Vocabulary
A spider web may look flimsy, but spider silk is actually five times stronger than steel. It is tougher, stronger, and more flexible than anything humans have been able to produce. The word flimsy in this context means: _____________.
A. beautiful
B. silky
C. weak
D. inflexible
C. weak
When Scrooge awoke, it was so dark, that looking out of bed, he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from the opaque walls of his chamber. He was endeavoring to pierce the darkness with his ferret eyes when the chimes of a neighboring church struck the four quarters. So he listened for the hour.
What is the setting of this passage?
A. a tent in the woods
B. a beachside house in summer
C. the bedroom of a man’s home in winter
D. a farmhouse kitchen
C. the bedroom of a man’s home in winter
Choose the rhyming word for ‘wrote’
A. tote
B. write
C. hot
D. written
A. tote
Identify where this sentence belongs in the paragraph.
But when you meet a girl like Ellen, you don’t care.
It’s embarrassing for a guy to have a girl for a friend. All your buddies laugh at you. Everyone thinks you have a girlfriend. Even your mother teases you, and your little brother won’t stop talking about it. She’s worth all the teasing. Why? Because she’s got the best arm on the baseball team.
A. The missing sentence should be first.
B. The missing sentence should be fifth.
C. The missing sentence should be sixth.
D. The missing sentence should be last.
B. The missing sentence should be fifth.
What type of figurative language is being used in the sentence below?
Don’t spill the beans.
A. Idiom
B. Onomatopoeia
C. Personification
D. Alliteration
A. Idiom
7. As a postman, Ben Franklin wanted to figure out how many miles he rode on his routes. As a result, he invented a simple odometer and put it on his carriage.
Which detail from the passage helps you understand the meaning of the word odometer as used in paragraph 7?
A. as a postman
B. figure out how many miles he rode
C. on his carriage
D. feel safe and protected
B. figure out how many miles he rode
I’ve always been misunderstood. I’m allergic to hay. I can’t help it that when I’m near hay, I huff and I puff and I sometimes blow things down. No one has any reason to be afraid of me, but sometimes they are. What happened to those poor little pigs is sad, but it was their own fault.
Who is talking in this passage? ____________
A. The pigs in the story “The Three Little Pigs.”
B. The wolf in the story “The Three Little Pigs.”
C. A 3rd person narrator
D. None of the above
B. The wolf in the story “The Three Little Pigs.”
What is a Synonym of a word?
A. A word that has the same meaning as the given word.
B. A word that has the opposite meaning of a given word.
C. A word that has the same spelling as the given word.
D. A word that has the same pronunciation as the given word.
A. A word that has the same meaning as the given word.
Identify where this sentence belongs in the paragraph.
Start with the freshest bread you can find.
I will tell you how to make a perfect peanut butter sandwich. Take the two pieces of bread. Add a good-sized scoop of crunchy peanut butter, and be sure to spread it on both pieces of bread. Find a jar of your favorite jam. Use slightly less jam than peanut butter, and spread it on only one slice of bread. Put the two slices together and cut the sandwich in half. Enjoy.
A. The missing sentence should be first.
B. The missing sentence should be second.
C. The missing sentence should be third.
D. The missing sentence should be fourth.
B. The missing sentence should be second.
Choose from the sentences that are closest in meaning to the figurative expression.
You’re pulling my leg.
A. You are short.
B. You are stretching my leg.
C. You are teasing me.
D. You are doubting me.
C. You are teasing me.
7. As a postman, Ben Franklin wanted to figure out how many miles he rode on his routes. As a result, he invented a simple odometer and put it on his carriage.
What is the meaning of the word odometer as used in paragraph 7?
A. a hood for a carriage
B. a bag that postmen wore
C. a device that keeps track of miles traveled
D. a fire hose
C. a device that keeps track of miles traveled
The sky was dark and overcast. It had been raining all night long, and there was no sign of it stopping. I thought that my Sunday would be ruined. As it poured outside, I settled down by the window to watch the rain. The park opposite my house looked even more green and fresh than usual. The branches of the tall trees swayed so hard in the strong wind that I thought they would break. A few children were splashing about in the mud puddles and having a wonderful time. I wished I could join them too! There were very few people out on the road and those who were hurried on their way, wrapped in raincoats and carrying umbrellas.My mother announced that lunch was ready. It was piping hot and very welcoming in the damp weather. We spent the afternoon listening to music and to the downpour outside.
In the evening we chatted and made paper boats that we meant to sail in the stream of water outside. It was not a bad day after all!
What is the setting of the above story?
A. The home of the writer
B. The park
C. The writer's village
D. The writer's office
A. The home of the writer
Identify the adjective in the following sentence.
The book that I was reading had colorful pages.
A. colorful B. reading C. pages D. book
A. colorful
Julio was happy when he won MVP for the soccer season, and he was astounded. He had been sure that Reuben or Carlos were going to be chosen. The word astounded in this context means: ____________.
A. disappointed
B. very surprised
C. satisfied
D. pleased
B. very surprised
Choose from the sentences that are closest in meaning to the figurative expression.
Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.
A. Don’t worry. I am holding on to your back.
B. Don’t worry. I’ll support you.
C. Don’t worry. I have brought back your stuff.
D. Don’t worry. I am back.
B. Don’t worry. I’ll support you.
The arms were very long and muscular; the hands the same as if its hold were of uncommon strength. Its legs and feet, most delicately formed, were, like those upper members, bare. It wore a tunic of the purest white and round its waist was bound a lustrous belt, the sheen of which was beautiful.
What is the meaning of the word lustrous as the narrator uses it in section 7?
A. invisible B. colorful C. leather D. shining
D. shining
Read the passage and answer the question.
One evening, long after most people had gone to bed, a friend and I were making our way merrily back home through the silent and almost deserted streets. We had been to a musical show and were talking about the actor we had seen and heard in it.
“That show made him a star overnight,” said my friend about one of the actors. “He was completely unknown before, and now thousands of teenagers send him chocolates and love letters through the mail.”
“I thought he was quite good,” I said, “but not worth thousands of love letters daily. As a matter of fact, one of his songs gave me a pain.”
“Which was that?” my friend asked. “Sing to me.” I burst into a parody of the song.
“Be quiet for heaven’s sake!” My friend gave me an astonished look.
“You’ll give everybody a fright and wake people up for miles around.”
“Never mind,” I said, intoxicated with the sound of my own voice. “I don’t care. How does it matter?”
And I went on singing the latest tunes at the top of my voice. Presently there came behind us the sound of heavy footsteps and before you could say “Jack Robinson” a policeman was standing in front of me, his notebook open, and a determined look on his face.
“Excuse me, sir,” he said. “You have a remarkable voice, if I may say so. Who taught you to sing? I’d very much like to find someone who can give my daughter singing lessons. Would you be kind enough to tell me your name and address? Then my wife or I can drop you a line and discuss the matter.”
What is the setting of the above passage?
A. A theater
B. A restaurant
C. A coffee shop
D. A street
D. A street
My friends and I were up early that spring morning. We were going hiking up in the cliffs. We were hiking for 4 days and 3 nights. I was very excited about this trip because we were going to stay in log cabins built on huge strong trees and cliffs. These trees and cliffs were very old and housed a lot of animals and birds.We began the first day of our hiking at the main office and our captain briefed us about the trails we were taking and the things we could see and hear.The first trail was called the “aerie” trail. It was called so because the cliffs here were very high and housed a lot of eagles’ nests. We started our hike at 9:00 am and reached our first log cabin destination at around 6:00 pm. The cabin was large and airy. It was very refreshing to see these cabins and the beds. Once up in my cabin I sat on my bed and looked out the window. It was a sight to behold! From my window I could see lots of aeries at the cliff tops. I could also see little baby eagles inside these aeries. One of them was so close that I could see about 3 baby eagles inside the nest (aeries). I moved close to the window and fell asleep watching these tiny little birds.
In the above passage, what type of words are “aerie” and “airy”?
A. Homophones
B. Homonyms
C. Homographs
D. None of these
Homophone
Remember:
Homophones- pronounced the same but different in meaning
Homonyms-spelled alike but have different meanings
Homographs-these are spelled alike but have different meanings
1. For those of you who are familiar with E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web, you may have read or at least heard of the book, the Trumpet of the Swan. It’s a story about a lovely swan couple that gives birth to 5 little cygnets, and one of them isn’t able to make the trumpeter sounds like a typical swan.
2. Louis, the cygnet who is different than the others, searches to find a way to communicate in other ways with his family and the swan he loves. The ending is yours to find out! But while reading the book, I’m sure many readers became curious about trumpeter swans which have a magical, beautiful aura about them.
3. Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl. They weigh between 21-30 pounds, and the males can even reach 35 pounds or more. While standing, they reach about four feet tall, which is about the size of the average second-grader. Their wingspan can reach up to eight feet long. That’s difficult to imagine when the average person’s arm span reaches six feet!
Which of the following best describes a trumpeter swan?
A. a member of the duck family that does not live near water
B. a waterfowl that is very large and has a deep call
C. a small bird with dark brown feathers
D. a mythical creature that doesn’t really exist
B. a waterfowl that is very large and has a deep call
Choose from the sentences that are closest in meaning to the figurative expression.
Edgar was dead to the world when we got home.
A. Edgar was asleep when we got home.
B. Edgar was dead.
C. Edgar had a head injury and was unconscious.
D. Edgar was not at home.
A. Edgar was asleep when we got home.
George Washington was the first and most popular U S President. He was the only one ever to be elected by a unanimous vote. The word unanimous in this context means: ____________.
A. unhappy
B. unreliable
C. unqualified
D. in complete agreement
D. in complete agreement
Read the poem and answer the question.
Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches,
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows the horses and cattle,
All of the sights of the hill and the plain,
Fly as thick as driving rain,
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes,
And there is the green for stinging the daisies;
Here is a cart run away in the road,
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill and there is a river,
Each a glimpse and gone forever.
-- R.L.STEVENSON
What is the setting of the above poem?
A. Inside an airplane
B. Inside the poet's house
C. On a bench in the park
D. Inside a train on a long journey
D. Inside a train on a long journey
Identify the adjective/adjectives in the following sentence:
Earth is the most beautiful planet in the solar system.
A. Earth
B. beautiful
C. system
D. none of the above
B. beautiful
Identify where this sentence belongs in the paragraph.
During the pre-competition phase, continue the aerobic training, but add strength training and sprints.
Training for tennis can be broken down into four phases. During the preparation phase, work on aerobic fitness with jogging, swimming, or cycling as you train heavily on the specifics of tennis. While competing, training can ease up except for the specifics of tennis. For several weeks after competition, rest from playing tennis but keep up your fitness by playing other sports.
A. The missing sentence should be first.
B. The missing sentence should be second.
C. The missing sentence should be third.
D. The missing sentence should be fourth.
C. The missing sentence should be third.
What type(s) of figurative language is(are) being used in the sentence below?
Jimmy and Johnny jumped like jelly beans.
A. Metaphor
B. Idiom
C. Personification
D. Alliteration
D. Alliteration