Literary Elements
Maya was nervous on her first day of soccer. She sat on the bench and watched the other kids play. They all seemed so much better than her. By the end of the season, Maya had practiced hard every day. In the final game, she scored two goals and helped her team win. All her teammates cheered for her.
How does Maya change in this story?
A) She starts nervous and becomes confident
B) She starts happy and becomes sad
C) She starts tired and becomes energetic
D) She starts friendly and becomes mean
A) She starts nervous and becomes confident
Raj wanted to build a birdhouse for school. His first try didn't work well. He tried again and made mistakes. On his fourth try, he built a beautiful birdhouse. His teacher gave him an award.
What is the theme of this story?
A) Building things is easy
B) Trying hard and not giving up helps you succeed
C) Teachers always give awards
D) Birdhouses are important
B) Trying hard and not giving up helps you succeed
On the first day of school, Emma's heart was pounding. She didn't know anyone. The classroom seemed as big as a castle. She sat at an empty desk and felt very small.
What type of figurative language is "The classroom seemed as big as a castle"?
Simile
Two friends, Tasha and David, were looking at a painting. Tasha said, "This painting is beautiful and makes me happy." David said, "I think this painting is ugly and boring."
What does this story show?
A) Paintings are confusing
B) People can have different perspectives about the same thing
C) Tasha and David are not really friends
D) One person is always right
B) People can have different perspectives about the same thing
The baseball player swung his bat to hit the ball. Later, the boy watched a bat fly through the sky at night.
What are the two meanings of "bat"?
A stick used in baseball; a flying animal
Kai didn't like reading at first. He thought books were boring. Then his teacher gave him a book about dinosaurs. Kai read it in two days! Now he reads every night before bed. He has read ten books this month.
Which sentence BEST shows how Kai has changed?
A) "He thought books were boring."
B) "His teacher gave him a book about dinosaurs."
C) "He has read ten books this month."
D) "Kai didn't like reading at first."
C) "He has read ten books this month."
Two friends, Ana and Ben, found a lost puppy. Ana wanted to keep it, but Ben remembered seeing posters about a lost dog. They brought the puppy to the animal shelter. The next day, a happy family came to pick up their puppy. Ana and Ben felt good about helping.
Which sentence BEST shows the theme "Doing the right thing makes you feel good"?
A) "Two friends found a lost puppy."
B) "They brought the puppy to the animal shelter."
C) "Ana and Ben felt good about helping."
D) "A family came to pick up their puppy."
C) "Ana and Ben felt good about helping."
The old clock on the wall was very important to Grandpa. It had stopped working three years ago. One day, the clock started ticking again. Grandpa smiled and said, "My clock has come back to life!"
What does Grandpa mean by "My clock has come back to life"?
The clock started working again after being broken
In the play, the fox thought the farmer was mean and wanted to steal his chickens. The farmer thought the fox was dangerous and set traps. They never talked to each other. Each one only saw the other's bad actions.
Why do the fox and farmer have different perspectives?
A) They live in different places
B) They haven't talked to each other and don't understand each other
C) Foxes are always right
D) Farmers are always wrong
B) They haven't talked to each other and don't understand each other
The puppy's tail wagged when she saw her owner. The owner of the store unlocked the door each morning.
What does "owner" mean in the second sentence?
A) A pet that belongs to someone
B) A person who has or possesses something
C) A person who plays games
D) A person who teaches
B) A person who has or possesses something
At the beginning of the play, Sam was selfish. He didn't want to share his toys with anyone. After his friends stopped playing with him, Sam felt lonely. He realized he had made a mistake. He asked his friends to forgive him and promised to share. Now Sam and his friends play together every day.
Sam's character develops because he _____.
A) gets new toys
B) learns from his mistakes
C) finds new friends
D) moves to a new school
B) learns from his mistakes
Marcus and his sister were always fighting. They argued about toys, games, and everything else. One day, Marcus got sick. His sister brought him books, made him soup, and sat with him all day. Marcus realized how much his sister cared about him. They stopped fighting so much after that.
What is the theme of this story? _____ can bring people closer together.
Caring and kindness
The wind blew through the trees. The branches shook in the breeze. The storm whispered warnings to the animals below. Soon, rain began to fall like a waterfall from the sky.
Which sentence uses personification?
"The storm whispered warnings.
A test was coming to school. Student A was excited because she loved challenges. Student B was worried because tests made him nervous. Student C didn't care because she thought the test was easy.
Fill in the blank: The three students have different _____________ about the same test.
perspectives
The word "transport" comes from Latin. "Trans" means "across" and "port" means "carry." A truck can transport heavy boxes from one place to another.
What does "transport" mean?
A) To carry across or move from one place to another
B) To fix something
C) To make something new
D) To hide something
A) To carry across or move from one place to another
At the start of the story, Leo was afraid to try new things. He refused to join the school choir because he was scared to sing in front of people. His best friend encouraged him to try. Leo joined the choir and discovered he loved singing. He performed in three concerts and made many new friends.
Which detail shows that Leo's feelings about singing have changed?
A) He was afraid to try new things
B) His best friend encouraged him
C) He performed in three concerts and made new friends
D) He was scared to sing in front of people
C) He performed in three concerts and made new friends
In the play, a young rabbit wanted to be brave like the older rabbits. She was scared of the dark forest. Every day, she practiced going a little deeper into the forest. After many days, she wasn't afraid anymore. She had become brave through practice and courage.
Which detail BEST develops the theme "Courage grows with practice"?
A) She was scared of the dark forest
B) Every day, she practiced going deeper into the forest
C) The older rabbits were brave
D) She lived in the forest
B) Every day, she practiced going deeper into the forest
Jamal was so hungry he could eat a whole pizza by himself. His plate was piled high with food. He took huge bites. His mom laughed and said, "Slow down! There's plenty of food."
What type of figurative language is "so hungry he could eat a whole pizza by himself"?
Hyperbole
In the play, a new student named Jasmine joined the class. From the teacher's perspective, Jasmine was quiet and shy. From the other students' perspective, Jasmine seemed unfriendly and didn't want to play. From Jasmine's perspective, she was nervous and scared because everything was new.
Why do the teacher, students, and Jasmine have different perspectives about Jasmine?
A) They all see the same things but disagree
B) They each have different experiences, feelings, and information
C) One of them is always right
D) Jasmine is the only one who is correct
They each have different experiences, feelings, and information
The soccer coach told the team to "run the play" during the game. After the game, the children went to the playground to play. The teacher said, "You can play outside for 20 minutes." At night, the family watched a play at the theater with actors on stage.
Which sentence shows a different meaning of the word "play"?
A) "The coach told the team to run the play."
B) "The children went to the playground to play."
C) "You can play outside for 20 minutes."
D) "The family watched a play at the theater with actors on stage."
D) "The family watched a play at the theater with actors on stage."
In Act 1, Zara was rude to everyone. She pushed in line and didn't listen to her teachers. In Act 2, Zara got in trouble and had to miss recess. This made her think about her choices. In Act 3, Zara apologizes to her classmates and helps them with their work. She even becomes class helper.
What is the BEST way to describe how Zara changes throughout the play?
From rude and unkind to respectful and helpful
Two kingdoms were at war. A young boy from each kingdom met secretly and became friends. They realized they had more in common than differences. The boys convinced their leaders to talk instead of fight. Soon the kingdoms made peace and became allies. The two boys were heroes.
Which theme does this story support?
A) War is always necessary
B) Understanding others can lead to peace
C) Boys are better leaders than girls
D) Fighting is fun
B) Understanding others can lead to peace
After Priya finished the hard math test, she felt like she was floating on a cloud. She had studied every night for two weeks. When she got her grade back, it was an A+. Her joy was a bright light that filled the whole room.
Which sentence uses a metaphor?
C) "Her joy was a bright light that filled the room."
Two friends were watching a thunderstorm. Emma thought the storm was scary and dangerous. She wanted to hide inside. Marcus thought the storm was beautiful and exciting. He wanted to watch the lightning and listen to the thunder. They were looking at the exact same storm, but they felt completely different about it.
Why do Emma and Marcus have different perspectives about the storm?
A) They are looking at different storms
B) One of them is wrong
C) They have different feelings and thoughts about the same event
D) Emma likes storms more than Marcus
C) They have different feelings and thoughts about the same event
The bank was busy on Friday afternoon. People waited in line to deposit their money in the bank. The river bank was covered with tall trees and wildflowers. A fisherman sat on the bank waiting for fish to bite. He leaned back against the bank of the river to rest.
Which two meanings of "bank" are shown in this story?
A place where money is kept; the edge of a river