Nonfiction Articles for May 7, 2013

Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below. Write the letter AND the correct answer.

6th Grade Nonfiction Article

 READTHEORY 

••Reading Comprehension 2 Level 4 

Next week I am on vacation. While I am on vacation, I will work on two projects. 

First, I will fix the washing machine. The washing machine has been broken for two weeks. To fix it, I will need three tools: a screwdriver, a wrench, and a clamp. It will take one day to fix the washing machine. 

Next, I will fix our back porch. This is a bigger project. It will probably take about two days to fix the back porch, and will require a screwdriver, a hammer, nails, and a saw. 

My vacation starts on Monday. I have a lot of work to do, but hopefully I can relax after I finish my work 

Questions 

1) Which of these tools will the author use more than once? 

A. a screwdriver 

B. a hammer 

C. a clamp 

D. a saw 

2) As used in paragraph 3, what does require mean? 

A. need 

B. use 

C. find 

D. buy 

3) Which of the following tools does the author not need to fix the back porch? 

A. a screwdriver 

B. a wrench 

C. nails 

D. a saw 

4) What is the earliest day that the author can finish both projects? 

A. Monday 

B. Wednesday 

C. Thursday 

D. Friday 

5) On which project will the author need to use the most tools? 

A. fixing the washing machine 

B. fixing the back porch 

C. both projects need the same number of tools 

D. neither project needs any tools 

6) According to the passage, fixing the back porch will take longer because 

A. the author really doesn’t want to do it 

B. it has been broken longer 

C. it needs more tools 

D. it is a bigger project 

7) The author of this passage can best be described as 

A. interesting 

B. lazy 

C. constructive 

D. intelligent 

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved. 

8th Grade Nonfiction Article

 READ THEORY 

•• Reading Comprehension 7 Level 9 

Among the old Norsemen, it was customary for certain warriors to dress in the skins of the beasts they had slain, and thus to give themselves an air of ferocity, which was calculated to strike terror into the hearts of their foes. Of course, one may also assume that a wolf or bear skin would make a warm, comfortable outer coat for a man whose manner of living required him to defy all weathers. 

Many legends speak of these warriors, also known as berserkers, and imply that they were physically transformed into the beasts whose skins they wore. The werewolf is one such being. There is also mention of a type of man who was bewitched into bear shape. Legends suggest that the skins carried the power of the beasts and, when worn, turned the wearer into that animal at the height of its capabilities. 

The berserker was an object of terror, as his life’s goal was to challenge quiet country farmers to combat. As the law of the land stood in Norway, a man who declined to accept a challenge from a berserker forfeited all his possessions, even his wife, over to the hands of his challenger. Therefore, the berserker had any man he challenged at his mercy. If the berserker slew him, the farmer's possessions became his, and if the poor fellow declined to fight, he lost all legal right to his inheritance. A berserker would invite himself to any feast and contribute to the hilarity of the entertainment by snapping the backbone or cleaving the skull of some merrymaker who displeased him. He might even single one out to murder for no other reason than to practice his combat skills. 

It is not difficult to imagine that popular superstition went along with the popular dread of these wolf- and bear-skinned rovers, and that they were believed to be filled with the force, as they certainly were with the ferocity, of the beasts whose skins they wore. 

The stories of the Norsemen indicate that the berserker rage was believed to be a kind of demonic possession. The berserkers were said to work themselves into a frenzy, in which an evil power came over them and compelled them to carry out acts that they never would commit in their normal states. They acquired superhuman force, and were wholly insensitive to pain. No sword would wound them, no fire would burn them, and only a club could destroy them, by breaking their bones or crushing their skulls. Their eyes glared as though a flame burned in the sockets; they ground their teeth and frothed at the mouth; they gnawed at their shield rims, and are said to have sometimes bitten through them; and as they rushed into conflict they yelped as dogs or howled as wolves. 

Questions 

1) passage would most likely be found in a(n) 

A. scholarly history journal 

B. nature magazine 

C. fiction novel about werewolves 

D. encyclopedia article about berserkers 

2) As used in paragraph 1, which is the best synonym for ferocity? 

A. viciousness 

B. confidence 

C. insanity 

D. strength 

3) In paragraph 1, the author writes, “Of course, one may also assume that a wolf or bear skin would make a warm, comfortable outer coat to a man whose manner of living required him to defy all weathers.” Using this information, the reader can infer that Norse warriors 

A. had great respect for the animals that they killed and skinned 

B. lived in harsh climate conditions 

C. made comfort their highest priority in life 

D. only made clothing out of ferocious animals, like wolves or bears 

4) According to the passage, legends suggest that the berserkers got their powers from 

I. their own strength 

II. evil spirits 

III. their animal skins 

A. l only 

B. I and II only 

C. II and III only 

D. I, II, and III 

5) In paragraph 4, the author writes: “A berserker would invite himself to any feast and contribute to the hilarity of the entertainment by snapping the backbone or cleaving the skull of some merrymaker who displeased him.” Which of the following literary devices is used in this sentence? 

A. Irony, characterized by the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. In irony, the deeper, real layer of significance is revealed by the situation and the context in which they are placed and not by the words themselves. 

B. Hyperbole, characterized by the use of specific words and phrases that exaggerate and overemphasize the core of the statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable effect. This usually works to convey an action or sentiment that is generally not realistically possible or plausible but helps to emphasize an emotion. 

C. Foreshadowing, characterized by the use of words or phrases that hint at something—typically something bad—that is going to happen later in the story. This is done without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense. 

D. Personification, characterized by the attribution of human traits or characteristics to non-human animals, inanimate objects, or abstract ideas. 

6) Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that the berserkers did, in a sense, transform into the animals whose skins they wore? 

A. "The berserker was an object of terror, as his life’s goal was to challenge quiet country farmers to combat." 

B. "Their eyes glared as though a flame burned in the sockets; they ground their teeth and frothed at the mouth; they gnawed at their shield rims, and are said to have sometimes bitten them through; and as they rushed into conflict they yelped as dogs or howled as wolves." 

C. "The berserkers were said to work themselves into a frenzy, in which an evil power came over them, compelling them to carry out acts that they never would commit in their normal states." 

D. "Many legends speak of these warriors, also known as berserkers, and imply that they were physically transformed into the beasts whose skins they wore." 

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved.