Selection: B-12

B-12

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1055 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: A dragon has been taking treasures from people. A king needs help from Prince Sunshine to solve the problem.

Excerpt: "How do you make a dragon go to sleep?" asked the prince.

The owl said, "If you want to see a sleeping dragon, there is only one thing you can do. You must have a beautiful princess sing to it. That will make it fall asleep."

Question: Which character in the selection said, "If you want to see a sleeping dragon, there is only one thing you can do"?

1. the owl
2. Prince Sunshine
3. the king
4. the princess

Selection: B-53

B-53

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1118 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: How did Lazy the squirrel earn his nickname? Ask his neighbors.

Excerpt: "You see," she told him, "how terrible it is not to provide for your future? You must store things that are necessary so you will have them when you need them."

Lazy agreed with her. He told his mother never again would he need to be called "Lazy."

Question: Think about the end of this selection. What would most likely happen next?

1. The squirrels in the woods would find a new name for Lazy.
2. Lazy would stop storing food and nuts.
3. The mother squirrel would stop storing food and nuts.
4. All the squirrels would eat more food during the summer.

Selection: B-58

B-58

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1003 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: The owner of a hotel finds out that it's important to treat all travelers equally.

Excerpt: "No, he is not here," said the hotel owner. "The only man that has been here asking for a place to stay was an old farmer. He was so muddy that you could not see the color of his coat. I sent him to the other hotel. He is staying there."

"Did he have red hair?" asked the well-dressed man. "Did he ride a gray horse?"

"Yes," said the hotel owner. "And he was tall."

"That was the vice president!" said the well-dressed man.

The hotel owner went to the other hotel. There he found the vice president sitting with some friends. They were talking and laughing and having a good time. The vice president was clean and neat. He wore fresh clothes. There was no sign of mud anywhere.

Question: Think about what you read in this selection. Which two of the following statements about Thomas Jefferson are correct?

1. He had red hair.
2. He was taller than most men.
3. He rode a white horse.
4. He traveled with one set of clothes.
5. He believed he was better than other men.

Selection: B-68

B-68

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1004 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: While walking around her house, Kayla discovers that people need to use math all the time.

Excerpt: "What are you doing, Mom?" Kayla asked.

"Hi, honey," Mom said. "I am building some shelves for my books." Mom loved to read. She had many books. Her books were piled on the floor.

Kayla looked around. She saw tools, a box of nails, and a yardstick. She knew from her math class that a yardstick is a tool to measure things. Yardsticks are three feet long.

Question: Read this part from the selection. Which sentence explains why Mom needed to build shelves?

1. Her books were piled on the floor.
2. She saw tools, a box of nails, and a yardstick.
3. Mom loved to read.
4. What are you doing, Mom?

Selection: B-10

B-10

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1102 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: How much do you know about the sun? Less than you think.

Excerpt: Certainly our ancestors thought our sun was super. That's why they named our entire solar system after the sun. "Sol" is the ancient Roman word for sun.

Question: Read this excerpt. What does it tell you about the people of ancient Rome?

1. They thought the sun was powerful and important.
2. They believed the sun was going to burn out.
3. They thought the planets were more important than the sun.
4. They believed people should live on the sun.

Selection: B-14

B-14

Grade level: 2

Word count: 934 words

Author: Amie Leavitt

Synopsis: Jane Goodall is an expert on chimps and one of nature's greatest friends.

Excerpt: During her trip, Goodall met a man named Louis Leakey. He was a scientist who studied the natural world. He studied fossils, animals, and plants. Leakey was impressed with Goodall's love of nature. So he hired her to work with his group of scientists.

At first, Goodall worked as a secretary. Then Leakey gave her other tasks to do. He could see that she had great potential as a scientist.

Question: Louis Leakey was most impressed with Goodall's

1. love of nature.
2. kindness.
3. sense of humor.
4. ability to work with others.

Selection: B-21

B-21

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1150 words

Author: Amie Leavitt

Synopsis: Sister volcanoes: twice the fun, and twice the danger.

Excerpt: Native American groups said the mountain was a sacred place. They did not climb to the top. They were afraid that doing so might upset their gods.

Question: Native Americans did not climb to the top of Mount Rainier because

1. they thought it might make the gods angry.
2. English settlers were living at the top.
3. they thought the mountain was too small to climb.
4. the mountain constantly erupted with lava.

Selection: B-8

B-8

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1022 words

Author: Elizabeth Holman

Synopsis: Animals form partnerships as if their lives depend on it--because they do.

Excerpt: When the shrimp digs a hole, it must get rid of the extra sand. That means it must go out into the open sea and dump it. And going out into the open sea means danger. That's when the goby fish helps. The fish will stand guard at the hole while the shrimp takes the sand away. The shrimp always keeps a part of its body touching the fish. If the fish sees trouble on the way, it will start to flap its tail. Then it will dart into the hole.

Question: A goby fish will warn a shrimp when danger is near. Which two of the following warnings does the fish provide?

1. The fish moves its tail from side to side.
2. The fish swims quickly into a hole.
3. The fish creates bubbles in the water.
4. The fish swims in circles.
5. The fish sways its head from side to side.

Selection: HiB-6

HiB-6

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1143 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: When you adopt a pet from a shelter, you can do a world of good.

Excerpt: Puppy mills became big business. They "make" and sell puppies the way other mills make and sell cotton or flour.

But the trouble is, dogs are not cotton or flour. They're living, breathing creatures. Puppy mill owners care about making money. They don't care about dogs' well being.

Question: In this excerpt, why does the author say that dogs "are not cotton or flour"?

1. She is pointing out that dogs shouldn't be treated like nonliving things.
2. She is afraid readers won't know the difference between dogs and cotton or flour.
3. She thinks it's more important for mills to make and sell cotton and flour.
4. She believes that cotton and flour can be useful to dogs.

Selection: B-18

B-18

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1107 words

Author: R. Bender

Synopsis: It would be impossible to live without plants. They are very important to our lives. From breathing to eating to brushing our teeth, we use plants throughout the day.

Excerpt: Water moves from the roots of a plant to its leaves. When the water reaches the leaves, it changes into a vapor. You cannot see this vapor but it gets into the air. That water vapor joins with other vapor in the sky. It all comes together to make a cloud. Groups of clouds come together and we get rain. The rain falls to the ground.

Question: According to this selection, which of the following is true about plants?

1. Plants have a role in the creation of rain water.
2. Plants are not important for the environment.
3. Plant pieces are found in most clouds.
4. Plants can survive if their roots are cut off.

Selection: B-15

B-15

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1069 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: How to make your school environmentally friendly, one step at a time.

Excerpt: Now that we're outside, let's talk about the best thing you can do to help your school go green. Have a Walk Ride Day each month. That's a day when students, parents, teachers--everyone--agrees to walk, ride a bike, take a bus or subway, or share a ride to school. This is a win for everyone. You get exercise and have fun. Your school's neighborhood gets cleaner air.

Question: How does sharing a ride to school help the environment?

1. You will use only one car, so you save gas and cause less pollution.
2. While you ride to school, you can talk to your friends.
3. Riding in a car is faster than walking or riding a bike, so you will arrive at school earlier.
4. Riding in a car means you can do your homework on the way to school.

Selection: B-28

B-28

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1112 words

Author: Michael H. Levitt

Synopsis: A son remembers his favorite trip to Mount Rushmore.

Excerpt: My dad took my older brother James and me camping every summer. We would pack our sleeping bags in our dad's car. We would go to all different parts of the country.

That night at camp we sat around the fire. Dad began to speak. "James, you were right when you said those men were four of our greatest presidents. But they were very good at many different things. Each of them was something other than a president."

Now I take my own kids to see the faces carved in the stone. My children look up at the huge faces in the mountain. I like to tell them the stories about the men who were great presidents. I tell them that these great men were once young children too. These great men had started as young kids with dreams, just like them.

Question: Based on what you read, in which two of the following ways are the author of this selection and his father alike?

1. Both took their children to places to learn about history.
2. Both believed it was important to teach their children about the presidents.
3. Both served as president of the United States.
4. Both helped carve Mount Rushmore.
5. Both thought Jefferson was the greatest president.

Selection: B-49

B-49

Grade level: 2

Word count: 1087 words

Author: Barbara Smalley

Synopsis: Hot dogs are one of America's most popular foods.

Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.

Question: Hot dogs are popular for many reasons. All of these statements explain why hot dogs are popular EXCEPT

1. "Hot dogs have a narrow tube shape, and they are usually brown."
2. "Hot dogs can be easily heated in a pan, on a grill, or in boiling water."
3. "Hot dogs are available in most places, and they do not cost much money."
4. "Hot dogs can be served with any kind of topping a person likes."