Reading comprehension test 1

3. were digging pits for the basements of new buildings. 4. all of the above.
II. Have you ever thought, when looking through a window, that at one time there was not a pane of glass in the world? Then a man dug things out of the earth, mixed them, and heated them, and he found he had made something hard, smooth, and clear, so that he could see through it. Who was he? We do not know. We do know, though, that we owe him a great debt, and we owe a debt, also, to other discoverers and inventors whose names are no longer known.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. glass. 2. things dug out of the earth.

3. unknown discoverers and inventors. 4. people to whom we owe a debt.
B. Why do we owe this unknown man a great debt?

1. Because he spent much money making his discovery. 2. Because his name is no longer known.

3. Because he discovered glass. 4. Because he did not ask for any reward.
C. Why can you see through a window?

1. Because it is clear. 2. Because it is hard and smooth.

3. Because it is open. 4. Because it keeps out the cold.
D. The names of other discoverers and inventors are no longer known because -

1. no record was kept of their names. 2. they didn't know their worth.

3. their discoveries and inventions were unimportant. 4. they lived hundreds of years ago.
III. Long ago, people living where the weather was always warm never dreamed that there were such things as snow and ice. People living where the weather was always cold did not imagine that, elsewhere, oranges and grapes grew in the warm sunshine, colorful birds flew like living rainbows amidst the trees, and dragonflies danced like winged rubies in the warm air.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. how people, long ago, did not know much about other parts of the world.

2. snow and ice in the North and fruit, birds, and insects in the South.

3. the differences in weather in the world. 4. the pleasures of fruit, birds, and colorful insects.

1. their colors are the same as those in a rainbow. 2. they reflect light like a rainbow.

3. they are colorful 4. they fly like rainbows.
C. The people in the story were -

1. not smart 2. not well traveled. 3. not up to date. 4. not curious.

1. oranges and grapes. 2. jewels. 3. birds among the trees. 4. birds in the sunshine.

1. the world's first great traveler. 2. traveling from Italy to China.

3. the Polo family. 4. Marco Polo and Kublai Khan.
B. Marco Polo is called great because -

1. he traveled very far to reach China.

2. he wrote about his adventures in a book, which many people read.

3. he was so well liked by the king of China. 4. he crossed mountains and deserts to reach China.

1. Marco told about his adventures in a book. 2. Marco stayed in China for twenty-three years.

3. Kublai Khan knew that Marco had crossed mountains and deserts.

4. Kublai Khan sent Marco to other countries.

1. a travel book. 2. fiction. 3. a story of the world. 4. a biography of Kublai Khan.

1. Vasco da Gama. 2. Christopher Columbus. 3. finding a way to get to India by ship. 4. trade with India.

1. going west. 2. going around the south end of Africa.

3. following the route of Columbus. 4. trading goods.
C. A ship is better for carrying goods than a pack animal because -

1. it can hold more goods. 2. it doesn't have to go over land.

3. it is safer. 4. more people can be employed.
D. Columbus and Vasco da Gama are alike in that -

1. one went west and one went east. 2. they both found a different way to carry goods.

3. they were both sea captains. 4. they both found a route to India.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 6

1. the Straits of Magellan. 2. South America. 3. India. 4. the Pacific.

1. a South American. 2. a sea captain. 3. frightened to go farther. 4. an Indian.

1. a channel. 2. a river. 3. islands. 4. the Pacific Ocean.

1. open ocean. 2. straits. 3. a channel. 4. peaceful.

1. living among the lepers. 2. the kindness of Father Damien.

3. leprosy. 4. sending lepers to live by themselves.
B. Molokai is -

1. in Belgium. 2. an island. 3. leprosy. 4. a Hawaiian word for kindness.

1. he caught leprosy. 2. he was kind. 3. he was from Belgium. 4. he lived in a shack.

1. lepers lived in shacks. 2. people sent lepers to live by themselves.

3. lepers lost fingers, toes, and noses. 4. lepers died of their disease.
III. Until only a few hundred years ago, people thought that, every day, the sun moved in a circle around the earth. They saw the sun rise in the East in the morning and set in the West in the evening, so they thought that the sun was moving. They were like a person in a car watching another car alongside. If the person's car slowly moves forward, it can seem that the car alongside is moving backward. We now know that it is the earth that is moving, while the sun stays still.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. the sun and the earth. 2. why people thought that the sun moved in a circle around the earth.

3. two cars that move next to one another. 4. the earth's moving around the sun.
B. The person in the car is watching -

1. another car. 2. the earth. 3. the sun. 4. the rising and setting of the sun.

1. from West to East. 2. because it is so far away.

3. because we seem to stay still. 4. because it wakes us up in the morning.
D. People learned that the earth moves during the day and night -

1. a few hundred years ago. 2. when cars were invented.

3. when they could see the sun rise and set. 4. when they felt the earth move.
IV. Can you tell what Sunday is named for? Yes, the sun. What about Monday? Yes, the moon. The other days of the week are not as easy. Tuesday is Tyr's day. Tyr was a god of war in northern Europe. Wednesday is Woden's day. Woden was the greatest god of northern Europe. He lived in a palace called Valhalla. Thursday is Thor's day. Thor was the strongest of the gods of northern Europe. He had a hammer which no man could lift. Friday is Frigga's day. Frigga, the wife of Woden, was highest among goddesses. Saturday is Saturn's day. Saturn was a Roman god. The Romans used to feast and make merry in honor of Saturn.
A. The god of war in northern Europe was called -

1. Woden. 2. Tyr. 3. Frigga. 4. Saturn.

1. Saturn. 2. Thor. 3. Tyr. 4. Woden.

1. Thor. 2. Frigga. 3. Saturn. 4. Tyr.

1. Tyr. 2. Woden. 3. Thor. 4. Frigga.

1. small feet. 2. pigtails. 3. shaved heads. 4. grandfathers.

1. boys and girls in China. 2. the feet of girls and the hair of men.

3. outdated practices in China. 4. the Chinese.
C. The Chinese wanted girls to have small feet because -

1. small feet were easier to keep warm. 2. small feet were quieter.

3. small feet were admired. 4. small feet were younger looking.
D. Grandfathers of Chinese men -

1. might have wrapped their feet to keep them small. 2. might have worn pigtails.

3. would not have had shaved heads. 4. would have dressed like girls.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 7

1. the French army. 2. the English army. 3. Joan of Arc. 4. Henry V.

B. The king of France -

1. believed that Joan of Arc knew a lot about leading armies.

2. believed that God wanted Joan of Arc to be in charge of the French army.

3. believed that the English could not win. 4. believed that he should be leader of his own army.

1. wanted his brother to be in charge of the army. 2. won most of France.

3. wanted to be friendly with Joan of Arc. 4. wanted to own France.
D. Joan of Arc was successful because -

1. she had had much army experience. 2. she understood the English.

3. she convinced people that God was on her side. 4. she understood the brother of Henry V.
II. At one time not very long ago, Italy was made up of little states under different rulers. Northern Italy was ruled by Austria. A fisherman's son named Joseph Garibaldi wanted Italy to be one nation. He, along with an army of men, fought the Austrians and won. Then, he and his men got all the little states in Italy to join so that Italy became one nation. They made King Victor Emmanuel their leader. Garibaldi's courage and enthusiasm had a lot to do with making Italy one nation.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. the little states of Italy. 2. the part that Garibaldi played in making Italy into one nation.

3. one nation. 4. courage and enthusiasm.
B. Garibaldi was -

1. a rich man. 2. a ruler of Italy. 3. a peace-loving man. 4. the son of a fisherman.

1. made up of many little states. 2. one nation. 3. ruled by Austria. 4. ruled by King Victor Emmanuel.

1. having courage and enthusiasm. 2. his part in making Italy one nation.

3. being a friend to King Victor Emmanuel. 4. beating Austria.
III. Just about everyone now knows that the earth travels in a great circle around the sun (actually, a circle slightly flattened). We say that it takes a "year" for the earth to travel around this circle once. While it is traveling, what are the other planets doing? One, Mercury, that is much closer to the sun, travels around the sun more than four times while we are going around it only once. Neptune, on the other hand, takes 165 of our years to go once around the sun.
A. Neptune takes -

1. longer than the earth to travel once around the sun. 2. about the same length of time as the earth.

3. less time than the earth. 4. one of our years to travel around the sun.
B. Mercury takes -

1. longer than the earth to travel once around the sun. 2. about the same length of time as the earth.

3. less time than the earth. 4. one of our years to travel around the sun.
C. The earth travels around the sun -

1. four times while Neptune is traveling around once. 2. once a year.

3. every day. 4. 165 times while Mercury is traveling around once.
D. Planets -

1. travel in a great circle. 2. travel around one another.

3. take 365 days to travel around the sun. 4. take 165 years to travel around the sun.
IV. When you see a flash of light in the sky, it might be a meteor, which circles the sun, just as we do. When the earth cuts across the path of a meteor, the meteor heats up, and its light can be seen. Meteors can be as big as a grain of sand, a bullet, a pebble, a ball, or something even larger. Sometimes, when meteors do not completely burn up, they fall to earth and can be picked up. Some are found in museums.
A. A flash of light in the sky might be -

1. the sun. 2. a circle. 3. a grain of sand. 4. a meteor.

1. it falls to earth. 2. it heats up. 3. the earth cuts across its path. 4. it circles the sun.

1. have fallen to earth. 2. have burned up. 3. circle the sun. 4. are the size of a grain of sand.

1. the air around the earth is hot. 2. it is traveling fast through space.

3. it comes into contact with the air around the earth. 4. the sun shines on it.
V. There is a metal that runs downhill, just as water does. Like water, it is a liquid. Its name is mercury. It is much heavier than water. If you put mercury on a towel, it will not be absorbed by the towel, as water would be. The tiniest parts of mercury - atoms - hold fast together. Push at a puddle of mercury, and it will separate into smaller puddles, but it will not be absorbed by the towel.
A. We know that something is a liquid because -

1. it can be absorbed by a towel. 2. it runs downhill.

3. it separates into smaller puddles. 4. it is heavy.
B. The atoms of mercury -

1. hold fast together. 2. will be absorbed by a towel.

3. are a part of water. 4. cannot be pushed into smaller parts.
C. Mercury will not be absorbed by a towel because -

1. it is a liquid. 2. it is heavier than water.

3. it separates into smaller puddles. 4. its atoms hold fast together.
D. This story is mainly about -

1. liquids. 2. metals. 3. mercury. 4. mercury and water.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 8
I. When young, a little crab looks quite unlike its parents. As it grows older, it drops its outer covering time and again and grows a new one. With each new coat it comes to look more and more like its parents, until finally it appears in a shell with its legs and claws just like its parents. When this stage has been reached, it continues to drop its covering several more times, but the change is in its size, not its form. While the old shell is being made ready to come off, there is a new shell forming over the flesh of the crab underneath, but it is quite soft and flexible until the old one has been dropped.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. how little crabs look. 2. the resemblance between little crabs and their parents.

3. how often crabs change their coats. 4. the way that crabs get bigger.
B. Crabs drop their coats -

1. throughout their lives. 2. as they get bigger.

3. to change their size but not their form. 4. to be separate from their parents.
C. The form of a grown-up crab -

1. is just like its parents. 2. is like the form of a baby crab.

3. continues to change every time it gets a new coat. 4. changes every time its size changes.
D.The new shell -

1. starts to grow after the old one has been dropped. 2. is always hard.

3. is soft so that the crab can squeeze out of its old shell. 4. is always a copy of the young crab's parents' shell.
II. The West Indian Land Crab makes its home two or three miles from the sea. When the females wish to lay their eggs, they do not carry them attached to their bodies, as most crabs do. Instead, they make their way back to the sea to lay them in the sand. All of them go at once, together, the males leading the way. There may be enough to form a host a mile long and forty yards wide. Houses and walls and cliffs do not stop them. They never turn aside but keep straight on until, if they survive, they reach the sea.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. where the West Indian Land Crab makes its home. 2. the egg-laying behavior of a certain type of crab.

3. a host a mile long. 4. a terrible trek to the sea.
B. The West Indian Land Crab -

1. lives its life next to the sea. 2. lays its eggs on the seaside.

3. carries its eggs next to its body. 4. lays its eggs several miles from the sea.
C. The trek to the sea -

1. can be dangerous. 2. is for females only.

3. is safe, since there are so many. 4. allows the crabs to stop and rest.
D. The word "host" is this story refers to -

1. a large group. 2. a group on the attack. 3. a group of females. 4. a powerful group.

1. the power of birgus latro. 2. the way that a certain type of crab obtains its food.

3. a way to obtain coconut food. 4. birgus latro.
B. The oil in this crab comes from -

1. the roots of coconut trees. 2. birgus latro. 3. coconuts. 4. the island on which this crab lives.

1. by thrusting its claw into a coconut. 2. among the roots of a coconut tree.

3. by burrowing deep into a coconut. 4. safe from natives who want it for food.
D. The word "natives" refers to -

1. people who live on crabs. 2. people who live in an area.

3. people who lack skill and knowledge. 4. people who take coconut oil from crabs.

IV. Like oysters, mussels attach themselves to rock. First, the mussel attaches its foot, which acts as a sucker, to a rock. This is only temporary. Then, strands of a silk-like texture, called a byssus, are put forth by the mussel and woven into a sort of string.This holds to the rock. Mussels collect in great masses. The byssus of one mussel joins the byssus of another until they are all joined together.Heavy waves can beat upon them, but they hold their positions in safety.

1. the life of mussels. 2. the byssus of mussels. 3. mussels and oysters. 4. how mussels hold onto rocks.

1. the foot of the mussel. 2. the mussel's tie to rock. 3. a piece of string. 4. a large group of mussels.

1. the "foot" holds them. 2. they are all joined together.

3. they are joined by pieces of string. 4. the waves beat upon them.
D. The "foot" of the mussel -

1. is used for walking. 2. has a sucker on it. 3. makes the byssus. 4. joins with other mussels.

1. crabs and lobsters. 2. a lost claw. 3. how lobsters grow a new claw. 4. the lobster's readiness to fight.

1. unhappy. 2. dissatisfied. 3. easily irritated. 4. annoying.

1. can never fight again. 2. is helpless.

3. can grow a new one. 4. right away gets another just as good.
D. A lobster's shell -

1. grows bigger as the lobster inside grows bigger. 2. stays the same for the life of the lobster.

3. is hard so that the lobster doesn't need to fight. 4. is dropped when the lobster inside gets too big.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 9

1. the natural history of chalk. 2. sea animals with shells.

3. the seacoast of England. 4. the many places where chalk is found.