Selection: HiC-23

HiC-23

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1364 words

Author: Diane Lang

Synopsis: What happens when a young teen boy joins an all-girl roller derby team?

Excerpt: His father buttered his bread and took a bite. "Your brothers never quit."

Jake's eyes stung with tears. His twin brothers were the college basketball stars of the town. "I'll never be good at basketball like they are. I don't even like the game. I'm a skater and skate boarder."

"Skater," his father said. "Skaters are a bunch of punks. Or girls." For the rest of dinner, Jake played with his vegetables and barely ate his chicken. "May I be excused?" he finally asked.

Question: The word "bias" means a way of thinking about someone or something that is based on personal feelings instead of facts. Which of the following shows an example of bias?

1. "Skater," his father said. "Skaters are a bunch of punks. Or girls."
2. His father buttered his bread and took a bite.
3. His twin brothers were the college basketball stars of the town.
4. "May I be excused?" he finally asked.

Selection: HiC-23

HiC-23

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1364 words

Author: Diane Lang

Synopsis: What happens when a young teen boy joins an all-girl roller derby team?

Excerpt: After school on Friday, Jake asked his mom if she could drive him to tryouts on Saturday morning. Jake's mom gave him a puzzled look. "For what, honey?" she asked.

"I'm trying out for a position on the Roller Derby. I want to surprise Dad."

"He'll be surprised, alright," she sighed.

Question: In this excerpt, Jake's mom says his dad will "be surprised, alright." What does she mean?

1. He's not going to like what Jake tells him.
2. He's going to be nervous and lonely.
3. He's not going to let Jake see his fear.
4. He's going to be confused and sad.

Selection: C-27

C-27

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1335 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: The resources available to Native Americans often played an important role in the kinds of shelters they built.

Excerpt: Some Native Americans in the far north used snow in an unusual way. They used snow to keep their dwellings warm. How did they do this? First, the dwellings were built from whale bones and animal skins. Then the Native Americans would pile snow around the outside of the dwelling. This snow acted like a blanket. The piles of snow helped to keep heat inside the dwelling.

Question: The author of this selection compares the snow piled around a Native American dwelling in the far north to a

1. blanket, because the snow keeps the dwelling warm.
2. blanket, because the snow is colorful and soft.
3. tent, because the snow was easy to set up.
4. tent, because the snow was easy to carry around.

Selection: C-19

C-19

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1118 words

Author: Manny Ruiz

Synopsis: People once made up stories to explain the world around them.

Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.

Question: Ancient people described the king of the gods as

1. being bigger and stronger than the other gods.
2. looking as if he was a large, scary monster.
3. seeming to be as large as a mountain.
4. having a body that looked like the planet Jupiter.

Selection: C-52

C-52

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1231 words

Author: Adapted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

Synopsis: Is a job as a carpenter, electrician, or car mechanic the right career for you?

Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.

Question: The tone of this selection is best described as

1. plain and factual.
2. false and cruel.
3. sad and confusing.
4. boastful and incorrect.