ELA Quiz 1

A Syrup-Can Mother

by Mary Gilbert

Dorothy Deane and her little brother Laurence were standing by the window watching for Papa.

"There he comes!" cried Dorothy at last.

"Careful now!" said Papa warningly. "Don't hit against my dinner pail!"

"What is in it?" asked Dorothy and Laurence in one breath, as they stood on tiptoe, trying to peep inside the cover.

"Guess!" said Papa, laughing. "A nickel to the one who guesses right!"

"Candy!" cried Laurence.

"Oranges!" said Dorothy.

Papa shook his head at both these guesses, and at all the others that followed, until they had reached the house.

"Now let Mamma have a turn," he said, holding the dinner pail up to her ear.

"Why, it isn't—" Mamma began, with a look of greatest surprise.

"Yes, it is!" Papa declared. Then he took off the cover and tipped the pail gently over in the middle of the kitchen table and out came ten of the fluffiest, downiest little chickens that any of them had ever seen.

"Oh, oh, oh!" cried the children delightedly. "Are they really ours? Where did you get them?"

"They are power-house chickens," Papa replied, smiling at their enthusiasm.

"What do you mean?" asked Mamma in astonishment, gazing at the pretty little creatures.

"Just what I say," replied Papa, who was an engineer in the big power house down town. "They were hatched on a shelf in the engine room."

"It was just this way," he explained, hanging up his hat. "Tom Morgan brought me a dozen eggs from his new hennery about three weeks ago. I put them on the shelf, intending to bring them home that night, but never thought of them until this morning, when there seemed to be something stirring up there. I looked, and, sure enough, there was a fine brood of chickens, just picking their way out of their shells!"

"But how did it ever happen?" asked Mamma in a puzzled tone.

"Because the engine, running night and day, gave the eggs just as much heat as they would have found under a hen's wings," Papa replied, "and they thought that they were put up there to hatch."

"Oh, aren't they darlings!" cried Dorothy, clapping her hands.

While Papa was making a nice coop out of a wooden box, Mamma found an empty tin can that had once held a gallon of maple syrup. She filled this full of boiling water, screwed the cover on tight, and then wrapped it up in pieces of flannel.

"There," she exclaimed triumphantly, fastening the last strip, "let us see how the chickens like this for a mother!"

Setting the can carefully in the center of the coop, she put the little chickens close by it. Finding it soft and warm, they cuddled up against the flannel cover and began to chirp as contentedly as if it were a mother hen. Then she pinned a square of flannel to the upper side of the can, letting it spread either way like a mother hen's wings, and leaving the ends open for the chickens to go in and out.

"We will fill the can with hot water every night," said Mamma, "and it will keep the chickens warm."

And here they lived quite happily with their syrup-can mother, until Papa declared that they were large enough to go to roost in the barn.

Select ALL the correct answers.

Which two statements best support the idea that Mamma is kind?

• She makes a temporary home to keep the chicks comfortable.

• She uses her imagination in creative ways.

• She asks important questions about how to care for the chicks.

• She makes the chicks feel like they are with their mother.

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Helen Keller

Helen Keller was an amazing person. Although she was blind and deaf, she wrote books and gave lectures. She was the first blind and deaf person to graduate from a university. She worked hard to improve the lives of other deaf and blind people. Most of the money she earned from her books and lectures went to organizations for the deaf and blind.

Helen was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. When she was only 19 months old, she became very ill. She had a very high fever and was not expected to live. Helen recovered, but she was left without hearing or sight. Due to the deafness and blindness, it was difficult to communicate with her. As a child, Helen suffered because she did not understand the world around her. She screamed and broke dishes and lamps to show her anger. She also ate food with her hands off the plates of everyone at the table.

When Helen was about seven years old, Anne Sullivan came to teach her. Anne and Helen moved into a cottage on the Keller family’s property. Anne taught Helen by spelling words on her palms. She used sign language to write the words. One day, when water was running over Helen's hand, Anne spelled the word “water” on her other hand. Helen finally understood the meaning of the signs. Once Helen made the connection, she learned very rapidly.

Anne taught her to read and write in Braille. Braille is a method of reading and writing with raised bumps that blind people use. Helen also learned to use a typewriter. She even learned to understand what people were saying by touching their throats and mouths. In 1900, Helen started attending Radcliffe College. Anne went with her as an aid. Before finishing college, Helen published her first book, The Story of My Life, in 1903. In 1904, Helen became the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor’s of Arts degree.

Helen became famous for her accomplishments as a deaf and blind person. After graduation, Helen wrote more books and toured the world giving speeches. With Anne’s help, she spoke about being deaf and blind. The audience was allowed to ask questions at the end of her lectures. Anne would explain Helen’s responses to the audience. Helen earned a lot of money for the American Foundation for the Blind. Helen also worked to improve living conditions for the deaf and blind. She advised organizations how to educate deaf and blind people. She also described how to provide them with better working conditions. Helen’s life and work is remembered in films, plays, and books. She has left a lasting impression on the world.

Which detail from the story shows that Helen Keller worked to "help other blind and deaf people"?

• She worked with Anne Sullivan when she was a child.

• She advised organizations how to teach the deaf and blind.

• She lost her sight and hearing after a childhood illness.

• She was the first deaf and blind college graduate.

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My Best Friend

by A. Gautam

Chiba Okereke was my best friend. I remember the day he moved into my neighborhood. He was a quiet boy with eyes that always told a story. I could not help but talk to him. My mother had invited his family for dinner one day, and Chiba found out he could go to school for free in this country. Thus, Chiba and I walked to school every day, took the same classes, and always stayed together.

One morning, Chiba did not show up at the front door of my house when it was time to go to school. Although it was unusual for Chiba to not be there, I thought he might have been sick. That day, I went to school alone. When he did not show up for school, I went to his apartment to check on him. Chiba seemed perfectly healthy; he was peeling potatoes in the kitchen. He gave me a warm smile and offered me some tea.

"I woke up late," Chiba said casually. That day, I realized how much I valued Chiba's friendship. He also realized that I was worried and felt bad. We decided to exchange numbers so that next time we could get in touch with each other.

Which of these best supports the idea that Chiba is new to the narrator's country?

• ". . . Chiba found out he could go to school for free. . ."

• "I know you think I am smart; I can always study . . ."

• "Thus, Chiba and I walked to school every day. . . "

• "Chiba seemed perfectly healthy; he was peeling . . ."

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CCSS.RF.4.4C

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My Best Friend

by A. Gautam

Chiba Okereke was my best friend. I remember the day he moved into my neighborhood. He was a quiet boy with eyes that always told a story. I could not help but talk to him. My mother had invited his family for dinner one day, and Chiba found out he could go to school for free in this country. Thus, Chiba and I walked to school every day, took the same classes, and always stayed together.

One morning, Chiba did not show up at the front door of my house when it was time to go to school. Although it was unusual for Chiba to not be there, I thought he might have been sick. That day, I went to school alone. When he did not show up for school, I went to his apartment to check on him. Chiba seemed perfectly healthy; he was peeling potatoes in the kitchen. He gave me a warm smile and offered me some tea.

"I woke up late," Chiba said casually. That day, I realized how much I valued Chiba's friendship. He also realized that I was worried and felt bad. We decided to exchange numbers so that next time we could get in touch with each other.

What does the passage suggest about Chiba?

• He does not trust the narrator.

• He does not like his new school.

• He is mostly a responsible young person.

• He is careless about his future.

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Lost and Found

Kim and Chieko walked home from school together each day. One afternoon as they walked through the park, Chieko saw something shiny lying on the ground. She pointed it out to Kim.

"It's a watch," Kim said, bending down to pick it up. She ran her fingers across the diamonds surrounding the watch face.

"Let me see," Chieko said. "Is it broken?"

"No, the watch is fine, but look. The clasp on the strap is broken. I bet the person who lost it doesn't even know it fell off."

"What should I do?" Chieko asked.

"You should keep it," Kim said. "It's beautiful—finders-keepers you know."

"One time I lost my necklace," Chieko said, putting her hand up to touch the blue stone that hung from a silver chain around her neck. "The clasp broke, and my necklace fell onto the school parking lot. When I realized it was gone, I rushed to the office to ask if anyone had turned it in. I didn't think that anyone had. If someone had found it, I was afraid they would keep it. I was so sad."

"So, what happened?" Kim asked.

"Someone did turn it in," Chieko said. "That was one of my happiest days."

"So, what are you going to do?" Kim asked.

"I plan on putting up flyers to see if someone has lost it," Chieko replied.

Which detail in the story shows that Chieko is an honest girl?

• She will put up flyers about the watch.

• She sees something shiny on the ground.

• She gives Kim her blue stone necklace.

• She will turn in the watch at the office.

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Shoes and Savings

"There is nothing like the smell of a brand new pair of red-bottom shoes," Amber exclaimed as she opened her sixth pair of new shoes in only one month's time. She worked hard at her after-school job walking pets for her neighbors. She loved her job and she loved shopping. As soon as she got paid, she went directly to the shoe store before she even went home. She had a system, and it worked for her. "What could go wrong?" she asked herself.

Strutting confidently into class the next day, Amber was elated to see that the classroom was decorated in red and white rockets, a perfect match for her latest pair of red-bottoms.

"Attention class, I have an exciting announcement to make!" Amber's teacher, Mrs. Brae said. "We have the opportunity to take a few students on a last minute field trip to the space station next week! Interested attendees will need to raise $75.00 by Monday."

Just then, Amber's stomach sank. How would she ever raise enough money to go on the field trip? All of the money she could have been saving for the trip was already invested in her shoe collection. She suddenly remembered all of the times her dad told her, "It is always important to save a little bit of money for a 'rainy day fund.'"

Which of these sentences from the passage expresses the theme?

• All of the money she could have been saving for the trip was already invested in her shoe collection.

• "It is always important to save a little bit of money for a 'rainy day fund.' "

• "There is nothing like the smell of a brand new pair of red-bottom shoes."

• She worked hard at her after-school job walking pets for her neighbors.

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CCSS.RL.4.2

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The Real McCoy

Perhaps you have heard the term "the real McCoy." It means something that is true or genuine. The term comes from a real person who made a fortune by being honest and true to his word.

Joseph McCoy was a businessman who had a simple plan—sell western cattle on the east coast. When the railroad built a branch line to Abilene, Kansas, he saw his chance. He bought the whole town for less than $5,000! That was considered a small fortune in 1866, but it allowed him to control the railhead. Then he advertised that he would pay $40 a head for Texas longhorn cattle, which were running wild in south Texas. At the time, the longhorns were selling for only $4 a head in Texas. The cowboys got excited about McCoy's price, though it meant moving wild longhorns from south Texas to Kansas, almost 1,000 miles. Two months after running the ad, the first herd arrived. Within a few weeks there were thousands of cattle arriving. The cowboys were taking a big chance herding the cattle such a long distance. If McCoy had offered them less, they would have had little choice but to take it. The cattle could not have survived the trip back to Texas.

When he started his project, McCoy bragged that he could deliver 200,000 longhorns in the first 10 years. That proved to be wrong. Because he was honest, the cowboys trusted him and brought him their herds every year. In his first four years alone, he shipped more than two million longhorns to the east coast. Because he was as good as his word and paid the cowboys $40 a head as he had promised, he became known as "the real McCoy." He also made a huge fortune.

Which of the following best describes a theme of this passage?

• Wild longhorn cattle are very profitable

• Owning your own town is a good idea.

• Keeping your word is good for business.

• People on the east coast love to eat beef.

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CCSS.RL.4.2

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Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a special day to celebrate mothers and what they do for their families. It was first proposed by an American named Anna Jarvis in 1908. She wanted to honor her mother who had passed away. She wanted to honor mothers around the world as well. Jarvis' celebration spread throughout her town and to other cities. The day was made into a U.S. national holiday in 1914.

The idea for Mother's Day has been adopted by other countries. They have changed the holiday to fit their cultures. Today, some mothers are given bouquets of flowers. Other mothers enjoy meals at restaurants with their families. Many children make cards and cakes to present to their mothers. Some children just spend time with their mothers. There are so many ways to express appreciation to mothers.

Directions: Select all the correct answers.

Which of the following express two main ideas found in the passage?

• Children like to give their mothers flowers on Mother's Day.

• Mother's Day was suggested by Anna Jarvis in 1908 after her mother's death.

• Mother's Day became a national holiday in the U.S. in 1914.

• People around the world honor their mothers in different ways.

• Anna Jarvis came up with Mother's Day to celebrate her mother and other mothers.

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Antarctica

(1) For centuries, little was known about Antarctica. It was thought of as a distant, dangerous, frozen wasteland. It was the last continent to be discovered. No one sighted it until the early 1800s. Before that time, many explorers had sailed south in an attempt to visit the ice-covered land. In those days, their trips were as famous as those of the first astronauts.

(2) Even before the land was discovered, stories were told about it. The ancient Greeks thought there was a land at the bottom of the world. Over the years, some of the world's greatest sailors tried to find it. In 1772, the famous Captain James Cook made the trip.

(3) Captain Cook was the first sailor to make it all the way to the ice cap. The ice surrounds Antarctica in the winter. Cook sailed all the way around the continent but was blocked from getting too close by the ice. Captain Cook went farther south than anyone had ever gone. His record stood for 50 years.

(4) In the 1820s, a different type of sailor was setting sail toward Antarctica. Seal hunters and whale hunters made the journey. A young American named Nathaniel Palmer was probably the first person to see Antarctica. He and other adventurers were sailing through uncharted ocean in search of seals. In doing so, they became explorers as well as hunters.

Paragraph 4 is mostly about:

• hunters becoming the first explorers of Antarctica.

• how sailors were different in the nineteenth century.

• Nathaniel Palmer sailing to Antarctica in the 1820s.

• how seals and whales live in the ice cold waters.

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