3rd Grade Biweekly Assessment 3
Read the story “A New Ball Game” before answering questions 1
through 10.
A New Ball Game
How are a peach basket and a basketball hoop alike? No, you did not
misunderstand. They actually have something in common. Read the story,
and you will find out!
A long time ago, there was a
gym teacher named Mr. Naismith.
He had a hard time keeping his class
busy. His students were bored and
they talked too loudly. They didn't
like to stay inside in winter. Mr.
Naismith tried to think of a way to
keep his class busy.
Mr. Naismith had an idea. He
asked someone at the school to find
two boxes, but no boxes could be
found. Mr. Naismith got two peach
baskets and put them high above the
gym floor one basket at one end of
the gym and the other basket at the
other end.
Mr. Naismith had a surprise for his
students the next day. When they saw
the peach baskets, they laughed. Mr.
[illustration 1]
Naismith told them the rules of his
new game. There would be two teams. Each team would try to throw a ball into a
peach basket. The teams would not play against each other. They would just try to
get a ball into their own basket.
There was one main rule: when a player had the ball, he had to pass it to another
player. The player who got the ball would throw it into the basket. The students had
a hard time passing the ball. Everyone wanted to keep the ball and throw it in the
basket.
Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
3rd Grade Biweekly Assessment 3
The players could not push or hit each other. If they did, Mr. Naismith
would blow his whistle and that team would get a foul. After three fouls,
the other team would get a point.
Since there were no holes in the bottoms of the peach baskets, when a
player threw the ball into the basket, it stayed there! Mr. Naismith had to
climb a ladder to get the ball out of the basket. Then players could shoot
the ball again. The game moved at a snail's pace.
Mr. Naismith thought of some changes. He cut out the bottoms of the
baskets so that he wouldn't have to climb a ladder to get a ball. In order to
make the game move faster, the rules of the game changed, too. The teams
started to play against each other. Then players could bounce the ball.
The students loved peach basketball. They asked Mr. Naismith to
play the game inside and outside, and they showed their friends how to
play. Everyone raved about the game. After a while, peach baskets were
changed to hoops and nets. Does this sound familiar? Peach baskets
became basketball hoops. The game of basketball was invented.
[illustration 2]
Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
3rd Grade Mini-­‐Formative Assessment #3 Now answer Numbers 1 through 10. Base your answers on the story “A New Ball Game.” 1. Select the information in the passage that explains the reason Mr. Naismith came up with the idea of peach baskets. a) After a while, peach baskets were changed to hoops and nets. b) The players could not push or hit each other. c) Mr. Naismith tried to think of a way to keep his class busy. d) Mr. Naismith had a surprise for his students the next day. 2. Using the illustrations, select the sentence that demonstrates a shift between peach ball and basketball. a) The illustration shows the hoop, net, and ball, which are associated with basketball. b) The illustration shows how Mr. Naismith got two peach baskets and put them high above the gym floor. c) The illustration shows how each team would try to throw a ball into a peach basket. d) The illustration shows that the player who got the ball would have to throw it into the basket. 3. Select the information in the passage that explains the effect Mr. Naismith’s rule changes had on the game of peach baskets. a) It made the game move faster. b) It made the game more boring. c) It made it harder for the players to score points. d) It made it harder for players to pass the ball. 4. What does the author suggest by the phrase, “at a snail’s pace”? a) very slowly b) all at once c) done immediately d) in a convenient way 3rd Grade Mini-­‐Formative Assessment #3 5. Select the phrase that describes how the chronological structure of this passage helps the reader to understand how the game of peach baskets grew into the invention of basketball. a) The players could not push or hit each other. b) Everyone wanted to keep the ball. c) The students loved peach baskets. d) After a while, peach baskets were changed to hoops and nets. 6. How does the structure of the text help the reader to understand the relationship between a peach basket and a basketball hoop? a) The text is organized into headings that state the main ideas of each sport. b) The text is organized in chronological order, which gives information about how peach baskets became the game of basketball. c) The text is organized by contrasting the differences between the ways peach baskets and basketball are played. d) The text is organized by the ways both sports give penalties and the rules associated with both peach baskets and basketball. 7. What event must happen before a player can throw the ball into the basket? a) The player must pass the ball to another player. b) The player must catch the ball. c) The player must throw the ball into the other team’s basket. d) The player must catch the ball as it falls out of the basket. 8. What does the phrase “No, you did not misunderstand,” mean as it is used in the article? a) You comprehended the idea. b) You got the wrong idea. c) You came up with a good idea about something. d) You were the first to get an idea about something. 3rd Grade Mini-­‐Formative Assessment #3 -­‐ Answer Sheet “A New Ball Game” Lexile: 550 1. Select the information in the passage that explains the reason Mr. Naismith came up with the idea of peach baskets. (cause and effect, LAFS.3.RI.3.8) a) After a while, peach baskets were changed to hoops and nets. b) The players could not push or hit each other. c) Mr. Naismith tried to think of a way to keep his class busy. d) Mr. Naismith had a surprise for his students the next day. 2. Using the illustrations, select the sentence that demonstrates a shift between peach ball and basketball. (cause and effect, LAFS.3.RI.3.8) a) The illustration shows the hoop, net, and ball, which are associated with basketball. b) The illustration shows how Mr. Naismith got two peach baskets and put them high above the gym floor. c) The illustration shows how each team would try to throw a ball into a peach basket. d) The illustration shows that the player who got the ball would have to throw it into the basket. 3. Select the information in the passage that explains the effect Mr. Naismith’s rule changes had on the game of peach baskets? (cause and effect, LAFS.3.RI.3.8) a) It made the game move faster. b) It made the game more boring. c) It made it harder for the players to score points. d) It made it harder for players to pass the ball. 4. What does the author suggest by the phrase, “at a snail’s pace”? (vocabulary, LAFS.3.RL.2.4) a) very slowly b) all at once c) done immediately d) in a convenient way 3rd Grade Mini-­‐Formative Assessment #3 -­‐ Answer Sheet 5. Select the phrase that describes how the chronological structure of this passage helps the reader to understand how the game of peach baskets grew into the invention of basketball? (sequence, LAFS.3.RI.1.3) a) The players could not push or hit each other. b) Everyone wanted to keep the ball. c) The students loved peach baskets. d) After a while, peach baskets were changed to hoops and nets. 6. How does the structure of the text help the reader to understand the relationship between a peach basket and a basketball hoop? (sequence, LAFS.3.RI.1.3) a) The text is organized into headings that state the main ideas of each sport. b) The text is organized in chronological order, which gives information about how peach baskets became the game of basketball. c) The text is organized by contrasting the differences between the ways peach baskets and basketball are played. d) The text is organized by the ways both sports give penalties and the rules associated with both peach baskets and basketball. 7. What event must happen before a player can throw the ball into the basket? (sequence, LAFS.3.RI.1.3) a) The player must pass the ball to another player. b) The player must catch the ball. c) The player must throw the ball into the other team’s basket. d) The player must catch the ball as it falls out of the basket. 8. What does the phrase “No, you did not misunderstand,” mean as it is used in the article? (vocabulary, LAFS.3.RL.2.4) a) You comprehended the idea. b) You got the wrong idea. c) You came up with a good idea about something. d) You were the first to get an idea about something.