GETTING READY FOR
NEW JERSEY ASK
Language Arts Literacy
Form B
Practice
and
Mastery
New
Jersey
3
To the Student
This book provides practice with reading
and writing for students in grade 3. This book
has four parts. The four parts include two
reading selections and two writing tasks.
Six multiple-choice questions and one openended question follow each reading selection.
For an open-ended question, you write an
answer. As you answer any of the questions,
you may look back at the reading selection.
To help you choose the best answer to a
multiple-choice question, use the following
tips:
• Read each question carefully before
you try to answer it.
• Be sure you know what the question
is asking you to do.
• Cross out any answer choices that are
not reasonable. Then make your choice
from the remaining choices.
• Read the question again. Check that
your answer makes sense.
Table of
CONTENTS
Part One: Writing Task . . . . . . . .2
Part Two: Reading . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Part Three: Writing Task . . . . .16
Part Four: Reading . . . . . . . . . .22
Record your answers in your book. Your
teacher will provide you with additional
information in how to complete each part
of the book.
Written by Maureen Sotoohi
Illustrated by Michelle Dorenkamp
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
Part
TWO
Reading
Read the story and answer the questions that follow.
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
Pearls from Paterson
“Oh, yuck!” I cried. “That’s disgusting.”
I was watching as my grandmother pried open another oyster shell.
The oyster lay inside. It rested in its shell like a big gray eyeball. There
was no way I was going to eat that!
“Marie, this oyster is going to make an excellent stew,” Grandma said,
holding up an unopened oyster.
I doubted if that oyster, or any other oyster, could ever make anything
close to excellent. But I was slowly learning not to argue with my
grandmother.
“How can you tell if an oyster is good by looking at the shell?”
I asked.
“I use my grandmother’s X-ray vision. That’s what I use to know that
you’re playing in my jewelry box when I’m in another room.”
My face turned hot. I remembered the day last week when Grandma
had found me in front of her mirror. Her jewelry box was open, and
I had a dozen of her necklaces around my neck. I’d been bored. I’d
thought dressing up and pretending to be the queen of Paterson would
be fun.
I had just come to Paterson to live with Grandma. My mother and
father are both in the army. My dad was sent overseas a few months ago.
Then my mom went on a special training course. I had to move to my
grandmother’s house until we could all be together again. It was really
hard. I missed my house and my room. I missed my parents.
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
So now I sat in my grandmother’s kitchen and watched her open
oysters. I picked up an empty shell. At least the insides of the shell were
pretty. Soft shades of pink and yellow and white swirled inside the shell.
“That’s mother of pearl,” Grandma said. “Sometimes a grain of sand
gets inside the oyster shell. The oyster protects itself by covering the sand
with the coating of its shell. That’s how pearls are formed.”
“Do you think any of these oysters have pearls inside them?” I asked
hopefully.
“The pearls you see on jewelry—like the ones on my necklace,” said
Grandma looking right at me, “come from special oysters. These oysters,”
Grandma continued as she picked up another shell, “are famous for being
delicious, not for making pearls.”
Grandma must have seen the disappointment on my face. “But you
never know,” she went on. “One of the most famous pearls in history was
found right here in New Jersey.”
“New Jersey?” I echoed.
“Paterson, New Jersey,” Grandma declared. “The Queen Pearl.
A young man found it in Paterson about 150 years ago.”
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
“Why is it called the Queen Pearl?” I asked.
“Well, the man who found it sold it to a big jewelry store in New York
City. Someone bought it from the jewelry store and gave it to the empress
of France. Then times got bad for the empress,” Grandma continued.
“She had to leave France—quickly. She gave the pearl to the man who
helped her escape. He was a dentist, from Philadelphia, I believe.”
Pearls from Paterson! Escaping empresses and Philadelphia dentists!
I had to give Grandma credit. She might get cranky sometimes and she
might make some strange foods, but she knew some good stories.
I went upstairs, leaving Grandma in the kitchen, opening oysters.
Grandma’s story had given me lots to think about. What would I do
if I were an empress and forced to flee? And how did a dentist from
Philadelphia get to be such good friends with the empress of France?
Then I wondered what the dentist did with the pearl. Did he put it in his
office? Did he tell all his patients about rescuing the empress of France as
he filled their cavities? Before I knew it, Grandma was calling me down
to dinner.
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
I sat down at the table, a bowl of steaming, creamy oyster stew in
front of me. The oysters stared up at me. I remembered the dinners my
mom and dad made for me. We always had regular food, like spaghetti
and meatballs or chicken. We never had oyster stew. I was sure that this
was for a very good reason.
I dipped my spoon carefully into the bowl of stew. I wanted to be sure
to leave the oysters floating in the bowl.
I choked it down. I dipped my spoon into the soup again. I spotted
something in my spoon. It was small and round. With my fingers,
I picked it out. Before Grandma could start yelling about my manners,
I cried out. “Look at this, Grandma!”
“Well, I’ll be,” Grandma said.
“It’s a pearl, Marie. A tiny pearl,
but a pearl nonetheless!”
My pearl was beautiful.
I held it up to look at it better.
I thought of how an oyster had
taken a speck of sand and turned
it into a jewel.
“What are you going to do
with it?” Grandma asked.
I thought about it. Then
I said, “I’ll put it into a shell and
keep it on my bedside table.
It will help me remember.”
“Remember what, sweetie?”
Grandma asked.
“Remember how oysters make pearls out of sand,” I said.
“That’s a good plan,” Grandma said. “And,” she added smiling
at me, “the pearl might come in handy if you ever have to escape
from Paterson.”
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
1.
In the story, Marie says an oyster sits in its shell like a “big
gray eyeball.” The author most likely wrote this to
𝖠 make readers want to try eating oysters.
𝖡 teach readers about oysters.
𝖢 tell readers more about Grandma.
𝖣 let readers know how Marie feels about oysters.
2.
Which of the following best states the theme of the story?
𝖠 Learn from your mistakes.
𝖡 Moving to a new place can be hard.
𝖢 Something good can come out of a difficult situation.
𝖣 Grandparents have a lot to teach children.
3.
Why does Marie say that she wants to remember how
oysters make pearls out of sand?
𝖠 She wants to write a report about how pearls are made.
𝖡 She hopes to find another pearl some day.
𝖢 She wants to remind herself to make the best of what she has.
𝖣 Oysters will always remind her of this day.
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
4.
What will most likely happen when Marie’s parents return?
𝖠 Marie will continue to live with her grandmother.
𝖡 Marie will live with her mother and father again.
𝖢 The family will move to another country.
𝖣 Marie’s grandmother will never visit them.
5.
At the beginning of the story, how does Marie feel about
being at her grandmother’s house?
𝖠 She is happy to be able to spend some time with her grandmother.
𝖡 She misses her parents and does not really want to be at her grandmother’s.
𝖢 She is bored because there is nothing to do at her grandmother’s house.
𝖣 She is worried that her grandmother will not be able to take care of her.
6.
On page 2, why did Marie’s face turn hot?
𝖠 Marie was embarrassed.
𝖡 The room suddenly became hot.
𝖢 The necklaces made her warm.
𝖣 The soup made Marie warm.
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
7.
Marie has recently moved to her grandmother’s house.
•
Do Marie and her grandmother feel the same way
about each other at the end of the story as they had
at the beginning?
•
Tell how Marie and her grandmother change from
the beginning to the end of the story.
Use information from the story to support your response.
Write your answer on the lines below.
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Getting Ready for New Jersey ASK: Language Arts Literacy Form B - Book 3—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248