© Hawker Brownlow Education

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson 1 Finding Main Idea ...... 4

Lesson 2 Recalling Facts and Details...... 14

Lesson 3 Understanding Sequence ...... 24

Lessons 1 – 3 REVIEW ...... 34

Lesson 4 Recognising Cause and Effect ...... 38

Lesson 5 Comparing and Contrasting ...... 48

Lesson 6 Making Predictions...... 58

Lessons 4 – 6 REVIEW ...... 68

Lesson 7 Finding Word Meaning in ContextEducation...... 72

Lesson 8 Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences ...... 82

Lesson 9 Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion...... 92 Lessons 7 – 9 REVIEW . .Brownlow ...... 102

Lesson 10 Identifying Author’s Purpose...... 106 Lesson 11 HawkerInterpreting Figurative Language...... 116 Lesson 12 © Summarising ...... 126 Lessons 10 – 12 REVIEW ...... 136

Lessons 1 – 12 FINAL REVIEW ...... 140

• A test question about the main idea may ask you what a reading passage is mostly or mainly about. • A test question about the main idea may ask you to identify the TEST TIPS main topic of a reading passage. • A test question about the main idea may ask you to choose the best title for a reading passage. A good title often identifies the main idea.

Read this myth once told by the ancient Greeks. Then answer questions about the myth. Choose the best answer for Numbers 13 and 14.

Narcissus was a very handsome young man. All the young girls and maidens who met Narcissus immediately fell in love with him. But Narcissus was hard-hearted and vain. He loved no one but himself. One day, Narcissus was walking in the woods, and he became thirsty. Coming upon a quiet pool of clear water, Narcissus bent down to take a drink. As he leaned toward the water, he suddenly stopped and stared. Mirrored there before him on the surface of the water, Narcissus Educationsaw the most beautiful face he had ever seen in his life. Narcissus was spellbound by the beauty he saw in the pool. Narcissus smiled at the handsome face. The face smiled back. But when Narcissus reached out to touch it, the image vanished in a blur of ripples. Narcissus did not realise that he had fallen in love with his own refl ection. When the water stilled and theBrownlow refl ection returned, Narcissus could not tear himself away. He longed for that which he could never possess. Now he knew the pain of love! Neither eating nor drinking for weeks, Narcissus eventually died. Close to where Narcissus died, there grew a delicate fl ower with white petals and a yellow centre. We call this lovely fl ower a narcissus, remembering a beautiful youthHawker who died from love for himself. ©

13. The myth mainly tells 14. Which of these is an appropriate title for how a flower got its name. the myth? what life was like in ancient Greece. “The Properties of Water” where a vain young man once lived. “The Missing Reflection” how water reflects light. “Greek Gods and Goddesses” “Narcissus – How It Came to Be”

12 STARS Plus Student Book F CA12147 • 9781743305812 • © 2013 Hawker Brownlow Education Read this article about a magnificent structure. Then answer questions about the article. Choose the best answer for Numbers 15 and 16.

The Great Wall of China is the longest structure ever built. Its total length is about 6275 kilometres. One of the highest parts of the wall rises to about 10 metres. The wall crosses northern China between the east coast and north-central China. The Great Wall of China was built entirely by hand. Some believe the Great Wall is a symbol of China’s greatness and of the ability of humankind to accomplish amazing feats. The Great Wall of China is really a series of walls strung together. About two thousand years ago, the wall began as a series of short walls. Historians believe that these short walls were built to mark northern territories. Over the centuries, various rulers built sections of the wall to protect their northern borders against invaders. During these periods, sections of the wall were connected and strengthened. Parts of the Great Wall have crumbled through the years. However, much of it remains, and some sections have been restored. Watchtowers stand positioned along the wall about 100–200 metres apart. The towers once served as lookout posts. Throughout the centuries, armies were posted along the length of the wall to provide early warning of an invasion and a first line of defence. Large piles of straw and dirt, once used to build signal fires, have been found at different points of the wall. Some parts of the Great Wall consist of a foundation of granite blocks. The sides were constructed with stone or brick, and the inside of the wall was filled with earth. On top of the wall, a road was constructed by using bricksEducation set in mortar. The road was used by the workers who built the wall and by the soldiers who defended it. In hilly areas where brick and rock were scarce, portions of the wall were built from dirt dug from the earth. Workers moistened the dirt and then pounded it until it was solid. Brownlow Though the Great Wall is no longer used for defence, it attracts many visitors. Tourists from around the world come to see China’s symbol of greatness and achievement.Hawker ©

15. What is the article mostly about? 16. What is the best title for the article? the restoration of the Great Wall “A Wall for the Ages” the many uses of the Great Wall “Human-made Structures” the builders of the Great Wall “Ancient Chinese Cultures” the construction of the Great Wall “The World’s Greatest Achievement”

Read this article about a famous Australian musician. Then answer questions about the article. Choose the best answer for Numbers 7 to 12.

Jimmy Little Jimmy Little was born on an Aboriginal mission in New South Wales in 1937. He was a member of the Yorta Yorta people. His mother was a Yorta Yorta woman and his father was from the Yuin people. Jimmy’s father was a tap dancer, comedian, musician and singer. He led his own group of entertainers in the 1930s and 1940s. Jimmy’s mother was a singer and a yodeller who’d joined the group. From the time he was a small child, Jimmy knew what he wanted to be. When he was just sixteen years old, Jimmy went to Sydney to perform on a radio show. At eighteen he left home to live in Sydney and pursue a career in country music. Jimmy Little went on to become an Aboriginal music legend. His successful career lasted six decades. Jimmy became the first Aboriginal musician to be popular with non-Aboriginal people. He also acted in filmEducation and on television. But singing was always Jimmy’s first love. His 1963 single “Royal Telephone” became his biggest hit. It peaked at number one on the charts in Sydney and number three in Melbourne. Jimmy was made a National Living Treasure. He was also given an Order of Australia. In 1990 he was put into the ARIA Hall of Fame. But Jimmy was proudest of his work to help his fellow AboriginalBrownlow Australians. He was a firm supporter of reconciliation. He also worked tirelessly for Aboriginal health. Jimmy Little died in 2012. But his music and his spirit live on.

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36 STARS Plus Student Book F CA12147 • 9781743305812 • © 2013 Hawker Brownlow Education Finding Main Idea Recalling Facts and Details 7. What is the main idea of paragraph 1? 10. Which detail tells about Jimmy Little’s Jimmy Little was born in New South work to help his fellow Aboriginal Wales. Australians? Jimmy Little’s mother could yodel. He was a firm supporter of Born to parents who were themselves reconciliation. entertainers, Jimmy Little always He was a member of the Yorta Yorta knew he wanted to follow in their people. footsteps. Jimmy Little went on to become an Jimmy Little was a member of the Aboriginal music legend. Yorta Yorta people. Jimmy was made a National Living Treasure.

Finding Main Idea Understanding Sequence 8. What is the main idea of the article? 11. Which of these happened first? Jimmy Little was a popular and Jimmy was put into the ARIA Hall much-loved Australian musician who of Fame. also worked to help his people. Education Jimmy left home to live in Sydney. Jimmy Little’s biggest hit was “Royal Jimmy Little died. Telephone”. “Royal Telephone” became a big hit. Jimmy Little was born in 1937 and died in 2012. Jimmy Little’s successful career lasted six decades. Brownlow

Recalling Facts and Details Understanding Sequence 9. Jimmy first performedHawker on a radio show in 12. After “Royal Telephone” went to number Melbourne. © one in Sydney, Jimmy Little the ARIA Hall of Fame. moved to Sydney to pursue a career an Aboriginal mission in New South in country music. Wales. travelled to Sydney to be on a radio Sydney. show. was popular and successful for another 49 years. lived on an Aboriginal mission in New South Wales.

What Is Cause and Effect? There is a reason for everything that happens. What happens is called the effect. Why it happens is called the cause. You can find examples of causes and their effects almost anywhere.

1 Write what happens to houseplants if no one waters them for a long time.

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2 Write why this happens.

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Work with a Partner

• Take turns giving each other examples of cause and effect. • You might say, “I saw a cat climb a tree because a dog was chasing it.” In each example, tell which part is the cause and which part is the effect.

38 STARS Plus Student Book F CA12147 • 9781743305812 • © 2013 Hawker Brownlow Education Read this biographical article about an Australian artist and his work. As you read, look for clues that will help you make a prediction about the artist’s work. Ask yourself, “Which details provide clues about what would probably have happened next?” Then answer the questions.

Sidney Nolan Sidney Nolan was one of Australia’s best-known artists. His most famous works are personal reimaginings of historical or legendary figures. Nolan painted versions of the explorers Burke and Wills. He also painted Eliza Fraser, who was shipwrecked off Queensland in 1836. But by far his most well known paintings are the 27 he did of the story of Ned Kelly, Australia’s bushranging hero and outlaw. Nolan’s paintings show the entire Ned Kelly story, ending in his hanging in Melbourne. Kelly is shown in a simple style wearing his iconic armour. The helmet is just a black square with a slit for the eyes. He wears this in all the paintings, even though the real Ned Kelly only wore his armour once. Nolan’s paintings of Ned Kelly were painted in the 1940s. But they are still instantly recognisable today. In fact, they were so important to Australia that they appeared in the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Dozens of performers wore costumes based on Nolan’s design for Ned Kelly. One of the series of paintings was presented on a giant screen in the stadium. The entire world was seeing Australian culture on display. And front and centre was the unique work of Sidney Nolan and his most famous creation. Education

1. Predict which of these Sidney Nolan might 2. Where did you find clues to help you have been most likely to paint. make your prediction? landscapes in the title of the article important figures from AustralianBrownlow in the story of Eliza Fraser history in the details about Sidney Nolan’s self-portraits works being used at the Olympics famous world cities in the details about Nolan’s most Hawker famous works ©

Work with a Partner

• Talk about your answers to the questions. • Tell why you chose your answers. • Then talk about what you have learned so far about making predictions.

• Look for details in a reading passage that tell about how a person or character looks, acts, thinks, feels and speaks. Think about how people with similar qualities behave. Also think about the times you may have MORE TO behaved in a similar way yourself. KNOW • Think about the information you figured out on your own. Ask yourself, “Which details in the reading passage helped me draw this conclusion or make this inference?”

Read this history article about an Australian symbol. Then answer the questions.

The Eureka Flag was fi rst used during the Eureka Rebellion in Victoria in 1854. The rebels at the Eureka Stockade all swore an oath to the fl ag when it was fl own above Bakery Hill in Ballarat. Ever since it’s been a symbol of a certain type of Australian pride and history. In fact the fl ag can mean many things to many people. But no one denies that it’s a uniquely Australian symbol. The Eureka fl ag is made up of a dark blue background with white stripes running down the middle horizontally and vertically. It features fi ve pointed stars. These stars represent the Southern Cross. This is a constellation that is only really visible from the Southern Hemisphere. A different version of the Southern Cross features on the Australian fl ag, as well as the fl ags of many other countries. Who actually designed the Eureka fl ag is a bit of a mystery.Education Most accounts from the time suggest that the Canadian miner, Henry Charles Ross, probably thought it up. Ross would later die in the battle of the stockade. Ross came from Toronto. There are some similarities between the Eureka fl ag and the fl ag of Quebec. There is a story that two women made the fl ag from an original drawing by Ross. Unfortunately no one can really be sure if this happened. After the battle, a sketch of the fl ag was found in a miner’s tent. Today it’s part of the collection of the Ballarat Historical Society. A note on it says “found in a tent after the affair at Eureka”. But there is no name andBrownlow no one can be sure who drew it.

5. Readers of the article can conclude that 7. You can determine that the Eureka flag never really caught on the Eureka flag can mean different with people who weren’tHawker rebels. things to different people. the Eureka flag© would be the flag of Henry Ross was proud of his design. Australia today if Ross hadn’t died. the Eureka Stockade was named after the Eureka flag is still a powerful the flag. symbol today. the Eureka flag isn’t very important. the Eureka flag would also be popular in Canada. 8. Which clue from the article helps you to figure out the main reason Ross is thought 6. Which of these statements is probably true? to have designed the flag? Ross chose the stars on the flag without Ross would later die in the battle of the seeing the Southern Cross. stockade. Ross did not design the first Eureka Most accounts from the time suggest … flag. … came from Toronto … Ross designed the first Eureka flag. … part of the collection of the Ballarat Ross kept secret the fact that he Historical Society … designed the Eureka flag.

Henry Handel Richardson is widely regarded as Australia’s first world-famous author. Richardson’s best-known novels, The Getting of Wisdom and The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, were read all around the world in the 1920s and 30s. They put Australia on the literary map for the first time. What nobody knew at that time was that “Henry” was actually a woman named Ethel. She wrote under a man’s name. For a long time, many people did not take women’s writing seriously. Ethel Florence Richardson was born in Melbourne in 1870. Her mother raised her alone after her father died when she was seven. While her mother worked at the post office, Ethel would read every book she could find. Her intelligence and imagination did not help her social life at school. She was unpopular due to her sharp tongue and her talent for making up stories. Most of these stories were about her. Ethel’s later troubles included jealousy of her sister. She believed her sister was prettier and more outgoing than she was. Ethel also had a terrible fear of failure as a musician. This had originally appeared to be her path to success. She turned her attention to literature at age twenty after meeting her future husband, George Robertson. Ethel was eventually able to turn the hardships of her past to her advantage. She wrote novels that were considered fiction but were based on her own experiences. Her work remains some of the most significant writing ever produced by an Australian.

Education 9. You can tell that Ethel’s childhood was 11. From the article, you can determine that happy. Ethel wrote as a man because dangerous. she wished she had been born a man. lonely. she knew people would take her scary. writing more seriously if they Brownlow thought she was a man. 10. Readers of the article can conclude that she wished her name was Henry. Ethel wrote more than two novels. she didn’t want to be famous. Ethel was a good student. 12. The information in the article suggests Ethel was ugly. Hawker that Ethel would have© been a great Ethel would never have started musician. writing if she hadn’t married George Robertson. Ethel would never have written if she hadn’t had a hard childhood. there were few famous Australian writers before the 1920s. there were no good writers in Australia before Henry Handel Richardson.

Read this article about an explorer. Then answer questions about the article. Choose the best answer for Numbers 25 to 36.

There are many stories about the European explorers who came to Australia and first mapped it for the world. Everyone knows about Captain James Cook and how he discovered Australia. That is, if you think a place can be discovered when people have already lived there for forty thousand years. But the first person to circumnavigate – sail all around – Australia and map it as a continent was Matthew Flinders. Before Flinders, Europeans only knew parts of Australia. It was only after Matthew Flinders that people knew the full size of Australia. He was also the person to come up with the name “Australia”. Flinders was born in England and joined the Royal Navy in 1789 when he was fifteen. He wanted to become a sailor and explorer after reading the book Robinson Crusoe. Flinders first came to Australia in 1795. He was on the ship carrying the new Governor of the colony, John Hunter. It was on this voyage that Flinders established his reputation as a great navigator. He also became friends with the ship’s doctor, George Bass. In 1798 Flinders discovered Bass Strait, between mainland Australia and Tasmania. He named it after his good friend. This discoveryEducation meant that voyages from England to New South Wales were several days shorter. But what did this discovery signify about Tasmania? Before this, Europeans were not sure that Tasmania was an island! This was the last voyage of Bass and Flinders, as Bass disappeared soon after. By the time he returned to England Flinders was very respected as a navigator. He was given command of a ship called the Investigator. It set sail for Australia in 1801. Flinders and his crew exploredBrownlow Port Phillip. Flinders didn’t know that this area had been discovered only a few weeks before. It was on this journey that Flinders sailed completely around Australia. Because of his work Europeans now knew the full extent of the land they were settling. During the voyage it was discovered that the ship was leaking badly. Flinders returned to Sydney. HawkerOn the way he dropped two large iron anchors off the side of the boat into the angry© sea. Divers later found them in 1973. Flinders tried to return to England but was captured by the French on the island of Mauritius in 1803. Flinders thought that because he was on a voyage of exploration they would let his ship go. But this was at a time when England and France were at war. The French held him for six years because they thought he was a spy. He was 39 when he returned to England, but looked much older. His health was very poor. Even though he was very sick he managed to complete a book, A Voyage to Terra Australis. It was published on the day he died. His life was short but he’d taught Europeans more about Australia than anyone had known up until then. Because of Flinders, Europeans now knew for certain that Australia was a massive island continent and not just a series of islands. His charts and discoveries were so accurate that they were used for many years after his death. Before Matthew Flinders, this new land had been called “New Holland”. But in 1824 the name he had come up with was adopted: “Australia”.