Name: Instructions: Copyright 2000-2002 Measured Progress, All Rights Reserved
: How Giraffe s Neck Got So Long Long ago, when all animals were friends, Giraffe s neck was only as long as a horse s neck. This was not a problem because there were plenty of leafy plants that were easy for Giraffe to reach. But then the climate changed, and Giraffe had to move to a different homeland. I am a guest here, he thought. I cannot take the best food for myself and leave my hosts without the food that they need. I should try to eat only the food that the other animals cannot reach. Giraffe wanted to figure out how to get the leaves at the top of the trees. He tried to climb the trees, but his hooves couldn t get a good hold on the bark. Then he tried to fly to the treetops, like his friends the birds, but he had no wings. Each day, he worked to reach the leaves. Finally, he devised a plan. He decided to eat the leaves off only one tree. Each day, he stretched his neck just a little bit to reach the leaves that had been too far away the day before. At the end of a week, he could feel his neck muscles loosening as he stretched them. The other animals noticed the change in Giraffe. They asked, Are you getting taller, or are we getting smaller? When Giraffe explained what he had been doing, the other animals were pleased. They said, What a good guest you are! As long as you eat only the high leaves, you will always be welcome in our land. Giraffe thanked his hosts and to this day he has eaten only the leaves at the top of the trees. 1. Which of the following is an opinion about Giraffe? A. Giraffe is the nicest of all animals. B. Giraffe had to move to a new land. C. Giraffe eats leaves high in the tree. D. Giraffe tried to climb the trees. 2
: 2. How does Giraffe look at the beginning of the passage? A. His legs are bigger. B. His neck is shorter. C. His body has wings. D. His hooves are less slippery. 3. This passage is an example of a A. letter. B. poem. C. folk tale. D. report. 4. How did the other animals feel when they found out why Giraffe was changing? A. angry B. amused C. confused D. delighted 5. What does Giraffe eat? A. bark B. leaves C. grass D. birds 3
: Frog Life Hopping from place to place... With great ease With great haste... Traveling from one pond to another With a sister or a brother Or a friend From one end To another... Frogs can walk with their four legs But would rather jump From land to stump... Wouldn t you? 4 fingers on their front feet 5 on their back feet Sticky tongues to eat Their treats 4
: A fly, a spider, a worm, Small animals and more... Watch it roll out its tongue and Catch one for lunch! 6. All of the following describe frogs EXCEPT A. they have five fingers on the back feet. B. they have four fingers on the front feet. C. they have five legs with which to move. D. they have sticky tongues that roll out. 7. According to the passage, frogs hop around A. in their own pond. B. in their friends ponds. C. in their brother and sisters ponds. D. in many ponds. 8. According to the passage, frogs can walk but would rather A. roll. B. jump. C. land. D. search. 5
: Read this story about Calvin s race and then answer the questions that follow. Calvin Wins The starter yelled to the runners, Take your lanes! Calvin slowly walked up to lane six, the outside lane. Although this lane wasn t the best position, Calvin felt good about the race. Calvin looked at the faces of the other runners. They looked like they wanted to win too. But Calvin knew he could win because he had worked hard. He was ready. On your mark! Get set! Go! shouted the starter. Calvin took off like a shot. Later, his family and friends were looking at his first place trophy and ribbon. His friend Lou asked him, When did you know you had won? Calvin handed an old picture of himself to Lou. The picture showed a smiling child holding himself up with a pair of crutches. Metal leg braces were around both tiny legs. Calvin grinned and said, Every time I run, I m a winner. 9. Who was in the old picture? 6
: A. Lou B. Calvin C. the starter D. Calvin s family 10. What happened AFTER Calvin s family and friends looked at his trophy? A. Calvin walked to the outside lane. B. Calvin looked at the faces of the other runners. C. The starter yelled to the runners. D. Calvin showed Lou a picture. 11. Why did Calvin think he could win the race? A. He took off like a shot. B. The other runners looked nervous. C. He had worked very hard. D. He was in lane six, a good position. 12. Which word in the passage means almost the same as location? A. trophy B. position C. outside D. winner Sharks There is no other fish or animal that uses its senses quite like the shark does. The shark has a very keen sense of smell. It is able to smell odors from very far distances. This helps lead the shark to its prey. A large part of the shark s brain is used for the sense of smell. The shark has another important sense called distant touch. This sense helps it to locate food. The shark is able to feel movement with its lateral line. The lateral line is a thin long line of nerves down each side of the shark s body. This lateral line of nerves allows the shark to feel the vibrations of the moving prey. These vibrations lead the shark to its next meal. A shark also has good eyesight. Its eyes are able to see in dim light. It needs this good eyesight to hunt for food. Scientists have learned that a shark is able to see up close. This helps in catching smaller prey. 7
: A shark also has excellent hearing. The shark is able to hear low-pitched sounds that travel through the water. All these senses help the shark to survive in the oceans of the world. 13. A shark s lateral line is A. its thrashing tail. B. its slotted gills. C. helpful for feeling vibrations. D. helpful for quick movement. 14. Which sentence about sharks is an opinion? A. Sharks smell odors from far away. B. Sharks can see close up. C. Sharks are quite unique creatures. D. Sharks are able to hear low-pitched sounds. 15. In paragraph 1, sentence 2, the word keen means A. dull. B. sharp. C. loud. D. small. 16. Which of the following words from the passage is a compound word? A. eyesight B. lateral C. vibrations D. unique Read the article about toads and then answer the questions that follow. Toad in Your Garden by Priscilla Y. Huff There s a nice little warty animal that lives in gardens and flower beds. To most people it s a plain old 8
: toad, nothing to get excited about. That s because they haven t watched one. A toad is a remarkable hunter. It can eat 10,000 insects and 2,000 cutworms during one summer. But a toad doesn t stalk its prey the way a lion or a tiger does. It waits quietly in the dark for a bug to pass by. Then ZAP. Its tongue darts out about half the length of its body and the bug disappears. It s almost too fast for your eyes to see. Of course, you may have to wait for quite a while for a bug to come by. One way to hurry things up is to find some insects for the toad. But don t try a dead fly or grasshopper. Anything that doesn t move won t work. A toad wants to see motion. A wiggly worm or anything that creeps will get attention. And when it gets within tongue s length it will disappear into the toad. It doesn t even get chewed, because a toad has no teeth. Even thought it s not very cuddly, a toad is a valuable friend to have in your garden, because it eats bugs that could damage crops. 17. A toad will not eat a dead fly or grasshopper because they A. are too big. B. have wings. C. do not move. D. are too small. 18. How does a toad get food? A. A toad sits and waits for it to come by. B. A toad hides and then it jumps out at its prey. C. A toad chases its prey until it is caught. D. A toad catches its prey in a pool of water. 19. The writer of this story thinks that if you watch a toad for a while you will be A. tired. B. angry. C. sad. D. surprised. 20. What is the MAIN reason a person would read Toad in Your Garden? 9
: A. to tell how frogs and toads are different B. to find out how to get rid of garden bugs C. to learn more about the life of a toad D. to find out how to care for a pet toad 21. Then ZAP. Its tongue darts out about half the length of its body and the bug disappears. Why is the word ZAP written in capital letters? A. It is the name of a kind of toad. B. It is the sound a toad makes. C. It shows that something happens suddenly. D. It is the sound a bug makes. 10