The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment (Amplify)

Which sentence in the letter from Lord Rothschild (a British intelligence officer) explains what caused him to request the drawing you see below the letter? Select one of the sentences below. (6.RI.KID.1)

• “We have received information that the enemy are using pound slabs of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of real chocolate.”

• “When you break off a piece of chocolate at one end in the normal way, instead of it falling away, a piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the middle of the piece which has been broken off and sticking into the middle of the remainder of the slab.”

• “I wonder if you could do a drawing for me of an explosive slab of chocolate."

• “Would it be possible for you to do a drawing of this, one possibly with the paper half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece broken off showing the canvas.”

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

Read this sentence from Lord Rothschild’s letter: “When the piece of chocolate is pulled sharply, the canvas is also pulled and this initiates the mechanism.” Which of the following would BEST replace the underlined word? (RI.CS.4)

• communicates with

• tugs on

• begins

• introduces

Tags

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.6.5C

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

What information from the letter is shown in the illustration? Select THREE. (RI.IKI.7)

• "Slabs of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of real chocolate."

• "Inside there is high explosive and some form of delay mechanism."

• "A piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the middle of the piece which has been broken off and sticking into the middle of the remainder of the slab."

• "The paper half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece broken off showing the canvas."

• "This initiates the mechanism."

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.7

The drawing of the chocolate bomb has a caption that reads: “The bomb is made of steel with a thin covering of real chocolate. When the piece of chocolate at the end is broken off the canvas shown is pulled, and after a delay of seven seconds the bomb explodes.

What information from the letter is NOT included in this caption? 

Select ONE. (RI.IKI.7)

• The bomb is made of chocolate-covered steel.

• Breaking off a piece of chocolate pulls the canvas.

• The bomb explodes after a delay of seven seconds.

• The wrapper says PETERS brand chocolate.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

What is the author’s MAIN purpose for beginning paragraph 1 with a question to readers? (RI.CS.6)

• To present the author’s point of view on the topic

• To grab the readers’ attention by making them think about their own experiences with the topic

• To give readers information about the topic

• To explain a problem that needs a solution

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.6

Paragraph 2 describes Sametta’s daily routine. It states that Sametta “does not go to school.” Which sentence in this paragraph BEST explains why? (RI.KID.1)

• f. Her family needs her to work in order for them to survive.

• b. She wakes up at 4:00 a.m., eats millet porridge, then walks two miles to her family’s cocoa bean field.

• g. Her health is at risk because she uses a sharp machete to harvest the cocoa pods, which are sprayed with poisonous pesticides.

• c. For the next 12 hours she picks cocoa pods and breaks them open so she can scoop out the 30–50 seeds, or “beans,” inside.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.2

Read this sentence from paragraph 3: “Going to school is out of the question.”

Which statement BEST describes the meaning of the phrase “out of the question” as it is used in this sentence? (RI.CS.4)

• Child laborers question why they cannot go to school.

• The families of child laborers question the value of school.

• Going to school is not possible for child laborers.

• Going to school is not something child laborers like to do.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

“For generations they have depended on growing and selling cocoa beans as their main means of survival.”

What is the meaning of the word “means” as it is used in this sentence? (RI.CS.4)

• Definition

• Purpose

• Demonstration

• Method 

Tags

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.RI.6.4

Read this excerpt from paragraph 4: “Big chocolate companies like Mars/M&M want to buy cocoa beans for as little cash as possible so that they can make big profits selling their chocolate products. Chocolate companies pay farmers a very low price for their cocoa beans. Most farmers only earn between $30 and $100 a year. Cheap or free labor means more profits for the chocolate companies.” (RI.KID.1)

This excerpt supports which TWO inferences (conclusions) about big chocolate companies?

• e. Big chocolate companies plan to start paying laborers more as soon as they have raised enough cash.

• c. Big chocolate companies have the power to decide how much they will pay for cocoa beans.

• a. Big chocolate companies feel bad about the harsh conditions faced by their child laborers

• b. Paying workers low wages is one way big chocolate companies can keep profits high.

• d. Big chocolate companies did not make enough profits in the past, so they feel pressure to make higher profits now.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.2

Which sentence from paragraph 5 MOST CLEARLY states that a lack of money among farming families is the biggest reason for child labor? (RI.IKI.8)

a. In 2001 the U.S. government created a document, the Harkin-Engel Protocol, that called the chocolate companies to help eliminate child slavery and child labor by July 2005. b. However, chocolate companies have not abided by this protocol and the deadline has been extended to July 2008. c. Even if the companies do convince countries to stop selling their children, and they teach farmers that their children need to go to school, the cocoa farmers would still make barely enough money to survive

• a. In 2001 the U.S. government created a document, the Harkin-Engel Protocol, that called the chocolate companies to help eliminate child slavery and child labor by July 2005.

• b. However, chocolate companies have not abided by this protocol and the deadline has been extended to July 2008.

• c. Even if the companies do convince countries to stop selling their children, and they teach farmers that their children need to go to school, the cocoa farmers would still make barely enough money to survive

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.2