Ongoing Comprehension Strategy Assessment •2 Name ______Date ______Directions: Read the passage. Then use the information from the passage to answer questions 1–5. Everybody’s Hero Roberto Clemente was upset. It was December 1972. An earthquake had hit Nicaragua. Many people had lost everything. Other countries sent food and clothing, but these things were not reaching the people. When Roberto heard that, he got angry. Then he decided to do something about it. When Roberto put his mind on something, he always did it. He had been that way since he was a boy. Roberto Clemente Walker grew up in Puerto Rico as the youngest of four children. He was great at track and field, but his best sport was baseball. He wanted to work his way up to the big leagues. In 1955, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Roberto became one of the greatest players of all time. He could hit, field, throw, and run. He was the top batter in the league four times. He was the best right fielder twelve times. His team won two World Series, in 1960 and 1971. He won many other prizes. He was named Most Valuable Player in the 1971 World Series. Roberto Clemente was a hero in all of Latin America. The people loved him, and he loved helping people. That is why Roberto got on a plane for Nicaragua. His friends warned him against it. The plane was old, and the weather was bad. But the people there needed help. He was going to bring food and clothing to them. His mind was set, and he would not change his mind. That was the last anybody saw of Roberto Clemente. His plane went down in a storm. Newspapers across the country ran the story on the front page. All Americans were sad. Clemente was still a young man. It was a big loss for baseball, and a big loss for the world.

40 Comprehension Strategy Assessment • Grade 4 © 2006 Benchmark Education Company, LLC Name ______Date ______

1. Which words best describe the character of Roberto Clemente? oA kind and easy going oB angry and serious oC generous and hard working oD friendly and amusing

2. When Roberto Clemente was a boy, his main goal was to ______. oA win prizes in track and field oB get into the big leagues oC help people in Latin America oD become a hero

3. In 1972, Clemente boarded the plane for Nicaragua because he wanted to ______. oA get away from the people in the United States oB help fly the plane through the storm oC get to the baseball game on time oD make sure the people got food and clothing

4. What did Roberto Clemente’s effort to get to Nicaragua in 1972 show about him as a person? ______

5. Roberto Clemente was known as strong-minded. Give one or two details from the passage to support this idea. ______

© 2006 Benchmark Education Company, LLC Comprehension Strategy Assessment • Grade 4 41