Text Elements and Features
Which statement best describes the main setting?
A. “. . . the cat walked inside, across my desk, and settled on my bed . . .”
B. “. . . Grandfather was standing, leaning against the counter, stirring coffee.”
C. “Grandfather ran his hands over the cat, who peered at him through slit eyes.”
D. “My sister appeared suddenly behind Grandma.”
A. “. . . the cat walked inside, across my desk, and settled on my bed . . .”
Read the sentence:
“But before you travel the globe, take a look at your own backyard.”
What does the phrase “travel the globe” mean as used in the sentence?
A. go for a long walk
B. get in a car for a trip
C. move to a new area
D. journey far from home
D. journey far from home
Read this sentence:
“Sometimes people call ours a ‘throwaway society.’ ”
What evidence does the author provide to support this point?
A. People get rid of stuff easily.
B. People buy things at stores.
C. People like to get things shipped.
D. People outgrow toys after a while.
A. People get rid of stuff easily.
Read the sentences from a story.
"(1) My grandmother asked me to water the tomato plants. (2) I filled the watering can. (3) Then I began to pour water on the plants. (4) A toad jumped down and landed on my shoe. (5) That was sure a surprise."
Which sentence should most likely end with an exclamation point to show excitement?
A. sentence 1
B. sentence 2
C. sentence 3
D. sentence 5
D. sentence 5
Read the paragraph:
(1) Today, art class is fun because I am painting a picture of a garden. (2) In the picture, the sun is shining and a big cloud is floating in the sky. (3) Colorful flowers are growing everywhere. (4) Butterflies and bumblebees were flying around the flowers.
Which change should be made to the paragraph to correct the error in verb tense?
A. Change am painting to was painting in sentence 1.
B. Change is floating to will be floating in sentence 2.
C. Change are growing to were growing in sentence 3.
D. Change were flying to are flying in sentence 4.
D. Change were flying to are flying in sentence 4.
Jamal was nervous about the school talent show. He had practiced his magic trick many times, but he still worried he would mess up. When it was finally his turn, Jamal took a deep breath and remembered all his practice. He performed the trick perfectly, and the audience clapped loudly.
What is the theme of the passage?
A. Magic tricks are easy to perform
B. Practice and courage can help you succeed
C. Talent shows are scary and should be avoided
D. Friends are the most important part of school
B. Practice and courage can help you succeed
Read the sentence:
“Then you can watch with pride as your tree takes root and your garden plants grow from sprigs to big plants full of ripe, red tomatoes or tiny, succulent blueberries.”
What does the word sprigs mean as used in the sentence?
A. store-grown plants
B. trimmed plants
C. young plants
D. broken pieces of plants
C. young plants
Which sentence contains the most specific details?
A. Bring everything you need on the field trip.
B. Bring a bag lunch and a warm jacket on the field trip.
C. Bring all the necessary things on the field trip.
D. Bring something to eat and something warm to wear on the field trip
B. Bring a bag lunch and a warm jacket on the field trip.
Read this sentence: “Don’t eat the cookies yet,” exclaimed Grandma to the children.
Which change in punctuation shows that Grandma was surprised to find the children eating her cookies?
A. Add a comma after Don’t.
B. Change the comma to a question mark after yet.
C. Change the comma to an exclamation mark after yet.
D. Add a comma after exclaimed.
C. Change the comma to an exclamation mark after yet.
Read the sentence:
My brother stayed home even though he _____ have gone outside to play with his friends.
Which word correctly completes the sentence to show that the brother was able to go outside but decided not to?
A. must
B. might
C. could
D. would
C. could
Read this sentence:
“Her face lit up when she saw the cat.”
What does the sentence suggest about the sister?
A. She was excited to see the cat.
B. She wanted to talk to Grandfather about the cat.
C. She hoped she could name the cat.
D. She knew that Grandma would be pleased about the cat.
A. She was excited to see the cat.
Which underlined word is used correctly?
A. Did you get the e-mail I scent you?
B. Will you weight for me at the park?
C. I will bring sum snacks for us to eat.
D. Please do not raise the shade.
D. Please do not raise the shade.
Paragraph shrink this paragraph.
Bees are important insects that help flowers and plants grow. When bees fly from flower to flower, they collect nectar. While doing this, they carry pollen on their bodies. This helps plants make seeds and new plants. Without bees, many fruits and vegetables would not grow as well. Bees live in hives and work together to care for their colony.
Bees help plants grow by moving pollen between flowers.
Read this sentence:
Washington, D.C., is located on the Potomac river near the state of Maryland.
Which underlined word has a mistake in capitalization?
A. Potomac
B. river
C. state
D. Maryland
B. river
Read the sentence:
As for me, I enjoy watching the dark clouds under the window during those cloudy afternoons in late spring.
Which word is not used correctly?
A. for
B. under
C. during
D. in
B. under
How do the headings connect to the text of the passage?
A. The headings summarize the points made in each section.
B. The headings provide the main topic of each section.
C. The headings explain the arguments within each section.
D. The headings help to define new words in each section.
B. The headings provide the main topic of each section.
Read this sentence:
“Experience the outdoors in all sorts of weather—from a sunny day at the beach or lake to a wintry adventure when it snows.”
Which meaning of the word experience is used in the sentence?
A. endure with
B. understand
C. knowledge
D. take on
D. take on
Read these lines:
“It will be my store, and I will say: / ‘What can I do for you today?’ ”
What do these lines most reveal about the speaker?
A. The speaker is confused about how to speak to customers.
B. The speaker wants to surprise people who visit the store.
C. The speaker is interested in meeting new friends.
D. The speaker wants to be helpful to customers.
D. The speaker wants to be helpful to customers.
Read these sentences:
(1) “Where is the colored pencils?” asked Mark. (2) “In the closet are two boxes of pencils,” Mary answered. (3) “The pencils in one box are brand-new,” Henry added. (4) “There are crayons in the closet too,” Mary said.
Which sentence has an error in subject-verb agreement?
A. sentence 1
B. sentence 2
C. sentence 3
D. sentence 4
A. sentence 1
Read the information:
"The Ohio River _______________."
Choose the words that complete the sentence.
A. flowing very quickly
B. for rafting and fishing
C. runs through Pennsylvania
D. along with the Beaver River
C. runs through Pennsylvania
Explain the meaning of "theme" in one to two sentences.
A theme can be an underlying topic of a discussion or a recurring idea in an artistic work.
The teacher gave a stern warning to the class after several students forgot to turn in their homework.
What is a synonym for the word stern?
A. nervous
B. serious
C. tired
D. worried
B. serious
Do you understand what you are reading?
Paragraph shrink this paragraph.
Maya woke up early on Saturday morning and looked outside. The sky was gray, and rain tapped softly on her window. She had planned to play soccer with her friends, but the field would be too wet. Instead, Maya decided to bake cookies with her grandmother. They mixed chocolate chips, flour, and sugar while laughing in the kitchen. By the end of the day, Maya felt happy even though her plans had changed.
Maya changes plans and bakes cookies with grandmother happily.
Read the paragraph.
(1) Adult harp seals live in the Arctic and do not spend very much time on land. (2) Instead, they swim in the ocean waters where it is warmer than on the ice. (3) A harp seal can hold its breath for a long time some stay underwater for fifteen minutes. (4) Holding their breath so long allows them enough time to look for fish to eat.
Which sentence is a run-on?
A. sentence 1
B. sentence 2
C. sentence 3
D. sentence 4
C. sentence 3
Read the paragraph:
Frogs are interesting creatures. Frogs live in wet places such as ponds. They use their sticky tongues to catch food. Frogs never close their eyes, even when they sleep.
Which group of words is being used as a prepositional phrase?
A. interesting creatures
B. in wet places
C. their sticky tongues
D. close their eyes
B. in wet places