4Th Grade Reading Checkpoint #4

4th Grade Reading Checkpoint #4 4th Nine Weeks

Name: ______

Date: ______

Dear Uncle Roger,

I’ve had a really exciting day! Mom, Dad, Mark, Althea, and I just got back from Washington, Georgia. We drove there this morning to go to “Mule Day.”

There were lots of different mule contests to watch. First, there was a prize given for the best looking mule. Then we watched some mules pulling plows. The one that pulled its load the longest distance won a blue ribbon. My favorite event was the mule race. I never knew mules could run so fast!

After the contests, we saw some mules walking in a circle pushing some poles that were attached to a wheel. Dad explained that the mules were pushing a wheel which ground sugar cane to make a sweet syrup.

Then we saw a man walking along leading a mule. He asked if we wanted a ride. Mark was the first to say yes. My dad asked if I wanted to be next. I was a little bit afraid, but I decided to try. It turned out to be a lot of fun. I wish you could have been there to see me, Uncle Roger.

Mark and Althea say hello. We all hope to see you soon.

1. Who went to Mule Day in Washington?

A. Mom, Dad, and Uncle Roger B. Jennifer and Uncle Roger C. Uncle Roger and his nephew D. Jennifer, Mom, Dad, Mark, and Althea

2. Which was the FIRST mule contest they watched?

A. the plow pulling contest B. the best looking mule C. the mule race D. the strongest mule

3. Which of the following events was Jennifer’s favorite?

A. best looking mule B. the mule race C. plow pulling D. long distance pull

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4. The mules were pushing a wheel

A. to show which mules could push hardest B. to move a plow C. to give the children a ride D. to grind sugar cane

5. What did Jennifer wish Uncle Roger could see?

A. mules pulling plows B. mules making syrup C. Jennifer riding a mule D. the mule race

6. The word attached means the same as

A. connected to B. under C. larger than D. on top of

The Grinding Mill

Hundreds of years ago there was a king who had a very unusual grinding mill made of stone. It looked like a normal mill, but it had very special powers. All one had to do was to request what one wanted and turn the mill, and out would come whatever was requested. If rice was requested, rice came out. If corn was requested, corn came out. The king could even ask the grinding mill for gold, and it would perform his every command.

Soon, a thief heard of this special mill and was determined to steal it, but he didn’t know where the king kept his most precious possession. Therefore, he disguised himself as a scholar and went to the king’s court. There he was able to find a small girl whom he asked about the miraculous mill. She surprised him by revealing exactly where the mill was. “The king doesn’t bother to hide it,” she told him. “He just keeps it in plain sight by his lotus pond where no one would think of looking for it.”

With this knowledge, the thief was able to easily steal the mill the next evening and was planning his escape. Suddenly he realized that all the roads and streets would be blocked the moment the theft of the mill was discovered. So he resolved to go back to his own country by sea.

Once he was safe in the boat with the mill, he began to sing and dance at the thought of how rich he would be. He thought of what he would request from the mill. He

of 11 4th Grade Reading Checkpoint #4 4th Nine Weeks tried to imagine something everyone would need. “I’ll ask for salt,” he exclaimed. “Everyone has a use for it. It preserves meat and seasons food. I can sell it and become a rich man, the richest man in the country.

“Salt! Salt! Make salt!!” he commanded the mill. The mill began to turn and turn. Soon salt spilled from the sides of the boat. But the thief barely noticed. He was too busy thinking of the house he was going to have, the many servants who would wait on him, and the lovely wife he would marry.

Finally the boat was so full of salt it sank to the bottom of the sea. And since no one told it to stop, it is still turning even today and making the oceans of the world full of salty water.

7. In the passage, what was so special about the grinding mill?

A. It ground special kinds of grain. B. It made whatever people wanted. C. It was used only by the little girl. D. It was buried under the sea.

8. What is the root of miraculous?

A. race B. rack C. miracle D. mirror

9. Why does the thief decide to ask for salt?

A. Everyone needs it. B. His wife asked for it. C. It is easy for the mill to make. D. The boat can hold a lot of it.

10. At the beginning of the passage, where was the grinding mill located?

A. by the ocean B. in the safe C. by the lotus pond D. in the garden

11. Who is the main character in this passage?

A. the king B. the future wife C. the thief D. the little girl

12. This passage explains how

A. the king found the mill B. the ocean became salty C. to make salt D. to work the mill

13. What did the thief do in order to get the mill?

A. He asked the king. B. He dressed as a scholar. C. He pretended he needed salt. D. He hid in the lotus pond.

Neighborhood Day

The Wilson children were playing in their shady front yard after an early breakfast. They had just said good-bye to their mother, who was on her way to work.

It felt as though it was going to be another hot summer day.

A neighbor hurried by, carrying in a paper bag.

“Hello, Mr. Darby,” Jimmy Wilson called. “Where are you going?”

Mr. Darby paused a moment. “I’m going on a picnic. It’s a holiday today.”

“Holiday?” asked Jimmy’s sister, Lisa. “What holiday is it today?”

“It’s the ninth of August.”

“What holiday is the ninth of August?”

“August 9 is the Ninth of August, just as July 4 is the Fourth of July.”

“But the Fourth of July is Independence Day. What is the ninth of August?”

But Mr. Darby, who was a little deaf, had gone on and was already out of hearing

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“I never heard that the ninth of August is a holiday,” Lisa said. “Let’s go in and ask Grandma.”

Grandma was making cookies.

“What holiday is today, Grandma?” Lisa asked.

“It isn’t any holiday.”

“But Mr. Darby said he was going on a picnic because today is a holiday.”

“He must have been joking.” A little later Grandma added, “I suppose it could be a local holiday. Maybe this town was founded on this day, so they’re celebrating. We’ve lived here so short a time we wouldn’t know about it. I wonder why none of the neighbors has said anything about it.”

“Where will they have the celebration?” Lisa asked.

“In the park I suppose.”

“Are we going?” Jimmy asked.

“No, I guess not.”

“Why can’t we?”

“Yes, Grandma, why can’t we?” Lisa asked.

“Well, I suppose we could. While the cookies are baking, we can make some sandwiches.”

In a short time they were on their way. Mrs. Green looked out her front door. “Where are you going to bright and early in the morning?”

“Mr. Darby said he was going on a picnic because today’s a holiday.”

“What holiday is that?” asked Mrs. Green.

“I’m sure I don’t know.” Grandma answered, chuckling. “I thought it might be some local holiday, but maybe he was just joking.”

“He must have been. Well, have a good time. I wouldn’t mind going on a picnic myself.”

“Why don’t you? We’d like company,” Lisa said.

“It would take too much time to get ready. The two youngest of my six aren’t even up yet.”

“Let me help,” Grandma said. “If it’s a joke, I wouldn’t want us to be the only ones fooled.”

“Thank you! My children would enjoy it. They’re always saying there’s nothing to do. Mr. Darby was joking, but we can have a good time anyway.”

When the other children in the neighborhood heard about the picnic, they ran home to ask their parents if they could go, too. Before long the news had spread all through the little village.

By noon most of those who didn’t work in the city were in the park. Even the owners of the stores and shops had closed their doors and come. But Mr. Darby, who started it all, wasn’t there, and nobody knew where he was.

Everybody had fun. The children played games while the grown-ups sat on benches and talked. And many were surprised at how many new friends they made that day.

As sundown, Mr. Darby came home after spending the day fishing down by the river. Everybody wanted to know what he meant that morning when he said it was a holiday.

“I was just joking,” he said, surprised at what he had started. “I finished a painting job yesterday, and it was so hot I wanted a day off before I began another job.”

In the evening Lisa asked, “Why can’t we do this every year? In July we have the Fourth. In September we have Labor Day. But in August we just don’t have anything.”

Others asked, too--not just children but many grown-ups as well--because they had all had such a good time that day. And so everyone decided to celebrate again next year. But since the “Ninth of August” doesn’t seem to be much of a name, it will be called Neighborhood Day.

14. Where did Mr. Darby spend the day?

A. eating at a picnic B. fishing down by the river C. baking cookies with Grandma D. painting in the neighborhood

15. Grandma wanted Mrs. Green to come to the picnic because

A. it was a holiday B. it might be a joke C. she wanted to be friendly D. she wanted something to do

16. Jimmy and Lisa’s mother missed the picnic because she

A. went fishing B. stayed home C. went to work D. was on vacation

17. What did Lisa conclude about Mr. Darby’s holiday?

A. His children would not enjoy the holiday. B. Mr. Darby was just joking. C. They needed a September holiday to celebrate. D. Mr. Darby needed a vacation.

Getting the Game Going

Brett and his classmates were talking on the playground. “Let’s get together after school and play softball,” said Brett. “The weather is perfect, and I’m tired of being in a schoolroom. Let’s meet at the park at 3:30. Bring your equipment, OK?”

After school, the friends raced home. Tranh picked up his glove, but he left the softball at home because it was under the couch and he didn’t feel like crawling to get it. Ali thought he was going to be late, so he grabbed his glove and left the bases at home. Derrick and Latasha, who were twins, each thought the other was bringing the bats.

All the kids met at the park at 3:30 with their gloves. “Hey, each of you has a glove, but we still need bats, bases, and a ball. What should we do about that?” asked Tranh.

“I thought you were bringing all the equipment, Brett,” said Kevin.

“No, I don’t have everything we need,” Brett replied.

“I can bring a ball,” said Tranh.

“I’ve got bases,” said Ali.

“And we have a couple of bats that everyone can use,” said Derrick and Latasha.

“Everybody get your stuff and get back here fast,” said Brett. “We’re losing time just standing around when we could be playing.”

Tranh, Ali, Derrick and Latasha raced off to their homes. They returned quickly with their equipment. Soon the field was set up and teams were chosen.

After the game was over, the friends were walking home. “I learned something important today, Brett,” said Tranh.

“What was that?” asked Brett.

“We should have brought all our stuff the first time, instead of counting on someone else to bring it. We would have had a lot more time to play,” said Tranh.

“You’re right. And I learned that I should have made sure that everyone knew what to bring. Next time, I’ll try to let everyone know what we need,” said Brett. “That way, we can have even more fun!”

18. Which of the following occurred LAST?

A. The kids went back home to get softball gear. B. The kids met at the park at 3:30 to play ball. C. The kids picked teams. D. The kids decided to play softball.

19. Tranh didn’t bring the softball to the game because

A. he didn’t have one B. his brother was using it C. he couldn’t find it D. he felt it was too much trouble

20. Who did Latasha think was going to bring the bats?

A. Brett B. Derrick C. Tranh D. Kevin

21. Who organized the softball game?

A. Ali B. Latasha C. Kevin D. Brett

Two Friends

Jody and Chris were best friends. But they were very different. One day they were walking through the woods. They saw a cave. They never had noticed it before. Jody wanted to explore it right away. Chris said it would be better if they came back with flashlights so they could see where they were going.

22. What is the setting of the story?

A. A cave B. The woods C. The backyard

23. What kind of person is Chris in this story?

A. kind B. careful C. sad

24. How many word parts are in the word explore?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3

25. This story probably was taken from a book

A. of fairy tales B. of stories that could happen C. that tells how to do things

Use the paragraph below to answer question 26.

1Maria really likes the first day of school. 2She likes to see friends that she hasn’t seen all summer. 3Thanksgiving is fun because there is always a parade at school before that day. 4Maria likes to look through her books to see what she will be studying that year.

26. In the paragraph above, which sentence should be removed because it is unrelated?

A. sentence 1 B. sentence 2 C. sentence 3 D. sentence 4

27. What would be the BEST closing sentence for the paragraph below?

Carlos loves to play at the park. He likes to go down the slide. The swings and monkey bars are also fun. Carlos especially loves to play basketball with his friends.

A. The circus is Carlos’ favorite place to be. B. The park is Carlos’ favorite place to be. C. The zoo is Carlos’ favorite place to be. D. The baseball field is Carlos’ favorite place to be.

28. What would be the BEST closing sentence for the paragraph below?

The school bus leaves at three o’clock. We were on our way to the bus stop when Marlin realized he had forgotten his homework. He quickly went back in the school to get it. When he came back out, he saw the bus driving away.

A. Marlin realized he would be walking home as the bus pulled away. B. The homework Marlin had forgotten was a math assignment. C. Marlin was one of my closest friends in the whole school. D. We planned to ride the bus together.

Use the paragraph below to answer the following question:

1Mr. Roberts is a weather forecaster at the local TV station. 2He spoke to the fourth graders on Tuesday. 3He uses radar and computer programs to predict the weather. 4Mr. Roberts also measures wind speed and records the temperature.

29. Which sentence should be removed from the paragraph above?

A. sentence 1 B. sentence 2 C. sentence 3 D. sentence 4

Answer Key

1. D 2. B 3. B 4. D 5. C 6. A 7. B 8. C 9. A 10. C 11. C 12. B 13. B 14. B 15. C 16. C 17. B 18. A 19. D 20. B 21. D 22. B 23. B 24. B 25. B 26. C 27. B 28.A 29. B