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1. Where would you most likely read this selection?
A. thesaurus
B. dictionary
C. newspaper
D. encyclopedia
2. What is the purpose of this selection?
F. to entertain the reader
G. to express feelings about plays
H. to persuade the reader to attend this play
J. to inform the reader about carpets
3. How could you learn more information about this play?
A. call them
B. visit the website
C. e-mail them
D. visit the theater
4. How can you purchase tickets for this play?
F. on the internet and by phone
G. from the Little Theater Box Office and from Little Theater members
H. by mail and by phone
J. by phone and from Little Theater members
5. What is most likely the reason Abdula, The Magic Carpet, is in bold print?
A. to sell a magic carpet
B. to draw attention to the name of the play
C. to name the main character of the play
D. to tell the name of the business
6. What would this play most likely be about?
F. a carpet that cleans itself
G. a carpet that performs a magic show
H. a carpet that belongs to Abdula
J. a carpet that has adventures
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We use our senses to know the world. If you lost one of your senses for a while, wouldn’t you be excited to have it back again? That is what happens to Nicole in this story.
Nicole’s Nose Knows
By Beth Thompson
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Pancakes! And crispy bacon!
Nicole woke up sniffing, but today it wasn’t because she had a cold. She had had a bad cold and a stuffy nose for a week, and she hadn’t been able to smell anything. But this morning she could smell pancakes and bacon.
Nicole grinned. This was a great way to wake up. She pulled on her clothes and hurried to the kitchen.
“Good morning!” Mother said as Nicole hugged her. Mother’s perfume smelled like the little white flowers on the lemon bush.
She hugged Dad, too. His smell was different. Shaving cream, a smell that reminded her of salty ocean air, and peppermint from his toothpaste.
This was a neat game. She decided to see how many things she could recognize just by using her nose.
After breakfast, Nicole grabbed her lunch sack and yellow raincoat. She smelled the strong rubber odor.
“Bye, Mom and Dad,” she called, opening the door to the cool, fresh smell of a rain-washed morning.
“Bye, Sampson,” she said as she hugged her shaggy dog. She could
smell the wet, woolly smell of his coat and the meaty smell of his breakfast as he licked her cheek.
As she walked to school, Nicole let her nose explore her lunch sack. She opened the bag, closed her eyes, and sniffed.
“What are you doing, Nicole?” she heard her friend Charlie ask. “Your nose is wiggling like a rabbit’s.”
“I’m trying to guess what’s in my lunch using only my nose,” Nicole said. She told him about the game.
Charlie leaned over and sniffed. “Smells like cherries. And bananas.”
Nicole laughed. “That means a sandwich with Aunt Lucy’s homemade cherry jam, and a banana for dessert. Let’s try your lunch, Charlie.”
They sniffed the open sack. “Oh, that’s easy,” said Nicole. “Tuna!”
“But what else?” insisted Charlie. “There’s more in the bag.” Nicole took a huge sniff. Chocolate and something else, something that made her lips pucker. Pickles!
“A tuna sandwich, pickles, and chocolate chip cookies,” she guessed.
Charlie looked in the bag. “Close,” he said. “A brownie, not cookies. But you’re pretty good at this.”
At school Nicole’s nose explored some more. It guessed that Julia’s colored marker was lime-scented. It recognized the funny chemical smell of the purple-printed ditto papers Mrs. Conway handed out. Nicole’s sharpened pencil smelled like wooden boards after Dad sawed them.
RINNGGGG! It was the recess bell. As Nicole put on her raincoat, she smelled a new smell: popcorn! It reminded her of circuses and movies. Mrs. Conway announced that the PTA was selling popcorn to raise money for new climbing bars.
Nicole reached into her raincoat pocket, hoping she had some money. She pulled out ten coppery-smelling pennies. “Let’s go!” she called to Charlie.
Nicole and Charlie walked across the playground munching popcorn. As they finished the last kernel, Nicole crumpled up the bag to throw it away.
Rustle, rustle went the bag as Nicole crumpled it, then whoosh, thunk as she tossed it into the trash can.
Nicole grinned at Charlie. “Did you hear that? Three different sounds! Come on. Let’s play a guessing game using just our ears!”
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7. At the beginning of the selection, how does Nicole know that her cold is getting better?
A. She can smell pancakes and bacon.
B. She feels like going to school.
C. She can feel the fresh air.
D. She wants to play a new game.
8. Which of the following best describes Nicole?
F. sick
G. silly
H. observant
J. nervous
9. In paragraphs 7 and 8, what can Nicole tell from the scent of the air when she opens the door?
A. Her neighbors cooked bacon.
B. The trees are in bloom.
C. Sampson had gotten wet.
D. It had just rained.
10. What does Charlie say Nicole’s nose looks like when she is sniffling?
F. a mouse’s nose
G. a rabbit’s nose
H. a kitten’s nose
J. a dog’s nose
11. In paragraph 22, what is most likely the reason the author used the words rustle and whoosh?
A. to show words Nicole spoke
B. to show sounds made by the bag
C. to show the noise popcorn makes
D. to show the sound of Charlie’s footsteps
12. Based on the information in paragraph 23, which of these will Nicole and Charlie most likely notice on their way home?
F. birds singing
G. falling leaves
H. a sunset
J. cold breeze
13. In paragraph 17, what does Charlie mean when he says, “close?”
A. Charlie is folding his lunch sack shut.
B. Nicole and Charlie are good friends.
C. Nicole almost guessed the right answer.
D. Charlie is standing near Nicole.
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Spider and Turtle
A West African Tale
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Spider was preparing his dinner one day when he heard a knock on the door.
“Hello,” said Turtle. “I see you are cooking dinner.”
“Yes,” said Spider, frowning. He did not want to share his food.
“May I join you?” asked Turtle. “I am very hungry.”
“Please do,” sighed Spider politely, although he was quite disappointed. He had a big appetite and wanted to eat all the food himself. Suddenly an idea came to him and he said, “In my house, Turtle, you must wash your hands before dinner.”
Turtle walked down to the stream and washed his hands. As he walked back to the house his hands got dirty. He tried again and again, but it was no use. How could he keep his hands clean when they were also his feet, upon which he had to walk in the dirt? At last, poor Turtle gave up. There was no way he could follow Spider’s rule. Sadly, he walked away without any food.
Some time later Turtle was swimming in the stream. “I must outwit that Spider,” he thought. Then he thought of a trick.
“Spider, come join me for dinner!” Turtle called.
Surprised, Spider agreed. He was always hungry!
“Please wait here while I prepare the food,” said Turtle, and then he dove into the water to his home. When he popped up he smiled and said, “Okay, Spider, come and get it!”
“Aren’t you going to bring my dinner up here?” asked Spider.
Spider attempted several times to dive under the water, but he was so light that he could only float. Finally, he had to go home hungry. After a while Spider and Turtle grew tired of eating alone. “Let’s meet for dinner in the woods,” Turtle said one day. “Since it’s not my house, you don’t have to eat under the water.”
“And since it’s not my house, you don’t have to wash your hands in the stream,” Spider said.
14. What is the purpose of the selection?
F. to learn about underwater turtles
G. to gain facts about Africa
H. to find out how real spiders live
J. to be entertained by a funny story
15. In paragraph 5, what does the word, appetite, mean?
A. idea
B. hand
C. hunger
D. house
16. Why did Turtle give up on having dinner in Spider’s house?
F. Spider did not eat food that Turtle liked.
G. Turtle couldn’t keep his hands clean.
H. Spider did not invite Turtle to eat there.
J. Turtle could not walk to Spider’s house.
17. In paragraph 12, what does the word, attempted, mean?
A. tried
B. got ready
C. gave up
D. asked
18. At the beginning of the selection, which of the following best describes Turtle and Spider?
F. selfish
G. truthful
H. afraid
J. kind
19. How does Turtle teach Spider a lesson?
A. He makes food that Spider does not like to eat.
B. He asks Spider to help him make the dinner.
C. He makes Spider wash hands that he does not have.
D. He serves dinner in a place where Spider cannot go.
20. How did Spider change from the beginning to the end of the selection?
F. First he acted friendly, then he was mean.
G. First he acted mean, then he was selfish.
H. First he acted greedy, then he agreed to share.
J. First he acted politely, then he was rude.
21. With which statement would the author most likely agree?
A. Every man for himself.
B. Look before you leap.
C. Stand on your own two feet.
D. To have a friend, be a friend.
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Harriet Quimby was one of the first woman pilots in the United States. What did she do that made her famous?
Wings
By Elaine Walling
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In the early 1900’s, most people believed that no woman should become a pilot. But Harriet Quimby loved airplanes. She made up her mind to learn to fly. Achieving that goal would not be easy.
First, who would teach her? Pilots didn’t want any women students. “Women aren’t brave enough,” they said. “Women can’t keep cool when things go wrong in the air – and something always goes wrong.”
Second, what would she wear? Women wore long, heavy skirts in those days. Skirts would get tangled up in a small plane.
Harriet dreamed up something to wear – a one-piece flying suit. It was made of purple satin. The pants fit neatly into her boots. And she found an instructor to give her lessons.
She worked hard, but not always with success. On one of her early flights, she wrecked her plane. Luckily, she escaped without injuries. In time, she became a pilot – a good one.
In 1912, Harriet had another plan. She got a new plane in Paris, France, and had it shipped to England. She would fly the English Channel.
In those early days of aviation, airplanes were small. They were made of wood and bicycle wheels. Sometimes, they fell apart in mid-air! But some daring men had flown across the English Channel – 22 miles. They had made history, and Harriet Quimby wanted to do the same.
Her friends tried to talk her out of it. “You can’t fly the Channel,” one friend warned Harriett.
“Why not?” Harriet inquired. “I have a fine new airplane.”
“But it still doesn’t work very well,” said Harriet’s friend. “Sometimes it won’t even turn. You could lose control. And think
of the weather! What if there’s fog? You might lose your direction.”
Harriet frowned. “I’ll take a compass. And luck will be on my side.”
“You’ll need it!” Her friend said. “A man died trying to make this flight.”
Harriet’s voice grew serious. “But other men have made it and lived. A woman can fly the Channel, too.”
On April 16, 1912, Harriet was ready to go. The day was cold. She put a blanket around her shoulders. Then she started her plane and took off. She climbed to 1,500 feet and turned toward France.
Soon she neared the French coast. It was covered with fog! Still, she flew
on. After a time, Harriet thought she might be over land. She let the plane drop lower. Then the fog cleared. A sandy beach was below – France! Harriet landed right on the beach. The trip had only taken 30 minutes.
The news flashed around the world: A woman had flown the Channel! Did that make Harriet special? She didn’t think so. “Any woman can fly,” Harriet said. “She needs just three things: the desire, steady nerves, and a one-piece flying suit.
22. Which of the following goes in the empty box?
F. Harriet created a one-piece flying suit.
G. Harriet shipped an airplane to England.
H. Harriet landed on a beach in France.
J. Harriet found an instructor to give her lessons.
23. Why were early airplanes unsafe?
A. Airplanes sometimes fell apart in flight.
B. Airplanes sometimes got tangled up in trees.
C. Airplanes were too heavy to fly long distances.
D. Airplanes were too large for people to control.
24. What was most likely the reason Harriet’s friends tried to talk her out of crossing the English Channel?
F. They wanted to be first to fly across the English Channel.
G. They knew that flying across the English Channel was dangerous.
H. They thought flying across the English Channel was a waste of money.
J. They worried that her plane was too old to fly across the English Channel.
25. What was the greatest problem Harriet Quimby faced on her flight across the English Channel?
A. bad weather
B. poor directions
C. airplane troubles
D. uncomfortable clothing
26. How long did the flight across the English Channel take?
F. fifteen minutes
G. one hour
H. thirty minutes