(MCAS) ELA Grade 4

English Language Arts 

The Massachusetts 

Comprehensive Assessment System 

(MCAS) 

Release of 

2002 

Test Items 

ELA 

Grade 4 

THE MASSACHUSETTS COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM: 1 

Release of Spring 2000, 2001 & 2002 Test Items 

Rev. 06/03 srm


aaSession 1, Reading Selection #1a1 

Bottles are used for many purposes. Read this selection about messages sent in bottles. 

Use information from the selection to answer the questions that follow. 

A Message from the Sea 

from Drift Bottles in History and Folklore 

by Dorothy B. Francis 

1 

For ages 

people have 

tossed message 

bottles into the 

sea. Sometimes 

these bottles are called drift bottles. They also are called drogues. A drogue is another name for a container 

used at sea. 

2 

Ancient Greeks learned about water currents by using drift bottles. One Greek writer wrote of using 

drogues in 300 B.C. He stood on a seawall in Athens. From there, he 

dropped drift bottles into the water. Each bottle carried a message. The message asked the finder to contact 

the writer. These bottles helped him learn about the flow of sea currents. 

. . . 

3 

Sometimes people on a sinking ship toss a message into the sea. Their drogue may be a cry for help. Or it 

may just be an account of the disaster. The victim may want people to know exactly what happened. His 

message may concern himself, his friends, and his ship. 

4 

One man aboard the British transport ship Kent wrote of its disaster. Major Duncan MacGregor knew his 

ship was in big trouble. It was going down. Nothing short of a miracle could save it. He doubted that anyone 

would survive to tell the tale. 

5 

He wrote an account of the wreck. Hoping someone would find it, he launched his story sealed in a bottle. 

Luckily, rescuers reached Major MacGregor. Once he was saved, his message bottle seemed less important. 

He was able to tell his story in person. 

6 

Major MacGregor lived in Barbados. He seldom thought of the bottle he had cast into the 

waves. But nine years after the Kent disaster, a servant approached him. The servant carried a bottle. Inside it 

was the message the major had tossed into the sea. 

7 

Believe it or not, the bottle had traveled more than 5,000 miles. It had washed ashore close to 

the major’s doorstep. The sea takes. And the sea returns. 

“A Message from the Sea” by Dorothy B. Francis from DRIFT BOTTLES IN HISTORY AND FOLKLORE © 1990 by Ballhoo 

Books. 



Rev. 06/03 srm


aaSession 1, Multiple-Choice Questionsan 

1 

What did the Greeks learn from the use of drift bottles 

C Art Code 040013I.AR1 

A. the height of the tide 

B. the way the sea level changes 

C. the times of the tides 

D. the way the currents flow 

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item 1: Literature/Learning Standard 8 

2 

Major MacGregor threw a bottle into the sea because he wanted 

A. a miracle to happen. 

B. his story to be told. 

C. to check the sea’s currents. 

D. to mark the disaster’s location. 


3 

What is the MAIN reason that it took nine years for Major MacGregor’s 

bottle to be found by his servant 

A. It had sunk in the water. 

B. It had traveled 5,000 miles. 

C. It went down with the ship. 

D. It was not seen by anyone. 


4 

What was so surprising about Major MacGregor’s servant finding his bottle 

A. The bottle was full of sand and water. 

B. The bottle was found near Major MacGregor’s home. 

C. The message was written in a foreign language. 

D. The message was missing from the bottle. 




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5 

040013I C 

6 

Why was the message in Major MacGregor’s bottle no longer important 

A. He lived to tell his own story. 

B. The bottle was lost at sea. 

C. His servant found the bottle. 

D. He forgot about writing the message. 


The word Kent is italicized (slanted print) in this selection to show that 

it is the name of 

A. a bottle. 

B. a book. 

C. a captain. 

D. a ship. 




Rev. 06/03 srm


aaSession 1, Open Response Questionan 

7 

According to the selection, drogues have two important uses. 

Describe ONE use and give information from the selection to 

support your answer. 


aaQuestion 7 Scoring Guide & Responsesaa 

Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

Description 

Response provides a clear description of one of the uses for a drogue. Relevant 

information is used to support the answer. 

Response provides a general description of one of the uses for a drogue. General 

information is used to support the answer. 

Response provides a partial description of one of the uses of a drogue. 

Information supporting the answer is vague or not developed. 

1 Response provides a vague description of one of the uses for a drogue. 

0 Response is totally incorrect or irrelevant. 

Blank No Response. 

Score Point 4 ` 

One use of a drogue is for a cry for help. three reasons why are. If someones ship is 

going down they could use it as a s.o.s. signal. Or if someone is hurt on your boat you 

can through one in the water and hope a doctor finds it. Even worse you could be 

stranded on an island and have someone rescue you. This is why it’s a good idea to 

through a bottle in the water. 



Rev. 06/03 srm



The important thing was the message in the bottle and they found has the current 

moving. I am going to wright about the message in the bottle. This was a good use 

because it could send letters across the sea and as I read it could be a cry for help or it 

could tell other people were they are. It is a good use because it is an other way for a 

mail man but they could call it the mail-bottle. It is a good use to contact people who 

are far away. 

That’s why the message in a bottle is a good use. 

The end. 


Drogues can be used as ways to send for help because a person mite not won’t to die 

or is trying to get home from were the person was. 


The one I like is trowing bodies into the sea from a abanded island because if it were 

the ship it would of sunk by the time somebody got their. 


Drogues are used for maybe keeping nice and new. If I had a ship reck and I had to 

watch in a Drogues it would be nice and clean stain free but the only thing that is bad 

is I would not get it back. 



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Often, little brothers and sisters can be very helpful to each other. Read this selection about how 

Kelly’s little sister helped him with the clam tide. Use information from the selection to answer the 

questions that follow. 

Clam Tide 

by Kristine L. Franklin 

040015L C Art Code 040015L.AR1 

1 

“Clam tide!” my brother yelled as he leaped out of bed and threw on his clothes. I got up and 

peeked out the window. The water was so far out that it looked like a shiny silver line beyond the 

beach. 

2 

“Can I go” I asked, stifling a yawn and trying hard to look wide awake. 

3 

“Naw,” he said. He laced up his old tennis shoes . “It’s hard work, and you’re too little .” The 

door banged as he rushed out. 

4 

“Mama-a-a!” I hollered in my loudest, saddest voice . “Kelly won’t take me clam digging.” I 

started to cry because I was disappointed, but mostly because I was mad at my brother. 

5 

Soon I was following him down to the tide flats. I had to walk fast, because now my brother 

was mad at me. He swung the bucket in one hand and held the clam shovel in the other, and I 

could tell by the way he took giant steps that he wished I was home. But Mom had said I could go. 

6 

“Hurry up,” he said, without turning around . “The tide won’t stay out all day, you know.” 

When we got to the edge of the beach, the ground was covered with rocks and smelled like rotten 

seaweed and dead barnacles. We hiked down the slope toward the water. 

7 

Beyond the rocky beach the tide flats were muddy. It was the oozy kind of mud that sucks off 

your shoes if you stand too long in one place. I had a hard time hurrying through that stuff, and so 

did Kelly. Once, he had to stop and slowly, carefully pull his foot up so he wouldn’t lose a shoe. I 

giggled at the sound it made coming out. My brother gave me a nasty look. 

8 

After that his feet kept getting stuck, so he tried 

tiptoeing across the mud. Next he tried hopping. 

Then he tried running fast with little tiny steps. I 

followed him, imitating everything he did. 

9 

By the time we got to the clam-digging place, 

we were covered with blobs and splatters and teeny 

freckles of stinky black mud. My side hurt. I don’t 

know if it was from running or from too much 

laughing. 

10 

Kelly put one foot on the clam shovel and 

pushed it hard into the mud. “When I bring up a 

shovelful, your job is to look for clams.” My brother 

liked to give me jobs. He heaved a huge, dripping 

pile of muck in front of me. It plopped all over my 

shoes. 



Rev. 06/03 srm


11 

I stuck my hands into the mess and began 

feeling for the hard little clams. “Got one!” I said. I 

rinsed off my prize in clean salt water. Kelly kept 

digging and plopping down the piles. 

12 

Clam by clam, the bucket began to fill. I was choosy about which ones to keep. If they were 

too big or too little, I tossed them into the shallow water nearby. The big ones splashed my brother. 

13 

“How many clams is that” Kelly asked me as he flung down an especially gooey load. 

14 

“Fifty-three,” I said. There was a rule that each person could only take thirty clams a day, so I 

was counting them. I felt through the new pile for a few more. 

15 

Now I was kneeling in three inches of water, separating clams from rocks as fast as I could. 

“The tide is coming in,” I said. My brother pretended to ignore me, but worked a little faster. His 

feet and legs were sunk down into the mud, and it made him look short. The water in the hole he 

had made was getting deeper. 

16 

“That’s sixty,” I said, tossing the last clam into the bucket. “Thirty for you, thirty for me. Let’s 

go.” I looked at my big brother and suddenly realized he was scared. Very scared. 

17 

“I’m stuck,” he said. He was trying to sound brave. 

18 

“Pull one foot up and then the other.” The water around my own ankles made me nervous. 

19 

“I already tried it.” He squirmed and tried it again. The more he moved, the deeper he went. 

20 

“Dig in your shovel, and pull yourself out,” I said. He tried it. The shovel fell over. 

21 

“It’s too mushy. It won’t work!” He didn’t sound brave anymore. I looked around frantically 

for firm ground away from the hole and the loose mud. I wished I was big enough to pull him out. 

I wished it was me stuck in the mud instead of Kelly. 

22 

A few feet away, the ground wasn’t as gooey. The water came to just above my ankles. I 

quickly skinned off my jeans and stood there in my bathing suit. 

23 

“What are you doing Are you crazy” Now my brother’s voice sounded funny. He was crying. 

I threw him the legs of my jeans. 

24 

“You pull on that end, and I’ll pull on this end.” I took hold of the top end. 

25 

“You’re not strong enough!” he cried . “I’ll pull you over.” But then he tried. I didn’t fall over. I 

sank down into the mud. 

26 

“Keep pulling!” I screamed at him. It took a while, but soon I could see it was working. Kelly 

was climbing hand over hand, up my jeans and out of his hole, and I was sinking farther into mine. 

I held on. The water crept up around my hips. 

27 

“Yahhhh!” Kelly yelled as he pulled free. He scrambled up and got his footing. He took two 

big splashing steps and stood above me . “It’s OK. Don’t be scared.” 

28 

My brother grabbed me under the arms and pulled so hard it hurt. For one horrible second, 

nothing happened. Then the mud let go. 

29 

He lifted me up and hugged me. He pressed his cheek against mine, and all our tears and dirty 

freckles smeared together. “Let’s get away from here,” he said. He carried me out of the water and 

beyond the reach of the tide. 

30 

Kelly put me down gently and started across the flats. This time I didn’t walk behind him, and 

we didn’t hurry. The bucket, the clams, the shovel, my old blue jeans—all were lost and forgotten. 

31 

We didn’t talk much on the way home, but we squeezed hands a couple of times and grinned a 

lot. Whenever one of our feet got stuck in the mud, we laughed together at the funny sound it made 

coming out. 

Copyright © 1991 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio 



Rev. 06/03 srm


aSession 1, Multiple-Choice Questionsan 

8 

Why did Kelly not want his sister to go clamming with him 

A. He would have to share his clams with her. 

B. He thought she would tell where he dug his clams. 

C. He was afraid that she would get hurt. 

D. He thought she was too little and could not help. 


9 

Reread paragraph 7. Which word BEST describes the “tide flats” 

A. grassy 

B. steep 

C. slippery 

D. gooey 


10 

According to this selection, why was the little sister “choosy” about the 

clams 

A. She wanted only the big clams. 

B. She could only carry one bucket at a time. 

C. Many of the clams were dirty. 

D. There was a limit on the number they could keep. 


11 

The author describes the mud on the children as 

A. freckles. 

B. muck. 

C. barnacles. 

D. seaweed. 


12 

According to this selection, why did Kelly get stuck in the mud 

A. He dug too many clams. 

B. He fell into a clam hole. 

C. The bucket weighed too much. 

D. The tide was coming in. 




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13 

Other words for a clam tide are 

A. high tide. 

B. low tide. 

C. rip tide. 

D. red tide. 


14 

You MIGHT find another selection like “Clam Tide” in a book of 

A. tall tales. 

B. fairy tales. 

C. ancient myths. 

D. realistic fiction. 

Read the sentence in the box below. 


aaThe water came to just above my ankles.aaaa 

15 

The SUBJECT of this sentence is 

A. water. 

B. came. 

C. above. 

D. ankles. 




Rev. 06/03 srm



16 

Kelly’s feelings toward his sister changed at the end of this story. 

Describe how they changed and tell why. Use specific details from 

the selection in your answer. 



Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

Description 

Response provides a full explanation of why and how Kelly’s feelings changed 

toward his sister. Specific details from the selection are included to support the 

explanation.. 

Response provides an explanation of why and how Kelly’s feelings changed 

toward his sister. Details from the selection are included to support the 

explanation. 

Response provides a partial explanation of how or why Kelly’s relationship 

changed toward his sister. Limited details from the selection are included in the 

answer. 

1 Response provides a vague statement about Kelly and his sister. 




Kelly’s feelings toward his sister changed a the end of this story because his sister 

saved him from sinking in the sand at the beach. In the beginning of the story, Kelly 

did not want his little sister to tag along with him to the beach. But after Kelly’s 

mother said it was okay Kelly had no choice but to take his sister clamdigging with 

him. At first, Kelly was mad at his sister for tagging along. When they got to the 

beach, they both started clam hunting. After they were done collecting clams they 

were about to leave the beach when Kelly realized he was stuck in the sand. His sister 

rescued him by using her jeans for Kelly to hold on to. On the walk home, Kelly was 

glad that his sister tagged along and that’s how his feelings changed. 



Rev. 06/03 srm



At first Kelly thought his sister was annoying because he didn’t want her to com to help 

dig for clams at the beach. He thought it would be too hard for her to help. In the end 

though he learned a lesson because he was stuck in a mud pit and she helped him get 

out. He was happy that she had helped him. 


Kelly’s feelings changed at the end of the story because his little sister had saved him 

from getting stuck in the clam tide and dying. I don’t think Kelly felt this way at the 

beginning. He just thought his sister wouldn’t do him any good but when the story was 

ending, I think then he realized how helpful his little sister was and was thankful for 

what she had done for him. 


Kelly’s feeling changed because his sister saved him from the high tide. Kelly could 

have died but he didn’t because his sister saved him. 


Because he thougth she could not do the hard work but she did it anyway and that 

surprised him alot. 



Rev. 06/03 srm


Session 2, Reading Selection #1a2 

Read this selection to find out what happens to Alice when she follows the rabbit and falls down a 

hole in the ground. Use information from the selection to answer the questions that follow. 

Down the Rabbit-hole 

from Alice in Wonderland 

by Lewis Carroll 

040017L C Art Code 040017L.AR1 

1 

Alice was getting very tired of sitting next to her sister on the bank, with nothing to do. She 

had looked at her sister’s book, but it had no pictures in it. Alice did not see the point of a book 

without pictures. 

2 

Alice was beginning to wonder whether she should make a daisy-chain, when suddenly a 

White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. There was nothing strange about that, and Alice was 

not even very surprised when she heard the Rabbit say to itself, “Oh dear! I shall be so late!” But 

when the Rabbit took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, Alice jumped to her feet and ran across 

the field after it. She was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole. Alice followed it never 

giving a thought as to how she would get out again. 

3 

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel. Suddenly, Alice found herself falling down what 

seemed to be a very large hole. Either the hole was very deep or she was falling very slowly, for 

she had plenty of time to look around her as she fell. 

4 

At first, she tried to look down but it was too dark to see anything. Then she looked at the 

sides, and noticed they were filled with cupboards and bookshelves. She took down a jar from one 

of the shelves as she passed. It was labelled “ORANGE MARMALADE” but it was empty. She 

put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past. 

5 

Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end “I wonder how many miles I have 

fallen” said Alice to herself. “I must be near the centre of the earth by now. I wonder if I shall fall 

right through the earth!” 

6 

Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so Alice started to talk again. “Dinah will 

miss me very much tonight.” (Dinah was her cat.) “I hope they give her a saucer of milk at 

dinner-time.” Alice started to get very sleepy. She felt that she was dozing off, and had just began 

to dream that she was walking hand in hand with Dinah, when suddenly, thump! Thump! Thump! 

Down she came upon a heap of dry sticks and leaves. The fall was over. 

7 

Alice was not hurt, she jumped to her feet and looked up to see 

how far she had actually fallen but it was too dark to see anything. In 

front of her was another long passage. The White Rabbit was hurrying 

down it. Quickly Alice followed. She heard the Rabbit say as it turned 

a corner, “Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it is getting!” Alice was 

close behind as she turned the corner, but the Rabbit had disappeared. 

She found herself in a long, low hall. There were doors all round the 

hall, but they were all locked and when Alice had been all the way 

down one side and up the other trying every door, she walked sadly 

down the middle wondering how she was ever going to get out again. 

8 

Suddenly she came across a three-legged table, made of glass. The 

only thing on the table was a tiny golden key. 

"Down the Rabbit-hole" from ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll. In the public domain. 



Rev. 06/03 srm


aSession 2, Multiple-Choice Questionsan 

21 

At the beginning of this selection, Alice is in a 

A. hall. 

B. tunnel. 

C. cupboard. 

D. field. 


22 

Alice PROBABLY followed the rabbit because it 

A. could talk. 

B. had pink eyes. 

C. was late. 

D. had a watch. 


23 

In paragraphs 5 and 6, the author keeps repeating the word down 

in order to 

A. make the story longer. 

B. show Alice had a long fall. 

C. make the lines rhyme. 

D. keep the reader’s interest. 


24 

According to this selection, why did Alice think she was near “the center 

of the earth” 

A. It was hot in the rabbit-hole. 

B. All she could see was dirt. 

C. She had fallen a long way. 

D. The hole was filled with cupboards. 




Rev. 06/03 srm


Alice was getting very tired of sitting next 

to her sister on the bank, with nothing to do. 

25 

In the sentence above, the word bank is used as 

A. a noun. 

B. an adjective. 

C. a verb. 

D. an adverb. 


Use the dictionary entry to select the meaning of the word pop in the 

sentence below. 

pop (pop) v. 1. to make a sudden, explosive sound; 2. to go or come suddenly; 3. to 

shoot at something; 4. to bulge from the socket. 

26 

“She was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole.” 

A. definition 1 

B. definition 2 

C. definition 3 

D. definition 4 


27 

This selection is an example of a 

A. biography. 

B. fantasy. 

C. myth. 

D. tall tale. 




Rev. 06/03 srm



28 

Describe what Alice saw, heard, and felt when she fell down the rabbithole. 

Use specific information from the selection to support your answer. 



Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

Description 

Response provides a full description of what Alice saw, heard, and felt when she 

fell down the rabbit-hole. Specific details from the selection are included in the 

response. 

Response provides a general description of what Alice saw, heard, and felt when 

she fell down the rabbit-hole. Details from the selection are included in the 

response. 

Response provides a limited description of what Alice saw, heard, and felt when 

she fell down the rabbit-hole. Details are vague or missing in describing what 

Alice saw, heard, or felt. 

1 Response provides a vague statement about Alice falling down the rabbit-hole. 




When Alice fell down the rabbit-hole it was very dark. She first saw cupboards and 

bookshelves which had a jar of marmalade on it. When Alice picked up the jar she 

noticed it was empty. She also saw doors, a three legged table and a golden key. 

While she was falling she heard a rabbit talking. It was saying “Oh dear, On my ears 

and whiskers, How late it is getting!” 

Alice felt worried about her cat, Dinah, she wondered if anyone would give her a mild 

saucer for dinner. 

Alice saw, heard and felt these things when she fell down the rabbit-hole. 



Rev. 06/03 srm



Alice saw a bunch of cupboards when she fell down the rabbit hole. Alice heard the 

rabbit talking. Alice felt scared and exicted to fall down a long long rabbit hole. 


Alice felt many things. She felt a little scared. She felt worried about her cat. She also 

thought, “when will this fall end! She also saw many cupboards and shelves. That’s 

what she saw and felt. 


She felt really scared. 


She probably felt worms, dirt, and, air because worms live in the dirt and felt dirt 

because she has been touching dirt. 



Rev. 06/03 srm



You have seen birds use their wings to fly. Do you know what else they use 

Read the article below. Use information from the article to answer the questions that follow. 

Feet for Flight 

by Michael L. May 

1 

Birds fly with their wings, right But did you know that many birds also use their feet to fly 

Some birds need them for takeoffs and landings. Other birds use their feet to control flight speed 

or body temperature. 

2 

In order for the American coot to get off the ground, it must make a running start across the 

water. Other birds, such as the mallard duck, can jump right out of the water and into flight. But 

coots are too heavy and need to build up speed. Like an airplane rolling down the runway, a coot 

runs across the surface of the water until it reaches flight speed, then lifts off and flaps away. 

3 

Being airborne doesn’t mean that the footwork is over. Some birds use their feet to slow down 

in flight. Now, it might seem that a bird could just stop flapping its wings and reduce speed. But 

it’s not that simple. If you stop pedaling your bicycle when you’re going downhill, you’ll 

eventually slow down when you reach the bottom. But you still need brakes. Without brakes, 

flying birds and speeding bicycles can’t stop fast enough. 

4 

One bird that uses its feet as air brakes is 

the graylag goose. When this bird comes in 

for a landing, it dangles its feet like small 

parachutes. The rushing air pushes against the 

broad, webbed feet and slows the goose down, 

allowing it to make a smooth landing in the 

water. 

5 

For some birds, even air brakes are not 

enough. Mute swans extend their webbed feet 

forward when landing. When their feet hit the 

water, the swans ski across the surface until 

they gradually slow and plop safely into the 

pond or lake. 

6 

Flying is a tough business that requires 

lots of energy. Because birds work hard when 

they fly, they get hot. And if they can’t cool 

down, they overheat like a car on a hot 

summer day. During flight, hot blood flows 

to the bird’s body, much as a radiator cools a car engine. Pigeons can release over half of their extra 

heat through their feet. Herring gulls rely on their feet to remove 80 percent of the heat generated by 

flight. 

7 

So bird flight is more than just feathers and wings. It’s feet, too. Whether taking off or landing, 

reducing speed or body temperature, birds depend on their feet for flight. 

© Michael L. May 



Rev. 06/03 srm


aaSession 3, Multiple-Choice Questionsan 

Read the question in the box below. 

Birds fly with their wings, right 

29 

The author PROBABLY begins the article with the question in the box 

above 

A. because he wants an answer. 

B. because it is about birds. 

C. to state the main idea. 

D. to gain the reader’s attention. 

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for item 29: Literature/Learning Standard 13 

30 

According to the article, bird feet can be used like 

A. brakes. 

B. car engines. 

C. wings. 

D. airport runways. 


31 

In paragraph 4, the author writes, “it dangles its feet like small parachutes.” This is an 

example of a 

A. synonym. 

B. simile. 

C. summary. 

D. subject. 


32 

According to the article, how are the American coot, the graylag goose, and the mute 

swan similar 

A. the way they take off 

B. their weight and size 

C. they use their feet for flight 

D. the way they land in water 




Rev. 06/03 srm


33 

The author compares a bird’s feet during flight to a car’s 

A. bumper. 

B. radiator. 

C. trunk. 

D. hood. 


34 

The last sentence in the article is important because it 

A. summarizes the main points of the article. 

B. asks questions to be answered in the next selection. 

C. gives new information about feathers and wings. 

D. tells you what to do about bird’s feathers. 


C 

Read the sentence in the box below. 

Herring gulls rely on their feet 

to remove 80 percent of the heat 

generated by flight. 

35 

In the sentence in the box above, the word generated means 

A. caused. 

B. used. 

C. stopped. 

D. allowed. 




Rev. 06/03 srm



36 

Describe THREE ways that birds use their feet in flight. Use information 

from the article to support your answer. 



Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

Description 

Response provides a full explanation of three ways that birds use their feet in 

flight. Relevant information from the article is used to support the explanation. 

Response provides an explanation of three ways that birds use their feet in flight. 

Information is included from the selection but some is weak or underdeveloped. 

Response provides a limited explanation of three ways that birds use their feet in 

flight. Two ways are explained with information from the selection included to 

support the explanation. 

1 Response provides a minimal explanation of one way a bird uses its feet in flight. 




Here are three way birds use feet in flight. First they use their feet like brakes one 

example is the graylag goose it dangles its feet like a parachute before landing. 

Another way is they use feet for take off the American coot runs along the water 

before taking off. The last thing is they we their feet like radiators the herring gulls 

rely on their feet to remove 80 percent of the heat gained during flight. That was 

three way birds use their feet in flight. 


1. Some birds use their feet to get a running start and to gain speed. 

2. Some birds use their feet as air brakes. 

3. Some birds use their feet to slow down in flight. 



Rev. 06/03 srm



Birds use their feet in flight so they can slow down, run for a take of before they fly, 

and they use their feet to control flight speed or body temperature. 


Coot’s run across the water to take off. The gray lag goose take off by jumping. The 

pigeons jump to fly. 


Birds use their feets to eat to stand and drink water. They only stand in there feet to 

do touse thing also wen ther taead and they want to see things and that’s why birds 

stand in their feets But they don’t walk they fly. The End. 



Rev. 06/03 srm





Release of 

2001 

Test Items 





Rev. 06/03 srm



Read this selection about a girl who forgot something important on the school bus and is 

faced with a big problem. Answer the questions that follow. 

38 

The Skirt 

by Gary Soto 

After stepping off the bus, Miata Ramirez turned around 

and gasped, “Ay!” The school bus lurched, coughed a puff 

of stinky exhaust, and made a wide turn at the corner. The 

driver strained as he worked the steering wheel like the 

horns of a bull. 

Miata yelled for the driver to stop. She started running 

after the bus. Her hair whipped against her shoulders. A 

large book bag tugged at her arm with each running step, 

and bead earrings jingled as they banged against her neck. 

“My skirt!” she cried loudly. “Stop!” 

She had forgotten her folklórico skirt. It was still on 

the bus. 

• • • 

“Please stop!” Miata yelled as she ran after the bus. 

Her legs kicked high and her lungs burned from 

exhaustion. 

She needed that skirt. On Sunday after church she 

was going to dance folklórico. Her troupe had practiced 

for three months. If she was the only girl without a 

costume, her parents would wear sunglasses out of 

embarrassment. Miata didn’t want that. 

The skirt had belonged to her mother when she was a 

child in Hermosillo, Mexico. What is Mom going to think 

Miata asked herself. Her mother was always scolding Miata 

for losing things. She lost combs, sweaters, books, lunch 

money, and homework. One time she even lost 

her shoes at school. She had left them on the baseball field where she had raced against two boys. 

When she returned to get them, the shoes were gone. 

Worse, she had taken her skirt to school to show off. She wanted her friends to see it. The skirt 

was old, but a rainbow of shiny ribbons still made it pretty. She put it on during lunchtime and 

danced for some of her friends. Even a teacher stopped to watch. 

What am I going to do now Miata asked herself. She slowed to a walk. Her hair had come undone. 

She felt hot and sticky. 



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She could hear the bus stopping around the corner. Miata thought of running through a neighbor’s 

yard. But that would only get her in trouble. 

“Oh, man,” Miata said under her breath. She felt like throwing herself on the ground and crying. 

But she knew that would only make things worse. Her mother would ask, “Why do you get so 

dirty all the time” 

What am I going to do now she asked herself. She prayed that Ana [her friend] would find 

the skirt on the bus. She’s got to see it, Miata thought. It’s right there. Just look, Ana. 

As Miata rounded the corner onto her block she saw her brother, Little Joe, and his friend Alex. 

They were walking with cans smashed onto the heels of their shoes, laughing and pushing each 

other. Their mouths were fat with gum. 

Little Joe waved a dirty hand at Miata. Miata waved back and tried to smile. 

If Ana doesn’t pick up the skirt, she thought, I’ll have to dance in a regular skirt. It was Friday, 

late afternoon. It looked like a long weekend of worry. 

• • • 

• • • 

From THE SKIRT by Gary Soto. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez, copyright © 1992 by Gary Soto. Illustrations 

© 1992 by Eric Velasquez. Used by permission of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random 

House, Inc. 



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aSession 1, Multiple-Choice Questionsn 

2 

In the first paragraph, the author states that the driver “. . . worked the steering 

wheel like the horns of a bull.” This is an example of 

A. a synonym. 

B. a simile. 

C. dialect. 

D. slang. 

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for item 2: /Literature/Learning Standard 15 

3 

C 

The word folklórico comes from 

A. classical music. 

B. New England dialect. 

C. a language other than English. 

D. standard American English. 


4 

C 

Why did Miata take the skirt to school 

A. She was proud of it. 

B. She was in a class play. 

C. It was her day for “Show and Tell.” 

D. Ana wanted to borrow it. 


5 

From this selection, we can tell that Miata is 

A. tall. 

B. forgetful. 

C. smart. 

D. funny. 




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6 

The selection ends with the statement, “It looked like a long weekend of 

worry.” Explain this statement, using specific information from the selection in 

your answer. 



Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Description 

Response demonstrates full comprehension of the selection and the ability to use 

the text to predict future events. Specific, relevant information from the selection 

is included in the response. 

Response demonstrates a general understanding of the selection and the ability 

to use the text to predict some possible future events. Relevant general 

information from the selection is included. 

Response demonstrates a limited understanding of the selection with a minimal 

ability to use the text to make predictions about future events. Support from the 

selection in minimal, vague, or partially incorrect. 

Response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the selection. No support 

from the selection is included. 


Blank No response. 

View Sample Student Work at Each Score Point 


The statement “It looked like a long weekend of worry” was used because of a guilty 

conshense. Miata was worried her mom would find out and get mad. On Sunday she 

would not have a folklorico to wear. Miata felt gilty because it was her mom’s skirt 

and it was very old. 

Miata kept worrying about it and it wouldn’t leave her mind. She was scared her 

parents would wear sunglasses because of embarrassment and Miata didn’t want that. 

Miata was going to be the only one without a costume. This is why Miata was going to 

have a long weekend of worry. 



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When it said “It looked like a long weekend of worry” meant that if her friend didn’t 

find the skirt she would have to worry about it all weekend. And she would have to 

dance in a regular skirt on Sunday. She would be the only girl with out a costume. 

And her troop for 3 months and she woulden’t have a costume. 


Because she is depending on Ana to see it and she worried “What if Ana doesn’t see it” 

like when it saids “she prayed. Ana would find the skirt on the bus.” She really wants 

her to find it. 


She would spend her weekend worrying about the skirt. 


I think that it was a long weekend for Ana because she have to go to school but she did 

not go to school because the bus go to school. 



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Read the selections about bicycles and answer the questions that follow. 

Michael Built a Bicycle 

by Jack Prelutsk 

Students read a passage titled “Michael Built a Bicycle” and then answered 

questions 7 through 15. 

Due to copyright restrictions, the passage cannot be released to the public 

in this document. 

Reading Passage: 

TEXT COPYRIGHT © 1984 by JACK PRELUTSKY 

Used by permission of Harper Collins Publishers. 



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Are you well prepared to be a safe bicycle rider Read these rules to see. 

Bicycle Rules of the Road 

• Know and follow all the bicycle rules for riding in your city or town. 

• Put front and rear reflectors and pedal reflectors on your bike. 

• Wear a helmet to protect your head. 

• Always use hand signals for slowing down, stopping, or turning. 

• Keep both hands on the handlebars except when giving hand signals. 

• Ride on the right side of the road with the flow of traffic. 

• When riding with others, always ride single file. 

• Watch out for people walking. 

• Watch out for cars pulling into traffic. 

• Watch out for car doors being opened suddenly. 

• Slow down before crossing streets. 

• Walk your bike across busy street crossings. 

• Do not carry other people on your bike. 

• Never stunt ride or show off. 

• Always lock your bike when not in use. 

“Bicycle Rules of the Road” from A SOFT PILLOW FOR AN ARMADILLO in HEATH READING by 

Alvermann, et al. Copyright © 1989 by D.C. Heath & Company. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin 

Company. All rights reserved. 

040049I C Art Code 040049I.AR1, 040049I.AR1D 



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7 

The selection “Bicycle Rules of the Road” can best be classified as 

A. informational writing. 

B. diary writing. 

C. poetic writing. 

D. descriptive writing. 


8 

Which behavior breaks the “Bicycle Rules of the Road” 

A. signaling when you turn left 

B. wearing gloves in cold weather 

C. riding single file on back roads 

D. sharing your seat while you pedal 


9 

According to the diagram, the sprocket is on the 

A. handlebars. 

B. front wheel. 

C. back wheel. 

D. pedals. 


10 

In the diagram, the saddle is another word for the 

A. brake. 

B. seat. 

C. gears. 

D. handlebars. 


11 

As used in the diagram, the word spoke is a 

A. noun. 

B. verb. 

C. adjective. 

D. pronoun. 




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12 

In the third stanza of the poem, “Michael Built a Bicycle,” the word 

bumbershoot most likely means 

A. a door. 

B. an axle. 

C. an umbrella. 

D. a curtain. 


13 

Why is the first word in each stanza of the poem capitalized 

A. They are proper nouns. 

B. Each begins a sentence. 

C. A section of the poem ends. 

D. A rhyme pattern begins. 


14 

Michael’s bicycle is described as unsuitable for speed. This means that the 

bicycle is 

A. under the speed. 

B. not made for speed. 

C. likely to speed. 

D. built to speed. 




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15 

Explain why Michael’s bicycle would be unsuitable for speed. Use THREE 

details from the selections to support your explanation. 



Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Description 

Response fully explains why Michael's bicycle would be unsuitable for speed. 

Response makes a connection between the number of accessories and the lack of 

parts to the bicycle's unsuitability for speed. 3 relevant details are included to 

support the explanation. 

Response generally explains why Michael's bicycle would be unsuitable for 

speed. Response makes a connection between the number of accessories and the 

lack of parts to the bicycle's unsuitability for speed. 3 details from the selection 

are included but only 2 support the explanation. 

Response explains bicycle's unsuitability for speed using EITHER what is lacking 

OR the unnecessary accessories. Relevant details are included to support the 

explanation. 

Response provides a general statement about either what is missing or what is 

unnecessary. 

OR 

Response lists details from the selection. 




Michael’s bike would be unsuitable for speed because there is not any place to put 

his feet to make the speed and to make the bike go. Michael’s feet have no room to put 

his feet there to make speed as I already said. Another thing is that he can’t even ride 

his bike because there isn’t any seat for him and if he can’t ride his bike then how can 

he put speed in his bike. There will be no speed in the bike because it will be heavy to 

pull the bike and so if it is to heavy to ride there won’t be any speed. So those are 

three details why it would be unsuitable for speed. 



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I think Michael’s bicycle didn’t work because he put to much stuff on it and it couldn’t 

take so much weight. And there wasn’t enough seat for him to sit on and there was no 

peddels for him to pedal, with and he put a desk so I think it would be hard to ride it. 


I think her bike is unsuitable for speed because it has a desk for typing letters, 

Michael left no room pedals, and theres no seat. 


I think it is not build for speed because It unsuitable for speed. all bicycles are not 

made for Also you would ruin your brakes. 


It will go slow. If it had no speed it will go really slow. 



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Read this selection about a valuable plant then answer the questions that follow. 

COTTON 

from Unraveling Fibers 

by Patricia A. Keeler and Francis X. McCall, Jr. 

Students read a passage titled “COTTON” and then answered 





Reprinted with the permission of Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & 

Schuster Children’s Publishing Division from UNRAVELING FIBERS by Patricia A. Keeler and 

Francis X. McCall, Jr. Text copyright © 1995 Patricia A. Keeler and Francis X. McCall, Jr. 



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20 

040034I C Art Code 040034I.AR1, 040034I.AR2, 040034I.AR3, 040034I.AR4, 040034I.AR5, 040034I.AR1D, 040034I.AR2D 

The MAIN purpose of this selection is to 

A. convince the reader to buy cotton products. 

B. describe the beauty of the cotton plant and its blossoms. 

C. describe the cotton picker and cotton gin. 

D. tell the reader how cotton is grown and harvested. 


21 

In the sentence, “When a cotton plant is about two months old, it begins to 

bloom,” the pronoun it replaces the word 

A. boll. 

B. plant. 

C. months. 

D. bloom. 


22 

Cotton fibers form around the 

A. bolls. 

B. pink flowers. 

C. stem of the plants. 

D. cottonseeds. 


23 

Farmers know that it is time to pick cotton when it 

A. turns pink. 

B. dries and fluffs out. 

C. forms a boll. 

D. falls off the plant. 


24 

Cotton is harvested in the 

A. fall. 

B. winter. 

C. spring. 

D. summer. 




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25 

The MAIN purpose of the pictures in this selection is to 

A. illustrate how cotton is planted. 

B. display the beauty of the cotton plant. 

C. show the stages of growth of cotton. 

D. demonstrate how cotton is picked. 


26 

What does the cotton gin do 

A. It rinses the cotton clean. 

B. It picks the cotton. 

C. It separates fibers from seeds. 

D. It bales the cotton. 

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item : Literature/Learning Standard 

27 

The many twists in the cotton fiber makes cotton 

A. expensive. 

B. warm. 

C. stretchy. 

D. scratchy. 




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28 

In your own words, explain how cotton grows from seed to harvest. Use 

specific information from the selection in your answer. 



Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Description 

Response demonstrates a clear, literal understanding of informational text and 

identifies, sequences, and summarizes main events. Specific, relevant 

information from the selection is included. 

Response demonstrates an appropriate, literal understanding of informational 

text and identifies, sequences, and summarizes main events. General support 

from the selection is included. 

Response demonstrates a partial understanding of the text. There is limited 

support from the selection. 

Response demonstrates a vague understanding of the text. There is no support 

from the selection. 




The way cotton is grown is first farmers plant it in the spring. Two months later 

the cotton seeds begins to bloom and the farmer pick it. The color of it at first is 

creamy white. Then the flower turns pink, and then red. Three days after it turns red 

it dies and turns brown. Out of the tip of the brown flower comes a green boll which is 

a seedpod. Several months later it grows to the size of a Ping-Pong boll and inside the 

boll moist cotton fibers form around the cotton seeds. The beginning of fall the cotton 

seeds are four feet tall and most of the brown bolls have popped open and have cotton 

inside them which begins to fluff out and dry up. Then the farmers cut the cotton 

taking a long time. Next the cotton gin pulls the cotton fibers away from the seeds. 

Finaly the cotton is dried bundled and sent off to be used! 



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There are a lot of steps a cotten flower has to do before it grows cotton. Every flower 

on a plant is very white. After a little wile the flower is pink, the red. After three days 

the plant dies, then the flower is pushed on a nothe green cotton ball. After some 

months it grows to the size of a ping pong ball. In the fall the plant is four feet. Some 

of the bolls show their cotton. The cotten begins to drie up and fluff. It is to start 

harvest. 


In the spring the farmer must plant the cotton seeds. Then they wiat a kouple of 

weeks for them to bloom. First they bloom into nice pink flowers then to red. After red 

it dies and the cotten is ready to be harvested. 


First it is a seed. Then when it is two months it starts to bloom. Finally it dies and 

then turns into a new, green cotton boll. 


a. One reason is because it costs less to harvest cotton fibers then most other fibers 

used to make cloth 



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The introduction below is told by a man called Uncle Karl who lived at the same time as 

Beethoven. The letters that follow were exchanged between Uncle Karl and his nephew, 

Christoph. Read the introduction and the letters and answer the questions that follow. 

From 

Beethoven Lives Upstairs 

by Barbara Nichol 

Students read a passage titled “Beethoven Lives Upstairs” and then answered 





From BEETHOVEN LIVES UPSTAIRS by Barbara Nichol, illustrated by Scott Cameron. Text 

copyright © 1993 by Classical Productions for Children Limited. Reprinted by permission of 

Orchard Books, New York. All rights reserved. 



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29 

What part of speech is the word flooded in the phrase “. . . the people of 

Vienna flooded into the streets” 

A. noun 

B. verb 

C. preposition 

D. adjective 


30 

Why is Ludwig van Beethoven still famous more than 150 years after his 

death 

A. He was a great church man. 

B. Many people still read his books. 

C. He was a great composer. 

D. Christoph wrote letters about him. 


31 

In the introduction, we learn that nine priests blessed Beethoven’s coffin. This 

helps the reader conclude that Beethoven was 

A. old. 

B. clever. 

C. deaf. 

D. important. 


32 

Christoph’s uncle said he was surprised that his nephew had written to him. 

Why did Christoph write to his uncle 

A. Christoph wanted to help his uncle. 

B. He wanted his uncle’s help. 

C. He did not have any friends. 

D. Bonn was his favorite city. 




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33 

Which term best describes the TONE of Christoph’s letter to his uncle 

A. humorous 

B. serious 

C. sarcastic 

D. cheerful 


34 

In Christoph’s letter, the words “Dear Uncle” are the part of a letter called 

A. the body. 

B. the greeting. 

C. the heading. 

D. the closing. 


35 

The phrase “dreadful noise” is found in the third paragraph of Christoph’s 

letter. What does the word dreadful mean 

A. hopeful 

B. careful 

C. awful 

D. helpful 


36 

According to Uncle Karl, what accounts for Beethoven’s strange behavior 

A. The twins cry all day. 

B. He misses Bonn, his hometown. 

C. The weather bothers him. 

D. He is working on a symphony. 




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37 

Describe what the reader can learn about Ludwig van Beethoven from Uncle 

Karl’s introduction and the letters. Use THREE details from the introduction 

and the letters in your answer. 



Scoring Guide 

Score 

4 

3 

2 

Description 

Response provides a full description of what the reader can learn about 

Beethoven from Uncle Karl's introduction and the letters. 3 relevant details from 

the introduction and letters are included to support the description. 

Response provides an explanation of what the reader can learn about Beethoven 

from Uncle Karl's introduction and the letters. 2 relevant details from the 

selection are included to support the description. 

Response provides a limited description of what the reader can learn about 

Beethoven. 1 relevant detail from the letters or the introduction is included. 

1 Response provides a vague statement about Beethoven. 



View Sample Student Work at Each Score Point 


1. Beethoven was a very famous composer. People flooded the streets to pay 

respects to his death. Also, he was very important, because three priests came to bless 

his coffin. Ludwig was also deaf. He always wakes up the twins by stomping his feet. 

But it isn’t his fault, he can’t hear what he is doing. 


1. Beethoven was a great composer. 

2. On Thursday March 29 1827 the people of Vienna flooded into the street. 

3. Beethoven was deaf. 



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I learn that Ludwig van Beethoven die and still famous and uncle karl want to know 

about Beethoven and the letter about Beethoven. 


I can learn that he is dead. They used to write letters to each other. 


He could learn to be more softer when he is walking, and to listen more to people, he 

could be more cleaner and more helpful. 



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Release of 

2000 

Test Items 





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There are many ways that dogs show that they are our friends. 

Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow. 

From: 

Dogs Giving a Hand 

by Catherine O’Neill 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

As traffic comes to a halt at a busy intersection, a Labrador 

retriever steps off the curb. The dog walks confidently to the 

other of the street. His owner, a blind college student, 

walks side just behind him, holding on to the handle of the dog’s 

leather harness. 

For the student, owning a well-trained dog guide means 

freedom and independence. The student can go to and from 

class without depending on anyone else for help. 

Working in partnership with a dog guide, a blind person can 

go almost anywhere a sighted person can. Together, dog and owner 

walk up and down stairs. They board subways and buses. They go to 

restaurants. The dog acts as the blind person’s eyes, 

guiding its owner safely wherever they go. 

Dog guides for the blind are probably the most familiar of the service dogs. But did you 

know that dogs also act as ears for the deaf Hearing dogs learn to notice such important sounds 

as those made by alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke detectors, sirens, and crying babies. They alert 

their owners to a noise, and let them know where the sound is coming from. Dogs can be helpful 

partners for physically disabled people, too. At Canine Companions for Independence, in Santa 

Rosa, California, dogs learn to respond to 89 commands. These dogs can push elevator buttons 

with their paws and pull wheelchairs up steep walkways. They carry their owners’ belongings in 

special dogpacks, open and close doors, turn on lights, and even pay for purchases. For some disabled 

children, having a canine companion gives them the chance to go places they’ve never gone 

before. The dogs often enable adults to take jobs and live on their own for the first time. 

At some hospitals and nursing homes, dog visitors actually help improve the physical as well 

as the mental health of patients. Researchers have discovered that stroking an animal lowers a 

person’s blood pressure. Because high blood pressure can lead to many illnesses, including heart 

disease, petting a dog can be good medicine. Some experts think that touching an animal may 

release chemicals in the human brain that make people relax and feel good. Some nursing homes 

allow elderly residents to keep their own pets. In others, volunteers bring trained “therapy dogs” to 

visit on a regular basis. Some of these dogs have worked wonders. The elderly people look forward 

to the dogs’ visits. One 90-year-old woman had stopped caring about life. She just stayed in bed. 

But once dogs became frequent visitors, she was always up and dressed, eager to greet them. 



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6 

The MAIN idea of this selection is that dogs assist people with disabilities by helping 

them 

A. with noises. 

B. cross the street. 

C. be more careful. 

D. be more independent. 


7 

In the sentence “The dogs often enable adults to take jobs . . . ,” the BEST meaning for 

the word enable is 

A. stop. 

B. help. 

C. follow. 

D. like. 


8 

The purpose of this selection is to 

A. give you information about dogs. 

B. convince you to like dogs. 

C. encourage you to buy a dog. 

D. warn you about dangerous dogs. 


9 

According to this selection, petting dogs can help people 

A. feel better. 

B. notice sounds. 

C. cross the street. 

D. go many places. 




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10 

a. Explain how dogs help people with disabilities. 

b. Explain how dogs help patients in hospitals or people in nursing homes. 

Use specific information from the selection in your explanation. 



Score 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Description 

The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of how dogs help people, 

using specific support from the selection. 

The response demonstrates adequate comprehension of how dogs help people, 

using general support from the selection. 

The response demonstrates partial comprehension of how dogs help people, 

using limited or partially incorrect support from the selection. 

The response demonstrates a vague understanding of how dogs help different 

people, using no support from the selection. 

0 The response is totally incorrect or irrelevant. 



Dogs can help people with disabilities because when they come to a busy street the dog 

waits, just like a person would if they were going to crose a street. The dog walks 

across the street to the other side with his owner right behind him holding on to the 

handle of the dog’s leather harness. They can also respond to 89 commands. These 

dogs can push elevator buttons with their paws and pull wheelchairs up steep 

walkways. They carry special dogpacks, open and close doors, turn on lights, and even 

pay for purchases. 

At hospitals and nursing homes, dog visitors help improve the physical health of 

patients. It also lowers their blood pressure because stroking animals helps lower their 

blood pressure. Some experts say that touching an animal may release chemicals in 

the human brain that make people relax and feel good. 



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A. Dogs help people with disabilities by being a set of ears and eyes. Dogs can be a 

set of ears by using their ears, because their owner could be deff. Dogs can be 

a set of eyes by using their eyes, because their owner might be blind. 

B. Dogs help pacients in hospitals and people in nursing homes by having the 

people pet them to bring down their blood preshure. Also by greeting them and 

helping them. For instenss there was a 90-year-old women who stopped caring 

about life. All she did was stay in bed. But once dogs became frequient visitors, 

she was always up and dressed, eager to greet the dogs. 


One way dogs can help the handicapped by opening doors, pushing elevator buttons, 

and bring them from place to place. The last way is dogs can help the physically 

disabled is help them croos streets, help them with noises, and help them getting on a 

boat, or getting in cars. 


Dogs can help handicap with there eyes so they don’t walk into stuff like cars or doors! 


No response. 



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“The Golden Touch” is a famous Greek story about a very rich king in ancient Turkey who could 

think of nothing but gold. Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow. 

The Golden Touch 

Adapted from the story by Nathaniel Hawthorne 

1 Once upon a time there lived a very rich king whose name was Midas. He had more gold than anyone in the 

whole world, but for all that, he thought it was not enough. He was never so happy as when he happened to get 

more gold to add to his treasure. He stored it away in great vaults underneath his palace, and many hours of each 

day were spent counting it over. 

2 Now King Midas had a little daughter named Marygold. He loved her devotedly, and 

said: “She shall be the richest princess in all the world!” But little Marygold cared nothing 

about it all. She loved her garden, her flowers, and the golden sunshine more than all her 

father’s riches. She was a lonely little girl most of the time, for her father was so busy 

planning new ways to get more gold, and counting what he had, that he seldom told her 

stories or went for walks with her, as all fathers should do. 

3 One day King Midas was down in his treasure room. He had locked the heavy doors 

and had opened up his great chests of gold. He piled it on the table and handled it as if he 

loved the touch of it. He let it slip through his fingers and smiled at the clink of it as if it had 

been sweet music. Suddenly a shadow fell over the heap of gold. Looking up, he saw a 

stranger dressed in shining white smiling down at him. King Midas started up in surprise. 

Surely he had not failed to lock the door! His treasure was not safe! But the stranger 

continued to smile. 

4 “You have much gold, King Midas,” he said. 

“Yes,” said the king, “but think how little this is to all the gold there is in the world!” 

5 “What! Are you not satisfied” asked the stranger. 

6 7 “Satisfied” said the king. “Of course I’m not. I often lie awake through the long night planning new ways 

to get more gold. I wish that everything I touch would turn to gold.” 

“Do you really wish that, King Midas” 

8 “Of course I wish it. Nothing could make me so happy.” 

9 10 “Then you shall have your wish. Tomorrow morning when the first rays of the sun fall through your 

window you shall have the golden touch.” 

11 When he had finished speaking, the stranger vanished. King Midas rubbed his eyes. “I must have dreamed 

it,” he said, “but how happy I should be if it were only true!” 

12 The next morning King Midas woke when the first faint light came into his room. He put out his hand and 

touched the covers of his bed. Nothing happened. “I knew it could not be true,” he sighed. Just at that moment the 

first rays of the sun came through the window. The covers on which King Midas’s hand lay became pure gold. 

“It’s true, it’s true!” he cried joyfully. 

He sprang out of bed and ran about the room touching everything. His dressing gown, his slippers, the 

furniture, all became gold. 13 He looked out of the window through Marygold’s garden. 

“I’ll give her a nice surprise,” he said. He went down into the garden touching all of Marygold’s flowers, and 

changing them to gold. 



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14 “She will be so pleased,” he thought. 

15 He went back into his room to wait for his breakfast, and took up his book which he had been reading the 

night before, but the minute he touched it, it was solid gold. “I can’t read it now,” he said, “but of course it is far 

better to 

have it gold.” 

16 Just then a servant came through the door with the king’s breakfast. “How good it looks,” he said. “I’ll have 

that ripe, red peach first of all.” 

17 He took the peach in his hand, but before he could taste it, it became a lump of gold. King Midas put it back 

on the plate. “It’s very beautiful, but I can’t eat it!” he said. He took a roll from the plate, but that, too, became 

gold. He took a glass of water in his hand, but that, too, became gold. “What shall I do,” he cried. “I am hungry 

and thirsty, I can’t eat or drink gold!” 

18 At that moment the door was opened and in came little Marygold. She was crying bitterly, and in her hand 

was one of her roses. 

19 “What’s the matter, little daughter” said the king. 

20 “Oh, Father! See what has happened to all my roses! They are stiff, ugly things!” 

21 “Why, they are golden roses, child. Do you not think they are more beautiful than they were” 

22 “No,” she sobbed, “they do not smell sweet. They won’t grow anymore. I like roses that are alive.” 

23 “Never mind,” said the king, “eat your breakfast now.” But Marygold noticed that her father did not eat, 

and that he looked very sad. “What is the matter, Father dear” she said, and she ran over to him. She threw her 

arms about him, and he kissed her. But he suddenly cried out in terror and anguish. When he touched her, her lovely 

little face became glittering gold, her eyes could not see, her lips could not kiss him back again, her little arms could 

not hold him close. She was no longer a loving, laughing little girl; she was changed to a little golden statue. 

24 King Midas bowed his head and great sobs shook him. 

25 “Are you happy, King Midas” he heard a voice say. Looking up he saw the stranger standing near him. 

26 “Happy! How can you ask I am the most miserable man living!” said the king. 

27 “You have the golden touch,” said the stranger. “Is that not enough” 

28 King Midas did not look up or answer. 

29 “Which would you rather have, food and a cup of cold water or these lumps of gold” said 

the stranger. 

30 King Midas could not answer. 

31 “Which would you rather have, O King—that little golden statue, or a little girl who could 

run, and laugh, and love you” 

32 “Oh, give me back my little Marygold and I’ll give up all the gold I have!” said the king. “I’ve lost all that 

was worth having.” 

33 “You are wiser than you were, King Midas,” said the stranger. “Go plunge in the river which runs at the 

foot of your garden, then take some of its water and sprinkle whatever you wish to change back as it was.” The 

stranger vanished. 

34 King Midas sprang up and ran to the river. He plunged into it, and then he dipped up a pitcher of its water 

and hurried back to the palace. He sprinkled it over Marygold, and the color came back into her cheeks. She 

opened her blue eyes again. “Why, Father!” she said. “What happened” With a cry of joy King Midas took her 

into his arms. Never after that did King Midas care for any gold except the gold of the sunshine, and the gold of little 

Marygold’s hair. 



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11 

The words in the opening paragraph that suggest this is not a true story are 

A. “He stored it away . . .” 

B. “. . . more gold than anyone . . .” 

C. “. . . many hours of each day . . .” 

D. “Once upon a time . . .” 


12 

In paragraph 1, when it is said that King Midas keeps his treasure in great vaults, it 

means that his money is 

A. lost. 

B. worthless. 

C. locked away. 

D. to be spent freely. 


13 

What was the MAIN reason that Marygold was lonely 

A. She had no mother. 

B. She had no friends. 

C. Her father did not pay attention to her. 

D. All she had were flowers and sunshine. 

Reporting Category/Learning Standard for Item13 : Literature/Learning Standard 12 

14 

“The Golden Touch” is an example of a 

A. play. 

B. myth. 

C. mystery. 

D. biography. 


15 

You can conclude from reading this story that the stranger was a 

A. thief. 

B. husband for Marygold. 

C. relative. 

D. supernatural being. 




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16 

The stranger gave King Midas the ability to change things back to their natural state (the 

way they were). This shows the stranger thought King Midas had 

A. too much to eat. 

B. tricked Marygold. 

C. learned his lesson. 

D. too much gold. 


17 

A sentence in paragraph 23 is, “But he suddenly cried out in terror and anguish.” Based 

on clues in paragraphs 23 and 24, another word for anguish is 

A. pain. 

B. joy. 

C. hunger. 

D. surprise. 


18 

The moral of this story is 

A. gold will finally turn to dust. 

B. be careful what you wish for. 

C. hard work is always rewarded. 

D. good things come to those who wait. 




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19 

What lesson did the stranger teach King Midas Give TWO details from the selection to 

explain your answer. 



Score 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Description 

The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of what the stranger 

taught King Midas. Strong, relevant support from the selection is included in the 

answer. 

The response demonstrates adequate comprehension of what the stranger taught 

King Midas. General support from the selection is included in the answer. 

The response demonstrates a partial comprehension of the lesson that the 

stranger taught King Midas. Limited or partially incorrect support from the 

selection is included in the answer. 

The response demonstrates a vague comprehension of the lesson that the 

stranger taught King Midas. No support from the selection is included in the 

answer. 




The lesson that the stranger tought to King Midas was that he sould be hapy for what 

he had and not mourn for what he did not have, for example when he turned 

Marygold, and his food to gold he was very unhappy because he whanted them back 

and was even willing to even give up the gold he had befor he was given the golden 

touch. Also when he made his dauter sad by turning her roses to gold he felt sad by 

and gilty, so he leared a good lisson from the golden touch and the stranger and after 

that he found the true joly of life: the power of love and what he had around him, the 

treasure of life. 



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The lesson the stranger taught Kind Midas was be careful what you wish for. Two 

examples to explain my answer are that when King Midas touched Marygold, who the 

King loved so much, and turned into gold he learned his lesson and when he couldn’t 

eat or drink or relax because he turned everything rock solid he learned his lesson 

also. 


King Midas thought gold was more importat than everything and it’s not it means he 

thought gold was more important than his family and friends and for now on be 

careful what YOU wish for King Midas because sometimes you wish might come true it 

means be careful. 


1. Which would you rather have, a King - that little golden statue, or a little girl 

who could run and laugh and love you do not be greede. 

2. King Midas sprang up and ran to the river. He plunged into it, and then he 

dipped up a pitched of its water and hurried back to the palace. 


He learned that he has to much gold that there will be no more and that there are 

people that are poor and he has all of the gold. 



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A young boy, Sam Gribley, speaks in the opening chapter of the novel My Side of the Mountain. 

Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow. 

“I Hole Up in a Snowstorm” 

from 

My Side of the Mountain 

by Jean Craighead George 

1 

2 

3 

2 

4 

5 

6 

“I am on my mountain in a tree home that 

people have passed without ever knowing that I 

am here. The house is a hemlock tree six feet in 

diameter, and must be as old as the mountain 

itself. I came upon it last summer and dug and 

burned it out until I made a snug cave in the tree 

that I now call home. 

“My bed is on the right as you enter, and is 

made of ash slats and covered with deerskin. On 

the left is a small fireplace about knee high. It is 

of clay and stones. It has a chimney that leads the 

smoke out through a knothole. I chipped out 

three other knotholes to let fresh air in. The air coming in is bitter cold. It 

must be below zero outside, and yet I can sit here inside my tree and write 

with bare hands. The fire is small, too. It doesn’t take much fire to warm this 

tree room. 

“It is the fourth of December, I think. It may be the fifth. I am not sure 

because I have not recently counted the notches in the aspen pole that is my 

calendar. I have been just too busy gathering nuts and berries, smoking venison, 

fish, and small game to keep up with the exact date. 

“The lamp I am writing by is deer fat poured into a turtle shell with a 

strip of my old city trousers for a wick. 

“It snowed all day yesterday and today. I have not been outside since the 

storm began, and I am bored for the first time since I ran away from home 

eight months ago to live on the land. 

“I am well and healthy. The food is good. Sometimes I eat turtle soup, 

and I know how to make acorn pancakes. I keep my supplies in the wall of 

the tree in wooden pockets that I chopped myself. 



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7 

8 

2 

9 

10 

11 

12 

“Every time I have looked at those pockets during the last two days, I 

have felt just like a squirrel, which reminds me: I didn’t see a squirrel one 

whole day before that storm began. I guess they are holed up and eating their 

stored nuts, too. 

“I wonder if The Baron, that’s the wild weasel who lives behind the big 

boulder to the north of my tree, is also denned up. Well, anyway, I think the 

storm is dying down because the tree is not crying so much. When the wind 

really blows, the whole tree moans right down to the roots, which is where I 

am. 

“Tomorrow I hope The Baron and I can tunnel out into the sunlight. I 

wonder if I should dig the snow. But that would mean I would have to put it 

somewhere, and the only place to put it is in my nice snug tree. Maybe I can 

pack it with my hands as I go. I’ve always dug into the snow from the top, 

never up from under. 

“The Baron must dig up from under the snow. I wonder where he puts 

what he digs Well, I guess I’ll know in the morning.” 

When I wrote that last winter, I was scared and thought maybe I’d never 

get out of my tree. I had been scared for two days—ever since the first blizzard 

hit the Catskill Mountains. When I came up to the sunlight, which I did 

by simply poking my head into the soft snow and standing up, I laughed at 

my dark fears. 

Everything was white, clean, shining, and beautiful. The sky was blue, 

blue, blue. The hemlock grove was laced with snow, the meadow was 

smooth and white, and the gorge was sparkling with ice. It was so beautiful 

and peaceful that I laughed out loud. I guess I laughed because my first 

snowstorm was over and it had not been so terrible after all. 



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20 

The MAIN purpose of the first six paragraphs is to 

A. describe Sam’s home. 

B. explain why he ran away. 

C. introduce the characters. 

D. summarize what will happen next. 


21 

In what season did Sam start building his tree home 

A. winter 

B. fall 

C. spring 

D. summer 


22 

Which word BEST describes Sam’s home 

A. fancy 

B. compact 

C. messy 

D. large 


23 

In paragraph 2, Sam says the air is bitter cold. This means that it is 

A. always cold. 

B. sort of cold. 

C. very cold. 

D. not cold. 


24 

In this selection, holed up and denned up are phrases that 

A. contain prefixes. 

B. include compound words. 

C. mean the same thing. 

D. have opposite meanings. 




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25 

According to paragraph 8, where is Sam during the storm 

A. the branches 

B. the roots 

C. the treetops 

D. the knothole 


26 

The extra space between paragraph 10 and paragraph 11 signifies a change in 

A. time. 

B. speaker. 

C. setting. 

D. chapter. 


27 

The effect of the author’s language in paragraph 12 is to help the reader 

A. feel Sam’s fear of the snow. 

B. find where he put the snow. 

C. know how deep the snow was. 

D. see the beauty of the new snow. 




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28 

Sam compares his activities to the activities of a squirrel and a weasel that lives near his 

mountain home. Explain how these animals’ activities are similar to Sam’s activities. 

Use specific information from the selection in your answer. 



Score 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Description 

The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of the comparison the 

author makes between the narrator and the animals in the story. Relevant, 

specific information from the selection is included in the response. 

The response demonstrates an adequate comprehension of the comparison the 

author makes between the narrator and the animals in the story. General 

information from the selection is included in the response. 

The response demonstrates a partial comprehension of the comparison the 

author makes between the narrator and the animals. Limited or partially 

incorrect information from the selection is included in the response. 

The response demonstrates minimal comprehension of the comparison the 

author makes between the narrator and the animals, using vague or no support 

from the selection. 




Sam said he felt like a squirrel, he probaly meant he felt like a squirrel because he had 

so much food and as you know squirrels pack alot of food during the winter. Sam 

probably had alot of food because he said “The food is good” Sam also said he felt like 

a squirrel because in the story he said “they were eating stored nuts too.” One more 

reason Sam might have said “he felt like a squirrel, “because he was holed up” in a tree 

for the winter. 



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In the seventh paragraph, sam says he feels like a squirrel because he’s couped up in a 

tree for the winter. Also, he has only nature’s food such as acorns. Sam feels like a 

squirrel because the way he’s living is truly similar to a squirrell’s life. 


Sam says he fells like a squirrel because : he eats like a squirrel also because he lives 

like a squirrel and because he survives like a squirrel. 


He fell like a squirrel because he never goes out from his home and he feels bored in 

his house. He always fells bad. 


I think he is acting like a squirrel because he probedy stayed up for to lont it’s probaly 

getting. to his head. 



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Mummies are dead bodies that were wrapped in cloth and preserved in ancient Egypt. Read this 

passage to learn about how mummies were made and used. Then answer the questions that follow. 

Millions of Mummies 

by Janet J. Kosky 

Dr. and Mrs. James Sullivan cordially invite you to witness the 

unwrapping of a mummy, recently acquired on a tour of Egypt, 

on Saturday, October 31 at 8:00 p.m. sharp. 

Refreshments will be served. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

SOUND LIKE A joke for a Halloween party Actually, even though this isn’t an 

actual invitation, it isn’t too far from reality. During the 1800s, mummy unwrapping 

became quite popular. All of Europe had heard of the magnificent temples and 

tombs rediscovered by Napoleon when he invaded Egypt in 1798. Later, many people 

traveled there to see these curiosities for themselves. Some even brought mummies home 

with them. But many more were shipped to Europe by dealers who specialized in selling 

mummies, sarcophagi, and other ancient artifacts. Often these treasures were taken 

without permission from the Egyptian authorities and without respect for the religious 

beliefs of the dead. 

Although mummies are considered rare today, at one time there were so many of 

them, it seemed unlikely that the supply would ever run out. The custom of making 

mummies in Egypt lasted for over 3,000 years and was practiced not only by the 

Pharaohs and other members of the royal court, but also by any citizen with enough 

money to afford it. 

At times there were so many wrapped bodies that cemeteries couldn’t hold them all. 

Tombs have been discovered where mummies were stacked on top of each other six feet 

deep. Sometimes people even had to keep a mummy in their house until there was a 

vacancy in a cemetery. 

And humans weren’t the only ones mummified. Sacred animals and favorite pets 

were also preserved. Cats and dogs were the most common animals to be buried, but 

archeologists have also found mummies of monkeys, gazelles, falcons, crocodiles, 

mongooses, snakes, beetles, and scorpions. 



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5 

6 

7 

8 

The ancient Egyptians made mummies because they believed that all living things 

consisted of two parts: the body and the spirit. Life ceased when the spirit left the body, 

and in order for someone to be reborn in the afterlife, spirit and body had to be reunited. 

If the body was destroyed before the spirit came back from its judgment, there couldn’t 

be a rebirth. Animals were preserved not only because they were sacred, but also to provide 

companionship in the afterlife. Including both people and animals, some experts 

have estimated that several million bodies were turned into mummies. So, what would it 

matter if a few hundred were taken away by collectors 

Mummies were valued for a more important reason than collecting: people believed 

that the powder from ground-up mummies was a valuable medicine. It was used to treat 

headaches, coughs, skin rashes, nausea, ulcers, and other ailments. Supposedly, it was 

the resin and oils used in embalming that were beneficial. Mummies were also believed 

to contain bitumen, an oily tar people thought was medicinal. As it turns out, bitumen 

was never used for wrapping. However, the Arabic word for bitumen—mumiyah—is 

where we get the word mummy. 

Medicine was not the only unusual use for mummies. In 1859, an Egyptian farmer 

was plowing his field when he discovered a gigantic cat cemetery. A total of 300,000 cat 

mummies were removed from the site, many of them in such poor condition that they 

crumbled when touched. Most of them were shipped to England to be used—believe it 

or not—for fertilizer. . . . 

Only relatively recently have authorities taken measures to preserve Egypt’s national 

treasures from further destruction and deterioration. However, even though so many 

mummies have been lost forever, those remaining can still teach us much about life—and death— 

in ancient Egypt. 



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29 

“Millions of Mummies” is a good title for this selection because 

A. someone counted all the mummies made. 

B. mummies are so valuable. 

C. mummies have so many uses. 

D. so many mummies were made of people and animals. 


30 

According to the first paragraph, what was the MAIN reason people wanted to unwrap 

mummies 

A. They wanted to give the mummies a proper burial. 

B. They wanted to study diseases of ancient Egyptians. 

C. They wanted to satisfy their curiosity. 

D. They wanted to preserve the bodies before they crumbled. 


31 

According to this selection, why were mummies stacked on top of each other in ancient 

Egyptian tombs 

A. They would not dry out as fast. 

B. It was thought to confuse bad spirits. 

C. Family members were always buried together. 

D. There was not enough room in cemeteries. 


32 

According to this selection, one reason Egyptians mummified animals was to 

A. send messages to the living. 

B. have company in the afterlife. 

C. protect their tombs. 

D. save them as national treasures. 




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33 

Which of the following were most likely NOT mummified in ancient Egypt 

A. pharaohs 

B. archaeologists 

C. members of the royal court 

D. sacred animals and favorite pets 


34 

In paragraph 4, the commas between “. . . monkeys, gazelles, falcons, crocodiles, 

mongooses, snakes, beetles, and scorpions,” are used to 

A. indicate a pause. 

B. set off the meanings. 

C. separate words in a series. 

D. help the reader pronounce the words. 


35 

In the sentence that begins, “Life ceased when the spirit left the body . . . ,” the word 

ceased means 

A. ended. 

B. improved. 

C. burst. 

D. flowed in. 


36 

The writer uses the last paragraph of “Millions of Mummies” to explain 

A. what happened to the millions of mummies. 

B. why Egypt now has the last few mummies. 

C. how mummies start to crumble and are destroyed. 

D. why the mummies that remain must be protected. 




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37 

Explain why, according to the selection, mummies are considered Egypt’s national 

treasures. 

Use specific information from the selection to explain their importance. 



Score 

4 

3 

2 

1 

Description 

The response demonstrates a thorough comprehension of the importance of 

ancient mummies to Egypt. Relevant, specific information from the selection is 

included in the response. 

The response demonstrates a general comprehension of the importance of 

ancient mummies to Egypt. General information from the selection is included in 

the response. 

The response demonstrates a partial comprehension of the importance of ancient 

mummies to Egypt. Limited or partially incorrect information from the selection 

is included in the response. 

The response demonstrates a vague comprehension of the importance of ancient 

mummies to Egypt. No supporting information from the selection is included. 




I learned that one of the Egyptian beliefs is that if they preserve themselves after 

they are dead and they get mummified they can have an afterlife. But in order for 

them to have an afterlife their spirit needs to leave the body, it won’t be able to be 

reborn. They have been doing this Egyptian custom for 7,000 years. Not just pharos 

and king get mummified but citizens can to. The Egyptians bring pets with them to 

and they are mummified so the Egyptians will have company in the after life. There 

are people who sell mummies and people who by them because some people believe 

that some stuff in the mummy are good for medicine. They they thought was good to 

treat headaches, coughs, skin rashes, nausia, ulsers, and other ailments. 



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The four things we have learned about ancient Egypt by studying mummies are the 

some of the things they believed in such as turning cats into mummies to give the dead 

a companion. Another thing they have found out from mummies is that they had 

royalty in Egypt, Also by studying mummies we learn how long it had been since they 

started wrapping the dead bodies. We learn from mummies how many people died in a 

certen amount of time and why. 


I have learned that mummy unwrapping was a social as well as scientific event and 

that people wanted to unwrap them to satisfy their curlosity. I have also learned that 

pharos and those who had the money to pay for it were mummified after they died. 

and I learned that there were so many mummies that they stacked them up on each 

other in ancient egyptian tombs because there was not enough room in cemeteries. 

Some people even brought mummies home with them. The custome of making 

mummies lasted over 3,000 years. Medicine was not the only use for mummies. At 

times there were so many wraped bodies the cemeteries coul’dnt hold them all. 


I learned that mummies were unwrapped to study diseases. Pharaohs were 

mummified after they died. People would have animal spirits in their reborn bodies. 

Mummies are valuable. 


That mummies need to be preserved and not destroyed. It’s good medicine for us to 

stop illness. The remaining mummies are teach us alot. We had over 3,000 and now 

not that many. 

37 



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(MCAS) ELA Grade 4

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