Reading

Main Idea

100

There are many kinds of stories. One kind is called a folk tale. Folk tales are stories that have been told over and over again. No one knows who made them up. Some stories changed as people told them. Some are two or more stories put together through the years of telling. For many years folk tale tales were not put in writing. They were only told. Now you may find folk tales in a book and read them. One folk tale you may have heard or read is Snow White. Folk tales are __________? A) New Stories B) Funny Stories C) Old Stories

C) Old Stories

200

Have you ever looked at a bee? If you see a bee on a flower, take a close look. Do you see many little hairs? The hairs hold something that looks like bits of dust. This "dust" is called pollen. The pollen is food that the bee takes from the flowers. The bee flies from flower to flower and plant to plant. From some plants it carries away pollen. On other plants it drops off pollen. In this way the bee carries pollen from one plant to another. The pollen helps new plants to grow. While the bee gets food, it is also starting new plants. The story could also be called A) Flowers B) How Bees Help Plants C) Food

B) How Bees Help Plants

300

What do you think of when you think of the earth? A huge ball? Mountains? Countries? Forests? All of these things are part of the earth, but they are all land. The fact is that almost all of the surface of the earth is water. The water on the earth covers two times as much surface as the land. Can you see why most people used boats for travel long ago before airplanes were invented? Most travel long ago was A) by airplane and boat B) by airplane C) by boat

C) by boat

400

Why do people have home gardens? What do people plant in them? Most people who plant home gardens do so because they want the best fruits and vegetables. They also want to save money and have fun. The only plant most people want to grow is the tomato. Almost all home gardens grow the tomato. Many people also grow beans, peas, and lettuce. Many other vegetables are also grown in home gardens. Not as many fruits are grown. The three fruits most people grow are tomatoes, strawberries and apples. The one plant most home gardens have is A) The tomato B) Corn C) Apples

A) The tomato

500

What happens when paper money gets too old or dirty to be used? It's burned. From banks all over, old bills are sent to a few large banks. The numbers on the bills are checked. Sometimes the bills are cut in two. The Treasury burns about thirty-five million dollars a day. Once the Treasury tried to was and clean dirty paper money. This didn't work very well. The washing hurt the ink. Old coins are not like paper money. They can be of some use. They are melted down and the metal is used again. When paper money gets too old to be used, it is A) melted B) washed C) burned

C) burned

Context Clues

100

I slammed the front door today. I didn't intend to. Now I'm in __________. I forgot to throw out the trash. Now I'm in trouble. I planted my seeds. That was important. Fill in the blank. A) turning B) yellow C) feathers D) trouble

D) trouble

200

I gave Grandmother a crayon picture. She liked it. I helped Dad fix the door. Now I'm not in trouble. I'm _________ I'm not in trouble. Fill in the blank. A) keep B) happy C) feathers D) trouble

B) happy

300

Dogs dig! They enjoy digging. They dig holes to bury _________. They dig holes under fences. Fill in the blank. A) Cakes B) boxes C) bones D) picnics

C) bones

400

Sometimes they get into trouble with their __________. They did and dig and dig. Fill in the blank. A) Digging B) mining C) peanut D) quiet

A) Digging

Sequencing

100

Can you turn a glass of water over without spilling it? It is a fun trick. You can learn to do it easily. To start, you fill a glass with water. Next, you place a piece of heavy paper over the top of the glass. You must use heavy paper. Another kind will not work. The heavy paper helps create a suction in the glass. When this is done, turn the glass over slowly. You should keep your hand on the paper. When you have turned the glass over take you hand from the paper. You will find that the trick really works. The suction holds the water in the glass. Most of the time it does this without spilling a drop of water. What is the second thing you do in this trick?

Put a heavy piece of paper over the glass

200

Popcorn is easy to grow. You can buy seeds from a catalog or you can plant corn that is used for popping. Farmers plant popcorn after the soil has warmed and the danger of frost has passed. Popcorn is always planted in rows. It is planted this way s that the wind can distribute the pollen effectively. If this were not done, there would be fewer kernels on the cob. Popcorn is left on the plant until after the first hard freeze. Then, at this time, the farmers pick it and pull the husk back to the end of the cob. Popcorn must be dried right away, so the farmers tie the corn into bunches and hang it in a cool, dry place. The popcorn stays here for about thirty days. When the popcorn is dry, the kernels are hulled form the cob. This is sometimes done by pushing the kernels with the thumb so that they pop right off. After the popcorn has been hulled, it is stored in a cool, dry place until it is ready to be popped. What happens first after the popcorn is dry?

It is hulled.

300

Can you turn a glass of water over without spilling it? It is a fun trick. You can learn to do it easily. To start, you fill a glass with water. Next, you place a piece of heavy paper over the top of the glass. You must use heavy paper. Another kind will not work. The heavy paper helps create a suction in the glass. When this is done, turn the glass over slowly. You should keep your hand on the paper. When you have turned the glass over take you hand from the paper. You will find that the trick really works. The suction holds the water in the glass. Most of the time it does this without spilling a drop of water. What is the third thing you do in this trick?

Turn the glass over very slowly

400

Frost creates spectacular designs. Many of these designs can be seen growing on windows during the winter months. The frost crystals start to form on windows when temperatures drop below freezing. The low temperatures cause the window to cool below the condensation point of the air around it. When this happens, water vapor condenses on the glass, and the frost begins to grow. The ice crystals usually grow first around small irregularities on the surface of the glass or around a bit of dirt. As the first crystals grow, some of the smaller ones evaporate. This vapor then condenses on the larger crystals and recrystallizes. As the frost melts and recrystallizes, it creates a beautiful feathery pattern on the glass. It is quite exquisite to see. Unfortunately, window frost does not linger for long, but until it does melt, the icy designs are spectacular. What happens to water vapor in low temperatures?

It condenses in to frost crystals

500

Popcorn is easy to grow. You can buy seeds from a catalog or you can plant corn that is used for popping. Farmers plant popcorn after the soil has warmed and the danger of frost has passed. Popcorn is always planted in rows. It is planted this way s that the wind can distribute the pollen effectively. If this were not done, there would be fewer kernels on the cob. Popcorn is left on the plant until after the first hard freeze. Then, at this time, the farmers pick it and pull the husk back to the end of the cob. Popcorn must be dried right away, so the farmers tie the corn into bunches and hang it in a cool, dry place. The popcorn stays here for about thirty days. When the popcorn is dry, the kernels are hulled form the cob. This is sometimes done by pushing the kernels with the thumb so that they pop right off. After the popcorn has been hulled, it is stored in a cool, dry place until it is ready to be popped. What happens first after the popcorn is dry?

It is tied in branches and hung to dry.

Cause/Effect

100

What is the CAUSE of Jan picking peppers? A) She had planted many carrot seeds B) She had planted many pepper seeds C) She bought a lot of peppers at the store

B) She had planted many pepper seeds

200

The alarm clock rang before the sun came up. What is the cause? A) The family wanted to wake up before lunch B) The family wanted to wake up very early in the morning C) The family went to sleep very late

B) The family wanted to wake up very early in the morning

300

Jane's favorite kind of cake is chocolate cake. What is the effect? A) The store sells chocolate cake B) None of her friends like chocolate cake C) Jane baked a chocolate cake.

C) Jane baked a chocolate cake.

400

The car ran out of gas so it stopped on the road. What is the cause and what is the effect? A) The cause is the car ran out of gas, the effect is it stopped on the road B) The cause is the car stopped on the road, the effect is it ran out of gas

A) The cause is the car ran out of gas, the effect is it stopped on the road

500

School was dismissed two hours early due to the winter weather advisory. What is the cause and what is the effect? A) The cause was school was dismissed two hours early, the effect is due to the winter weather advisory B) The cause is the effect is due to the winter weather advisory, the effect is school was dismissed two hours early

B) The cause is the effect is due to the winter weather advisory, the effect is school was dismissed two hours early