Informational text

A pier is a long wooden walkway with tall posts, which are used to tie boats. Vessels that are tied well will not drift out of port and capsize, or sink.

Which of the underlined words means boats or ships?

• pier

• vessels

• capsize

A bake sale is a good way to make extra money. To prepare for a bake sale, choose two simple recipes with inexpensive ingredients. Then, thoroughly clean the kitchen (you will do this again, as your final step). After that, mix the ingredients for the first recipe. While your first recipe is baking in the oven, mix the ingredients for the second recipe. Make sure to keep an eye on what's in the oven. Bake your second recipe, and mix the third batch of ingredients at the same time.

What is your final step?

• mix the third batch of ingredients

• clean the kitchen

• bake your second recipe

Big band music was popular in the 1930s and 1940s. As its name suggests, this type of music was often performed by large groups of musicians. A "big band" usually played music for people to dance to. Another name for this kind of music, and also for the dancing people did to it, is swing. Swing dancers dressed in comfortable clothes, because the dance moves were fast and complex. Dancers wanted to be able to move easily.

What is the main idea?

• to tell about songs

• to tell about music

• to tell about big band music and dancing

A legend is a story that could be true--it is believable in some way. A good example of a legend is the story of the island Atlantis. The story says people lived on this island, and one day thousands of years ago, it sank into the sea. People have looked for it, but no one has ever found proof that Atlantis existed. Of course, no one has yet found a way to prove it did not exist, either!

What is the author's purpose?

• to inform

• to persuade

• you cannot tell from the story

Golf is a recreational sport that requires a lot of land, most of it grassy. Golf course workers keep the grass healthy and beautiful, and this attracts golfers--but it also attracts geese! These large birds are a nuisance on the golf course because they chase golfers, leave droppings all over the course, and honk constantly. how do some golf course workers deal with this? They "hire" dogs to intimidate the geese! The dogs' owners bring them to the course to chase the geese away.

What is the text structure?

• problem/solve

• sequence

• compare/contrast

Have you ever wondered how rattlesnakes got their name? It's because when they are threatened, these snakes shake their tails, which make a rattling sound. The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is usually about 3 to 5 feet long. It has yellowish or greenish scales, with a black diamond pattern along its back. It can open its mouth very wide and has sharp fangs which release poison, or venom, when it bites.

What is the text structure?

• problem/solution

• descriptive

• sequence

There are several ways to make unsanitary water cleaner and safer to drink. You can filter it by pouring it through cloth. You can boil it over a fire. There are also tablets you can drop into the water.

What does the underlined word mean?

• clean

• dirty

• from the ground

Some movies are filmed in 3D, which is short for three-dimensional. But what's the definition of "three-dimensional"? If you've ever watched a 3D movie, you know the action appears to leap out toward you. The majority of movies appear flat on the screen--the action has height, which is one dimension, and length, the second dimension. Imagine a circle cut out of construction paper: it has height and it has width. Now imagine a ball: it has a third dimension--depth. When a movie is presented in 3D, it has depth.

What is the main idea?

• to tell about watching a movie

• to tell about what three dimensional means

• to tell about circles

In the army, people are given titles according to their rank. Rank means how far they have risen in the army. The lowest rank is "private". After the private has done a good job, he or she rises to the rank of "corporal". From corporal, the person rises to "sergeant", and then to "sergeant major". If the person stays in the army long enough and does a good job, he or she can rise all the way up to "general", the highest rank.

After "sergeant" what is the next rank?

• sergeant major

• corporal

• general

When you look up at the sky on a cloudless night, stars will be visible. Depending on how far you are from a big city, you will see many stars or just a few. Cities have a lot of artificial light--streetlights, business lights, and lights from cars and buses. All that light makes it more difficult to view the stars. What do city stargazers do to see more stars? They go to the country where it is very dark. This makes it easier to view the stars.

What is the text structure?

• sequence

• cause/effect

• problem/solve