Selection: D-16

D-16

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1550 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: What might surprise you about someone you already know?

Excerpt: At the time, Sam's parents were young. They knew they needed to escape the violence and hardship in their village. They heard there were jobs in America, so they saved their money until they could afford to travel there on a small passenger ship.

Question: Sam's parents decided to leave their village. What is the main reason they left?

1. to escape from violence
2. to explore America
3. to find new jobs
4. to get a good education

Selection: D-6

D-6

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1328 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: Tough and tougher: that describes the plants and animals that make their home in the desert.

Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.

Question: What is the main idea of this selection?

1. Plants and animals have adapted to life in the dry desert.
2. People cannot survive in the desert but animals can do so.
3. Cold deserts have more plant life and animals than hot deserts.
4. Deserts are disappearing from all parts of the Earth.

Selection: HiD-6

HiD-6

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1477 words

Author: Dustin Rowland

Synopsis: Why would an ancient culture carve huge drawings into the face of the land? And what do they mean?

Excerpt: The Nazca lines are not just simple straight lines. They include many different shapes and patterns. There are hundreds of triangles, spirals, and other figures that cross the valley floor. Even more interesting are the dozens of animal and plant drawings that lay beside them. These land pictures include a monkey, a whale, a spider, a lizard, several birds, and many other living things that they considered to be important at the time. In total, about 900 different designs have been discovered.

Some of the designs are incredible simply for their size. Some of them are massive! They cover an area of more than 200 square miles. One of the largest drawings stretches more than 660 feet across the desert sand. That is the length of two football fields. And some of the straight lines are even longer. One goes on for nine miles!

Question: Reread these two excerpts. The Nazca lines are amazing examples of human skill and effort for which two main reasons?

1. their interesting shapes and patterns
2. their huge sizes
3. their bright colors
4. their thoughtful words and sayings
5. their unusual sounds

Selection: D-7

D-7

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1565 words

Author: Madeline Arroyo

Synopsis: Rafael Cordero made the world a better place, one head and heart at a time.

Excerpt: It seems that most movies and television shows tell us that real heroes are people who often make a lot of noise, occasionally kick up a lot of dust, and generally can't help but get noticed. Makes it kind of hard for people like you and me to believe that someday we could be heroes too, doesn't it?

The truth is that real heroes are everyday people (like you and me) who see a need and have the courage to do something about it, even if no one applauds and cheers. Rafael Cordero y Molina, the son of freed African slaves, was such a hero.

Question: Which of the following statements summarizes the author's opinion about heroes?

1. A true hero is an everyday person who has the courage to make a change in the world.
2. The only kinds of heroes that matter in the world are movie heroes.
3. A movie hero is more likely to be brave than an everyday hero.
4. Most everyday heroes are not as courageous as movies heroes.

Selection: D-10

D-10

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1448 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: Ashley Fiolek is a female champ in the "man's" sport of motocross. And that's not the only amazing thing about her.

Excerpt: Ashley's family moved to Florida so Ashley could go to the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. Ashley was a good student, and she became very skilled at sign language, talking to people using her hands.

In 2008, when she turned 18, Ashley won her first important event, the women's motocross championship. It is the world's biggest motocross race for women.

When Ashley turned 20, she said it was time to live on her own.

Question: Put these evens in Ashley's life in the order in which they occurred.

1. Ashley's family moves to Florida.
2. Ashley learns sign language.
3. Ashley wins her first women's motocross championship.
4. Ashley decides to live on her own.