Reading Comprehension

Floods can cause tremendous damage. They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind. It can take months to clean up after a flood.

What is the main idea?

• Floods can cause a lot of damage.

• Floods cause mudslides.

• Floods damage houses and roads.

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.

Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

• Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is

• Pictures help weather reporters get information out in a fast way

• Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short

• They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area

Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today.
 What is the main idea?

• Soccer is important at the Olympics.
• Soccer is a worldwide sport.
• Soccer is also called football.
• Soccer is played by men and women.

When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them.

The words pays heed to are closest in meaning to _______.

• discovers

• watches

• notices

• buys

My family went to the circus. We saw the funny clowns. We watched the lion act. We ate a lot of treats and popcorn.  This story is about __________.

• eating treats and popcorn
• clowns
• going to the circus
• lions

It was raining outside. Sue got out of bed and got dressed for school. Then, she ate breakfast and grabbed her backpack.  Before Sue left the house, she probably ___________________.

• got her sunglasses
• made a sandwich
• picked up her umbrella
• put on sandals

Sam woke up and saw the sun shining in the sky. He packed his swimming suit, a towel, a beach ball, and his sandals in his bag. Then, he went to the kitchen and made a sack lunch.
Sam is most likely going to ___________________.

• the beach
• school
• the mall
• the library

Dolphins are very smart animals.  They even have their own language.   They talk to each other with clicks, whistles, and grunts.  Scientists have been studying this dolphin language.  They hope that in the future, people and dolphins will be able to talk to each other. This paragraph mainly tells:

• how dolphins talk to people
• how smart dolphins are 
• how dolpins are different from fish
• which scientists are studying languages

Lucy was furious about her spelling grade. She kicked her desk and ran out of the classroom.
Why does the author use the word furious instead of mad in the example above?

• Furious is a fancier word than mad.
• Lucy was really upset.
• Lucy wasn't that mad at all.
• Lucy was going home.

We're Racing, Racing Down the Walk

We're racing, racing down the walk,

Over the pavement and round the block.

We rumble along till the sidewalk ends-

Felicia and I and half our friends.

Our hair flies backwards. It's whish and whirr!

She roars at me and I shout at her

As past the porches and garden gates

We rattle and rock

On our roller skates.

1) What makes a rumbling sound in the poem?

• train

• dog

• skates