Reading Comprehension

Compare/Contrast

100

What is comparing and contrasting?

Comparing is figuring out how 2 or more things are alike. 

Contrasting is figuring out how 2 or more things are different

200

 I have a pet dog and cat in my house.  My dog, Spot, likes to chew on his bone, while my cat, Stripes, likes to sleep.  They both love to cuddle with me on the couch.  How are my pets similar?

 
A.They both chew on things.

B.They both love to cuddle.

C.They both sleep a lot.

B.They both love to cuddle.

300

A teacher and a doctor both work with many people every day.  The teacher works with children at the school, however, the doctor sees patients at the hospital.  How are a teacher and doctor alike?

A.They work with children.

B.They work in hospitals.

C.They work with many people.

C.They work with many people 

400

Mistletoe is a kind of plant called a partial parasite. Most of the time, it attaches itself to other trees to steal their water and nutrients. It can also make its own food like other green plants. The kind of mistletoe most often used as a Christmas decoration grows in North America. This plant might have red, orange, yellow, or white berries.

How can mistletoe be compared to other green plants?

A. Mistletoe steals water from other plants

B.Mistletoe can make its own food

C. Mistletoe berries can be different colors

D. Mistole attaches itself to other trees

B. Mistletoe can make its own food

500

The Fourth of July and Veteran's Day are both U.S. holidays.  However, the Fourth of July celebrates our independence and Veteran's Day celebrates military veterans.  How are these holidays different?

A.Both holidays are celebrated in the U.S.

B.Fourth of July celebrates independence, while Veteran's Day celebrates veterans.

C.Both holidays are in the summer.

B.

Making Inferences

100

Pete called Ted Tuesday afternoon and invited him to come to his house after dinner to watch a movie. It had been a long, boring day, and Ted was excited to have something to do. After dinner, he hopped on his bike and pedaled over to Pete's house. The house was dark, and when he rang the bell, there was no answer. Ted turned around, hopped back on his bike, and rode home. Make an inference about why Ted rode home.

What is "Nobody was home"?

200

Sara walked into the large room. The woman behind the desk smiled at her. Sara looked around. There were hundreds of magazines in the room. There were thousands of books! Other children were in the room, sitting and reading books. Sara walked up to the woman. "Can you help me find a book?" she asked. Make an inference about where Sara is.

What is "Sara is in the library."

300

Nina held the glass jar very carefully. The teacher told the students to be careful because the experiment could explode. Slowly, Nina poured the green liquid into a glass jar. She wiped the edge of the jar and set it on the table. Next, she picked up the tube of red liquid. She measured one drop of it. Nina then carefully added the red drop to the green liquid. Make an inference about the class Nina is in.

What is "Nina is in science class"?

400

There are many different ways of going to school. Some children go to school by radio. The teacher talks to the children over the radio. The children can talk back to the teacher. In some desert countries, children go to school in tents. They people move across the desert, carrying the tent school with them. In some hot countries, children go to school outside all year long. They do not sit in buildings. The sit on the grass. Make an inference about why children in hot countries go to school outside all year long.

What is "It would be too hot to have school inside a building so they sit on the cool grass"?

500

Sparta and Athens were Greek cities. Long ago, the people of both cities sent their children to school. The children learned different things there. In Sparta, the children went to school outdoors. They learned how to jump and run. They learned how to dance. They learned how to play many different games. In Athens, only boys went to school. They learned how to read, write, and speak correctly. They learned how to count and use numbers. Make an inference about schooling for girls in Sparta and Athens.

What is "Girls went to school in Sparta but not in Athens"?

Context Clues

100

Brea and Elizabeth are having a dispute over which radio station to play at work. It would be so much simpler if they both liked the same kind of music.

A dispute is a __________.

A.musical instrument

B.choice of music

C.discovery

D.disagreement

D. disagreement

200

We have rather lofty expectations for you, son. You will attend college. You will become rich and famous. You will be elected president of the United States before you turn forty.

Which word is a synonym of “lofty”?

A.high

B.shakey

C.small

D.lowly

A. high

300

When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.

The word depict is closest in meaning to _______.

A.Show

B. Count

C.Hunt 

D. Draw

A. Show

400

When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them.

A.discovers

B.watches

C.notices

D.buys

C. notices

500

Ben is so APPREHENSIVE about appearing in the play that he has an upset stomach.

A.thrilled

B.modest

C.bored

D.nervous

D. nervous

Main Idea

100

There are many different kinds of bears in the world. Black bears live in North America. Grizzly bears also live in North America. They are very dangerous. The white Polar bear lives in the Arctic. The biggest bear is the Kodiak bear that is found in Alaska. What is the main idea of this text passage? A. Bears live in North America. B. Bears are dangerous. C. There are many kinds of bears.

What is "There are many kinds of bears."

200

Bats are fascinating animals. They are not birds, they are flying mammals. Some bats eat fruit, others eat insects. Bats are experts at flying. They use a system called echolocation to fly quickly in the dark. Which is the main idea of this text passage? A. Bats are flying mammals. B. Bats are fascinating animals. C. Some bats eat fruit.

What is "Bats are fascinating animals."

300

Many types of bacteria are helpful. For example, some are able to take nitrogen from the air. They then put it into the soil. This makes the soil better for growing plants. Some bacteria are helpful in making cheese. Other bacteria are helpful in making vinegar. What is the main idea of this text passage? A. Bacteria puts nitrogen from the air into the soil. B. Bacteria helps make food. C. Some types of bacteria helps humans.

What is "Some types of bacteria helps humans."

400

Our solar system is very large. It includes the eight planets that turn around the sun. These planets include Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. There are also hundreds of thousands of smaller planets in this system. They are called asteroids. Each asteroid is much smaller than any of the eight large planets. What is the main idea of this text passage? A. Our solar system is made up of the Sun, the nine large planets and many asteroids. B. Pluto used to be a planet but now is a dwarf planet. C. There are eight large planets in our solar system.

What is "Our solar system is made up of the Sun, the nine large planets and many asteroids."

500

Honeybees form large hives. There are thousands of bees in a hive. One bee is the queen. She lays the eggs. Some bees gather nectar and pollen from flowers to make honey. Other bees protect the hive. Some bees keep the hive clean. Still other bees help the queen. Each bee has a special job to do in the bee hive. What is the main idea of this text passage? A. Bees work together to make honey. B. Each bee has a job to do in a beehive. C. The queen is the most important bee.

What is "Each bee has a job to do in a beehive."

Mystery Skill

100

I ate breakfast. I woke up. I rode the bus home. I went to my classroom. Summarize these events in order using transition words.

What is "First, I woke up. Next, I ate breakfast. Then, I went to my classroom. Finally, I rode the bus home."?

200

Building a snowman is a fun winter activity. First, pack enough snow to make two large snowballs. One snowball should be a little smaller than the other. Stack the smaller one on top for the snowman's head. Then, place two lumps of coal for eyes, a carrot for a nose, and some sticks for arms on the top snowball. Last, put an old hat on top of its head and an old scarf around its neck.

Which definition of pack is used in this paragraph?

A. a group of wild animals

B. a set of playing cards

C. to cram tightly together

D. to put in boxes 

C. to cram tightly together

300

Are you a musician? Would you like to connect with other music makers? You’ve got choices when it comes to musical programs at Morton University. If you join the marching band, you’ll play in front of thousands at our football games. If you join the jazz band, you’ll play at our dances and elite alumni events. Each of these programs can help you become a better musician. The jazz band is a little smaller than the marching band but there is more room for improvisation. Of course if you join the marching band, you’ll get to wear a cool cape. The choice is yours.  What type of text structure is this story?

A. Compare/Contrast

B. Sequence

C. Cause/Effect

D.Problem/Solution

A. Compare/Contrast 

400

Both Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer are huge holiday hits. Neither one started out as a Christmas tune. Jingle Bells was a fun song about sleigh races in the snow. Christmas was not even mentioned in the lyrics. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer was a Christmas story and coloring book for a store. Many years later, it was turned into a song and cartoon.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

A.Jingle Bells is a fun song to sing.

B.Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer started out as story.

C.Neither Jingle Bells or Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer started out as songs.

D.There is a cartoon of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

A. Jingle Bells is a fun song to sing

500

The North Pole is about more than Santa. It is the northernmost place on Earth. There is no land there, only a fat layer of ice about 8 feet thick. The closest land to the North Pole is actually 700 miles away. During the summer, the sun is always up. It rises in March and sets in September. The warmest it ever gets is in July, when the temperature might just get up to freezing level, or 32 degrees.

Based on the information given, what conclusion can be drawn about summer at the North Pole?

A.You can't swim there because of the thick ice.

B.It can be freezing outside even when the sun is out.

C.Summer lasts longer there than in other countries.

D.It is a summer of beautiful sunsets.

B. It can be freezing outside even when the sun is out.