MCA-II Prep
Grade 4
Reading Comprehension
by Jonathan D. Kantrowitz
Edited by Kathleen Haughey and Sarah M.W. Espano
Item Code RAS 2121 • Copyright © 2008 Queue, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
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Table of Contents
To the Students ..............................................v
The Farmer’s Daughter and the Pail ..............1
Nellie Bly ..........................................................5
The Swimming Party ........................................9
Ancient Egyptian Pyramids............................13
“I Spy Something Red” ....................................18
An Excerpt from Peter Pan, or The Boy Who
Would Not Grow Up by J.M. Barrie ........22
The Fox and the Grapes..................................25
The Foolish Puppy ..........................................27
Keep Your Food Safe ......................................29
Whole Wheat Pecan Waffles ..........................32
“Bear,” from How to Know the Wild Animals
by Carolyn Wells ........................................35
“Chameleon,” from How to Know the
Wild Animals by Carolyn Wells ................37
Abraham Lincoln’s Tale ..................................39
“The Purple Cow” by Gelett Burgess ............41
Project Day ......................................................43
Town Mouse and Country Mouse ..................45
The Thirsty Bird..............................................47
Jan’s Birthday Party ......................................50
Perfect Day for Sailing ....................................53
The Lion and the Mouse ................................56
Restless Evening..............................................59
from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” ......61
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Atalanta and the Prince..................................63
from “The Children’s Hour” ............................67
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Skitch & Ramona’s Fort ..................................69
Skitch & Ramona’s Fort—Part II ..................72
from “The Star-Spangled Banner” ................76
by Francis Scott Key
“Sea-Fever” by John Masefield ......................77
The Oak and the Reed ....................................79
“The Daffodils” by William Wordsworth........81
The Farmer and the Cat ................................83
Androcles and the Lion ..................................85
Midas’s Secret ..................................................89
French Toast ....................................................92
Make a Collage ................................................95
What Are Sprains and Strains?......................98
How Will Healthy Eating and Physical
Activity Help Me? ....................................103
Mount St. Helens Erupts ..............................105
Constellations ................................................109
Gift of an Apple Tree ....................................113
Trip to an Art Exhibit....................................115
Trip to Switzerland........................................118
from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer............121
by Mark Twain
Pilgrim Children............................................124
Battle of Trenton ..........................................126
from “Miss Lulu Bett” by Zona Gale ..........129
Dr. Smithers in the Basement ......................134
Killer Whale ..................................................137
Friends ..........................................................140
from Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass: An American Slave..................143
by Frederick Douglass
David Meets His Cousins..............................145
Ann Plays in the Spring Concert..................148
Paul Robeson ................................................152
from The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde ......156
Roger Sherman ..............................................158
“Old Ironsides” by Oliver Wendell Holmes..161
Raccoons ........................................................163
Abigail Adams................................................167
Ladybug Law ................................................170
Autumn Moon Holiday ..................................175
Woodrow Wilson ............................................179
New Amsterdam’s Buildings ........................182
New Amsterdam Life ....................................184
from Tarzan of the Apes ................................186
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ................189
by L. Frank Baum
Chipmunk and Bear ......................................194
The Raven ......................................................198
from The Railway Children by E. Nesbit....201
Planting a Tree ..............................................210
from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Part II by L. Frank Baum ......................214
Arts and Crafts Projects................................221
“THE PURPLE COW”
by Gelett Burgess
1
5
Reflections on a Mythic Beast,
Who’s Quite Remarkable at Least.
I never saw a Purple Cow;
I never Hope to See One;
But I can Tell you, Anyhow,
I’d rather See than Be One.
1. From information in this poem, you can tell that the poet
A.
B.
C.
D.
thinks it would be fun to be a purple cow.
feels that purple cows might be real.
wonders what purple cows might eat.
wants to avoid all purple cows.
2. In line 2, remarkable means
A.
B.
C.
D.
large.
friendly.
amazing.
colorful.
3. In line 1, the phrase “Reflections on a Mythic Beast” means
A.
B.
C.
D.
looking at an interesting monster.
thinking about a made-up animal.
listening to an untamed creature.
talking about an important thing.
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4. Part A Would you like to own a purple cow?
Part B Give two reasons why or why not.
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SKITCH & RAMONA’S FORT — Part II
1
2
3
4
The next week, Skitch and Ramona went out to their fort again. On Saturday,
they played and ate some of their cookies. When it was time to go home, they
made their trap. They got out a long piece of string. They tied lots of little bells
to the string. Then they put the string across the doorway of their fort.
“Good,” Ramona said. “Now if someone comes into the fort tonight, he will
break the string. The bells will ring and wake us up. Then we can run down
and see who it is!”
Ramona and Skitch left their cookies in the fort and went home. They opened
their bedroom windows so that they would be able to hear the bells ring. Then
they went to sleep. In the morning, they got up and went to the fort.
“Did you hear any bells last night?” Skitch asked Ramona.
5
“I didn’t hear anything,” Ramona said. “I slept all night.”
7
When they went into the fort, the trap had not been broken. “I guess our
cookies are safe,” Ramona said. But when they went over to the table, they
saw that all of their cookies were gone.
6
“So did I,” said Skitch.
8
“Now what should we do?” Skitch asked. “Our trap didn’t work!”
10
When Saturday came again, Ramona went into the garage and asked her
father for some white paint. Then Ramona took the paint to the fort. “What
are you going to do with that stuff?” Skitch asked.
9
11
12
13
“I’ve got another idea,” Ramona told Skitch. “We can try it on Saturday.”
“You’ll see,” said Ramona.
At the end of the day, Skitch and Ramona left their Sunday cookies on the
table again. Then Ramona took the white paint and put it on the floor all
around the table.
“Now if someone comes into the fort, he’ll step into the paint. Then we can
follow the white footprints and find out who is stealing our food,” Ramona told
Skitch.
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14
15
16
The next morning, they ran down to the fort. When they went inside, sure
enough, the cookies were gone. But they were surprised at what they saw.
There were strange footprints all over the floor. When they looked carefully,
they saw more than two prints. There were four prints! They followed the
footprints out the window onto the grass. They followed the footprints step by
step.
Soon they were standing at the back of Skitch’s house. Skitch’s mother came
out to meet them. “Skitch, what a mess your dog made this morning,” she said.
“When I let him come into the house, he had white paint all over his feet!”
Skitch and Ramona looked at each other. They had solved their puzzle.
1. Look at the last sentence in the story. What will Skitch and Ramona probably
do next?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Build a bigger and better fort
Keep the dog away from the fort
Make cookies for the dog
Paint their fort white
2. Who is telling this story?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Skitch
Ramona
Ramona’s mother
A narrator
3. What is the theme of this story?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sometimes the answer is right under your nose.
Cookies are not a good snack for Saturdays.
There is no good reason to make a fort with a friend.
Friends cannot help you deal with your problems.
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4. How are Skitch and Ramona’s feelings at the end of the story alike?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They
They
They
They
are
are
are
are
both
both
both
both
angry with Skitch’s mother.
pleased that they solved their problem.
puzzled over who stole the cookies.
worried about Skitch’s dog.
5. What is Skitch and Ramona’s problem in the story?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Their
Their
Their
Their
fort is badly in need of some new paint.
parents don’t have paint for them to use.
first trap wakes them up during the night.
first trap does not catch the cookie thief.
6. The author’s purpose for writing this story is probably to
A.
B.
C.
D.
convince readers to build forts.
tell readers a mystery story.
warn readers not to eat too much.
show readers how to care for dogs.
7. When Skitch and Ramona see that their trap has not been broken, they
probably think that
A.
B.
C.
D.
nobody went into the fort.
somebody went in the window.
their trap was not good enough.
the bells were not loud enough.
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8. Skitch’s dog gets paint in the kitchen because the dog
A.
B.
C.
D.
is angry with Skitch’s mother.
finds paint in Ramona’s father’s garage.
wants to share the paint it has found.
steps in paint in the fort.
9. Is Ramona’s plan a good plan? Do you think that Skitch’s mother thinks so?
Give two details from the story to support your answer.
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NEW AMSTERDAM LIFE
1
2
3
4
5
6
In New Amsterdam in the early 1600s, the houses of the rich were quaint and
comfortable. They had steeply sloping roofs and crow-stepped gables. A wide
hall led through the middle, from door to door, with rooms on either side.
Everything was solid and substantial. There were huge, canopied, four-post
bedsteads. The rooms had heavy cabinets, chairs, tables, stools, and settees.
There were stores of massive silver plate, each piece a rich heirloom, engraved
with the coats-of-arms of the owners. There were rugs on the floors, and
curtains and leather hangings on the walls. There were tall eight-day clocks
and stiff portraits of ancestors. Clumsy carriages—with fat geldings to draw
them—stood in a few of the stables. The trim gardens were filled with
shrubbery, fruit trees, and a wealth of flowers. The plants were laid out in
prim sweet-smelling beds, divided by neatly-kept paths.
The poorer men wore blouses or jackets, and wide, baggy breeches. The
women wore bodices and short skirts. Office holders wore their black gowns of
office.
The gentry wore the same rich clothing as did their brethren of the Old World.
Both ladies and gentlemen had clothes of every fabric and color. The ladies’
hair was frizzed and powdered. They wore lots of jewelry. Their gowns were
open in front to show rich petticoats. Their feet were thrust into high-heeled
shoes. On their heads they wore silk hoods instead of bonnets.
The long coats of the gentlemen were finished with silver lace and silver
buttons, as were their velvet doublets. They wore knee breeches, black silk
stockings, and low shoes with silver buckles. They were fond of free and joyous
living. They caroused often, drinking deeply and eating heavily.
The young men and maidens loved dancing parties, picnics, and long sleigh
rides in winter. There were great festivals, especially at Christmas and New
Year’s.
Christmas was then, as now, the chief day of the year for the children, devoted
to the special service of Santa Claus. On New Year’s Day, every man called on
all his friends.
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1. In the early 1600s, what kind of people wore blouses or jackets?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Office holders
Poorer men
Young boys
Rich ladies
2. What did the rich ladies wear on their heads?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hoods
Scarves
Hats
Crowns
3. Paragraph 1 is mostly about
A.
B.
C.
D.
what
what
what
what
the gardens were like in New Amsterdam.
beds looked like in New Amsterdam.
kind of carriages people drove.
homes in New Amsterdam looked like.
4. What did people do on New Year’s Day?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Attended church
Saw their families
Visited their friends
Went to work
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