Reading Comprehension Quiz 1

The Cricket and the Mountain Lion

The Native Americans of California tell this story about a cricket who chased away a mountain lion. The mountain lion jumped onto a hollow log and sat down. Before he had settled down, a cricket hopped out of the log and scolded him.

“Get off my roof, trespasser!” Cricket yelled.

Lion just looked at Cricket. He could not believe that this tiny creature was telling him what to do. He climbed off the log and crouched low on the ground, eye to eye with Cricket.

“I am the chief of the whole animal tribe,” said Lion haughtily. “I can do as I please. Why, I could crush your house with one paw!”

“If you did, you’d be sorry,” said Cricket. “My cousin will come after you if you do anything like that.”

“I am not afraid of any insect,” Lion growled. “Tell your cousin to meet us here tomorrow. If he can make me run away, I will never bother you again. If he can’t, well, you better get ready to move.”

The next morning, Lion returned to Cricket’s log. As he called out to Cricket, he heard a buzzing in his ear. Suddenly that ear began to sting and itch, and Lion howled in pain.

“Meet my cousin, Mosquito,” said Cricket.

Lion scratched his ear furiously, shook his head, and begged Cricket to make Mosquito leave him alone.

“That’s enough, Cousin,” said Cricket. Mosquito flew out of Lion’s ear. Lion bounded away as fast as he could. And he never came back.

Answer the question below.

How would you describe the change in Lion at the end of the story?

• He became less boastful.

• He became less patient.

• He became more foolish.

• He became more angry

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. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.

Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex. Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside. Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.

According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintings EXCEPT _______.

• temperature changes

• air movement

• water

• light

Why the Raven Is Black

The people of the far north tell this story about Owl and Raven, who were best friends. One day, Raven made a lovely new dress for Owl. Since Raven had been so nice, Owl then began to make a white dress for Raven. Owl worked at night by the light of a lamp that burned heavy oil. Owl tried to measure Raven for the dress, but Raven kept hopping around.

“Oh, I’m going to be so beautiful!” Raven cried as she hopped.

“Stop that hopping,” Owl warned. “You’ll knock over the lamp.”

But Raven would not stand still. Just as owl had predicted, Raven finally knocked over the lamp. The black oil spilled all over the white dress. That is why Raven is black.

Answer the question below.

What happened when Raven knocked over the lamp?

• Owl told Raven to stop hopping.

• Raven was excited about the new dress.

• Owl’s dress was ruined.

• Black oil spilled on Raven’s dress.

The desert is a very hot, dry place. How might a coyote stay cool? 

• Sleep during the day and hunt at night
• Take a bath in the lake 
• Grow thicker fur
• Build a new home out of cactus 

Why the Raven Is Black

The people of the far north tell this story about Owl and Raven, who were best friends. One day, Raven made a lovely new dress for Owl. Since Raven had been so nice, Owl then began to make a white dress for Raven. Owl worked at night by the light of a lamp that burned heavy oil. Owl tried to measure Raven for the dress, but Raven kept hopping around.

“Oh, I’m going to be so beautiful!” Raven cried as she hopped.

“Stop that hopping,” Owl warned. “You’ll knock over the lamp.”

But Raven would not stand still. Just as owl had predicted, Raven finally knocked over the lamp. The black oil spilled all over the white dress. That is why Raven is black.

Answer the question below.

Which of the following words best describes Raven’s actions?

• wise

• careless

• lazy

• honest

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. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.

Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex.

The word They refers to _______.

• walls

• artists

• animals

• materials

Why the Raven Is Black

The people of the far north tell this story about Owl and Raven, who were best friends. One day, Raven made a lovely new dress for Owl. Since Raven had been so nice, Owl then began to make a white dress for Raven. Owl worked at night by the light of a lamp that burned heavy oil. Owl tried to measure Raven for the dress, but Raven kept hopping around.

“Oh, I’m going to be so beautiful!” Raven cried as she hopped.

“Stop that hopping,” Owl warned. “You’ll knock over the lamp.”

But Raven would not stand still. Just as owl had predicted, Raven finally knocked over the lamp. The black oil spilled all over the white dress. That is why Raven is black.

Answer the question below.

Why did Owl begin to make a dress for Raven?

• because Raven had made a dress for Owl

• because Raven would not stand still

• because Raven’s dress had been ruined

• because Raven did not like Owl’s dress

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. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.

The word depict is closest in meaning to _______.

• show

• hunt

• count

• draw

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.

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