"The Great Mantis Rescue"

Part A: What is the lesson of the passage?

• A. Flying insects make the best classroom pets.

• B. Sharing one's interests with others can be rewarding.

• C. It is important for students to listen to their teachers.

• D. One must follow many steps when catching insects.

Part B: Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer in Part A?

• A. "He could barely believe it when Mrs. Beecher agreed to make the soon-to-be baby mantises their class project."

• B. "We're starting science class with journals today. Please copy the prompt from the board."

• C. "Donald grinned and called out, 'Richie, get some paintbrushes! Jennifer, start laying out white paper on the floor!'"

• D. "Just like that, Donald had a new nickname, and with it came new opportunities to make friends."

What does the phase "lost cause" in paragraph 2 suggest about Donald?

• A. Donald whishes that he could find the missing eggs.

• B. Donald worries that there is little hope for the eggs to hatch.

• C. Donald thinks that the eggs may contain something other than mantises.

• D. Donald wonders if it is his fault that nothing has happened to the eggs.

Part A: Which choice describes Donald at the beginning of the passage?

• A. He is angry that no one in his class likes insects.

• B. He is hopeful that he will be liked by his teacher.

• C. He is unsure how to make friends with other students.

• D. He is eager to be the center of attention.

Part B: Which quotation from paragraph 2 best supports the answer in Part A?

• A. "Donald attempted to explain that the egg cause of a praying mantis was not meant to be exciting, that the exciting part was when the eggs hatched. "

• B. "Donald thought back to the day he found the egg case in his backyard and brought it into school."

• C. "He could barely believe it when Mrs. Beecher agreed to make the soon-to-be baby mantises their class project."

• D. "If the class pet were an insect, maybe Donald would finally have something to talk about with the other kids."

What does paragraph 8 show about Becky?

• A. Becky knows that some insects are loud.

• B. Becky catches insects in her backyard.

• C. Becky has read many books about insects.

• D. Becky is startled by seeing the insects.

How do paragraphs 9-10 help the reader understand the passage?

• A. The paragraphs explain why Richie thinks the praying mantises are boring.

• B. The paragraphs explain why the praying mantises are all over the classroom.

• C. The paragraphs explain why the praying mantises take so long to hatch.

• D. The paragraphs explain why Donald brings the praying mantises to school.

Read the sentence from paragraph 19.

Soon the classroom was buzzing like a nest of carpenter bees.

What does the author mean by this sentence?

• A. The students are busy and working together.

• B. The students are building homes for the mantises.

• C. The students decide to study bees as well as mantises.

• D. The students make insect sounds as they work.

What is the meaning of the word astounding in paragraph 31?

• A. amusing

• B. clever

• C. strange

• D. surprising

Which quotation from the passage describes what is shown in the illustration?

• A. "He could barely believe it when Mrs. Beecher agreed to make the soon-to-be baby mantises their class project."

• B. "Donald couldn't believe his eyes. A tiny praying mantis, barely the size of a grain of rice, scurried across his journal."

• C. "'I saw one! It's on my desk!' Becky cried."

• D. "'Richie, wasn't it your day to check the terrarium? Why isn't the lid on?'"