Paired Passage STAAR Reading Earthquakes

Multiple Choice

Lines 1-5 are important because they

• describe the setting of the poem

• introduce the subject of the poem

• identify the speaker

• ask the reader an important question

Multiple Choice

Read lines 13-15 of the poem.

"What under the sun

Have I gone and done?

I never before was so mortified!"

These lines emphasize that the speaker most likely feels -

• confident about his actions

• scared of the sun

• happy about the future

• ashamed of his destruction

Multiple Choice

Which of these is used in lines 6 and 7?

• repetition

• simile

• onomatopoeia

• alliteration

Multiple Choice

The author wrote this selection mainly to -

• provide facts about earthquakes

• compare earthquakes to tornados

• tell about famous earthquakes

• persuade readers to avoid areas prone to earthquakes

Multiple Choice

According to the selection, the most damage occurs -

• before the earthquake begins

• in populated areas

• five minutes after an earthquake starts

• in deserts

Multiple Choice

In paragraph 2, the word collide means -

• to crash

• to push apart

• to shake

• to become quiet

Multiple Choice

Which line from the poem represents the destruction described in paragraph 5?

• The Earthquake rumbled

• Houses and palaces all in a lump!

• Then away he fled,

• How could I ever be so rash?

Multiple Choice

The speaker in the poem and the author of the article both emphasize the importance of -

• scientists being able to predict earthquakes

• measuring the size of the earthquake

• taking cover during the earthquake

• the devastation that earthquakes can cause

Multiple Choice

How do the poem, "The Bashful Earthquake" and the article, "Earthquakes" differ?

• The poem was written by a student, and the article was written by a scientist.

• The poem is told from the earthquake's point of view and the article is in the third person point of view.

• The poem includes facts about earthquakes, and the article is a story about Alaska's earthquake.

• The poem is told in third person point of view, and the article is in first person point of view.