Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary Victory
SAID WHAT?
Organize me
Word Play
100

This is the main idea the author wants you to understand from a text. 


a. authors purpose

b. theme 

c. central idea 

Central Idea 

100

"Marcus was famished after the long soccer game. He raced home and ate two sandwiches, an apple, and a bowl of soup." What does 'famished' mean in this passage?

Very hungry

100

The author uses this to show exactly what a character says, marked by quotation marks.

Dialogue 

100

If you're reading about how butterflies change from caterpillars, and the text uses words like "first," "during," and "finally," you're looking at this text structure.

a. Sequence

b. Cause and effect

c. Compare and contrast 

Sequence
100

In the poem "The playground swings danced in the breeze, reaching for the clouds," the swings are doing something only humans typically do. Name this literary device.

a. simile

b. personification 

c. alliteration  


Personification 

200

The snow leopard moved silently across the mountainside, its spotted coat blending perfectly with the rocky terrain. Unlike other big cats that roar, the snow leopard makes a unique sound called a chuff - a friendly, non-threatening puff of air. These solitary cats rarely meet except during mating season, but scientists have discovered they communicate by leaving scent marks on rocks and scratching marks on trees. They patrol territories as large as 50 square miles, using their long, thick tails for balance as they leap between cliffs.

What is the main purpose of this passage?
A) To explain why snow leopards are endangered
B) To describe key characteristics of snow leopards
C) To compare snow leopards to other big cats
D) To argue for snow leopard conservation

B) To describe key characteristics of snow leopards

200

"The archaeologist was ecstatic when she discovered the ancient pottery. After twenty years of digging at this site, she had finally found what she was looking for." What does 'ecstatic' mean?

Overjoyed/extremely happy/thrilled

200
  1. Read this sentence: "I can't find my homework" said James "I think I left it at school."

Which shows the correct punctuation?

A) "I can't find my homework," said James. "I think I left it at school." 

B) "I can't find my homework" said James, "I think I left it at school."

 C) "I can't find my homework," said James, "I think I left it at school" 

D) "I can't find my homework" said James. "I think I left it at school"

A) "I can't find my homework," said James. "I think I left it at school."

200
  1. Read this passage: Because more people are using cars instead of public transportation, city traffic has become worse. This increased traffic means longer commute times. As a consequence, workers are arriving late to their jobs. Due to all these late arrivals, many businesses are now allowing employees to work from home.

Which signal words help identify this as a cause and effect text structure?

A) First, next, then, finally 

B) Unlike, while, but, however

C) Because, this means, as a consequence, due to

D) For example, specifically, especially, particularly

C) Because, this means, as a consequence, due to

200

"Tommy's new sneakers were rockets on his feet as he raced across the playground."

This is an example of:
A) A metaphor
B) A simile
C) Personification
D) Hyperbole

Metaphor 

300

 

  1. Marcus stared at his lunch tray, pushing the mystery meat around with his fork. The cafeteria was loud with conversation, but he felt invisible. Just as he was about to give up and throw his lunch away, Elena waved from across the room. "Hey, want to sit with us?" she called out.

What can you infer about Marcus?
A) He doesn't like cafeteria food
B) He's feeling lonely at school
C) He's new to the school
D) He's friends with Elena


B) He's feeling lonely at school

300
  1. The persistent young scientist refused to give up on her experiment. Like Thomas Edison, she believed each unsuccessful attempt taught her something valuable. 

In the passage, what does persistent mean?
A) talented and skilled
B) easily discouraged
C) working quickly
D) continuing despite difficulty

D) continuing despite difficulty

300

Choose the correctly written dialogue:
A) "Where did you put you're jacket." asked Mom?
B) "Where did you put your jacket?" asked Mom.
C) "Where did you put your jacket?", Asked Mom.
D) "Where did you put you're jacket?", asked Mom.

D) "Where did you put you're jacket?", asked Mom.

300

The water cycle is Earth's way of recycling water. When the sun heats water in oceans, lakes, and rivers, it turns into water vapor through a process called evaporation. This vapor rises into the air and forms clouds through condensation. When the clouds become heavy with water droplets, precipitation occurs as rain or snow. The water then returns to Earth's bodies of water, and the cycle continues.

  1. What is the BEST way to describe how this passage is organized?
    A) Problem and solution
    B) Cause and effect
    C) Sequential order
    D) Compare and contrast

C) Sequential order

300

"I'm so hungry I could eat a million pizzas!"
This is hyperbole because:
A) It uses comparison
B) It gives human qualities to objects
C) It uses extreme exaggeration
D) It uses "like" or "as"

C) It uses extreme exaggeration

400
  1. Read the passage:
    Maya stared at the blank canvas, her paintbrush hovering uncertainly above it. Last week's art show disaster kept replaying in her mind. But then she remembered what her grandmother always said: "Every masterpiece starts with a single brush stroke." Taking a deep breath, Maya dipped her brush in the bright blue paint and began.

What is the theme of this passage?
A) It's important to overcome fear and try again
B) Grandmothers give the best advice
C) Art shows are stressful experiences
D) Blue is the best color for painting

A) It's important to overcome fear and try again

400

Read this passage:
The archaeologists were ecstatic when they discovered the ancient artifacts buried beneath the desert sand. Their hands trembled with excitement as they gently brushed away centuries of dust. After searching this site for months without finding anything significant, this discovery was exactly what they had hoped for.

Which phrase from the passage BEST helps explain the meaning of ecstatic?
A) "buried beneath the desert sand"
B) "hands trembled with excitement"
C) "searching this site for months"
D) "gently brushed away"

B) "hands trembled with excitement"

400
  1. Read this conversation:
    "I know _ going to win the game," said Coach.
    "_ team has practiced every day," added Sarah.
    "_ right about that!" agreed Tom.

Which set correctly fills the blanks?
A) their, Our, Your
B) they're, Are, You're
C) we're, Our, You're
D) were, Hour, Your

C) we're, Our, You're

400
  1. The Great Chicago Fire destroyed much of the city in 1871. To prevent future disasters, city officials required new buildings to be made of brick or stone instead of wood. They also created better training for firefighters and improved the water supply system. These changes made Chicago a much safer city.

This passage combines which TWO text structures?
A) Cause and effect and problem/solution
B) Description and sequence
C) Compare and contrast and sequence
D) Description and cause and effect

A) Cause and effect and problem/solution

400

"When Emma spilled paint on her new dress, her mom told her not to cry over spilled milk."
The idiom means:
A) Clean up the mess quickly
B) Milk is worse than paint
C) Be more careful next time
D) Don't be upset about accidents

D) Don't be upset about accidents

500
  1. Jake's stomach felt like a thousand butterflies were throwing a party inside it. Today was his first baseball game, and everyone was watching. His hands trembled as he stepped up to the plate, but when he saw his dad giving him a thumbs-up from the bleachers, his nerves settled just enough.

How does the author develop the character's feelings?
A) Through dialogue with other characters
B) Through the weather and setting
C) Through physical descriptions and actions
D) Through memories of past games

C) Through physical descriptions and actions

500

Scientists have made an exciting discovery about how dolphins sleep. Unlike humans, dolphins can rest half of their brain at a time. While one half sleeps, the other half stays alert to watch for danger and control breathing. This is called unihemispheric sleep. Dolphins must swim to the surface for air every few minutes, so they can never fully fall asleep like humans do. This amazing ability helps them survive in the ocean, where they need to stay constantly aware of predators and maintain their position in the water.

  1. Based on the passage, what does unihemispheric mean?
    A) Sleeping deeply underwater
    B) Using one half of something
    C) Swimming to the surface
    D) Watching for danger

B) Using one half of something

500
  1. My brother who loves skateboarding has won three competitions this year.

Where should commas be placed in this sentence?
A) My brother, who loves skateboarding has won three competitions this year.
B) My brother who loves skateboarding, has won three competitions this year.
C) My brother, who loves skateboarding, has won three competitions this year.
D) My brother who loves skateboarding has won, three competitions this year.

C) My brother, who loves skateboarding, has won three competitions this year.

500
  1. Paragraph 1: "Tornadoes are powerful storms that can destroy buildings and uproot trees. These funnel-shaped clouds can spin at speeds over 300 miles per hour. The strongest tornadoes can be more than a mile wide."

Paragraph 2: "When warm air rises and meets cool air, it can start spinning. If conditions are right, this spinning air can reach down to the ground, forming a tornado. The faster the warm air rises, the stronger the tornado becomes."

These paragraphs use different text structures. Which statement is correct?
A) Both use sequence of events
B) Both use cause and effect
C) Paragraph 1 uses description, Paragraph 2 uses cause and effect
D) Paragraph 1 uses problem/solution, Paragraph 2 uses sequence

C) Paragraph 1 uses description, Paragraph 2 uses cause and effect

500

The ancient oak tree stood guard over the playground, its branches reaching out like protective arms, while its leaves whispered warnings about the approaching storm."

Name 3 types of figurative language in this text 

Personification, metaphor, simile 

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