STAAR Practice - Winter Counts

1. Based on the selection, what can the reader infer about the job of the keeper?

• Selecting someone for the position was often a complicated process.
• The duties were so demanding that the keeper had no other position.
• All of the men in the tribe were considered for the job of keeper.
• The person who had the job had to be dedicated to the task.

2. Read this information about the origin of spectacular. The origin helps the reader understand that the word spectacular in paragraph 8 refers to an event that is —

• amazing to watch
• viewed for many hours
• seen at night
• rarely noticed

3. What are paragraphs 1 and 2 mostly about?

• The Lakota lived on the grassy plains in the western part of the country.
• The Lakota used pictures in place of a writing system.
• The Lakota had a special way to keep track of important events.
• The Lakota measured years from snowfall to snowfall.

4. The author’s use of comparison and contrast in paragraph 9 helps the reader understand that winter counts —

• were cared for by many different keepers
• provided information about a tribe’s members
• had unique designs but served the same purpose
• were used as calendars and to tell people’s ages

5. In which section would the reader find information about why winter counts remained important even after the Lakota learned to write?

• The introductory paragraph
• The Keeper’s Role
• Ordering the Years
• A New Purpose

6. The author wrote this selection most likely to —

• tell the reader about how one American Indian tribe recorded its history
• encourage the reader to visit a museum that displays American Indian artifacts
• share important events that happened to a particular American Indian tribe
• show how modern calendars are similar to those kept by American Indians

7. Which idea about the keeper is emphasized throughout the selection?

• He kept his winter count with his own belongings.
• He served an important role within the community.
• He made simple drawings without many details.
• He chose where the drawings were placed on the winter count.

8. Which feature of the selection best helps the reader understand how a winter count was designed?

• The first photograph
• The subheadings
• The caption for the last photograph
• The title