Informational Text
Fireflies
Fireflies are a type of beetle. They live in warm, moist areas. The glow of fireflies can be seen at night. Fireflies have special organs that make light. These organs are located under their stomachs. The insects take in air. Then cells in the special organ make their stomachs light up. Scientists have learned that fireflies use their lights to communicate with each other. Each type of firefly can be identified by the unique pattern it uses to flash its light. Flash patterns differ in color, length, number of flashes, and pauses in between flashes. A male firefly flies around and flashes its light in order to find a mate. When a female firefly sees a pattern from a male of her kind, she might respond with the same flash pattern. Females choose males with the brightest lights.
differ in color, length, number of flashes, and pauses in between flashes
7 “But all the stuff in that room is mine. It’s decorated with posters of my favorite baseball players.”
8 “I know it’s not exactly fair,” Mom said, “but if you want your own room, you’ll have to make some concessions.”
9 I knew she meant I had to let Kirk have his own way.
In paragraph 8, the word concessions refers to something that is —
F created by accident
G decided without much thought
H kept in a special area
J done in order to come to an agreement
J done in order to come to an agreement
Read the dictionary entry.
dissolve \dǨ˙Ɏz|älv\ verb
1. to melt into a liquid
2. to undo or break apart
3. to fade away
4. to be overcome with emotion
Which definition of the word dissolve is used in line 8?
Fishing poles, rafts,
rainy day games
pack up
and hit the highway
5 just when you start to get bickery and bored
stores and factories
dissolve into cows and cornflowers
10 cars
grow outnumbered
by trees
A Definition 1
B Definition 2
C Definition 3
D Definition 4
C Definition 3
2 I fancy I still have confused recollections of that illness. I especially remember the tenderness with which my mother tried to soothe me...But, except for these fleeting memories, if, indeed, they be memories, it all seems very unreal, like a nightmare.
In paragraph 2, the word recollections comes from a Latin root that means-
A behave
B remember
C respond
D discuss
B remember
2 Having an international pen pal provides countless benefits, both immediate and long-term. When you correspond with someone from a foreign country, you learn to see the world through that person's eyes. Your perception of the world broadens. you want to learn more about different cultures. Having a pen pal in a faraway place gives you a personal connection.
In paragraph 2, the word perception means-
F language or custom from a different culture
G act or result of getting information through the senses
H letter written by hand or with a computer
J knowledge of history
G act or result of getting information through the senses
The vessel, the USS Hunter, sat alone in the dock for many years. The ancient ship moved gently and sometimes violently with the waves. Its sails were tattered or worn-out from strong winds blowing across the sea. The ship was equipped with only oars to move the ship. It was old-fashioned. Newer ships had taken its place on the high seas. Now, the USS Hunter drifted quietly with the waves.
Which word from the first sentence helps the reader know what vessel means?
A. dock
B. alone
C. years
D. sat
A. dock
10 I listened to the players’ shoes squeaking loudly on the court. Sometimes
I could even hear the players talking to one another. On television they
didn’t look so immense, but they towered above me in real life.
11 I watched the game from the edge of my seat. With 3 seconds left in the
game, the Raiders were winning 94 to 93. Dwight ran right in front of
me, caught a pass from another player, and slammed the ball into the
basket as the buzzer sounded.
Which words from paragraph 10 help the reader understand the meaning of immense?
F squeaking loudly
G talking to one another
H towered above me
J in real life
H towered above me
Backbone straight
Step up to the plate
Puff up your chest and lungs
Swallow the fruit
Ready to shoot
Put the pit in the groove of your tongue
One more tip:
Round your lips
To launch it without a hitch
Don't get tense
Aim for the fence
Wind up like you're fixing to pitch
Which line from the poem best helps the reader understand the meaning of launch?
A Backbone straight
B One more tip:
C Round your lips
D Aim for the fence
D Aim for the fence
11 Wagner is considered by many to be the greatest shortstop of all time. He was one of the first five players selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. At the time of his death in 1955, Wagner still held many National League records. Wagner worked hard to become a professional baseball player. His journey continues to motivate young people who aspire to be professional athletes.
In paragraph 11, the word aspire means to —
F encourage a friend
G arrange a meeting
H design a project
J seek a goal
J seek a goal
Many animals live in the rain forests of Costa Rica. About 4 percent of all the world's creatures live in this tiny country! Its location means it has many kinds of animals. Some of these animals can only be found in Costa Rica.
Based on the sentences above, what does the word creatures mean?
C. animals
22 “Princess,” Jacob added. “That’s her name.”
23 The girl’s blue eyes narrowed. She looked at Jacob, then at
Roddy. Then she looked down at the doghouse.
24 “You are so not bright,” she said. “I’m Princess. Princess
Thornberry. My stepmother Linda dropped me off an hour ago. And if
you think I’m going to sleep in a broken down doghouse, you’re
crazy. Your mom said I get the bedroom with all the dinosaur
posters.”
25 Roddy blinked. “Now just wait,” he sputtered. “You’re not—you
can’t—you’re not a dog.”
26 “Smart kid,” the girl said. “You should be a detective.”
In paragraph 25, the word sputtered means-
F spoke in a confused way
G acted out in an amusing way
H made a polite suggestion
J moved at a slow pace
6 MIKE: [Peeking through the living room curtains.] Um, maybe we should just leave it alone. We don’t want to miss the best part of the movie.
7 CARL: Don’t worry. I’m recording the movie. Let’s go find out what’s wrong. What’s better than a real-life mystery anyway?
8 [Carl exits stage right. Mike groans and reluctantly follows him.]
In paragraph 8, the word reluctantly means -
A playfully
B impatiently
C admiringly
D unwillingly
D unwillingly
2 Calendars are based on three key events of astronomy: days, months, and years. A day measures the time from one sunrise to the next, or one complete rotation of Earth. A year tracks the number of days it takes for Earth to complete a single revolution around the sun.
Read the dictionary entry below.
track//trak/noun
1. a line of rail on which a train runs 2. a footprint or other mark left by an animal, person, or vehicle verb 3. to follow or pursue a person or animal 4. to follow the course or progress of; to keep record of
Which definition of the word track is used in paragraph 2?
A Definition 1
B Definition 2C Definition3
D Definition 4
D. Definition 4
Many changes were made in the workplace in the 1960s. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 made it against the law to pay women less money than men. Since then, the wage gap between men and women has been closing at a rate of less than half a penny a year. It will still take time for women to reach the goal of equal pay for equal work.
What is the meaning of the word wage in the paragraph above?
C. pay
12 Shere Khan had jumped at a woodcutter's campfire, as Father Wolf had said, and was furious from the pain of his burned feet. But Father Wolf knew that the mouth of the cave was too narrow for a tiger to come in by. Even where he was, where Khan's shoulders and forepaws were cramped for want of room, as a man's would be if he tried to fight in a barrel.
In paragraph 12, the word cramped means -
F severely limited
G very small
H tucked tightly
J deeply pained
H tucked tightly
6 Ma quickly became extremely skilled with the instrument, and at the age of five he performed in his first recital. His fingers were agile. They moved like graceful dancers on the strings. The audience could not believe that such a young boy made such extraordinary music
In paragraph 6, the word agile describes movement that is —
F made with much effort
G new and uncertain
H learned over time
J quick and natural
J quick and natural
4 Next, scientists used technology to find out why the koalas behaved differently depending on the weather. They placed a special infrared camera on a long pole. The camera measured the air temperatures surrounding the animals wherever they chose to sit. Then scientists took photos. The camera made thermal images that showed heat. In thermal images, darker colors show cooler temperatures. Lighter colors represent hotter temperatures. Used with permission. A thermal image shows that this koala’s body temperature is higher than the temperature of the tree trunk.
5 These images verified that koalas hug trees to keep cool. They showed that the tree trunks and lower limbs were up to nine degrees cooler than the surrounding air. The trees kept co
Read this information about the origin of the word verify.
from Latin verus, meaning “true”
This information helps the reader know that verified in paragraph 5 means —
A proved
B compared
C observed
D suspected
A proved
2 I decided to explain my situation to the man behind the counter. I said, “I don’t get a big enough allowance to afford something this fancy. But I love this collar and leash, and so does my dog, and I was thinking that maybe you could set me up on an installment plan.”
3 “Installment plan?” said the man.
4 “Gertrude!” somebody screamed in a real irritating voice.
5 I looked around. It was a parrot. She was sitting on top of one of the fish tanks, looking right at me.
In paragraph 4, what does the word irritating mean?
A Low
B Curious
C Nervous
D Annoying
D Annoying
1 Born in New York City in 1904, Margaret learned tobe brave and daring from her mother. She absorbed her father's love of engineering and design. He designed printing presses, but his fascination with light led him to tinker with cameras and lenses in his free time. One day he took Margaret along on a work trip to a foundry, where metal is melted and poured into forms. From a high perch, young Margaret became captivated by the magic of flowing metal and shooting sparks. She saw a kind of beauty in industry that many others never noticed.
In paragraph 2, the word captivated comes from a Latin root that means-
F pleased
G taken
H frightened
J imprisoned
G taken