MCVSD-Style Mock Test 2 (All-New Questions)

Administer exactly like test day: quiet room, Saturday morning if possible.

Compare section scores to the diagnostic (Mock 1). Goal: consistent improvement and 85%+ accuracy.

SECTION 1 — MATHEMATICS (50 minutes)

1. −14 + 6 − (−9) = A) −17 B) −11 C) 1 D) 11

2. 2 + 18 ÷ 3 × 2 − 4 = A) 1 B) 10 C) 31 D) 12

3. 5/6 − 3/8 = A) 2/2 B) 11/24 C) 1/3 D) 2/24

4. 3 3/4 × 2/5 = A) 1 1/2 B) 6 3/20 C) 3 3/10 D) 15/8

5. Juice costs $4.50 for an 18-oz bottle. What is the unit price? A) $0.20/oz B) $0.25/oz C) $0.40/oz D) $4.00/oz

6. Solve: 9/15 = 24/x A) 36 B) 40 C) 45 D) 32

7. 65% of 140 = A) 81 B) 87 C) 91 D) 95

8. A $75 backpack is discounted 15%. Sale price? A) $60.00 B) $63.75 C) $64.25 D) $11.25

9. A plant grew from 48 cm to 60 cm. What was the percent increase? A) 12% B) 20% C) 25% D) 80%

10. Simple interest on $900 at 5% per year for 4 years? A) $45 B) $180 C) $190 D) $1,080

11. Simplify: 5(2x − 3) − (x − 7) A) 9x − 22 B) 9x − 8 C) 11x − 8 D) 9x + 4

12. Solve: 7x − 4 = 31 A) 4 B) 5 C) 27/7 D) 35

13. Solve: 2(x + 6) = 5x − 3 A) 3 B) 5 C) −3 D) 15

14. “Seven more than half a number is 15.” The number is A) 4 B) 8 C) 16 D) 44

15. Solve: −5x ≤ 20 A) x ≤ −4 B) x ≥ −4 C) x ≤ 4 D) x ≥ 4

16. Slope of the line through (−2, 7) and (4, −5)? A) 2 B) −2 C) −1/2 D) 1/2

17. Which point lies on y = ½x − 3? A) (4, 1) B) (8, 1) C) (2, 2) D) (6, 3)

18. A table shows x: 3, 5, 8 and y: 18, 30, 48. Which equation fits? A) y = x + 15 B) y = 6x C) y = 5x + 3 D) y = 8x

19. Which is the equation of the line with slope 5 passing through (0, −2)? A) y = −2x + 5 B) y = 5x − 2 C) y = 5x + 2 D) y = 2x − 5

20. Area of a trapezoid with bases 10 m and 16 m and height 6 m? A) 78 m² B) 96 m² C) 156 m² D) 66 m²

21. In a right triangle, one acute angle measures 38°. The other acute angle measures A) 38° B) 52° C) 62° D) 142°

22. Volume of a cylinder with radius 5 cm and height 4 cm? (π ≈ 3.14) A) 62.8 cm³ B) 125.6 cm³ C) 314 cm³ D) 628 cm³

23. A right triangle has legs of 8 and 15. The hypotenuse is A) 13 B) 17 C) 23 D) 289

24. Median of 5, 9, 11, 14, 20, 22? A) 11 B) 12.5 C) 13.5 D) 14

25. A bag holds 6 red, 4 blue, and 2 white marbles. P(white) = A) 1/2 B) 1/6 C) 1/12 D) 2/10

SECTION 2 — LANGUAGE ARTS (50 minutes)

Passage A — Read the passage, then answer questions 1–8.

A River in the Ocean

(1) In the 1760s, British postal officials faced a puzzle: mail ships sailing from England to the American colonies often took two weeks longer than merchant ships making the same crossing. (2) Benjamin Franklin, then serving as a colonial postmaster, wanted an answer. (3) He found one not in a laboratory but in a conversation with his cousin, Timothy Folger, a Nantucket whaling captain.

(4) Folger explained that whalers had long known of a powerful current sweeping northward along the American coast before bending east across the Atlantic. (5) Whales gathered at its edges, so whalers had learned to follow the current’s boundaries closely. (6) Merchant captains, sharing dock-side knowledge, rode the current eastward and steered around it when sailing west. (7) The mail ships’ captains, unaware, sailed stubbornly into it — like walking the wrong way on a moving walkway.

(8) Working with Folger, Franklin produced one of the first charts of the current, which he named the Gulf Stream. (9) He even measured its warmth by lowering a thermometer from the deck during his own crossings, showing that a navigator could tell whether the ship was inside the current by testing the water. (10) Franklin described the Gulf Stream as a river in the ocean, wider and swifter than any river on land.

(11) Today, satellites track the Gulf Stream from space, and scientists study it for a larger reason: the current carries tropical heat toward Europe and helps regulate climate on both sides of the Atlantic. (12) A question about slow mail, patiently pursued, opened a window onto one of the planet’s great machines.

1. Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage? A) Whaling captains were better sailors than mail captains. B) A practical question about slow mail led Franklin to chart the Gulf Stream, a current still studied today. C) Benjamin Franklin invented the thermometer during an ocean crossing. D) Satellites have replaced sailors in studying the ocean.

2. According to the passage, the mail ships were slower because their captains A) carried heavier cargo B) took a longer southern route C) sailed against the current without knowing it D) stopped frequently in Nantucket

3. The comparison to “walking the wrong way on a moving walkway” (sentence 7) is used to show A) how crowded the shipping routes were B) why sailing into the current wasted effort and time C) that the mail captains were physically exhausted D) how modern airports resemble old harbors

4. As used in sentence 4, sweeping most nearly means A) cleaning B) moving broadly C) winning completely D) turning slowly

5. Which sentence best supports the idea that Franklin gathered evidence himself rather than relying only on others? A) Sentence 3 B) Sentence 6 C) Sentence 9 D) Sentence 12

6. Based on sentence 5, whalers knew the current’s location because A) they used early satellite maps B) whales gathered near its edges C) postal officials informed them D) the water changed color

7. The author’s purpose in sentence 11 is to A) explain why the Gulf Stream matters beyond navigation B) argue that mail service is still too slow C) describe how satellites are launched D) prove Franklin’s chart contained errors

8. Which best describes the structure of the passage? A) A problem is introduced, its solution is explained, and its lasting significance is described. B) Two opposing arguments are presented and then judged. C) Events are given in reverse chronological order. D) A theory is proposed and then disproved.

Paired Passages — Read both passages, then answer questions 9–15.

Passage 1

Our school should require students to lock their phones in magnetic pouches during the day. Teachers report that even a silent phone in a pocket splits a student’s attention; the mere possibility of a notification pulls the mind away from the lesson. Schools that adopted pouch programs describe louder lunchrooms — in the best sense — with students talking, playing cards, and actually looking at one another. Grades and classroom participation improved within a single semester. Learning to live without constant connection for six hours is not a punishment. It is practice for the focused attention that every meaningful pursuit — a sport, an instrument, a career — will eventually demand.

Passage 2

Locking phones away for the entire day treats a skill problem as a contraband problem. Students will spend years surrounded by these devices; the real lesson is managing them, not surviving without them. A blanket ban also ignores legitimate uses — translation apps for new English speakers, glucose monitors, family coordination after school — and it evaporates the moment the final bell rings, sending students home to unlimited, unpracticed screen time. A wiser policy limits phones during instruction but teaches responsible use: silent hours, phone-free zones, and honest conversations about attention. Self-control that is imposed is not self-control at all.

9. The central claim of Passage 1 is that phone pouches A) should be optional for seniors B) improve focus and social life and should be required C) are too expensive for most schools D) work only during lunch periods

10. Passage 1 supports its claim with A) results reported by schools that tried pouches B) a survey of parents C) quotations from phone manufacturers D) laboratory brain scans

11. The author of Passage 2 believes the more important goal is A) eliminating phones from society B) teaching students to manage their own phone use C) improving lunchroom noise levels D) shortening the school day

12. How would the author of Passage 2 most likely respond to Passage 1’s claim that pouches are “practice for focused attention”? A) Agree that imposed restrictions build lasting habits B) Argue that discipline imposed from outside does not become self-control C) Concede that phones have no legitimate school uses D) Suggest pouches be used at home as well

13. Which concern is raised in Passage 2 but never addressed in Passage 1? A) classroom participation B) students with medical or translation needs C) lunchroom conversation D) improved grades

14. As used in Passage 2, evaporates most nearly means A) heats up B) disappears C) strengthens D) spreads

15. On which point would both authors most likely agree? A) Phones can interfere with attention during class. B) Phones should be banned before and after school. C) Students should decide school policy alone. D) Notifications improve learning.

Grammar, Usage, and Vocabulary — Questions 16–25

16. Choose the correct verb: “The captain and the crew __ preparing for the storm.” A) is B) was C) are D) has been

17. Which sentence has parallel structure? A) This summer she plans on swimming, hiking, and to fish. B) This summer she plans to swim, hiking, and fishing. C) This summer she plans to swim, hike, and fish. D) This summer she plans swimming, to hike, and fish.

18. Which sentence uses the semicolon correctly? A) The fog rolled in; the harbor disappeared. B) The fog rolled in; and the harbor disappeared. C) The fog; rolled in the harbor disappeared. D) Because the fog rolled in; the harbor disappeared.

19. Which is correct? “The __ lockers were repainted over break.” A) students B) student’s C) students’ D) students’s

20. Choose the correct word: “The delay did not __ the final score.” A) effect B) affect C) infect D) except

21. Which sentence is punctuated correctly? A) My aunt, who lives in Maine sends us blueberries every August. B) My aunt who lives in Maine, sends us blueberries every August. C) My aunt, who lives in Maine, sends us blueberries every August. D) My aunt who, lives in Maine, sends us blueberries every August.

22. “He was reluctant to volunteer first, preferring to watch a demonstration.” Reluctant most nearly means A) eager B) unwilling C) required D) trained

23. “Please verify your answer by checking it in the original equation.” Verify most nearly means A) erase B) confirm C) estimate D) announce

24. “After the rains, wildflowers were abundant across the meadow.” Abundant most nearly means A) plentiful B) rare C) wilted D) hidden

25. “Judges praised the essay for being concise: every sentence earned its place.” Concise most nearly means A) lengthy and detailed B) brief and clear C) humorous D) handwritten

Answer Key & Explanations

Mathematics

  1. C — −14 + 6 = −8; minus a negative adds: −8 + 9 = 1.
  2. B — Divide/multiply left to right: 18÷3 = 6, 6×2 = 12; then 2 + 12 − 4 = 10.
  3. B — Denominator 24: 20/24 − 9/24 = 11/24.
  4. A — 15/4 × 2/5 = 30/20 = 3/2 = 1 1/2.
  5. B — 4.50 ÷ 18 = 0.25.
  6. B — 9x = 360 → x = 40. (Or: 9/15 = 3/5 = 24/40.)
  7. C — 0.65 × 140 = 91.
  8. B — 75 × 0.85 = 63.75.
  9. C — Change 12 ÷ original 48 = 0.25 = 25%.
  10. B — 900 × 0.05 × 4 = 180.
  11. B — 10x − 15 − x + 7 = 9x − 8. (Subtracting the parentheses flips BOTH signs.)
  12. B — 7x = 35 → x = 5.
  13. B — 2x + 12 = 5x − 3 → 15 = 3x → x = 5.
  14. C — n/2 + 7 = 15 → n/2 = 8 → n = 16.
  15. B — Divide by −5, flip the sign: x ≥ −4.
  16. B — (−5 − 7)/(4 − (−2)) = −12/6 = −2.
  17. B — ½(8) − 3 = 1 ✓.
  18. B — Each y is 6 times x: 18/3 = 30/5 = 48/8 = 6.
  19. B — m = 5, and (0, −2) means b = −2.
  20. A — ½(10 + 16)(6) = ½(26)(6) = 78.
  21. B — Acute angles of a right triangle sum to 90: 90 − 38 = 52.
  22. C — π × 25 × 4 = 100π ≈ 314.
  23. B — 8-15-17 Pythagorean triple (64 + 225 = 289 = 17²).
  24. B — Six values: average the middle two: (11 + 14)/2 = 12.5.
  25. B — 2 of 12 = 1/6.

Language Arts

  1. B — Covers the puzzle, the chart, and today’s significance. A, C, D are distortions or details.
  2. C — Sentences 6–7: mail captains “unaware, sailed stubbornly into it.”
  3. B — The analogy illustrates working against a moving force — wasted effort.
  4. B — A current moving broadly along the coast.
  5. C — Sentence 9: Franklin lowered a thermometer during his own crossings.
  6. B — Whales gathered at the current’s edges, so whalers tracked its boundaries.
  7. A — Sentence 11 shifts from navigation to climate — a larger significance.
  8. A — Problem (slow mail) → solution (chart the current) → lasting significance (climate science).
  9. B — Required pouches, with focus and social benefits, is the passage’s whole argument.
  10. A — Schools that adopted pouch programs reported improvements.
  11. B — “The real lesson is managing them, not surviving without them.”
  12. B — Passage 2’s closing line: imposed self-control “is not self-control at all.”
  13. B — Translation apps and glucose monitors appear only in Passage 2.
  14. B — The policy’s effect vanishes when the bell rings.
  15. A — Passage 2 accepts limiting phones “during instruction,” so both agree phones can interfere in class.
  16. C — Compound subject joined by “and” is plural: are.
  17. C — Three matching infinitives: to swim, (to) hike, (to) fish.
  18. A — A semicolon joins two complete sentences with no conjunction.
  19. C — Plural possessive: lockers belonging to multiple students → students’.
  20. B — Affect is the verb (to influence); effect is usually the noun.
  21. C — The nonessential clause “who lives in Maine” takes commas on both sides.
  22. B — Preferring to watch instead = unwilling.
  23. B — Checking to confirm.
  24. A — Wildflowers everywhere = plentiful.
  25. B — “Every sentence earned its place” = brief and clear.