READTHEORY
Passage
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• Reading Comprehension Assessment
Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.
Out for a Walk
It was a hot summer day. Lion was out for a walk. He was
happy. He started to sing.
Just then, he saw Snake. He stopped.
"Why, hello there Snake," said Lion. "How are you on this fine
day?"
Snake hissed. "I am scared," he said.
"Well, just hide under a rock," said Lion.
Snake hid under a rock. "That's better," he said. "Thank you."
Lion continued his walk. He started to sing again.
Just then, he saw Zebra. He stopped.
"Why, hello there Zebra," said Lion. "How are you on this fine day?"
Zebra licked his lips. "I am thirsty," he said.
"Well, just go drink from the river," said Lion.
Zebra went down to the river. He took a drink. "That's better," he said. "Thank you."
Lion continued his walk. He started to sing again.
Just then, he saw Cheetah. He stopped.
"Why, hello there Cheetah," said Lion. "How are you on this fine day?"
Cheetah yawned. "I am exhausted," she said. "I have been running all day."
"Well, just take a rest in the tall grass," said Lion.
Cheetah made a bed in the tall grass. She lay down. "That's better," she said. "Thank you."
Lion continued his walk. He started to sing again.
Just then, he saw Elephant. He stopped.
"Why, hello there Elephant," said Lion. "How are you on this fine day?"
Elephant stamped. "The sun hurts my eyes," said Elephant. He looked angry.
"Well, just cover them with your ears," said Lion. He was running out of ideas.
Elephant covered his eyes with his ears. "That's better," he said. "But now I can't see where I'm
going!"
READTHEORY
Questions
1) Who does Lion see first?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Snake
Zebra
Cheetah
Elephant
2) Who is thirsty?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Snake
Zebra
Cheetah
Elephant
3) As used in the middle of the passage, the word exhausted means
A.
B.
C.
D.
very fast
very excited
very tired
very young
4) Imagine that Hippo is hungry. What would Lion most likely do for him?
A.
B.
C.
D.
give him a house
give him a drink
give him some food
give him protection
5) Which word best describes Lion in this passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.
scary
strong
hungry
helpful
6) Instead of telling snake to hide under a rock, what other advice could the lion have given him? Is this
new advice better or worse?
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7) At the end of the passage, Elephant still has a problem. He can’t see where he is going anymore. If
you were Lion, what new advice would you give Elephant?
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READTHEORY
Answers and Explanations
1) A
Question Type: Detail
In order to answer this question correctly, we need to find where in the passage Lion first sees another character. Because the
question wants to know who Lion sees first, we can already tell that the answer will likely be near the beginning of the passage. At
the beginning of the passage, we read: “It was a hot summer day. Lion was out for a walk. He was happy. He started to sing.” In the
very next sentence, we read: “Just then, he saw Snake.” This lets us know that Lion sees Snake first. Therefore (A) is correct.
Although Lion does see Zebra in the passage, he does not see Zebra first. He sees Snake first. This eliminates (B). Although Lion
does see Cheetah in the passage, he does not see Cheetah first. He sees Snake first. This eliminates (C). Although Lion does see
Elephant in the passage, he does not see Elephant first. He sees Snake first. This eliminates (D).
2) B
Question Type: Detail
In order to answer this question correctly, we need to scan the passage looking for the part where a character is described as
thirsty. Near the middle of the passage, we read: “Zebra licked his lips. ‘I am thirsty,’ he said.” This lets us know that Zebra is thirsty.
Therefore (B) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (C), and (D). Therefore they are
incorrect.
3) C
Question Type: Vocabulary
exhausted (adjective): drained of one’s physical or mental resources; very tired.
In order to answer this question correctly, we can use context clues—hints from known words or phrases around an unknown word
or phrase—to help us determine the meaning of the word exhausted. In the middle of the passage, Cheetah says that she is
“exhausted.” In the previous sentence, we read: “Cheetah yawned.” People yawn when they are tired or sleepy. From this we can
understand that, when Cheetah says that she is “exhausted,” she is also tired or sleepy. In the next sentence, Cheetah says that
she has “been running all day.” People who have been running all day are probably very tired. From this we can understand that,
when Cheetah says she is exhausted, she is also very tired from running all day. Again, in the next sentence, Lion tells Cheetah
what she should do to help with feeling exhausted. He tells her, “Well, just take a rest in some tall grass.” This lets us know that, if
you are exhausted, you should take a rest. Someone who should take a rest is probably very tired. All of these clues tell us that
someone who is exhausted is probably someone who is very tired. Therefore (C) is correct. Using the above information, we can tell
that the word exhausted means very tired. Someone who is very fast is not necessarily also very tired. This means that the word
exhausted cannot mean very fast. This eliminates (A). Using the above information, we can tell that the word exhausted means very
tired. Someone who is very excited is not necessarily also very tired. This means that the word exhausted cannot mean very
excited. This eliminates (B). Using the above information, we can tell that the word exhausted means very tired. Someone who is
very young is not necessarily also very tired. This means that the word exhausted cannot mean very young. This eliminates (D).
4) C
Question Type: Inference
In this passage, Lion meets four characters who all say that they are unhappy about something or uncomfortable in some way.
Snake says that he is scared. Zebra says that he is thirsty. Cheetah says that he is exhausted. And Elephant says that the sun is
hurting his eyes. When Lion meets them, he always does something to help them with their problem. When Snake is scared, Lion
helps in to hide, and this makes him feel better. When Zebra is thirsty, Lion helps him to drink water, and this makes him feel better.
When Cheetah is exhausted, Lion helps her to rest, and this makes her feel better. When Elephant’s eyes hurt from the sun, Lion
helps him to cover his eyes, and this makes him feel better. From this we can tell that Lion always does something to help someone
with their problem. If Hippo were hungry, the thing that would help him with is problem would be to get some food. From this we can
tell that if Lion met Hippo, he would most likely help him by giving him some food. Therefore (C) is correct. Using the above
information, we can tell that Lion always tries to help someone with their problem. If Hippo were hungry, the thing that would help
him with his problem would be to get some food. Although it would be very generous if Lion gave him a house, this would not help
Hippo with his problem, which is that he is hungry, not that he has no place to live. From this we can tell that Lion would not likely
give him a house. This eliminates (A). Using the above information, we can tell that Lion always tries to help someone with their
problem. If Hippo were hungry, the thing that would help him with his problem would be to get some food. Although Hippo might also
like something to drink, this would not help him with his hunger. From this we can tell that Lion would not likely give him a drink. This
eliminates (B). Using the above information, we can tell that Lion always tries to help someone with their problem. If Hippo were
hungry, the thing that would help him with his problem would be to get some food. Although Hippo might like having protection from
Lion, this would not help him with his hunger. From this we can tell that Lion would not likely give him protection. This eliminates (D).
5) D
Question Type: Global
In this passage, Lion meets four characters. He meets Snake, who says he is scared. He meets Zebra, who says he is thirsty. He
meets Cheetah, who says she is exhausted. And he meets Elephant, who says his eyes hurt from the sun. When Lion meets Snake,
who is scared, he helps him to feel better by telling him where to hide. When Lion meets Zebra, who is thirsty, he helps him to feel
better by telling him to get a drink. When Lion meets Cheetah, who is exhausted, he helps her to feel better by telling her to take a
rest. When Lion meets Elephant, whose eyes hurt from the sun, he helps him to feel better by telling him to cover his eyes with his
ears. From all this we can tell that whenever Lion meets someone, he helps them. This lets us know that the word that best
describes Lion in this passage is helpful. Therefore (D) is correct. In this passage, whenever Lion meets someone, he helps them.
Although real lions may be scary because they are dangerous, the Lion in this passage never does or says anything scary. He only
sings and helps people. This lets us know that the word that best describes Lion in this passage cannot be scary. This eliminates
(A). Although Lion may be strong, there is nothing in this passage that shows us Lion being strong. In the passage, we only see Lion
walking, singing, and helping people by telling them what they should do to feel better. None of these things tell us that Lion is
strong. This lets us know that the word that best describes Lion in this passage cannot be strong. This eliminates (B). In this
READTHEORY
Answers and Explanations
passage, Lion walks, sings, and helps others. There is nothing in the passage that tells us that Lion is hungry. This lets us know that
the word that best describes Lion in this passage cannot be hungry. This eliminates (C).