6th Reading Mastery Check #4

Passage 1

Aesop’s "The Lion, the Donkey, and the Fox"

A lion, a fox, and a donkey made an agreement. They would share all of the food they gathered in the forest, splitting it among them at the end of a day. By the end of the first day, they piled all of their food into one great heap, and the lion asked the donkey to divide the food as he saw fit.

The donkey very carefully divided all of the food into three exactly equal portions. When the lion was presented his share, he grew angry, and then he killed and ate the donkey. The lion then turned to the fox. He asked the fox to divide the food as best he saw fit.

The fox piled most of the food into one stack, leaving only the tiniest portion of meat for himself. The lion was happy.

“Who taught you such a fair skill at arithmetic, Fox?” the lion asked.

“The donkey,” the fox replied.

Passage 2

Aesop’s "The Lame Lion"

A lion had become too old to chase down game, so he thought of a ruse to continue to hunt. The lion lied down in his cave and pretended to be ill. He made it a point to let all the other animals in his kingdom know that he was ill.

One by one, the other animals lined up outside to pay their respects. Each went into the cave, one at a time, to wish the lion a quick recovery from his “illness.” As each of them entered, the lion leapt on each one in turn, devouring them before the others knew or grew wary. Soon, only the fox remained outside the cave.

The fox leaned close to the cave opening and yelled down to the lion, “I do wish you recover soon, King Lion. I am sorry that you are ill.”

The lion said, “Come a bit closer. Come into my cave. I am ill, and I cannot see you where you stand.”

“I think not,” replied the fox, “For you see, there are many footprints leading into your cave, but none leading away. I think I shall stay outside where it is safe.”

1.How are the themes of these two stories similar?

A. It is wise to learn from others' mistakes.

B. It is best to remain apart from the group.

C. It is best not to anger powerful people.

D. It is always better to negotiate in peace.

2. Both of these fables by Aesop include a fox as a character. Which sentence might best explain why Aesop chose a fox as the main character of a fable?

  1. Foxes are the natural enemies of lions.
  2. Foxes are known to be sly.
  3. Foxes are common animals in fables.
  4. Foxes are known to be cowardly.

3. How are the themes in these two stories different from each other?

  1. The first is about knowing which battles to fight; the second is about looking before you leap.
  2. The first story is about a good fox against an evil lion; the second is mainly about avoiding life's challenges.
  3. The first story deals with bravery on the part of the donkey; the second one is about being foolish.
  4. The two stories have exactly the same theme; they are just told in two completely different ways.

Cowboy Wardrobe

1)Everything a cowboy wears has a purpose. 2) His wide-brimmed hat shields him from the sun and the rain. 3) The chaps he wears over his trousers protect him from the prickly underbrush through which he rides. 4) The West is full of prickly underbrush. 5) His high-heeled boots keep his feet from pushing through the saddle's stirrups.

4. Which sentence does NOT support the main idea?

  1. 4
  2. 3
  3. 5

D. 2

Colonial Kitchen

1)The most important room in the home of a colonial family was the kitchen. 2) Sometimes it was the only room. 3) The most important element of the kitchen was the fireplace. 4) Fire was essential to the colonists, and they were careful to keep one burning at all times. 5) Before the man of the house went to bed, he would make sure that the fire was carefully banked so it would burn all night. 6) The man was also responsible for providing food for the family.

5. Which sentence does NOT support the main idea?

  1. 6
  2. 4
  3. 1
  4. 2

President Obama

President Barack Obama did not have an easy trail to the White House. One year before Obama was elected president, most people did not think he had any chance of being the Democratic Party's candidate for president. Barack Obama, however, worked hard to prove them wrong.

Obama got people who were not used to voting to volunteer to work for him. These people became a part of the huge team of Obama supporters that stretched across the country. They made millions of phone calls and explained why Obama would make a good president. They convinced people to vote for him. In early 2008, Obama won his first small election contest. He proved that Hillary Clinton and the other candidates had to take him seriously. His volunteers were making a difference.

During the entire campaign, Obama's supporters never stopped making phone calls. They constantly told people why they should vote for him. Those millions and millions of people helped get Obama elected, and Obama told them all that he couldn't have become president without them.

6. What is the main idea of this selection?

  1. Hillary Clinton and the other Democratic Party's candidates did not think Obama had a chance of winning.
  2. Many people were surprised when Obama won his first small election contest in early 2008.
  3. Barack Obama got millions of people to volunteer to work for him after he became president.
  4. President Obama and his supporters worked hard to get him elected when others thought it was impossible.

7. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

  1. Obama had a huge team of volunteers and supporters.
  2. Hillary Clinton and the other candidates had to take Obama seriously.
  3. Obama got people to volunteer for him who were not used to voting.
  4. Obama and his volunteers worked hard to get him elected.

8.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

  1. People thought Obama would lose to Hillary Clinton.
  2. It was not easy for Obama to get elected president.
  3. Obama would not have become president without others' help.
  4. People who were not used to voting volunteered for Obama.
  1. Complete the analogy: Deck is to card as book is to______.
  1. cover
  2. index
  3. author
  4. page
  1. The car was an oven when we opened the door on a summer day.

Which of the following was used in the above statement?

  1. idiom
  2. metaphor
  3. analogy
  4. simile
  1. The summer winds in Kansas sometimes feel like a blast from a furnace.

Which of the following was used in the above statement?

  1. Idiom
  2. Simile
  3. Metaphor
  4. Analogy

12. Which sentence contains a metaphor?

  1. She imagined them falling over themselves like jacks.
  2. The hallway itself was a deep throat.
  3. They were about eight feet away.
  4. This is turning into the best Halloween ever!

13. Read the following sentence from the story.

Why does the author use a simile to compare the boys to a herd of buffalo?

  1. to show just how big the boys were
  2. to show how noisy and loud the boys were
  3. to show that the boys were animals
  4. to show that the boys liked buffaloes

14. Player is to team as inch is to

A. short

B. foot

C. measure

D. worm

15.Which sentence in the following paragraph is an opinion?
During the film Holes, the kids at a detention center spend all day digging in the desert. Louis Sachar first wrote of their imprisonment in an award-winning novel for young adults. Now he writes the screenplay for an original film directed by Andrew Davis. Young actors are joined by Jon Voight, Sigourney Weaver, and Patricia Arquette. This movie is weird, challenging, and darkly funny.
adapted from Roger Ebert's One-Minute Movie Reviews at The Suntimes.com

  1. "This movie is weird, challenging, and darkly funny."
  2. "Louis Sachar first wrote of their imprisonment in an award-winning novel for young adults."
  3. "Young actors are joined by Jon Voight, Sigourney Weaver, and Patricia Arquette."
  4. "During the film Holes, the kids at a detention center spend all day digging in the desert."

16. Which of the following statements is a fact?

  1. Jarvis is a kind and appreciative student.
  2. Jarvis got an A on his social studies test last week.
  3. Ms. Tinkle is the best teacher in the world.
  4. Ms. Tinkle deserves to win the Teacher of the Year prize

17.Which of the following statements is an opinion?

  1. Gall was a great leader who improved relations between Native Americans and whites.
  2. Born in South Dakota, Gall (1840-1894) was war chief of the Sioux Indians.
  3. Gall was the chief military lieutenant of Sitting Bull in the great defeat of George Armstrong Custer

in the battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.

  1. Gall refused to accept the treaty of 1868 (by which he would have been confined to a reservation).

18.Which of these is a fact?

  1. Bottled water is way too expensive.
  2. Bottled water tastes clean and fresh.
  3. Tap water costs less than bottled water.
  4. Water from the kitchen sink tastes metallic

19.Which sentence in the paragraph below is an opinion?
Morgan Freeman is an American actor and film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film Million Dollar Baby. He should have won an Academy Award for his work in the movie The Shawshank Redemption. He has acted in over 60 different movies and has directed one other film.

  1. "He should have won an Academy Award for his work in the movie The Shawshank Redemption."
  2. "Morgan Freeman is an American actor and film director."
  3. "He has acted in over 60 different movies and has directed one other film."
  4. "He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film Million Dollar Baby."

The Right Decision?

The boat had been gliding smoothly over the choppy surface of the ocean until the tide began to come in. The waves grew larger, as tall as six feet, and Juan began having trouble controlling the boat. A strong surge pitched the front of the boat up in the air, throwing Juan off balance and taking him to the floor, still clutching the steering wheel as his passengers held tightly to anything they could. Another wave came at them, washed over the boat, and finally knocked it over, spilling everyone out into the water.
A nearby patrol vessel had seen everything happen. Because it was larger, the patrol boat was still in control, and it went toward Juan's overturned boat. The people in the patrol boat drifted around and around Juan and the three other passengers, all of whom were wearing life vests. They threw out a rope, and as the rope drifted by, everyone in the water grabbed on. Once the last of them grabbed on, the patrollers pulled them all in, cold and wet but safe.
Looking around at his shivering friends, Juan wondered what he could have done differently. Was I taking unnecessary chances? Could I have driven more safely? Should we even have been out on the boat at all? He didn't have answers yet for these questions, but he knew he would pay more attention to the weather reports before he went out on the water again.

20. The story is mainly about (1pt) (CCSS RI.6.2)

  1. Why boating is dangerous
  2. Juan’s boat ride
  3. The lessons Juan learned.
  4. Juan’s boat accident

21. Cite three details that helped you to determine the main idea of the passage and explain how the details helped you to determine the main idea. (3 pts = ½ per detail and ½ per explanation) (CCSS RI.6.2)

______

22. The first paragraph is mostly about (CCSS RI.6.2)

A. How big the waves in the ocean are.

B.How fast boats travel in water.

C.What Juan enjoys doing for fun

D.What causes Juan’s boat to overturn