Fiction or Nonfiction Practice Exercises

Review the following study guide if needed:

Fiction or Nonfiction Practice Exercises

Practice 1: Their Eyes Were on the Skies

Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

(1)	As young boys, Wilbur (1867–1912) and Orville (1871–1948) Wright sold homemade mechanical toys. In their twenties, the boys made bikes. And in their thirties, they built their own flying machines.
(2)	The Wrights' flying began with gliders. They tested wind-gliders near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where breezes were most favorable. But the gliders didn't have quite enough lifting power, so the boys went back to the drawing board. They built a 6-foot (1.8 m) wind tunnel where they tested new wing designs. After building and flying almost 1,000 gliders, they found the right design, then moved on to create a motor-driven aircraft.
(3)	In 1903, Wilbur and Orville spent less than $1,000 to build Flyer 1, a gasolinepowered plane. Its wings were 40 feet (12 m) across, and with a pilot aboard, weighed about 750 pounds (340 kg). On December 17, Orville flew Flyer 1 120 feet (37 m) for 12 seconds. Later that day, Wilbur flew it 852 feet (260 m) and was airborne for 59 seconds. The age of flight had arrived.

1.	You can tell this is nonfiction because
	a.	it has imaginary characters.
	b.	it has facts about real people and events.
	c.	it has dialogue for actors to speak.
	d.	it has rhythm and some words rhyme.
2.	You would most likely find this kind of writing in a
	a.	fairytale.
	b.	newspaper.
	c.	history textbook.
	d.	science fiction story.
3.	My brother Orville and I grew up in Dayton, Ohio. We were always interested in mechanical things, long before we built the first motor-driven plane. If an author wrote this, you would most likely find it
	a.	in a biography.
	b.	in an autobiography.
	c.	in a play.
	d.	in an encyclopedia.

Practice 2: A Helping Hand - or Teeth!

Based on a story by Aesop

Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

SCENE 1

forest area; enter Mouse

exit

enter

yawn

lies down and snores softly

SCENE 1

enter Mouse; doesn't see Lion and bumps into him

grabs Mouse

MOUSE: Oh, great Lion, please don't hurt me. Please, let me go.

LION: Why should I, Mouse? You'd make a yummy little snack!

MOUSE: But someday you may need my help!

MOUSE: I don't know, but this gianormous forest is full of danger. And small animals can help bigger ones. I'm sure of it!

laughs

exit

SCENE 3

Enter Lion, roaring and tangled in a net

LION: ROAR! Oh, no! I'm caught in this hunter's net! What'll I do? ROAR!

enter

crosses to Lion

LION: But what can you do to help?

chews rope

can

MOUSE: There! That hole's big enough, now crawl out of the net, Lion.

LION: I'm free! Thank you, little Mouse, thank you. You saved my life!

Exit Lion and Mouse

4.	You know this selection is fiction because it
	a.	has facts about a forest.
	b.	has imaginary talking animals.
	c.	has a net and there are real net traps.
	d.	is very short.
5.	You can identify this selection as a play because it
	a.	has stanzas.
	b.	is a personal story about real events.
	c.	includes facts and statistics about mice.
	d.	gives dialogue and directions for actors.
6.	Which is the most likely moral, or lesson, of this fable?
	a.	Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
	b.	A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
	c.	Kindness given will be kindness repaid.
	d.	Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
7.	This play is divided into sections or
	a.	scenes.
	b.	acts.
	c.	stanzas.
	d.	locations.
8.	The information in square brackets [ ] are
	a.	to be spoken by the actors.
	b.	facts to tell the audience.
	c.	directions for the actors to follow.
	d.	all of the above

Practice 3: Health Feature: Flu Facts

Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.

(1)	It's that time of year again. Just yesterday two of my friends said, "I was absent last week because I had the flu." Now it's true that lots of people say they have "the flu," but just what is it, anyway?
(2)	Influenza, or "the flu," is a serious, contagious respiratory, or breathing, illness. It's caused by a virus and spreads through tiny droplets in the air after someone who has the flu coughs or sneezes. So how do you know if someone has the flu or just a very bad cold? Well, generally, someone who comes down with the flu suddenly:

has a fever.
has headaches.
has muscle and joint pain.
has a sore throat and a bad cough.
has a runny or stuffy nose.
is very fatigued, with barely enough energy to move.

(3)	Flu symptoms usually appear one to three days after you've been infected, and you remain contagious to other people for three to four days after your symptoms start. That's why the flu travels through a whole community, like a school.
(4)	Most people get better within a week, but the flu can cause some pretty serious complications, like pneumonia. That's especially true for the little kids, the elderly, and anyone who already has breathing problems like asthma.
(5)	Antibiotics that kill bacteria can't kill a virus, so doctors don't prescribe them to treat the flu. But there are new anti-flu medicines that can help reduce the seriousness and length of the illness. They have to be taken early, when the symptoms first start. Other than that, the only things you can do to treat the fever, headaches, and muscle pains of the flu is to drink plenty of liquids, take pain relievers, and rest.
(6)	Isn't there any way people can protect themselves from getting the flu? Well, it helps to remind others to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, and to wash your hands often! But the most effective protection is to get a vaccination, or "flu shot."
(7)	Since there are different flu viruses, scientists have to create a vaccine to work on the virus currently circulating. A yearly flu shot is recommended. It provides 70–90% protection against infection for about a year. But even if you do get the flu anyway, your chances of getting serious complications are greatly reduced.
(8)	A flu outbreak in 1918–1919 was worldwide. One-fifth of the world's population was infected and 20–40 million people died. Today people worry about the "Bird Flu." The virus is found mostly in birds, but since 1997, some humans have been infected. So far, only a few hundred people have died from "Bird Flu," but experts say it's only a matter of time before this, or some other flu, causes another pandemic. So take care of yourself … and cover that cough!

9.	Which is the best clue that this selection is nonfiction?
	a.	It gives real facts and statistics.
	b.	It uses the word you.
	c.	It has the words to a song.
	d.	Some of the words rhyme.
10.	Where would you most likely find this selection?
	a.	in an encyclopedia
	b.	in a math textbook
	c.	in a book of fairytales
	d.	in a magazine
11.	This nonfiction selection reads somewhat like fiction because the author
	a.	tells about a science subject.
	b.	talks directly to the reader, using the word you.
	c.	explains what flu symptoms are.
	d.	gives dates and statistics, like percentages.
12.	Where would you most likely find the following? Influenza, a contagious, viral, respiratory illness. Symptoms: fever, headache, muscle/joint pain, sore throat, cough, runny/stuffy nose, fatigue
	a.	in a cookbook
	b.	in a mystery story
	c.	in an encyclopedia
	d.	in a poem

Answers

1.	b
2.	c
3.	b
4.	b
5.	d
6.	c
7.	a
8.	c
9.	a
10.	d
11.	b
12.	c

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Fiction or Nonfiction Practice Exercises