Reading Quiz Rubric & Examples

Below is the grading scale I use for the quizzes.

100-95 points - Outstanding Insights on all aspects of the question (This means you have seen things that others haven't seen or drawn conclusions that others haven't.) These responses will include specific details from the text, strong concrete references (paraphrases & quoted material), an in-depth thoughtful analysis of the characters as pertains to the quiz question, and evidence that the writer is thinking about the larger implications inherent in their analysis and reading.

90-85 points - Very fine response to most or all aspects of the question. These responses will also include strong supporting details from the text and specific references in way of quotes and/or paraphrased passages. This response will perhaps mention more conventional interpretations of the reading and be less creative, original, detailed, or provocative from readings that receive the full complete 50 points. This is nevertheless a very solid score.

80 points - Good understanding of the story, but responses are somewhat vague or not significantly developed. Student could flesh out response with more specific references to the text and/or more analysis.

75 points - Some understanding of the story, but responses are confusing or vague. Response needs to be more fully fleshed out and developed with references and analysis. Perhaps some issues with language use and style.

70 points or fewer - Weak response with little understanding of the story. Response needs significant development and textual support. Informal language and surface-level concerns likely apply.

To put it another way here is a helpful checklist:

High-scoring Quizzes will include:

-Outstanding Insights on all aspects of the question (This means you have seen things that others haven't seen or drawn conclusions that others haven't.) 

-Specific details from the text that directly apply to the quiz question

-Strong concrete references interspersed (paraphrases & quoted material)

-When needed embedded summary details for context and clarity along with critical reader insights

-An in-depth thoughtful analysis of the characters as pertains to the quiz question

-Evidence that the writer is thinking about the larger implications inherent in their analysis and reading.

-Evidence that the writer has taken the time to develop all aspects of the quiz question thoughtfully and in-depth

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Note: These are older quizzes, but these responses will show you solid examples analyzing books and creating a mini-essay for a quiz response:

 

Quiz over Barefoot Heart

Question: Elva had personal "heroes" in her high school career.  Choose one and use your insights to explain why he or she was a "hero" in her eyes?  Please use textual references to support your answer. 

  

From Marisa:

Elva had many personal "heroes" throughout her high school career.High School was when she felt very vulnerable, especially for her brains and height, and looked for some sort of acceptance or admiration in others.The sense of admiration and acceptance was given most often from her teachers.

I feel that the "hero" who was specifically inspirational to her was Mr. Derderian.He was a new teacher and was teaching English.This was a unique time for Elva because she not only had just started deviating away from being passionate about science to english, but deeply loved reading, writing and storytelling.On the very first day Elva was able to write about the last book she read and a fairy tale.This assignment is what propelled Mr. Derderian into the "hero" role in Elva's eyes.He not only wanted to hear about her personal likes and thoughts on matters, but also wanted to read about a fairy tale written in the typical mexican slang.This showed that he not only took an interest in the student's personal thoughts, but also their culture which shapes them into who they are.

This simple assignment showed her that some people do care about the person underneath it all, and made her look up to him as an idol or a "hero".Also, in result of the assignment given, Mr. Derderian singled Elva out in front of the class to give her praise for her fairy tale.Upon writing it, she felt "... a sweet excitement when I turned it in the next day.I knew it was good.It had come from a place in my soul that was joyful and free and that rarely found expression in my Pearsall life" (176).This shows the joy she felt by having participated in the assignment, and upon receiving the praise she felt that she had touched her teacher and her classmates.Yes, when she was asked to explain the experience behind it she became shy and introverted, but she was still excited about the class and Mr. Derderian. She stated, "But he as very alive.He seemed to be thinking and creating every second and he pulled us along with him" (177).This excitement for being creative was new to Elva, and in turn she began to look up to him as a "hero" for showing her how to release her creativity and accepting it.

The next assignment they were to work on was a diary entry for someone famous. Elva wanted to write about her "heroes" such as dancers and ballerinas, but that promoted feelings of loneliness and being unwanted because she was too tall to be asked to the school dances.Instead of dwelling on the insecurities she poured her heart into the assignment.She stated, "I wrote all my longing into my piece, along with my admiration for and love of hard work and beauty" (177).She pushed forward, past insecurity, to what I believe to be acceptance and admiration from Mr. Derderian and even herself.She felt happy when she was writing her stories and being creative and I think it slowly began to help her become close with herself.Mr. Derderian made her feel that she could be anything, that she "... had finally found a place where being Mexican didn't matter" (178).

Right after Elva has this wondrous feeling, she discovered that Mr. Derderian has been murdered.I felt her sense of loss when this happened as well as her yearning to still have him read her dancer piece and praise her for a good job done.But instead of showing her sadness, she acted like it was nothing and brushed it aside since it was uncommon.Even though Mr. Derderian was gone, Elva still retained important lessons from those few classes she had in his class and it changed her from that point on.She had finally found a way to escape and release her feelings that were inside.Because of her newfound love of writing and reading and creatively expressing herself and the great lasting effects it had on her life, I found Mr. Derderian to be one of her personal "heroes", and in my opinion the most important.

 

From Crystallyn:

I think my personal favorite hero from Elva's high school career was Mr. Derderian. I think he first made a huge impression on her with the color of his skin. She explains "The great majority of the teachers were white; you did not need all the fingers on one hand to count the Mexican teachers in the entire school system" (175). She also describes the first time she sees her new English teacher Mr. Derderian, "His dark eyes examined us out of a shiny, dark brown face" (175). I think it goes beyond just the color of his skin though. I don't think she was impressed just for the fact that he was not white but by the fact that he was a brilliant teacher and was not white. I think a successful role model of the same gender, or race or any similarity allows us to picture ourselves capable of reaching the same successes in life.

More important even than his skin tone though, I think Mr. Derderian made such an impact in her life for his completely new teaching style that really spoke to her. He didn't come in and teach the normal grammar and punctuation that most of her previous English teachers had but came in and asked to see their creativity. It really amazed her when he asked them not to write in perfect English but to rewrite their favorite fairy tale "using Mexican slang words, black jive, teenager parking-lot words, business memo language, or Bible verse language" (176). For the first time ever her writing wasn't going to be judged on how well she could use her second language of English but how well her creativity could shine through. I think when she did receive his praise the next day it meant a lot to her because unlike her other classes that she was so successful in, writing was not a talent where her ability to memorize or know the answer was the point but an area in which she was praised purely for her own creativity. I think it felt good for her to be able to produce something of quality that came not just from her head but from her heart and soul. He brought her creativity out of her for the first time. More than being a good teacher he was a good example, "He was very alive. He seemed to be thinking and creating every second and he pulled us along with him" (177). He inspired them to create and think because he always seemed to be creating and thinking himself and humans tend to learn best by example.

Though he didn't appear to be a part of her life for very long you can see the powerful impact he had even after his death. She had found her joy of writing through him and continued to write after he was gone. I found it very powerful to learn that she continued not just to write after he was gone but continued to write to him. His encouragement meant the world to her because it was encouragement from someone she admired and she still "had things to say, unspoken opinions, and creative juices. He saw all of that in me, and his seeing it made me bigger than I was" (181). His gentle encouragement made her feel comfortable expressing her opinions and creativity to him and she missed having that in her life when he was gone. I feel he had the most powerful impact on her life because he was able to be her role model, her inspiration for creativity, and her encouraging hand along her journey of discovering a love in writing.

 

From Melissa:

On Elva's first day of high school she was startled by the appearance of her English teacher, Mr. Derderian. He dressed in a style that she stated "looked the way I expected my college professors would look someday" (175).Elva was immediately drawn to him because he seemed genuinely interested in the class and was different than any other teacher she had.Mr. Derderian was no ordinary professor and Elva enjoyed writing for his class. She and her classmates were stunned that they were doing something other than "diagramming sentences" (176) and other common English assignments.

Mr. Derderian asked the class to write assignments that made her write from a place hidden deep within her soul. She was allowed to express herself through writing and this brought her great satisfaction. Elva wrote about her exciting new class and said, "Writing my fairy tale felt like eating candy. I felt a sweet excitement...I knew it was good. It had come from a place in my soul that was joyful and free and that rarely found expression in my Pearsall life" (176).Mr. Derderian dared to allow these migrant children to express themselves and this was what Elva had been looking for her entire life. She wanted to be heard and seen and have the ability to express herself and her feelings without being dismissed. This teacher HEARD her and listened. He praised her writing and that was a life changing moment for her. Not only did he allow her to express herself but the fact that he called her up to the front of the class to read her story out loud told her that she had done well and her thoughts SHOULD be heard. As Elva read her story the class listened to her and when she finished they were smiling. "Transference had happened" (177).The class heard her joy in her written words and she was able to make them all smile just by expressing her thoughts.

Up until that point, it doesn't seem like Elva's thoughts or ideas were ever heard, by anyone, and certainly not by her family.(Although, to be fair, it doesn't seem as though Elva voiced her opinion much.)Mr. Derderian gave Elva the confidence to write down her thoughts and ideas and to explore her individuality. On paper she was able to soar through fairytales and smile and feel the way she saw Mr. Derderian, "alive...and thinking and creating every second" (177).When she reflected back on Mr. Derderian she remembered him for his encouragement. He had actually looked at her as a "real person, not a Mexican, not a non-gringo, but a real person with a life, hopes, dreams, and expectations....(with) things to say, unspoken opinions, and creative juices" (181).She craved this kind of attention and desperately wanted someone to see her as something other than a useless girl. Mr. Derderian was that savior for her. He saw in her the things she had longed for her parents to see. Mr. Derderian gave Elva hope for a future where she would be able to express herself and be heard. He gave her confidence in her abilities and therefore became a hero to her.

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Sample Reading Quiz responses from previous semesters about Monster

Below you'll see two exceptional quiz responses based off of another book, a memoir (also called Monster), centered around a young narrator Kody Scott's initiation and affiliation into the Crips. 

 

Question: Based on your understanding of the book, why was Kody drawn into banging while his brothers, with the exception of the younger one he pulled in, avoided being drawn in?  In essence, what was different for/about him, if anything?  Was there anything in his personality that made him susceptible to recruitment?  In his background?  Be as complete as you can and please use textual support to develop your response.

 

 

Student Sample #1: Kody's initiation into the Crips was rooted on many different grounds. The surface characteristics, including a yearning to belong, a longing for respect, a stroke of the ego are all contributors, but it was Kody's childhood is probably what drew him to the Crips more than his siblings. Firstly, Kody and his father Scott, (who we find out later isn't his real father, but rather Dick Bass) never got along, so perhaps his motivation was to belong to a "family" (4) where he'd feel needed and respected. After his first shooting, he loved the feeling of being respected and prioritized building up his reputation. "I took their looks as stares of recognition and respect." He began to covet more, "...A thirst for a reputation” (14). Since there was a void in his family life and he was bored with academics, he replaced his emptiness with "living up to the name [Monster]” (13).

His parents showed favor to the other siblings (348) so O.G.s comprised his new family. His other siblings were content to go on trips with their Dad to go see Grandma, which Kody could never do, and Mama was too busy trying to keep the consequences her promiscuous relationship to a minimum. Kody continues to explain his familial problems, "My siblings always paired off in twos: Kevin and Kim got along best and usually stuck together, Kerwin and Kendis were conspirators, and Shaun and I were comrades. Never had the six of us gone anywhere together or gotten along at the same time. . . Shaun and I were looked upon with dismay by all.” Obviously, families are blood related, but in many cases share hardly anything in common and rarely "get along at the same time” (361). Kody's family was defined by the shared goals he had with Shaun and his homies. Shaun was his brother by blood, but I think Kody looked at him on the same level and with the same perspective that he looked at his other homies from the set. His family couldn't understand him and didn't really want to, so they grew apart.

Kody had a personality that enabled him to fight for a reason and once initiated, he found his purpose: he was living for something, he was fighting for a cause, he was helping others by "protecting his neighborhood.” He felt empowered by being able to "feel like God, take life and give life.” Because he found something that made him feel important and gave him a reason to live, he saw it as, "This was my career, my 'calling,'...” (40). Their brotherhood "overstood” him unlike his mom and family, who didn't understand him: "Didn't mom know who I was? Apparently not” (25).

Of course, other background factors including, "economic destruction, domestic violence, and raging gang wars” (103) triggered his initiation surely, but what kept him in was a different story. His siblings probably turned to school or making money at their job as a means of belonging, whereas Kody said he was bored by school and embarrassed to work because real bangers didn't work unless it was dealing cocaine, "Applying for a job just wasn't the gangsterish thing to do. You either jacked money or sold dope. Working was considered weak” (251). Once his priorities began to change after his conversion, he saw that "My motivation was grounded in being an upright father to my children, and a proper husband to Tamu” (371-2).

When Kody says, "While I take full responsibility for all the wickedness I have done, I do not take pride in it. To me, there is no beauty in destruction for destructions sake” (357) we see that his personality was previously more prone to doing for the sake of doing, to fit in with the gang, now his goals have evolved, he wants practice the Muslim religion and be a good role model for his children.

Some personality traits that made him susceptible to recruitment was his eagerness, based on emotion, rather than logic, the thrill and excitement of the moment rather than a long term rationale. Whether or not this was a personality trait, I am not sure, but it seemed that Kody became immune to the deaths, the murders, the stabbing, some rapes he heard about. "Dropping bodies” became a lifestyle he adjusted to almost instantly, he was conditioned by the older O.G.s to believe it was normal, if not good.

The resounding question in my mind is whether or not, then, Kody is a nonconformist, or a conformist. His susceptibility to PCP, alcohol, and marijuana took off. He adapted quickly to an unhealthy lifestyle that to him, was ultimate. We see though, also, that his transformation from banger to revolutionary child of science was also rather quick. It was hard for him, he said, but ultimately he was supported by his wife Tamu, who converted, and "The entire gang community that supported [his] break and even began to support his efforts, [which] came after an entire year of steadfast practice” (357). So although Kody was drawn in hard core, he longed to escape it and find a way out to a better and more healthy, productive lifestyle.

 

 

Student Sample #2: Scott was drawn into the gang banging life style due to his personality type, the absence of a strong male role model in his life, and the timing of the creation of the Crips gang. He feared and resisted becoming a "victim"; from those who wielded, in his eyes, strength and power in the neighborhood, and from society in general (100). Of his five other siblings, only he and Kershawn were drawn to banging. This is almost a generational effect as his older brothers and sisters were past an age where they would be susceptible to the influences of a newly formed gang. Scott and Kershawn, being the youngest "came of age" just as the Crips were becoming a recognizable force in South Central.

Scott clearly lacked a strong male role model while growing up. The marital infidelities of his mother exacerbated this as his "step" father knew of that Kody was not his child and treated him poorly...excluding him from outings with the other children and by not bonding with the living evidence of his cuckolding. Scott found a mentor and "father" in Tray Ball, the leader of the Eight-Tray Crips who recruited him and wielded a Rasputin like influence over him (14). Tray-Ball instructed and indoctrinated Scott in the ways of the newly emerging rules of the street (15) and a code of conduct which appealed to his dogged personality.

His personality type played a large role in his gang activities. Single-mindedness, obsession, passion and total commitment accentuated his persona. This "Can't stop, won't stop" (95) mind set made him continue with the gang life style even as others would leave, realizing its destructiveness. To Scott there was no half measures. He saw everything in black and white terms, (no pun intended) with no room for grey areas or extenuating circumstances. If a person was not with him, then they were either the enemy or a "civilian", I.E. a victim, and therefore someone to either do battle with or perpetrate crimes on to enhance the standing or wealth of the Eight-tray Crips. His obsessive/compulsive personality is further evinced in his conversion later in life. He gave up banging only to replace it with anti-social Black revolution. He describes this conversion and the waste of banging as "misdirected rage in the form of retarded resistance" (357). 

Scott was drawn into banging by a perfect storm of converging events; The rise of Crips, his status of "Bastard" in a dysfunctional family which made him grow up without a positive male role model, his choice of Tray-Ball to fill that void in his development, and his predisposition to a single-minded resolve to never become a victim. He is a strong willed, anti-social, all-or-nothing person which allowed him to truly become a Monster to society.