3“A Mystery”Directions: Read the story. Then answer the questions below.“Something is very wrong,” says the detective.“I know!” says Ms. Gervis. “It is wrong that someone has stolen from me!”The detective looks around Ms. Gervis’ apartment. “That is not what I am talkingabout, ma’am. What is wrong is that I do not understand how the robber got inand out.”Ms. Gervis and the detective stand in silence. Ms. Gervis’ eyes are full of tears.Her hands are shaking.“The robber did not come through the window,” says the detective. “Thesewindows have not been opened or shut in months.”The detective looks at the fireplace. “The robber did not squeeze down here.”The detective walks to the front door. He examines the latch. “And since thereare no marks or scratches, the robber definitely did not try to break the lock.”“I have no idea how he did it,” says a bothered Ms. Gervis. “It is a big mystery.”“And you say the robber stole nothing else?” asks the detective. “No money, nojewelry, no crystal?”“That’s right, detective. He took only what was important to me,” Ms. Gervis sayswith a sigh. “There is only one thing I can do now.”“And what is that?” the detective asks with surprise.“I will stop baking cakes,” Ms. Gervis says. “They are mine to give away. Theyare not for someone to steal.”“You can’t do that!” says the detective with alarm. “Who will bake those deliciouscakes?”“I am sorry. I do not know,” says Ms. Gervis.“I must solve this case immediately!” says the detectiv
41) Where does this story take place? A. in a bakeryB. at the police stationC. in Ms. Gervis' houseD. in Ms. Gervis' apartment2) Near the beginning of the story,“Ms. Gervis’ eyes are full of tears.Her hands are shaking.” How doesMs. Gervis probably feel?A. She is upset.B. She is tired.C. She is hungry.D. She is confused.3) What makes the detective sure thatthe robber did not come through thewindows?A. The windows are locked.B. The windows face the policestation.C. The windows have not beenused in months.D. The windows are too small for aperson to fit through.4) "And the robber definitely did notuse the front door." Which is thebest way to rewrite this sentence?A. "And the robber may not haveused the front door."B. "And the robber probably did notuse the front door."C. "And the robber was not able toD. "And the robber certainly did not
55) What else could the detective have asked Ms 5) What else could the detective have asked Ms. Gervis in order to solve the mystery?I. Which types of cakes does Ms.Gervis know how to bake?II. Does someone else have a key to the apartment?III. Does Ms. Gervis ever leave the door unlocked?A. I onlyB. I and IIC. II and IIID. I, II, and III6) What does Ms. Gervis do with her cakes?A. She eats them.B. She sells them.C. She hides them.D. She gives them away.Questions (continued)7) What does the detective seem to think will happen if he solves the mystery?A. Ms. Gervis will start baking cakes againB. Ms. Gervis will bake him extra cakesC. Ms. Gervis will give him her secret recipeD. Ms. Gervis will give him money and jewels8) What is a mystery?A. something that is wrongB. something that happens at nightC. something a robber leaves behindD. something that cannot be explained9) What else was stolen from the apartment?A. crystalB. jewelryC. moneyD. nothing10) If something is said with alarm, how is it said?A. with fear and panicB. with bells and whistlesC. with smiles and laughterD. with sadness and tears
6The Yellow RibbonOnce upon a time, in the fields of Michigan, there was a boy named Johnny, he was a veryFriendly boy , and a girl named Jenny.Jenny was a very nice girl and she always wore a yellow ribbon around her neck.Johnny asked Jenny, "Why do you wear that yellow ribbon?"Jenny would say, "I can't tell you that now, maybe later."Johnny and Jenny grew up together, but he never saw her without that yellow ribbon.When they were teenagers, he asked her every day, "Why do you wear that yellow ribbon?"And Jenny would say, "I can't tell you that now, maybe later."When they were all grown up, Johnny and Jenny fell and love and got married.On their wedding day, Jenny wore a beautiful white dress anda yellow ribbon around her neck.Johnny asked her, "Why do you wear that yellow ribbon?" Jenny said,"I can't tell you that now, maybe later."Jenny and Johnny lived together for a very long time and had a very happy life.Jenny always wore her yellow ribbon around her neck.One day, when they were both very, very old,he asked Jenny, "Why do you wear that yellow ribbon?"Jenny sighed and said, "I guess it's time to show you.If you want to, you can untie it." Johnny's hands trembled as he reached for the endsof the yellow ribbon and slowly untied it.Carefully, he pulled the ends of the ribbon away from Jenny's neck…and her head fell off!
8Reading comprehension The Yellow Ribbon What´s the setting of the story?_______________________Describe the characters:Johnny:________________________________Jenny:_________________________________What´s the problem in the story?__________________________________________________________________________________________.How did the story end? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
9At the Movies Reading Comprehension Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.At the MoviesIt was one of those terribly hot days in Baltimore. We always hadthose for about a month between July and August. They were the daysthat were so hot that they made you regret ever wishing it would besummer. That day in particular was hotter than I could remember it being.The weatherman on the radio said it would get up to 104°!Needless to say, it was too hot to do anything outside. But it was also scorching in our apartment. This was 1962, and I would not live in aplace with an air conditioner for another ten years. So my brother and I decided to leave the apartment tofind someplace indoors. I suggested the drug store, because I wanted to get a soda or malt. But he reminded me that the drug store would not let you sit there all day, especially once the afternoon rush started.My brother instead suggested we could see a movie. It was a brilliant plan.Movie theaters were one of the few places you could sit all day and—most important—sit in airconditioning. In those days, you could buy one ticket and sit through both movies of a double feature.Then, the theater would show the same two movies again after that. If you wanted to, you could sitthrough them twice. Most people did not do that, but the manager at our theater, Mr. Bellow, did not mindif you did.That particular day, my brother and I sat through both movies twice, trying to escape the heat. Webought three bags of popcorn and three sodas each. Then, we sat and watched The Music Man followedby The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. We’d already seen the second movie once before. It had been atthe theater since January, because Mr. Bellow loved anything with John Wayne in it. Watching it againwas better than going outside, and at least The Music Man was new to us.We left the theater around 8, just before the evening shows began. Mr. Bellow was expecting abig crowd for the premier of Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, so he insisted that we leave. But wereturned the next day and saw the same two movies again, twice more. And we did it the next day too.Finally, on the fourth day, the heat wave broke.Still, to this day I can sing half the songs in The Music Man and quote half of John Wayne andJimmy Stewart’s dialogue from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance! Those memories are some of the fewI have of the heat wave of 1962, and they’re not really my memories. They’re really memories of thescreen, not memories of my life.
101) Based on its use in paragraph 2, the word scorching most nearly means A. very hotB. very dryC. very humidD. very affordable2) According to the passage, when did the narrator first live in a place with an air conditioner?A. 1952B. 1962C. 1972D. 19823) It can be assumed from the passage that the narrator saw The Man Who Shot Liberty ValanceA. three timesB. five timesC. six timesD. more than six time}4) Which of the following statements best explains why the narrator and his or her brother chose to seethe same movies multiple times?A. The drug store would not let them inside.B. They wanted to avoid the heat outside.C. The manager at the theater was friendly.D. They were huge fans of John Wayne.5) What does the narrator mean when he or she writes that the memories are “not really my memories”in the final paragraph?A. that he or she is remembering scenes from a film, not scenes from his or her lifeB. that the only days of the summer of 1962 that he or she remembers are those days spent in themovie theaterC. that the memories are actually those of the narrator’s brother, not the narrator himself or herselfD. that he or she saw the films too many times and now can only remember what happened in them6) In this passage, we learn about someone who watches the same movies over and over. Is there anymovie or show that you have seen multiple times? Why did you watch it so much? Do you stillremember specific scenes or dialogue from it? What made you remember those things? Explain.
11Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below. Fleas are perfectly designed by nature to feast on anything containing blood. Like a shark in thewater or a wolf in the woods, fleas are ideally equipped to do what they do, making them very difficult todefeat. The bodies of these tiny parasites are extremely hardy and well-suited for their job.A flea has a very hard exoskeleton, which means the body is covered by a tough, tile-like platecalled a sclerite.Because of these plates, fleas are almost impossible to squish. The exoskeletons offleas are also waterproof and shock resistant, and therefore fleas are highly resistant to the sprays andchemicals used to kill them.Little spines are attached to this plate. The spines lie flat against the flea’s thin, narrow body asthe flea scurries through an animal’s fur in search of food. However, if anything (like fingers ora self grooming pet) tries to pull a flea off through the hair coat, these spines will extend and stick to the fur likeVelcro.Fleas are some of the best jumpers in the natural world. A flea can jump seven inches, or 150times its own length, either vertically or horizontally. An equivalent jump for a person would be 555 feet,the height of the Washington Monument. Fleas can jump 30,000 times in a row without stopping, and theyare able to accelerate through the air at an incredibly high rate—a rate which is over ten times whathumans can withstand in an airplane.Fleas have very long rear legs with huge thigh muscles and multiple joints. When they get readyto jump, they fold their long legs up and crouch like a runner on a starting block. Several of their jointscontain a protein called resilin, which helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump, similar to the way arubber band provides momentum to a slingshot. Outward facing claws on the bottom of their legs gripanything they touch when they land.The adult female flea mates after her first blood meal and begins producing eggs in just 1 to 2days. One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day and over 2,000 in her lifetime. Flea eggs can be seenwith the naked eye, but they are about the size of a grain of salt. Shortly after being laid, the eggs beginto transform into cocoons. In the cocoon state, fleas are fully developed adults, and will hatch immediatelyif conditions are favorable.Fleas can detect warmth, movement, and carbon dioxide in exhaled breath,and these three factors stimulate them to emerge as new adults. If the flea does not detect appropriateconditions, it can remain dormant in the cocoon state for extended periods. Under ideal conditions, theentire life cycle may only take 3 weeks, so in no time at all, pets and homes can become infested.Because of these characteristics, fleas are intimidating opponents. The best way to control fleas,therefore, is to take steps to prevent an infestation from ever occurring.
121) The primary purpose of the passage is to A. educate the reader about the physical characteristics of fleasB. compare fleas to other members of the animal kingdomC. relate the problems that can result from a flea infestationD. explain why a flea infestation is hard to get rid of2) The author’s tone in the passage is best described asA. concernedB. passionateC. informativeD. opinionated3) According to the passage, fleas are resistant to sprays and chemicals because theyA. have waterproof scleritesB. are excellent jumpersC. reproduce very rapidlyD. can stick to fur like Velcro4) Fleas are difficult to squish because they haveI. scleritesII. tough spinesIII. resilin in their jointsA. I onlyB. I and II onlyC. II and III onlyD. I, II, and III5) According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?A. Fleas extend their little spines if threatened.B. Fleas have the ability to jump higher than humans.C. Humans can jump higher if they consume foods containing resilin.D. The resilin found in fleas is used to make rubber bands
14Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below. For two months, I have been trying to decide who makes the best ice cream. I have narrowed itdown to my four favorite manufacturers: Randolph Farms, Goodies, Disco, and Twinkle.Let's start with Randolph Farms. Randolph Farms makes very good ice cream. They have lots ofdifferent flavors, but this doesn't really matter to me. That's because I always get coffee flavor.They make the best coffee ice cream in the world. I've never had hot coffee (the drink) but people tell me that Randolph Farms coffee ice cream tastes just like the real thing. Also, Randolph Farms uses all natural ingredients to make their ice cream. This is a good idea, I think.Second, we have Goodies. Goodies makes excellent ice cream. Like Randolph Farms, Goodiesuses all natural ingredients. They only make three different flavors—strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate— but they make them very well. The strawberry is amazing. Every bite of it reminds me of the strawberries that I used to pick behind my old house. The vanilla is wonderful. It is very smooth and has a refreshing, creamy taste. The chocolate is outstanding. It is made with real cocoa beans from Bolivia. I didn't know where Bolivia is so I decided to look for it on a map. After hunting awhile, I discovered that it is in South America! That's a long way to go to get cocoa, so it must be good. I would say that the only drawback to Goodies ice cream is that they only make three different flavors.Third, we have Disco. Disco ice cream is okay. They don't have many good flavors. Actually, theonly Disco flavor I like is Bubblegum. It is vanilla ice cream with little chunks of bubblegum in it. After you eat the ice cream, you can blow bubbles with the gum. That's pretty fun.Finally, there is Twinkle. Twinkle ice cream is mediocre. The only good thing about Twinkle is thatit is relatively inexpensive. You can buy a whole carton of twinkle ice cream for $4.50. That's only two weeks' allowance for me.
1710) How much money does the author receive in his or her weekly allowance? B. $4.50C. $9.00D. Not enough information is provided11) Given the information included in the passage, which of the following statements would the authormost likely agree with?A. Each manufacturer has its strengths and weaknesses.B. The best manufacturers are the ones with the most flavors.C. Goodies is certainly not the best manufacturer, as they only have three flavors.D. Each manufacturer is good for different reasons.12) If the author did decide that one manufacturer is best, which one would he or she probably choose?A. Randolph FarmsB. GoodiesC. DiscoD. Twinkle13) How many weeks would it take for the author to save enough money to buy two cartons of Twinkleice cream?A. 1 weekB. 2 weeksC. 3 weeksD. 4 weeks
18Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below. Have you ever wondered what keeps a hot air balloon flying? The same principle that keeps foodfrozen in the open chest freezers at the grocery store allows hot air balloons to fly. It's a very basicprinciple: Hot air rises and cold air falls. So while the super-cooled air in the grocery store freezer settlesdown around the food, the hot air in a hot air balloon pushes up, keeping the balloon floating above theground. In order to understand more about how this principle works in hot air balloons, it helps to knowmore about hot air balloons themselves.A hot air balloon has three major parts: the basket, the burner, and the envelope. The basket iswhere passengers ride. The basket is usually made of wicker. This ensures that it will be comfortable andadd little extra weight. The burner is positioned above the passenger's heads and produces a huge flameto heat the air inside the envelope. The envelope is the colorful fabric balloon that holds the hot air. Whenthe air inside the envelope is heated, the balloon rises.The pilot can control the up-and-down movements of the hot air balloon by regulating the heat inthe envelope. To ascend, the pilot heats the air in the envelope. When the pilot is ready to land, the air inthe balloon is allowed to cool and the balloon becomes heavier than air. This makes the balloon descend.Before the balloon is launched, the pilot knows which way the wind is blowing. This means thatshe has a general idea about which way the balloon will go.But, sometimes the pilot can actually control the direction that the balloon flies while in flight. This is because the air above the ground is sectioned into layers in which the direction of the wind may be different. So even though the pilot can't steer the balloon, she can fly or higher or lower into a different layer of air. Some days the difference between the directionof the wind between layers is negligible. But other days the difference is so strong that it can actuallypush the balloon in a completely different direction!
206) Using the passage as a guide, it can be inferred that which of the following statements is not true?A. Air goes up and out the top of a chimney when you light a fire.B. Cool air collects about the ceiling when you open a refrigerator.C. Smoke from a candle rises after you blow out the flame.D. Cold air coming from an air conditioning vent settles about the floor.7) Based on its use in paragraph 4, it can be understood that negligible belongs to which of the following word families?A. solemn, grave, seriousB. substantial, considerable, largeC. exhilarating, thrilling, excitingD. insignificant, small, unnoticeable