Comprehension
An Ancient Wonder
The Egyptians made statues of sphinxes to honor kings and queens. A sphinx has the head of a human and the body of a lion. The oldest and largest sphinx is the Great Sphinx. It was built in the desert near Giza, Egypt, thousands of years ago. At times the Great Sphinx has been buried by sand. Weather has worn away part of the stone. Today scientists are working on ways to save the Great Sphinx.
What is the land like where the Great Sphinx stands?
A. snowy
B. dry
C. rainy
D. full of trees
B. dry
Many plants grow in places that do not have the minerals they need. The plants must adapt to their surroundings. One of these plants is the pitcher plant. It traps and eats insects for the minerals it needs to grow properly.
What does the word adapt mean?
A. enjoy
B. answer
C. adjust
D. hatch
C. adjust
Colorblindness has to do with a person's lack of ability to see colors. But it doesn't affect a person's sight. people with full color vision have three kinds of cone-shaped cells in their eyes. One kind of cone sees red, another sees green, and a third one sees blue. A person who is colorblind is missing one or more kinds of these cones. Red-green colorblindness is the most common. People with this kind of colorblindness see red or green as gray or brown. They don't have red or green cones.
What is the main idea of this story?
A. If people are missing certain cone-shaped cells in their eyes, they are colorblind.
B. There are a number of people who are colorblind.
C. Red-green colorblindness is very common.
D. People who are colorblind wear glasses.
A. If people are missing certain cone-shaped cells in their eyes, they are colorblind.
Michael liked the cool, crisp fall weather so much that he actually enjoyed raking leaves. One day he noticed that Mr. Longly;s yard down the road was full of leaves. Michael knew that Mr. Longly used a wheelchair to get around. That day after school, Michael picked up his rake and headed for Mr. Longly's house.
Why did Michael go to Mr. Longly's house?
A. Michael felt sorry for him because he uses a wheelchair to get around.
B. He enjoyed raking leaves so much that he went looking for some more.
C. He didn't want to go inside because he enjoyed the fall weather so much.
D. He wanted to rake his leaves because Mr. Longly could not do it himself.
D. He wanted to rake his leaves because Mr. Longly could not do it himself.
When answering the extended response question, how many paragraphs should you have?
Hint: it will use the term multi-paragraph
A. 1-2
B. 2-3
C. 3-4
D. 4-5
D. 4-5
A Tasty Mexican Treat
Tacos are among the most popular of all Mexican foods. They are easy and fun to make, and you can vary the ingredients depending upon your taste. For example, you can use hamburger or chicken for the meat. Some people even substitute shrimp for the hamburger. You can also add hot peppers, if your mouth can take the heat!
Ingredients:
1 box taco shells
1/4 cup oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound hamburger (or chicken)
1 pinch cumin
1 tomato, diced
1 cup lettuce
1/2 cup cheese, grated
Hot sauce to taste
Prepare the tomato, lettuce, and cheese. Set them aside. Next, in a large pan, heat the oil and brown the onions. Add the hamburger or chicken to the onions. Stir over medium heat until the meat is browned. Add a pinch of cumin. Heat the taco shells according to the package directions. Fill the taco shells with meat, tomato, lettuce, cheese, and hot sauce. Serve with plenty of napkins!
Fill in step 2:
1. Heat the oil
2.
3. Add the hamburger
What goes in step 2?
A. add cumin to the meat
B. prepare the tomato, lettuce, and cheese
C. brown the onions
D. fill the taco shells with the ingredients
2. C. Brown the onions
Most animals use some kind of respiration to stay alive. A water spider gets air from large bubbles in the water. Whales, however, must come to the surface of the water to get air for their lungs.
What does the word respiration mean?
A. food
B. breathing
C. water
D. trick
B. breathing
Do you ever wonder how games are invented? James Naismith was teaching a physical education class when he accidentally made up a new game. He combined the games of lacrosse and soccer. But the players neither used a stick as in lacrosse nor kicked a ball as in soccer. Instead they bounced, or dribbled, the ball and shot at a goal. The only thing Naismith had to use as a goal was a peach basket. This is why he decided to call his game basketball.
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Most people can learn lacrosse
B. Naismith taught physical education
C. New games can be invented by accident
D. Soccer and lacrosse are different
C. New games can be invented by accident
The telephone rang sharply in the middle of the night. Missy sat upright in her bed, rubbing her eyes. Again the sharp ringing split the silence. Trying to pull herself together, Missy scrambled for the phone. She had no idea who could be calling at that time of night, but she hoped it was not an emergency. When she answered, a voice at the other end asked for someone named Felix. Disgusted, Missy said that Felix did not lived there. Then the person on the other end slammed down the phone.
Why was Missy disgusted?
A. She did not like Felix and was upset someone would call her and ask for him.
B. She did not know anyone named Felix.
C. The call came in the middle of the night and was the wrong number.
D. The person slammed down the phone rudely.
C. The call came in the middle of the night and was the wrong number.
What should you do if you come across a question you don't know?
A. pick a random answer and move on
B. spend at least 10 minutes rereading it and trying to find the answer before moving on
C. flag or skip it and come back to it later, then take your best guess
D. see what answer choice you haven't picked in a while and go with that
C. flag or skip it and come back to it later, then take your best guess
Cats: Past to Present
Cats are so popular today that about 58 million of them are kept as pets in the United States alone. Even thousands of years ago, in ancient Egypt, cats were admired and loved.
The Egyptians began to tame wild cats around 3500 B.C. These cats protected the Egyptians' crops from mice, rats, and snakes. Thus they became pets.
Greek and Phoenician traders probably brought cats to Europe and the Middle East around 1000 B.C. From the Middle East, cats spread throughout Asia. There, cats protected silkworms and temple manuscripts from rats, so they were pampered and admired.
However, cats did not do so well in Europe during the middle ages (A.D. 400-1500). At the time, many people believed that cats were evil, and people killed thousands of cats. Some historians believe that the destruction of so many cats led to the spread of bubonic plague, called the Black Death. This disease was spread by rats, which were no longer being killed off by cats.
By the 1600s, cats were once again popular in Europe, and explorers brought them to America. Here, they have become one of the best-loved of household pets.
Cats in the Ancient Middle East and in Asia can be compared to today's ______________.
A. explorers
B. security guards
C. lions
D. historians
B. security guards
When ducks migrate south each fall, many of them pass over Stuttgard, Arkansas. So the people there hold a duck-calling contest. As the ducks fly by, the people quack away!
What does the word migrate mean as it is used in the paragraph?
A. to compete in a contest
B. to travel
C. to watch ducks fly
D. to quack
B. to travel
Which kind of clam chowder do you prefer? In the United States, there are two kinds of clam chowder. Manhattan clam chowder is made with tomatoes. New England clam chowder is made with milk. People from Massachusetts take their clam chowder very seriously. They even passed a law that does not allow clam chowder with tomatoes in their state!
What is the best summary of the passage?
A. There is a difference between New Englanders and other people
B. There are different kinds of clam chowders
C. Clam chowder is a kind of soup
D. There is only one way to make chowder.
Ruth's hobby was making radio-controlled airplanes. Ever since she was young, the idea of building something and watching it come to life fascinated her. But even more than making them, she enjoyed flying the planes. Once, Ruth spent every weekend for an entire month working with her dad to build an airplane. The next Saturday Ruth decided to try out the plane. When Ruth set up the airplane for takeoff, she didn't notice the tall pine trees standing in its path.
What might happen next?
A. Ruth and her father will cut down the trees so that they are out of the flight path.
B. The airplane will crash into the trees.
C. Ruth's father will finish building the airplane and adding the finishing touches.
D. Ruth will get a ticket for flying an airplane without a license.
B. The airplane will crash into the trees.
On the extended response question, your first sentence should always do which of the following?
A. start by restating the prompt as your topic sentence
B. start with the word "because"
C. start with evidence from the text
D. start with a greeting and explain who you are and why you are writing the essay
A. start by restating the prompt as your topic sentence
An Amazing Trick
I learned a magic trick that will amaze people young and old. You will need the following supplies: a strip of paper about two inches wide by eight inches long, two paper clips, and a rubber band. Follow the steps below.
First, bring one end of the paper to the middle. Secure it with a paper clip.
Second, slip the rubber band through to the middle of the paper.
Next, bring the other end of the paper around to the front to form a loop around the first paper clip and the rubber band. Hold the middle and front of the paper together with the second paper clip.
Fourth, say the word "Abracadabra." At the same time, pull the ends of the paper in opposite directions.
The result of the trick should be that the two clips will hang together from the rubber band on the paper.
If the trick is done correctly, what should happen when the ends of the strip of paper are pulled in opposite directions?
A. The paper should rip.
B. The two paper clips should hang together from the rubber band on the paper.
C. The rubber band should stay on the paper, but the paper clips should fly off.
D. The rubber band should fly into the air, and the paper clips should remain on the paper.
B. The two paper clips should hang together from the rubber band on the paper.
On July 11, 1991, the people in Hawaii had a thrilling experience. The Earth, moon, and sun lined up. This made the sun seem to disappear. This eclipse of the sun lasted over seven minutes.
What does the word eclipse mean?
A. darkening
B. coloring
C. brightness
D. heat
A. darkening
It is possible to eat healthy food at a fast-food restaurant. You could drink orange juice or low-fat milk instead of a malt or milkshake. You could try a whole-grain bun rather than the regular white one on your sandwich. A baked potato instead of fried potatoes would be a healthy choice. But you'll need to have the potato plain rather than with all the trimmings.
What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The most popular fast foods are healthy foods.
B. There are healthy ways to eat at fast food restaurants.
C. All fast food is junk food.
D. Fried potatoes are a healthy choice when eating at a fast food restaurant.
B. There are healthy ways to eat at fast food restaurants.
Each summer Jackie visited her grandparents on their farm for two weeks. The farm was far out in the country, had a lovely open field with a pond, surrounded by lots of trees, and was perfect for a fun summer day. She loved feeding the ducks on the pond. In the early evening, after a hot day of working in the fields, she took some bread to the pond. The ducks swam quickly to gobble up the bread she tossed in the water. She watched the clear water reflect the bright colors of the sun as it disappeared beyond the horizon.
What did Jackie probably do next?
A. camp out by the pond
B. start a campfire
C. go to the store for more bread
D. go back to the farmhouse
D. go back to the farmhouse
The word trivial means...
A. important
B. large
C. unimportant
D. confusing
C. unimportant
Frontier Adventure
The February wind blew chill across the prairie. Mae and Milly huddled together in the wagon, trying to stay warm. Soon their father would stop to make camp for the night. Then they could build a fire to warm themselves. The sisters watched their mother. She was swaying with the motion of the wagon as she mended their clothes. When they reached their new home on the frontier, there would be no store nearby to buy things. They would have to make do with what they had. That seemed both scary and exciting to the girls. This move really was an adventure.
Suddenly the girls heard their father shout, "Quick, come up here and look at this!" The girls and their mother crawled to the front of the wagon, opened the flap, and looked out upon a large herd of buffalo. The powerful animals with their brown, shaggy coats moved slowly toward the south. They kept their back to the wind, which seemed to blow cooler as the day progressed.
"This might be a good stopping place. It looks like we might be in for some bad weather," their father said. Clouds were gathering on the northern horizon as the family prepared for the night. Mae helped her father look for dry brush to start a fire, while Milly and her mother made preparations for dinner. They all worked quickly, sensing that they had a long night ahead.
Why was the family expecting a long, hard night?
A. The weather was threatening
B. The buffalo could be dangerous
C. They would need to help their mother mend their clothes
D. The covered wagon is cramped and they would not get good sleep
A. The weather was threatening
Jean has won numerous awards for all her paintings.
What does numerous mean?
A. secret
B. art
C. several
D. prestigious
C. several
There are about 2,000 kinds of snakes in the world. They live on land, in the ground, in water, and in trees. About 120 types of snakes are found in the United States. But only four types are actually poisonous. These are the coral snake, rattlesnake, copperhead, and water moccasin. The coral snake mostly lives in the south. Rattlesnakes are found in most states. The copperhead lives mostly in the east, while the water moccasin can be found in the southeast.
What detail from the story supports the main idea of the passage?
A. "But only four types of snakes (in the United States) are actually poisonous."
B. "They (snakes) live on land, in the ground, in water, and in trees."
C. "There are about 2,000 kinds of snakes in the world."
D. "About 120 types of snakes are found in the United States."
A. "But only four types of snakes (in the United States) are actually poisonous."
"A package came for you today," Greg's mother said as he walked into the house. "I think it's from Aunt Ginny." Greg peeled the tape from the box and ripped off the brown paper. He tore off the gift wrap to find a stuffed bear inside. Aunt Ginny never seemed to realize that he was no longer three years old and hadn't been for over seven years. But then, he thought about the trouble Aunt Ginny had gone through to select the present and mail it. Greg sat down at the kitchen table with a pen and paper.
What will Greg probably do next?
A. He will ignore it and move on, choosing not to say anything to his aunt.
B. He will throw it in the trash.
C. He will write a thank-you note to Aunt Ginny.
D. He will explain to Ginny that he is no longer three years old and wants things more his age.
C. He will write a thank-you note to Aunt Ginny.
How long do you have for each part of the ELA state test?
A. 60 minutes
B. 75 minutes
C. 90 minutes
D. 100 minutes
C. 90 minutes