Author's Purpose
Stage Fright by Lee Bennett Hopkins
1 I wanted the role.
The Prince.
The Prince.
I got it.
5 Knew it.
I was totally convinced.
In line 3, why does the poet repeat and italicize the words from line 2?
Brody’s Challenge
Read this sentence from paragraph 31.
Brody grinned because he knew that the team—which he had actually led—had successfully completed its task.
This sentence shows that Brody is —
F) aware of his mistakes
G) proud of his performance
H) amused by other team members
J) prepared to start a new drill
G) proud of his performance
The Toy for all Ages - Legos
Making LEGO Bricks
2 In the 1930s a Danish carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen started making wooden toys. He called his company LEGO, a blend of the Danish words leg godt, meaning “play well.” After making wooden toys for years, Christiansen wanted to accelerate production so that he could make more toys in less time. He invested in a machine that would allow him to make plastic toys. In 1958 he produced the first plastic LEGO brick.
What is paragraph 2 mainly about?
An Accidental Toy
Not Just a Toy
6 As Silly Putty became more common in households, people took notice of its unique properties. It is pliable when pressed slowly but stiffens when pressure is applied quickly. So it can be squished by hand, but it remains in a ball when bounced off the floor. People noticed that things stick to the soft putty. For example, a ball of the putty rolled along a piece of clothing can remove pet hair, and a small piece of putty pressed between the keys of a computer keyboard can pick up dust and lint. And Silly Putty can be used to help balance a wobbly table if it is placed under one of the table legs.
What is the meaning of the word properties in paragraph 6?
F) Creators
G) Solutions
H) Qualities
J) Customers
H) Qualities
Junior Park Ranger
(1) “Stay on the trail,” Mrs. Miller called as the guide led her and her fourth-grade class down into the canyon. (2) Marcos adjusted the straps to his backpack and balanced his feet. (3) With big eyes and a wide mouth, Marcos looked below at the Colorado River. (4) The river looked like a tiny snake slithering threw the rock.
What change should be made in sentence 4?
F) Change looked to look
G) Change tiny to tiney
H) Change threw to through
J) Change the period to a question mark
H) Change threw to through
Legos
3 Making LEGO bricks is a fairly simple process. Small plastic granules are heated at an extreme temperature. A machine then presses the melted plastic into brick molds. Once the plastic cools and hardens, the bricks are ready to be packaged and sold.
By organizing paragraph 3 sequentially, the author is able to —
Honus Wagner
Which sentence from the selection shows that Wagner was a positive influence on others?
F) Wagner would load about 2,000 pounds of coal onto a cart each day, earning 70 cents for a day’s hard labor.
G) Wagner’s love for the game would help him become one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
H) For much of that time, he was the best hitter in the National League.
J) Wagner tried to retire, but his coaches persuaded him to keep playing because they believed the team benefited from his leadership.
J) Wagner tried to retire, but his coaches persuaded him to keep playing because they believed the team benefited from his leadership.
An Unusual Culprit
2 Jean Chu and her family adopted Dusty, their pet cat, a few years ago. Not long after he moved in, the family members started finding odd objects lying around. One day they would find a glove and an unfamiliar towel. The next day there would be a pot holder and a sock. At first no one knew what to think about the items that mysteriously appeared on the porch or in the yard. Soon they realized that the objects always showed up in the morning. And which member of the family tended to roam every night? That would be Dusty.
Which sentence expresses the main idea of paragraph 2?
Carl is on the Case
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
Festival of the Land
(7) Artist Nikolay Polissky created the festival in 2006. (8) However, the idea had begun years earlyer. (9) In 1989, he had moved away from Moscow. (10) Polissky wanted to enjoy the beauty of the countryside. (11) He came upon a small town and knew it was where he was going to live. (12) He was not disappointed. (13) I was looking for a beautiful place,” Polissky said. (14) “It simply astounded me.”
What change is needed in sentence 8?
A) Change idea to ideas
B) Change had begun to had began
C) Change earlyer to earlier
D) No change is needed in sentence 8.
C) Change earlyer to earlier
Fear Takes Center Stage
1 Imagine that you are an actor performing in a play for the first time. You have learned all your lines, you know where to walk onstage, and your costume fits perfectly. Waiting behind the closed curtain, you can hear people in the audience whispering and taking their seats. Then your big moment arrives!
2 The curtain goes up, and the crowd falls silent. All you can see is the spotlight shining down on you. You try to speak your lines, but nothing seems to come out. The inside of your mouth is dry, and your palms are wet. The icy chill of panic starts to spread from your stomach to your arms and legs.
The author speaks directly to the reader in paragraphs 1 and 2 in order to —
A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned
Read the following sentence from paragraph 7.
The solution was tossed my way the following Monday when I stopped at Thompson’s after school to look at the pencils.
What can the reader conclude about the narrator from this sentence?
An American Legend
5 Cameron’s husband started his own business breeding polo ponies that he planned to ship to England for sale. Unfortunately his business failed, and he suffered health problems. Cameron was determined to stay in Montana, though, so she looked for ways to provide for herself and her husband.
Making a Living
6 Cameron grew vegetables to sell, which raised some money. She also rented out rooms in her house to boarders, although this didn’t bring in much money either. However, this venture did bring something else, which changed Cameron’s life. One of her boarders introduced Cameron to the art of photography. It soon became her passion.
Cameron’s actions in paragraphs 5 and 6 support the message that —
The Toy for all Ages - Legos
Building with LEGO Sets
6 Although Christiansen’s original LEGO bricks all had the same basic rectangular shape, there now are 2,400 different-shaped LEGO bricks made in a variety of colors. LEGO creates building sets for children of all ages. LEGO blocks for preschoolers are larger and easier for toddlers to handle. The company also offers sets for older children and teens. These sets contain intricate parts that are more detailed and challenging to put together. With such a variety of available, it is understandable that children of all ages enjoy playing with LEGO toys.
Which of the following words from paragraph 6 help the reader understand the meaning of intricate?
Fire Ant Attack
(8) Soon the picnic turned into a game of catch, and barefoot Daniel rushed across the field to catch a ball. (9) He stretched his leg just a bit too far and tripped right over one of the brown hills! (10) Daniel shrieked as a swarm of ants burst out from the top of the hill. (11) In seconds the ants had covered Daniel’s feet and were crawling up his legs. (12) The biting, stinging attack was instant. (13) Daniel hopped up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Which sentence could best follow and support sentence 10?
F) He knew just what he needed to do, fast!
G) It looked like a volcano of tiny, angry insects!
H) He shrieked sometimes when he was surprised.
J) They burst right out of the top of a little hill.
G) It looked like a volcano of tiny, angry insects!
A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned
Read these sentences from paragraph 4.
The pencils were sharpened to perfect points. The rich colors offered endless possibilities compared to my set of eight basic colors at home.
The author uses the description of the pencils to show —
Honus Wagner
3 Wagner fell in love with the sport. He walked several miles to see the home games of the nearest professional baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would watch the team play while sitting in a tree just outside the ballpark. Wagner’s love for the game would help him become one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
By including the details in paragraph 3, the author most likely hopes to convey that Wagner —
Honus Wagner
5 Though powerfully built, Wagner was an awkward figure on the baseball field. Some major league managers were not impressed. Wagner’s bowed legs and long arms made him look clumsy. His left hand appeared too large for his baseball glove. And Wagner used a glove with a hole in it. Wagner made the hole himself because he thought the ball was easier to hold in his glove that way.
What do the details in paragraph 5 help the reader understand about Wagner?
A) He was underestimated because of his appearance.
B) He was unhappy with his performance on the minor league team.
C) He lacked the patience that coaches of major league teams expected of players.
D) He needed the proper equipment before a major league team would select him.
A) He was underestimated because of his appearance.
Honus Wagner
Honoring Excellence
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
Twin Heroes
(27) Today, Hailey sells her art and bracelets through Livy’s Hope. (28) The money she raises now helps many families. (29) Each year, Livy’s Hope also runs a “Lemonade for Livy” event. (30) People set up lemonade stands during the last weekend in July. (31) They give the money they raise to the Epilepsy Foundation. (32) In 2014, people in 47 states set up lemonade stands!
Jake’s seventh paragraph (sentences 27–32) needs a closing sentence. Which of the following should be added after sentence 32 to help close this paragraph?
F) This event is held only one month each year.
G) They could earn even more money by also selling iced tea and food.
H) Everyone who helps run the charity hopes people will continue to support this wonderful event.
J) Other groups that help people should set up lemonade stands because these stands are a huge success
H) Everyone who helps run the charity hopes people will continue to support this wonderful event.
An American Legend
Read this sentence from the selection.
“Manual labor . . . is about all I care about, and, after all, is what will really make a strong woman.”
The author included this quotation to show the reader that Cameron —
An Accidental Toy
What Have We Here?
2 James Wright was an engineer working in the General Electric (GE) laboratories in New Haven, Connecticut, in the 1940s. The United States faced a shortage of natural rubber, so the U.S. government asked GE and other companies to develop artificial rubber for military uses. One day at work Wright added boric acid to silicone oil. The combination produced an interesting goo. The material bounced higher than rubber and was more stretchable. And the gooey, stretchy material would even take an imprint of ink images it was pressed on.
From the information presented in paragraph 2, the reader can conclude that Wright’s invention —
An Unusual Culprit
7 It wouldn’t have been surprising if the owners of the missing objects had used this event as an opportunity to complain. But most everyone was good-natured about the “thefts.” Kelly McLellan, who lives nearby, said, “He stole my bikini. He did it in two trips. He was very focused on keeping the ensemble. When it went missing I wasn’t worried, though. I knew where to go.”
8 The Somers family lost lots of shorts and towels, several sponges, and six bathing suits that Dusty took from a clothesline. “We don’t leave anything out anymore,” said Stephanie Somers. “But we don’t mind. We like Dusty.”
The main purpose of paragraphs 7 and 8 is to —
Brody’s Challenge
18 “Brody, I gave you a map so you could teach your team how to navigate around the ship,” the captain said. “If you had followed orders, you would have had no problem responding quickly. I’m afraid your team won’t be able to participate in tomorrow’s firefighting drill.”
Which words from paragraph 18 help the reader know what the word navigate means?
Fire Ant Attack
(24) They had to head straight home to treat Daniel’s itchy bites. (25) Daniel’s mom consulted the Internet, and the bites would not need to be treated by a doctor is what she decided. (26) However, the next few days were filled with home remedies.
What is the most effective revision to make in sentence 25?
F) Daniel’s mom consulted the Internet she decided that the bites would not need to be treated by a doctor.
G) Daniel’s mom consulted the Internet, where the bites she decided would not need to be treated by a doctor.
H) Daniel’s mom consulted the Internet and decided that the bites would not need to be treated by a doctor.
J) No revision should be made in this sentence.
H) Daniel’s mom consulted the Internet and decided that the bites would not need to be treated by a doctor.