FSA Test Prep Review

Select the sentence from Passage 1 that supports the idea that the children are imaginative.

• “‘Father says it was once,’ Anthea said; ‘he says there are shells there thousands of years old.’” (paragraph 2)

• “Of course they had been to the edge of the gravel-pit and looked over, but they had not gone down into it for fear father should say they mustn’t play there, and it was the same with the chalk-quarry.” (paragraph 3)

• “The children dug and they dug and they dug, and their hands got sandy and hot and red, and their faces got damp and shiny.” (paragraph 8)

• “‘Fancy it having been wet sea here once, all sloppy and shiny,’ said Jane, ‘with fishes and conger-eels and coral and mermaids.’” (paragraph 12)

4. What is the effect of the personification in paragraph 16?

• It shows that the gravel pit is very large.

• It explains why the children chose to dig in the gravel pit.

• It explains why the children’s father wants them to avoid the gravel pit.

• It gives a picture of what caused the sea to disappear from the gravel pit.

How does the description of the setting in paragraph 5 affect the overall meaning of Passage 1?

• Describing the gravel pit as “like a giant’s washbowl” creates a sense of adventure.

• Mentioning the shape of the gravel pit explains that there used to be a beach there.

• Using words like “large and wide” to describe the gravel pit shows that the children must be careful.

• Giving the location of the gravel pit helps the reader understand how far the children walk to get there.

Select two lines from Passage 2 that develop the speaker’s desire for adventure.

• “Three of us afloat in the meadow by the swing,” (line 1)

• “Winds are in the air, they are blowing in the spring,” (line 3)

• “And waves are on the meadow like the waves there are at sea.” (line 4)

• “Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat,” (line 7)

• “Quick, and we’ll escape them, they’re as mad as they can be,” (line 11)

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A Which sentence states a theme that is shared by both Passage 1 and Passage 2?

• Creativity helps children learn.

• Safety is more important than having fun.

• Imagination makes everyday life more exciting.

• It is important to work at a task until it is complete.

Select two quotations that support the answer in Part A.

(note answer choice adjustment from paper copy)

• “The gravel-pit is not really dangerous if you don’t try to climb down the edges, but go the slow safe way round by the road, as if you were a cart.” (Passage 1, paragraph 3)

• “Cyril wanted to dig out a cave to play smugglers in, but the others thought it might bury them alive, so it ended in all spades going to work to dig a hole through the castle to Australia.” (Passage 1, paragraph 7)

• “Cyril and Anthea knew that Australia was not quite so near as all that, but they agreed to stop using the spades and to go on with their hands.” (Passage 1, paragraph 11)

• “Winds are in the air, they are blowing in the spring,” (Passage 2, line 3)

• “Where shall we adventure, to-day that we’re afloat,” (Passage 2, line 5)

The gravel pits is very large and wide, with grass growing round the edges at the top, and dry stringy wildflowers, purple, and yellow. It is like a giant's washbowl. And there are mounds of gravel, and holes in the sides of the bowl where the gravel has been taken out, and high up in the steep sides there are little holes tht are the little front doors of the little bank - martins little house.

What word from the paragraph best helps you understand the meaning of the word "Stringy"

• Dry

• Mounds

• Little houses

• Gian's washbowl

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. Part A

How does passage 3 introduce the importance of the “Moon Trees”?

• by discussing the challenges faced by the scientists after returning

• by listing the types of seeds that were chosen for this experiment

• by presenting how rare experiments in space were at the time

• by describing the process of getting the seeds into space

Part B

Which paragraph from the passage 3 supports the answer to Part A?

• 4

• 5

• 6

• 7

Read this sentence from the passage.

“After 20 years of growing side-by-side with their Earth-bound equivalent as controls, no one could tell the difference.” (paragraph 8)

What does the word “equivalent” suggest about the two groups of trees?

• They were mixed together.

• They had similar characteristics.

• They were both experimented on.

• They came from the same collection of seeds.