2021 STAAR Released Test Superstars of Slow & Autumn Walk

The prefix un- helps the reader understand that unnoticed in paragraph 1 means —

• first seen

• not seen

• seen together

• seen from below

Which word means the opposite of curved in paragraph 3?

• Straight

• Thick

• Dark

• Soft

Which section contains information about what sloths eat?

• Sloth Style

• Slow Movers

• Sloth Snacks

• Staying Safe

What is the most likely reason the author includes the details in paragraph 1?

• To suggest that some sloths can move fast if they have to

• To show that sloths are a lot like other animals that live in trees

• To show that some sloths have become well known to scientists

• To suggest that sloths have a special quality that helps them survive

Which idea from the selection does the author best support by including the first three photographs?

• Sloths spend a lot of time in trees.

• Scientists want to know more about sloths.

• Some sloths are much bigger than others.

• Sloths may not be as lazy as they look.

Which sentence from the selection suggests that the author likes sloths?

• F The sloth is the slowest mammal on Earth. (paragraph 1)

• One thing that scientists do know is that sloths are very different from most other animals. (paragraph 2)

• With gentle brown eyes and a flat little nose, the sloth might win the award for cutest animal. (paragraph 4)

• J Sloths grow to be only about 25 inches long—around the size of a human baby. (paragraph 4)

What is the most likely reason the author wrote this selection?

• A To provide the reader with interesting facts about sloths

• B To encourage the reader to support a place that helps sloths

• C To explain to the reader the biggest dangers that sloths face

• D To show the reader what it is like to visit a sloth sanctuary

(Poem) Lines 18 through 21 suggest that the speaker feels —

• surprised to find a big pile of leaves

• excited to go through the pile of leaves

• H curious about what is hiding under the leaves

• J worried about the amount of leaves on the ground

(Poem) Which sentence best describes the stanzas of the poem?

• A Each stanza contains lines that rhyme.

• B Each stanza creates an image for the reader.

• C Each stanza describes a new event for the reader.

• D Each stanza repeats important lines.

(Poem)Read lines 15 through 17 of the poem. "Where they tumble And gather In piles and drifts" These lines help the reader picture the way the leaves —

• F are colored

• G look along the street

• H sound as they fall

• J feel in the darkness