Student Team Literature
Standardized Reading Practice Test
Call It Courage
(Aladdin Version, 1990)
Reading Vocabulary
DIRECTIONS
Choose the word that means the same, or about
the same, as the underlined word. Circle the
letter for the answer you have chosen.
SAMPLE A
Frail is the same as
A musically talented
B wealthy
C weak
D well-organized
5. If something is reassuring it is -
A
B
C
D
comforting; encouraging
fearful; scary
lonely; unattended
dark; hidden
6. Commenced means -
F
G
H
J
ended
organized
lifted
began
7. Something inevitable is 1. Stout is the same as -
A
B
C
D
tasty
strong
fragrant
old
2. Dismal means -
F
G
H
J
weak; feeble
gloomy; depressing
orderly; neat
pleasant; good
3. Chaos is the same as
A
B
C
D
character; personality
disorder; unrest
poverty
intelligence
4. Apprehension means -
F
G
H
J
confusion; puzzlement
delight; joy
uneasiness; anxiety
hopelessness; despair
A
B
C
D
bad-smelling
sure to happen; certain
important; critical
not attended; abandoned
8. Elation means -
F
G
H
J
shyness; timidity
joy; happiness
tiredness
loneliness
9. Monotony means -
A
B
C
D
aggressiveness; strength
cruelty; meanness
lack of variety; sameness
decay; deterioration
10. Defiance is the same as
F
G
H
J
opposition; challenge
hopelessness; despair
desire
courage
Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
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DIRECTIONS
Read the sentence in the box, then choose the
answer in which the underlined word is used in
the same way. Circle the letter for the answer
you have chosen.
SAMPLE B
A flame burst into life. He had made fire.
In which sentence does the word fire mean
the same thing as in the sentence above?
A He heard the fire of cannons in the
distance.
B Mr. Anazi vowed to fire any employee who
refused to work overtime.
C Jack crept closer to the fire for warmth.
D During a debate, Josie will fire accusations
one after another at her opponent.
11
While his breakfast roasted in the coals, the
boy cleared the brush away from the base of
the great tamanu tree.
In which sentence does the word brush mean
the same thing as in the sentence above?
A Julia uses a hard-bristled brush to fix her
long hair.
B On our camping trip, Gary collected brush
for the fire.
C Luis felt Winona brush past him as she
hurried to catch the bus.
D My uncle had a brush with the law as a
young man and was in jail for a few months.
12
The fire crackled and snapped about the
base of the tamanu tree.
In which sentence does the word base mean
the same thing as in the sentence above?
F The paint had an oil base, so we had to
wash the brushes in turpentine.
G The sea broke onto the rocks at the base of
the cliff.
H When the pitcher wasn’t looking, Anton stole
first base.
J The soldier drove the jeep back to the army
base to pick up the officers.
13
The boy talked with the animal as if he were
another person, consulting with him, arguing,
playing when there was time for play.
In which sentence does the word play mean
the same thing as in the sentence above?
A Mary Ann learned to play the flute in high
school.
B My little sister Alyssa hates to be interrupted
when she is at play with her new dollhouse.
C The coach taught us a tricky new play for our
game with North Central High next week.
D I have the starring role in the school play
next week.
14
High above the drums’ tattoo rose the
mournful note of the conch shells, an eerie
wailing.
In which sentence does the word note mean
the same thing as in the sentence above?
F I didn’t understand part of the article until I
read the note at the bottom of the page.
G A beginning violin student has difficulty
sounding each note on the proper pitch.
H “I will note the fact that you were sick when I
grade your test,” Mr. Alvarez said.
J Marquita wrote a thank-you note to Sylvia’s
parents after she spent the weekend at their
house.
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Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
DIRECTIONS
As you read each sentence, use the other words
in the sentence to help you figure out what the
underlined word means. Circle the letter for the
answer you have chosen.
SAMPLE C
In the air, the albatross achieved perfection,
floating serenely against the sky while
Mafatu followed its effortless flight with
envious eyes.
Serenely means-A awkwardly
B peacefully
C tiredly
D abruptly
15 In ascending spirals the bird climbed
higher and higher until at last he was no
more than a gray speck.
Ascending means-A falling
B rising
C sideways
D diving
18 He let the water run down his swollen
throat sparingly, with caution.
Sparingly means -F in large amounts
G in small amounts
H quickly
J completely
19 He shivered as he realized his isolation.
Even at sea in his small canoe he had not
felt so utterly alone.
Isolation means -A bitterness; anger
B loneliness; being set apart
C sense of responsibility
D amazement; surprise
20 Some premonition of danger kept him
poised, alert, and wary.
Premonition means -F passion
G confusion
H suspicion
J sorrow
16 Mafatu watched his albatross disappear
and felt a desolation flood his heart.
Desolation means -F creativity
G curiosity
H intelligence
J deep sadness
17 He fell to the sand once more, then,
guided by he knew not what impulse, he
dragged himself to the edge of the jungle.
Impulse means -A driving force
B fear of water
C inability to move
D weariness
Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
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Reading Comprehension
DIRECTIONS
Read each passage, then read each question about the passage. Decide which is the best answer to
the question. Circle the letter for the answer you have chosen.
SAMPLE (from chapter 1)
Dawn found the woman still clinging to the purau pole and the little boy with his arms locked
about his mother’s neck. The grim light revealed sharks circling, circling… Little Mafatu buried his
head against his mother’s cold neck. He was filled with terror. He even forgot the thirst that burned
his throat.
When at last they were cast up on the pinnacle of coral, Mafatu’s mother crawled ashore with
scarcely enough strength left to pull her child beyond reach of the sea’s hungry fingers. The little
boy was too weak even to cry. At hand lay a cracked coconut; the woman managed to press the
cool, sustaining meat to her child’s lips before she died.
1
4
In this passage, Mafatu and his mother
A nearly die at sea.
B kill the sharks that are circling them.
C survive a tornado.
D survive by eating coconut.
2
This passage might explain
F how to survive a shark attack.
G why Mafatu’s mother rejected him.
H how to survive on a coral reef.
J why Mafatu fears the sea.
Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
From chapter 1
Wandering along the outer beach with Uri, Mafatu heard laughing voices and drew hastily into
the black shadow of a pandanus. A group of boys were pulling their canoes above high watermark,
and laying their plans for the morrow. Their voices were shrill with eagerness.
“Tomorrow at daybreak…” one was saying.
“There’ll be Timi and Tapu and Viri…”
“Aué!” another voice broke in. “It’s work for us all. How else will we become fishermen and
warriors? How else will we feed our families and keep the tribe alive?”
“True! Hikueru is too poor. There are only the fish from the sea. A man must be fearless to
provide food. We will all go—every one of us!”
Mafatu, standing tense in the shadows, heard a scornful laugh. His heart contracted. “Not all of
us will go,” he heard Kana scoff. “Not Mafatu!”
“Ha! He is afraid.”
“He makes good spears,” offered Viri generously.
“Ho! That is woman’s work. Mafatu is afraid of the sea. He will never be a warrior.” Kana
laughed again, and the scorn of his voice was like a spear thrust through Mafatu’s heart. “Aia!”
Kana was saying. “I have tried to be friendly with him. But he is good only for making spears.
Mafatu is a coward.”
The boys disappeared down the moonlit beach. Their laughter floated back on the night air.
Mafatu stood quite still. Kana had spoken; he had voiced, once for all, the feeling of the tribe.
Mafatu—Stout Heart—was a coward. He was the Boy Who Was Afraid.
His hands were damp and cold. His nails dug into his palms. Suddenly a fierce resentment
stormed through him. He knew in that instant what he must do: he must prove his courage to
himself, and to the others, or he could no longer live in their midst. He must face Moana, the Sea
God—face him and conquer him. He must.
1. This selection is told from the point of
view of
A the other boys
B Mafatu
C the narrator
D the Sea God
3. The phrase, “the scorn of his voice was
like a spear thrust through Mafatu’s
heart” is an example of
A personification
B simile
C irony
D onomatopoeia
2. Which of the following best describes
Mafatu’s feelings after he overhears the
boys?
F shame
G shame and resolve
H anger and fear
J indifference
4. We can predict that after these events
Mafatu will
F promise never go to sea.
G tell his parents.
H attempt to conquer the sea.
J be more frightened of the sea.
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Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
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5. To whom does Mafatu believe he must
prove his courage?
A To others
B To himself and others
C To Moana, the Sea God
D To Kana
7. What does the name Mafatu mean?
A
B
C
D
Coward
Sea God
The Boy Who Was Afraid
Stout Heart
6. Which of the following is NOT one of the
reasons why the other boys scorn Mafatu?
F He only does women’s work.
G He is afraid of the sea.
H His dog is ugly.
J He will never be a warrior.
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE
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Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
From chapter 3
Mafatu jumped in alarm as a wild boar crashed through the undergrowth. It was so close that
the boy caught a glimpse of its dark hide. Uri leaped in pursuit, barking furiously. Mafatu relaxed,
and a smile crossed his face. Pig roasted underground in the hot oven stones of the umu—AuéI His
mouth watered at the golden prospect. He would make a spear and kill the puaa, that’s what he
would do! He was fired with excitement and set for the adventure. Then the thought of killing a wild
boar in single-handed combat struck him dumb with wonder. Why, he would never have dreamed
of such a thing in Hikueru! He was Mafatu, the Boy Who Was Afraid… He set his jaw with fierce
resolution. He had never known a man who killed a wild pig. But Grandfather Ruau, who had traveled
as far as distant Tahiti, had told how the warriors of that island killed pigs in the mountains with
naught but a knife for a weapon, bracing themselves so that the animal impaled itself upon the
blade. It needed a strong arm, and a stouter heart. Could he, Mafatu, ever accomplish such a feat?
Grandfather brought back with him a necklace made from the curling tusks of the boar, and
Mafatu could remember to this day how the dark-blue scrolls of tattooing on the old man’s copper
flesh set off the handsome ivory teeth. That necklace was the envy of every man in Hikueru and its
possession earned Grandfather much respect.
“I will make such a necklace for myself from the tusks,” the boy promised bravely. “And when I
return to Hikueru men will look up to me and say: ‘There goes Mafatu. He killed the wild boar
single-handed!’ And Tavana Nui, my father, will be filled with pride.”
The prospect of returning home set another train of thought in motion. “I must find a tree, a
tamanu, for my canoe,” the boy said aloud. “I will burn it out, then make an adze of basalt to finish
it. I’ll plait a sail of pandanus. And oh, it will be a wonderful canoe!”
8. What change does Mafatu recognize in
himself?
F He is braver than he was in Hikueru.
G He is no longer a vegetarian.
H He has learned how to make spears.
J He now owns a boar tusk necklace.
9. Which answer is NOT one of the reasons
why Mafatu wants to kill a boar?
A He wants to eat the boar meat.
B He is sick of eating fish.
C He wants his father to be proud of him.
D He wants other villagers to think he is
brave.
10. A good title for this selection is
F
G
H
K
A Necklace Like Grandfather’s
Finding Food on the Island
Boar Killing for Dummies
Mafatu Resolves to Kill a Boar
11. Which of the following is NOT true?
A Mafatu wants to return to Hikueru.
B Mafatu has changed since leaving
Hikueru.
C Mafatu realizes planning ahead is
important for survival.
D Mafatu has no idea how to survive in
the wild.
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Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
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12. The following sequence chart shows some steps Mafatu imagines taking to fulfill his dreams.
Which of the following would NOT belong in box # 3?
F
G
H
J
1
2
Mafatu
leaves
Hikueru.
Mafatu kills
a boar.
3
4
Tavanu Nui
is proud of
his son’s
bravery.
Mafatu is scorned by the villagers for his lack of bravery.
Mafatu builds a canoe.
Mafatu returns to Hikueru.
Mafatu sails his canoe home.
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE
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Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
From chapter 4
He dragged the canoe up on the beach, placed the logs under the curving stem so that he
might launch it easily on the morrow. He would never need to climb the high plateau to the
lookout again. Let the eaters-of-men come!
As Mafatu waited for his supper to cook, he set about preparing for his homeward journey;
he would start at daybreak with the ebbing tide. He would be ready. He filled bamboo containers
with fresh water, sealed them with leaves that were gummed into place, water-tight and secure.
Then he stored them carefully in the canoe. He prepared a poi of bananas and sealed it,
likewise, into containers; there it would ferment and sour and become delicious to the taste.
Then he picked a score or more of green drinking nuts and flung them into the canoe. And as
he trotted back and forth across the beach and his supper steamed on the fire, one thought
alone, like an insistent drum beat, echoed in the boy’s heart: “Tomorrow I shall start home!
Tomorrow, tomorrow!”
Never again need he hang his head before his people. He had fought the sea for life and
won. He had sustained himself by his own wits and skill. He had faced loneliness and danger
and death, if not without flinching, at least with courage. He had been, sometimes, deeply afraid,
but he had faced fear and faced it down. Surely that could be called courage.
When he lay down to sleep that night there was a profound thankfulness in his heart.
“Tavana Nui,” he whispered, “my father—I want you to be proud of me.”…
He fell into a heavy dreamless sleep.
Before dawn he was awakened by a sound of measured booming, like the beating of a
supernatural drum. Thump-thump THUMP! Thump-thump THUMP! It rose above the thunder
of the reef, solemn and majestic, filling the night with thunder.
Instantly awake, listening with every sense, Mafatu sat upright on the mats. Far out on the
reef the seas burst and shot upward like sheeted ghosts in the moonlight. There it came again:
Thump-thump THUMP! Thump-thump THUMP! Steady as a pulse, beating in the heart of
darkness…
And then Mafatu knew. The eaters-of-men had come.
13. Which of the following states a major
theme of this passage?
A Mafatu is brave because he no longer
feels fear.
B Mafatu earns respect by learning to
make spears and build canoes like other
men.
C Mafatu proves bravery and earns respect
by facing and overcoming his fears.
D Mafatu’s friendship with his dog
sustains him in times of fear.
14. How does Mafatu feel about his father?
F
He is angry because his father doesn’t
respect him.
G He loves his father and wants his
respect.
H He is jealous of his father’s bravery.
J He does not think his father loves him.
15. Which of the following can we predict
might happen next?
A Mafatu will not try to return home.
B Mafatu will try to escape in his boat.
C Mafatu will surrender to the man-eaters.
D Mafatu will die of thirst at sea.
Talent Development Secondary  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  2013
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