Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 04/01/2014
Generated By: Che ryl Shelton
Title: Grade 4 Writing Standards
Pinewood Derby
(1) The yearly Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts began in 1953. (2) It was the idea of
Don Murphy, whose son was a Cub Scout. (3) Mr. Murphy's son was too young to take
part in the Soap Box Derby race. (4) This was a race in which boys drove their
homemade toy cars. (5) Mr. Murphy wanted younger boys to have a similar activity. (6)
His goal was to create an activity that the boys could do with their fathers.
(7) Mr. Murphy and his fellow Cub Scout dads built the track for the first race. (8) It
had two lanes and was 31-feet long. (9) Mr. Murphy decided that the cars the boys
would race would come in a kit. (10) The boys and their fathers would then be able to
build the car together. (11) The kit contained a block of pinewood, wooden struts, nails,
and wheels. (12) The parts came in brown paper bags. (13) They were given to each
Scout who wanted to race. (14) The Cub Scouts and their fathers had almost a month to
prepare for their race.
(15) The first Pinewood Derby race took place on May 15, 1953. (16) Soon after, the
Boy Scouts of America asked Mr. Murphy if they could create an official Pinewood
Derby Program. (17) The Pinewood Derby Program is still going strong today.
1. Which sentence best supports the idea that the Pinewood Derby was successful?
A. Sentence 15
B. Sentence 16
C. Sentence 13
D. Sentence 14
Donald's family is going on a picnic. He has offered to pack everything. He wants to make sure
that he doesn't forget anything, so he made a chart to help him prepare.
2. What information best belongs in the box marked Y?
A. Pack the silverware
B. Find out how many people are going
C. Put the food in containers
D. Bring a bag for trash
Read this bibliography (works cited page) below.
Andersen, Scott. Laboring in the Scorching Sun. New York: Green Books, 2002. Pages
14-22.
Charles, Rebecca. “Becoming a Farm Worker.” Texas Monthly April 2008: Pages 20-26.
Jackson, Mark. “Bringing in the Harvest.” Agriculture Magazine July 2004: Pages 18-22.
Martinez, Ernest. “Pride in a Hard Day’s Work.” Capitol Daily News 3 May 2009: Page
4E.
Sheffield, Claudia. The Night Will Loom and Vanish. Boston: Bookland Publishers,
1992. Pages 54-67.
3. Kenny is writing a school report on farming. What is the oldest source listed on his
bibliography?
A. the magazine article "Bringing in the Harvest"
B. the book The Night Will Loom and Vanish
C. the magazine article "Becoming a Farm Worker"
D. the book Laboring in the Scorching Sun
Jamal and Derek decided to give their dog a bath. They gathered up the water, soap,
and towels. Their dog, Jackson, did not want a bath. He ran around the yard while the
boys chased him. Suddenly, Derek had an idea. He held a dog treat out over the tub of
water. Jackson jumped into the tub and ate the treat while the boys washed him.
Jackson howled with happiness.
4. Which sentence would be the BEST closing sentence for the paragraph above?
A. It is important to check your dog for fleas.
B. After that, Jackson loved to take baths.
C. Derek and Jamal like to play basketball.
D. Finally, most dogs like to eat dog food.
Portland, Oregon, is one of the biggest cities on the West Coast. Half a million
people make their homes there. Portland is the farthest north of the cities in Oregon.
Two big rivers are part of the local area. The Willamette River runs right through the
city. The great Columbia River runs along the border with Washington. With all that
water around, Portland has a total of 10 bridges. Some are drawbridges, and many can
be crossed by bike or on foot.
5. If a person were taking notes on this passage about Portland, which of the following would be
correct?
A. Portland is located in the middle of the state of Oregon.
B. There are three rivers that run through Portland.
C. Portland is one of the smaller cities on the West Coast.
D. There are half a million people living in Portland.
6.
Popsicles are fun things to have during a hot summer's day. _______, make sure
you have all the items necessary to make delicious popsicles. Then, use one cup
seedless watermelon chunks, one cup orange juice, and a cup of water. Finally, blend
these ingredients into a blender, pour into molds, insert sticks, and freeze.
Choose the BEST word or words to go in the blank.
A. First
B. Afterwards
C. For example
D. Before
7.
Look at the picture. Which choice most clearly describes the picture?
A. A magnet attracts some things to it. The magnet is gray and U-shaped.
B. A magnet is attracting many metal objects to it such as a nail, a key, and a paperclip.
C. An upside-down, U-shaped magnet is in the center of some metal pieces.
D. Some silver items are attached to a big, upside-down, U-shaped thing.
8. Which of the following sentences contains a spelling error?
A. My friends are nice to me on my birthday.
B. I cannot wait to go to the school libary.
C. Stephen tries to play games at home.
D. Martha believes she can be a doctor.
9. Which of the following sentences should come FIRST in a paragraph?
A. At the company Christmas party, Kevin won a $100 gift card.
B. After working together on a project, Kevin and Jamie became friends.
C. Kevin started working at Windham Publishing House last fall.
D. Kevin shares an office with Travis Maynard and Christina Harrison.
10. What would be a clearer way of writing the sentence below?
When we are in the middle of spring, sometimes we like to go and pick fresh
blackberries that we used to make blackberry pies with.
A.
In the middle of spring, we go and pick blackberries, which we make into pie for ourselves
that we like.
B. During the spring, we sometimes pick fresh blackberries that we make into pies.
C.
When we are in spring, we sometimes like to pick fresh fruits called blackberries that we
make into pies.
D.
We only make blackberry pies in the middle of spring because we sometimes go pick
fresh blackberries.
11.
Porpoise or Dolphin?
(1) Dolphins and porpoises can be hard to tell apart. (2) They are both mammals,
and both are found in the ocean. (3) However, porpoises are usually small in size.
(4) They grow to be only about five feet long. (5) Adult dolphins can grow much larger
than that. (6) They can be as long as 30 feet!
(7) You can also tell a dolphin from a porpoise by looking at the animal's mouth.
(8) A dolphin's mouth sticks out from its head like a flat bird's beak. (9) That beak looks
so funny that it makes me giggle. (10) A porpoise, on the other hand, does not have a
beak. (11) It has a small mouth that tilts upward. (12) The two mammals' teeth are
different, too. (13) Porpoise teeth are mostly flat and shaped like small shovels.
(14) Dolphin teeth are cone-shaped. (15) Now, the next time you see one of these
mammals, you will know which one it is!
Which sentence should be removed from this passage?
A. sentence 12
B. sentence 9
C. sentence 6
D. sentence 2
12.
Pete is writing a research paper on the invention of the cotton gin. At his school
library, Pete finds some books about the cotton gin and its inventor, Eli Whitney. The
first book, called Whitney's Grand Invention, was written by Dr. Frank Malone in 1998.
Dr. Malone has a PhD. in American History and teaches a class about American
inventors at Harvard University. The second book, called The Life of Eli Whitney, is a
biography written by one of Whitney's friends in 1827. It tells the story of Whitney's life
and gives some information about his inventions.
What is one way for Pete to decide which is the better source?
A.
Whitney's Grand Invention is more credible because its author has a degree about the
subject.
B. Whitney's Grand Invention is more credible because its author is a professor at Harvard.
C. The Life of Eli Whitney is more credible because its author was friends with Eli Whitney.
D.
The Life of Eli Whitney is more credible because it was written in the early nineteenth
century.
13.
The purpose of this advertisement is to
A. persuade the reader to read more.
B. entertain with a story about work.
C. describe a business to the reader.
D. inform the reader about a job.
14. Tyrell wrote a paper about earthquakes around the world. He used several sources to help his
write the paper. He listed all of the sources in his bibliography (or works cited page).
Hughes, William. Pieces of the Earth. Hartford: Victory Books, 2012. Print.
Moore, Roger. Breaking Apart. San Francisco: Granger Literature, 2009. Print.
Ruiz, Ricardo. The Shaking World. London: Tectonic Presses, 2005. Print.
Tran, Loraine. Moving Plates. Rome: Braddock Publishing, 2007. Print.
According to Tyrell's bibliography, which book was published by Granger Literature?
A. Pieces of the Earth
B. Moving Plates
C. The Shaking World
D. Breaking Apart
15.
Marge performed really well on the test. She did so well that her parents,
teachers, and classmates threw her a party. They wanted to celebrate the occasion.
They wanted to show Marge that they recognized her hard work.
Which is the BEST sentence to come next in the paragraph?
A. However, the teachers and the students collected money to buy Marge a gift.
B. In addition, the teachers and the students collected money to buy Marge a gift.
C. First, the teachers and the students collected money to buy Marge a gift.
D. For example, the teachers and the students collected money to buy Marge a gift.
16.
The Spirit of the Gold Rush
Review of Golden Horizon
by Allison Johnson
Jane Behr's story of the California Gold Rush is an exciting tale. It takes place in the
mid-1800s. It follows the Greene family as they travel west to become gold miners. The
book tells all about how they survive the hard trip to a town called Dust, California. Behr
brings the story to life by using many details from the time period. She really has a gift
for making the reader understand what it was like to live so long ago. This is a book that
everyone should read.
What is the subtitle of the article above?
A. Review of Golden Horizon
B. The Spirit of the Gold Rush
C. Allison Johnson
D. Dust, California
17.
(1) A man named J. S. Morton founded Arbor Day. (2) He planted many trees and
bushes on his land in Nebraska. (3) He encouraged tree planting because it has many
benefits. (4) Then, he came up with the idea of a tree-planting holiday. (5) The first
Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872. (6) Around a million trees were planted in
Nebraska that day. (7) The state tree of Nebraska is the cottonwood. (8) Arbor Day
became a state holiday in 1885. (9) Soon after, other states also began to celebrate the
holiday. (10) In 1970, Arbor Day became a national holiday. (11) Today, holidays like
Arbor Day are common around the world because of Morton.
Which sentence from the passage above should be removed?
A. 2
B. 11
C. 7
D. 9
18.
Portugal
Location and Size
Portugal is a country in Europe that is next to Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. It is
about the size of Maine.
Language
Most people in Portugal speak Portuguese. Portuguese is also spoken by people in
Brazil.
Government
The government is similar to the U.S. government. Portugal used to have a king, but
now it has a president and a prime minister.
Food
People eat many different kinds of food. They especially eat a lot of fish.
Under which heading would the writer add the following information?
"Bacalhau" is a dish made from dried codfish that people from Portugal enjoy eating.
A. Food
B. Government
C. Location and Size
D. Language
African American slaves are often credited with inventing soul food in America.
Because their food was limited, slaves had to be creative with their meals. They grew
their own vegetables. Squash, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, and greens became
popular soul food dishes. Slaves were also given meat that their owners did not want.
Pigs’ feet, ox tails, and pork skins were a few of the scraps that the slaves turned into
yummy meals. Fat, sugar, and salt were mainly used because these seasonings were
cheap. There were no measuring cups either. The slaves had to guess. Even now,
many soul food recipes do not give exact amounts. Nothing went to waste either. For
example, stale bread resulted in bread pudding.
Native Americans are given some credit for soul food as well. They wasted nothing
of the animals they ate. This means that they also got creative with their meals. Corn
was a major part of the Native American diet. They often made grits, cornbread, and
dumplings. Succotash, a recipe mixing corn and beans, is thought to have come from
them.
Here are some notes that Higgins took about this passage. Use them to answer the question
below.
Soul Food
African Americans
Native Americans
• grew their own vegetables
• used all parts of the animals they ate
• __________
• __________
• used cheap seasonings
19. What important information did Higgins leave off under "African Americans"?
A. were often mistreated by the slave owners
B. prepared meat that owners did not want
C. credited with inventing cornbread and grits
D. added too much salt to fresh vegetables
Mark is writing a book report about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He is using a
graphic organizer to help him remember the details of the book.
20. What information is missing from the Characte rs box?
A. England
B. spring
C. Lucy
D. forest