Reading Tutor 3rd

Standardized
GRADE
Test Tutor
READING
Practic
lp
e
H
t
e Tests Wi
a
h
th Question-by-Question Strategies and Tips T
Students B
uild Test-Taking Skills and Boost Their Scores
Michael Priestley
Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages from this mini-book
for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission,
write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Editor: Maria L. Chang
Cover design: Brian LaRossa
Interior design: Creative Pages, Inc.
Interior illustrations: Wilkinson Studios, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-09601-0
ISBN-10: 0-545-09601-4
Copyright 2009 by Michael Priestley
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.
Printed in the U.S.A.
1
10
40
15 14 13 12 11 10 09
Contents
Welcome to Test Tutor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Test 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Test 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Test 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Answer Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Answer Keys
Test 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Test 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Test 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Scoring Charts
Student Scoring Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Classroom Scoring Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Welcome to Test Tutor!

Students in schools today take a lot of tests, especially in reading and math. Some
students naturally perform well on tests, and some do not. But just about everyone
can get better at taking tests by learning more about whats on the test and how to
answer the questions. How many students do you know who could benefit from
working with a tutor? How many would love to have someone sit beside them and
help them work their way through the tests they have to take?
Thats where Test Tutor comes in. The main purpose of Test Tutor is to help students
learn what they need to know in order to do better on tests. Along the way, Test
Tutor will help students feel more confident as they come to understand the content
and learn some of the secrets of success for multiple-choice tests.
The Test Tutor series includes books for reading and books for math in a range of
grades. Each Test Tutor book in reading has three full-length practice tests designed
specifically to resemble the state tests that students take each year. The reading
skills measured on these practice tests have been selected from an analysis of the
skills tested in ten major states, and the questions have been written to match
the multiple-choice format used in most states.
The most important feature of this book is the friendly Test Tutor. He will
help students work through the tests and achieve the kind of success
they are looking for. This program is designed so students may work
through the tests independently by reading the Test Tutors helpful hints.
Or you may work with the student as a tutor yourself, helping him or her
understand each question and test-taking strategy along the way. You can
do this most effectively by following the Test Tutors guidelines included in
the pages of this book.
Three Different Tests

There are three practice tests in this book: Test 1, Test 2, and Test 3. Each test has
35 multiple-choice items with four answer choices (A, B, C, D). All three tests
measure the same skills, but they provide different levels of tutoring help.
Test 1 provides step-by-step guidance to help students find the answer to each
question, as in the sample on the next page. The tips in Test 1 are detailed and
thorough. Some of the tips are designed to help students read through and understand the passage, and others are written specifically for each reading question
to help students figure out the answers.
Sample 1
Directions: Read this story about a girl and her mother.
Then answer questions 15.
The Pot of Milk

Once upon a time in India, a young girl named Gheta
lived in a small house with her mother. The mother worked
hard to make enough money to support herself and her
daughter. Every day, she milked their one cow. Then she
took the milk to the market and sold it for a few rupees.
One day after the mother milked the cow, the cow fell
ill. The mother could not leave the sick cow alone, for the
animal was the most valuable thing she owned. So she
handed her daughter a clay pot full of milk and said, Take
this to the market and sell it.
2. Why does the mother send Gheta to the market?

The mother does not feel well.

The mother has to care for the cow.
Take a quick look at the

questions before you
begin reading so you
know what to look for.
Think about why Gheta

has to go to the market.
Go back to the passage to

see why Gheta had to go
to the market.
The mother is angry with Gheta.

The mother thinks Gheta can get more money.
Test 2 provides a test-taking tip for each item, as in the sample below, but the tips
are less detailed than in Test 1. They help guide the student toward the answers
without giving away too much. Students must take a little more initiative.
Sample 2
Directions: Read this passage about two boys on a vacation.
The Garden
By the second day of spring vacation, Colby and
Logan were at loose ends. Their grandmother was in the
house baking pies for a local store and couldnt take them
anywhere. They had ridden their bikes, played hide-andseek, and built a fort in the woods. Now they were bored.
Logan suggested they visit their grandmothers new
neighbor, Mrs. Wilson, because she had a puppy. Their
grandmother said, Now dont bother her. Be respectful
and dont be pests.
When the boys got to the house, Mrs. Wilson was working
outside in the yard. The dog bounded up to them, and the
boys introduced themselves.
Can we play with your dog? the boys asked.
Sure, said the woman with a smile.
The boys chased the dog around the yard. Then the dog
chased the boys around and around. Finally, the boys were
tired, but the puppy was not!
Do you boys want some lemonade? Mrs. Wilson asked.
Logan and Colby nodded. They thought this new neighbor
was really nice.
1. Why did Colby and Logan think Mrs. Wilson was nice?

She let them help her with the compost and the garden.

She let them ride their bikes in her driveway.

questions before reading
the passage.
Think about what the

characters say and do
throughout the story.
Read each answer choice

before you pick one.
She brought them lemonade when they were tired and

thirsty.
She played hide-and-seek and other games with them.
Test 3 does not provide test-taking tips. It assesses the progress students have made. After
working through Tests 1 and 2 with the help of the Test Tutor, students should be more
than ready to score well on Test 3 without too much assistance. Success on this test will
help students feel confident and prepared for taking real tests.
Other Helpful Features

In addition to the tests, this book provides some other helpful features. First, on page 69,
you will find an answer sheet. When students take the tests, they may mark their answers
by filling in bubbles on the test pages, or they may mark their answers on a copy of the
answer sheet instead, as they will be required to do in most standardized tests.
Second, beginning on page 71, you will find a detailed answer key for each test. The answer
key lists the correct response and explains the answer for each question. It also identifies the
skill tested by each question, as in the sample below.
Answer Key for Sample 1

Correct response: B
(Analyze characters)
The mother sends Gheta to the market because the cow is sick and she has to stay
home to care for the cow.
Incorrect choices:
A The cow is sick, not the mother.
C The mother becomes angry with Gheta after she goes to the market.
D The mother just tells Gheta to sell the milk. The story does not suggest that Gheta
will get more money for the milk than the mother would.
As the sample indicates, this question measures the students ability to analyze characters.
This information can help you determine which skills the student has mastered and which
ones still cause difficulty.
Finally, the answer key explains why each incorrect answer choice, or distractor, is incorrect.
This explanation can help reveal what error the student might have made. For example, a question about an effect might have a distractor that describes a cause instead. Knowing this could
help the student improve his or her understanding of the text.
At the back of this book, you will find two scoring charts. The Student Scoring Chart
can help you keep track of each students scores on all three tests and on each passage
(literary or informational). The Classroom Scoring Chart can be used to record the scores
for all students on all three tests, illustrating the progress they have made from Test 1 to Test 3.
Keep in mind that students get a lot of tutoring help on Test 1, some help on Test 2, and no
help on Test 3. So if a students scores on all three tests are fairly similar, that could still be a
very positive sign that the student is better able to read passages and answer comprehension
questions independently and will achieve even greater success on future tests.
Test
Name
Date
Read each passage and the questions that follow. Look at the
Test Tutors tips for understanding the passages and answering
the questions. Then choose the best answer to each question.
Test
Tutor
says:
Directions: Read this story about a girl and her mother.

The Pot of Milk

Once upon a time in India, a young girl named Gheta
lived in a small house with her mother. The mother worked
hard to make enough money to support herself and her
daughter. Every day, she milked their one cow. Then she
took the milk to the market and sold it for a few rupees.
One day after the mother milked the cow, the cow fell
ill. The mother could not leave the sick cow alone, for the
animal was the most valuable thing she owned. So she
handed her daughter a clay pot full of milk and said, Take
this to the market and sell it.
Gheta grumbled, for she was used to lying in the shade
and dreaming while her mother worked. But she understood
that if she did not sell the milk, there would be no food for
dinner.
On the way to the market, Gheta got hot. She sat down
to rest in the shade of a big banyan tree. As she rested, she
dreamed about her future.

begin reading so you
Think about why Gheta

has to go to the market.
Where is Gheta while she

is dreaming?
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
When I sell the milk, she said to herself, I will use the
money to buy some eggs.
When the eggs hatch, I will have chickens.
I will sell the chickens and buy a young goat.
When the goat is fully grown, I will sell it for some fruit trees.
I will plant the trees, and then I will gather the fruit to sell.
With the money from the fruit, I will buy lots of land. I
will plant rice in the fields. When I harvest the rice, I will sell
it and use the money to build a fine house!
One day I will be cooking a big meal in my new kitchen.
The food will smell so good that flies will come in the
window. I will be angry, and I will kick the fliesjust
like this!
Gheta gave a big kick and knocked over the pot of milk! The
clay pot did not break, but all the milk spilled out. There was
nothing she could do except turn around and go home.
When Gheta walked into the house, her mother told her
that the cow was fine. Then she asked, Where are the rupees?
Gheta told her what had happened, and her mother got
very upset. But Gheta said, It was a good thing I did not take
our cow to the market. If I had kicked her instead of the pot
of milk, she would have run away! We lost a little milk, but
we still have the cow, so we can get more.
The mother said that was so, and her anger slowly faded.
After that, Gheta stopped dreaming and started working.
She often took milk to the market, but she never again
stopped to rest.
Think about the lesson

Gheta learns.
Questions 15: Choose the best answer to each question.
1. Which words from the story have almost the same meaning?

angry and alone

walked and kicked
ill and sick
Read every answer choice

before you pick one. Think
about the meaning of
both words.
fine and valuable
Test
2. Why does the mother send Gheta to the market?

The mother does not feel well.

The mother has to care for the cow.

The mother thinks Gheta can get more money.
at home
under a tree

in a field of rice
She explains that things could be worse.

She helps the cow get better.
10

Look at the ending

to see what Gheta said
or did.
She tells her she will have a fine house someday.

She says someone took the milk from her.
5. The lesson in this story would be most helpful to a

person who

Go back to the passage

to see where Gheta stops
to rest.
at the market
4. How does Gheta keep her mother from being too angry?


see why Gheta had to go
to the market.
The mother is angry with Gheta.
3. Where is Gheta when she kicks over the pot of milk?

Test
Tutor
says:
Name
plans to travel to India.
Think about the lesson in

the story and why Gheta
had to learn it.
does chores at home.

doesnt like milk.
often daydreams.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about how the body heals cuts.
Cuts and How They Heal

Your skin is a covering that protects your body. When
you get a cut, it makes a hole in that covering. Have you ever
wondered how your body repairs cuts? A team of workers
does the job. You cant see the workers because they are
microscopic, but this is what they do.
As soon as you get a cut, an alarm goes out and special
cells rush to the scene. The first step is to stop the bleeding.
This job is done by cells called platelets. When platelets
touch the rough edges of a cut, they get sticky, like glue. In a
minute or two, they close the cut. The bleeding stops.
Next, little threads begin to form in the blood just below
the platelet plug. The threads form a kind of net and harden.
This is a scab. Scabs may not be pretty, but they are very
useful! They protect your skin while it heals.
Your bodys next task is to kill any germs that have
entered through the hole in your skin. This is a task for white
blood cells. They swim to the cut and eat up the germs! The
white blood cells keep the cut from getting infected.
Once the bleeding has stopped, the scab has formed, and
the white blood cells have killed any germs, your body has
one last important job to do. It must replace the skin cells
that were damaged.
Have you ever seen a big hole in a wall? Have you
watched someone repair the wall? First, they fill the hole
with plaster or joint compound. Then, they use a special tool
to smooth out the filling. Last, they paint over the repair so
you cant tell where the hole was.
Your body does something similar with the hole from
a cut. Cells called fibroblasts make a tough substance
called collagen to fill the hole. Then, skin cells grow over
the collagen and cover it up. In most cases, after a week or
two, the surface of the skin will look just as it did before the
accident. However, if the cut was deep or ragged, sometimes
a scar will remain. The scar is the collagen.
What is this passage

mainly about?
Notice the sequence of

steps: first . . . next . . .
11
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Steps in Healing
Platelets stop the
bleeding.
How can this diagram
help you?
A scab forms.
White blood cells

prevent infection.
Skin cells are
replaced.
6. Read the dictionary entry below.

cell (sel) noun 1. a small room in a jail. 2. the smallest part of
a living being. 3. an object that produces electric energy. 4. a
small group of people who work together for a secret cause.
Go back to the second

paragraph to see how the
word cell is used.
Which meaning of cell is used in this passage?

definition 1
definition 2
definition 3
definition 4
7. In this passage, the author compares the platelets, white blood

cells, and fibroblasts to

12

threads.
Read the first paragraph

again to find the answer.
workers.
tools.
animals.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
8. This chart shows some of the steps in healing a cut.

A cut opens in your skin.
Platelets rush to the cut.
A scab forms.
Collagen fills the cut.
Which sentence goes in the blank?

White blood cells kill germs.
Use the diagram to help

identify the steps.
Threads form in the blood.

Platelets form a plug.
A scar appears.
9. Read this sentence from the passage.

You cant see the workers because they are microscopic, but
this is what they do.
Look for clues in the

sentence to help you
find the meaning.
In the word microscopic, the prefix micro- means

special.
close.
small.
shy.
10. Which of these fight germs?

platelets
scabs
Check each answer by

looking for the words in
the passage.
fibroblasts
white blood cells
13
Test
Directions: Read this story about a boy named Justin. Then

answer questions 1116.
Shelter
Justin was a city kid. He didnt know much about nature.
When he was little, his mom read him a book about a
boy who went camping with his dad. The woods were dark.
There were no people or streetlights or buildings. It sounded
scary.
One day when Justin was 8, he came home from school.
He let himself into the apartment and almost tripped over
a muddy backpack.
Then Justin heard a familiar laugh from the kitchen.
Justin ran in to say hi to his Uncle Moses.
Justin! said Uncle Moses, I was just telling your mother
about my latest hike in the mountains. You should come
camping with me.
No, thanks, said Justin.
Hey, man, dont be lazy! said Uncle Moses. If you sit
around the apartment playing video games all day, youll
turn into a mushball.
Hes not lazy, said Justins mother. He swims and plays
soccer. He could keep up with you just fine!
Great, said Uncle Moses. Ill take him camping this
weekend.
Justin sat there with his mouth open.
His mother smiled. What do you think, Justin?
Okay, Justin croaked.
The next day at school, Justin asked his friend Manny if
he had ever gone camping.
Sure, said Manny. It was great! We rented a camper.
It had beds and a little kitchen and a TV. We went to a big
campground where there was a lake and millions of kids.
It had bathrooms and hot showers and everything.
But when Uncle Moses picked up Justin on Saturday, he
was not in a camper and they did not drive to a campground
with showers and electricity. They parked at the edge of a
forest and started hiking. Uncle Moses knew a lot about the
14
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Before you read the

passage, take a quick look
at the questions so you
How does Justin feel

about camping?
Compare Justins ideas

about camping with Uncle
Mosess ideas.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
woods. He told Justin the names of trees, and he showed

him animal tracks. It was kind of fun.
After a while he said, Well, I think this looks like a good
place to spend the night.
To Justin, it looked like every other place they had been
trees, rocks, dead leaves.
Were nice and high up, explained Uncle Moses. That
means if it starts to rain tonight, the water will drain past us.
Also, that cliff will shelter us from the north wind.
Okay, said Justin, wheres the tent?
Oh, theres no tent, smiled Uncle Moses. Im going to
show you how to build a shelter. Once you know how to do
this, you never have to be afraid in the woods. Youll know
how to make yourself a safe, warm spot to spend the night,
no matter what!
Justin almost told his uncle he would never be going into
the woods again, but he decided against it.
First, we find a nice, healthy tree, said Uncle Moses.
What, some trees will give us diseases? asked Justin.
No, but trees get old and sick, and then their branches
can fall off. We dont want a big branch to fall on our heads
in the middle of the night. We also want to make sure we
dont build our shelter on top of poisonous plants or an
insect nest, right?
Right!
After they found a strong tree, they looked on the ground
for a big, fallen branch. They stuck one end of the branch in
a fork of the tree. The other end rested on the ground.
This is our ridgepole, said Uncle Moses. Now we need
some big ribs.
Animal bones? asked Justin.
No, more branches. Well rest them against the
ridgepole to make the sides of our shelter. We need long
ones for the high end, and short ones for the low end.
As Justin looked for branches, the air got colder. After
he and his uncle had placed all of the ribs, they covered the
frame with dead leaves, ferns, and grass. Then they balanced
some more branches against the debris to keep the wind
from blowing it off.
Look for signal words

to identify the steps in
making a shelter.
15
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Try it out while I make our campfire, Uncle Moses said

to Justin. So Justin crawled into the shelter. Inside, it was
warm and cozy. The dead leaves smelled good.
A while later, Uncle Moses said, Time for dinner, Justin.
But he got no answer. Justin was already sound asleep.
Notice how Justins

feelings about the shelter
change.
11. Which is the best summary of this story?

A boys uncle comes to the city for a visit.
An uncle takes his nephew hiking in the forest and teaches

him all about trees.
A boy from the city gets lost in the woods.

An uncle takes his nephew camping and shows him how to
build a shelter.
12. What is the most important lesson Justin learns in this story?

It is important to stay warm at night.

Kids need to get exercise.
16

Think of what Justin

himself might say about
the trip.
You can learn a lot from books.

New experiences can be fun.
13. Uncle Moses says, Now we need some big ribs. What does the
word rib mean in this sentence?

Think about what happens

in the whole story.
a curved bone in a persons chest

a cut of meat
In the passage, look for

clues in the sentences
before and after this
sentence.
a raised line in a piece of cloth

a supporting part of a wall or building
Test
14. What is the first thing Uncle Moses and Justin have to find to
make their shelter?

a ridgepole

a healthy tree
lots of small branches
He does not know what camping is.

He does not like Uncle Moses.

Read the second

paragraph again to
find the answer.
He likes to sit quietly at home.

He thinks the woods will be scary.
16. How does Justin probably feel when he crawls inside the
shelter at the end of the story?


see what they do first.
lots of debris
15. When Uncle Moses first asks Justin to go camping, why does
Justin say, No, thanks?

Test
Tutor
says:
Name
lonely
Look at the last paragraph

to see what Justin does.
safe
hungry
bored
17
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about a few women who

changed many lives. Then answer questions 1722.
Bloomers
In the 1850s, American
women did not wear pants.
They did not wear short skirts,
either. They wore dresses that
touched the ground. In those
days, womens dresses were
very full as well as long. They
had to be full because women
wore many layers underneath
them.
To get dressed, a woman
first put on a corset. A corset
was a kind of underwear that
was very stiff and tight, and it
had laces. Women pulled the
laces tight to make their waists look small. Wearing a tight
corset made breathing a little difficult for women, and they
could not move easily either.
Over the corset, a woman wore at least four petticoats.
Over the petticoats, she wore a dress. The petticoats made
her skirt stick out.
Womens clothes were heavy. They made climbing and
running difficult. Even walking through a narrow doorway
was hard to do. These heavy clothes were hot in the
summer, too.
One young woman hated long dresses. Her name
was Libby Miller. When she got married, she and her
husband took a trip to Switzerland. Libby wanted to
hike in the mountains. She found a special hiking outfit
for sale. It was a short dress over long, loose pants.
Libby loved her new outfit. She wore it back home in
America. People could not believe their eyes! Many people
looked down on her for wearing such a strange outfit.
18

the passage.
Look at the pictures to

help you understand
the text.
What was wrong with the

womens clothes?
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
In 1851, Libby visited her cousin Elizabeth Stanton.

Like Libby, Elizabeth was a strong woman. She was also
independent. She worked for womens rights. When she saw
Libbys outfit, Elizabeth made one for herself. She loved the
way she felt when she wore it. She told her friend Amelia
Bloomer about it.
Amelia Bloomer made the outfit famous. Bloomer owned
a newspaper called The Lily. It was a newspaper for women.
Bloomer wrote that all women should get a good education.
They should have the right to work. They should have the
right to vote. Bloomer also thought women should be able to
dress sensibly. She put a picture of the pants for women in
her newspaper. Women wrote in to learn how to make them.
People across the country started calling them bloomers.
Many women agreed that bloomers were comfortable.

Bloomers made walking, running, climbing stairs, and even
breathing easier. However, there was a problem. When a
woman wore bloomers in public, some people pointed at
her. Others laughed. Reporters made fun of bloomers. Sadly,
bloomers became a joke. By 1859, the fad was over. Even
Amelia Bloomer stopped wearing them.
Still, bloomers were important. They showed women a
new way to dress. They also helped some women become
more independent. Today, women in America have the right
to dress the way they want.
Where did this new outfit

come from?
Think about how people

reacted to bloomers.
19
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
17. What is the main idea of this passage?

Amelia Bloomer made bloomers famous.

Bloomers were invented in Switzerland.
Bloomers made it easier for women to walk and run.
Bloomers were an important fashion for women.
The main idea can

appear in the first or last
paragraph of an article.
18. Why did women stop wearing bloomers?

They were hot.

Bloomers were difficult to make.
They were tight.
People laughed at them.
19. What can you tell about womens clothes in the 1850s?

They cost a lot.
20

Look for details that

describe womens clothes.
They were beautiful.

They were uncomfortable.
They were well-made.
20. Which detail shows that Libby Miller and Elizabeth Stanton
were strong and independent?

Look for the reason

toward the end of the
passage.
They both enjoyed hiking.
Find something that both

of these women did.
They both wore unusual clothes.

They both owned newspapers.
They both traveled to other countries.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
21. The author of this passage probably does NOT agree with

the reporters who made fun of bloomers.
the women who wrote in to The Lily to copy bloomers for

themselves.
women today who think they can dress the way they want.
the people who made bloomers for women to wear when

hiking.
Think about how the

author describes different
people in this passage.
22. Read the sentence from the article.

Many people looked down on her for wearing such a
strange outfit.
What does this sentence mean?

Many people could not see her outfit clearly.
Many people had a bad opinion of her because of

her outfit.
Many people looked at her outfit again and again.
How did people feel

about women who wore
bloomers?
Many people closed their eyes when she walked past in

her outfit.
21
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about a family that starts a daycare center. Then answer questions 2328.
A New Day-Care Center

The year Dinah turned 8, her mother opened a day-care
center in their house. She said she was tired of driving an
hour to and from work each day and getting home so late.
So she would start her own business at home.
She explained to Dinah that they would have to keep
the house very neat. They couldnt leave small objects lying
around. They would have to close cupboard doors tight and
put special covers on the electrical outlets. Dinah didnt
mind. She liked the new arrangement.
Every morning before Dinah got on the school bus,
parents dropped off their kids.
Mrs. Rashid always arrived first. She would carry in
her baby, Rose, and Roses huge bag of stuff. Then she and
Dinahs mom would have a cup of coffee together. They
talked about how Rose had slept the night before and what
she had eaten for breakfast and what her mood was like that
morning.
Dinah couldnt understand. Rose always looked and
acted exactly the same! She was a baby! She couldnt talk,
she couldnt walk, and she wasnt very interesting.
Mr. McKenna usually arrived next. He jogged to their
house, pushing his son, Ethan, in a special stroller. Mr.
McKenna wore sweatpants and sneakers. So did Ethan.
Dinah thought this was silly. Ethan wasnt jogging; he
was sitting!
Bye, Sport, Mr. McKenna said to Ethan every day, giving
him a high five.
Bye, Dad, said Ethan, who was 3.
Mrs. Kim usually arrived last. It took her a long time to get
from her car to Dinahs house. She had twins. She had to get
both of them out of their car seats, get both of their bags, and
walk them to the house by holding tight to their hands.
Mrs. Kim always looked very tired, but the twins were
never tired! They were 2 years old and never stopped
22
Think about what has

changed in Dinahs life.
How are these parents

alike, and how are they
different?
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
running, yelling, and getting into things. Dinah felt sorry for
Mrs. Kim. She did not stay and have coffee with her mom
like Mrs. Rashid did. She did not tell what the twins had for
breakfast or how they had slept. She just said, Good luck!
to Dinahs mom and hurried out the door. Dinah was glad
her mom didnt have twins.
Today was the first day of February vacation. Last year,
Dinah and her mom went to Florida to visit her grandma.
This year they would have to stay home. Dinah was very
unhappy. She wanted to see her grandmother and go to the
beach. Instead, she had to stay home with a bunch of babies.
On the first day of vacation, Dinah stayed up in her room
all morning. She kept the door closed so the twins would not
get in and break her stuff.
She came out of her room for lunch.
Rose was eating applesauce in her high chair. Ethan was
wearing a baseball cap and eating a hot dog.
This is just like the hot dogs you get at baseball, he said
proudly.
Not really, said Dinah. At a baseball game, they dont
cut up your hot dog.
Ethan looked sad, and Dinahs mom made a face at her.
Actually, I forgot, Dinah said. If youre lucky, they will cut
it up!
Dinahs mom smiled at her effort.
Philip and Douglas Kim were eating macaroni and
cheese so fast that Dinah got dizzy watching them. As soon
as they finished, they asked, Now can we run some more?
They went into the family room and ran around in a
circle. They laughed and laughed. They thought it was
hilarious! Dinah was amazed. When she was 2, had she
thought it was funny just to run in a circle? She tried to
remember. Had she been proud to eat a cut-up hot dog and
wear a baseball cap? She couldnt remember that either. She
felt so old!
Just then Philip tripped over Douglass foot, and they
both began to cry.
Why did Dinah stay in

her room?
23
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Nap time! called Mom. Dinah, can you keep an eye on

Rose while I put the boys in the guest room for their naps?
Dont let her out of her chair. Ill be right back.
Rose got very excited when Dinah sat down beside her.
She gave a big smile. Then she waved her spoon, and a glob
of applesauce hit Dinahs shirt.
Thats okay, Dinah told her, even though it really wasnt.
Di-Di! she cried.
Dinahs jaw dropped as she looked at Rose. Then she
laughed and yelled, Mom! Her mother came running into
the kitchen with a terrible look on her face.
Rose just said my name! Dinah exclaimed.
Thats impossible, said her mother, collapsing into a
chair. She probably said Dada. Her mother just told me
that she said Dada for the first time last night.
Nope, said Dinah. She definitely said Di-Difor
Dinah. She and Rose smiled at each other.
Dinah couldnt remember what it had felt like to learn how
to talk, but she bet it felt good. Maybe this week wouldnt be so
boring after all.
What happened to make

Dinah feel better?
23. Read these sentences from the story.

Dinah didnt mind. She liked the new arrangement.
This means that Dinah liked the new

house.
job.
plan.
day.
24. Why does Dinahs mother decide to open a day-care center?

24

Read the second

paragraph again to
find the answer.
She wants to work at home.
Go back to the first

paragraph.
She wants to take more vacations.

She wants Dinah to help her.
She wants to meet other mothers.
Test
25. How is Mrs. Kim different from Mrs. Rashid?

Mrs. Kim likes to talk more.

Mrs. Kim is in less of a hurry.
Mrs. Kim has a harder time saying good-bye.

She has to keep the house very neat.
She has to stay home with the babies instead of going

to Florida.
Parents drop off their children before she goes to school.

She does not understand why some parents act the way
they do.
27. Which event changes Dinahs mood and solves her problem?

Compare the way these

parents act.
Mrs. Kim is more tired all the time.
26. What is Dinahs biggest problem in this story?

Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Ethan talks to her about his lunch.
Read all the choices

carefully. Consider each
one before picking an
answer.
Look at the ending of

the story.
The twins start running in circles and laughing.

Mom asks Dinah to keep an eye on Rose for a minute.
Rose says Dinahs name.
28. What will most likely happen next?
Dinah will have fun helping with the kids for the rest of
her vacation.

Dinah will remember what it felt like to be a baby.
Dinah will spend most of her time reading and watching

TV in her room.
Read the last paragraph

to make a prediction.
Dinah will ask her mother if she can visit her grandmother
by herself.
25
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about jellyfish. Then answer

questions 2935.
Meet the Jelly

Question: When is a fish not really a fish?
Answer: When its a jellyfish.
Think about why the

author begins the passage
with this question.
A jellyfish, or jelly, is a soft blob that floats in the ocean.

True fish have vertebrae. Jellyfish do not have these backbones.
In fact, they dont have any bones at all.
True fish also have brains, eyes, ears, and hearts. Jellyfish
do not.
However, jellyfish do well without these body parts.
Jellyfish live in every ocean in the world. There are hundreds
of kinds of jellies. The number of jellyfish keeps increasing.
The Parts of a Jellyfish
A jellyfish has two main parts, stomach
a bell and tentacles. The bell is
pouch
a round, soft sack of jelly. The
tentacles are streamers that come
down from the bell.
The bell contains a stomach
pouch, a mouth, and a lappet. The
lappet provides a sense of touch. It
also has spots that can sense light.
The tentacles often contain poison.
Some jellies are only 1 inch
long. Others can be 200 feet long
yuck!
bell
Use the headings in
bold type to help you
understand the text.
lappet
tentacles
How does this diagram

help you?
The Life of a Jellyfish

Jellyfish drift slowly through water. Unlike fish, they do
not have fins or tails to help them swim. Instead, they open
and close their bodies, squeezing water in and out. When
they push water out, they move upward.
26
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Jellyfish can sense light and smell. They can find small
fish and tiny plants to eat. They catch food with their
tentacles.
Jellyfish do not have lungs or gills. But they still need
oxygen to live. Their skin is so thin that oxygen can pass
through it and enter their bodies. If you ever see a jellyfish,
look at it carefully. Its skin is transparent. You can see its
stomach and other organs through the skin.
A jellyfish can live from 2 months to 30 years.
Watch Out for That Jelly!
All animals must defend themselves against danger.
Some creatures defend themselves by running, flying, or
swimming fast. Jellyfish move slowly. Other animals defend
themselves with teeth and claws. Jellies dont have either
of these.
Still, jellyfish have a powerful weapon. Their tentacles
are covered with stingers. The stingers hold poison. When
a jellyfish touches an animal or person, it releases the
poison. Some jellyfish stings hurt a little. Some hurt a lot.
Some can kill.
If you go swimming in the ocean, watch out for jellyfish.
Get out of the water if you see them. If you see a jelly on the
sand, dont pick it up. If you get stung, pour vinegar on the
sting. If you feel sick, call a lifeguard or a doctor.
More Jellies Than Ever
Sometimes, hundreds of jellies appear at once. These
large groups are called swarms or blooms. Sometimes
they are called outbreaks. Recently, a blanket of jellyfish
covered one end of the Gulf of Mexico.
Why are there more jellyfish now than in the past? There
are two possible reasons.
First, adult fish and jellyfish eat much of the same food.
In some places, too many adult fish have been caught by
humans. This leaves more food for the jellyfish.
Second, farmers use fertilizer on their fields. When it
rains, some fertilizer gets washed into rivers. It flows into the
oceans. There, it grows more plants and lowers the oxygen
in the water. Jellyfish can live on less oxygen than fish.
Look for reasons to

explain the growing
numbers of jellyfish.
27
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
A Tasty Snack?
In some countries, such as China and Japan, people eat
jellyfish. First, the jellyfish are salted and squeezed. The dry,
salted jellies can be stored. When it is time to eat them, the
jellyfish are soaked in water overnight. This gets rid of the
salt. Then the jellyfish are cooked or eaten raw. They are
often served with oil and vinegar or soy sauce.
Maybe you will snack on jellyfish someday!
29. The passage says, True fish have vertebrae. What does the
word vertebrae mean?

scales
stomachs
hearts
backbones
30. Which question is answered in the first part of the passage?

What do jellyfish eat?
28

Go back to this part of

the passage.
How big is a jellyfish?

What should you do if you are stung by a jellyfish?
How are jellyfish different from fish?
31. The passage says that the skin of the jellyfish is transparent.
What does this mean?


sentences before and after
the word to see what
it means.
You can see through the skin.

sentences before and after
this word.
The skin is colorful.

You can get stung by the skin.
The jellyfish has two kinds of skin.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
32. What is the best summary of the ideas in the part called Watch
Out for That Jelly!?
All animals must defend themselves against danger,

including jellyfish.
If you go swimming in the sea, you should watch out for

dangerous animals.
Jellyfish defend themselves with poison, so stay away from

them and get help if you are stung.
Jellyfish do not have a way to defend themselves because

they do not have teeth or claws.
Skim this part of the

passage again to decide
what its mostly about.
33. How are jellyfish different from fish?

Reread the two sections in

the passage that compare
fish and jellyfish.
Jellyfish need less food to live.

Jellyfish do not have mouths.
Jellyfish need less oxygen to live.
Jellyfish and fish eat very different food.
34. Which sentence best shows how the author feels about
jellyfish?

A jellyfish, or jelly, is a soft blob that floats in the ocean.
Look for a word or phrase

that expresses a feeling.
Others can be 200 feet longyuck!

Their tentacles are covered with stingers.
They are often served with oil and vinegar or soy sauce.
35. Which detail supports the idea that the number of jellyfish
is increasing?

There are hundreds of kinds of jellies.
In some countries, such as China and Japan, people eat

jellyfish.
Find the part of the

passage that tells about
more jellies.
A jellyfish can live from 2 months to 30 years.

Recently, a blanket of jellyfish covered one end of the
Gulf of Mexico.
End of Test 1
STOP
29
Test
Name
Date
Directions: Read this passage about two boys on a vacation.

Test
Tutor
The Garden
By the second day of spring vacation, Colby and
Logan were at loose ends. Their grandmother was in the
house baking pies for a local store and couldnt take them
anywhere. They had ridden their bikes, played hide-andseek, and built a fort in the woods. Now they were bored.
Logan suggested they visit their grandmothers new
neighbor, Mrs. Wilson, because she had a puppy. Their
grandmother said, Now dont bother her. Be respectful
and dont be pests.
When the boys got to the house, Mrs. Wilson was working
outside in the yard. The dog bounded up to them, and the
boys introduced themselves.
Can we play with your dog? the boys asked.
Sure, said the woman with a smile.
The boys chased the dog around the yard. Then the dog
chased the boys around and around. Finally, the boys were
tired, but the puppy was not!
Do you boys want some lemonade? Mrs. Wilson asked.
Logan and Colby nodded. They thought this new neighbor
was really nice.
Mrs. Wilson brought out two frosty glasses of pink
lemonade. Then she began digging up something black that
was in a large bin surrounded by wire. She piled up the dark
soil and put it in a wheelbarrow.
What are you doing? Logan asked.
Im adding compost to the garden, she said. Compost
makes the soil rich. It helps the soil hold water and helps the
plants grow.
What is compost? Colby asked.
Compost is made from things like straw, leaves, eggshells,
grass clippings, and kitchen scraps, like peels from fruits and
vegetables. I mix it with some soil. After everything rots, it
turns into this nice, rich compost.
Can we help you with the compost? Logan asked.
30
says:

the passage.

characters say and do
throughout the story.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
The woman smiled broadly and said, Id love that.

So the two boys and the woman spread compost over the
garden and flower beds.
Over the next two days, the two boys visited Mrs. Wilson
two more times. They helped her plant seeds. They planted
peas, spinach, carrots, and radishes. She had grown some
tiny plants inside. They planted the seedlings in the warm
soil so they could grow larger.
When spring vacation ended, the boys went home to
their parents. They also went back to school. Then, when
summer returned, they went back to their grandmothers
house for a week. The first thing they did was visit Mrs.
Wilson.
What a pleasant surprise! The garden was full of green
plants. Squash was spreading all over the garden beds, and
carrots were growing under the soil. Still, there was more
work to do. Weeds had to be pulled, and vegetables had to
be picked. Logan and Colby went back to work.
One day Colby said, I think I want to be a gardener
when I grow up.
Me too, Logan said. Gardening is fun.
Mrs. Wilson handed Logan a bag of peas and squash to
take home. She said, You dont have to wait that long. You
are already gardeners!
Look for signal words that

tell when events happen.
1. Why did Colby and Logan think Mrs. Wilson was nice?

She let them help her with the compost and the garden.

She let them ride their bikes in her driveway.
Think about what Mrs.

Wilson did.
She brought them lemonade when they were tired and

thirsty.
She played hide-and-seek and other games with them.
31
Test
2. What happened on the second and third days the boys visited
Mrs. Wilson?

Test
Tutor
says:
Name
They helped her spread the compost.

to find the answer.
Mrs. Wilson gave them vegetables to take home.

The boys played with the dog until they got tired.
They helped her plant things in the garden.
3. Mrs. Wilson added compost to the garden. What is compost?

things that have rotted

small plants
weeds that grow in gardens
a mix of water and seeds
4. Which sentence best describes this kind of passage?

It has animal characters that talk.
32

Think about the story as

a whole.
It gives facts about gardening.

It takes place in a different kind of world.
It tells a story about people who could be real.
5. Which words best describe Colby and Logan?


sentences before and
after this word.
loud and annoying

bothersome and busy
Imagine these boys as

real people. What are
they like?
helpful and polite

grumpy and bored
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about bones. Then answer

questions 610.
Whats the Most Important Bone?

Human Skeleton
skull
coccyx
patella
fibula
The human body needs its bones.

We need them to play soccer, to
sternum chew an apple, and to grab a
pencil. An adult human body has
quite a few bones206 to be exact!
ribs
Which bone do you think is the
spine most important?
femur
tibia
Use the bold headings

to help you understand
the text.
Notice that the names of
bones are in italic type.
The Spine
Your spine is made up of 26
smaller bones. These bones help
you twist and bend. They hold your
body up so you can stand, sit, and
walk. At the bottom of your spine is
the coccyx. This is a very important
bone. It gives you power to pick
up something heavy. It helps you
balance so you can run, dance,
skip, and walk. Surely the bones in
the spine are the most important!
The Ribs
Life without ribs would be difficult. The ribs surround the
heart and lungs and other important parts of your insides.
Most people have 12 pairs of ribs. The sternum holds the ribs
in place. Thats an important bone!
The Skull
Everyone needs a brain, right? Without a brain, it would
be impossible to think or speak. Your brain also controls
your breathing and how your body breaks down food you
eat. The skull protects the brain to keep it healthy. The skull
also contains your jawbone. You need a jawbone to chew
your food and open your mouth to drink.
33
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
The Hand Bones

The bones in your hand help you pick up objects, write
your name, throw a ball, and hold a cell phone. If you
play sports, you need your hands. If you want to type on a
computer, hands are very important, too. Your hands have 54
bones, and all of them work together.
The Leg and Foot Bones
Your leg bones hold up your body. These bones make it
possible for you to run, stand, kick, and bend. The longest
bone in your body is the femur. It is the leg bone above your
knee. There are 52 bones in your ankles and feet. These
bones are very important for standing and walking. Feet and
toes make it possible for you to balance and stand upright.
Thats important!
You might argue that one bone or another is the most
important. But all of the bones have their purposes, and
theyre all important. We need all of them to enjoy a healthy,
happy life.
How are these bones

alike, and how are they
different?

The spine is the most important bone in the human body.
An adult human has 206 bones in his or her body.
In the human body, the ribs protect the heart and lungs.
All of the bones in the human body serve important
purposes.
7. Look at the diagram. What two bones make up the leg below
the knee?

34

In most passages, the first

and last paragraphs tell
the main idea.
spine and sternum
Use the diagram to

answer this question.
ribs and skull

femur and coccyx
fibula and tibia
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
8. Read this sentence.

Without a brain, it would be impossible to think or speak.
The word impossible means

not possible.
possible again.
very possible.
possible before.
9. How are the skull and rib bones alike?

Look at the parts of the

word to figure out what
it means.
They make it possible for the body to stand.

They are both part of the spine.
Look back at these parts

of the passage to find the
answers you need.
They both protect important parts of the body.

They are both above the shoulders.
10. Which paragraph tells about bones in your head?

The Spine
The Skull
The Ribs
The Hand Bones
35
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read the passage about a fox and a hen. Then

Fox and Big Red Hen

Who are the characters
in this story?
Every day, Fox promised his mother that he would catch

Big Red Hen for dinner that night. However, Big Red Hen was
clever, and every day she found a way to avoid being caught.
Big Red Hen was also very careful. When she left to go to
market, she locked her front door. When she came home, she
locked herself inside. She put her key in her apron pocket
where she kept her scissors and thread.
One day, Fox had a plan. It was cold that day, so Fox knew
Hen would have to gather firewood from the woodpile. Sure
enough, before breakfast Big Red Hen ran to the woodpile
and gathered up some sticks. When she wasnt looking, Fox
ran inside her house.
When Hen came back inside, she reached inside her
pocket to retrieve the key to lock the door. To her surprise,
Fox stood over her with a huge grin on his face. She dropped
the key, and he grabbed her and put her inside a large burlap
sack.
Hen was very plump and fat. After carrying her for a long
way, Fox had to sit down to rest. Soon he fell asleep and
snored loudly enough to alert Big Red Hen. She pulled her
scissors out of her pocket and cut a hole in the bag while Fox
was sleeping. Then she placed two large rocks inside the bag
36
Every story has a problem

or conflict that must be
solved. What happens in
this story?
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
and sewed it back up. When she finished, she ran back
home and locked her door.
When Fox woke up, he felt very happy. He checked the
bag and threw it over his shoulder. The rocks weighed the
same as the hen, so he did not notice the difference. Fifteen
minutes later, he was back home.
Outside the door, he yelled to his mother. Im home! I
hope you have the water boiling!
Foxs mother threw open the door. She said, You have
Big Red Hen today?
Fox proudly held out the bag. He said, Yes, I do, dear
Mother!
Foxs mother took the lid off the large pot of boiling
water, and the steam rose up to the ceiling. Fox opened the
bag and threw the contents inside the pot. The rocks fell into
the pot and splashed water all over the kitchen.
Foxs mother leaped out of the way. Then she barked,
What a fine soup well have today, made from nothing but
rocks and water!
Fox was embarrassed. He said, I am very sorry, Mother.
I dont know what happened. Big Red Hen is very clever,
and I was once again outfoxed. Now, its back to square one.
Surely, tomorrow we will fill that pot with a big, juicy hen.
You can learn about the

characters from what they
say and how they look.
11. What is the main problem in this story?

Hen needs wood from the woodpile.

Hen has to lock her door all the time.
Fox wants to catch Hen so he can eat her.
The rocks splash water all over the kitchen.
12. Which words best describe Big Red Hen?

Read the beginning of the

story again.
foxy and silly
Think about how Big Red

Hen acts.
sly and shy

smart and proud
clever and careful
37
Test
13. Fox says, Now, its back to square one. What does Fox mean
by this?

Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Ill try again from the beginning.

I planned things carefully but they didnt work.
Now I must go to a house on the town square.
Hen lives in a small house that is square.
Think about what makes

Fox say this.
14. Why does Fox stop to rest?

Hen is so heavy that he gets tired from carrying her.

He did not sleep the night before.
Hens house is very far away.
Fox hurt his back catching Hen, so he has to rest it.
15. What happens just before Hen cuts her way out of the bag?

She puts rocks in the bag and sews it up.
38

Look for signal words that

tell when events happen.
Fox sits down to take a rest and falls asleep.

Fox calls out to his mother to boil water.
Fox sneaks into Hens house to catch her.
16. The author wrote this passage mainly to


to find the answer.
persuade people to cook hens.
Think about how you felt

as you read the story.
entertain the reader.

give information about animals.
teach an important lesson.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about a very large bug. Then

Scientists Discover the Worlds

Largest Bug
Spiders, insects, and other bugs are usually quite small.
Many are tiny. Some may be an inch or two long. For years,
scientists have suspected that creatures like these were
once very large. For example, they have found fossils of
huge cockroaches, which are bugs with six legs that are still
around today. They have found remains of large dragonflies
that once flew across the sky. Now they know much more.
They know that one kind of bug was a giant.
A few years ago, scientists found the remains of a claw
in Germany. The scientists took the fossil back to the lab.
The claw was found in a place that was once a swamp. They
figured out that the claw belonged to a sea scorpion. Then
they put it together in the shape of the body. They were
amazed at its size.
How big was it? It was really big. The claw was a foot
and a half long. That would make the bug 8 feet long! That
is the size of a small car. Its bigger than the tallest of men.
Scientists were very excited. They had found the fossil of the
largest bug ever known.
Imagine a bug that large
walking across your lawnor
across your kitchen floor! Imagine
watching the bug sip water from a
mud puddle! That would be a
scary sight.
Humans were never in danger
from this bug. The sea scorpion
lived 400 million years ago. Fish
lived on Earth then, but dinosaurs
did not. The sea scorpion lived
about 150 million years before
the dinosaurs.

begin reading.
Look for details that tell

when, where, and what.
39
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Giant sea scorpions lived for many years. They had no

enemies until the fish began to grow large teeth. Then the fish
began eating them. Eventually, the huge sea scorpions died
out. Fortunately, at least one sea scorpion left a claw behind. It
became as hard as stone. Then one day it was uncovered. This
is the claw that the scientists found.
Now scientists believe that more bugs from long ago were
also very large, even though these creatures are small today.
They think that spiders, dragonflies, and crabs were huge.
There may have been many others, too. Only more fossil
discoveries will tell.
17. What did the scientists in Germany discover?
They found the remains of huge cockroaches and

dragonflies.

They found out that bugs lived before humans.
Scan the passage to find

details about Germany.
They found out where bugs lived long ago.

They found the remains of a huge sea scorpion.

For years, scientists have suspected that creatures like
these were once very large.
Try each definition in the

sentence to find the one
that fits.
Which definition of the word suspect is used in this sentence?

suspect (suh-SPEKT) verb 1. to believe that a person
committed a crime without having proof. 2. to doubt the truth
of something. 3. to think that something is likely. 4. to distrust
or be suspicious about someone.

40

definition 1
definition 2
definition 3
definition 4
Test
19. Giant sea scorpions lived a long time because

they had no enemies.

they were larger than any other animals.

the fish often caught and ate them.
comparing it to a car and a man.

Look for details in the

passage.
showing how it got bigger and bigger as years passed by.

explaining how it got so big.
telling when things happened in a certain order.
21. Sea scorpions could never grow this large today. Which detail
supports this statement?


dinosaurs were not alive yet.
20. The author describes the size of the sea scorpion that lived
long ago by

Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Swamps no longer can be found on Earth.

There is not enough water for sea scorpions now.

Fish with large teeth would eat them.
Sea scorpions would not have anything to eat.
22. Which is the best summary of this passage?
Giant dragonflies and huge cockroaches roamed Earth

long before dinosaurs lived.
Scientists discovered a sea scorpion fossil, which proves

that giant bugs lived long ago.
The sea scorpion was 8 feet long, which is about the same
size as a small car.
Sea scorpions lived for many years until all of them were
eaten by fish with teeth.
Find the sentence that

tells what the whole
passage is mostly about.
41
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about a clever fool. Then

The Maharajas Jester

Not so long ago, a powerful maharaja ruled Bengal in
India. He was always busy and had many serious problems
to solve. So he hired Gopal, a jester, to make him laugh. It
was not easy being a clown every day, but Gopal served the
king faithfully for 20 years. The maharaja was very fond of
his jester.
One day Gopals wife became angry. She said, Gopal,
our straw roof is leaking again!
Yes, dear, Gopal said. Every year we must fix our roof.
Then explain something, dear husband, she said. If
you are the kings favorite, why are we so poor? Why must
we live in a mud house with a straw roof?
Gopal thought for a moment. He said, Wife, you have
a good point, but I must not worry the king with this.
Gopal went to work the next day, but he was not himself.
The king said, Gopal, what is wrong with you? You are
usually so funny and entertaining.
Gopal said, I am planning a large dinner for next week.
I have many things to do so it will be very special.
The king said, Why does your dinner have to be so
special?
Gopal replied, Because I am inviting you.
The maharaja was very pleased. He said, Then I will be
there.
Finally, the day of the dinner arrived. Gopals wife
prepared many fine dishes to feed the king. She had heard
the king loved sweets. So she prepared mounds of sticky
sweets to satisfy his sweet tooth. Then she had a horrible
thought.
Where shall the king sit? she asked Gopal. Everyone
knew that the king had to sit higher than everyone else.
Dont worry, he said. Then he carried a broken-down
ladder and placed it against the roof.
You want the king to sit on the straw? his wife asked.
42
Think about the problem

or conflict in this story.
What does Gopal plan to
do for the king?
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Of course not, Gopal said. Then he pulled out the

mattress where the couple slept each night. He carried it up
on the roof and placed it on the straw. Gopals wife was too
shocked to say a word.
Just at that moment, the king arrived with all his
attendants. He stood in the courtyard and stared at the
mattress on top of the roof.
What is this, jester? A joke for me?
No, your majesty, Gopal said. This is where you should
sit. It is a seat that is high enough to show your royal rank.
The king looked at the roof, which was sloping down
steeply. He said, How can I sit on a roof that slopes so?
Gopal pointed at the mattress. He said, Your majesty,
I have placed a mattress for you to sit on comfortably. And
here is a ladder for you to climb to reach your seat.
The king looked at the ladder. One of the rungs was
missing, and it looked rickety
and unsafe.
Gopal, you are quite the
fool, he said. How can I climb
up such a ladder, sit on your roof,
and dine on a mattress?
I am giving you my best, your
kind majesty, Gopal said. A
mud home with a straw roof is all
I possess.
Suddenly, the king began
laughing. He said, What a fine
and clever comedian you are! I appreciate your humor!
Then the king commanded, Tomorrow I will send my
personal workers to your house. They will build you a fine
brick home two stories high!
Gopal and his wife knelt on the ground and thanked the
king. Then the maharajas servants carried all the fine food
to the palace, and everyone had quite a feast.

characters do and say in
the end.
43
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
23. Which word from the passage means almost the same
as fool?

maharaja
jester
joke
servant
24. Why did Gopal have a mud hut with straw for a roof?

He didnt have enough money to build a better house.

Gopal was lazy and didnt want to build a better house.

Gopal spent all his money on other things.
make a fine dinner for him.
44

What is Gopals job?
serve him food.

help him solve problems.
take his mind off serious matters.
26. What is the main problem in this story?

Go back to the beginning

of the story to find the
answer.
He liked having a mud hut because it was cheap.
25. The maharaja hired Gopal to

Who is called a fool

in the story?
Gopal does not have enough money to have a huge feast.
Think about why Gopals

wife complains.
Gopal has stopped being funny for the king.

Gopal and his wife need a better house.
Gopal and his wife do not get along very well.
Test
27. How is the problem solved?

Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Gopal gets a ladder and leans it against the house.
Look at the ending of

the story.
The maharaja tells Gopal he will have a new house.

Gopals wife makes a fine meal for the king.
The maharaja eats the fine meal that Gopals wife
prepared.
28. What does Gopal do that shows how clever he is?

Gopal agrees with his wife when she makes a good point.
Gopal knows the king will build a house for him if it is the
kings idea.

Gopal knows how to make a throne on top of his mud hut.

Gopal has good ideas that he shares with the maharaja to
help him.
45
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
Directions: Read this passage about animals and how smart

they are. Then answer questions 2935.
Animal Smarts
We all know that animals have brains. You might even
say, My dog is so smart! But how intelligent are animals?
People once thought animals did not think. They thought
animals just acted. If they were hungry, they ate. If they were
thirsty, they drank. If they were cold, they sat in the sun.
If they were hot, they looked for shade. If another animal
scared them, they ran.
Now we know differently. Irene Pepperberg began
studying bird intelligence. She bought a parrot in a pet show.
Then she taught Alex to communicate. Alex liked to talk! He
learned almost 100 English words. He learned to count to
six. He even knew what the numbers meant. He worked hard
to say words correctly. Alex learned shapes and colors, and
could tell them apart. Dr. Pepperberg bought other birds.
She and her workers taught them, too. During the training,
Alex did an amazing thing. He corrected these birds when
they didnt say the words clearly enough!
Parrots arent the only smart birds. Ravens can solve
puzzles. They can untangle knots. They steal fish from
fishermen. Crows are smart, too. They know how to use tools!
They use sharp twigs to spear food they find under logs.
Monkeys also talk to one another. They use sounds to
tell other monkeys who they are and warn one another of
danger. Scientists who studied monkey sounds learned their
warning sounds. They found that pyow means leopard.
Hack sounds followed by pyow means an eagle is nearby.
People watched the monkeys. When male monkeys made
the sounds, the female monkeys listened. If they were in a
safe place, they stayed put. If they were in a dangerous place,
they moved.
Dogs can understand a humans commands. One dog,
Rico, knew the names of 200 dogs. Another dog, Betsy,
understands more than 340 words. Once she was shown
46
Look for the main idea of

this passage.
Notice how each paragraph

gives an example.
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
a picture of a Frisbee. Then she ran to the toy box and

fetched one! Betsy also knows 15 people by name.
Scientists know that elephants can remember things
for a long time. But elephants also share another amazing
ability. Like humans, apes, and dolphins, they can recognize
themselves in mirrors! That is an advanced skill.
So, how smart are animals? The answer is smarter than
you think.

If they were in a safe place, they stayed put.
Which word from the passage means the opposite of safe?

nearby
dangerous
scared
amazing
30. Why would monkeys have sounds for leopard and eagle?

Both are animals that live in the jungle.


to find the answer.
Monkeys live near these animals.

Leopards and eagles eat monkeys.
Monkeys eat leopards and eagles.
31. How are dogs and parrots alike?

Notice the word opposite

in the question.
They can both solve math problems.

They can both understand a humans language.

They both use tools to reach food.
They both speak with words.
47
Test
Test
Tutor
says:
Name
32. What is this passage mainly about?

All animals are intelligent and can learn to communicate.

Humans are beginning to understand how smart animals are.
Find the sentence that

tells about the passage
as a whole.
Little is known about how smart dolphins and apes are.

Parrots are very intelligent birds, and so are crows.
33. The author included the information about Alex, the parrot, in
this passage to

show how smart a bird can be.
Look at the title of the

passage for clues.
explain how parrots learn language.

persuade people to get a parrot.
prove that all birds are alike.
34. The passage says that ravens can untangle knots. What is the
base word of untangle?

un
tangle
angle
tang
35. Alex corrects other birds. What does this tell you about Alex?

Alex knows when a word is said correctly or not.

Alex has a huge vocabulary of words he knows.

Alex can communicate with many kinds of animals.
Alex does not like it when other birds learn what he knows.
End of Test 2
48
Think about the meaning

of the word and its parts.
STOP
Test
Name
Date
Good Luck!
Directions: Read this passage about a special kind of pet. Then
A Special Pet
Grandpa realized that Anthony and Christopher were
unhappy about something as soon as they walked in.
Whats wrong, boys? he asked.
We want a pet, grumbled Christopher.
We need a pet, added Anthony, but Mom and Dad
wont let us get one because of our allergies. They say the fur
will mess up our breathing. We told them wed be okay with
a lizard or snake, since they dont have fur. But Dad said no
way were we bringing a reptile into the house.
Hmm, said Grandpa, I believe I have a solution. Ill be
back in a few minutes. He disappeared into another room
and was gone quite a while. Anthony and Christopher spent
the time looking at his collection of glass animals in the front
window. Sunlight shining through the tiny creatures made
spots of color on the floor like hard candy fruit drops.
When Grandpa returned, he was carrying a little brown
cardboard carton with a handle. It resembled a tiny pet
carrier and was labeled Pet Rock. Grandpa set it down
carefully on the coffee table. I had allergies too when I was
your age, he said, so someone gave me this. I had a little
trouble remembering where I put it. He opened the box to
reveal a smooth gray stone lying on wood shavings.
A pet rock? said Christopher. Thats dumb.
Not dumb at all, replied Grandpa. Cheever (thats what
I named him) was a lot of fun and very intelligent. He could
do all kinds of tricks.
Like what? asked Anthony curiously.
Like Sit and Stay, Grandpa said. He was good at those.
But he needed help with Roll Over, and he never did learn
Fetch. A lot of pet rocks have trouble with that one. Even the
training manual couldnt help.
Anthony and Christopher looked at Grandpa as if hed
gone around the bend.
49
Test
Name
Let me see, said Anthony as he pulled the manual out

of the box and began to read. Christopher looked over his
shoulder and read along with him. After a while, they both
began to giggle.
It might be fun to have a pet rock, said Anthony.
Mom and Dad couldnt say no to that. But where could
we get one?
Ill tell you what, said Grandpa. Pet rocks are kind
of rare these days. But Ill take you down to the river on
Saturday, and well see what we can find. The wild ones are
better anyway. You can use Cheevers manual to train them.
Christopher stood up and signaled to Anthony. Lets
go make something to carry them home in, he suggested.
Wild rocks will probably be kind of nervous at first. Well
need to make them comfortable.
Thats the spirit, laughed Grandpa. Ill see you on
Saturday.
1. What problem do Anthony and Christopher have?

They want a pet rock but cant find one.

Their grandfather is acting strangely.
They are allergic to a lot of things.
Their parents wont let them have a pet.
2. Why was Grandpa gone from the room for so long?

50

He had trouble finding his pet rock.

He didnt realize the boys were waiting.
He needed to take some allergy medicine.
He wanted the boys to find something to do.
Test
Name
3. Read this sentence from the passage.

Sunlight shining through the tiny creatures made spots
of color on the floor like hard candy fruit drops.
What does this sentence mean?

The colors of the rug shone in the sunlight.
The sun melted some fruit candies and left spots on

the floor.
The glass animals looked like fruit-flavored candies.

The floor was covered with brightly colored patches
of light.
4. Which event happens first?

The boys look at the pet-rock manual.

Christopher says that pet rocks are dumb.
The boys go looking for their own rocks.
Grandpa tells the boys about Cheevers tricks.
5. How does Grandpa seem to feel about his grandsons?

He doesnt take them seriously.

He thinks they complain too much.
He enjoys spending time with them.
He appreciates their help.
51
Test
Name
Directions: Read this passage about maple-tree fruits. Then

Natures Helicopters
Did you know that helicopters grow on trees? Its true!
In the right season, you can find hundreds of mini-aircraft
hanging from the branches of maple trees. They look like this:
Maple tree fruits: Sugar maple (left) and vine maple (right)
These little copters are the fruits of the maple tree. Each
one is made up of two parts called samaras. Like all fruits,
the samaras purpose is to hold the seed.
Maple trees grow all over the United States and Canada.
To find a maple near you, look for a tree with hand-shaped
leaves like the one on the Canadian flag. Finding maples
is easy in the fall when the leaves turn brilliant colors: redorange, red, yellow, and even dark purple.
Once you locate a maple tree, keep an eye on it through
the seasons. In the spring, you will see bunches of tiny flowers.
Most are yellow-green or red, but some kinds of maple have
other colors as well. After the blossoms come the fruits. Look
at the pictures above. Do you see the two lumps at the center
where the wings come together? Those are the actual seeds.
In late spring or early summer, the fruits will be ready
to leave the tree. If there is a good strong wind, the twisting
wings will carry the copters far away from the mother tree.
This is a good thing. Maple seeds sprout easily, but the
seedling trees need sunshine to do well. Seeds that fall
right under another tree will probably not grow very big. So
maples have developed fruits that fly.
A maple tree grows a lot of coptersthousands in a single
season! Producing so many seeds helps make sure that at
least some of them will take root and grow into new trees.
52
Test
Name
Many seeds never sprout at all. Some get eaten by birds and
small mammals. Others fall on pavement or wash away.
Even if its not the right time of year for real maple fruits,
you can still get an idea of how they fly. You can make your
own maple-seed copter, as shown below.
Start with a rectangular
strip of paper about 4 inches
(10 cm) long. Fold the paper
in half the long way. Open
the paper out flat. Use the
fold line as a guide and make
a cut a little less than half
the length of the paper.
Bend one of the cut parts
forward and the other one
backward. Then attach a
regular-size paper clip for
weight. Thats all there is
to it.
Now toss it in the air and watch it spin to the ground.
Better yet, take it outside when there is a wind blowing. Hold
it up over your head and let it go. See how far from you (the
tree) your fruit lands.
6. What is the main idea of the passage?

Maple trees grow all over the United States.

Maple seeds usually grow in pairs.
Maple fruits fly like little helicopters.
Maple trees produce thousands of seeds.
7. According to the passage, what is a samara?

part of a maple fruit

a strip of paper
one half of a pair of scissors
a kind of helicopter
53
Test
Name
8. Why are the first two pictures important for understanding

the passage?

They tell how maple trees are different from other trees.
They show what maple-tree flowers look like.
They explain why different maples have different fruits.
They show how maple-tree fruits are shaped like wings.
9. Below are four pieces of information found on the Canadian

governments Web site. Which one should have been included
in this passage?

a picture of the maple leaf on Canadas flag

a phone number for the Canadian Forest Service
a list of all trees that grow in Canada
an explanation of how Canadian maple syrup is made
10. The passage says, You can find hundreds of mini-aircraft

hanging from the branches of maple trees. In mini-aircraft, the
word part mini- means

54

small.
fast.
special.
pretty.
Test
Name
Directions: Read this passage about a traveling entertainer.

Edmunds Lucky Break

Edmund hurried down the lane to the castle. The clouds
in the sky were dark, and he had to get inside before the rain
came. It would be very bad if his fiddle got wet. The lord who
lived here was expecting the minstrel to entertain his guests
that evening. Edmund would be paid with dinner and a bed
for the night. If he did his job well, the guests might also
toss out some silver pennies. With luck, they would be more
generous than at the last place. Those people had been quite
tightfisted, and his pocket now held only one small coin.
Great drops of water began to fall from the sky. Edmund
tried to shield his instrument bag as he ran. He was almost
to the door when he slipped in the mud. There was a
sickening crack as he landed right on top of the bag. He
fearfully looked inside. The fiddle only had a couple of
broken strings, but the bow had snapped in two.
This was a disaster, thought Edmund. The lord and his
guests were already eating their dinner in the great hall.
They would want their entertainment soon. How could he
play without a bow? He considered leaving before anyone
saw him but decided against it. He needed this job, and
besides, it was nearly night. He would figure something out
while he changed into his costume.
A short time later, Edmund entered the great hall wearing
bright red leggings and a green top with red trim. He carried
his fiddle, whose strings he had quickly repaired. Stepping to
the center of the room, he started off with an old ballad. As
he sang, he plucked the strings like a guitar, since he had no
bow. The unusual sound caught the attention of the guests,
who leaned forward to listen. When he finished the song, a
shower of coins landed at his feet.
Enjoying the crowds approval, Edmund played several
more songs. Then he decided to try something else. He took
three apples from a bowl in the center of the table and began
55
Test
Name
to juggle them. As he juggled, he sang a silly song that he had

recently learned. At the end, he took a bite out of one of the
apples while catching the other two in one hand. More coins
flew his way.
Edmund next did some tumbling tricks. These were
a bit risky because he had never used these moves in a
performance before. But tonight everything seemed to
be going right.
Then it was time for the grand finish. He emptied
the apple bowl and stood on his hands with the bowl
balanced on his feet. Then he hand-walked around the
room, encouraging the guests to place coins in the bowl.
Edmund left the hall that evening with more coins than
he had ever seen before.
Later on, Edmund was eating his dinner in the servants
kitchen. The head steward came in and told him, My master
would like to hire you for the winter. Your skills will be very
welcome during the long, dark months.
Edmund was very glad he had not run away when his
bow broke. Things had turned out very well after all.
11. Which is the best clue that this story takes place a long
time ago?

Edmund plays the fiddle and juggles.

Edmund works for a lord in a castle.
Edmund wears red leggings when he works.
Edmund eats in the servants kitchen.
12. What happened when Edmund fell in the mud?

56

His fiddle got wet.

His instrument bag opened.
His bow broke in half.
His leggings got dirty.
Test
Name
13. How does Edmund show that he is quick-witted?

He decides not to leave the castle.

He invents a new routine at the last minute.
He repairs the strings on his fiddle.
He collects the coins in the great hall.
14. Which two words from the story have opposite meanings?

generous and tightfisted

slipped and landed
expecting and leaving
play and song
15. Which is the best summary of this story?
The lord of the castle lets Edmund perform even though

he knows there is a problem with his instrument. Edmund
proves that he does not need a bow.
A man named Edmund tries out several new tricks to gain

entry to a castle. The lord and his guests enjoy the show.
The lord of the castle hires Edmund to entertain his guests.

The minstrel has problems with his instrument and does
not perform well.
The minstrel Edmund has a problem with his instrument

just before he is supposed to perform. He finds a solution
and gives a successful show.
16. If this story continues, what will Edmund most likely do next?

He will perform a new magic trick.

He will change into a different costume.
He will go back to the last place he worked.
He will tell the steward he will stay.
57
Test
Name
Directions: Read this passage about a special woman. Then

Ill Go and Do More:

Annie Dodge Wauneka (19101997)
Annie Wauneka smiled a big
smile as she touched the medal
hanging around her neck. It was the
Presidential Medal of Freedom! This
was a big honor. She was very proud
to be the first Native American to get
this award. It was given to her
because of all she had done for the
health of the Navajo people. A lot had
changed because of her. Still, she
knew that things could be better.
Thats why she always said, Ill go
and do more.
Annie was born in 1910 in Arizona. Her father, Henry
Chee Dodge, was a wealthy trader and sheep rancher. He
was also one of the tribes key leaders. Chee Dodge wanted
his children to be well educated. This meant sending
them away to live at special Indian schools. Homes on the
reservation where they lived were just too spread out to build
schools near where people lived.
Annie was 8 years old when she first went off to school.
That year, a dreadful flu swept through her school. Some of
the students died. Annie escaped with only a mild case, so
she helped care for those who were sick. She later traced her
interest in health work to this early event in her life.
When she grew up, Wauneka (her married name) helped
her father run things on the reservation. She saw the poor
health of many who lived there. This troubled her, and she
wanted to do something about it. In 1951, she ran for a seat
on the tribal council. She won, and was later reelected many
times. In fact, she served for 27 years!
58
Test
Name
From the start, she pushed for better living conditions

on the reservation. For instance, a lot of homes had no
windows. Many had only dirt floors. Some had no water
nearby. Wauneka helped people get good houses and
clean water.
Every year, many Navajos and others died from a lung
disease called tuberculosis, or TB. Wauneka fought to stamp
out TB. She helped lower the number of TB cases and deaths
across the country. This was the main reason she won the
Medal of Freedom in 1963.
Wauneka wanted her people to take good care of their
own health. She talked to them about health each week
on the radio. She argued that they should use modern
health care as well as traditional healing. And she wrote a
dictionary of medical terms to help them talk to non-Navajo
doctors and nurses.
Like Chee Dodge, Wauneka knew that education was the
key to a good future. She spent a lot of time on school issues.
Above all, she wanted Navajo children to have schools closer
to where they lived. She knew how hard it was to leave home
at a young age.
Wauneka worked with groups throughout the country,
even in Washington. Her efforts brought praise from many
sources. One of the highest honors came from the tribal
council in 1984. They gave her the name Legendary Mother
of the Navajo Nation. She could have stopped then, but of
course she did not. Just like in 1963, she kept on doing more.
At the time of her death in 1997, her grandson was the tribal
president. He spoke for many when he said, She made us
proud to be Navajo. Annie Wauneka would have smiled to
hear him say that.
59
Test
Name
17. Which is the best summary of this passage?
Annie Wauneka helped the Navajo people have better

lives. She was called the Legendary Mother of the Navajo
Nation. She died in 1997.
Annie Wauneka was an important Navajo leader. She

followed in her fathers footsteps.
Annie Wauneka was a Navajo leader. She worked hard

to make things better for her people. She earned many
honors for her work.
Annie Wauneka grew up on the Navajo reservation. As a

young child, she had to leave home to go to school. This
experience led her to work in education.
18. The passage says, That year, a dreadful flu swept through her
school. What does dreadful mean?

terrible
weak
painful
slow-acting
19. How does the author of this passage seem to feel about Annie
Wauneka?

She got too much attention.

She deserved the honors she received.
She should have spent more time with her family.
She was a lovable person.
20. When Annie was a child on the reservation, schools were not
built near childrens homes because

60

all of the children went away to school.

people lived too far apart from one another.
there was no money for schools.
the council did not know which homes had children.
Test
Name
21. What is one way that Wauneka was different from her father?

She was a key leader of the Navajo people.

She thought education was important.
She worked on the Navajo reservation.
She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
22. Read the following sentence.

The Navajo people thought Wauneka was doing a good job
on the tribal council.
What is the best reason to believe this statement?

She had a weekly radio show.

She worked with groups throughout the country.
She helped people get better homes.
She was reelected to the council many times.
61
Test
Name
Directions: Read this passage about a woman in China with

two sons. Then answer questions 2328.
Wind and Music

Once upon a time, a woman named Ming Li had two
sons. When they married, the sons brought their brides to
live in the Ming family home. The two wives tried very hard
to please their new mother-in-law. But Ming Li was not an
easy person to satisfy.
One day while her sons were away on a long trip, Ming
Li called the two young women to the courtyard. I have
decided to put you to a test, she announced. I want to see
how clever you are. I need to be sure my sons have married
brides who are worthy of them.
She continued, You will leave here tomorrow. You have
one week to bring back a certain item I will assign to you. If
you do not succeed, you must return to your village and my
sons will be free to marry someone else.
Turning to First Daughter-in-Law, she said, You must
bring me wind wrapped in paper. To Second Daughter-inLaw, she said, You must bring me music wrapped in wind.
The two young women bowed as she went back inside. Then
they looked at each other in despair. What Ming Li wanted
was impossible!
Early the next day, the two left the house. As they trudged
along, they talked sadly about their mission. Wind wrapped
in paper? Music wrapped in wind? How could they possibly
find such things? Surely they would fail and would have to
leave their beloved husbands. They both began to sob with
grief. They cried until they reached the next village.
At the village gate, they met an older woman who asked
what was wrong. When she heard their story, Cheng Wa
nodded understandingly. Her mother-in-law had been
difficult too, she said. But once she proved herself, she had
been accepted. They got along very well after that.
If we can send you back quickly with what she demands,
said Cheng Wa, you will see her attitude improve. She will
62
Test
Name
be happy that her sons have found such excellent wives.

Come with me. She led them down a narrow street to her
small house. There she made them tea and chatted about the
spring-blooming flowers.
Just as the young women were starting to worry about
the time, Cheng Wa opened a cupboard and took out two
long thin objects. She handed one to First Daughter-inLaw, saying, Here is your wind wrapped in paper. First
Daughter-in-Law unfolded a beautiful paper fan. She smiled
happily as she waved it and felt the gently moving air.
Second Daughter-in-Laws package contained a bamboo
flute. Cheng Wa showed her how to blow it and taught her to
play a little tune. Second Daughter-in-Law practiced while
First Daughter-in-Law kept them all cool with the fan.
They stayed that night with their new friend. The next
morning they left for home with the fan and the flute tucked
into their traveling bundles. This time they walked as lightly
as dancers, and it seemed like no time before they reached
Ming Lis house.
Back so soon? cried Ming Li. Are you so disrespectful
that you have ignored my wishes?
Not at all, said First Daughter-in-Law. We have brought
you what you asked for. She presented Ming Li with the fan.
Then Second Daughter-in-Law played some notes on the
flute. To their great relief, Ming Li smiled.
I am a lucky woman, she said. No one else has such
clever daughters-in-law. My sons have chosen well. Ming
Li and her two daughters-in-law lived happily together from
that day on.
23. What kind of passage is this?

biography
folktale
news article
fairy tale
63
Test
Name
24. Ming Li gave her daughters-in-law a hard task because she

wanted to

convince her sons not to marry them.

see if they were smart.
get them out of the house for a while.
show that she believed in them.
25. How can you tell that the two young women wanted to please
Ming Li?

They accepted her test without arguing.

They cried after they left her house.
They lived with her in her home.
They met an older woman in a village.
26. What happened just after Cheng Wa took the two young
women to her home?

She gave them a flute and a fan.

They told her their story.
She made some tea for them.
They stayed with her overnight.
27. Why did Cheng Wa offer to help the young women?

She wanted company for a little while.

She was friends with their mother-in-law.
She wanted them to leave quickly.
She had a similar problem earlier in her life.
28. The author tells this story mainly by

64

giving clues that lead to a surprise ending.

comparing one persons actions with anothers.
describing events in the order they happen.
identifying a problem and then telling what caused it.
Test
Name
Directions: Read this passage about eating breakfast. Then

Whats for Breakfast?

Okay, confess. Did you eat breakfast this morning? What
did you have? If youre like a lot of American kids, you had
a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. You might have
toasted some waffles. Or maybe you just grabbed a granola
bar to eat on the school bus. Do you ever wish you had time
for a real breakfast?
Well, there is no such thing as a real breakfast. Your
first meal of the day is shaped by where you live and your
family background. Breakfast foods are as different as the
people who eat them.
A typical Chinese breakfast is rice with vegetables and
sometimes a little meat. In Ecuador, you might eat fried
mashed green bananas. In Jordan, people often have
hummus, a dip made from chickpeas. Many Kenyans eat a
thin porridge called uji. The Welsh love cockles (shellfish)
and cakes made from seaweed. Breakfast in Australia might
be toast topped with baked beans or spaghetti. A list of
Russian breakfast foods sounds pretty familiar until you
come to the pickles.
Even within the United States, breakfast foods differ from
place to place. Biscuits and gravy are common in the South
and Midwest. A lot of Southerners also like grits. Many
people in New England enjoy a piece of pie. In the West and
Southwest, a lot of breakfasts include chili peppers or salsa.
Bread appears on breakfast tables in many places and
in many forms. Several U.S. favorites started out in other
cultures. For example, we got doughnuts from the Dutch. We
got bagels from the Jews of Europe and croissants from the
French. English muffins did not exactly come from England,
though. They were invented in New York in the late 1800s
(by an Englishman).
What you eat for breakfast also depends on money.
Thousands of poor children around the world start their day
with only a scrap of bread or a little grain boiled in water.
Thousands more eat nothing at all.
65
Test
Name
If you have a choice, dont skip breakfast. Surely you have

heard the saying, Breakfast is the most important meal of
the day. Well, maybe its not the most important, but it is
important. Even if you dont feel hungry in the morning,
your body and your brain need that food to work properly.
Lots of studies show that kids who eat breakfast generally do
better in school. They have more energy. They concentrate
better. They get higher test scores. So go ahead and eat.
On the other hand, dont overdo it. Many restaurants
offer something they call the Farmers Breakfast. These
hearty meals usually have eggs, meat, pancakes, and
potatoes, along with juice and a hot drink. Thats a ton of
food! Old-time farmers were up for hours doing chores
before they got around to eating breakfast. They worked up
a big appetite. Most of us dont need to eat that much in the
morning. But even if we eat less, we still have lots of choices.
Pickles, anyone?

Different people eat different foods for breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Many American breakfast foods came from other

countries.
American kids dont take enough time for breakfast.
30. Which meaning of the word skip is used in this sentence?

If you have a choice, dont skip breakfast.

66

move ahead lightly on one foot at a time

miss on purpose
move quickly from one place to another
leave suddenly
Test
Name
31. The information in the third paragraph suggests that

people in Ecuador like many kinds of food.

Chinese stores do not sell cereal or waffles.
many Welsh people live near the ocean.
American breakfast foods are popular in Russia.
32. Which detail best supports the idea that children in very poor
countries may have trouble learning?

Bread appears on breakfast tables in many forms.

Old-time farmers worked for hours before breakfast.
Many restaurants offer a Farmers Breakfast.
Kids who eat breakfast do better in school.
33. The authors main reason for writing this passage was to

give the history of some popular breakfast foods.

convince the reader not to eat too much.
show how skipping breakfast can affect test scores.
change the readers ideas about breakfast foods.
34. Doughnuts have been eaten in America since the 1600s. This is
probably because

Dutch settlers kept making them after they moved here.
breads and cakes were invented in ancient times.
almost all of the worlds cultures make some kind of bread.

visitors to Dutch cities carried them back across the ocean
with them.
67
Test
Name
35. Look at this part of a dictionary page.

grit (grit) noun: 1. tiny rough bits of stone. 2. toughness of
mind or spirit; courage.
verb: to bite down and grind (teeth) together [from Old
English greot, sand or gravel] HSJUT HSJUrUFE HSJUrUJOH
grits (grits) n. pl. coarsely ground grain, especially corn, that
is boiled and served with butter [from Middle English
grutta, coarse meal]
What does this part of a dictionary tell you about the breakfast
food grits, mentioned in the fourth paragraph?

They resemble little bits of stone.

They are hard to chew.
They are made from corn.
They were first eaten in England.
End of Test 3
68
STOP
Standardized Test Tutor: Reading
Answer Sheet
Grade
Student Name
Test 1 2 3
(circle one)
Teacher Name
Directions: Fill in the bubble for the answer you choose.
1.

13.

25.

2.

14.

26.

3.

15.

27.

4.

16.

28.

5.

17.

29.

6.

18.

30.

7.

19.

31.

8.

20.

32.

9.

21.

33.

10.

22.

34.

11.

23.

35.

12.

24.

69
Test
Answer Key
1. C
8. A
15. D
22. D
29. D
2. B
9. C
16. B
23. C
30. D
3. B
10. D
17. D
24. A
31. A
4. A
11. C
18. D
25. B
32. C
5. D
12. D
19. C
26. D
33. C
6. B
13. D
20. B
27. D
34. B
7. B
14. C
21. A
28. A
35. C
Answer Key Explanations

The Pot of Milk
1. Correct response: C
(Identify synonyms)
The words ill and sick have almost the same
meaning. The story says that the cow fell ill and
the mother could not leave the sick cow alone.
Incorrect choices:
A Angry and alone do not have the same
meaning. Angry means mad or upset;
alone means by itself.
B Walked and kicked have different meanings. Gheta walked down the road, and
then she kicked the pot.
D Fine and valuable have different meanings.
The cow was valuable, or worth money; a
fine house looks nice.
2. Correct response: B
The mother sends Gheta to the market
because the cow is sick and she has to stay
home to care for the cow.
2. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
A The cow is sick, not the mother.
C The mother becomes angry with Gheta
after she goes to the market.
D The mother just tells Gheta to sell the milk.
The story does not suggest that Gheta
will get more money for the milk than the
mother would.
(Analyze literary elements: setting)
The fourth paragraph says that Gheta sits
down under a tree to rest. As she is resting under
the tree, she dreams about the future. The dream
ends when she kicks the pot of milk.
Incorrect choices:
A Gheta is on her way to the market when she
stops to rest. After she kicks over the milk,
she goes home.
C Gheta kicks over the milk before she gets to
the market.
D Gheta dreams about a field of rice but
never actually goes there.
71
4. Correct response: A
(Identify cause and effect)

Gheta explains that things would be worse if
she had kicked the cow and the cow had run away.
Incorrect choices:
(Interpret figurative language)

The first paragraph says that a team of
workers does the job of healing a cut, and
then the passage goes on to describe what the
platelets, white blood cells, and fibroblasts do.
B The cow got better during the day while

Gheta was away.
Incorrect choices:
C Gheta dreams of a fine house but does not

tell her mother about it.
A The passage says that threads form in the

blood, but the author does not compare
them to platelets and white blood cells.
D The story says that Gheta told her what

had happened; she did not make up a lie
about someone taking the milk from her.
C The passage refers to using a special tool

to fill a hole in the wall, but this refers to
the skin that covers the cut.
D Animals are not mentioned in the passage.
5. Correct response: D
(Make connections)
The story concerns a girl who learns that
daydreaming can lead to trouble and changes her
ways, so it could be most helpful to another person
who daydreams and needs to learn this lesson.
Incorrect choices:
A The story takes place in India but does not
really teach anything about India.
B Gheta had to learn the importance of doing
her chores, so someone who already does
chores at home does not need to learn
this lesson.
C Liking milk is not mentioned and is of no
importance in the story.
(Use graphic feature: diagram)
The third paragraph describes how the scab
forms, and then the next paragraph tells what
happens next: white blood cells kill the germs.
Incorrect choices:
B Threads form in the blood as part of the
process of forming a scab.
C The platelets form a plug before the scab
forms.
D A scar sometimes appears after collagen
fills the cut.
Cuts and How They Heal

(Use reference aids to clarify meaning: dictionary)
The passage describes tiny cells in the body,
so definition 2 fits the context best.
Incorrect choices:
A The passage does not mention a jail cell.
C The passage does not mention a power cell,
or battery.
(Use prefixes to determine word meaning)

The prefix micro- means very small; the
passage says you cant see the workers because
they are microscopic.
Incorrect choices:
A, B, and D are incorrect. Special and
close may seem plausible, but micro- does
not mean either of these things. The fact that
you wont see the workers while they are
working might suggest that they are shy,
but this is not the meaning of micro-.
D The passage does not describe people

working for any kind of secret cause.
72

(Identify main idea and details)
The fourth paragraph says that the white
blood cells kill the germs.
Incorrect choices:
A The platelets cause the blood to clot and
stop the bleeding.
B Scabs protect the skin while it heals.
C The fibroblasts make collagen to fill the hole.

(Use context clues to determine meaning of
multiple-meaning words)
Uncle Moses says they need some ribs to
make the sides of the shelter, so the word rib in
this context means a supporting part of a wall
or building.
Incorrect choices:
A Uncle Moses is talking about the shelter,
not a human body.
B This meaning refers to a kind of food you
can buy.
Shelter
(Summarize)
This sentence best sums up what happens in
the story.
Incorrect choices:
A This sentence gives one small detail from
the beginning of the story.
C Uncle Moses wants to use branches as ribs

for the shelter, not ribbed pieces of cloth.

(Identify sequence of events)
When Uncle Moses chooses their campsite,
he says, First, we find a nice, healthy tree.
Incorrect choices:
B Justin did not get lost; he went camping

with his uncle.
A Finding the ridgepole is the second step in

building the shelter.
D This sentence gives two important details

from the story but does not include building
a shelter.
B They find debris to put on the outside of

the shelter after the frame is built.

(Analyze literary elements: theme)
Justin does not want to go camping at first,
and then he goes reluctantly. But at the end he
seems to think the shelter is warm and cozy,
and he falls asleep, so he learns that this new
experience is not so bad.
Incorrect choices:
A Justin does not learn this during the trip; he
undoubtedly knew it already.
B Justins mother says that he swims and
plays soccer, so he already gets plenty of
exercise.
C Justins initial fears about the woods came
from a story in a book, but he learned that
they were unfounded.
D They had to find small branches after they

put up the ridgepole.

Justin does not want to go camping in the
woods because a story that his mom read to him
made camping in the woods sound scary.
Incorrect choices:
A He knows what camping is because he has
read about it in a book.
B He likes his uncle and runs to say hello
to him.
C His uncle seems to think that Justin stays
home all the time, but Justins mother says
that he swims and plays soccer.
73
(Make inferences)
He probably feels safe because he thinks it is
warm and cozy and he falls asleep.
Incorrect choices:
A He does not feel lonely because hes with
his uncle.
C He is not feeling too hungry because he goes
to sleep before he and his uncle make dinner.
D Justin has been busy building the shelter and
learning about nature, so he is not bored.
(Draw conclusions)
The fourth paragraph says that womens
clothes were heavy and hot, and they made
climbing and running difficult.
Incorrect choices:
A The passage does not mention the cost of
womens clothes.
B The passage describes womens clothes
as heavy, full, hot, and uncomfortable but
never describes them as beautiful.
D Some womens clothes may have been
well-made, but the passage implies that
many women made their own clothes.
Bloomers
The passage tells how bloomers became a
fashion, and the last paragraph tells why they
were important.
Incorrect choices:
(Use details or evidence from the text to

support ideas)
This detail supports the idea that these women
were strong and independent because they defied social customs and wore what they wanted,
in spite of how people made fun of their clothes.
A This is the main idea of the eighth paragraph

but not of the whole passage.
Incorrect choices:
B This is a detail that tells where the first

bloomers came from.
A The passage says that Miller went hiking

but does not say that Stanton did so.
C This is a detail that supports the main idea.
C Amelia Bloomer owned a newspaper, but

neither Miller nor Stanton did.

The next-to-last paragraph explains that
women stopped wearing bloomers because
people made fun of them.
D The passage says that Miller went to Switzerland but does not say that Stanton
traveled to other countries.
Incorrect choices:
A Bloomers were not any hotter than heavy
dresses and were probably cooler.
B Elizabeth Stanton made bloomers for
herself, and many women wrote in to the
newspaper for information so they could
make their own.
C Bloomers were comfortable because they
were loose-fitting.
74

(Evaluate authors point of view)
The author implies that bloomers were good
for women, so she would probably not agree
with reporters who made fun of them.
Incorrect choices:
B The author describes bloomers in positive
ways, so she would agree with people who
made them for women.
C The author describes bloomers in positive
ways, so she would agree with women who
wanted to make them for themselves.
D The author implies that women deserved the
right to dress as they wanted, so she would
agree with people who feel the same way.

(Interpret figurative language, including idioms)
If you look down on someone, you look
at the person in a negative or critical way, as if
the person were lower than you; you have a bad
opinion of him or her.
Incorrect choices:
A, B, and C are incorrect. Looking down on
someone does not refer to seeing clearly,
looking at something again and again, or
closing ones eyes.
A New Day-Care Center

unfamiliar words)
Dinahs mother explains her plan to open a
new day-care center, and Dinah likes this plan,
or idea.
23. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
A Dinah and her mother did not move into
a new house.
B The word arrangement refers to the
mothers plan for a day-care center, not
a job that Dinah liked.
D The word arrangement refers to a plan,
not a new day.
The first paragraph explains that Dinahs
mother was tired of driving back and forth to
work, so she started a business in her home.
Incorrect choices:
B Dinahs mother works every day, and
she and Dinah cannot take their usual
February vacation.
C Dinahs mother asks her to help, but this
is not the reason she started the business.
D Dinahs mother does meet other mothers
in her day-care center, but this was not her
reason for starting it.

(Compare and contrast)
The passage says that Mrs. Kim had twins
and always looked very tired.
Incorrect choices:
A Mrs. Rashid always stays to talk with
Dinahs mother, but Mrs. Kim does not.
C Mrs. Rashid always stays for a few minutes,
but Mrs. Kim usually gets there last and
always hurries out the door.
D Mrs. Rashid talks with Dinahs mother
every morning, but Mrs. Kim just says,
Good luck!
75
(Analyze literary elements: plot)

When February vacation begins, Dinah has
to stay home and help her mother instead of
visiting her grandmother in Florida. This is the
main problem, or conflict, in the story.
(Make predictions)
The last two sentences of the story suggest
that Dinah will enjoy helping with the kids for
the rest of the week.
Incorrect choices:
B The last paragraph says that Dinah could

not remember how it felt to learn how to
talk.
A At the beginning of the story, Dinah does

not object to keeping the house neat.
B Dinah does not seem to mind that children
are dropped off before she goes to school.
C Dinah may not understand some of the
parents and she feels sorry for Mrs. Kim,
but their behavior does not cause her
any problems.

Dinah feels unhappy about staying home
during her vacation, and she does not laugh or
enjoy herself until Rose says Di-Di. Then she
decides that the week at home might not be so
bad after all.
Incorrect choices:
A Listening to Ethan makes Dinah feel old
and does not help her mood.
B Watching the twins makes her realize that
she cant remember how she felt at their age.
C Rose immediately spills applesauce on
Dinahs shirt, and this does not change
Dinahs mood.
76
Incorrect choices:
C Dinah has accepted the idea that she will

not be going to visit her grandmother, and
now shes beginning to enjoy being home.
D She has come out of her room and is
now beginning to enjoy helping with
the children.
Meet the Jelly

(Use text features to find information)
The first paragraph of the passage says,
True fish have vertebrae. Jellyfish do not have
these backbones. By finding the word vertebrae
in the first paragraph, you can find the clue to
its meaning.
Incorrect choices:
A and B are incorrect. The word vertebrae
is used in the first paragraph in reference
to bones; scales and stomachs are not
mentioned in this paragraph.
C The passage says that true fish also have
hearts, so they must be different from
vertebrae.

(Identify text structure and organization)
This part of the passage introduces jellyfish
by telling how they are different from true fish.
Incorrect choices:
A This question is answered under The Life
of a Jellyfish.
B This question is answered under The Parts
of a Jellyfish.
C This question is answered under Watch
Out for That Jelly!

unfamiliar words)
In the passage, the sentence after the word
transparent gives a clue to its meaning: You can
see its stomach and other organs through the
skin. When something is transparent, you can
see through it.

The last paragraph in More Jellies Than
Ever states that jellyfish can live on less oxygen
than fish.
Incorrect choices:
A Jellyfish and fish need varying amounts
of food to live.
B The second part of the passage says that
jellyfish do have mouths.
D The Life of a Jellyfish says that jellyfish eat
small fish and tiny plants, the same food
that fish eat.

In this sentence, the word yuck reveals the
authors view of, or feeling about, jellyfish.
Incorrect choices:
B The skin of the jellyfish is clear, not colorful.
A Calling the jellyfish a blob might suggest

the authors view, but this sentence is not
the one that best shows how the author feels.
C The stingers are on the tentacles, not

the skin.
C and D are both factual details that do not

reveal the authors feelings about jellyfish.
Incorrect choices:
D The passage does not mention two kinds

of skin.
(Summarize)
This sentence best sums up the part called
Watch Out for That Jelly!, which tells how
jellyfish defend themselves and what to do if
you get stung.
(Use details or evidence from the text to support

ideas)
This sentence from More Jellies Than Ever
describes a group of jellyfish large enough to
cover one end of the Gulf of Mexico, and it leads
into the question of why there are more jellyfish
now than in the past.
Incorrect choices:
Incorrect choices:
A This is the main idea of the first paragraph

in this part, but it does not summarize the
whole section.
A There are hundreds of kinds of jellies, but

the number of kinds does not indicate large
numbers of each kind.
B This is the main idea of the last paragraph

in this part, but it does not summarize the
whole section.
B The length of a jellyfishs life does not

support the idea that the overall population is increasing.
D This is an inaccurate detail drawn from this

part of the passage; jellyfish do have a way
to defend themselves.
D The fact that people eat jellyfish does

not indicate that the number of jellyfish is
increasing; more likely, it would mean
the opposite.
77
Test
Answer Key
1. B
8. A
15. B
22. B
29. B
2. D
9. C
16. B
23. B
30. C
3. A
10. B
17. D
24. A
31. B
4. D
11. C
18. C
25. D
32. B
5. C
12. D
19. A
26. C
33. A
6. C
13. A
20. A
27. B
34. B
7. D
14. A
21. C
28. D
35. A

The Garden
Incorrect choices:
2. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
A They helped Mrs. Wilson spread the
compost on the first day.
B Mrs. Wilson gave them vegetables when
they returned to visit her in the summer.
C The boys played with the dog on their
first visit.
A The boys helped Mrs. Wilson with the

garden after they had lemonade.
The passage says that Mrs. Wilson offered
them some lemonade. The boys nodded and
thought this new neighbor was really nice.
C The boys rode their bikes before they

visited Mrs. Wilson.
D The boys played hide-and-seek before
they visited Mrs. Wilson.

unfamiliar words)
Mrs. Wilson explains that compost is made
from things like leaves and peels from fruits and
vegetables, mixed with soil. After everything
rots, it turns into this nice, rich compost.

When the boys visited Mrs. Wilson over the
next two days, they helped her plant vegetable
seeds and seedlings.
79
3. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
B Mrs. Wilson planted small plants, or
seedlings, in the garden, but these were
not compost.
C Mrs. Wilson did not add weeds to the garden.
D Mrs. Wilson planted seeds and watered
them, but this mixture is not compost.

The first and last paragraphs state the main
idea: that the human body has many bones, and
they are all important.
Incorrect choices:
A This is the main idea of the part called
The Spine, but not of the whole passage.
(Identify literary genres and their characteristics)
The characters in this story act like real
people act and do things that real people
might do.
Incorrect choices:
A This story has a puppy in it, but no animals
that talk.
B The story does give some information
about gardening, but that does not best
describe what kind of passage it is.
C The story takes place in a realistic setting,
not in a different kind of world.
The boys are respectful to Mrs. Wilson, they
act politely by introducing themselves and asking if they can play with the dog, and they help
her in the garden.
B This is the main idea of the part called

The Ribs, but not of the whole passage.
D This is a supporting detail from the first
paragraph but not the main idea.
(Use graphic features: diagram)
The fibula and tibia are the only leg bones
below the knee.
Incorrect choices:
A B, and C are incorrect. The spine and
the sternum, the ribs and the skull, and
the femur and the coccyx are all above
the knee.
(Use prefixes to determine word meaning)
The prefix im- means not, so impossible
means not possible.
Incorrect choices:
Incorrect choices:
A The boys dont make any loud noises,

and they dont do anything to annoy
Mrs. Wilson.
B The prefix re-, not im-, means again.
B The boys stay busy when they help Mrs.

Wilson, but they are not bothersome.
C The prefix im- does not mean very.

D The prefix pre-, not im-, means before.
D The boys may have been bored before they

first went to Mrs. Wilsons, but not after
that, and they never acted grumpy.
80
The skull protects the brain, and the ribs
protect the heart and lungs.
Incorrect choices:
The second paragraph says that Hen is
careful, and she always locks her front door. In
the last paragraph, Fox says that Hen is clever;
she has escaped from him and fooled him again.
A The spine enables the body to stand upright, not the skull and ribs.
Incorrect choices:
B These bones work together with the spine

but are not part of it.
A Big Red Hen might be considered foxy

for her cleverness, but she never does
anything silly.
D The skull is above the shoulders, but the

ribs are not.

(Use text features to find information)
The skull bones, which include the jawbone,
are located in the head.
Incorrect choices:
A The Spine tells about the backbone, not
the head.
C The Ribs tells about the rib bones and the
sternum, not the head.
D The Hand Bones tells about the hands,
not the head.
Fox and Big Red Hen

The main problem, or conflict, in this story
is that Fox wants to eat Hen for dinner.
Incorrect choices:
A Hen does need wood from the woodpile,
but this is not the main problem.
B Locking the door is a solution for Hen,
rather than a problem.
D The splash causes a minor problem for
Fox and his mother, but it is not the main
problem in the story.
B Hen might be shy of Fox, but she is not sly.

C Hen is smart enough to escape from Fox,
and she may be proud of her success, but
these words do not best describe her.

(Interpret figurative language, including idioms)
Going back to square one is an idiom that
means going back to the beginning and starting
over, as you would in a board game, for example.
The last sentence in the story notes that Fox will
try to catch Hen again the next day.
Incorrect choices:
B, C, and D are all possible explanations of
Foxs statement, but none of them correctly
interprets the phrase back to square one.

The story says that Hen was so plump and fat
that Fox had to sit down and rest after carrying
her for a long way.
Incorrect choices:
B The story does not mention that Fox might
not have slept the night before.
C Fox went to Hens house without needing to rest; he had to rest on the way back
because he was carrying Hen.
D The story does not mention that Fox hurt
himself while catching Hen.
81

When Fox falls asleep and starts snoring,
Hen begins cutting her way out of the bag.
Incorrect choices:
A Hen puts rocks in the bag after she cuts her
way out.
C Fox calls out to his mother when he gets
home, after Hen cuts her way out of the bag.
D Fox sneaks into Hens house long before she
cuts her way out of the bag, not just before.
Incorrect choices:
A This definition refers to a belief about a
person, not creatures.
B This definition would apply if the scientists
started to doubt that bugs were once very
large, but they actually believed the opposite.
D This definition refers to a feeling about a
person, not creatures.

(Evaluate authors purpose)
This story was meant to be read for fun and
to entertain the reader.
Incorrect choices:
A This story does not try to persuade people
to cook or eat hens.
C This story is fiction and does not give any
factual information.
D The story might suggest a lesson about being careful, but this is not the authors main
purpose for writing the passage.
Scientists Discover the Worlds

Largest Bug
According to this passage, scientists in
Germany discovered a fossil of the worlds
largest bug, a giant sea scorpion.
Incorrect choices:
A Other scientists found the remains of large
cockroaches and dragonflies years before.
B The scientists in Germany did not discover
this fact; it was known earlier.
C The scientists in Germany did not discover
where bugs lived long ago; they already
knew where bugs lived.
82

In this context, the word suspected means
the scientists thought it was likely that bugs and
other creatures were once very large.

The sixth paragraph implies that giant sea
scorpions lived for many years because they had
no enemies, but this changed when fish began
to grow large teeth.
Incorrect choices:
B Sea scorpions did live long before the
dinosaurs, but this is not why the scorpions
lived a long time.
C They were huge bugs, but other creatures
were larger (such as the fish that eventually
started eating them).
D Giant scorpions started to die out when
fish began catching and eating them.

The author describes the creature as the
size of a small car and bigger than the tallest
of men.
Incorrect choices:
B The author does not describe how the scorpion grew, just how large it was in relation
to a car or a man.
C Scientists figured out how large it was but
did not explain how it got that big.
D The author relates some events in chronological order, but not for the purpose of
describing the size of the scorpion.

ideas)
The sixth paragraph states that fish with large
teeth ate the sea scorpions, and there are still
fish with large teeth that would eat them today.
Incorrect choices:
A This statement is inaccurate because there
are still swamps on Earth, even though
the one where the sea scorpion lived is no
longer a swamp.
B The amount of water on Earth has probably
not changed much and is still enough to
support giant sea scorpions.
D The passage does not say what the sea
scorpions ate, but they could likely find
food if they were alive today.

(Summarize)
This sentence best summarizes the content
of the passage as a whole because it mentions
the scientists discovery and some of the history.
Incorrect choices:
A This sentence gives one detail from the first
paragraph but does not summarize the
passage as a whole.
C This sentence gives one detail from the
third paragraph but does not summarize
the passage as a whole.
D This sentence gives one detail from the
sixth paragraph but does not summarize
The Maharajas Jester

(Identify synonyms)
Jester and fool are similar in meaning; they
both refer to a person whose job is to entertain
a king or queen by making him or her laugh.
23. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
A A maharaja is a king or ruler, not an
entertainer.
C A fool or jester may tell a joke, but this is
not the meaning of the word.
D A fool might be hired by a king, but a fool
is not considered a servant.
(Draw conclusions)
In the fourth paragraph, Gopals wife wonders
why they are so poor that they have to live in a
mud hut with straw for a roof.
Incorrect choices:
B Gopal seems to work hard at his job every
day, so he was not lazy.
C The story does not suggest that Gopal liked
his mud hut; he was open to change when
his wife suggested it.
D Gopal didnt spend money on anything in
this story.

(Make inferences)
The first paragraph says that the maharaja
had serious problems to solve, so he hired
Gopal to make him laugh.
Incorrect choices:
A Gopal planned a dinner for the king, but
this was not his job.
B Gopal was a jester to the maharaja, not his
servant.
C The maharaja solved the problems himself,
but he sometimes needed someone to take
his mind off his problems.

The roof of Gopals house is leaking and
has to be fixed again. His wife wants to live in
a better house, but Gopal is too poor to build
a better house.
83
26. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
A Gopal and his wife prepare a large dinner,
so he must have enough money.
B The king still employs the jester and is fond
of him.
D Gopal and his wife may argue, but they
seem to get along otherwise.
The maharaja tells Gopal that he will send
workers to build a house for him.
Incorrect choices:
A Gopal does get the ladder, but this does not
solve the problem of needing a new house.
C and D are incorrect. Gopals wife makes a
fine meal, but the problem has been solved
before anyone can eat.

support ideas)
Gopal knows the king well enough to know
that if he is amused and becomes aware of
Gopals situation, then he will offer to build
a house for Gopal and his wife. If he just told
the maharaja about his problem, it would only
add to his worries.
Incorrect choices:
A This might show that he is wise or fairminded, but it does not show how clever
he is.
B He puts a mattress on the roof of his hut
to pretend it is a throne, but this is not the
main point.
Animal Smarts
(Identify antonyms)
The fifth paragraph says that monkeys stayed
in a place that was safe, but they moved away
from a place if it was dangerous. Dangerous is
the opposite of safe.
Incorrect choices:
A The word nearby fits in the sentence but is
not the opposite of safe.
C Feeling scared might result from not being
safe, but these words are not opposites.
D The word amazing might describe a place,
but it is not the opposite of safe.

(Make inferences)
Both leopards and eagles will catch and eat
a monkey, so the male monkeys make sounds
to warn the females of different dangers.
Incorrect choices:
A Many animals live in the jungle, but the
monkeys would not need specific sounds
for those that were not dangerous.
B Monkeys do live near these animals,
but that is not a reason to have sounds
for them.
D Monkeys flee from leopards and eagles;
they dont try to catch and eat them.

The passage says that parrots can learn to
speak and understand words, and dogs can
understand a humans commands.
C Gopal sets up the situation so the king can

figure it out himself.
84
31. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
A The passage says that Alex the parrot could
count to six and knew what the numbers
meant, but it does not say that dogs can
understand math.
C Crows can use tools to reach food, but
dogs and parrots dont do this.
D They both understand words, but only
parrots can speak them.
This sentence tells what the whole passage
is mainly about.
Incorrect choices:
A The passage mentions examples of animals
that are intelligent but does not say that all
animals are.
C Apes and dolphins are mentioned in the
next-to-last paragraph, but they are not
the main focus of the passage.
D This is a supporting detail but not the
main idea.

Describing Alexs intelligence gives a
good example to illustrate the main idea
of the passage.

(Use prefixes and base words to determine word
meaning)
This word consists of the prefix un- and the
base word tangle.
Incorrect choices:
A Un- is a prefix, not a base word.
C Angle is a word, but its meaning is not
related to untangling a knot.
D Tang is also a word, but its meaning is
not related to untangle.

(Make inferences)
Being able to correct other birds means that
Alex knows the correct pronunciation of words.
Incorrect choices:
B Alex has a large vocabulary (for a bird), but
you cannot tell this from the fact that he
corrects other birds.
C Being able to correct other birds does not
suggest that Alex can communicate with
other animals.
D Alex is correcting other birds, so you could
conclude the oppositethat he wants
them to know what he knows.
Incorrect choices:
B The author does not explain how parrots
learn language, only that they do.
C The author describes some remarkable
parrots but does not try to persuade anyone to get a parrot.
D The author shows that some birds are
special, but does not suggest that all birds
are alike.
85
Test
Answer Key
1. D
8. D
15. D
22. D
29. A
2. A
9. A
16. D
23. B
30. B
3. C
10. A
17. C
24. B
31. C
4. B
11. B
18. A
25. A
32. D
5. C
12. C
19. B
26. C
33. D
6. C
13. B
20. B
27. D
34. A
7. A
14. A
21. D
28. C
35. C

A Special Pet
At the beginning of the story, the boys are
unhappy because they want a pet, but their
parents have said no.
Incorrect choices:
A The boys have not heard of a pet rock until
Grandpa shows them one.
B The boys looked at Grandpa as if he had
gone around the bend, but this is not
presented as a problem.
C The boys allergy to fur is the reason they
cant have a cat or a dog, but their real
problem is the need for a pet.

When Grandpa returned, he said he had a
little trouble remembering where he had put the
pet rock.
Incorrect choices:
B He knew the boys were waiting for him.
C Grandpa said he might have a solution to
the pet problem but did not say anything
about taking medicine.
D The boys looked at his glass animal
collection, but this was not the reason
he was gone so long.
(Interpret figurative language)
This sentence contains a simile. The light shining through the glass animals made spots of color
on the floor that looked like candy fruit drops.
87
3. (continued)
Incorrect choices:
A There is no mention of a colored rug on
the floor.
B Light shining through the animals looked
like candies, not the animals themselves.
D The colored spots of light looked like candies, but there were no candies melting on
the floor.
Natures Helicopters
The first paragraph presents the idea
that maple trees produce fruits that resemble
helicopters. This is the main idea of the passage
as a whole.
Incorrect choices:
A, B, and D are factual details from the
passage but not the main idea.
When the boys first see the pet rock,
Christopher says, Thats dumb.
A The boys see the manual after Grandpa

tells them about the pet rock.
(Use text features)

You can find the meaning of the word samara
by going back to the passage and looking for the
word in italics. The second paragraph says that a
maple fruit is made up of two parts called samaras.
C Grandpa says that he will take the boys to

look for rocks on Saturday.
Incorrect choices:
Incorrect choices:
D Grandpa tells the boys about Cheevers

tricks after Christopher says, Thats dumb.
Grandpa seems to enjoy their company
because he helps the boys without being asked,
encourages them to stick around, and offers to
spend more time with them on Saturday.
Incorrect choices:
A He takes their problem seriously enough to
find a solution.
B He responds positively to the boys and
does not seem to regard their words as
complaining.
B, C, and D all refer to specific things

mentioned in the passage, but they do not
give the meaning of samara.
(Use graphic features: diagram)
The pictures show the winglike structure of
maple tree fruits from two kinds of maples.
Incorrect choices:
A The pictures do not contrast maple trees
with other kinds of trees.
B The pictures show maple tree fruits, not
flowers.
C The pictures show a difference in the fruits
but do not explain why they are different.
D Grandpa helps the boys, not the other way

around.
88
(Make connections)
Since the third paragraph refers to leaves like
the one on the Canadian flag but gives no picture, a picture of the maple leaf on the flag would
be the most useful piece of information to include.

The second paragraph says that Edmund
landed on his instrument bag when he fell, and
the bow had snapped in two.
Incorrect choices:
A It had just started raining and the fiddle

was in the bag, so it did not get wet.
B The Canadian Forest Service is not relevant

to this passage.
C This passage is about maple tree fruits, not
other kinds of trees in Canada.
D How to make maple syrup may be related
to maple trees, but this information is less
useful than a picture of the Canadian flag.

(Use prefixes, suffixes, roots, and base words to
determine word meaning)
If hundreds of mini-aircraft are hanging from
trees, then they must be very small. The word
part mini- means small.
Incorrect choices:
B The word fast fits in the context of the
sentence, but mini- does not mean fast.
C The word special fits in the context of the
sentence, but mini- does not mean special.
D The word pretty fits in the context of the
sentence, but mini- does not mean pretty.
Edmunds Lucky Break

(Analyze literary elements: setting)
The best clue to the time of the story is the
fact that it takes place in a castle.
Incorrect choices:
A, C, and D are incorrect. People still play the
fiddle and juggle, entertainers may still
wear red leggings, and people who entertain may still eat in the servants kitchen.
None of these details indicates that the
story took place long ago.
Incorrect choices:
B The story says that Edmund looked inside

the bag, but it does not say that the bag
opened.
D Edmund put on his red leggings after he
fell in the mud, so they did not get dirty.
The story does not say what he was wearing
before that.

Inventing a new routine at the last minute
shows that Edmund is quick-witted, or clever.
Incorrect choices:
A This shows that he is careful or prudent,
not quick-witted.
C This shows that he is skillful with his hands,
but not quick-witted.
D Any performer would collect the coins
offered to him, but this does not show
that he is quick-witted.

(Identify antonyms)
The first paragraph says that the people at the
last place were quite tightfisted, and Edmund
hopes that these people would be more generous. These words have opposite meanings.
Incorrect choices:
B Edmund slipped in the mud and landed
on his bag, but these words do not have
opposite meanings.
C These words describe things that happened,
but they are not opposites.
D Play and song are related words but
not opposites.
89

(Summarize)
This answer best summarizes the key elements of the plot: Edmund runs into a problem
(breaking his bow), solves it, and puts on a
show.
Incorrect choices:
A This suggests that the lord knew about
Edmunds broken instrument.
B This does not tell what happened to
Edmund before the show or why he
had to try out new tricks.
C Edmund did have problems, but everyone
enjoyed his performance.

(Make predictions)
Edmund needs a job, he has no plans for the
winter, and he seems to like the stewards offer
because the story says that things had turned
out very well after all. For these reasons, he is
likely to stay.
Ill Go and Do More: Annie Dodge

Wanneka (19101997)
(Summarize)
This answer best summarizes the key elements
of the passage: Annie Wauneka worked hard to
help her people and received many honors for
her work.
Incorrect choices:
A This answer is vague about what Wauneka
did, and it includes the unnecessary detail
of her date of death.
B This does not describe what Wauneka did
or the honors she received.
D This choice describes her childhood but
not her adult leadership roles and honors.
Incorrect choices:

unfamiliar words)
The third paragraph says that the flu swept
through the school and some of the students
died, so it must have been terrible.
A The show is already over, so he has no

reason to perform a new trick.
Incorrect choices:
B He has probably changed out of his

costume already, and he has no reason
to change into a new one.
C He was not very successful at the last place,
so he is not likely to go back there.
B The flu was strong enough to cause

students deaths.
C The flu may have been painful to people
who got it, but that is not the meaning of
dreadful.
D The flu swept through the school and some
students died, so it was not slow-acting.
90

The tone of the passage is positive, and the
writer seems to admire Wauneka for what she did.
Incorrect choices:
A The passage does not suggest that Wauneka
got too much attention; if anything, she
may not have gotten enough.
C Wauneka worked with her father for years,
but there is no suggestion that she did not
spend enough time with the rest of her family.
D Wauneka was clearly respected and admired, but is not described as lovable.

The second paragraph says that homes on
the reservation were too spread out to build
schools near where people lived.

support ideas)
Being reelected many times supports the
idea that people thought she was doing a good
job.
Incorrect choices:
A This answer is possible because no one
would listen to her radio show if they didnt
like what she was doing, but it is not the
best reason.
B She could work with groups throughout
the country regardless of what the Navajo
people thought of her.
C Helping people get better homes might be
part of her work, but it is not evidence that
the Navajo people thought she was doing a
good job.
Incorrect choices:
Wind and Music
A This was an effect of having no schools

nearby, not a cause.
C Some people had money to send their

children away to school, so this does not
explain why schools were not built nearby.
D The council knew where the children lived
because they determined that they lived
too far apart.

The passage states that Wauneka was the
first Native American to receive the Presidential
Medal of Freedom; it does not mention that her
father ever received one.
(Identify literary genres and their characteristics)

You can tell that this is a folktale because it
starts with Once upon a time, it takes place
long ago, two of the main characters have to
pass a test, and it has a happy ending.
Incorrect choices:
A A biography gives factual information
about a real person.
C A news article gives factual information
about an event that actually happened.
D This is similar to a fairy tale in some ways,
but it does not have fairy-tale characters,
such as princesses, talking animals, or ogres.
Incorrect choices:
A Both Henry Chee and his daughter were
tribal leaders.
B Both thought that education was important.
C Both worked on the reservation.
91

In the second paragraph, Ming Li tells the two
women that she wants to see how clever they are.
Incorrect choices:
A Ming Lis sons were already married
to them.
C Ming Li had a specific purpose for the tasks,
not just to get the women out of the house.
D Ming Li was not an easy person to satisfy,
and she showed no signs that she believed
the two women would succeed.

(Make inferences)
The daughters-in-law tried to please their
mother-in-law by doing what she asked. They
bowed to her and left the next day without
argument.
Incorrect choices:
A She may have enjoyed their company, but
this was not the reason she helped them.
B She lived in a distant village and did not
know Ming Li.
C She invited them to her house and to stay
the night, so she did not want them to leave
quickly.

The events in the story are presented in
chronological order, or the order in which they
happened.
Incorrect choices:
Incorrect choices:
B The two women cried because of the difficulty of the task and their worries that they
might not succeed.
A The story does not have a surprise ending.
C They lived in her home because Ming

Lis sons brought them home, as was
the custom.
D They did meet an old woman, but not by
plan, and meeting her does not show the
women wanted to please Ming Li.
B The characters could be compared with

one another, but this is not how the author
organized the story.
D The story describes a problem and then
tells how the women solved it, not what
caused it.
Whats for Breakfast?

The story says that she took the women
to her home and made them tea.
Incorrect choices:
A She gave them the flute and the fan after
she made tea for them.
B The women told her their story before she
took them to her home.
D They stayed overnight after they had tea
and after they got the flute and the fan.
92
The sixth paragraph suggests that Cheng Wa
helped the two women because she had been
through a similar situation when she was young.

The second paragraph gives the main idea,
that people eat different foods for breakfast.
Incorrect choices:
B This sentence is a supporting detail, not the
main idea.
C This is a detail stated in the passage, but it
is not the main idea.
D This statement may be inferred from the
passage, but it is not the main idea.

unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words)
This sentence comes from the seventh paragraph, which encourages children to eat breakfast, not miss it on purpose.
Incorrect choices:
A, C, and D are all other meanings of the word
skip, but none fits the context of this sentence.

(Draw conclusions)
The paragraph says that the Welsh love to eat
shellfish and cakes made from seaweed, which
are both products from the ocean, so many
Welsh people probably live near the ocean.
Incorrect choices:
A The paragraph mentions only one food
eaten in Ecuador, not many kinds of food.
B The paragraph describes a typical Chinese
breakfast, but this does not give any suggestion of what else might be sold in
Chinese stores.
D The paragraph says that Russian breakfast
foods sound pretty familiar, except the
pickles, but that does not mean the foods
are American.

ideas)
The passage states that children who eat
breakfast do better in school. Children in very
poor countries are not as likely to eat a good
breakfast, so they may have trouble learning.
Incorrect choices:
A This detail does not relate to learning or
children going to school.
B This detail is related to breakfast on a farm,
but not to children and learning.

This answer tells the authors purpose for
writing the passage as a whole.
Incorrect choices:
A and C both reflect some of the factual details given in the passage, but neither one
gives the authors main reason for writing
B In the last paragraph, the author warns
against eating too much for breakfast, but
this is not the authors main purpose.

(Make inferences)
The fifth paragraph says that we got doughnuts from the Dutch, and Dutch settlers probably kept making them after they moved here.
Incorrect choices:
B This detail does not explain why Americans
eat doughnuts in particular.
C This detail refers to the Dutch, but it does
not explain why Americans have eaten
doughnuts since the 1600s.
D This detail does not explain why Americans
eat doughnuts in particular.

The dictionary entry for grits says that they are
made from coarsely ground grain, especially corn.
Incorrect choices:
A and B both are based on the first dictionary
entry, grit.
D The word grits came from a Middle English
word meaning coarse meal, but this does
not mean that grits made of corn were first
eaten in England.
C This detail is related to breakfast, but not to

children and learning.
93

Grade
Student Scoring Chart
Student Name
Teacher Name
Item Numbers
No. Correct/
Total
The Pot of Milk (folktale)
15
/5
Cuts and How They Heal (informational)
610
/5
Shelter (realistic fiction)
1116
/6
Bloomers (informational)
1722
/6
A New Day-Care Center (realistic fiction)
2328
/6
Meet the Jelly (informational)
2935
/7
Total
135
/35
Item Numbers
No. Correct/
Total
The Garden (realistic fiction)
15
/5

(informational)
610
/5
Fox and Big Red Hen (folktale)
1116
/6
Scientists Discover the Worlds Largest

Bug (informational)
1722
/6
The Maharajas Jester (folktale)
2328
/6
Animal Smarts (informational)
2935
/7
Total
135
/35
Item Numbers
No. Correct/
Total
A Special Pet (realistic fiction)
15
/5
Natures Helicopters (informational)
610
/5
Edmunds Lucky Break (historical fiction)
1116
/6
Ill Go and Do More (biography)
1722
/6
Wind and Music (folktale)
2328
/6
Whats for Breakfast? (informational)
2935
/7
Total
135
/35
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
94
Percent (%)
Percent (%)
Percent (%)

Grade
Classroom Scoring Chart
Teacher Name
Student Name
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
95
Notes:
96

Reading Tutor 3rd

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Reading Tutor 3rd

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Standardized

Welcome to Test Tutor!

Three Different Tests

The Pot of Milk

2. Why does the mother send Gheta to the market?

The mother does not feel well.

Take a quick look at the

Think about why Gheta

Go back to the passage to

The mother is angry with Gheta.

She let them ride their bikes in her driveway.

Take a quick look at the

Think about what the

Read each answer choice

She brought them lemonade when they were tired and

Other Helpful Features

Answer Key for Sample 1

Directions: Read this story about a girl and her mother.

The Pot of Milk

Take a quick look at the

Think about why Gheta

Where is Gheta while she

Think about the lesson

Questions 15: Choose the best answer to each question.

angry and alone

Read every answer choice

fine and valuable

2. Why does the mother send Gheta to the market?

The mother does not feel well.

The mother thinks Gheta can get more money.

She explains that things could be worse.

Look at the ending

She tells her she will have a fine house someday.

5. The lesson in this story would be most helpful to a

Go back to the passage

Go back to the passage to

The mother is angry with Gheta.

3. Where is Gheta when she kicks over the pot of milk?

plans to travel to India.

Think about the lesson in

does chores at home.

Cuts and How They Heal

What is this passage

Notice the sequence of

White blood cells

Questions 610: Choose the best answer to each question.

6. Read the dictionary entry below.

Go back to the second

Which meaning of cell is used in this passage?

7. In this passage, the author compares the platelets, white blood

Read the first paragraph

8. This chart shows some of the steps in healing a cut.

White blood cells kill germs.

Use the diagram to help

Threads form in the blood.

9. Read this sentence from the passage.

Look for clues in the

In the word microscopic, the prefix micro- means

10. Which of these fight germs?

Check each answer by

Directions: Read this story about a boy named Justin. Then

Before you read the

How does Justin feel

Compare Justins ideas