Read this poem, which is a true story about a young girl named Kate Shelley who lived in
Iowa in 1881. Then answer the questions. Some questions may ask you about certain lines
in this poem. The numbers are found on the left side of the poem.
Kate Shelley
by Ann Whitford Paul
1
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Lightning ripped apart the sky. Thunder pounded loud,
hammering relentlessly. Rain pelted from the clouds.
Kate Shelley trembled—Mother, too—at the raging storm.
They moved in closer to their hearth,
dry and safe and warm.
Then on the tracks nearby their home,
men rode a service train to check the rails
for damage caused by so much pouring rain.
Kate heard its bell toll once, twice, and then a roar of sound,
as if the thunder rumbled in the belly of the ground.
Kate grabbed her lantern.
Mother begged her, “Stay!” but Kate dashed out.
The bridge was smashed! The train had crashed!
Two men clung desperately to trees.
Kate started into town for help.
The path was overgrown—she tripped and tumbled down.
Kate stood again and ran
until she reached Des Moines’ wide river.
The water lapped the railroad bridge.
Her lantern’s small flame quivered. Then it died!
Kate strained to see the ties placed far apart,
stooped down to her knees, and groped on through the dark.
Jabbed by splinters, ripped by nails,
she crawled along the planks—across a span, five hundred feet.
At last she reached the bank.
Cold and wet seeped to her bones,
yet still she ran—raced fast!—to town.
The people there were horrified.
They gasped and hurried with her to the train.
Though nearly drained of hope,
the men were pulled to safety with a long and looping rope.
Kate Shelley didn’t wait for thanks,
but trudged on through the storm,
back to Mother, back to home,
dry and safe and warm.
0607
“Kate Shelley” by Ann Whitford Paul from ALL BY HERSELF, copyright © 1999 by Ann
Whitford Paul, reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
This material may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.
1. Who is telling Kate’s story in this
poem?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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A mother in 1881
A girl who saves two men
An unnamed speaker
One of the rescued men
1. Which event occurs first in the poem?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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Kate trips on the path to town.
The people in town rush to help.
Men ride a service train.
Kate dashes out of her house.
1. In line 2, what does the word
relentlessly mean?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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Under a cloudy sky
Without making a difference
Above the house
With great force
1. Why are the men in the poem riding
a service train?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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Because passenger trains do not
run in rain
To see whether the rails are
damaged
To alert people that the bridge
has been smashed
Because the bell they toll warns
people
1. How does Kate’s mother react when
Kate grabs a lantern?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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She falls to her knees.
She begs her to stay inside.
She trembles at the raging storm.
She starts to town for help.
1. In line 10, what does the phrase “as if
the thunder rumbled in the belly of
the ground” describe?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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The sound of the crashing bridge
The way rain pelts from the
clouds
The lapping of water against the
bridge
The lightning ripping across the
sky
1. Kate crawls across the bridge because
A.
B.
C.
D.
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the bridge is made of planks.
the bridge is five hundred feet
long.
she trips and falls down.
she can no longer see where to
step.
1. The people of the town save the 2
men by
A.
B.
C.
D.
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using a long, looped rope.
leaping into the river.
crawling along the planks.
lowering Kate to the bridge.
1. Why did the poet most likely write
this poem?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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To inform readers about
thunderstorms
To compare life in 1881 with life
today
To persuade people to build
better bridges
To tell an exciting tale about a
young girl’s bravery
Please write your response in the space below.
1. Describe Kate Shelley’s character and use details from the poem to support
your description.
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MCA-II Item Sampler Answer Key
Grade 5 Reading
Item #
Correct
Answer
Item
Type
Strand
SubStrand
Benchmark
Cognitive
Level
150345-0607
150346-0607
150341-0607
150342-0607
150343-0607
150350-0607
150348-0607
150349-0607
150340-0607
150353-0607
C
C
D
B
B
A
D
A
D
See Annotation
MC
MC
MC
MC
MC
MC
MC
MC
MC
CR
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
D
C
B
D
D
D
D
C
C
D
6
13
4
8
2
7
8
7
11
8
B
B
A
A
A
C
B
A
C
C
MCA-II Item Sampler
Rubric, Sample Responses and Answer Annotations
Grade 5 Reading
Rubric:
Score
4
3
2
1
0
Description
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley’s character. The
response includes extensive/elaborated examples from the poem to
support the description.
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley’s character. The
response includes essential/necessary examples from the poem to
support the description.
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley’s character. The
response includes partial examples from the poem to support the
description.
Response includes a minimally developed description of Kate
Shelley’s character. The response includes few or no examples from
the poem to support the description.
Response is incorrect or irrelevant.
Sample Response:
Kate Shelley is a brave young girl who faces down challenges in order to save
two men. She’s afraid of the thunderstorm, but immediately after a loud crash is
heard, she rushes outside to see what has happened even though her mother
begs her not to go. When Kate sees two men clinging to trees, she realizes that
the bridge went out, taking their train with it. She heads to town to get help.
Although she falls and her lantern goes out, she doesn’t give up. To cross a
bridge in the dark, she crawls along the planks, dealing with splinters and nails.
Although she is very cold and wet, she races to town to get help. Because of her
courage, the townspeople are able to save the men. She is a true hero. She was
not trying to be a hero, and she wasn’t helping just to receive praise and thanks.
She did what she did because she cared and wanted to help.
Score Point: 4
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley's character. (Brave!... Daring!...
Relentless!... Caring!). The response includes extensive/elaborated examples from the
poem to support the description. (She went out in the storm by herself with only a
lantern... risked getting hurt and lost… didn’t turn around and go home when her lantern
went out or when she hurt herself… went into the storm risking her life to save two men
instead of staying warm and dry).
Score Point: 4
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley's character. (….a brave girl …. she
never gave up. …. She had endurance) The response includes extensive/elaborated
examples from the poem to support the description. (She kept going even when her
lantern burned out & when she stumbled down she came back up. When her lantern
burned she crawled across the bridge instead & she was jabbed with splinters ripped
by nails. She kept on going the whole 500 ft.)
Score Point: 3
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley's character. (….is brave …. good at
not giving up) The response includes essential/necessary examples from the poem to
support the description. (….it’s raining hard and dangerous outside but she goes
outside anyway and she crawls across a span of 500 feet on a bridge. ….her light died
she kept going and she kept going when she was high up and when she couldn’t see
and when she got cut and hurt)
Score Point: 3
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley's character. (brave and courageous )
The response includes essential/necessary examples from the poem to support the
description. (She went out at night during a very hard scary thunderstorm to get help
from the townspeople …. she crawled on her knees on a 500 ft. high bridge when she
couldn't see a thing …. she kept running and running even though she was cold tired
and very wet )
Score Point: 2
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley's character. (a brave girl) The
response includes partial examples from the poem to support the description. (she went
outside during a big storm …. when she went out into the night to find help for the men.)
Score Point: 2
Response includes a description of Kate Shelley's character. (very brave and
disobedient) The response includes partial examples from the poem to support the
description. (to go out in the thunderstorm & she went outside against a mom's advice )
Score Point: 1
Response includes a minimally developed description of Kate Shelley's character.
(brave and daring & willing to take chances) The response includes few or no examples
from the poem to support the description. (….save other people)
Score Point: 1
Response includes a minimally developed description of Kate Shelley's character. (a
brave little girl) The response includes few or no examples from the poem to support the
description. (….rescue people)
Score Point: 0
Response is incorrect or irrelevant.
Score Point: 0
Response is incorrect or irrelevant.