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

Darin and Gary had worked all winter down in the basement putting together a model radio controlled airplane. Darin instructed Gary how to make every part, but he allowed Gary to do all the work himself. Gary had to cut out all of the balsa wood parts, glue the pieces together and attach the special skin onto the wooden body of the plane. They even practiced flying a radio controlled model plane on a computer program. Darin drove them to a field to test out the plane. When they returned home, Gary came home crying with his plane in a box. He never worked on a model plane again.
How old do you think Gary is?

• 2
• 11
• 22
• 52

Everything around you is made of matter.  Matter is made of at least one element.  An element is made of atoms that are all the same kind.  It is a pure form of matter.  Elements join together with other elements to make the different materials that we see and use every day.  Which is larger, an atom or an element?

• atom
• element

Animals in the forest have a wide variety of adaptations.  Monkeys have long tails.  They can use them almost like another hand.  This helps them swing quickly through the tops of trees.  They can even do this while holding their babies or gathering food.  Giraffes need to reach leaves at the tops of tall trees.  Having a long neck is an adaptation that allows them to do this.  How do monkeys use their tails as an adaptation? 

• they swat flies with them
• they scare predators with them
• they use them like another hand
• they don't use their tails as an adaptation

Mrs. Lance is my favorite teacher, but something is not right today. Mrs. Lance is sitting down at her desk more than usual, and she asked us to read a story silently and just answer the questions in the book. I glance back at her, and she is blowing her nose. A little while later, I see that her cheeks are kind-of red, and she is drinking a lot of water and eating some cough drops. After a little while, Mr. Dean, another teacher, comes into our classroom. Mrs. Lance takes her purse and leaves, while Mr. Dean stays. What is wrong with Mrs. Lance?

• She is tired
• She is sleepy
• She is worried
• She is sick

My dog Jack is very friendly, and he likes to be around people. Yesterday, our neighbors were having a party, and we all went over to cookout and swim at their house. We could hear Jack barking loudly from our backyard. After a little while, he got quiet, so we thought he had finally calmed down. But, several minutes later, all of the adults start laughing, and I see a black blur and hear a giant splash at the other end of the pool. Why was Jack barking?

• He wanted to be at the party
• The neighbors were making too much noise
• He was hungry
• He wanted to go outside

Cassie rolled over in her bed as she felt the sunlight hit her face. The beams were warming the back of her neck when she slowly realized that it was a Thursday, and she felt a little too good for a Thursday. Struggling to open her eyes, she looked up at the clock. “9:48,” she shouted, “Holy cow!” Cassie jumped out of bed, threw on the first outfit that she grabbed, brushed her teeth in two swipes, threw her books into her backpack, and then ran out the door. What is Cassie's problem?

• She is late for work
• She will miss her flight at the airport
• She is late for school
• She is hungry

(1) College tuitions are soaring, leaving many parents wondering if they will be able to afford higher education for their children.  (2) Cutbacks in government aid combined with skyrocketing tuition are making it unfeasible even for families of moderate wealth to fully fund their children's educations.  (3) In America, people say that you can be anything you want to be.  (4) But getting an education is crucial if you hope to achieve the American dream.
With which of the following statements would the author of this passage most likely agree?

• The government should help students pay for college.
• The cost of a college education is unreasonable.
• Borrowing money for college may be the answer to rising education costs.
• An education is not necessary to succeed in America.

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