Name ____________________________________________ Date _______________ # ______
DeSoto County Schools
Third Grade Reading Assessment 1
(RI 3.1, RI 3.2, MLAF 2c2, RF 3.9)
Read the following passage. Then answer questions 1 – 2.
Gentle Giant
The blue whale is the largest animal in the world. It is even larger than the biggest dinosaur that ever lived. A blue whale can grow up to 100 feet long or more. That’s about the size of a jet. A blue whale can weigh 160 tons. That’s as much as 30 elephants! Almost everything about a blue whale is huge. For one thing, its heart is as big as a car. The blood vessels, or tubes, that carry blood to the heart are big, too. They are so large that a child could crawl through them! The blue whale’s skeleton is enormous. It can weigh more than 50,000 pounds!
It is amazing that the world’s largest animal only eats tiny animals called krill. Krill look like shrimp. A blue whale can eat thousands of pounds of krill a day. Every time it swallows, more than 100 pounds of krill go down its throat.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about the blue whale?
A. Blue whales only eat krill.
B. Blue whales can grow to be over 100 feet long.
C. The heart of a blue whale can be as large as a car.
D. Scientists have never found a blue whale that was over 100 feet long.
2. The passage states that “A blue whale can eat thousands of pounds of krill a day.” Which of the following details from the passage supports this statement?
F. The blue whale’s skeleton is enormous.
G. It is even larger than the biggest dinosaur that ever lived.
H. Every time it swallows, more than 100 pounds of krill go down its throat.
J. Its heart is as big as a car.
Read the following passage. Then answer questions 3 – 5.
Giant Eyed Fellow
The giant squid lives deep beneath the ocean’s surface. It is one of the biggest animals in the sea. It is not a mammal or fish. Scientists are not sure how big they really are. Some say they are as long as 60 feet. Others say they are around 35 feet. The giant squid has eight arms, plus two longer arms called tentacles. These tentacles are as long as a school bus! Each tentacle has large suckers ringed with sharp “teeth” for catching prey.
Live Giant Squid
On September 30, 2004, researchers in Japan took the first pictures of a live giant squid in its natural habitat.
The giant squid has eyes that are larger than that of any other animal. Its eyes are as big as volleyballs. Its scientists think the squid’s huge eyes help it find food in the ocean’s darkness. When the giant squid spots its victim, it shoots out its tentacles. The tentacles drag the prey into the mouth with help from the eight arms.
The Colossal squid lives so deep in the ocean that no one has ever seen a live one up close. Scientists must learn about the animal by examining those that have died. For example, dead whales sometimes wash ashore with squid arms in their stomachs. This gives scientists a chance to study the squid. In this way, they find clues about what a live, healthy squid is like. Scientists are hoping that one day they can go into the deep sea and study a giant squid in its natural home.
3. Which statement below best compares the blue whale from “Gentle Giants” with the giant squid from “Giant Eyed Fellow”?
A. Both sea animals are known for eating giant amounts of krill.
B. Both the blue whale and the giant squid are among the largest of all sea creatures.
C. Both animals have eyes that are the size of volleyballs.
D. No one has ever seen the live blue whale and the giant squid up close.
4. Based on the passage, why has no one been able to see a live giant squid?
F. They are mean and dangerous to humans.
G. The giant squid lives in the deepest part of the ocean.
H. The giant squid has eight long tentacles.
J. It is not a mammal or a fish.
5. According the caption in the giant squid passage, why was September 30, 2004, important to researchers?
A. Giant squids were found all over the world.
B. Researchers in Japan were able to take the first pictures of the giant squid in its natural habitat.
C. The setting was Japan.
D. Giant squids were beginning to move into the Atlantic Ocean.
6. Which prefix added to the word able means “opposite of able”?
F. pre-
G. im-
H. dis-
J. ir-
7. According to the diagram of the giant squid on page 2, how many feeding tentacles does the giant squid have?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
8. Which of the following is a correct statement about the information found under the heading “Gentle Giant”?
F. The information describes a blue whale and how they are found in many lakes around the world.
G. The information describes a blue whale and why they no longer exist.
H. The information describes a blue whale, the largest animal in the world.
J. The information describes a blue whale, and how they eat everything in the ocean.
Read the following passage. Answer questions 9 – 12.
Drowsy Dolphins
Dolphins are mammals that live in the ocean. For this reason, dolphins have special ways of breathing air while they are sleeping. These special ways of doing things are called adaptations. Adaptations happen in an animal to help it survive in its environment.
Dolphins have to breathe air just like all other mammals. Because a dolphin does not breathe automatically while it sleeps, it has a special adaptation. When a dolphin sleeps, only half of its brain rests. The other half stays awake. After a few hours, the halves of the brain trade jobs.
A dolphin breathes through a blowhole on top of its head. When a dolphin swims to the surface, it uses strong muscles to open its blowhole to breathe. As it dives underwater, the blowhole closes so water won’t get in.
Dolphins also have a tail and two flippers. They swim through the water by moving their tails and steering with their flippers. Even when they are sleeping, dolphins still have to swim. They must be near the surface of the water so they can catch a breath occasionally. Although dolphins can swim quite rapidly through the water, they do not move fast when they’re resting.
9. According to the passage “Drowsy Dolphins,” why do dolphins and other animals have special adaptations?
A. to help them sleep better at night
B. to help them survive in their environment
C, to allow them to swim in the ocean
D. to enable their blowholes to close properly
10. What is the job of the dolphin’s blowhole as written in the passage?
F. The blowhole allows the dolphin’s brain to rest while it swims.
G. The blowhole allows the dolphin to swim safely through the ocean.
H. It allows the dolphin to breathe when it swims to the water’s surface.
J. The blowhole keeps the dolphin from moving fast while it’s resting.
11. Compare the articles “Gentle Giants” and “Drowsy Dolphins.” Which of the following statements is true about both passages?
A. Both passages provide facts about dolphins, fish, and whales and how their blowholes work.
B. “Gentle Giants” gives facts, and “Drowsy Dolphins” only tells funny stories about how dolphins sleep.
C. Both articles are written by the same author so they are exactly alike.
D. Both passages give the reader information about sea animals and how they live and survive in the ocean.
12. Contrast the articles “Giant Eyed Fellow” and “Drowsy Dolphins.” How are the two passages different?
F. “Giant Eyed Fellow” provides diagrams and pictures, but “Drowsy Dolphins” only gives information in paragraphs.
G. Both passages provide captions to explain the pictures.
H. “Drowsy Dolphins” describes how dolphins sleep, but “Giant Eyed Fellow” explains how dolphins swim through the sea.
J. “Giant Eyed Fellow” was written by a man, but the reader can tell that a woman wrote “Drowsy Dolphins.”
13. Which prefix added to the word able means “opposite of able”?
A. pre-
B. im-
C. dis-
D. re-
14. Which of the following words are formed by adding the suffix –able?
F. stable
G. cable
H. acceptable
J. table
15. Which prefix added to the word proper means “not proper”?
A. pre-
B. im-
C. dis-
D. re-