Staar 2019 Paired Reading 4th Grade

Use “Max’s Find” to answer questions 13–16.

What effect does Max working in Grandpa’s yard have on the plot of the story?

• A. It makes Dad proud of Max.

• B. It causes Max to become tired and grumpy.

• C. It leads Max to a surprise discovery.

• D. It proves to Grandpa that Max is a good helper.

14 When Max shows his father the time capsule he dug up, Max’s father most likely feels —

• F. amazed that Max found it when he could not

• G pleased to see things that were once meaningful to him

• H upset that Max is no longer helping Grandpa plant a tree

• J concerned about what Max will think when he sees what is in the can

15 Which point of view does the author use in this story?

• A First-person from Max’s perspective

• B First-person from Dad’s perspective

• C Third-person from the perspective of Max’s grandfather

• D Third-person from the perspective of an unknown observer

16 In paragraph 1, the author uses the phrases “wiped the sweat from his brow” and “felt like he had been digging for hours” to suggest that Max —

• F expects to discover a special surprise

• G is struggling with a difficult job

• dislikes spending time outdoors

• J is determined to help plant trees

USE "Messages in Bottles" for questions 17-20

17 In paragraph 3, the suffix –er in the word sender helps the reader understand that the word refers to —

• A a person who sends

• B an object that is sent

• C the sending of something again

• D the method used to send things

18 What happened as a result of someone finding a bottle that had been released by students in Hawaii in 2007?

• F The bottle experiment quickly spread to other schools.

• G People around the world were encouraged to find pen pals.

• H Students tried to send messages in bottles to their classmates.

• J Two people living in different parts of the world became friends.

19 The author wrote this selection most likely to —

• A persuade the reader to try sending a message in a bottle

• B tell the reader how to start a floating bottle experiment at school

• C describe some examples of messages sent in bottles and tell what happened to them

• D explain some of the challenges of trying to communicate with people who live across the ocean

20 Paragraphs 2 and 3 are mainly about —

• F rewards people have received for returning bottles that were found

• G what keeps bottles with messages in them from sinking in the ocean

• H bottles that have drifted in the sea and then been found

• J what people write on the notes that are placed inside bottles

Use “Max’s Find” and “Messages in Bottles” to answer questions 21–24.

21 What conclusion can the reader make based on both the story and the selection?

• A People enjoy the experience of finding hidden objects or messages.

• B It is important to follow instructions that are included with messages.

• C People can become friends with someone whom they have never met.

• D It is common to find objects that have been left in secret places.

22 Based on the story and the selection, what is one way a time capsule differs from a message in a bottle?

• A time capsule is opened by the person who made it, while a message in a bottle is opened by a stranger.

• G A time capsule stays in the same place, while a message in a bottle travels to a new place.

• A time capsule is hidden for a long time, while a message in a bottle is found quickly.

• J A time capsule is for everyone to share, while a message in a bottle is intended for a specific person.