3rd Grade ELA Test Prep

Main Idea

100

The definition of main idea.

What the story is mostly about.

200

Horses run away from danger. If cornered, they will kick or bite. A porcupine has sharp quills that protect it from its enemies. Opossums play dead to avoid danger. A kangeroo kicks out with their powerful hind legs. What is the main idea of this passage?

What is animals defend themselves in different ways to avoid danger.

300

Main Idea: Kangaroo tails are muscular, long and thick at the base. Which is a supporting detail? A. Their tails help them balance and turn when they're hopping. B. Kangaroos also have a pouch, where they carry their babies. C. Kangaroos live in Australia. D. Kangaroos kick their hind legs to defend themselves against predators.

What is Their tails help them balance and turn when they're hopping.

400

There are eight planets in the Solar System, and each one is very different. Some planets, like Jupiter and Saturn are very large. Others, like Mercury and Mars are smaller. Jupiter has moons that are larger than Mercury. The planets also have different atmospheres. Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn have atmospheres of hydrogen and helium. The atmosphere on Venus is made up of carbon dioxide. Earth has a nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere. Neptune’s atmosphere is mostly hydrogen. The planets also have different temperatures. Uranus is the coldest and Venus is the hottest.

The eight planets in the Solar System are very different.

500

Charles Lindbergh was a famous pilot. He was the first person to fly alone nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. He made his flight in 1927. Lindbergh was born in 1902. When he was eight, he saw his first plane. After that, all he dreamed of was flying. When he grew up, he bought an airplane. He had a job delivering airmail. It was a scary job; he had to fly in all kinds of weather. Twice he had to parachute to safety. In 1919 a prize was offered for the first nonstop flight between New York and Paris. A group of men gave Lindbergh money to build a plane that could make such a flight. Lindbergh named his plane the Spirit of St. Louis. On May 20, 1927, Lindbergh set off on his journey. He took off from New York and headed toward Canada. His first problem came when ice began forming on the wings of the plane. This was dangerous. Too much ice could cause the plane to crash. Lindbergh was lucky. After the plane flew out of the clouds, the ice began falling off. His next problem was staying awake for almost a day and a half! Finally, on May 21, after more than 33 hours of flying, the Spirit of St. Louis landed in Paris. Crowds of people were waiting for Lindbergh. They ran across the fields to cheer him. Charles Lindbergh became a hero to the world overnight. What is the main idea of the passage “Charles Lindbergh”? A. Lindbergh flew his own plane as part of his job. B. Lindbergh built a plane to fly across the country. C. Lindbergh was recognized by many for his flying abilities. D. Lindbergh was interested in planes at an early age.

C. Lindbergh was recognized by many for his flying abilities.

Context Clues

100

The definition of context clues.

Using clues from a story to figure out to figure out the meaning of an unknown word

200

Our hockey team was far superior to any other team in the league. We had not lost a game yet! What does "superior" mean?

What is the best/better than the rest.

300

The boy lingered in the stands after the concert. He was hoping to watch the band members pack up. What does "lingered" mean?

What is to stay around.

400

Keep your speech concise to save time. We have many students who need to present their reports. What does "concise" mean?

What is short.

500

The auditorium looks like it is filled to capacity. I don't think we will find an empty seat. What does "capacity" mean?

What is the largest amount possible.

Author's Purpose

100

What is author's purpose?

What is knowing why the author writes in a certain way for their audience.

200

The author's purpose in writing the book, "George Washington Carver: The Peanut Wizard" is to: 

a. to give facts about peanuts

 b. to tell how to grow peanuts

 c. to convince the reader to eat peanuts 

d. learn about the life of George Washington Carver?

d. learn about the life of George Washington Carver

300

A Pittsburgh Steelers fan writes a newspaper article titled, "The Best Football Team in The Nation." The purpose of this article is to: 

a. tell a story about his son who went to a Steelers game

 b. teach how to play football

 c. persuade or convince the reader that The Steelers are the best

c. persuade or convince the reader that The Steelers are the best

400

What is the author's main purpose in writing "Drawing Animals?"

 a. to describe the way animals look 

b. to instruct how to draw animals

 c. to give facts about animals 

d. to tell a story about animals

instruct how to draw animals

500

Most people think that gorillas are mean, but actually they are shy. It seems that such a huge animal with very large teeth would be aggressive. Hollywood movies help convey this image of the scary, ferocious gorilla. In fact, gorillas only attack if they are provoked. However, gorillas usually don't have to fight other animals because of their impressive size. The author believes that

 a. Gorillas are misunderstood as vicious animals.

 b. Gorillas are mean animals. 

c. Gorillas don't like other animals.

 d. Gorillas communicate well with other animals.

a. Gorillas are misunderstood as vicious animals.

Inferences

100

The definition of an inference.

What is using background knowledge and clues from the story to understand what is going on in the story

200

Every day for two weeks, Gabby asked if it was her birthday yet. She was looking forward to her party. On the day before the party, she kept asking if it was time every few hours. How was Gabby feeling?

Impatient, or anxious. She couldn't wait for the party to start.

300

Bobby's dog Pilot somehow got loose. Bobby hasn't seen him for several days. Bobby doesn't feel like eating, and he can't sleep. He just wants Pilot to come home. How does Bobby feel about losing his dog?

Sad, upset, angry

400

Hank fell off his brand new bicycle. He cut his leg, so he went home to clean the cut. He could not stop the bleeding. His mom decided to take him to the doctor. What will most likely happen next?

The doctor will give him stitches, or they will bandage him up. 

Anything that involves going to the doctor and being helped.

500

Jenny was nervous about her math test. It really wasn't her best subject. She studied hard every night for a whole week. After the teacher handed out the tests, Jenny looked her copy over and smiled. What probably caused James to smile?

She had practiced exactly what would be on the test! She knew what to do.