Story Detective
By the time Jonah reached the park, dark clouds had covered the sky. Wind whipped leaves across the soccer field, and the first drops of rain splattered against his glasses. His teammates hurried toward the parking lot, but Jonah remained beside the goal, staring at the soccer ball in his hands.
How does the setting MOST LIKELY affect the events of the story?
A. It creates conditions that may prevent Jonah's team from playing.
B. It explains why Jonah forgot to bring his soccer equipment.
C. It shows that Jonah prefers practicing alone.
D. It causes Jonah to become upset with his teammates.
A. It creates conditions that may prevent Jonah's team from playing.
Which sentence from the story suggests that Phineas is embarrassed to ask for help?
F Next, I needed a plan. (paragraph 2)
G I’m not allowed to use the stove. (paragraph 5)
H I felt my face turn red. (paragraph 8)
J I couldn’t get the lid off the jar. (paragraph 12)
H I felt my face turn red. (paragraph 8)
The puppy scrambled across the slippery kitchen floor and crashed into its water bowl.
Why is scrambled more effective than went in this sentence?
A. It helps the reader understand that the puppy moved quickly and awkwardly.
B. It shows that the puppy was trying to escape from something dangerous.
C. It explains why the kitchen floor was slippery.
D. It suggests that the puppy knocked over the bowl on purpose.
A. It helps the reader understand that the puppy moved quickly and awkwardly.
Read the sentence.
Last Saturday, Elena brings her new puppy to the park.
What change should be made?
A. Change brings to brought.
B. Change brings to bring.
C. Change brings to bringing.
D. No change is needed.
A. Change brings to brought.
How do the subheadings provide an overview of the selection?
F They identify the ways elephants communicate.
G They describe important roles in an elephant herd.
H They tell why elephants need attention.
J They compare ways that elephants find food.
F They identify the ways elephants communicate.
Keira had spent all week building a bridge from craft sticks. Just before judging began, she noticed one side had started to sag. Her teacher told everyone to step away from their projects.
Keira hesitated. Then she pulled one stick from her pocket, slid it beneath the weak section, and hurried back to her seat just as the judges entered.
Why is Keira's decision to add the stick important to the plot?
A. It reveals why Keira chose to build a bridge.
B. It creates a new problem for the judges to solve.
C. It shows how Keira responds when her project is in danger of failing.
D. It explains why the teacher asks students to leave their projects alone.
C. It shows how Keira responds when her project is in danger of failing.
Sarah’s conversations with Phineas show that Sarah —
A does not think Phineas is old enough to cook
B does not mind helping Phineas in the kitchen
C is surprised at how much Phineas wants to cook
D wishes Phineas was better at following directions
B does not mind helping Phineas in the kitchen
Maya pushed open the cabin door. Dust floated through the thin beam of her flashlight. Somewhere above her, the ceiling creaked. Then came three slow scratches from the other side of the wall.
How does the author's choice of words contribute to the mood?
A. Details about the old cabin create a peaceful mood.
B. Descriptions of unfamiliar sounds create a tense mood.
C. Maya's use of a flashlight creates an adventurous mood.
D. The description of the dust creates a sad mood.
B. Descriptions of unfamiliar sounds create a tense mood.
Read the sentence.
Our class learned that president Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
What is the correct way to write the italicized words?
A. President Abraham Lincoln
B. President abraham Lincoln
C. president Abraham lincoln
D. No change is needed.
A. President Abraham Lincoln
Based on information in the selection, what is the most likely reason the author includes the photograph of the baby elephant standing close to its mother?
A To suggest that the baby elephant is warning its mother that there is danger nearby
B To show the reader what the baby elephant does to try to get its mother to play with it
C To show the reader what the baby elephant does when it wants its mother to know it is hungry
D To suggest that the baby elephant feels safe and protected when it is near its mother
D To suggest that the baby elephant feels safe and protected when it is near its mother
Eli had promised his grandmother he would perform the piano piece at her birthday dinner. But as relatives filled the living room, he kept finding reasons to delay. He straightened the sheet music twice, adjusted the bench, and offered to help carry dishes from the kitchen. Finally, Grandma sat beside him.
“I only want to hear you play,” she whispered.
Eli looked at the crowded room, took a slow breath, and placed his fingers on the keys.
What is the MAIN conflict in the passage?
A. Eli must decide whether to help his family prepare dinner or play the piano.
B. Eli wants to keep his promise but is struggling with his nervousness about performing.
C. Eli and his grandmother disagree about which piano piece he should perform.
D. Eli has not practiced enough to remember how to play the music.
B. Eli wants to keep his promise but is struggling with his nervousness about performing.
Which sentence best helps the reader understand that the story is told from the first-person point of view?
F The stove was a giant Bunsen burner, and the pots and pans were beakers and flasks. (paragraph 1)
G Sarah came in from the living room. (paragraph 7)
H Then she showed me what I needed to do. (paragraph 10)
J Sarah wrapped the lid with one of the yellow
H Then she showed me what I needed to do. (paragraph 10)
Throughout the story, Phineas describes the kitchen as a laboratory and cooking as an experiment.
Why does the author MOST LIKELY continue this comparison throughout the story?
A. To show that Phineas understands science better than Sarah does
B. To connect Phineas's interest in science to the unfamiliar experience of cooking
C. To explain that cooking requires the same equipment scientists use
D. To suggest that Phineas would rather perform an experiment than make dinner
B. To connect Phineas's interest in science to the unfamiliar experience of cooking
The storm ended late in the afternoon. The players returned to the field.
What is the BEST way to combine the sentences?
A. The storm ended late in the afternoon, the players returned to the field.
B. The storm ended late in the afternoon and, the players returned to the field.
C. The storm ended late in the afternoon because the players returned to the field.
D. The storm ended late in the afternoon, and the players returned to the field.
D. The storm ended late in the afternoon, and the players returned to the field.
What is the best summary of the selection?
F Loud trumpeting sounds are just one of the sounds elephants make. They also make rumbles, barks, snorts, and cries to communicate with members of the herd.
G Elephants have many more ways of communicating than most people might think. Elephants use touch, smell, noise, and movement to give one another messages.
H An elephant’s trunk lets an elephant share messages such as “Let’s play” or “Danger!” The trunk has a sensitive tip for touching other elephants and picking up smells.
J People and elephants both have a larynx, a body part that lets them make sounds. Elephants “talk” in low sounds, and elephants also use their sense of touch and smell a lot.
G Elephants have many more ways of communicating than most people might think. Elephants use touch, smell, noise, and movement to give one another messages.
At the beginning of the hike, Tessa walked several steps behind everyone else. Each time the trail grew steep, she asked, “How much farther?”
Near the top, her younger brother stopped and stared at the rocky path.
“I can't do it,” he said.
Tessa looked toward the summit and then back at him. “We've already made it this far.” She held out her hand. “We'll finish together.”
When they finally reached the top, Tessa didn't ask how soon they could leave. Instead, she pointed toward another trail in the distance. “Where does that one go?”
Which statement BEST explains how Tessa changes?
A. She realizes hiking is easier when someone else needs her encouragement.
B. She changes from being uncertain about continuing to becoming interested in another challenge.
C. She learns that reaching the top of a mountain is more important than helping her brother.
D. She changes from being frustrated with her brother to understanding why he wants to quit.
B. She changes from being uncertain about continuing to becoming interested in another challenge.
Based on details in the story, what can the reader infer about Phineas?
F He is excited about making the meal for his family.
G He likes cooking more than he likes science.
H He feels confused by the unusual items in the kitchen.
J He has cooked meals for his family before.
F He is excited about making the meal for his family.
Jamal unfolded his test and stared at the score at the top. Around him, chairs scraped against the floor as students packed their bags.
The number seemed to shout at him from the page.
He quickly folded the paper in half and slipped it beneath his notebook.
What does the author's use of personification MOST LIKELY help the reader understand?
A. Jamal thinks the other students have noticed his score.
B. Jamal believes his teacher wants him to look at the score.
C. The score feels impossible for Jamal to ignore.
D. The classroom has become too noisy for Jamal to concentrate.
C. The score feels impossible for Jamal to ignore.
Read the sentences.
(1) Ava wanted to enter the poster contest.
(2) She worked on her drawing every afternoon.
(3) She used colored pencils.
(4) She wanted her poster to be the best it could be.
What is the BEST way to combine sentences 2 and 3?
A. Every afternoon, Ava worked carefully on her drawing using colored pencils.
B. Ava worked on her drawing, colored pencils every afternoon.
C. Ava used colored pencils because she worked on her drawing every afternoon.
D. Working every afternoon and Ava used colored pencils on her drawing.
A. Every afternoon, Ava worked carefully on her drawing using colored pencils.
The author includes questions at the end of paragraph 6 most likely —
A to show the details scientists want to learn about elephants
B to show that an elephant’s most important sense is the sense of smell
C to show that elephants can identify members in their herd
D to show that elephants gather information from different smells
D to show that elephants gather information from different smells
Which event BEST represents the turning point in Phineas's experience cooking dinner?
A. Phineas puts on Lyle's white shirt and imagines the kitchen is a laboratory.
B. Sarah teaches Phineas how to turn on the stove and open the sauce jar.
C. Phineas dumps all two pounds of spaghetti into the pot and begins realizing his plan is not working as expected.
D. Phineas writes a lab report listing what he learned from cooking dinner.
C. Phineas dumps all two pounds of spaghetti into the pot and begins realizing his plan is not working as expected.
Which conclusion about Phineas is best supported by the list at the end of the story?
A He hopes he never has to cook again.
B He discovers that cooking is easier than he thought.
C He realizes he made some mistakes while cooking.
D He decides that pasta is his favorite meal to cook.
C He realizes he made some mistakes while cooking.
How does the author's use of humor in Phineas's lab report contribute to the story?
A. It emphasizes that Phineas views his mistakes as things he can learn from rather than only as failures.
B. It suggests that Phineas does not understand why his dinner was unsuccessful.
C. It shows that Phineas purposely ruined dinner because he wanted to conduct an experiment.
D. It emphasizes that Phineas is embarrassed that Sarah had to help him cook.
A. It emphasizes that Phineas views his mistakes as things he can learn from rather than only as failures.
**BONUS ROUND--DOUBLE POINTS**
Read the paragraph.
(1) Yesterday, our class visit the nature center.
(2) A guide taught us about animals that live in texas.
(3) We examined animal tracks, we also studied different kinds of feathers.
(4) Before we left, everyone wrote one interesting fact in their science notebooks.
Which THREE changes should be made?
A. Change visit to visited.
B. Change nature center to Nature Center.
C. Change texas to Texas.
D. Change sentence 3 to: We examined animal tracks, and we also studied different kinds of feathers.
E. Change wrote to written.
A. Change visit to visited.
C. Change texas to Texas.
D. Change sentence 3 to: We examined animal tracks, and we also studied different kinds of feathers.
Which sentence from the selection supports the idea that elephant herds try to guard themselves from danger?
A But an elephant’s huge larynx produces very low sounds. (paragraph 3)
B Some gestures—a twitch of an ear, a wag of the head—are so small that most people wouldn’t even notice them. (paragraph 4)
C They think it may help the elephants focus all their attention on the sounds and smells around them. (paragraph 5)
D If you ever wonder what an elephant is paying attention to, don’t watch its eyes. (paragraph 6)
C They think it may help the elephants focus all their attention on the sounds and smells around them. (paragraph 5)