MAP Testlet: Reading Informational Texts (Roxie Laybourne)

Read the sentence from the passage. Select the TWO words that emphasize Laybourne’s careful attention to detail as a bird detective.

Roxie Laybourne peered into her microscope, examining the fluffy strands attached to a delicate spine.

• Microscope

• Examining

• Fluffy

• Attached

How does the author’s inclusion of information about Laybourne’s father’s business of fixing cars contribute to the meaning of the passage?

• It shows how Laybourne developed an interest in solving problems.

• It indicates Laybourne found similarities between birds and vehicles.

• It suggests Laybourne’s father wanted her to become a bird detective.

• It emphasizes that Laybourne’s father deserves much credit for her success.

1. Read the sentences from the passage.

After college, she worked on her master’s degree until she received a fateful call in 1942. The Smithsonian Division of Birds asked her to come work as a museum aide.

How does the author’s use of the word FATEFUL impact the meaning of the passage?

• It makes Laybourne’s job at the Smithsonian seem exciting.

• It implies luck played a role in Laybourne getting the Smithsonian job.

• It suggests Laybourne planned to work at the Smithsonian prior to the call.

• It indicates the Smithsonian job had a significant effect on Laybourne’s life.

1. Read the sentences from the passage.

"I...knew how to wash and dry whole birds.  But getting single feathers that had gone through aircraft - now that was a whole new ball game." Laybourne said.

What idea is conveyed by the phrase "a whole new ball game"?

• Laybourne enjoys doing her work.

• Laybourne struggles to solve some problems.

• Laybourne is beginning a task that is unfamiliar.

• Laybourne is considering changing her career.

1. Read the quotation from bird scientist Carla Dove about Roxie Laybourne.

“She was just so dedicated, so devoted to studying feathers, and she got such joy out of it. It was like solving a puzzle to her.”

How does the author’s inclusion of the quotation contribute to the passage? Select TWO answers.

• It demonstrates the difficulty of Laybourne’s job.

• It shows how Laybourne became qualified for her job.

• It highlights that Laybourne is passionate about her work.

• It emphasizes Laybourne’s life’s work as a bird detective.

• It suggests Laybourne has made many friends through her work.

How does the author’s use of chronological order in the passage impact the reader?

• It demonstrates the importance of Laybourne’s job.

• It shows the development of Laybourne’s career as a bird detective.

• It suggests that researchers’ technology has improved over time.

• It indicates that airports are to blame for many problems birds face.

Which conclusion about Laybourne is supported by information in the passage?

• She struggled to find motivation in her childhood.

• She gained knowledge from observations and practice.

• She preferred to give assistance to airports rather than to farmers.

• She studied science to win the approval of her father and employers.

Which sentence BEST supports a conclusion that Laybourne preferred to help airports, instead of famers?

• The method of analysis that she developed, called “forensic ornithology,” is still used by bird detectives today.

• Often, she could be found wandering around in the forest, carrying an issue of the magazine Bird-Lore and studying the birds she found.

• To help support herself, she took a part-time job as a taxidermist at a museum in North Carolina.

• As Laybourne worked, she noticed that there were very small differences in the feather structures of some birds that were closely related.

• The FAA wanted to know what kinds of birds were flying into the engines so that they could find a way to prevent future collisions.