Summer ELA Pretest

Summer ELA Pretest

Dinosaurs

No one has ever seen a live dinosaur. There are pictures of the way people think a dinosaur might have looked. People who learn about dinosaurs draw these pictures. They get an idea of what a dinosaur might have looked like from the bones that are found. They use the bones to build the body of a dinosaur. Then they draw pictures of them and see how the animals might have looked.

Most dinosaur bones are huge. Some are not so big. The bones also show that dinosaurs had short noses.

No one knows what color the dinosaurs were. There was nothing left behind that would tell us. Only the bones were left.

Multiple Choice

What helps people draw pictures of the dinosaurs?

• the dinosaur bones

• other pictures of the dinosaurs

• the size of the dinosaurs

• the names of the dinosaurs

Multiple Choice

Why do people NOT know what color dinosaurs are?

• Dinosaur skin loses color after a long time.

• There are not enough dinosaur fossils.

• People only like to look at bones.

• Only bones are left from dinosaurs.

Multiple Choice

What is this passage MOSTLY about?

• It tells how we know what dinosaurs probably looked like.

• It tells how we know what dinosaurs' noses probably looked like.

• It tells what colors dinosaurs probably were.

• It tells about dinosaurs that are probably still alive.

Building Bridges

The Inca lived in South America about 500 years ago. They ruled an empire. Back then, a lot of technology people have today did not exist. The Inca did not have electricity. They did not have cars or airplanes. They did not have the kids of foods and medicine people use today. However, they had advanced technology and inventions of their own. They farmed. They made art. They made clothing out of wool and cotton. They were also great builders. They built beautiful places and temples. One thing the Inca excelled at was building bridges. At the time, they might have been the best bridge-builders in the world.

Building Bridges

Incan bridges were made of rope. First, the Inca gathered long strands of grass. They twisted the strands together to make thin ropes. Then they twisted those together to make thinker ropes. Next, they braided the thick ropes to create massive cables. Some of the cables were bigger around than an adult's body! These huge cables became anchors for the bridges. They kept the bridges sturdy. After the cables were hung, bridge-builders weaved the sides and floor of the bridges into place. Finally the bridges were ready for use.

Building Bridges

The Inca bridges connected the empire. There were many mountains and deep valleys where the Inca lived. Their bridges spanned distances as wide as 150 feet. At the time. the longest bridge in Spain only reached about 95 feet. When the Spanish saw the Incan bridges, they were surprised and impressed.

Over time, many of the Incan bridges were destroyed. Others fell apart as people stopped maintaining them. There is still one Incan bridge standing today. The Q'eswachaka bridge is 120 feet long. People from nearby communities come together each spring to repair and rebuild parts of the bridge. It is a tradition. With the Q'eswachaka bridge, an important part of Incan history lives on.

Multiple Choice

A builder today wants to make a bridge in the Incan style. The builder has collected grass. What should the builder do NEXT to create a sturdy bridge?

• use massive cables to anchor the bridge

• use the grass to make thick ropes

• braid the grass together to create massive cables

• twist the grass together to form thin ropes

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the passage BEST shows that people still care about Incan culture today?

• "One thing the Inca excelled at was building bridges."

• "When the Spanish saw the Incan bridges, they were surprised and impressed."

• "People from nearby communities come together each spring to repair and rebuild parts of the bridge."

• "With the Q'eswachaka bridge, an important part of Incan history lives on."

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the passage BEST shows the Incan bridges were better than most other bridges?

• "At the time, they might have been the best bridge-builders in the world."

• "The Inca bridges connected the empire."

• "These huge cables became anchors for the bridges."

• "When the Spanish saw the Incan bridges, they were surprised and impressed."

What is a Raisin?

What is a raisin? A raisin is a dried grape. Grapes are dried on the grapevine until 20 percent of their weight is sugar. Then they are picked and placed on trays to dry. The Sun dries the grapes in ten to fourteen days. Then they are cleaned with lots of water and put into sealed packages to sell.

Raisins are very good for you. They taste good, too! They are good in cookies, cakes, bread, and on cereal. They have lots of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and lots of iron.

What is a Raisin?

Most Raisins grown in the world are grown in California because of the not and dry climate.

Put a box of raisins in your lunchbox for a tasty treat and for some extra energy.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the passage BEST supports the idea that raisins are healthy for you?

• "Grapes are dried on the grapevine until 20 percent of their weight is sugar."

• "They are good in cookies, cakes, bread, and on cereal."

• "They have lots of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and also lots of iron."

• "They are cleaned with lots of water and put into sealed packages to sell."

Multiple Choice

What is the MAIN purpose of this passage?

• to explain what a raisin is and what it is used for

• to persuade the reader that raisins are the best snack

• to describe Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and iron

• to explain the order in which each event took place

Multiple Choice

Which answer choice BEST completes this sentence?

Since this article states that most of the world's raisins come from California, ---

• people in California must love raisins.

• other places must not know how to grow them.

• California farmers must grow a lot of grapes.

• the people in California must be healthy.