TEST NAME: 2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
TEST ID: 1161439
GRADE: 04 - Fourth Grade
SUBJECT: English Language and Literature
TEST CATEGORY: District Benchmark
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 1 of 9
11/30/16, 2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Student:
Class:
Date:
Read the passage - 'The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer' - and answer the question below:
The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer
The Woodpecker, Turtle, and
Deer
by Ellen C. Babbitt
Once upon a time a Deer lived in a forest near a lake. Not far from the same
lake, a Woodpecker had a nest in the top of a tree; and in the lake lived a
Turtle. The three were friends and lived together happily.
A hunter, wandering about in the wood, saw the footprints of the Deer near
the edge of the lake. “I must trap the Deer, going down into the water,” he
said, and setting a strong trap of leather, he went his way.
Early that night when the Deer went down to drink, he was caught in the
trap, and he cried the cry of capture.
At once the Woodpecker flew down from her treetop, and the Turtle came out
of the water to see what could be done.
Said the Woodpecker to the Turtle: “Friend, you have teeth; you gnaw
through the leather trap. I will go and see to it that the hunter keeps away.
If we both do our best, our friend will not lose his life.”
So the Turtle began to gnaw the leather, and the Woodpecker flew to the
hunter’s house.
At dawn the hunter came, knife in hand, to the front door of his house.
The Woodpecker, flapping her wings, flew at the hunter and struck him in the
face.
The hunter turned back into the house and lay down for a little while. Then
he rose up again, and took his knife. He said to himself: “When I went out
by the front door, a bird flew in my face; now I will go out by the back door.”
So he did.
The Woodpecker thought: “The hunter went out by the front door before, so
now he will leave by the back door.” So the Woodpecker sat in a tree near
the back door.
When the hunter came out, the bird flew at him again, flapping her wings in
the hunter’s face.
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 2 of 9
Then the hunter turned back and lay down again. When the sun arose, he
took his knife and started out once more.
This time the Woodpecker flew back as fast as she could fly to her friends,
crying, “Here comes the hunter!”
By this time, the Turtle had gnawed through all the pieces of the trap but
one. The leather was so hard that it made his teeth feel as if they would fall
out. The Deer heard the Woodpecker and saw the hunter, knife in hand,
coming on. With a strong pull, the Deer broke this last piece of the trap and
ran into the woods.
The Woodpecker flew up to her nest in the treetop.
But the Turtle was so weak he could not get away. He lay where he was. The
hunter picked him up and threw him into a bag, tying it to a tree.
The Deer saw that the Turtle was taken and made up his mind to save his
friend’s life. So the Deer let the hunter see him.
The hunter seized his knife and started after the Deer. The Deer, keeping
just out of his reach, led the hunter into the forest.
When the Deer saw that they had gone far into the forest, he slipped away
from the hunter, and swift as the wind, he went by another way to where he
had left the Turtle.
But the Turtle was not there. The Deer called, “Turtle, Turtle!”; and the Turtle
called out, “Here I am in a bag hanging on this tree.”
Then the Deer lifted the bag with his horns, and throwing it upon the
ground, he tore the bag open and let the Turtle out.
The Woodpecker flew down from her nest, and the Deer said to them: “You
two friends saved my life, but if we stay here talking, the hunter will find us,
and we may not get away. So you, Friend Woodpecker, fly away. And you,
Friend Turtle, dive into the water. I will hide in the forest.”
The hunter did come back, but neither the Deer, nor the Turtle, nor the
Woodpecker was to be seen. He found his torn bag, and picking that up he
went back to his home.
The three friends lived together all the rest of their lives.
Project Gutenberg, 2005. http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/7518/
(02/20/2013).
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 3 of 9
1.
Which sentence from the selection supports the theme?
A.
“ ‘I must trap the Deer, going down into the water’ ”
B.
“ ‘If we both do our best, our friend will not lose his life.’ ”
C.
“With a strong pull, the Deer broke this last piece of the trap and ran
into the woods.”
D.
“But the Turtle was so weak he could not get away.”
Read the passage - 'The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer' - and answer the question below:
2.
Which summarizes the selection?
A.
The Deer got trapped and the Woodpecker and the Turtle rescued him.
B.
The hunter decided to trap the Deer by the lake, but the Woodpecker
and the Turtle stopped him.
C.
The Woodpecker, the Turtle, and the Deer outsmarted the hunter when
he tried to capture them.
D.
The Woodpecker attacked the hunter who was going to kill the
trapped Deer and who captured the Turtle.
Read the passage - 'The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer' - and answer the question below:
3.
Which is the theme of the selection?
A.
fear
B.
loyalty
C.
revenge
D.
happiness
Read the passage - 'The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer' - and answer the question below:
4.
How does the Deer’s rescue of the Turtle support the theme of the
selection?
A.
The Deer is a true friend.
B.
The Deer knows what it is like to be captured.
C.
The Deer shows that he can be strong and brave.
D.
The Deer is kind-hearted and cannot tolerate seeing others suffer.
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 4 of 9
Read the passage - 'Clouds' - and answer the question below:
Clouds
Clouds
Every time we look up in the sky we see clouds. Sometimes they are light
and pretty and sometimes they are dark and a little threatening. No matter
what kind they are, clouds can help us predict what the weather will be.
With just a little practice, you can be an amateur meteorologist
(weatherman).
First, we need to know how clouds form. Let’s begin with the water cycle.
The sun warms Earth and the water in lakes, rivers, streams, and ocean. As
the water warms, some of it evaporates, or turns to water vapor. This water
vapor goes into the air. As it gets higher in the air, it cools. The cooled water
vapor condenses, or goes together, to form clouds. If the water vapor in
these clouds gets heavy enough, it will fall back to Earth as precipitation.
There are several types of clouds, and each of them signal a different
weather condition. Cumulus clouds are the big puffy ones that often look like
cotton balls in the sky. If they form low in the sky, they bring fair weather.
However, if they form higher in the sky, they can bring showers and
thunderstorms. Stratus clouds are low clouds that blanket the entire sky.
They seem to cover the sky and make the day dark and dreary. Often these
clouds bring long periods of light rain or snow. Cirrus clouds are the barelythere clouds that float along in the sky. They look like white feathers. These
clouds bring pleasant weather.
Nimbus is the Latin word for rain. If the word nimbus is added to any of
these cloud types that means that the cloud will bring rain. For instance,
nimbostratus clouds often bring continually falling rain. Cumulonimbus
clouds produce thunder storms. These storms bring rain, although it doesn’t
last very long.
Now you can see that when you look at clouds in the sky, you are really
looking at the weather! Next time you look at the clouds, try to predict what
the weather is going to be.
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 5 of 9
5.
How does warm temperature affect water?
A.
Water increases in volume.
B.
Water becomes thinner.
C.
Water turns into vapor.
D.
Water becomes heavy.
Read the passage - 'Clouds' - and answer the question below:
6.
Which explains how clouds are formed?
A.
Water vapor gets heavy and falls to Earth.
B.
Cool vapor goes high in the air and then warms.
C.
Warmed water vapor cools and collects together.
D.
The sun warms water, causing it to evaporate and cool.
Read the passage - 'Clouds' - and answer the question below:
7.
Which causes precipitation?
A.
Water vapor becomes too heavy to remain in clouds.
B.
The temperature that is high in the air gets warm.
C.
The air around lakes and oceans gets cool.
D.
Water vapor stops moving upward.
Read the passage - 'Clouds' - and answer the question below:
8.
Which explains the type of weather that can be expected when
cumulonimbus clouds form?
A.
pleasant and sunny
B.
long periods of snow
C.
large amount of fog
D.
short periods of rain
Read the passage - 'Clouds' - and answer the question below:
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 6 of 9
9.
Which causes water vapor to condense?
A.
a downward motion
B.
a decrease in temperature
C.
not enough moisture in the air
D.
dry conditions around lakes and oceans
Read the passage - 'A Night at the Circus' - and answer the question below:
A Night at the Circus
A Night at the Circus
“Acrobats, take your places,” the ringmaster said, “the show is about to begin!” Slowly and carefully, the
acrobats took their positions on the floor of the circus tent. They were ready to twist and turn to the music, and
they were anxiously waiting to start their performance.
They were nervous because there had been an accident during last night’s show. Two of the acrobats had
begun to tumble and somersault their way across the mat when they suddenly crashed into each other.
Because they had been turning so quickly, there had been no way for them to avoid each other and they ended
up in a tangled heap of colorful costumes. The audience had gasped in shock, and the performers had rushed
quickly from the floor, embarrassed by their mistake.
Tonight, they were eager to do better. Each acrobat had found his or her position at opposite corners of
the circus tent. They looked at each other and smiled just before the lights were dimmed. Suddenly, spotlights
shone on each of the acrobats. As they were lit from above by the glaring light, they began to run.
They ran faster and faster, until it seemed as though they were about to launch into the atmosphere. Then they
began to flip and spin, and it was almost as if gravity could not hold them down. They leapt and twirled, spun
and circled on the mat and in the air. Each acrobat had his or her own special way of performing, and together
their act was amazing.
As they reached the end of their performance, the acrobats gathered in the center of the floor. They looked at
each other, breathless but thankful that their show had been a success. They had made it through and the
audience had enjoyed every minute of it. They grasped each other’s hands and bowed, listening as the
audience clapped and cheered. It had been a great show and they would do it again the following night.
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 7 of 9
10.
Which detail from the selection shows that the acrobats were happy with
their performance?
A.
“They looked at each other and smiled just before the lights were
dimmed.”
B.
“Then they began to flip and spin, and it was almost as if gravity
could not hold them down.”
C.
“They leapt and twirled, spun and circled on the mat and in the air.”
D.
“They looked at each other, breathless but thankful that their show
had been a success.”
Read the passage - 'A Night at the Circus' - and answer the question below:
11.
According to the selection, why were the acrobats nervous at the
beginning of the show?
A.
There was a spotlight shining on each of the acrobats.
B.
There was an accident during last night’s show.
C.
They were going to wear colorful costumes.
D.
They were going to have to flip and spin.
Read the passage - 'A Night at the Circus' - and answer the question below:
12.
Based on details in the selection, what event are the acrobats performing
in?
A.
a talent show
B.
a carnival
C.
a circus
D.
a play
Read the passage - 'A Night at the Circus' - and answer the question below:
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 8 of 9
13.
Based on the selection, why did the performers end up “in a tangled heap
of colorful costumes”?
A.
The acrobats ran into each other.
B.
The show’s lights were shining too brightly.
C.
The show included it as part of the performance.
D.
The acrobats were tired from doing so many shows.
2016-17 DISTRICT CFA #2 Grade 4 ELA
Page 9 of 9