New York: The Grades 3-8 Testing Program in English Language Arts and Mathematics (continued)

Grade 3

Multiple Choice

The student reads a story about a chipmunk who notices that his animal friends are wearing their pants legs folded up. He asks each animal why but no one is sure of the reason for the new style. Then he asks Bear who says he folded them up to keep his pants from getting wet when he crossed the river. The student then chooses the most appropriate response to the following question.

According to the story, which animal started the new style?

A  Bear
B  Beaver
C  Rabbit
D  Squirrel

Editing Task

The student is given a paragraph and asked to correct errors in capitalization and punctuation. Here is a paragraph a student wrote. The paragraph has some mistakes in capital letters and punctuation. Some sentences may have no mistakes. There are no mistakes in spelling. Read the paragraph and find the mistakes. Draw a line through each mistake in the paragraph. Then write the correction above it.

• Winter is a fun season. It snows a lot where i live. I like to play in the snow. My Brother likes to play in the snow, too. We make snowballs and snow houses. when it gets dark, we go inside, but we know we can go out again the
  next day?

Grade 4

Short Response

The student reads an article about the usefulness of maps that includes the following paragraph:

• You can use different maps to find different kinds of facts. A road map shows you how to find your way. Other maps show which crops are grown in different places. Maps can show how many people live in different places. Some maps show what the weather is like. Some maps tell you about the land. These maps might show mountains or tell how high the land is above sea level.
• The student then fills in the following web:
  What are four different kinds of facts you can learn from maps?
  Write your answer in the empty circles of the web below.

Grade 5

Short Response

The student reads a poem about floating down a river. The student then describes the meaning of a specific phrase in the
poem. What is the “right place” mentioned in the title of the poem? Use details from the poem to support your answer.
________________________________________________
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Editing Task

The student is asked to edit a short passage. Here is a report a student wrote. There are some mistakes in the paragraph. Some sentences may have more than one mistake, and other sentences may contain no mistakes at all. There are no mistakes in spelling. Read the paragraph and find the mistakes. Draw a line through each mistake in the paragraph. Then write the correction above it.

• Last weekend, my family and I went to the new aquarium downtown. It is one of the most largest aquariums in the state. When we first arrive at the aquarium, we saw real otters sharks, and penguins. Then we went to the aquarium’s Theater
  and saw a show called “The amazing Oceans.” I learned about different oceans across the world and about interesting creatures that lives in those oceans. It was so much fun to visit the aquarium. I can’t wait to go back!

Grade 6

Extended Response

The student reads a passage about an African American woman, a former slave, who set out across the country around the time of the Civil War to speak out against slavery and about women’s rights. Then the student writes an essay about why the woman decided to change her name. Why do you think Sojourner Truth changed her name from the one she was given when she was born? Was her choice of name a good one? Write an essay in which you explain why Sojourner Truth changed her name, what that name represented to her, and whether the name was a good choice. Use details from the article to support your answer. In your answer, be sure to include:

• Why Sojourner Truth changed her name
• What her new name represented to her
• Whether her new name was a good choice
• Details from the article to support your answer

Check your writing for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Grade 7

The student reads an article by a person who traveled to Nepal and returned with four objects of special importance. Then the student answers the following questions.

Multiple Choice

Why did the author most likely write the article?

A  to encourage readers to be friendly to others
B  to describe souvenirs brought back from Nepal
C  to teach readers how to prepare for hiking trips
D  to explain a lesson learned while traveling in Nepal

Grade 8

The student reads an article about the woman known as the Unsinkable Molly Brown, one of the survivors of the Titanic. Then the student answers the following questions.

Short Response

The chart below lists information from two tall tales about Molly Brown. Using information from the article, complete the chart by
explaining which part of the tall tale was true and which was made up.

Extended Response

The author of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” writes that Molly Brown was so famous that people wrote tall tales about her. Why
do you think people were so interested in her? Do you think her fame was deserved? Write an essay in which you explain your opinion of Molly Brown. Use details from the article to support your answer. In your answer, be sure to tell:

• why Molly Brown was so famous
• whether Molly Brown deserved to be famous
• logical reasons to support your opinion
• details from the article to explain your answer

Check your writing for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

The Mathematics Test

The Mathematics Test is given in two or three sessions, depending on the grade. The multiple-choice questions measure basic
skills, concepts, and procedures. The shortresponse and extendedresponse questions require students to support their answers by showing their work or explaining how they arrived at their answers. Questions that ask students to show their solutions, or to explain the mathematics they used, measure students’ understanding of mathematical procedures and problemsolving strategies.

On the Mathematics Test, students must

• understand what each question is asking
• know and apply facts and definitions
• select, apply, and modify procedures
• read and interpret graphs and tables
• recognize, interpret, and apply the signs, symbols, andterms used to represent concepts

Some questions will require measuring tools such as rulers, counters, pattern blocks, and protractors. These tools will be
provided during testing. Calculators are used in Grades 7 and 8 for short-response and extended-response questions only. These questions require a scientific calculator. Calculators must not be used for other sessions of the Grades 7 and 8 tests or for the Grades 3 through 6 tests because these tests assess student proficiency involving calculations. The following pages show examples of the types of questions that will appear on the test for each grade.