Local Assessment Item Bank
Reading
Grade 6
Informational Text Assessment 5
Student Name:
Date:
This assessment is designed to provide information about reading comprehension
skills. It contains a reading passage with multiple choice, short answer, and
constructed response items. Read the passage and then mark the bubble with the
correct answer on the multiple choice items. Write responses to the short answer
and constructed response items in the box provided.
Refer back to the passage as necessary. You may mark up the passage in any way
that is helpful in answering the items.
Read this passage about roller coasters. Then answer the questions that follow.
Riding Roller Coasters:
Is It a Job For You?
Akiko Ono
The Cyclone, Kumba, Superman, Space Mountain, the SooperDooperLooper,
the Great American Scream Machine, the Corkscrew… What do these names have in
common? They’re all roller coasters at American amusement parks.
Roller coasters are the most popular rides at most amusement parks. These days,
each new coaster built has to be bigger, faster, more exciting, and scarier than the
last. But how do riders know the coasters are safe? What do parks do to test their
coasters before we excitedly jump into a car, fasten our belts, and take that ride? In
fact, amusement parks hire people to test their roller coasters in a number of ways.
Getting paid to test a roller coater could be an interesting job.
Some of America's Best Coasters
Roller Coaster
Kingda Ka
Superman the
Escape
Intimidator 305
Diamondback
Amusement Park
Six Flags Great
Adventure, NJ
Six Flags Magic
Mountain, CA
Kings Dominion,
VA
Kings Island, TX
Speed
128 mph
Height
456 ft
Drop
418 ft
100 mph
415 ft
328 ft
90 mph
305 ft
300 ft
80 mph
230 ft
215 ft
Parks are very careful about testing their coasters. They have to make sure that
the coaster does not go too fast and that the loops and turns are not too tight. They
also have to make sure that riders will not get sick or hurt.
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They use computer models to make sure the design is safe. The models show, for
example, that the coaster won’t fly off the track or send riders shooting into midair.
They test the coaster with water dummies of different sizes that represent real riders.
Then they study the effects of the coaster ride on the dummies. They use crash test
dummies, like carmakers do, to measure the stress the coaster puts on human bodies.
Finally, they run the ride over and over with real test riders. What a great job that
sounds like—riding roller coasters all day!
Actually, it’s probably not as fun as it sounds. Think about it. Your body is
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jolted around, your stomach drops, and the turns and loops make you dizzy—all
day long. Some parks hire volunteers to come and ride all day. One such rider, when
interviewed, said, “When I was asked if I wanted to be a test rider, I jumped at the
chance. And the first six or seven times were great! But by the thirtieth time, I was
so ready to get off that ride. I felt sick and had a headache. And frankly the ride was
boring by then.”
Informational Text Assessment 5
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Parks also hire full-time testers. These people ride new roller coasters many times
before the coasters open. One test rider says, “By the way, it’s not a good idea to eat a
big meal just before you test coasters.” No kidding! The same tester remembers how
once when a new coaster opened, he rode it 23 times in a row. The rest of his day
wasn’t so great.
Testers learn each coaster well. They can hear any little new sound or feel any
new bump or jolt the coaster makes. Several times a week after the park opens, they
ride each coaster checking for anything that seems different or that concerns them. If
they notice anything, however
small, they let people who repair
the coaster know. The staff then
goes over the coaster to make
sure there is nothing wrong
with it.
Full-time testers seem to
love their jobs, even if there is
the occasional day of feeling
sick. They never get over the
rush that comes when they turn
upside down, drop 80 feet, and
twist through turns. For these
thrill-seekers, coasters never get boring. For the rest of us, the testers are the last step
in making sure our rides are safe as well as fun and exciting.
1 According to the chart, which roller
coaster has a 300-foot drop?
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2 Roller coasters are tested to make
sure they
𝖠 Kingda Ka
𝖠 are fun but not scary.
𝖡 Superman the Escape
𝖡 are exciting without being dangerous.
𝖢 Intimidator 305
𝖢 don’t go too fast or turn too tight.
𝖣 Diamondback
𝖣 scare riders but do not terrify them.
Informational Text Assessment 5
3 How are dummies used in testing roller
coasters?
6 In paragraph 4, the word represent means
𝖠 stay behind.
𝖠 They are put on the tracks to see if
they’ll make the cars come off the
rails.
𝖡 help with.
𝖡 They are put in the cars to make
people think the rides are safe.
𝖣 take the place of.
𝖢 They are strapped into the cars to
replace people in the tests.
𝖣 If they fall apart after only a few
rides, the coaster is declared unsafe.
4 In what way is this passage different from
an advertisement for a roller coaster?
𝖠 It provides information on how roller
coasters are tested.
𝖡 It makes you think about how it feels
to ride a roller coaster.
𝖢 It has a picture of an amusement
park/roller coaster.
𝖣 It includes quotes from people who
ride coasters.
5 Which subhead would fit best before
paragraph 4?
𝖢 show clearly.
7 Actually, it’s probably not as fun as it
sounds.
Which sentence uses the word sounds the
same way as in the box?
𝖠 The vowels in bird and learn have the
same sounds.
𝖡 Captain Warren usually sounds the
water with a weighted string.
𝖢 We sat by the lake and listened to all
the night sounds.
𝖣 Jackie said that our plan sounds fine
to her.
8 What is the best way to sum up
paragraph 5?
𝖠 Riding roller coasters all day is fun.
𝖡 Riding a roller coaster thirty times
makes you sick.
𝖠 “Ways That Parks Test Roller
Coasters”
𝖢 Testing roller coasters all day has its
drawbacks.
𝖡 “How to Ride All Day for Free”
𝖣 Coaster testing can be very boring.
𝖢 “The Best Coasters in America”
𝖣 “Computers Help Design Your Ride”
Informational Text Assessment 5
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9 A tester who eats a lot just before riding a
coaster is most likely to
11 The words boring, safe, and exciting are
all what part of speech?
𝖠 get a headache.
𝖠 noun
𝖡 get sick.
𝖡 verb
𝖢 feel tired.
𝖢 adjective
𝖣 get dizzy.
𝖣 adverb
10 This passage is most like a
𝖠 magazine article.
𝖡 realistic fiction.
𝖢 textbook chapter.
𝖣 manual of instructions.
12 What happens to the testers after the
roller coaster rides are designed and the
amusement park opens?
𝖠 The tester’s job is over.
𝖡 A tester repairs cars for auto makers.
𝖢 Testers ride occasionally to check for
wear and tear.
𝖣 Testers have to ride the coaster even
more often.
13 Why are dummy riders used before human testers? Explain.
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Informational Text Assessment 5
14 Use the chart below to compare the good and bad things about being a roller
coaster test rider.
Good things
Bad things
15 Does the author, Akiko Ono, show a bias for or against working as a roller coaster
tester? Support your answer with details from the passage.
Informational Text Assessment 5
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