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1 Academic DecathlonAcademic DecathlonAcademic DecathlonAcademic Decathlon Practice Test Booklet 2013-2014 World War I Academic Decathlon PO Box 1834, Council Bluffs, IA 51502-1834 866-511-USAD/ Fax: 712-366-3701 Email: / Web site: Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. William B. Travis Hs - Richmond, TXTABLE OF CONTENTS Art 1 Music 11 Mathematics 21 Economics 32 Language and Literature 42 Social Science 53 Science 65 Super Quiz Relay 75 Essay 87 Speech 89 Interview 90 Test Answer Keys 91 Academic Decathlon All Rights Reserved William B. Travis Hs - Richmond, TXFOREWORD The Academic Decathlon is a ten-event scholastic competition for teams of ninth- through twelfth-grade students from high schools throughout the United States.

2 Each team is composed of nine members: 3 Honor (A) students, 3 Scholastic (B) students, and 3 Varsity (C) students. All nine students compete in all ten events with the overall top two Honor scores, top two Scholastic scores, and top two Varsity scores counting toward the overall team ranking. In many states, first-round scrimmages include larger teams. The topics for the ten competitive events are published in the form of subject area outlines in the Study Guide, which is released in May for the following Academic year. The Academic Decathlon competition tests will be written in accordance with the topics and percentages noted in the subject area outlines. The Academic Decathlon competition is comprised of ten events. There are seven multiple-choice exams one in each of the following subject areas: Art, Economics, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Music, Social Science, and Science.

3 The Super Quiz relay will include questions (in multiple-choice format) from the following six subject areas: Art, Economics, Language and Literature, Music, Science, and Social Science. Students will also take an Essay exam and will be judged in a Speech event as well as an Interview event. The multiple-choice exams in Art, Economics, Language and Literature, Music, Science, and Social Science each have 50 questions. The Art tests will include an accompanying PowerPoint slideshow for question 1-10 that are based upon the artwork images. The Music tests will include accompanying listening files for question 1-12 based on the USAD Music CD. Please refer to USAD Practice Test CD for the Art and Music Practice Test files. The Mathematics exam has 35 questions. The Super Quiz Relay format has either 36 or 54 questions, 1 or 3 students on stage at a time.

4 (Coaches can contact their State Director to find out which question format will be used for the Super Quiz oral relay.) The Language and Literature test items will largely be derived from the selected works of literature, though some test items may also be based on information provided in the Language and Literature Resource Guide. Furthermore, Language and Literature tests will include a critical reading passage with accompanying test items. The Language and Literature test will also expect students to be able to analyze the selected works of literature as well as the critical reading passage and will expect students to be familiar with literary terms and devices. The Academic Decathlon offers Resource Guides and Student Exercise Books in Art, Economics, Language and Literature, Music, Science, and Social Science. The Resource Guides and the Student Exercise Books are written by individual writers under contract with the Academic Decathlon .

5 The Resource Guides and Student Exercise Books will assist students in their study of the topics listed in the subject area outlines. All Academic Decathlon competition test items will be derived from the information and concepts presented in the Resource Guides, as well as the selected literature, artworks, and musical works. Students will be given 30 minutes to complete each of the written multiple-choice exams. Students will have 50 minutes to complete the Essay exam. The competition tests are developed each year by individual writers under contract with the Academic Decathlon . The Academic Decathlon contracts with test writers and reviewers who are subject matter experts. Test writers have been instructed to write the competition tests in accordance with the topics and percentages noted in the subject area outlines. Test writers have been instructed to construct tests such that at least 10 20% of the questions on each test will require the use of higher order thinking skills.

6 For more information on higher order thinking skills, please refer to the Academic Decathlon Coach s Handbook. Qualifying and scrimmage competitions are held during the fall; elimination competitions at the district, county, or regional level are held during the winter. Winning teams advance to the state finals in March, and state championship teams attend the national finals in April each year. This booklet contains sample Academic Decathlon tests for the 2013-2014 season. These practice tests are largely illustrative of the form, content, and difficulty level of competition tests . It is recommended that coaches use the Practice Test Booklet to gain an understanding of the test instruments as well as to diagnose and evaluate the strengths of their potential team members. These tests may be reproduced by coaches at the school level for use only with their own teams.

7 These tests may not be reproduced at the district, county, regional, or state level, or for any other purpose, without the express written permission of the Academic Decathlon . Academic Decathlon PO Box 1834, Council Bluffs, IA 51502-1834 866-511-USAD/ Fax: 712-366-3701 Email: / Web site: Copyright 2013. All rights reserved William B. Travis Hs - Richmond, TX1 _____ Academic Decathlon ART PRACTICE TEST 2013-2014 INSTRUCTIONS: On your answer sheet, mark the lettered space (a, b, c, d, or e) corresponding to the answer that BEST completes or answers each of the following test items. _____ I. Questions 1-10 are each based upon one selected artwork from the Academic Decathlon Art Reproductions Booklet. A PowerPoint Slide will be displayed with a different artwork to accompany questions 1-10 listed below.

8 Each slide wll be displayed for approximately 37 seconds. 1. REFER TO SLIDE 1: The colors used a. are of the same value b. are predominantly warm colors c. have intensity and include complements d. are of the same hue e. are local colors 2. REFER TO SLIDE 2: The style of this structure is BEST described as Art Deco. As seen in the tower, Art Deco involves a. complex decorative elements in design b. a geometric, machine-tooled look c. the idea that utility should be the design priority d. abandoning historic style elements e. abandoning the use of architectural sculpture 3. REFER TO SLIDE 3: The men in this painting are stylistically rendered to suggest a. they lack individuality b.

9 There is conviviality c. the artist relied on models d. a measured recession of depth e. they are heroic 4. REFER TO SLIDE 4: The artist has made the viewer feel like part of the audience a. with dramatic lighting b. through loose brushstrokes c. with the inclusion of leering faces d. by establishing a low viewpoint e. by centering the fighters in the composition William B. Travis Hs - Richmond, TX2 5. REFER TO SLIDE 5: The artist has used color a. with intensity, to make the poster eye-catching b. for a conventional, natural look c. to mimic popular nineteenth-century prints d. that was technically limited by the printing process e. symbolically, to identify the sleeper 6. REFER TO SLIDE 6: Which sculpture method was used to produce this gilded bronze figure?

10 A. carving b. modeling c. slab construction d. casting e. welding 7. REFER TO SLIDE 7: With this style, Picasso is primarily interested in a. avoiding intense Fauve color b. challenging conventional Western perspective in painting c. deviating from ideal anatomical proportion d. conveying the sitter s personality e. using geometric form to symbolize the Machine Age 8. REFER TO SLIDE 8: The linen wrappings at the lower half of the sculpture symbolize a. the former limits placed on black identity in America b. Egyptian mummification c. the restraints placed on Ethiopian women d. opposition to Marcus Garvey s Back-to-Africa Movement e. a resurrection from death 9. REFER TO SLIDE 9: The fragmented subject and ambiguous space show that the artist was probably influenced by a. Fauvism b. the pure abstraction of Kandinsky c.