Reading comprehension test 1



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READING COMPREHENSION TEST 1
I. Can we SEE that the earth is a globe? Yes, we can, when we watch a ship that sails out to sea. If we watch closely, we see the ship begin to disappear. The bottom of the ship disappears first, and then the ship seems to sink lower and lower, until we can only see the top of the ship, and then we see nothing at all. What is hiding the ship from us? It is the earth. Stick a pin most of the way into an orange, and slowly turn the orange away from you. You will see the pin disappear, just as a ship does on the earth.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. the shape of the earth. 2. traveling to the New World.

3. sailing ships in the old days. 4. the shapes of fruits, such as oranges.
B. The ship in this story -

1. probably sank to the bottom of the ocean. 2. was going farther and farther away.

3. was actually a toy. 4. was a sailing ship.
C. A globe is shaped like -

1. a box. 2. a pyramid. 3. an orange. 4. an ice cream cone.


D. The pin on the orange is most like -

1. the ship on the earth. 2. a person watching the ship.

3. a sailor on the ship. 4. a needle for mending a rip.
II. At the bottom of the sea there are creatures that do not know what light means. They have neither eyes nor ears, and they can only feel. For them there is no day or night. There are no seasons, no sun, no moon, and no stars. It is as if a child spent its life in darkness in bed, with nothing to see or hear.
How different our own life is! Sight shows us the ground beneath our feet and the heavens above us - the sun, moon, and stars, shooting stars, lightning, and the sunset. It shows us day and night. We hear voices, the sound of the sea, and music. We feel, we taste, we smell. How fortunate we are!
A. This story is mainly about -

1. sea creatures at the bottom of the sea. 2. changes in day and night and the seasons.

3. how wonderful our lives are. 4. the differences among creatures of the earth.
B. The sea creatures in the story -

1. have the same senses that we do. 2. have no sense of touch.

3. hear the sounds of the ocean. 4. live in darkness.
C. A child in darkness in bed is like -

1. someone who lives where there are no seasons. 2. an animal without the sense of touch.

3. a sea creature without sight or hearing. 4. a deaf child.
D. The "heavens" in this story are -

1. the Milky Way. 2. the sky. 3. the home of God. 4. the place above the clouds.


III. After months of colder weather, the days get longer, the buds come out in the trees, birds sing, and the world puts on a green dress. Spring passes into summer. Everyone knows that summer will not last. The power of all the wisest men and women in the world cannot keep it for us. The corn becomes ripe, the leaves turn brown and then drop to the ground, and the world changes its green dress for a dress of autumn colors.
A. During which season does the world put on a green dress?

1. Summer 2. Spring 3. Winter 4. Autumn


B. This story is mainly about -

1. the wisdom of nature. 2. the beauty of the seasons. 3. change. 4. the shortness of summer.


C. What is the season described at the end of the story?

1. Summer 2. Spring 3. Autumn 4. Winter


D. What is it that the world cannot keep for us?

1. Spring 2. Summer 3. Power 4. The world's dress


IV. North America has four great slopes - one slope that rivers flow down toward the Atlantic Ocean, one slope that rivers flow down toward the Hudson Bay and Arctic Ocean, one slope that rivers flow down toward the Gulf of Mexico, and one slope that rivers flow down toward the Pacific Ocean. Land also slopes toward the Great Lakes, but water there empties into the St. Lawrence River and goes on into the Atlantic Ocean.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. the great rivers of North America. 2. the importance of shapes.

3. the shape of North America. 4. the sources of rivers in North America.
B. The St. Lawrence River is full of water from -

1. the Hudson Bay. 2. the Atlantic Ocean. 3. the Great Lakes. 4. the Arctic Ocean.


C. Water that flows into the Great Lakes flows on into the -

1. Atlantic Ocean. 2. Hudson Bay. 3. Gulf of Mexico. 4. Pacific Ocean.


D. Which one of these is not a shape?

1. box 2. cone 3. flow 4. globe


V. Millions of years ago, water covered much of what is now North America. As creatures and plants in the water died, their remains settled to the bottom of the water and piled up, sometimes many feet thick. These thick piles have been dug up. Some of the piles in Alaska are made of plants that grow only in warm places. In this way we learn that parts of Alaska were warm, millions of years ago.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. the warming of Alaska. 2. the death of water creatures and plants.

3. piles of underwater plants and animals. 4. how the earth was different millions of years ago.
B. Piles were dug up by -

1. men and women. 2. animals. 3. earthquakes. 4. changes in the surface of the earth.


C. The piles are made up of –

1. rock. 2. dirt. 3. creatures and plants. 4. minerals.


D. We learned that Alaska was once warm from -

1. plants from millions of years ago. 2. animals from millions of years ago.

3. Alaskan climate. 4. Alaskan lakes.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 2


I. North America is changing. The sea tears away some coasts and builds up others. Rivers cut away their banks, and hills and mountains are worn away. Some of the Western mountains seem to be slowly rising. The coast of New Jersey is sinking about two feet in a hundred years. The land in Canada toward the Hudson Bay is rising; some day, thousands or millions of years from now, the water in the Great Lakes might possibly find its way into the Mississippi River, as it did long ago, instead of into the St. Lawrence River.

A. This story is mainly about -

1. changes in the earth of North America. 2. the wearing away of the land.

3. changes in Canada and New Jersey. 4. what might happen to water in the Great Lakes.


B. Water in the Great Lakes might someday flow into the Mississippi River because -

1. the land in Canada is rising. 2. the banks of the rivers are being worn away.

3. mountains are rising. 4. coast lines are changing.
C. Which statement is most true?

1. Water from the Great Lakes flows into the Mississippi River.

2. The St. Lawrence River flows into the Great Lakes.

3. Water in some Canadian rivers might someday end up in the Mississippi River instead of in the St. Lawrence River.

4. The Mississippi River flows into the Great Lakes.
D. Water flowing downhill is the sign of -

1. a bay. 2. a pond. 3. a lake. 4. a river.


E. Long ago, water in the Great Lakes flowed -

1. into the Hudson Bay. 2. into the Mississippi River.

3. toward the Western mountains. 4. in the opposite direction.
II. Many mountains and hills in the West are dead volcanoes. In Arizona there are thousands of them, separated from one another on the otherwise flat land. There are also volcanoes in the West that are not dead but are sleeping. Who knows when one might blow apart or shoot rock and ashes into the air? Not long ago, the entire side of Mount Saint Helens was blown away - rock and soil were thrown into the air, and forests were blown flat.
A. This story is mostly about -

1. Mount Saint Helens. 2. volcanoes. 3. volcanoes in the West. 4. dead volcanoes.


B. A sleeping volcano -

1. rumbles while it sleeps. 2. might wake up some day.

3. will always sleep. 4. will surely awaken.
C. "Dead" in this story means -

1. is sleeping. 2. makes no sound or movement. 3. is cold. 4. will never blow up again.


D. Before it was blown apart, Mount Saint Helens was -

1. a dead volcano. 2. a hill in Arizona. 3. a sleeping volcano. 4. a mountain in Arizona.


E. Which statement is most true?

1. The explosion of a volcano can cause a wind. 2. Volcanoes are always found among mountains.

3. Mount Saint Helens is not in the West. 4. All volcanoes explode through a hole in the top.
III Thousands of years ago, the climate of North America became so cold that great sheets of ice, called glaciers, covered most of Canada and much of the northern part of the United States. The ice sheets were several miles thick in some places. The glaciers moved, pushing in front of them scooped-out soil and rock, which they left behind when they melted away. These heaps are called moraines. Long Island, Cape Cod, and Martha's Vineyard are mostly moraines. Huge boulders seen lying in fields were left by a glacier. The water in many, many lakes, including the Great Lakes, fills holes scooped out by glaciers.
A. This story is mostly about -

1. the history of glaciers. 2. how Long Island, Cape Cod, and Martha's Vineyard were made.

3. moraines. 4. how glaciers changed the land that we see today.
B. Moraines are made up of -

1. ice. 2. soil and rock. 3. boulders. 4. water in lakes.


C. There are not as many lakes in the South as in the North because -

1. the glaciers didn't move over the South. 2. there is less water there.

3. the South is less rocky than the North.

4. the holes that the glaciers scooped out have filled up in the South with rock and soil.


D. Which of these statements is NOT true?

1. Some glaciers were several miles thick.

2. Thousands of years have passed since the time of the glaciers.

3. Ice covered all of Canada and all of the United States.

4. When the glaciers melted, they left behind soil and rock.
IV. When Christopher Columbus and other explorers came to the New World, they saw animals that they had never seen before. In the forests there were turkeys. On the Great Plains there were buffalo. They saw some plants that were strange, also. They had never seen tobacco. The tomato and potato were new to them, as were corn and pumpkins. When the settlers came, they brought animals and plants that the Indians had never seen: hogs, chickens, cattle, and horses. Dogs were common in both the Old World and the New World.
A. The Indians had never seen -

1. turkeys. 2. chickens. 3. buffalo. 4. tobacco.


B. The settlers had never seen -

1. cattle. 2. hogs. 3. chickens. 4. potatoes.


C. The explorers had never seen -

1. tomatoes. 2. chickens. 3. hogs. 4. horses.


D. Dogs were -

1. new to the explorers. 2. new to the settlers. 3. new to the Indians. 4. not new.


V. In New Mexico and Arizona lived the Pueblo Indians. The word "Pueblo" comes from the Spanish word "pueblo," meaning town or village. The Spaniards found these Indians living in apartment houses, some of them on the side of a cliff so that they could be reached only by ladders. When attacked by Apaches, the Pueblos would pull up the ladders. They grew corn, which they watered with water flowing down in ditches. They wove cloth, made wonderful baskets, and created jars and pots out of clay.
A. The Pueblo Indians were afraid of -

1. cliff dwelling. 2. Apache Indians. 3. apartment houses. 4. water flowing down in ditches.


B. The Spaniards called these Indians "Pueblos" because they -

1. were close to the Apaches. 2. lived together in a town or village.

3. farmed and brought down water in ditches. 4. pulled up their ladders when attacked.
C. Water in ditches flowed down from -

1. apartment houses. 2. the sky. 3. the tops of ladders. 4. a lake, a stream, or a pond.


D. Which of these does the story not mention?

1. beads. 2. pots. 3. baskets. 4. cloth.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 3
I. Some American Indians grew corn, sunflowers, squash, beans, and pumpkins in garden plots. To prepare a garden plot, they first killed the trees there by cutting off a ring of bark to kill the tree. Then they scratched the ground with a stone hoe or with the bone of a deer or buffalo, or they used a stick sharpened in the fire. Some Indians put a dead fish into the hole where they planted the corn in order to provide food for the corn plant.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. hunting. 2. fishing. 3. farming. 4. vegetables.


B. The dead fish in the story was used -

1. to keep away wild animals. 2. to provide food. 3. to put out a fire. 4. as bait.


C. Why did the Indians kill the trees?

1. So that sunlight could reach the growing plants. 2. To provide room for the growing plants.

3. To let food and water in the soil go to the plants instead of to the trees.

4. All of the above.


D. Which of these is not mentioned in the story?

1. Tomatoes 2. Corn 3. Squash 4. Pumpkins


II. The Indians made little progress during the thousands of years before the Europeans came. One reason for this was that horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens were not found in America. Without horses, the Indians had a hard time digging up the soil, and they could only get animal food by hunting. Another reason for their lack of progress was that they did not know how to use metals to make tools. Stones and flat bones do not make good tools.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. problems the Indians had. 2. how poor the Indians were.

3. reasons for the Indians' lack of progress. 4. Indian farming and hunting.
B. Why is it better to raise animals than to hunt for them?

1. Hunting takes too much time. 2. Hunting is a sport.

3. Hunted animals are too sickly. 4. Wild animals can not be eaten.
C. The Indians made tools out of -

1. metals. 2. stones and wild animal bones. 3. the bones of horses and cows. 4. arrowheads.


D. Which of these is not a tool?

1. Hammer 2. Knife 3. Buffalo bone 4. Screwdriver


III. Eastern Indians who were related lived in the same house or in nearby houses. Today, we call such a group a "clan." Several clans made up a "tribe." From the old men in each clan a ruler or "sachem" was elected. The sachems from the clans met together to make rules for the tribe and to punish those who broke the rules. Each clan also elected a war chief, who led the warriors in battle. Some tribes also elected a head war chief.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. war chiefs. 2. sachems. 3. clans. 4. how Indians were organized.


B. Sachems were chosen from among

1. the men. 2. the men and women. 3. the old men. 4. the entire clan.


C. The word "clan" describes -

1. the sachems of the tribe. 2. the people in the tribe.

3. people who are related who live together or near to one another.

4. Indian tribes.


D. The head war chief was the head war chief of

1. the tribe. 2. the clan. 3. the sachems. 4. the old men.


IV. Indian hunters would sometimes hunt for days without finding anything. They learned to follow animal tracks. They learned to listen. In order to get close to their prey, the Indians had to move quietly. When they were close enough, they could shoot their arrows. Often, the prey got away.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. following tracks. 2. prey. 3. hunting 4. Indian weapons.


B. "Prey" in this story means -

1. wild animals. 2. enemies. 3. Indian weapons. 4. tracks.


C. Indians moved quietly so that they -

1. would not disturb nature. 2. would not frighten the wild animals.

3. could get a good view of the wild animals. 4. could follow the animal tracks.
D. The prey sometimes got away because -

1. the Indians weren't quiet enough. 2. bows and arrows are not very good weapons, as guns are.

3. the Indians weren't close enough. 4. all of the above.
V. The Aztecs and the Mayas were Indians much more civilized than North American Indians. The Mayas were great builders. They knew how to write down their words, and some of their books still exist. The Aztecs were not as good builders as the Mayas, but some of their temples and palaces were very large. They did not know iron, but their workmen did wonderful work in gold. silver, copper, and tin. They had a system of picture writing. They knew how to weave cloth out of cotton.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. Ways in which the Mayas and Aztecs were very civilized. 2. Great Indian builders.

3. How the Mayas and the Aztecs differed from one another. 4. Indians to the south of North America.
B. Both the Mayas and the Aztecs -

1. did wonderful work in gold, silver, copper, and tin. 2. knew about iron.

3. were not as civilized as North American Indians. 4. built wonderful buildings.
C. North American Indians -

1. had a system of picture writing. 2. wore clothes woven of cotton.

3. built large temples and palaces. 4. were not as civilized as Indians to the south.
D. The workmen in this story were -

1. builders. 2. weavers. 3. writers. 4. artists.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 4
I. At any ocean beach you can see the water rise up toward high tide. Something is pulling the water up. We now know that the moon is doing the pulling. How can it pull? We call the pull gravitation. All matter everywhere pulls all other matter everywhere. The bigger the object, the greater the pull. The moon is big enough to pull the earth, and it pulls the water on the earth. The moon pulls the water facing the moon. When you see high tide, you know that the moon is pulling the water up.
A. When you drop something, and it falls to the ground, it falls because of -

1. the moon. 2. gravitation. 3. its size. 4. the sun.


B. High tide is caused by -

1. gravitation. 2. all matter everywhere. 3. the earth. 4. the water.


C. The moon pulls -

1. all matter. 2. water only. 3. the earth only. 4. the tides.


D. If the earth did not spin, -

1. there would be no tides. 2. the moon would not pull the water.

3. the earth would not pull the moon. 4. there would be no gravitation.
II. The sun also pulls the earth. However, the sun is much farther away from the earth than the moon, and so the pull, that is, the gravitation, is less. Sometimes, the sun and the moon pull together on the same side of the earth. Then, the high tide is very high, indeed.
A. The pull of the sun on the earth is called -

1. tides. 2. high tide. 3. gravitation. 4. pulling together.


B. When there is a very high tide, the sun and the moon are -

1. on opposite sides of the earth. 2. on the same side of the earth.

3. near to each other. 4. farther away than at other times.
C. The sun pulls the earth less than the moon because -

1. it is so large. 2. it is farther away than the moon.

3. the sun and the moon have no water. 4. it is on the opposite side of the earth from the moon.
D. At low tide, -

1. the water is piling up somewhere else. 2. the sun is much farther away.

3. the sun and the moon are not pulling together. 4. the sun and the moon are on the same side of the earth.
III. Why does oil not mix well with water? We know that water mixes well with water. If you add hot water to cold water, you soon have lukewarm water. Alcohol, too, mixes well with water. Alcohol and water are quite similar. Water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen, whereas alcohol is composed of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. Why do oil and water not mix well? The reason is that they are not similar. The molecules of water, that is, the tiny pieces of water that include oxygen and hydrogen, are very small, whereas the molecules of oil are, by comparison, enormous and very different in their composition.
A. Water molecules include -

1. oxygen and hydrogen. 2. oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon.

3. tiny pieces of water. 4. both hot and cold molecules.
B. The molecules of alcohol -

1. are enormous. 2. are similar to oil. 3. mix well with water. 4. contain only oxygen and hydrogen.


C. Oil and water do not mix well because -

1. they are similar in composition. 2. water has big molecules.

3. they are both composed of oxygen and hydrogen. 4. their molecules are very different.
D. A molecule of water is -

1. bigger than a molecule of oil 2. composed of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon.

3. similar to a molecule of oil. 4. a very small piece of water.

IV. From where does a flower get its smell? It gets its smell from an oil that the plant produces. The oil is volatile. Long ago, volatile meant flying. The oil seems to be flying, for it escapes into the air. Insects that smell the oil fly to the flower, where they leave behind them the pollen that the flower needs to grow seeds. Some plants do not need insects to bring pollen. They depend on the wind to bring it. These plants usually have little smell or no smell at all.


A. Something that is volatile -

1. is carried on wings. 2. leaves pollen. 3. is necessary for seed growth. 4. escapes into the air.


B. This story is mainly about -

1. the smell of flowers. 2. insects that fly to flowers. 3. how flowers get pollen. 4. volatile oils.


C. Flowers with little smell or no smell at all -

1. need insects to bring pollen to them. 2. depend on volatile oils.

3. depend on the wind to bring pollen to them. 4. do not need pollen.
D. Insects in the story are attracted to a flower by -

1. pollen. 2. wind. 3. volatile oil. 4. the beauty of the flower.


V. There are several birds, once common, that have died out in the last few hundred years, so that now not one of them exists. The dodo was quite common on the island of Mauritius 300 years ago, but there is not one alive today. It was easy prey to animals new to the island, because it could not fly on its small wings. In New Zealand there used to be birds called moas, which were twice as high as the biggest man. They have all died out. The great auk, which used to come in thousands to the shores of Newfoundland, is another bird that has died out in the last few hundred years.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. animals that have died out. 2. birds that have died out.

3. why birds have died out. 4. where birds that have died out lived.
B. The dodo died out because -

1. of its size. 2. it was new to the island of Mauritius.

3. it was common on the island of Mauritius. 4. it was easy prey to animals new to the island.
C. The great auk was -

1. a bird. 2. a kind of dodo. 3. a kind of moa. 4. a bird with small wings.


D. Moas were -

1. about two feet tall. 2. about five feet tall. 3. about twelve or fourteen feet tall. 4. about twenty feet tall.

READING COMPREHENSION TEST 5
I. From bones found in the United States we have learned that many, many animals no longer found in the world once made their homes here. We say that these animals are "extinct." Sometimes, workers find their bones in pits from which rock and coal have been dug. Other workers who make way for railroad tracks and workers who dig pits for the basements of new buildings sometimes uncover them. Nowadays, scientists know where to look for them. Huge fishes and enormous reptiles swam in the water. On the shores roamed tigers with tusks, very big lions, great bears, rhinoceroses covered with wool, and herds of hippopotamuses, as well as horses only as big as a fox.
A. This story is mainly about -

1. the bones of animals. 2. very large animals in what is now the United States.

3. how workers uncovered bones of extinct animals. 4. extinct animals in what is now the United States.
B. "Extinct" means -

1. the bones of ancient animals. 2. no longer found in the world.

3. uncovered in pits. 4. animals found in what is now the United States.
C. Workers found -

1. tigers with tusks. 2. enormous reptiles. 3. rock and coal. 4. bones of extinct animals.


D. The workers mentioned in the story -

1. were making way for railroad tracks. 2. were digging for coal and rock.



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