North Carolina Testing Program
EOG Reading Grade 8 Sample Items
Read the selection about water and answer the questions that follow.
Water: The Drink of Life
by Jenny E. Tesar
If you weigh 100 pounds (45 kilograms),
about 70 pounds (32 kilograms) of you is plain,
ordinary water. Every cell in your body
contains water. Blood is 83% water. Muscles
are 75% water. Even bone is 22% water.
2
Water is your body’s most essential
nutrient. You might be able to live for weeks
without food. But you can survive only a few
days without water. If the percentage of a
person’s body weight that is water falls by 5%,
the person has difficulty in moving and in
thinking clearly. If the percentage falls by
more than 10%, the person dies.
3
Water performs numerous vital
functions in your body. It is needed for
digestion and other chemical changes. It
carries dissolved foods and chemicals
throughout the body. It lubricates organs and
joints. It keeps the delicate tissues of the
lungs moist, so that oxygen can be absorbed
into the body. It removes wastes. It enables
you to taste and smell.
4
Each day, an average person loses
about 2.5 quarts (2.4 liters) of water through
respiration and excretion. To remain healthy,
this water must be replaced. Most people
obtain about half of their daily water from
liquids, such as water, milk and fruit
juices. The remainder comes from foods, most
of which contain large amounts of water.
Lettuce is 95% water, cantaloupe 91%,
green beans 90%, bananas 76%,
ice cream 63%, pizza 48% and
cheddar cheese 37%. Even meat is about
one-half water, and bread is about one-third
water.
5
The amount of water used per person is
much, much greater than what we drink. Vast
quantities of water are needed for agriculture,
industrial processes and such personal
activities as taking baths and washing clothes.
Insufficient water supplies pose a
serious problem in many places. Fights and
legal battles over water rights have erupted
between communities, between farmers and
city dwellers, even between countries.
Pollution from sewage, industrial chemicals,
pesticides, oil and other wastes created by
people has contaminated large quantities of
water. More than a billion people do not have
access to safe drinking water. Each year,
4 million children under the age of five die
from diarrheal diseases caused by polluted
water and unsanitary living conditions.
“Water: The Drink of Life” from Food and Water by Jenny Tesar. Copyright © 1992 by Blackbirch Graphics, Inc.
Text copyright © 1992 by Jenny Tesar. Reprinted by permission of Facts on File, Inc.
Page 1
Published January 2004. May reproduce for instructional and
educational purposes only, not for personal or financial gain.
North Carolina Testing Program
1.
What is the main purpose of this
selection?
A
to explain the relationship
between bad water and disease
B
to describe the importance of
water to human beings
C
to discuss the nutritional value of
water to human beings
D
to tell the amount of water in a
variety of everyday things
EOG Reading Grade 8 Sample Items
4.
5.
2.
3.
Page 2
Approximately what part of a
person’s daily water requirement is
provided by foods?
A
one-quarter
B
one-third
C
one-half
D
three-quarters
If eaten, which of the following foods
would provide a person with the most
water?
A
banana
B
bread
C
cheese
D
lettuce
It would be most logical to add
information about how much water a
person should drink each day to which
paragraph?
A
paragraph 2
B
paragraph 3
C
paragraph 4
D
paragraph 5
Which of the following can most
reasonably be inferred from the
selection’s last paragraph?
A
Most of the countries in the world
have unsafe drinking water.
B
Legal battles over water rights
should go to the Supreme Court.
C
People who contaminate water
supplies should go to jail.
D
Improving water supplies around
the world could save many lives.
End of Set
In compliance with federal law, including the
provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972, the Department of Public Instruction does not
discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color,
national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military
service in its policies, programs, activities, admissions
or employment.
Published January 2004. May reproduce for instructional and
educational purposes only, not for personal or financial gain.
Answers to
Grade 8 Reading Comprehension Sample Items
Passage Title
Question
Number
Correct
Answer
Category
Thinking Skill
Objective
Number
Water: The Drink of Life
1
B
Cognition
Analyzing
4.02
Water: The Drink of Life
2
C
Cognition
Analyzing
2.01
Water: The Drink of Life
3
D
Cognition
Applying
2.01
Water: The Drink of Life
4
C
Critical Stance
Organizing
2.02
Water: The Drink of Life
5
D
Interpretation
Generating
3.03
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Page 1 of 1