on top. Every day, he looked at that place under the plum
tree. He often thought about the money, and he thought about his daughters
and grandchildren. But the money stayed under the plum tree, because there
was a problem.
Manuel couldn't decide about the money. He had $30,000, and he had
two daughters. He could give $15,000 to each daughter. But Sofia had two
children and Lucinda had only one. So that was not good. He could give
money only to the grandchildren. He could give them $10,000 each. But that
meant no money for his daughters. He couldn't do that!
The winter went by. Spring came and there were lots of flowers on the
plum tree. Manuel still couldn't decide about his money. Summer came and
Manuel's garden was fulI of fruit and vegetables. But the plum tree had very
few plums and those plums were not sweet.
"l think the tree is telling me something," said Manuel' "Money must not
stay in a hole in the ground."
He telephoned his daughters. "Please come this weekend," he said. "I
have something important to tell you."
Sofia and Lucinda came on Friday evening with their families. Sofia’s
girl, Yolanda, was now 20 years old and Pablo was 17. Lucinda’s girl, Julia,
was 18. Yolanda was a university student. She wanted to be a doctor. Pablo
and Julia were high school students. Pablo wanted to be a writer and Julia
wanted to be a policewoman.
At dinner that evening, Manuel said nothing about the money. Lucinda
looked at Sofia, and Sofia looked at her father. They talked about the city and
the government. They talked about the village and the garden. Yolanda,
Pablo, and Julia went for a walk around the village.
"What is he going to tell us?" they asked. But Manuel told them nothing
that evening, and they all went to bed.
 At breakfast the next morning, Manuel said, "Now it is day. Now I am
ready. Come with me to the garden."
Manuel went to the plum tree and stopped. "l am getting old," he said.
"l’m going to die before long. I want to give you something."
He took the grass away from the hole. He took out the dirt. "Oh, no!" he
cried.
"What is it?" asked his daughters.
"Look!" he said. "Look at that hole. It's empty!" Manuel sat down on the
grass. "Who took it?" he cried. "Who took it?"
"Who took what?" asked Sofia and Lucinda.
"My money!" said Manuel.
“Your money?!" they asked. “Why did you put money in the ground?
Money must stay in the bank!”
"I didn't want them to have my money. It was my money,” said Manuel.
"I wanted to give it to you.”
"How much was it?" asked Sofia.
"$30,000," said Manuel.
"$30,000!" said Sofia and Lucinda. "You put all that 12._____________
in a hole in the ground!"
Poor Manuel. He sat on the ground with his head in his hands.
“We must go to the police!" said Ruiz.
"Yes, we must tell them," said Carlos. “Maybe they can find the thief."
So Ruiz, Carlos, Sofia, and Lucinda ran to the police. Yolanda, Pablo,
and Julia stayed with Manuel in the garden. Julia looked in the hole. She put
her hands in and pulled out some very small pieces of paper.
"Look!" she said. "Look at these."
"Pieces of money!" said Pablo.
"Why in little pieces?" asked Yolanda. What kind of thief does that?"
"I think there were many thieves," said Julia.
"Why do you say that?" asked Pablo.
"There were many small thieves,” said Julia.
"Children!" said Yolanda." That's terrible! Village children!”
"No, not children," said Julia.
"Yet, very small thieves. They ate the money."
"What do you mean?" asked Pablo.
"Look in the hole," said Julia. "Do you see those little black things?
What makes little black things? What eats paper?”
"13._____________!!!" said Pablo and Yolanda.
"Yes, mice," said Julia.
Manuel looked up.
"It's true," he said. "There are lots of mice. The cat is old and she
doesn't run after them now."
Manuel looked at Yolanda, Pablo, and Julia. I’m very sorry,” he said. "I
wanted to give you that money. I wanted to send you to the seaside. I
wanted…" He stopped.
The cat came out and sat down near Manuel. She was black and white
and very fat.
"Where were you?" said Julia to the cat. “Why weren’t you out here at
work?"
"Miao!" said the cat.
 "Were you asleep in the house?" asked Julia.
"Miao," said the cat. Then Pablo started to laugh. "Think about it," he
said. "$30,000! Those mice ate $30,000!"
Yolanda and Julia also started to laugh.
"What are the police going to do?" said Pablo. "Take the mice to
14_________?"
Yolanda, Pablo, and Julia laughed more and more. They fell on the
ground laughing. Manuel looked at them.
He thought, "How can they laugh? That was years of work, that
money."
He listened to his 15.______________, still laughing and talking. And
then he thought, "Maybe they're right. Why cry? I can't get the money back
now."
And he smiled sadly at the 16.__________.
Comprehension Questions
17. Where did Manuel live?
a) In a city
b) In a village called Santa Maria
c) In the mountains
d) In the seaside

18. How often did Manuel go to the city for work?

a) Every day
b) Every Monday morning to Friday evening
c) Only on weekends
d) Only during the holidays

19. Why did Manuel keep his savings a secret from his family?
a) He didn't trust them with the money
b) He wanted to surprise them with a special trip
c) He didn't want them to know he had money
d) He was afraid they would fight over the money

20. Why did Manuel's daughters often visit him in the village?
a) To help him with the house and garden
b) To borrow money from him
c) To enjoy the countryside and spend time with him
d) To bring him gifts and treats

21. What did Manuel do when he realized the money was missing?
a) He called the police
b) He blamed his daughters for taking it
c) He cried and felt devastated
d) He laughed and accepted the situation

22. Who were the "very small thieves" that ate the money?
a) Village children
b) Mice
c) Manuel's daughters
d) The bank employees

23. How did Manuel feel when he saw his grandchildren laughing?
a) Angry and upset
b) Confused and disappointed
c) Sad but accepting
d) Happy and relieved

24. What did Manuel realize about the money in the end?
a) It could still be recovered
b) It was a total loss
c) It was hidden somewhere else
d) It was stolen by the bank manager

25. What lesson can be learned from the story?

a) Money should always be kept in a bank
b) It's important to trust family members with money
c) Sometimes unexpected events can change our plans
d) Laughter can solve all problems

26. What is the main theme of the passage?

a) The importance of money in life
b) The value of family and relationships
c) The dangers of keeping secrets
d) The power of laughter and acceptance

27. How did Manuel feel about leaving his home and moving to the city?
a) Excited and eager for a change
b) Reluctant and unwilling to leave
c) Indifferent and open to any option
d) Uncertain and undecided about the move

28. Why did Manuel decide not to accept help from the village women?
a) He couldn't afford to pay them
b) He didn't want strangers in his house
c) He preferred to do everything on his own
d) He didn't trust the village women

29. How did Manuel spend his days after he stopped working?
a) He traveled to different cities
b) He focused on his hobbies and interests
c) He visited his daughters and grandchildren
d) He volunteered in the village community

30. What did Manuel realize about the money in the end?
a) It was stolen by his daughters
b) It was hidden in his house
c) It was eaten by mice
d) It was a figment of his imagination

31. How did Manuel's grandchildren react to the situation with the money?
a) They were upset and disappointed
b) They were angry and blamed Manuel
c) They found the situation amusing and laughed
d) They were concerned and offered to help find the money

Based on the context in the text what do the following words mean?

32. village

33. laughing

34. terrible
 Final Exam Writing Section
/47
A. Find errors in noun and verb forms, subject-verb agreement, fragments,
capitalization, and comma usage. Make corrections and add comma when necessary.
(10 points)
1. I was born on september 21, 1994 in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2. My father a performer with the San Juan Symphony. is a violinist.

3. He often travel with the orchestra to Europe and asia.

4. I currently a student at the Peabody Conservatory of the greenhills college in

baltimore.

5. The education at this school is excellent. All of the professors is wonderful.

B. Find errors in transition signals, fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. Add,
delete, or move one word to make corrections. Do not change capitalization or
punctuation. Make corrections. (7 points)
6. Public transportation is important because of it allows residents and visitors to

move easily around the city.

7. Parking fees are high in the downtown area, because more commuters have

started taking public transportation instead of driving to work.

8. As a result overcrowded trains, it is difficult to get a seat during rush hour.

9. Commuters are angry and upset, Mayor Lee is requesting increases in ticket

prices on buses and subway trains.

10. Since Mayor Lee has powerful supporters in city government, will almost

certainly get the fare increases that he wants.

11. You must pay attention to spelling when you are writing, although you also

have to focus on correct pronunciation when you are giving a speech.

 12. I always feel nervous when I have to do a timed writing in class, I am anxious

and fearful when I stand up to give a speech, too.

C. Read the sentences. Add commas as needed. (10 points)

20. I love any celebration that has crowds music and fireworks.
21. Last year it was raining but the celebration was still fantastic.
22. First there was music and dancing in the street.
23. There was jazz and rock music so the atmosphere was lively.
24. At midnight the fireworks started and everyone in the crowd cheered.
25. After the fireworks my friends and I were hungry so we went to a restaurant.
D. Read each sentence. If the sentence is correct, write a C, but write R.O. for a run-
on or C.S. a comma splice error. Then correct each sentence that you marked. There
may be more than one possible correction. (9 points)
_____ 26. Emails are fast and easy, so they have replaced letters for many people.

_____ 27. Some people pay their credit card bills by mail, others pay online.

_____ 28. The post office has mailing supplies you can buy envelopes and boxes,
for example.

_____ 29. The postal worker weighs your package, then you pay the shipping
cost.

_____ 30. I want to buy a pair of pants, therefore, I need to go to the bank.

E. Combine the clauses and the subordinators in parentheses to make complex

sentences. Do not change the order of the clauses. Use correct capitalization and
punctuation. (6 points)
31. (when) Students get home from school. They want a quick and easy meal.

32. (after) You break two fresh eggs into a bowl. Mix in salt, pepper, and three
tablespoons of milk.
 33. (because) You will want to make scrambled eggs often. They are delicious
and nutritious.

F. Find errors in appositives and adjective clauses. Add punctuation or change one
word to correct each error. (5 points)

Walter Gropius, a German-born architect, designed simple “glass box”

buildings that they changed the look of cities worldwide. He was particularly

influential from 1919 to 1932, which he was the director at the Bauhaus a

German school of design. At the Bauhaus, Gropius was a leader of the

International Style, that helped reshape architecture. In contrast to the ornately

decorated stone structures that were popular in earlier times, Gropius created

steel and glass buildings that had straight lines and no decoration. He made

another major contribution to the building industry by making designs that

builders could mass-produce them. Gropius was also known for his belief in
the value of teamwork. In conclusion, Gropius and his followers, whom are

famous from Toronto to Tokyo, have influenced architecture to this day.

 Paragraph Section
/100
We are all used to our smart phones and use them every day. We are probably
addicted to our phones at this point. Write a paragraph explaining why society is
addicted to their smartphones. Support your paragraph with specific details and
examples. Use the provided lined paper your teacher has given you. Make sure you
use scrap paper to brainstorm before you write.