State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness - English II - Writing Practice Test (STAAR+)

Sep 30, 2026

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English II Writing practice material from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR+) released March 2016. The document presents Byron’s paper, “Lost City Discovered,” describing the discovery of Thonis-Heracleion and the evidence recovered from the seafloor. Students answer multiple-choice questions that focus on sentence clarity, adding transitions, strengthening a thesis, selecting follow-up sentences to support main ideas, and choosing a closing quotation that reiterates the paper’s central point.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages53

Reading Time2 h 14 min

AccessFree to download

Writing

Selecting best answers to revising and writing questions

Paragraph and thesis development

Supporting details and concluding quotation

| | ® | | --- | --- | | | State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness | English II Administered March 2016 RELEASED Copyright © 2016, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency. WRITING Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in the answer on your answer document. Byron wrote the following paper about a significant archaeological discovery. Read Byron’s paper and think about the revisions he should make. Then answer the questions that follow. Lost City Discovered (1) There was once a grand city on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea near Egypt. (2) Known as Thonis to the Egyptians and Heracleion to the Greeks, the metropolis was supposedly one of extraordinary wealth. (3) Some records indicate that Helen of Troy visited the area before the Trojan War. (4) Founded around 700 B.C., it thrived for centuries and then allegedly disappeared into the depths of the ocean. (5) However, because no trace of Thonis-Heracleion had ever been found, it became more of a legend than a reality. (6) In 2000, French archaeologist Franck Goddio and a team of researchers were meticulously surveying an area in the Mediterranean near the Egyptian shore. (7) They hoped to find proof that the legendary city existed. (8) As divers sifted through layers of sand and mud, they discovered some extraordinarily well-preserved relics of an ancient city. (9) It was Thonis-Heracleion. (10) In cooperation with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Goddio’s team began to carefully survey and excavate the underwater city. (11) The artifacts they discovered revealed a city as grand as its legend. (12) At the center of the city stood a large temple, just as ancient historians had described. (13) A network of canals and channels stretched out from the temple. (14) Researchers believe that Thonis-Heracleion would have been the first stop for foreign merchants at the Egyptian border. (15) Investigators also discovered three enormous, 16-foot statues lying on the seafloor. (16) One was identified as the Egyptian god Hapi. (17) The other two were thought to be a pharaoh and a goddess. (18) Hundreds of smaller statues and religious charms were found scattered on the seafloor. (19) Perfectly preserved and intact slabs of stone, engraved in both Egyptian and Greek, were also excavated from the site. (20) Writings on the stones confirmed that they had been placed at Thonis-Heracleion. (21)“The archaeological evidence is simply overwhelming,” Page 4 remarked Sir Barry Cunliffe, a professor at the University of Oxford. (22) Regarding the wealth of artifacts found, Cunliffe added,“By lying untouched and protected by sand on the seafloor for centuries, they are brilliantly preserved.” © Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundat ion, photos: Christoph Gerigk © Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundat ion, photos: Christoph Gerigk (23) Scientists aren’t sure why Thonis-Heracleion disappeared into the water. (24) There’s no certainty regarding this issue. (25) Some think that a rise in sea level combined with unstable sediment might have been the reason. (26) Others suggest that an earthquake was responsible. (27) Still others believe that it might have been a combination of these factors. (28) As the study of the site continues, researchers are learning more and more about this remarkable city and the period in which it thrived. Page 5 1 The meaning of sentence 4 is unclear. Byron can improve the clarity of this sentence by changing it to — A the famous Trojans B the magnificent city C the extreme wealth D the historical record 2 Byron would like to add a sentence to the end of the first paragraph (sentences 1–5) to help transition into the ideas in the second paragraph (sentences 6–9) . Which sentence can be added after sentence 5 to help accomplish this goal?

FAQs

How can Byron improve the clarity of sentence 4?

Choose the option that best clarifies the meaning of sentence 4 by replacing unclear wording with a more precise phrase.

Which sentence can be added after sentence 5 to transition into sentences 6–9?

Select the sentence that creates a smooth shift from the early discussion (sentences 1–5) to the discovery narrative in sentences 6–9.

Which sentence could follow sentence 13 to support the main idea of sentences 10–14?

Pick the option that adds strong evidence or explanation consistent with the paragraph’s central idea about the city and its characteristics.

Sep 30, 2026

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