Sixth Grade Third Quarter Reading
Common Assessment
2011-2012
“Cynthia in the Snow”
By Gwendolyn Brooks
It SHUSHES,
It hushes
The loudness in the road
It flitter-twitters,
And laughs away from me.
It laughs a lovely whiteness,
And whitely whirls away,
To be
Some otherwhere,
Still white as milk or shirts,
So beautiful it hurts.
1. Which statement is an opinion about the above poem? 2.42
A. Blowing snow can create sound
B. Snow can be so pretty that it can cause pain
C. The color of snow can represent the whiteness of milk
D. Snow blow in any direction
2. In line 5 “And laughs away from me” is which literary element? 3.32
A. alliteration
B. metaphor
C. simile
D. personification
3. Another good title for this poem could be 2.12
A. “The Playful Snow”
B. “The White Milk”
C. “The Painful Season”
D. “ Ice in my Veins”
4. Choose the correct synonym for whirls away in line 7 4.12
A. sleeps away
B. talks away
C. snores away
D. turns away
In 1992, the Republicans supported President George Bush in his bid for reelection, while the Democrats nominated Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton as their candidate. The Independent third party chose billionaire Texas businessman H. Ross Perot as their candidate. During the campaign, Clinton pledged to reconstruct America’s healthcare system and welfare system. He favored an active government that supported pro-business policies and stressed American’s concerns about the economy. On the other hand, Ross Perot urged the need to end the federal government’s deficit spending- spending more money than it takes in. In the election, Clinton won with only 43% of the popular vote. Bush won 38% of the popular vote, and Perot received 19%, the best showing for a third-party candidate since 1912. Many voters felt that President Bush would win a second term in office, but a lengthening recession raised doubts about his leadership.
5. The best title for this passage would be 2.12
A. Clinton’s Landslide Victory
B. The Third Party Winner
C. Presidential Election of 1992
D. Bush Takes the Prize
6. Which statement is a supporting detail of the main idea? 1.12
A. President Bush was reelected in 1992
B. Clinton received 43% of the popular vote
C. Perot made better campaign promises
D. The Republicans supported Bill Clinton
7. From the passage, the reader can infer 2.22
A. the American people wanted a change in leadership
B. more Americans voted for Bush than Clinton
C. Ross Perot was the most popular of the candidates
D. the recession was not an issue during the election of 1992
8. What is the best synonym for the bolded word reconstruct? 4.12
A. abandon
B. preserve
C. maintain
D. transform
9. Which of the following facts is a similarity between Clinton and Perot? 5.52
A. They both are from the state of Arkansas.
B. They both received the majority of the votes in the election.
C. They both were running against the current president of the United States.
D. They both wanted to reconstruct the welfare system.
“Nature Is”
Nature is a polar bear
running alongside her cub.
Nature is a mockingbird
singing a beautiful song.
Nature is a salmon
finding its way in the stream.
Nature is the rain
watering the earth.
Nature is the stars, the moon,
the pendulum of the seasons.
Nature is a voice.
See and know me, it cries.
Nature is beauty.
Nature is creation.
10. Which of the following best states the difference between the first stanza and the
second stanza? 5.52
A. Stanza one is about animal life, and stanza two is about the physical earth and
the universe.
B. Stanza one is about a fish, and stanza two is about a mockingbird.
C. Stanza one is about beauty, and stanza two is about creation.
D. Stanza one is about wind, and stanza two is about animals.
11. The main idea of the poem is 2.12
A. Nature is a beautiful creation.
B. the positive forces in nature
C. the negative forces in nature
D. Nature cannot be trusted anytime.
12. Which of the following lines is an example of personification from the poem? 3.32
A. Nature is beauty.
B. Nature is the stars, the moon
C. Nature is a voice, See and know me it cries.
D. Nature is creation.
13. The poem first states that nature is 1.22
A. Nature is the rain watering the earth.
B. Nature is a polar bear running alongside her cub.
C. Nature is a voice.
D. Nature is beauty.
3.32 Analyze literary elements in recreational reading materials
Which of the following is an example of personification?
14. A. My love is like a red, red rose.
B. America is a melting pot.
C. Zip goes the jacket.
D. The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
15. A. My father is a rock
B. The run down house appeared depressed.
C. The pit bull yelped.
D. You were as brave as a lion.
16. A. The river swallowed the earth as the water continued to rise.
B. Watching the show was like watching grass grow.
C. His joy is a bright light to everyone he meets.
D. Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore.
17. A. She’s a butterfly still in her cocoon.
B. Last night, I slept like a log.
C. My computer throws a fit every time I try to use it.
D. Drip, drop, drip, drop went the rain drops.
18. A. That guy is as nutty as a fruitcake.
B. You are my sunshine.
C. He clattered and clanged as he washed the dishes.
D. The curtain waved to me every time the wind blew.
19. A. The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow.
B. He is as funny as a barrel of monkeys.
C. Your explanation is as clear as clear as mud.
D. Plop, plot, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is.
The Sea
James Reeves
The sea is a hungry dog,
Giant and grey.
He rolls on the beach all day.
With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws
Hour upon hour he gnaws
The rumbling, tumbling stones,
And ‘Bones, bones, bones, bones!’
The giant sea-dog moans,
Licking his greasy paws.
And when the night wind roars
And the moon rocks in the stormy cloud,
He bounds to his feet and snuffs and sniffs,
Shaking his wet sides over the cliffs,
And howls and hollos long and loud.
But on quiet days in May or June,
When even the grasses on the dune
Play no more their reedy tune,
With his head between his paws
He lies on the sandy shores,
So quiet, so quiet, he scarcely snores.
20. The hungry dog is being compared to which of the following: 5.52
A. Waves carrying large stones.
B. Waves coming to the shore.
C. A boat floating in the ocean.
D. An animal howling at the moon.
21. What do lines 10 through 14 mostly describe? 2.22
A. a wild and fierce sea at night.
B. a boat in danger on the ocean
C. a person trying to climb a hill
D. a lost and wet dog running home
22. Read lines 15-17 of the poem. What description do these lines suggest? 2.22
A. The grass is dying.
B. The dune is hidden.
C. The summer is over.
D. The day is calm.
23. Which of the following is an example of personification from the poem? 3.32
A. The sea is a hungry dog.
B. Giant and grey
C. And ‘Bones, bones, bones, bones!’
D. And the moon rocks in the stormy cloud.
24. Which of the following is an example of personification from the poem? 3.32
A. But on quiet days in May or June
B. When the grass on the dune
C. The rumbling, tumbling stones
D. The giant sea dog moans.
25. What causes the hungry dog to “bound to his feet and snuffs and sniffs”? 2.42
A. The night wind roars and the moon rocks in the stormy clouds.
B. He rolls on the beach all day.
C. Hour upon hour he gnaws.
D. Play no more their reedy tune.