Student Team Literature Standardized Reading Practice Test One More River to Cross (Knopf Paperbacks, 1992) Sample Test Questions DIRECTIONS: Context Clues Reading Vocabulary As you read each sentence, use the other words in the sentence to help you figure out what the DIRECTIONS: Synonyms underlined word means. Then circle the letter Choose the word that means the same, or for the answer you have chosen. about the same, as the underlined word. Then SAMPLE C circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. In the course of his travels Matt acquired an SAMPLE A education that he could never have gotten in school. Denied means: Acquired means - A explained A ignored B encouraged B longed for C protested C received D refused D disliked DIRECTIONS: Multiple-Meaning Words Read the sentence in the box. Then choose the Reading Comprehension answer in which the underlined word is used in the same way. Circle the letter for the answer DIRECTIONS you have chosen. Read the passage. Then read each question about the passage. Decide which is the best SAMPLE B answer. Circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. Marian realized that she must not strain her voice, or else she might someday SAMPLE D lose it. The members of the North Pole exploring party took turns blazing a northward trail and then In which sentence does the word strain mean returning to camp to recuperate. By April 1 it the same thing as in the sentence above? was time to cross the last 135 miles of bleak F You can strain a muscle if you run too hard wilderness and there was no question who without warming up first. would go with Peary—Matt Henson. “I can’t get G We decided to strain the gravy through a along without him,” said Peary. (page 39) sieve to remove all the lumps. The author’s purpose in this passage is H The scientist was using a special strain of F to show how much Peary liked Henson. white rats for his laboratory experiments. G to show that Henson was an important, J Suddenly I heard a hauntingly lovely strain valued member of Peary’s team. of music that I hadn’t heard before. H to show that the other members of Peary’s team were useless. J to show how brave Matt Henson was. Talent Development Secondary · Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland · 2012 1 2 Talent Development Secondary · Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland · 2012 Student Team Literature One More River to Cross Standardized Reading Practice Test: “Crispus Attucks” Reading Vocabulary DIRECTIONS: Synonyms F The pancake batter sizzled and steamed Choose the word that means the same, or when it hit the hot grill. about the same, as the underlined word. G “Lefty” Groves, the next batter at the Then circle the letter for the answer you have plate, is expected to hit at least one chosen. home run in today’s baseball game. 1. To confront means: H Little Keisha loved the playground so much that she would batter her mom A to avoid; to dodge with tiny fists when it was time to leave. B to cover over J Mrs. Pocopson began to batter the fish C to prove to be true with the egg and flour mixture and then D to face head-on; to challenge slip them into the hot oil. 2. Unruly means: F cooperative or helpful G rowdy or unmanageable DIRECTIONS: Context Clues H timid or shy As you read each sentence, use the other J passionate or enthusiastic words in the sentence to help you figure out what the underlined word means. Then circle 3. Aimlessly means: the letter for the answer you have chosen. A without purpose or direction 5. The colonists resented having to buy B without money or resources nearly everything they needed from C without excuse England and complained about the lack D without shame of free trade. Resented means - A enjoyed DIRECTIONS: Multiple-Meaning Words B disliked Read the sentence in the box. Then choose C accepted the answer in which the underlined word is D ignored used in the same way. Circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. 6. The crowd tried to kill the man, but 4. soldiers intervened and took him to jail. The mob chased the man into his house, Intervened means - and then began to batter down his door F stepped in with sticks and clubs. G looked the other way In which sentence does the word batter H wrote a report mean the same thing as in the sentence J cheered them on above? Talent Development Secondary · Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland · 2012 3 Reading Comprehension DIRECTIONS Read the passage. Then read each question about the passage. Decide which is the best answer. Circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. … The [British] soldiers used their bayonets as clubs to cut through the crowd and drive it back. Seeing that the crowd was in no mood to retreat, the soldiers loaded their muskets… Standing at the front of the crowd was Crispus Attucks. According to the slave named Andrew, who was at the scene, the crowd was crying, “Damn them, they dare not fire, we are not afraid of them.” Attucks threw himself into the group of soldiers, said Andrew, and struck at Captain Preston. A group of men followed him, yelling, “Kill the dogs, knock them over.” The soldiers fired. Crispus Attucks was the first to fall, hit by two musket balls. Four other men died… Six others in the crowd were wounded, but later recovered. The next day, the bodies of Attucks and Caldwell were taken to Faneuil Hall, because neither man had a home in Boston. Two days after that, all the shops in the city were closed for the public funeral for the five victims. Thousands of people flocked in from the countryside, and the Boston Gazette reported that the funeral was attended by the largest crowd ever assembled in North America. The coffins of Attucks and Caldwell were carried to meet the hearses with the other coffins on King Street. All the bells in the city tolled in the dead men’s honor. There was a long procession to the cemetery, where they were all buried together in one grave. While some called Attucks and the others heroes, others called them villains. But everyone agreed that Crispus Attucks was the main actor in the event, a stranger who had stepped forward to lead the attack on the soldiers. (pages 9-10) 7 Which of the following is a statement of 9 A good headline for a newspaper fact? account of this incident would be A The British soldiers were wrong to fire A “Five Dead, Six Wounded in Clash on the crowd. with British Forces” B Crispus Attucks was hit with two B “British Dogs Massacre Innocent musket balls and died. Bystanders” C Attucks and his companions were C “Colonist Villains Taunt British great American heroes. Defenders” D The British soldiers had every right to D “Two Men Dead at Faneuil Hall” defend themselves in this incident. 10 The author’s main purpose in this 8 We can infer from this account that account is to highlight Attucks’ F all American colonists were opposed F popularity as a well-known Boston to the British soldiers’ presence. figure. G many American colonists were angry G thoughtful disagreement with British about the British soldiers’ actions. policies. H Crispus Attucks was just an unlucky H foolishness in attacking the British bystander, not actively involved in the captain. situation. J active leadership role in opposing J the British soldiers had absolutely no British forces. reason to fire when they did. 4 Talent Development Secondary · Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland · 2012 Student Team Literature One More River to Cross Standardized Reading Practice Test: “Madam C. J. Walker” Reading Vocabulary DIRECTIONS: Synonyms 4. Choose the word that means the same, or Madam Walker recruited and trained about the same, as the underlined word. scores of women to use and sell Walker Then circle the letter for the answer you have products. chosen. In which sentence does the word scores 1. Astute means: mean the same thing as in the sentence A confident above? B clever or wise F When the bridal shop went out of C dull or stupid business, scores of angry customers D hard-working demanded their money back. G Uncle Stu is such an avid baseball fan that 2. Supremacy is the same as: he knows the scores of all the games and F being very talented in music all the players’ statistics. G being the largest in size H Our band teacher keeps the scores of all H being very ordinary the music selections in a file cabinet in his J being the greatest or strongest office. J Janice scores a basket almost every time DIRECTIONS: Multiple-Meaning Words her teammates pass her the ball. Read the sentence in the box. Then choose DIRECTIONS: Context Clues the answer in which the underlined word is As you read each sentence, use the other used in the same way. Circle the letter for the words in the sentence to help you figure out answer you have chosen. what the underlined word means. Then circle 3. the letter for the answer you have chosen. Sarah was a widow at the age of twenty, 5. Why should black women toil over hot and the sole support of a two-year-old laundry tubs and clean white people’s daughter. houses when they could be in business for themselves? Toil means - In which sentence does the word sole mean A to take a break the same thing as in the sentence above? B to cook A At the seafood restaurant, I ordered fillet C to breathe deeply of sole with tartar sauce and fries.