Directions: Read the passage and answer the question by writing the letter and correct answer for each question on your OWN paper.
6th Grade Nonfiction Article
© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.
READ THEORY
•• Reading Comprehension 1 Level 8
Right now, I am looking at a shelf full of relics, a collection of has-beens, old-timers, antiques, fossils. Right now I am looking at a shelf full of books. Yes, that's right. If you have some spare cash (the going rate is about $89) and are looking to enhance your reading experience, then I highly suggest you consider purchasing an e-reader. E-readers are replacing the books of old, and I welcome them with open arms (as you should).
If you haven't heard of an e-reader and don't know what it is, then please permit the following explanation. An e-reader is a device that allows you to read e-books. An e-book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines the e-book as "an electronic version of a printed book," but e-books can and do exist without any printed equivalent.
So now you know what an e-reader is. But you still may be wondering why they put printed books to shame. E-readers are superior to printed books because they save space, are environmentally friendly, and provide helpful reading tips and tools that printed books do not.
E-readers are superior to printed books because they save space. The average e-reader can store thousands of digital books, providing a veritable library at your fingertips. What is more, being the size and weight of a thin hardback, the e-reader itself is relatively petite. It is easy to hold and can fit in a pocketbook or briefcase easily. This makes handling ponderous behemoths such as War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Les Misérables a breeze. Perhaps the only drawback to the space-saving aspect of an e-reader is that it requires you to find new things to put on your shelves.
In addition, e-readers are superior to books because they are environmentally friendly. The average novel is about 300 pages long. So, if a novel is printed 1000 times, it will use 300,000 pieces of paper. That's a lot of paper! If there are about 80,000 pieces of paper in a tree, this means it takes almost 4 trees to make these 1000 books. Now, we know that the average bestseller sells about 20,000 copies per week. That means that it takes over 300 trees each month to sustain this rate. And for the super bestsellers, these figures increase dramatically. For example, the Harry Potter book series has sold over 450 million copies. That's about 2 million trees! Upon viewing these figures, it is not hard to grasp the severe impact of printed books on the environment. Since e-readers use no trees, they represent a significant amount of preservation in terms of the environment and its resources.
Finally, e-readers are superior to books because they provide helpful reading tips and tools that printed books do not. The typical e-reader allows its user to customize letter size, font, and line spacing. It also allows highlighting and electronic bookmarking. Furthermore, it grants users the ability to get an overview of a book and then jump to a specific location based on that overview. While these are all nice features, perhaps the most helpful of all is the ability to get dictionary definitions at the touch of a finger. On even the most basic e-reader, users can conjure instant definitions without having to hunt through a physical dictionary.
It can be seen that e-readers are superior to printed books. They save space, are environmentally friendly, and provide helpful reading tips and tools that printed books do not. So what good are printed books? Well, they certainly make nice decorations.
Questions
1) As used in paragraph 1, it can be inferred that "relics,” “has-beens, old-timers, antiques, fossils" are all words that describe something
A. ancient
B. useless
C. outdated
D. pathetic
2) The tone of the author can best be described as
A. shrewd
B. conniving
C. persuasive
D. authoritative
3) According to the author, e-books
I. were all once printed books
II. may be "born digital"
III. are able to display images
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III
4) As used in paragraph 3, which of the following describes something that has been "put to shame"?
A. A dog is left outside on a frigid, dreary winter night.
B. Team A defeats Team B in a humiliating rout.
C. Martha is caught stealing at the mall and is arrested in front of a crowd of curious bystanders.
D. The machine has countless moving parts and Dustin has trouble assembling it.
5) A thesis statement is a sentence that clearly describes what the author plans to discuss. Based on this information, which of the following sentences from the passage is the thesis statement?
A. If you have some spare cash (the going rate is about $89) and are looking to enhance your reading experience, then I highly suggest you consider purchasing an e-reader.
B. E-readers are replacing the books of old, and I welcome them with open arms (as you should).
C. An e-reader is a device that allows you to read e-books. An e-book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices.
D. E-readers are superior to printed books because they save space, are environmentally friendly, and provide helpful reading tips and tools that printed books do not.
6) Based on its use in paragraph 4, it can be inferred that petite belongs to which of the following word families?
A. jubilant, euphoric, playful
B. compact, diminutive, little
C. cute, attractive, charming
D. light, airy, spacious
7) Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Les Misérables are all
A. authored by Europeans
B. dense and impenetrable
C. timeless classics
D. awkward or unwieldy
8) As used in paragraph 5, which is the best synonym for sustain?
A. maintain
B. allow
C. enforce
D. yield
9) Which of the following, if true, would present the biggest challenge to the author's argument set forth in paragraph 5?
A. Books are not made only from whole trees, but from wood chips and forest waste as well.
B. The natural resources required to read an e-book on an e-reader are greater than the natural resources required to make a printed book.
C. The results of a recent survey show that people who read e-books are more likely to be distracted during their reading and remember less of the book.
D. Although the printing of the extremely popular Harry Potter book series had significant environmental impact, the Harry Potter movie series cost almost no trees to make and was also very well-liked.
10) According to the author, which of the following reading tips and tools are offered by the e-reader?
I. line spacing customization
II. the ability to quickly jump to the end of a book
III. access to an online thesaurus at the touch of a finger
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III
11) Which of the following best describes the organization of this passage?
A. introduction, thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, conclusion
B. history, thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, conclusion
C. advertisement, background, introduction, supporting paragraphs, examples, conclusion
D. introduction, background, thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, conclusion
© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.
8th Grade Nonfiction Article
© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.
READ THEORY
• Reading Comprehension 5 Level 9
.
The piranha is a much-maligned fish. Most people think that this is a deadly creature that swarms through rivers and creeks of the Amazon rainforest looking for victims to tear apart. And woe betide anyone unlucky enough to be in the same water as a shoal of piranhas. It takes only a few minutes for the vicious piranhas to reduce someone to a mere skeleton.
The truth is that the piranha is really a much more nuanced animal than the mindless killer depicted in the media. In fact, piranhas are a group made up of approximately twelve different species. Each piranha species occupies its own ecological niche. One type of piranha takes chunks out of the fins of other fish. Another type eats fruit falling from trees into the river. Each piranha species plays a unique role in the ecology of the rainforest floodplains. So what should you do next time you hear someone talking about the “deadly piranha”? You can remind them that the piranha is not always the notorious killer fish that the tough, muscular heroes of popular nature television shows would have us believe.
Questions
1) The primary purpose of the author is to
A. correct misconceptions about the piranha
B. illustrate the importance of piranhas in rainforest ecology
C. describe two different species of piranhas
D. instruct the reader on what to say if someone describes the piranha as “deadly”
2) In paragraph 1, the author most likely uses the old-fashioned expression “woe betide” to
A. highlight the danger posed by piranhas
B. suggest that the reputation of the piranha is well-deserved
C. emphasize the sarcastic tone
D. indicate that the passage was written in the 19th century
3) In paragraph 1, the author uses hyperbole—characterized by the use of exaggeration for effect—to describe the piranha. The author most likely uses hyperbole to
A. frame an argument that is supported in a later paragraph
B. create ambiguity so the reader cannot be sure which position the writer supports
C. juxtapose the myth of the piranha with the truth about the fish
D. evoke vivid images of nature television shows in the reader’s mind
4) As used in paragraph 2, which is the best definition for unique?
A. irreplaceable
B. important
C. individual
D. unusual
5) As used in paragraph 2, which is the best synonym for notorious?
A. celebrated
B. disreputable
C. notable
D. renowned
© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.
______________________________
*8th Grade Only!!!
______________________________
*8th Grade Only!!!
"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry Questions
Directions use your literature textbook to respond to the following questions.
1. Who was Bill? Please describe him.
2. What was the narrator's name and explain his relation to Bill.
3. Who is Red Chief?
4. Why is Summit's name ironic?
5. Why did the kidnappers chose a small town?
6. How do we know that the two men are in for a bad time?
7. What did the boy reveal about himself at the first dinner?
8. Would you say that two desperados slept well? Why or why not?
9. Does the litttle boy want to go home? (explain)
10. When did our villians begin to realize that their plan might backfire?
11. Why does the story teller say: "Heaven help the wolves"?
12. Do you think that they sign the letter "two desperate men" to be intimidating? In what other sense are they desperate?
13. Are the criminals well spoken? How can you tell?
14. Why does the narrator ask Bill if anyone in his familly suffers from heart disease?
15.What would be worse than playing the black scout?
16. What did our con man do to insure that his scheme was fit to "commend itself to professional kidnapers.
17. After the reply from Mr Dorset was read, why did Bill have such an "appealing look in his eyes"?
18. Why must the boy be taken back at night?
19. How do our con artists convince the boy to go home with them?
20. Why should they worry about how long Ebenezer Dorset can hold on to Red Chief?
Ce texte © 2004-2005 Susan GUILLAUMOND - tous droits réservés
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