Sandcastle/How to Build Sandcastles STAAR 2015

Lines 1 through 4 are important to the poem because they —

• introduce the speaker’s problem

• describe the setting

• ask the reader important questions

• identify the speaker’s friend

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Understanding

Which line from the poem best helps the reader picture the speaker’s sandcastle?

• Let’s fill a bucket with water and pour it on the land.

• To make the sand muddy and damp, to work with it by hand.

• To start a mighty castle on the playground made of sand.

• Then make the sand like towers; form walls that stretch up high.

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Analyzing

Read lines 15 and 16 from the poem. So let’s skip on home to dinner, looking back once more to say, “We built a mighty castle on the playground on this day.” These lines emphasize that the speaker most likely feels —

• worried that the sandcastle is not finished

• confused about what will happen to the sandcastle

• surprised by the height of the sandcastle

• pleased to have spent the day working on a sandcastle

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Evaluating

In stanza 3, the reader can conclude that the speaker —

• has more important tasks than finishing the sandcastle

• would rather build the sandcastle alone

• is not yet satisfied with the sandcastle

• is unsure of how the completed sandcastle should look

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Analyzing

According to information in “Building a Better Sandcastle,” a tall sandcastle tower might fall if —

• its base is too small to support it

• it is not built by an expert sculptor

• too many details are carved into the sandcastle

• tools are not used when building the sandcastle

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Applying

In paragraph 1, the prefix mis– helps the reader determine that the word misshapen means —

• badly shaped

• having many shapes

• before being shaped

• being shaped again

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Understanding

The author wrote this selection mainly to —

• provide the history of sandcastle building

• explain how to construct a sandcastle successfully

• tell about some famous sandcastle builders

• describe different kinds of sandcastles

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Understanding

According to the selection, a paintbrush can be used when building a sandcastle in order to —

• correct errors

• pack the sand

• add decorations

• carve details

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Applying

The speaker in the poem and the author of the selection both emphasize the importance of —

• selecting the perfect location for building a sandcastle

• using items from nature to decorate a sandcastle

• mixing the sand just right before building a sandcastle

• finishing the details of a sandcastle in just one day

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Analyzing

With which statement would the poet and the author of the selection most likely agree?

• It is important to ask for help when building a sandcastle.

• The details of a sandcastle should be carved by hand.

• Children like building sandcastles more than adults do.

• A well-made sandcastle takes time to build.

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Evaluating