ELA skills Practice Questions

There are about 2,000 kinds of bats. They come in many sizes. Bats are rather strange looking animals. They are soft and furry with large ears. Bats cannot walk or run. They usually eat insects. Bats are the only mammals that fly. What is the main idea?

• Bats are unusual mammals.

• Bats move by running and flying.

• Bats look like many other animals.

When something is found at a site, several things have to be done before it can be sent to the lab. First, it has to be measured. Next, it has to be entered into the daily records, and a picture of it is drawn on a special form. After that, a photo is taken of the find and lastly, it is bagged and labeled.

Why do you think all of this is done before the find is moved?

• It makes sure that the information is all in one place.

• It gives the volunteers at the site something to do.

• It makes archaeologists look more important.

Preston Hall and Thatcher Hall were both dormitories. Each housed about 350 men. Preston Hall and Thatcher Hall were built on hills. They stood facing each other. For some reason, nobody knew why, the two dormitories had become rivals. Whenever there was a holiday or a big game, the men in the two dorms started to decorate. They put cutouts on the windows. They put ribbons in the hallways. They put lights on the building. Whatever Preston Hall did, Thatcher tried to do better. Whatever Thatcher Hall did, Preston tried to do better.

It is likely that....

• The men in Thatcher and Preston Halls probably spend a lot of time studying.

• The men in Thatcher and Preston Halls like to outdo each other.

• Preston Hall holds 700 men.

When people go camping, they follow many rules. If they are not careful, they spoil the parks. Some parks do not permit people to camp. That is because they do not want people to damage the trees or leave garbage around.

The context shows the underlined work in the passage means:

• beg

• allow

• tell

For many years, children had to walk as far as 10 miles to go to school. They usually took their lunches with them. But about 20 to 30 years ago, many public schools. began serfving food prepared in the cafeteria. Parents and teachers believed that students should have hot food, not cold packed lunches. So the cafeteria was seen as a way of giving students nutritious food for lunch.

Today, many parents are protesting the kind of food served in cafeterias. They say that the food is overcooked. They say that all the vitamins and minerals are gone. They also so that the white bread gives very little nutrition. It is likely that...

• Some parents are interested in whether the cafeteria food is healthy.

• Parents are protesting today because cafeteria food is not hot enough.

• It is easy to prepare good meals for a large number of people.

John Chapman is a legend. Most people know him by his nickname, Johnny Appleseed. He was known for walking around the Midwest on foot. He was supposed to have worn a tin pot for a hat, a sack for a shirt, and no shoes at all. He walked hundreds of miles during his lifetime. He died in 1845 and it wasn't until 1871 that people began writing about him and what he did for the country.

What do you think Chapman did?

• taught people about pollution

• planted apple trees everywhere

• started the first applesauce factory

Memorial Day is a holdiay that began as a day for remembering the soldiers and sailors of the Civil War. Today we honor all soldiers who died in wars. There are parades and special ceremonies on Memorial Day. It is the only federal holiday in May. What is the main idea?

• Memorial Day is like any other day.

• Memorial Day honors all soldiers who died.

• There are several federal holidays in May.

Did you ever wonder how a newspaper reporter gets a story? A reporter goes to many places to get stories. The reporters talk to people to get the information wanted. This information is written down in note form. Back at the newspaper office, the reporter uses the notes to write up the story. What is the main idea?

• To describe how a newspaper office works.

• To describe how a reporter writes a story.

• To describe why reporters are important.

Over the last 20 years, many changes have taken place in college life. At one time all college students lived on campus. These students paid to live in college dormitories. Recently, however, this has changed. Many students called" commuters" have begun attending college.

Who, or what is the commuter? The commuter is a person who goes to college but lives at home. To "commute" means to travel back and forth. The commuter travels back and forth to the college campus. Today there are many city colleges that do not even have dormitories. These aqre commuter colleges. There are colleges for people who live nearby and commute to school. It is likely that...

• A commuter lives near the college he or she attends.

• Commuters can attend colleges thousands of miles away from their homes.

• Today colleges make students live in dormitories.

Some true stories are so amazing that they sound like make-believe. One story like that is about a magician named Houdini. They chained him into a box and threw the box into the Hudson River. He escaped and lived! I know that sounds incredible, but it's true.

The context shows the underlined word in the passage means:

• not interesting

• hard to believe

• a lie