Selection: D-4

D-4

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1384 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: Animals use their tails in endless ways--from talking to just hanging around.

Excerpt: Animals even talk with their tails. If you have a dog, you know that already. Dogs use their tails all the time to talk to people and to other dogs. Have you seen a dog wag its tail? A dog that wags its tail is saying, "Life is good, and I am happy." When it wags its tail so hard that its body wiggles, it means, "I like you, and I want to be your friend."

If a dog curls its tail under its belly, it is saying, "I'm scared. Please go away." If a dog points its tail down, it is thinking.

Cats talk with their tails, too. If a cat wags its tail slowly, it is mad. The cat is expecting something bad to happen. Maybe you're about to give the cat a bath, or maybe a dog is getting ready to chase it. The cat is saying, "I'm ready to run away if you try to catch me."

Question: According to the selection, which two of the following statements are correct?

1. Both dogs and cats wag tails to communicate.
2. A dog wags its tail when it is happy, a cat wags its tail when it is scared.
3. A dog wags its tail when it is angry, a cat wags its tail to say hello.
4. Neither dogs nor cats are able to communicate with people.
5. Cats are more likely to wag their tails when they are alone.

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-44

D-44

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1532 words

Author: Deirdre Bligh

Synopsis: The Great Wall of China has protected the people and culture of China for many hundreds of years.

Excerpt: Today, the Great Wall of China is a very popular place for tourists. Thousands of people, both from within China and from other countries, come to the wall every day. But some of these people leave graffiti on the wall. Some take bricks so they can bring a piece of the wall home with them. This has caused a lot of damage to certain places along the wall.

Question: If the current government of China does not protect the wall, what will most likely happen?

1. The wall will continue to be damaged by tourists and others.
2. China will lose all its connections to the rest of the world.
3. Enemies will no longer use horses to attack China from the north.
4. China will be ruled by Emperor Qin.

Selection: D-8

D-8

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1517 words

Author: Mary Dunn

Synopsis: Crows are smart survivors who also know how to have a good time.

Excerpt: But a crow's favorite food is pig heart. A crow will do just about anything to get at this treat. Knowing this, one scientist used pig heart to test the crow's thinking skills. He placed pieces of pig heart in a tiny bucket, and put the bucket inside a tall plastic tube. Beside the tube, he put a piece of wire. Then he watched to see what the crow would do. First, it pecked at the tube to see if it could get the food. No luck. Next, the crow put its beak into the tube, but it couldn't reach the snack. Then the crow picked up the wire and pushed it into the tube, but it couldn't pull out the meat. The crow then used its beak to bend the wire into a hook. Finally, the crow used the hook like a tool. Pulling out the bucket by the handle, the crow got its treat.

Question: Read this excerpt. Which two of the following characteristics best describe the crow that participated in this experiment?

1. intelligent
2. determined
3. fearless
4. confused
5. friendly

Selection: D-12

D-12

Grade level: 4

Word count: 1340 words

Author: Allen Huse

Synopsis: A gym teacher got the ball rolling--or dribbling.

Excerpt: No, if they ran with the ball, there'd be blocking and tackling and bruises and broken legs. How about something like a box, but raised off the ground, to throw the ball in and score points? Yeah, that was it; a raised goal would mean players needed to use ability rather than force to make points. They'd have to pass the ball to their teammates, not run with it.

Question: Why did Naismith decide to have players throw the ball instead of carry it?

1. Players would have to use skill instead of force to score points.
2. The games would be longer and more exciting for fans.
3. The ball was too heavy to carry from one end of the court to the other.
4. Fans could see the ball more easily if it was in motion.