5th Reading Mastery Check #4

Growing Seeds

It is very easy to grow seedlings. First, fill seed pots with finely sifted potting mix. Plant seeds ¼ inch deep, one seed to a pot. Keep the pots in a warm, bright place to avoid tall, spindly seedlings which don’t transplant well. Keep the soil moist but not soaked. Spraying the top of the soil with a spray bottle works well. In three or four days, seedlings will sprout. When these seedlings have several leaves, they are ready to be planted outdoors.

  1. What is this passage mostly about?
  1. How to fill pots with soil
  2. How to pick good pots
  3. How to water plants
  4. How to grow seedlings

Going with the Flow

An old man accidentally fell into the river rapids. The rapids led to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Amazingly, he came out alive and unharmed, downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. “I adapted myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived.”

  1. What is the main theme of the story?
  1. If you fall into the water, you must grab onto a tree branch.
  2. You must swim hard and fast to survive a waterfall.
  3. It is best to go with the flow of life, rather than fight against it.
  4. The old man survived because he was an honest man.

Meat and Poultry Hotline

The U.S. government runs the Meat and Poultry Hotline. This free service answers food safety questions. Last year, they had 80,000 calls.

It began in 1985. Its purpose is to help prevent illness caused by meat, poultry, and eggs. The hotline answers questions about how to safely store, handle, and prepare these foods.

Calls are answered by people trained in food preparation and good food health

Most calls are about how to handle food correctly. Food safety questions are common after power outages. Food recalls are another topic of interest.

November has the highest number of calls. There are more than 15,000 in that one month. Most of those are questions about cooking turkeys for Thanksgiving.

  1. What is the main idea of this passage?
  1. Explaining where to get help cooking a turkey
  2. Telling what the meat and poultry hotline does
  3. Keeping food safely stored after a power outage
  4. Providing information about our government

Surfing Attack

(1)A 13-year-old surfing star was attacked by a shark. It happened just off Kauai’s North Shore. There was no sign of danger as Bethany Hamilton was lying on her surfboard in clear water. Her best friend and her friend’s father were nearby. The shark bit just once and then disappeared. It took Bethany’s left arm just below the shoulder.

(2)Bethany remained in stable condition after the attack. Dr. David Rovinsky at Wilcox Memorial Hospital cared for her at the hospital. He said her top condition as an athlete helped her survive the attack. “This is a woman who is a highly trained athlete,” Rovinsky said.

(3)The shark had not only taken off most of Bethany’s left arm, but her surfboard as well. The chunk taken out of her surfboard measures about 16 inches across and 8 inches deep. The measurements mean the shark was about twelve to fifteen feet long. A spokesman for the state Shark Task Force thinks that it may have been a tiger shark. Great White sharks are another type of shark that lives in the ocean.

  1. Which sentence in the last paragraph is off the topic?
  1. The measurements mean the shark was about twelve to fifteen feet long.
  2. The chunk taken out of her surfboard measures about 16 inches across and 8 inches deep.
  3. A spokesman for the state Shark Task Force thinks that it may have been a tiger shark.
  4. Great White sharks are another type of shark that lives in the ocean.
  1. Which sentence would bestsupport the second paragraph?
  1. Bethany handled the huge blood loss better than most people would.
  2. The hospital was ranked by citizens as the best in the city.
  3. Sharks are violent predators, with sharp teeth and powerful senses.
  4. Shark teeth are the most often found fossils on the island.

Learning to Ride

Mariana wanted to ride her bike without training wheels. She asked her dad to teach her how to ride a bike. Mariana was doing very well. She thought riding on two wheels was easy.

“Daddy, let go! I can do this,” Mariana said.

“Are you sure?” Dad asked.

“Yes! I’m fine,” she said.

Dad let go and Mariana raced off down the street. She was so excited to be riding her big-kid bike. Suddenly, a cat jumped in front of her bike. Mariana realized she didn’t know how to stop! She swerved around the cat and hit the curb with her bike. Mariana fell off the bike and skinned her knees. Dad came rushing over.

“Mariana! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Dad asked.

“I think I’m okay, Daddy,” Mariana said. “But maybe I should learn how to stop before I learn how to go.”

  1. Which of the following best retells the story?
  1. Mariana asked her dad to teach her how to ride a two-wheeled bike, and he said yes. A cat got in her way, and Mariana was hurt.
  2. Mariana tried to avoid hitting the cat that jumped out in front of her, and she fell down. When she fell, she skinned her knees.
  3. Mariana wanted her dad to let go, but he was not sure she was ready to ride on her own. Mariana said, “Daddy, let go! I can do this.”
  4. Mariana’s dad helped her learn how to ride a two-wheeled bike. Mariana took off down the street but fell down when she could not stop.

Cat Trouble

One afternoon, Stefan was walking home from the park. He had been playing baseball with his friends. Stefan was remembering a great catch he made when he heard a strange noise above him. He looked up and saw a cat struck in a tree!

Stefan thought for a minute. It looked like Mrs. Nelson’s cat. She would be upset if it got hurt. He tried to climb the tree, but he could not reach the lowest branch.

“Come on, kitty,” Stefan called. “Come down from that tree. I’ll catch you.”

The cat just sat there. Stefan tried calling again, but nothing. He turned around to see if anyone was coming by when the cat decided to jump. Before Stefan could put his arms out to catch it, the cat landed on his shoulder.

“Oh, you sweet boy!” Mrs. Nelson called. “You saved my cat! Stefan, you are my hero today!”

“It was nothing,” Stefan grinned. He sure didn’t feel like a hero, but why not enjoy this for a while?

  1. Which of the following bestretells the story?
  1. Stefan tried to climb a tree to save Mrs. Nelson’s cat that was stuck. The cat jumped down by itself, but Stefan still acted like a hero to Mrs. Nelson.
  2. Mrs. Nelson called Stefan a hero after her cat jumped from the tree without any help. Stefan was just walking home from the park after a game.
  3. Stefan walked home from the park where he had been playing baseball with friends. He looked up and saw Mrs. Nelson’s cat stuck in the tree.
  4. Stefan tried to climb the tree and called to the cat to get it to come down from the tree. Mrs. Nelson called Stefan her hero from saving the cat.

Batik

Batik is a way to decorate cloth with color and designs. This art form started in Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia.

The first step of batik is to draw a pattern on a piece of cloth. Next, the parts of the cloth that will not be colored are covered with liquid wax. Once the wax has hardened, the cloth is dipped into the dye. The wax prevents colored dyes from reaching the material. Oftentimes, the wax cracks, and dye leaks into the spaces. These cracks cause accidental lines to appear on the cloth. Once the cloth is dyed, it is laid out or hung up to dry. After the cloth is dry, the wax is removed by boiling the cloth in water. The final result is a colorful cloth with interesting designs.

  1. What is done before the cloth is dyed with color?
  1. The cloth is left out to dry.
  2. The cloth is boiled in hot water
  3. Some areas are covered with wax
  4. Some wax breaks and makes cracks

Dog Hair

Some dogs need to have their hair trimmed regularly to keep their coats and skin healthy. To save money, dog owners can learn how to cut their dogs’ hair themselves. These are the basic steps. First, the owner should comb the dog’s hair out and remove any knots. Next, the owner should select the length that he or she wants the main body of hair to be and attach the right comb to electric clippers. Then, he or she should start the clippers and place the clipper comb at the base of the dog’s neck on its back. The owner has to move the clippers in the direction that the hair grows. He or she will continue cutting the hair down the dog’s back and sides. When the dog’s back and sides are trimmed, it is time to move on to the legs and tail. Each leg should be done by moving the clippers down and over the hair. Then, the owner should hold the tail in the palm of his or her hand and carefully move the clippers across it. After the legs and tail are finished, the owner should change the comb to a longer length for the ears and face. Before trimming the dog’s ears and face, the owner should have a second person hold the dog’s head still. Once a second person is holding the dog’s head, the owner should hold one of the dog’s ears flat in the palm of his or her hand and run the clippers over it. This step should be repeated for the second ear. When both ears are done, the owner needs to carefully run the clippers over the top of the dog’s head, across its cheeks, over its beard, and under its chin. Finally, the owner can turn the clippers off and brush the dog to remove any hair.

  1. What is the last step in giving a dog a hair cut?
  1. Change the comb length on the clippers
  2. Have someone hold the dog’s head still
  3. Brush the dog to get rid of loose hair
  4. Hold the dog’s ears one at a time in a balm

The Truth About Bats

Bats are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. Because of this, humans rarely get a chance to interact with them. As a result, most people do not know as much about bats as they know about cats, birds, or squirrels. This causes a number of misunderstandings.

For instance, most people do not know what bats eat. They often assume that bats feed on blood and are harmful, but his is only true for 3 of the 1,100 different bat species.

In fact, most bats are helpful. The majority of bats eat insects that annoy humans. One insect-eating bat can eat 600-1,000 mosquitoes in an hour. Other bats eat fruit. Like birds, these bats spread fruit seeds that grow into trees. A small group of bats eat nectar and pollen. These bats help flowers and plants reproduce.

Next time you see a bat, thank it for all the good things it does.

  1. Which of these bestretells the passage?
  1. Humans rarely interact with bats, so they do not know much about them. Most people know a lot about cats, birds, and squirrels, but they do not learn about bats.
  2. Many bats feed on fruit, nectar, and pollen, which help flowers and plants reproduce. Bats are helpful and good, even though most people do not think that they are.
  3. Bats do not feed on blood and are not dangerous. They eat a lot of insects that are annoying to humans. Some bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour.
  4. Bats are helpful, nocturnal animals that are often misunderstood. Most bats eat annoying insects, while others eat fruit, nectar, and pollen, which help plants reproduce.