2019 MCAS
Grade 10 English Language Arts
Question 9

The central idea of this essay is only partially developed as the writer identifies three different moods created in the passages through the use of sensory details. A mood of "fearfulness" relates to details in Dracula that describe the appearance of wolves: "He [the narrator] was entrapped by numerous wolves." In Rebecca, the mood is described as eerie, as the narrator sees that symmetry still exists in the destroyed house. A "creepy mood" created by ominous graffiti is minimally identified in Station Eleven. Organization is limited, and only a brief quote and repetitive explanation tie the mood mentioned by the writer to each passage. This brief, undeveloped piece includes basic expression of ideas and does not demonstrate more than partial awareness of the writing task.

This brief essay demonstrates mostly consistent control of sentence structures, grammar, usage, and mechanics but does not contain enough text to demonstrate complete control. There are errors, such as missing commas (mechanics) and quotations used incorrectly. In addition, the writer repeats simple sentence structures rather than attempting more complex ones.