Reading Inventory Practice Proficient Set 3

In 1928 Alexander Fleming, a Scottish scientist, was about to throw away a dish containing colonies of bacteria he had been studying. He noticed that some mold had landed in the dish. Around each spot of mold was a clear area where the bacteria had been killed. The mold was penicillium, and from this discovery came the first of many bacteria-killing antibiotic drugs, called—you guessed it—penicillin. The discovery of penicillin was an _______________.

• accident

• experiment

• error

• intention

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Eyesight is not all that important to an animal that lives in the murky deep. But sharks do use their eyes in hunting, and they seem to have color preferences. Some sharks that were tested preferred reflective colors, such as silver and international orange. Many types of emergency gear, life rafts and life vests—are painted international orange, so that they can be spotted easily by rescuers. Sharks were so fond of international orange that the researchers dubbed it "yum-yum yellow." The sharks in the experiment tended to ignore dark or dull colors. It's something to keep in mind when you're buying your next bathing suit.

Sharks are _____ by bright colors.

• deceived

• attracted

• bored

• welcomed

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The mules knew how many cars they were supposed to pull, and if a driver sneaked on another car, the mules wouldn't budge until the car was removed. The mules also knew instinctively when it was quitting time, even though no whistle could be heard in the mines. At quitting time, the mules simply halted wherever they happened to be. No amount of coaxing or bullying seemed to budge a mule that had made up its mind. The mules were _____ .

• loyal

• ignorant

• hungry

• stubborn

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Many of the pine trees that grow in the highlands of the western United States are fire species. These trees, which include the ponderosa pine and the lodgepole pine, have seeds that are surrounded by a highly flammable resin that must be melted before the seeds can pop out. The needles of these trees decay slowly on the forest floor and seem born to burn. They provide ample fuel for periodic fires, without which the pine forests would die. These species are _____ by wildfires.

• restrained

• perpetuated

• endangered

• mortified

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

: Kangaroos grazing on grass are a common sight on the outback. Since grazing animals eat with their heads down, they can be taken unaware by their enemies. Evolution has protected the kangaroos by giving them large movable ears to pick up the sounds of predators. They also have eyes with long, horizontal pupils on the sides of their heads that give them a wide view. The kangaroos' senses are used for _____ .

• stamina

• competition

• protection

• relaxation

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Major Quillaine had been something called a hydrologist for the federal government, and his knowledge of trout streams was encyclopedic. After hours from his job, he'd fished everybody's home stream. Tell him a boyhood yarn about fishing some brook flowing obscurely into the Chewaucan or the Yahooey, and if it had once held trout, he'd fished it, and let you know in his dead serious way that you'd presented the wrong flies, cast the wrong water, and everything you managed to take must have been foul hooked. Not that he wanted to put you down; at heart he was a teacher. He simply wanted you to do better next time. He had a _____ memory.

• vast

• weak

• restricted

• troubled

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

As he picked his way through the long neglected garden the big brick house loomed up dark and lonely in the twilight. It looked very gloomy, no lights in the windows, no Folks about. The roof shingles were curled and rotting, blinds hung crookedly. In the walks and driveway tall, dried weeds rattled and scraped whenever a breeze stirred. Now that all the earth was stirring with spring it seemed even more depressing. The house looked _____ .

• small

• expensive

• abandoned

• cozy

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Franklin had tennis lessons, piano lessons, and dancing lessons. When he was ten, he started a postage stamp collection that would absorb him throughout his life. He became an enthusiastic naturalist, collecting birds' nests and eggs, and recording his observations in a notebook. He had various _____ .

• problems

• interests

• chores

• theories

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

The Louisiana countryside, usually so vibrantly, verdantly green, is taking on a brownish hue. With the trees going bare I can see deep into the swamps, which cover the first fifteen miles or so out of New Orleans. The furry cypress needles have turned to rust. The _____ must be changing.

• season

• highway

• defintion

• population

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Instead of being elated, "Captain" Sutter was upset. He didn't want his workers distracted from their jobs, and he certainly didn't want strangers invading his property and digging it up while hunting for treasure. Sutter told the mill workers to keep the discovery secret and to stay on the job until the mill was finished. They agreed not to tell anyone, probably because they didn't want competition from others. He wanted to avoid _____ .

• work

• strikes

• wealth

• publicity

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4