Introductory Reading Quiz

First Peoples of the Northeast

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

(1)

About 10,000 years ago, the first hunter-gatherers arrived on the east coast of what is now the United States. They found forest-covered mountains and valleys, and hundreds of streams and lakes—natural resources that could meet their needs.

Using Resources

(2)	The trees provided supplies for building. Forest and water animals, and nuts and berries on land, provided food. People used the soil and water to grow their own food. They planted corn, or maize, and pumpkin, squash, and beans. Summer sun and rain made the crops thrive. Soon people didn't need to be constantly on the move in search of food. So they settled down and built permanent homes.
(3)	Villages of dome-shaped wigwams sprang up near lakes and streams. Each wigwam was made by first sticking thin, bendable trees into the ground to form a circle. Next, the poles were bent inward and tied together at the top. More thin branches were wrapped and tied around the poles, leaving space for a door and a smoke hole above the center, where an indoor fire would be. Finally, the whole structure was covered with tree bark.
(4)	The men also built a larger, rectangular, council house and a lodge to use for ceremonies. Then they built a stockade around the whole village. The fence helped protect the villagers from enemy attack.

Everyone Works

(5)	Most of the year, the men hunted in swiftly moving birch-bark canoes. But in winter, the hunters needed sleds and snowshoes to get across the snowy ground. The women raised and prepared the food, even tapping maple trees for the sweet syrup. They made deerskin clothing, adding colored porcupine-quill designs, and pottery jars for cooking and storing food.
(6)	After the fall harvest, everyone helped prepare for winter. They dried the crops, and meat and fish from the hunt, in the sun. Then they hung them from the ceilings of their wigwams or stored them in underground pits. Young and old worked together to assure there would be enough food to last until spring.

1.	The author probably wrote this to
	a.	inform readers about early settlers on the east coast.
	b.	teach readers how to make a wigwam.
	c.	entertain readers with a scary tale.
	d.	persuade readers to visit New England.
2.	Which text feature does the author use to divide the article into sections?
	a.	contents
	b.	glossary
	c.	index
	d.	subheads
3.	As used in the selection, the meaning of the word spring is
	a.	metal coil.
	b.	leap forward.
	c.	season of the year.
	d.	bounce.
4.	The people were able to settle down and build homes because
	a.	they had modern tools to help them.
	b.	they didn't need to keep moving in search of food.
	c.	there were not too many rocks in the region.
	d.	they could travel across the ocean by boat.
5.	The author organizes the ideas in this article by
	a.	telling a problem and suggesting solutions.
	b.	ranking ideas in the order of their importance.
	c.	the chronological order in which things happened.
	d.	comparing and contrasting things.

A Contest of Strength

An Aesop's Fable Retold

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

(1)	Wind and Sun were both important weather makers, but each thought he was more powerful than the other was. Wind argued that his great strength made him more powerful. Sun argued that the ability to persuade gave him greater power.
(2)	"Let's have a contest to prove who's more powerful!" suggested Wind boastfully. Far below, he saw a man in a warm, winter coat walking along the road. "Whoever can make that man take off his coat will be more powerful," said Wind with a smile. "I'll go first."
(3)	Now Wind knew that when he blew, leaves flew through the air and trees bent. It should be easy to blow a man's coat off! So Wind blew, gently at first, then harder and harder. But the harder he blew, the more the shivering man pulled his coat around him!
(4)	"My turn," said Sun, and he began to send warm rays toward the man below. Soon the man unbuttoned his coat. Sun glowed brighter and the man became uncomfortable in the heat. Before long, he took off the coat!
(5)	Wind sighed. "I guess you win. You're more powerful."
(6)	Sun just beamed. And all day he was as busy as a bee, lighting the sky until it was time for Moon to take over!

6.	The theme of this fable is
	a.	"Everyone has some kind of strength."
	b.	"Don't count your chickens before they hatch."
	c.	"Don't cry over spilt milk."
	d.	"Gentle persuasion is better than force."
7.	Which human characteristics did the writer NOT give Wind or Sun?
	a.	the ability to smile
	b.	the ability to walk
	c.	the ability to talk
	d.	the ability to laugh
8.	The phrase busy as a bee is an example of a
	a.	simile.
	b.	metaphor.
	c.	hyperbole.
	d.	idiom.
9.	The clue that this is told from the third-person point of view is the use of
	a.	the pronoun I.
	b.	the noun coat.
	c.	the pronoun he.
	d.	the verb blew.
10.	Describing Wind as arrogant means he was
	a.	full of self-importance.
	b.	full of thanks.
	c.	full of wonder.
	d.	full of humility.
11.	You can infer that when Sun just beamed at the end of the story,
	a.	he knew he was better than Moon.
	b.	he felt he didn't have to say anything because he'd won.
	c.	he didn't want to hurt the man's feelings.
	d.	he wanted to keep the bees warm.
12.	What is the main conflict in the story?
	a.	Sun wants Moon to light the sky.
	b.	Wind wants to make a big tree bend.
	c.	The man doesn't know which way to go on the road.
	d.	The Wind and Sun need to get the man's coat off.

Wild Horses

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

Proudly he runs free

Through the grasses growing high,

Then suddenly catches a sound

On the wind that's passing by.

He knows that sound means danger,

So he neighs a resonant cry

To warn the other wild ones

Who are grazing there nearby.

Then off they all go racing,

Their hooves beating the ground,

And all that I can hear

Is a rumbling, thundering sound!

13.	You can tell this is a poem because it has
	a.	words that describe action.
	b.	information about horses.
	c.	a rhyme scheme.
	d.	lines for actors to say.
14.	Which word in the poem means the same as ringing?
	a.	rumbling
	b.	thundering
	c.	beating
	d.	resonant
15.	Which group of words from the poem is the best example of imagery?
	a.	"He knows"
	b.	"other wild ones"
	c.	"rumbling, thundering"
	d.	"and all that"

The Witch at Murphy's Pond

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

(1)	"I don't get it, Pete," Janet said to her cousin. "Why do you fish at Murphy's Pond if old Mrs. Murphy is a witch?"
(2)	"The fishing's great . . . and the old Murphy house is over a hill behind the pond," Pete replied. "We'll be okay … as long as we stay away from the house," he continued in a hushed voice. "They say kids who go into that house are never seen again!"
(3)	After they got to the pond, witches were forgotten. Pete sat on the old dock and threw out his line. Suddenly Janet saw something shimmering in the water and leaned over for a closer look. The rotting wood of the dock broke under her! "H-e-l-l-p!" she screamed as she splashed down into the dark, cold water.
(4)	Pete jumped in to help her. "Quiet down!" he panted as they got to the rocky shore. "You're not hurt. If you keep hollering, you'll wake the witch!" Then he yelped, "OUCH-H-H!" and lifted his foot. There was a deep cut on the bottom of his foot from a sharp rock!
(5)	"Oh, Pete, you're hurt!" Janet cried. "I'll go for . . ." But before she could say Help, she saw an old woman coming toward them. Without a word, the woman picked up Pete and carried him up the hill. A cold, wet, and confused Janet followed. She was frightened but had a strange feeling the old woman meant no harm.
(6)	At the top of the hill, the woman walked toward an old house. "Oh, p-p-please, Ma'am," a frightened Pete begged. "Please don't go there. That's where the w-w-witch lives!"
(7)	"That is my home, young man," the woman said softly. "Do not be afraid." At the front door, she said to Janet. "Please open the door." Janet did, and the three went inside. Mrs. Murphy gently put Pete on a couch, then disappeared into another room.
(8)	Mrs. Murphy returned with warm blankets, which she wrapped around the two cold and wet cousins. Then she carefully cleaned and bandaged Pete's foot. The still-frightened boy squeezed his eyes shut every time she came near him. Finally, she offered Pete and Janet some freshly baked bread and glasses of milk. They began to understand that Mrs. Murphy was a very kind … but very lonely … woman.
(9)	Pete reached out and touched Mrs. Murphy's hand. "I'm Pete, and this is my cousin, Janet," he said. "Thank you for helping us."
(10)	Mrs. Murphy smiled shyly. She seemed to enjoy their company but said sadly, "You'd best be on your way. It's getting late."
(11)	Before they left, Mrs. Murphy reminded Pete to have a doctor check the cut and they promised to return to see her another day. She waved good-bye until they were out of sight. "Oh, Pete, she's so nice!" said Janet. "How could you have thought she was a witch?"
(12)	Pete smiled as he hobbled along beside her. "Well, she still might be," he said, and as Janet gasped, he added, "but she'd be the good kind!"

16.	Which words from the text are NOT an example of foreshadowing?
	a.	"We'll be okay … as long as we stay away from the house."
	b.	Pete stood on the old dock and threw out his line.
	c.	Janet saw something shimmering in the water.
	d.	"If you keep hollering, you'll wake the witch!"
17.	Which homophones were in the story?
	a.	witch and which
	b.	threw and through
	c.	seen and scene
	d.	there and their
18.	Which was NOT part of the story's plot?
	a.	Pete and Janet go to Murphy's Pond.
	b.	Janet falls into the water.
	c.	Mrs. Murphy drives Pete and Janet home.
	d.	Pete and Janet both get wet.
19.	This selection is an example of
	a.	fiction.
	b.	poetry.
	c.	nonfiction.
	d.	drama.
20.	A story has to include a setting because
	a.	without a setting, there would be no characters.
	b.	the story would be too short.
	c.	the reader needs to know when and where the story takes place.
	d.	the author needs to tell who the main character is.
21.	What is the main tone of the selection?
	a.	silly
	b.	exciting
	c.	mocking
	d.	whimsical
22.	The most likely conclusion you can draw from the story is that
	a.	there are witches living near Murphy's Pond.
	b.	the author was once frightened by a witch.
	c.	witches don't like young people.
	d.	just because someone tells you something doesn't make it true.

A Class Act

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

(1)	First of all, let me start by saying that even though I had to recite an original poem in front of the class Tuesday, I was cool … well, pretty cool about it. On Monday night my little sister said, "I hate talking in front of the class. Aren't you scared?"
(2)	"I have no trepidation!" I had replied, matter-of-factly. I love using big words with her because I know she'll run to look them up in the dictionary, so it's a win-win situation. I get rid of her and she gets a bigger vocabulary, like finding out that trepidation means "fear."
(3)	Tuesday morning, Mom fixed my favorite breakfast: pancakes. She flipped a few golden-brown circles off the griddle with a spatula and stacked them on my plate. As usual, I took a big bite. And as usual, sticky syrup dripped off the pancakes and onto my clean shirt.
(4)	"Oh, you are such a pig," my sister mumbled as she rolled her eyes at me.
(5)	"It's okay, Honey, you're probably just nervous about your poem," said Mom sympathetically.
(6)	I didn't answer either one of them; I just raced to my room for a clean shirt! I wanted to look my best. I barely made it out the door before the bus pulled away! What a start to my day, I thought. Let's hope things get better.
(7)	Well, to make a long story short, I did recite my original poem that morning, but with a bit of trepidation. The kid who read his poem ahead of me was really good, I mean, he really knew how to put words together on paper and read them with meaning! Then it was my turn. As I stood up, my BFF Pat whispered, "You'll be great!" And you know what? I kind of was! I even surprised myself. Our teacher, Mr. Briggs, videotaped the presentations and played them back so we could evaluate our work, and I was good … I mean really good. As I went out the door at the end of class, Mr. Briggs even stopped me and said, "Hope you're trying out for the school play this spring. It's Shakespeare. I'm directing and I think you'd be a really good actor. The auditions will be in three weeks."
(8)	So, I went to the auditions and … well, that's another story. Let's just say I am now a thespian!

23.	To help readers know that thespian means "actor," the author uses context clues like
	a.	poem and presentation.
	b.	play and audition.
	c.	trepidation and teacher.
	d.	syrup and recite.
24.	Which antonym pair is NOT used in the selection?
	a.	short and long.
	b.	clean and dirty.
	c.	up and down.
	d.	front and back.
25.	The denotation of pig is "a four-legged, young swine." In this selection, the connotation of pig is
	a.	"a really smart person."
	b.	"a dirty, messy person."
	c.	"a shy, sweet person."
	d.	"a helpful, kind person."
26.	With which topic would you most likely use the term spatula?
	a.	medicine
	b.	airplanes
	c.	cooking
	d.	geography
27.	Which is the best one-sentence summary for this story?
	a.	The narrator teaches a younger sibling some new words.
	b.	The narrator is preparing to read an original poem aloud.
	c.	The narrator is invited to be in the school play because of a good poetry presentation.
	d.	The narrator helps the teacher direct the school play.

The High Points of Life on Earth

Read the article and the chart, and then answer the questions that follow.

(1)	Mountains make up one-fourth of Earth's surface. But what exactly is a mountain? Scientifically speaking, it's a land formation at an altitude of at least 2,000 feet above its surroundings.
(2)	Mountains come in various heights. One mountain may look like a dwarf compared to Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro. But that looks small compared to Asia's giant Mt. Everest. Each of Earth's seven continents has a high point called the "Seven Summits."

28.	What data does the chart show?
	a.	cities where mountain peaks are found
	b.	when each mountain peak was discovered
	c.	heights of all mountains in the Alps
	d.	the names and heights of the Seven Summits
29.	The first sentence is a fact, not an opinion because
	a.	it mentions Earth, and Earth is real.
	b.	it is short.
	c.	you can check it to prove it is true.
	d.	it's what the author thinks.
30.	Which is the main idea of this article?
	a.	Mountains are found everywhere in the world, except in Australia.
	b.	To be a mountain, land must be 2,000 feet higher than the surrounding area.
	c.	The world's highest mountain is in the United States.
	d.	Earth's mountains can be seen from outer space.

Answers

If you miss a question, look for help with that topic in the lesson(s) listed.

1. a.

2. d.

3. c.

4. b.

5. c.

6. d.

7. b.

8. a.

9. c.

10. a.

11. b.

12. d.

13. c.

14. d.

15. c.

16. b.

17. d.

18. c.

19. a.

20. c.

21. b.

22. d.

23. b.

24. d.

25. b.

26. c.

27. c.

28. d.

29. c.

30. b.

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Introductory Reading Quiz