6th Grade Sample Assessment
Literary Analysis
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
Excerpt from The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
The Thing itself lay almost entirely buried in sand, amidst the scattered splinters of
a fir tree it had shivered to fragments as it fell. The uncovered part had the
appearance of a huge cylinder caked over with mud. It had a diameter of about
thirty yards. He approached the mass, surprised at the size and more so at the
shape, since most meteorites are rounded more or less completely. It was,
however, still so hot from its flight through the air as to forbid his near approach. A
stirring noise within its cylinder he assumed was from the unequal cooling of its
surface; for at that time it had not occurred to him that it might be hollow.
He remained standing at the edge of the pit that the Thing had made for itself,
staring at its strange appearance, astonished chiefly at its unusual shape and color.
He was all alone in the sand pits.
Then suddenly he noticed with a start that some of the grey mud that covered the
meteorite was falling off the circular edge of the end. It was dropping off in flakes
and raining down upon the sand. A large piece suddenly came off and fell with a
sharp noise that brought his heart into his mouth.
For a minute he scarcely realized what this meant, and, although the heat was
excessive, he climbed down into the pit close to the bulk to see the Thing more
clearly.
And then he perceived that, very slowly, the circular top of the cylinder was
rotating on its body. It was such a gradual movement that he discovered it only
through noticing that a black mark that had been near him five minutes ago was
now at the other side of the circumference. Even then he scarcely understood
what this indicated, until he heard a muffled grating sound and saw the black mark
jerk forward an inch or so. Then the thing came upon him in a flash. The cylinder
was artificial--hollow--with an end that screwed out! Something within the
cylinder was unscrewing the top!
"Good heavens!" said Ogilvy. "There's a man in it--men in it! Trying to escape!"
At once, with a quick mental leap, he linked the Thing with recent light coming
from Mars.
"Excerpt from The War of the Worlds" in the public domain.
Page 1 of 6
6th Grade Sample Assessment
Literary Analysis
1. Read this sentence from “Excerpt from The War of the Worlds”:
It was such a gradual movement that he discovered it only through noticing that
a black mark that had been near him five minutes ago was now at the other side
of the circumference.
Which sentence from the story best helps the reader understand the meaning of the
word gradual as it is used in this sentence?
A. “A large piece suddenly came off and fell with a sharp noise that brought his
heart into his mouth.″
B. “For a minute he scarcely realized what this meant, and, although the heat was
excessive, he climbed down into the pit close to the bulk to see the Thing more
clearly.”
C. “And then he perceived that, very slowly, the circular top of the cylinder was
rotating on its body.”
D. “Even then he scarcely understood what this indicated, until he heard a muffled
grating sound and saw the black mark jerk forward an inch or so.”
2. Read the sentence from the "Excerpt from The War of the Worlds":
The Thing itself lay almost entirely buried in sand, amidst the scattered splinters
of a fir tree it had shivered to fragments as it fell.
How does the use of the word shivered affect the meaning of the sentence?
A. It conveys the violence caused by the impact.
B. It adds to the confusion apparent in the setting.
C. It sparks curiosity in the reader about The Thing.
D. It produces clarity for the reader about The Thing.
Page 2 of 6
6th Grade Sample Assessment
Literary Analysis
3. Which sentence from the passage best describes the setting of The War of the Worlds?
A. “The Thing itself lay almost entirely buried in sand, amidst the scattered splinters
of a fir tree it had shivered to fragments as it fell.”
B. “He approached the mass, surprised at the size and more so at the shape, since
most meteorites are rounded more or less completely."
C. “He remained standing at the edge of the pit that the Thing had made for itself,
staring at its strange appearance, astonished chiefly at its unusual shape and
color."
D. “At once, with a quick mental leap, he linked the Thing with recent light coming
from Mars.”
4. Which detail from the passage is most important in determining the central idea of the
excerpt?
A. "The Thing itself lay almost entirely buried in sand, amidst the scattered splinters
of a fir tree it had shivered to fragments as it fell."
B. "He was all alone in the sand pits."
C. "Then the thing came upon him in a flash."
D. “At once, with a quick mental leap, he linked the Thing with recent light coming
from Mars."
5. How does the author reveal the significance of the Thing landing on Earth?
A. by explaining in detail the damage the Thing caused
B. by revealing the thoughts and feelings of the narrator
C. by having two characters discuss their observations
D. by comparing the Thing to a spacecraft
Page 3 of 6
6th Grade Sample Assessment
Literary Analysis
6. Read this sentence from the passage:
It was, however, still so hot from its flight through the air as to forbid his near
approach.
What word or words in the sentence help the reader determine the meaning of forbid?
A. It was
B. however, still so hot
C. flight through the air
D. near approach
7. Read this sentence from the passage.
A large piece suddenly came off and fell with a sharp noise that brought his heart
into his mouth.
How does the sentence contribute to the central message of this section?
A. It shows what the Thing looks like in specific details.
B. It reveals that the Thing might be dangerous since it is moving.
C. It describes what the Thing is and where it has originated from.
D. It shows how excited the narrator actually is at discovering the Thing.
8. Which sentence best summarizes the excerpt from The War of the Worlds?
A. A man studies the remains of a fir tree has been shattered by a meteorite that
has landed on it.
B. A man becomes scared when he comes across a very large meteorite that has
fallen from the sky.
C. A man watches in terror as something begins to emerge from a meteorite that
has crashed to Earth.
Page 4 of 6
6th Grade Sample Assessment
Literary Analysis
D. A man examines an object he originally believes is a meteorite but quickly
discovers it is artificially made.
9. How does Ogilvy’s perception of the Thing change from the beginning of the story to the
end?
A. In the beginning, he is frightened by the size and shape of the large meteorite,
but after he investigates it further, he becomes increasingly curious.
B. He originally believes the Thing is something to be scared of because of its size
and the heat it gives off, but after it cools, he is less intimidated by it and moves
closer to investigate.
C. He originally believed the Thing was a large meteorite that had fallen to Earth,
but then he understands that it is artificially made and that something inside is
trying to get out.
D. He is surprised by the size and shape of the Thing in the beginning because it is
not rounded like most meteorites, but later he realizes that its flight through the
air and crash landing altered its shape.
10. Read this excerpt from The War of the Worlds:
Then suddenly he noticed with a start that some of the grey mud that covered the
meteorite was falling off the circular edge of the end. It was dropping off in flakes
and raining down upon the sand. A large piece suddenly came off and fell with a
sharp noise that brought his heart into his mouth.
What does the phrase “brought his heart into his mouth” indicate?
A. The narrator becomes terrified.
B. The narrator gets injured.
C. The narrator is confused.
D. The narrator feels ill.
Page 5 of 6
6th Grade Sample Assessment
Literary Analysis
11. How does the author develop the narrator's apprehension toward The Thing for the
reader?
A. by emphasizing the narrator's awareness of the intense heat
B. by describing the focus of the narrator on his isolation in the sand pits
C. by increasing the narrator's notice of the falling mud from The Thing's exterior
D. by allowing the narrator to think through the scientific explanation for the noises
12. Write one paragraph that expresses a theme from “Excerpt from The War of the
Worlds” and supports this theme statement with specific examples from the passage.
Page 6 of 6