5h Grade ELA Test Prep

Multiple Choice

Based on what you have read so far, what do you think the genre of the text is?

• Folktale

• Mystery

• Realistic Fiction

• Biography

Multiple Choice

What are some key words in the question that you should think about before answering?

• similar, ant farm, jobsite

• excavation, ant farm, Murphy

• workers, similar, interest, problem

• breakfast, jobsite, similar

Multiple Choice

What are some key words in the question?

• surprised

  "pins and needles"

• two choices

  "pins and needles"

• excavator

  two choices

• phrase

  two choices

​Here's a word you will need to know!!!

Open Ended

What have you learned about the main character so far.

Write 3 details.

Multiple Choice

Part A: He always called this the Surveillance Circle, even though it wasn’t really a circle; this time it was an upward-sloping, narrow piece of ground.

What does the word Surveillance most likely mean?

• safety

• construction

• understanding

• viewing

Multiple Choice

Part B: Which sentence from the text best supports your answer in part A?

• “When they reached the job site, Dad looked around for a spot from which his son could watch the action.”

• “It was a safe distance away from the area marked out for the foundation.”

• “Dad knew that construction could be a dangerous business, and he made sure Murphy knew it, too.”

• “Murphy understood that if he ever ran onto the field near the machines, he would never get to come along again.”

Multiple Select

Murphy was on pins and needles trying to figure out what was going on, but he knew better than to leave his post. When a tall man in a hard hat walked out to talk to his dad, Murphy could hear a few words of their conversation: “solid bedrock” . . . “find just the right spot” . . . “expensive!”

What does the use of the phrase “on pins and needles” suggest about Murphy? Select two choices.

• He wanted to understand why the excavator was not digging

• He was annoyed that the excavator was not digging properly

• He was not surprised because he had predicted this happening.

• He could hardly wait to see the machine scoop the first pile of dirt.

• He felt uncomfortable because the situation was suddenly tense.

Multiple Choice

Part A: How does Murphy figure out how to resolve his father’s problem?

• An ant communicates with him.

• He talks to the man in the hard hat.

• He looks carefully at the excavator.

• He remembers something from a video.

Multiple Choice

Part B: Which detail from the text best supports your answer in Part A?

• “Murphy used to watch it over and over”

• “Murphy watched in anticipation as his father started up the excavator”

• “could hear a few words of their conversation”

• “as if trying to send the boy a message”

Multiple Choice

What is similar about Murphy watching the ant farm over breakfast and Murphy watching the workers at the job site?

• both show how ants can help humans

• both show Murphy’s interest in excavation

• both show a problem that cannot be solved

• both show an activity that Murphy does not understan

Multiple Choice

Part A: Which statement best expresses the theme of the text?

• Construction sites can be dangerous.

• Ants and humans are both hard workers.

• Solutions can come from unexpected sources.

• Parents should always listen to their children.

Multiple Choice

Part B: Which detail from the text best supports your answer in part A?

• “He admired the smooth way they turned around, and the way his dad could open and close the huge shovel from inside his cab.”

• “Murphy understood that if he ever ran onto the field near the machines, he would never get to come along again.”

• “Slowly the bucket rose up, removing the most gigantic rock Murphy had ever seen.”

• “Later, Murphy’s father asked, ‘How on Earth did you know I should approach that spot from a few feet back?’”

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