Main Idea
Mrs. Watson kept reminding Byron to do his homework. “I know, I know!” was Byron’s constant reply. The next day Mrs. Watson got a note from Byron’s teacher, explaining that Byron missed all of his homework assignments for the quarter. Byron was then grounded, so he couldn’t go to a party with his best friend, Barry.
Which is the best theme?
A. Friendship
B. A young boy forgets to do his homework
C. Sometimes parents are too strict
D. It is important to live up to your responsibilities
D. It is important to live up to your responsibilities.
Caroline and Deborah are best friends. Caroline has a tendency to boss Deborah around. She usually chooses which table to sit at during lunch. Deborah often shares her lunch with Caroline. When she goes back for more food, she always asks everyone at her table if they need anything. Caroline wouldn’t do that.
Which word BEST describes Deborah?
A. Bossy
B.Funny
C. Kind
D. Lonely
C. Kind
Which element of plot comes after the conflict has already been established, but before the outcome can be predicted?
A. Resolution
B. Conflict
C. Exposition
D. Falling Action
E. Rising Action
E. Rising Action
The population, always sparse in the desert and steppe regions, was warned of the upcoming dust storm.
What does “sparse” mean in this sentence?
A. curious
B. small
C. resistant
D. idealistic
B. small
The class had a choice between two projects. The first one was a journal about summer vacation. The second was a report about copy paper.
Which project would contain more personal thoughts?
The journal would contain more personal thoughts.
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
What is the main idea of this poem?
A. Green is associated with nature.
B. Flowers are beautiful in the spring.
C. A garden is filled with flowers and plants.
D. Enjoy the beauty of nature while it lasts.
D. Enjoy the beauty of nature while it lasts.
Charlie likes to play basketball occasionally. Juan completes his homework most of the time. Doug knows how to build bird houses and is successful on his football team. Kent never forgets to hold the door for his classmates.
Which boy can be considered “accomplished”?
A. Juan
B. Kent
C. Charlie
D. Doug
D. Doug
(Accomplished – highly trained or skilled)
(1) Jeremy’s main goal during summer vacation was to beat his father at chess. (2) Jeremy’s father was a very good chess player. (3) Jeremy practiced night and day, and read everything he could about winning this game. (4) Finally, on the last day of summer break, he beat his father. (5) He jumped with joy! (6) His father congratulated Jeremy on his win.
Which sentence represents the climax?
(4) Finally, on the last day of summer break, he beat his father.
Climax: He beat his father at chess.
(1) Therefore, it is important to brush your teeth three times a day. (2) Another benefit of brushing your teeth is to prevent cavities. (3) Cavities can be very painful and must be treated by a dentist. (4) Brushing your teeth helps keep your breath fresh.
These sentences are out of order. What is the correct order?
The correct order is 4, 2, 3, 1:
(4) Brushing your teeth helps keep your breath fresh. (2) Another benefit of brushing your teeth is to prevent cavities. (3) Cavities can be very painful and must be treated by a dentist. (1) Therefore, it is important to brush your teeth three times a day.
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Nelson Mandela
(1) James was learning how to ride a bike. (2) He was nervous about falling down. (3) When he fell, he got up and then went on to learn how to ride without falling. (4) James enjoyed his bike for years to come.
Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the idea behind the quote from Nelson Mandela?
(3) When he fell, he got up and then went on to learn how to ride without falling.
Brian was born right before The Great Depression. He managed to escape an orphanage, and was on a mission to find his father. He met a number of interesting people during his adventure, and finally located his father. Although it took him a while, his father was eventually very grateful to have his son in his life again.
Which is the best theme?
A. A boy finds his father.
B. A boy was born before the Great Depression and lived in an orphanage.
C. The importance of family.
D. The importance of working hard and staying in school.
C. The importance of family.
While in gym class, Angela stole the ball and ran away. Benjamin sat on the bench and refused to play. Jessica scored three out of the four goals, but didn’t brag about it. Joe wanted to play the whole game because he loves soccer so much.
Which child showed good sportsmanship?
A. Angela
B. Benjamin
C. Jessica
D. Joe
C. Jessica
(Good sportsmanship is when people who are playing or watching a sport treat each other with respect.)
(1) Mallory loves her green pants more than any other pair. (2) She was given the pants for her birthday. (3) One day, she couldn’t find them. (4) She freaked out because she wanted to wear them on the first day of school. (5) Then, she decided to look in the dryer. (6) They were there! (7) She quickly got dressed and walked to the bus stop.
Which sentence represents the conflict of the story?
(3) One day, she couldn’t find them.
The conflict of the story is the problem. The problem is that Mallory can’t find her green pants.
(1) Beth quickly handed out the math papers for Mrs. Jackson. (2) Tim frowned when he saw his lower-than-expected grade. (3) Tanya smiled as wide as a river when she noticed her grade. (4) The last paper was Kimberley’s. (5) She was a ray of sunshine when she left the classroom.
Which sentence reveals a simile?
(3) Tanya smiled as wide as a river when she noticed her grade.
Stand tall,
stand strong,
and your strength
will guide you.
Marian was a freshman, but she wanted to make the varsity basketball team. All of her friends told her to give up the dream. They said freshmen only make the freshmen team. Marian knew she was good enough for varsity. She did not take her friends’ advice. She attended the varsity team tryout.
Which character trait do the speaker in the poem, and the excerpt, have in common?
A. Confident
B. Friendly
C. Athletic
A. Confident
There is not enough information from the texts to label them “friendly.” The person from the excerpt is “athletic,” but we do not have enough information from the poem to label the speaker “athletic.”
Phil did not make the basketball team. Although upset, he didn’t give up. He shot hoops every day after school. On the weekends, he joined neighborhood games. His father practiced with him and gave him tips. The next year, he made the team!
What is the theme?
A. Basketball is fun.
B. Work hard to reach goals in life.
C. Everyone should make the team.
D. Be careful what you wish for.
B. Work hard to reach goals in life.
“When will you learn to be nice to your sister?” asked Mrs. Jones.
“When will she start being nice to me?” asked David.
“She is always nice to you. She even made your bed today.”
“So what. I didn’t want her to make it anyway,” said David.
“I don’t know what I am going to do with you,” responded
Mrs. Jones with a sigh.
Which of the following best describes how Mrs. Jones is feeling?
A. Extremely angry
B. Very frustrated
C. Quite cheerful
D. Very sarcastic
B. Very frustrated
If you wrote a murder mystery, during which element of plot would the murderer be revealed?
During the climax of the story.
(1) Karen was nervous about her driving test. (2) She followed all of the driving commands. (3) She looked nervously at her teacher. (4) Her teacher smiled at her to let her know she passed. (5) She is going to drive home!
During which sentence does the mood begin to change?
(4) Her teacher smiled at her to let her know she passed.
It is very important to study. Without knowledge, one cannot be successful in life. Success comes from gaining knowledge. Knowledge is also very important to shaping our personalities. How we present ourselves to the world is apparent through our individual personalities.
What two things does the author attribute to “knowledge”?
According to the author, knowledge makes us successful and shapes our personalities.