mastering staar reading

Applying the

Readiness and Supporting TEKS

for the STAAR

READINGSTAAR

R A L L Y ! E D U C A T I O N

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Focus on Specific Readiness & Supporting TEKS to Build

Reading Comprehension Skills for the STAAR …………..

Mastering STAAR Reading Applying the Readiness & Supporting TEKS for the STAAR Grade Levels 3–8

• Part 1: Guided Instruction - Literary and Informational Passages - Comprehension questions are aligned to the Readiness and Supporting TEKS - Hints are provided to guide instruction and reinforce skills and strategies

• Part 2: Independent Practice - Literary and Informational Passages - Comprehension questions are aligned to the Readiness and Supporting TEKS - Students work independently

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★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★ ★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★

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★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★ ★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★Contents


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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Questions with Reporting Category, Content Student Expectation, and Readiness/Supporting Category. Hints for each question provide instruction.

Passage 1: Literary Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Passage 2: Informational Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Passage 3: Literary Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Passage 4: Informational Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Practice Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Two practice tests, each with individual and paired passages.

Practice Test 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Practice Test 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

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Mastering STAAR Reading prepares students to succeed on the STAAR reading test.The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading tests areused to measure how well students are learning the Texas state curriculum knownas the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). This curriculum is designed tohelp students develop and sharpen their learning and reading skills.

The TEKS curriculum includes “content student expectations” (what students areexpected to have learned). These content student expectations are grouped intothree Reporting Categories:

Reporting Category 1: Understanding/Analysis Across GenresReporting Category 2: Understanding/Analysis of Literary TextsReporting Category 3: Understanding/Analysis of Informational Texts

Like the STAAR Reading test, Mastering STAAR Reading consists of InformationalTexts, Literary Texts and multiple-choice questions.

Part 1

Part 1 of Mastering STAAR Reading is made up of four passages with questions.Each question is followed by a hint to help you focus on the response. TheReporting Category, Content Student Expectation, and whether it is a Readiness orSupporting standard is also included so that you know what type of question isbeing asked.

Part 2

Part 2 of Mastering STAAR Reading is made of two practice tests, each withindividual and paired passages.

Mastering STAAR Reading prepares students to succeed on the STAAR reading testwith instruction and practice reading the genres and question types that willappear on the STAAR test.


Introduction ★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★

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★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★ ★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★Instruction


Read this selection. Then answer the questions that follow it. Use the “Hint” aftereach question to help you choose the right answer.

— Passage 1 —

Saving Salamanders1 Outside, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the

sound of children’s laughter filled the air. Inside, the curtains wereclosed, the television was on, and Emile was sitting on the couch.It was the first week of summer vacation, and Emile planned to doabsolutely nothing. He thought it was nice not to have any tests orhomework to worry about.

2 As Emile stared at the television screen, his older brother Alvarowalked downstairs and asked him to come outside and join him.

3 Emile declined, telling Alvaro that he wanted to enjoy his timeoff. Alvaro looked at the cartoon on the television screen.

4 “Haven’t you already seen this show?” he asked.

5 Emile ignored him and continued to watch. Alvaro grabbed theremote control and switched off the television set.

6 “Hey!” exclaimed Emile. “I was watching that.”

7 “You need some fresh air,” said Alvaro. “Besides, there’s somethingI want to show you.”

8 After a few moments’ hesitation, Emile got off the couch andfollowed Alvaro outside. The two brothers walked a short distancefrom their house to a small marsh. The trees shaded them from thehot summer sun. Alvaro told his younger brother to stay away fromthe water. Then he pointed to a small orange creature, which lookedlike a lizard, on top of a large mossy rock.

9 “Cool,” said Emile. “What is it?”

10 “It’s a salamander,” explained Alvaro as he gently picked it up andplaced it into the palm of his hand. “They like cool, moist places.”

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11 Emile said that he had never seen a salamander before, andAlvaro said that was probably because there aren’t many left. Heexplained that their homes were being destroyed by people cuttingdown trees and dumping garbage all over the place. Emile lookedaround the marsh. He could see empty soda bottles, pieces ofnewspaper, and plastic wrappers scattered around the area.

12 The slimy salamander squirmed around, and Alvaro gentlyplaced him back on the rock. Emile thought it was terrible that thisinteresting little creature might lose its home. Emile imagined whatit would feel like if someone took away his home or left trasheverywhere. He knew he would be very upset. He figured that thesalamanders didn’t like it either.

13 As Emile watched the salamander crawl under a rock, he cameup with a great idea. He asked Alvaro to take him back to the housefor a few minutes, so he could get some gloves and garbage bags.Alvaro smiled, pleased at what his little brother wanted to do.

14 The boys returned to the marsh with their gloves on and garbagebags in hand. They started picking up the trash that filled themarsh. It was a dirty job, but the boys felt good about themselvesonce they were finished.

15 When they told their mother what they had done, she was veryexcited. “I wish more kids would pitch in the way you two have,”she said. “There are lots of animals that need cleaner places to live.”Emile thought about this later that day as he ate his lunch. If theyhad more people, they could help many different animals and keeptheir neighborhood clean.


Instruction ★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★

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16 When Alvaro was finished eating, Emile told his brother that hehad a plan, but they would need some help. During the afternoon,Emile and Alvaro visited some of their friends from school. Emiletold them all about the salamanders and the garbage. He encouragedthem to help clean up some of the areas of their neighborhood.“Come on,” he said. “It’s better than spending your summerwatching television!”

17 Throughout the summer, Emile and Alvaro and their friendslooked for places in their neighborhood in need of a clean-up—andthey were surprised just how many places were littered. Emile evenwrote a letter to the town’s mayor, asking for recycling bins to beplaced in all public places.

18 The week before school started, Alvaro asked Emile if he wasexcited about going back to school. Emile was excited. He was readyto return to school, and he couldn’t wait to tell his teachers whathe and his friends had accomplished.



1 Reporting Category: 1Content Student Expectation: 5.2(B)Readiness Standard

What does the word hesitation mean in paragraph 8?

A feel sad

B talk

C pause

D make quiet

HINTThis question asks you to figure out the meaning of a word by using the context of thestory. Using the context means using other words in the story to help you. Read paragraph 8again. Look at the words that surround hesitation. They can help you figure out the correctmeaning of the word.

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2 Reporting Category: 1Content Student Expectation: 5.2(A)Readiness Standard

In paragraph 17, the prefix in theword recycling means—

A without

B again

C after

D between

HINTThis question is asking you about aprefix. Remember that a prefix comesat the beginning of a word. Forexample, the prefix un means “not.” Byadding this prefix to the word happy,you make the word unhappy, whichmeans “not happy.”


According to the story, why hasn’tEmile seen the salamanders before?

A Salamanders live underneath rocks.

B Emile doesn’t like to go outside.

C Salamanders are afraid of people.

D There aren’t many salamanders left.

HINTThis question asks you to think about adetail in the story. To remember thedetail, you might have to reread someof the story. Look at paragraph 11 if youneed more help.



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4 Reporting Category: 2Content Student Expectation: 5.14 Fig. 19 (E)Readiness Standard

Which is the best summary of the story?

A Emile plans to relax during his summer vacation. His older brother Alvaro takeshim to see the salamanders in a nearby marsh. Alvaro explains that thesalamanders’ homes are being destroyed by garbage. Emile and Alvaro get theirfriends to help them clean up the neighborhood that summer.

B Alvaro wants Emile to come to the marsh with him. Emile would rather stay insideand watch television. Alvaro takes Emile to see the salamanders. When they getback home, the two brothers tell their mom about the salamanders. Mom is veryproud of the two boys and tells them to keep up the good work.

C Emile wants Alvaro to leave him alone. Alvaro asks Emile to go to the marsh. Emiledoesn’t want to go. He wants to relax during his summer vacation. Alvaro says thatEmile needs to go outside to get some fresh air. The brothers walk to the marshtogether. Emile is glad that he didn’t waste his time inside.

D Alvaro plans to take his little brother, Emile, with him to the marsh. When theyarrive, they see that the salamanders’ homes are being destroyed by trash. Alvarodecides to ask his brother to help him clean up the marsh. The brothers pick up allof the trash and the salamanders start to return to the marsh.

HINTA summary is a short retelling of the major parts of a story. When you retell a story, youshould include the main idea and the important details. It is not important to include smalldetails. Think about the main ideas in the story and then pick the answer choice thatmentions all of these ideas.

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Why does Emile decide to clean upthe salamanders’ marsh?

A Alvaro tells him that he shouldspend more time outside in thefresh air.

B He imagines how he would feel ifsomeone left trash inside hishome.

C Alvaro thinks it is a good idea todo something to help theirneighborhood.

D He thinks that it will be more funthan watching television.

HINTThis question asks you to study acharacter from the story very closely.Sometimes you can figure out how acharacter feels by what he or she says ordoes. Consider what made Emile wantto help the salamanders. If you needmore help, reread paragraph 12.


Why is paragraph 16 important tothe story?

A It tells the reader how recyclingcan help animals.

B It explains what has happened tothe salamanders.

C It shows the reader how muchEmile has changed.

D It describes Emile’s idea to helpthe salamanders.

HINTThis question asks you to decide whatthe main idea of the paragraph is aboutand how it is important to the resolutionof the story. Reread paragraph 16 todecide the purpose of the paragraph.Carefully look at all of the answerchoices before choosing the one that fits best.



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GO ON


— Passage 2 —

Batteries: Power from the Past

1 Today, batteries can be found in many homes, schools, and stores.Batteries are tiny metal boxes that are full of power. They can maketoys, tools, and other machines seem to come to life. Although itseems like a new invention, the battery has had a long history.Batteries have been in use for more than 200 years. Some scientistseven believe batteries have been around much longer than that.

2 The first person to use the word “battery” was BenjaminFranklin in 1748. His idea of a battery was very different than ours.He tried to make a battery out of glass. That might be hard toimagine today! Our basic ideas about batteries are similar to his,though. A battery is any small box, or cell, that contains specialchemicals and metals. This mix of materials makes electric powerthat can be used to make machines move.

3 Around 1800, Italian inventor Alessandro Voltabegan adding to Franklin’s ideas about electricity. Voltafound that some kinds of metal, when placed together,could make a little bit of electricity. Two of these metalswere silver and zinc. Volta set about building whatbecame the first modern battery. He made many smallplates out of both silver and zinc. Then he stackedthese plates until he had one tall pile of metal. Finally,he slid pieces of cloth between the plates.

4 When Volta wet the cloth with salt water, a small electrical chargebegan moving through the metal. Volta’s pile didn’t make muchelectricity. He had to make several piles in order to build up a goodcharge. However, it was a great success. Volta proved that, with justmetal and salt water, a person could make a simple kind of battery. Weremember Volta today in the word “volt.” A volt is about as muchelectricity as his battery could make.



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5 Alessandro Volta made the first modern battery. However, manypeople believe that batteries have been made as far back as 2,000 yearsago! The evidence for this claim is a small clay pot. The pot was foundby scientists in an ancient village in the Middle East.

6 This clay pot was about six inches tall and very plain. From theoutside, it looked to be a simple drinking or cooking pot. Whenscientists opened it up, however, they found much more. The pothad been closed on top with tar. Stuck in this tar was a rolled-uppiece of copper. Inside the copper was an iron bar. If a special kindof juice (like lemon juice) were poured into the pot, these metalswould begin to make electricity. Scientists proved that this couldwork. They also could not think of anything else for which thespecial pot could have been used. Because of this, many peopletoday believe that this pot is the world’s oldest battery!

7 Like Volta’s battery, this ancient battery could not have mademuch electricity. You would have needed more than five of themjust to power a modern clock radio. The ancient people could nothave done much with these batteries. Scientists have decided on afew possible uses, however. One possible use was for healing achesand pains. Ancient people might have thought electricity couldmake them feel better.

8 Other scientists think the ancient battery was used to makejewelry. There is a simple way to make gold-plated jewelry, orjewelry with a thin crust of gold on it. This gold-plating can bedone using small electrical charges. The ancient battery may havebeen used to do this.

9 The scientists’ other idea about the mysterious battery is that it wasused to trick people. At the time, nobody knew much about electricity.Some scientists think that these batteries were hidden inside metalstatues. When people touched the statues, they would feel a smallelectrical shock in their fingers. For people who didn’t know aboutelectricity, this odd feeling might have seemed like magic.

10 Many people use remote controls, flashlights, or toy cars everyday. Each of these things runs on batteries. Not many people realize,though, that the idea for batteries may be thousands of years old!

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7 Reporting Category: 3Content Student Expectation: 5.10(A)Supporting Standard

Why might ancient people havethought electricity was magic?

A Electricity needed only metal andchemicals.

B They did not know much aboutelectricity.

C They had no way of makingelectricity.

D Electricity was made in plain pots.

HINTThis question asks you to look for areason why ancient people might havethought electricity was magic. Thearticle tells you that long ago peopleviewed electricity differently than peopleview it today. Why was this?

8 Reporting Category: 3Content Student Expectation: 5.11(C)Readiness Standard

How was Benjamin Franklin’s batterydifferent from batteries used today?

A He built his battery from glass.

B He placed metal inside his battery.

C He did not use the word “battery.”

D He made his battery very small.

HINTThis question asks you to compare ideasfrom the article. The author talks aboutBenjamin Franklin’s work with batteries.Think about what you learned aboutFranklin in paragraph 2, and then thinkabout how his battery was different fromthe ones we use today.

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9 Reporting Category: 3Content Student Expectation: 5.11(D)Readiness Standard

Look at the diagram of information from this article.

Which detail belongs on the blank line?

A Made little electricity

B Hidden inside a clay pot

C Built by a famous inventor

D Found in the Middle East

HINTThe picture in this question is a Venn diagram. A Venn diagram lists ideas about twodifferent things and shows how these things are similar. Read over the lists included in thepicture above. Read the answer choices carefully. In which way are the Volta battery and theancient battery similar?

The Volta Battery • Uses silver and zinc • Made of metal plates • Built around 1800

• Joins metal and chemicals• _____________

The Ancient Battery • Uses copper and iron • Made of metal bars • Built in ancient times

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Based on information about ancientpeople, which of the followingrepresents something they probablywould not have done?

A Made statues out of metal

B Made juice from lemons

C Used batteries in large machines

D Understood how batteries work

HINTPart of this article talks about people inancient times. Think about what youlearned about these people and howthey lived. Then read the answerchoices. Which of these choicesdescribes something ancient peoplewould probably not do?

11 Reporting Category: 3Content Student Expectation: 5.10Supporting Standard

What is the most likely reason whythe author wrote this article?

A To show how to make electricalcharges

B To describe the history of aninvention

C To tell a story about fascinatingscientists

D To share information aboutancient people

HINTThe question asks you why the authorwrote this article. Every author has areason for writing. Think about what youlearned in this article. Think about whatinformation the author was trying to giveyou. Reread all of the answer choicesbefore choosing the one that fits best.



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12 Reporting Category: 3Content Student Expectation: 5.11(E)Readiness Standard

This article would most likely befound in a book of—

A American history

B world geography

C science articles

D fictional stories

HINTThink back on the information in thisarticle. Did everything in the articlehappen in America? Did the article teachyou about other lands? Would the articlefit well in your science book? Or did thearticle tell a made-up story? After youconsider these questions, choose the most likely answer.


With which statement would theauthor probably agree?

A Batteries were more importantlong ago than they are today.

B Ancient people may have knownmuch more than we realize.

C Copper and iron work better thansilver and zinc in batteries.

D Gold-plated jewelry can producesmall electrical charges.

HINTWhen you read an article, you can learnabout the author who wrote it. You canlearn from the author’s ideas andknowledge, and the words he or she uses.Think about what you learned about thisauthor. With which of these statementswould the author most likely agree?

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What can the reader tell about thefirst batteries from this article?

A The batteries were expensive to build.

B The batteries were not verypowerful.

C Few people wanted to use thebatteries.

D It took months to make thebatteries.

HINTThis question asks you to come to aconclusion—to use what you’ve justlearned about the first batteries to learnsomething more. Think about theinformation you just gained from reading.Which of these answer choices makessense, given what you’ve just learned?


Which sentence from the article is anexample of an opinion?

A Alessandro Volta made the firstmodern battery.

B Many people use remote controls,flashlights, or toy cars every day.

C Our basic ideas about batteries aresimilar to his, though.

D The pot was found by scientists in anancient village in the Middle East.

HINTRemember that an opinion is astatement that cannot be proven. Thisarticle has some opinions in it. The restof the statements are facts (statementsthat are true and can be proven). Lookover each of these answer choicescarefully. Which is an opinion, astatement that you cannot show is right or wrong?



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Which sentence from this article showsthat batteries are important now?

A The first person to use the word“battery” was Benjamin Franklin in 1748.

B They can make toys, tools, and othermachines seem to come to life.

C Batteries have been in use for morethan 200 years.

D The evidence for this claim is a small clay pot.

HINTThis question asks you to use what youalready know to answer a questionabout the article. Read the answerchoices now. Next, use what you’velearned from the article, along with thethings you already know, to select thecorrect answer. Which statement showshow important batteries are today?


A common idea throughout thisarticle is the importance of—

A finding ways to make and use electricity

B building machines that can use batteries

C digging up the villages of ancient people

D learning more about Benjamin Franklin

HINTThis question asks you to decide whatidea is used throughout the article. Mostarticles have one or more importantideas. Almost every part of the articlewill have to do with that important idea.Think about the article you’ve just read.Then, decide which of the answerchoices best describes the mostimportant idea throughout the article.



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The author organizes the article by—

A explaining each part of a modernbattery

B describing how to build Volta’sbattery

C comparing different kinds ofbatteries

D tracing the long history of batteries

HINTAuthors have to organize their articlescarefully. They want to give informationto their readers in the best possible way.Think about how the author organizedthe article you just read. How does theauthor’s organization of the article helpthe reader?



GO ON

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— Passage 3 —

A Neighborhood Treasure1 It was Friday afternoon, and Rosa and her fellow fifth-graders

were anxiously awaiting the end of the school day. The clock on thewall above Mrs. Johnson’s head seemed to be moving very slowly.Rosa sighed quietly. On Friday, more than any other day of theweek, each minute seemed to take forever.

2 Rosa’s class had attended a school program earlier that day. NowMrs. Johnson was trying to teach them about local history.

3 “Who knows something about the history of this town?” she asked.The students didn’t seem to hear her. Some yawned. Others stretchedand squirmed in their seats. A few were drawing in their notebooks.

4 Mrs. Johnson frowned. “You all know that I don’t like to givehomework over the weekend,” she began, “but you’re not evenpaying attention. I think a little extra work may be necessary.”

5 The students groaned.

6 “I want each of you to talk to a neighbor about the history ofyour town and write a paper about what your neighbor tells you,”she said. “Your papers are due Monday.” The bell rang and herstudents miserably shuffled out of the room.

7 That night over dinner, Rosa mentioned the project to her parents.

8 “This is terrible,” Rosa complained, pushing her food aroundwith her fork.

9 “It must be important, or Mrs. Johnson wouldn’t have asked youto do it,” said Rosa’s father.


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10 Rosa asked her parents if she could write about her uncle, Roberto,who was visiting on Sunday. She thought this would be easy. Thenshe wouldn’t have to talk to a neighbor whom she didn’t know.

11 “You’re supposed to write about a neighbor,” her motherpointed out. “Roberto lives in San Antonio, and he’s family.”

12 Rosa made a face.

13 “Why don’t you talk to Mr. Williams?” her father suggested. Mr.Williams lived a few houses away from them. No one knew muchabout him because he rarely left his house.

14 “He doesn’t get many visitors,” said her mother. “Maybe he’dlike the company. You could talk to him tomorrow and then writeyour paper on Sunday, before Roberto comes.”

15 Rosa swallowed hard. She did not want to visit old Mr. Williams.She listened as her mother called her neighbor.

16 “Mr. Williams can see you tomorrow morning,” she told Rosa asshe hung up the phone.

17 Rosa slowly got out of bed the next morning. She was grumpy. Shebarely touched the French toast that her father put in front of her.

18 “Tina’s going to the mall today, and Sammy is going to playbasketball in the park,” she grumbled.

19 “That’s fine for them, but you have a meeting,” her father said.“Go get a notebook and a pen. Mr. Williams will be waiting for you.”

20 Rosa slowly walked to Mr. Williams’ house. She paused outsidethe door. Then she knocked. After a minute, Mr. Williams openedthe door.

21 “You must be Rosa,” he said.

22 Rosa nodded.

23 “Come on in. I have some things you might like to see.”

24 Rosa doubted that, but followed him inside the house anyway.Mr. Williams leaned heavily on his cane as he walked up the steps.

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25 “This way,” he said. Rosa followedhim into a room at the end of thehallway. It was filled with boxes. Shelooked into one and was surprised tosee tools from a doctor’s office.Another box held old pictures of thetown hospital.

26 “Wow,” she said, reaching for thepicture. She realized that a youngerMr. Williams was standing in front ofthe hospital. “Were you a doctor?”

27 Mr. Williams smiled and nodded.“Yes, that was my profession. I wasone of the first doctors to work at ourhospital,” he told her. “I was also partof a group that helped start it. Beforethat, the people of this town had to drive very far to get goodmedical care.”

28 Rosa thought for a minute. “I had to go to the hospital once,”she said. “I fell off of a swing and broke my arm. My parents rushedme to the hospital right away. The doctors gave me a cast, and allthe nurses signed it for me.”

29 “Well, it’s a good thing we had a hospital then. Don’t youagree?” asked Mr. Williams.

30 Rosa smiled shyly. “It sure is.”

31 Rosa’s teacher, Mrs. Johnson, was in a good mood on Mondaymorning.

32 “Who would like to share something they learned?” she askedthe class.

33 Rosa’s hand shot into the air.

34 “Yes, Rosa?”

35 “I found out that my neighbor did something very important,”Rosa told her teacher. “He helped start our hospital. Now everyonein our town has a place to go when they get sick or hurt.”

36 Mrs. Johnson smiled proudly. “Sounds like Rosa uncovered aneighborhood treasure.”

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In paragraph 27, the word professionmeans —

A teacher

B job

C hobby

D home

HINTLook at the other words in this sentenceand the sentences that follow. Look forclues that can help you to figure out themeaning of the word.


In paragraph 36, the word proudlymeans —

A against pride

B no pride

C before pride

D with pride

HINTReread the sentence before answeringthe question. Look at how the word isused in the sentence and then select thebest answer.

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21 Reporting Category: 2Content Student Expectation: 5.14 Fig. 19 (E)Readiness Standard

Paragraphs 17, 18, and 19 are mostly about —

A Rosa trying to convince her parentsto let her do something else

B Rosa waking up and getting readyto go to school in the morning

C Rosa’s parents teaching Rosa howto be best prepared for work

D Rosa’s parents talking about whyher homework is important

HINTReread these three paragraphs. Thinkabout what is happening in theseparagraphs and then select the best answer.

22 Reporting Category: 2Content Student Expectation: 5.14 Fig. 19 (E) Readiness Standard

Which is the best summary of thisselection?

A Rosa wants to find somethingspecial for show and tell. Herparents suggest that Rosa talk witha neighbor who used to be adoctor. Rosa’s teacher is impressedwith Rosa’s hard work.

B During a school meeting, thestudents learn about the townhospital. Rosa knows that one ofher neighbors used to work at thehospital, and she decides to talkwith him to give a report.

C Rosa’s teacher wants the studentsto learn about the history of thetown. Rosa wants her uncle tohelp with the homework, but herparents suggest a neighbor. Rosalearns that person was animportant doctor.

D When Rosa breaks her arm, shegoes to the town hospital for acast. The doctors and nurses arenice to her, and she decides tolearn more about the hospital’shistory. Rosa learns a neighborfounded the hospital.

HINTRemember, a summary gives you all ofthe most important information aboutthe story in a few sentences. Read eachof the answer choices carefully beforeselecting the one that best fits.

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How does Rosa’s attitude change fromthe beginning to the end of the story?

A She decides that she wants to be a doctor.

B She learns that she likes doinghomework.

C She realizes that her neighbor is interesting.

D She discovers that the hospital iswell-known.

HINTThink about what Rosa was like in thebeginning of the story. What about herhas changed by the time the story has ended?


Why are paragraphs 1 through 6important to the story?

A They show why Rosa must talk toher neighbor.

B They show that the students had aschool program.

C They explain why teachers givestudents homework.

D They describe a way for studentsto learn about history.

HINTThink about why the author includedthe first few paragraphs. What is theauthor trying to tell the reader byincluding them? What do they explainthat is important to the story?

GO ON



— Passage 4 —

The Life of Sandra Day O’Connor

1 Sandra Day O’Connor was the firstwoman to serve as a judge on the SupremeCourt of the United States of America. Sandrawas born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso,Texas. She lived with her parents on theirranch near Duncan, Arizona. Ranch life wasoften hard, but Sandra loved it. She madefriends with the cowboys who worked on theranch. She often pitched in to help with thework. She learned to ride horses and sheloved to read. Sandra’s parents wanted her togo to school. At that time, not all childrenwere given the chance to go to school andlearn. Sandra almost didn’t get to go toschool. The closest school was more than 20miles from the ranch! Sandra went to El Pasoto live with her grandmother so she would becloser to the school.

2 Sandra learned quickly and worked hard in school. She finishedhigh school when she was only sixteen. She decided to go to collegeafter high school. She was accepted at a college in California. Shetook business classes there because she thought these classes wouldhelp her learn to run her parents’ ranch. But, in time, she decidedto do something else. She wanted to learn more about the law.

3 Sandra went to law school after college. People in law schoollearn to be lawyers. She finished law school in just two short years.She graduated at the top of her class. Then, she married JohnO’Connor, another law student, and changed her name to SandraDay O’Connor.


Supreme Court Justice Sandra DayO’Connor

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4 While John finished his last year of law school, Sandra tried toget a job in a law firm. But no one wanted to give her a chance.People wouldn’t hire her because she was a woman. It was unfairthat she wasn’t given the same opportunities as men. Sandra wasdetermined, however. She kept up her job search and was finallyhired by the government of California.

5 In 1957, the first of Sandra’s three sons was born. The other twoarrived within the next few years. During this time, Sandra workedpart-time in a private practice with one other lawyer. She also tooksome time off to care for her family.

6 Sandra decided to return to work fulltime in 1965. She becamesuccessful very quickly. She was hired as the assistant state attorneygeneral in Arizona. Four years later, the governor of Arizona choseher to fill an empty seat in the state Senate. The people of Arizonareelected her to that seat several times. Later, she was elected judgeof an Arizona county court. She then became the judge of a highercourt in Arizona. Then, in 1981, the name Sandra Day O’Connorbecame a household name.

7 President Ronald Reagan suggested that Sandra fill the open seatin the Supreme Court. This is the highest court in the United States.Sandra made history when the Senate approved her for theposition. She became the first woman to take a seat as a judge in theSupreme Court. It would be twelve years before another womanwould reach the same goal.

8 Sandra remained on the Supreme Court for 24 years. She becameknown for her attention to detail when handling court cases. In1988, she fell ill, but Sandra refused to let her illness stop her. Shequickly returned to the bench.

9 In July of 2005, Sandra announced that she planned to retire.She wanted to travel and spend time with her family. Judge SamuelAlito was chosen to fill her seat. He took over in January of 2006.

10 Though Sandra is no longer part of the Supreme Court, her timethere will not be forgotten. Her determined spirit and drive for successmake her a good role model not only for girls, but also for boys.

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Why did Sandra Day O’Connor becomeso famous after President Reagan choseher for the Supreme Court?

A She had been in the top of herclass when she finished law school.

B She had been a judge in Arizonafor several years.

C She was known for her attention todetail when handling court cases.

D She was the first woman to becomea member of the Supreme Court.

HINTThis question asks you to figure out thecause of Sandra’s fame. What was itabout Sandra that was so special thatthe author said she became a householdname? Read each answer choicecarefully before you make your decision.


How does Sandra change whilestudying at college?

A She starts to run her parents’ranch.

B She stops working as hard as before.

C She decides that she wants to be a rancher.

D She chooses to study law insteadof business.

HINTThis question asks you to compareSandra before and after she studies atcollege. Read the section of the articlethat describes her studying at college inCalifornia. How does she change whilestudying at college?

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27 Reporting Category: 3Content Student Expectation: 5.11(D)Readiness Standard

Look at the following web of information from the selection.

Which of the following belongs in the empty oval?

A Jobs Sandra held after she left the Supreme Court

B Jobs that prepared Sandra for the Supreme Court

C Jobs held by Sandra’s husband after law school

D Jobs Sandra was the first woman to hold

HINTThis question asks you to complete the web using details from the selection. Look at the jobslisted in the web. Who held these jobs? When did he or she hold them? If you’re not sure ofthe answer, go back and reread the passage.

Private lawyer

Judge of an Arizonacounty court

Senator in Arizona

Assistant to theArizona Attorney

General

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What would most likely havehappened if Sandra Day O’Connorhad given up on working as a lawyerwhen law firms wouldn’t hire her?

A She would have gone back to law school.

B She would not have taken time offto be with her family.

C She would not have served in theSupreme Court.

D She would have worked as a judge instead.

HINTThis question asks you to make aprediction based on what you knowabout Sandra Day O’Connor’s life. Thinkabout how Sandra’s early jobs preparedher for the job she held later in life. Usethese details to help you choose thecorrect answer.


The author probably wrote thisselection to —

A inform the reader about asuccessful woman in America

B convince the reader to go toschool to become a lawyer

C describe how it feels to look up tosomeone special

D entertain with a story about ayoung girl on a ranch in Texas

HINTEvery author has a reason for writing.Think about the details given in thisselection. Think about the informationthe author was trying to give you. Then,read the answer choices and pick theone that fits best.

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30 Reporting Category: 3Content Student Expectation: 5.11(E)Readiness Standard

This selection would most likely befound in —

A a book of short stories

B a book of poems

C a science book

D a history book

HINTThink back on the information in thisselection. Does this selection tell amade-up story? Does it describe howthe author feels using lines and verses?Would this selection fit well in a sciencebook? Or would this selection fit betterin a book about history? Consider thesequestions before choosing your answer.


With which statement would theauthor probably agree?

A Sandra should have kept herposition in the Supreme Court.

B Women should be allowed to doany job they choose.

C Sandra was the best judge on theSupreme Court.

D Women are better at judging casesin court than men.

HINTWhen you read a selection, you canlearn about the author who wrote it.You can learn from the author’s ideas,knowledge, and the words he or sheuses. Think about what you learnedabout this author. Use this knowledge tohelp you choose your answer.

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The reader can tell that Sandra DayO’Connor helped pave the way forwomen because —

A she finished law school atStanford in just two years

B another woman was later chosenfor the Supreme Court

C she was hired as a lawyer for thegovernment of California

D many people consider her to be agood role model

HINTThis question asks you to draw aconclusion using information from thepassage. Think about what Sandra DayO’Connor did that no other womanbefore her had done. Has any otherwoman followed in her footsteps?


Which sentence from the selection isan example of an opinion?

A She finished high school when shewas only sixteen.

B She graduated at the top of her class.

C It was unfair that she wasn’t giventhe same opportunities as men.

D Sandra decided to return to workfulltime in 1965.

HINTRemember that an opinion is astatement that cannot be proven true orfalse. This article has some opinions init. The rest of the statements are facts(statements that can be proven true orfalse). Look over each of these answerchoices carefully. Which is an opinion, astatement that you cannot show is trueor false?

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Which sentence from the selectionsuggests that Sandra was anintelligent child?

A Ranch life was often hard, butSandra loved it.

B Sandra’s parents wanted her to go to school.

C Sandra learned quickly and workedhard in school.

D People in law school learn to be lawyers.

HINTYou must use both the selection andyour own experiences to help youanswer this question. How can you tellthat she was a very intelligent child?Read each answer choice carefully. Someof them might seem like they could becorrect, but only one really shows thatSandra was an intelligent child.


What is one idea found throughoutthis selection?

A Treating others the way one wantsto be treated

B Achieving one’s goals no matterwhat they are

C Helping one’s friends in their timeof need

D Always tell the truth

HINTAuthors often include a common idea ortheme throughout their work. As ayoung girl on a ranch, Sandra oftentook part in activities that boys and menwould do. Later, she took a job neverbefore held by a woman. What doesthis tell you about her?

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How does the author organize this selection?

A By comparing Sandra to other famous judges

B By describing the events in Sandra’s life in order

C By listing the different jobs that Sandra held

D By asking and answering questions about Sandra’s life

HINTLook at each paragraph in the selection and determine how it’s organized. In what orderdoes the author present the information? Which answer correctly describes how the article isorganized?

STOP

★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★ ★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★Practice Test 1


Chuck Jones: The Love of Laughter

1 How are Bugs Bunny, the RoadRunner, and Elmer Fudd alike? They areall cartoon characters, and they were allmade by Chuck Jones. Chuck mademore than 300 cartoons throughout hislife.

2 Chuck Jones and his family movedto California when he was very young.At this time, the movie business wasjust getting started. Chuck liked livingclose to where movies were made. Hewould peek over the fence to watch theactors making the movies.

3 As a boy, Chuck found a stray cat,Johnson, and kept it as the family pet.Johnson was very different from othercats. Most cats hate water, but Johnsonliked to swim. He often swam withChuck and his brothers and sisters. When Johnson got tired ofswimming, he would put his furry paws over the shoulders of oneof the kids. Then he would go for a ride! Sometimes he couldn’tfind Chuck or one of his brothers or sisters. Then he would grab onto strangers swimming by.

4 Johnson often made the family laugh. One day their mother waseating breakfast, and Johnson jumped up on the table. She gavehim eggs, bacon, and toast to eat, but Johnson didn’t want any ofit. Then she gave him a grapefruit, and he ate it happily. Grapefruitwas Johnson’s favorite food. He would eat a whole grapefruit forbreakfast each morning. Then he wore the grapefruit skin on hishead like a space helmet. He was a very funny cat.

Read this selection. Then answer the questions that follow it.

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5 Chuck loved that Johnson was so different from any other cat.Johnson was an individual. Johnson taught Chuck the lesson thatanimals are a lot like people. Each one is different and special in itsown way.

6 The children in Chuck’s family liked to read and draw. Theirparents wanted them to learn all they could about art. Chuck’sparents noticed that Chuck could draw very well. They decided tosend Chuck to an art school.

7 After finishing art school, Chuck got a job at a place that madecartoons. He started at the bottom. His job was to get supplies readyfor the more experienced artists. He learned a lot from them. Theytaught him how to tell stories through cartoons. Eventually, hemoved up to drawing cartoons for a famous movie company. Hehelped make cartoons that starred Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, andPorky Pig. He made up characters such as Pepé Le Pew, the skunkwith a big heart. He also made up the team of Road Runner andWile E. Coyote.

8 Early in Chuck’s career, he worked for a man named Leon. Heand the other artists dreamed up a duck that acted just like Leon.The duck had a voice like Leon’s, too. When Leon left the office, theartists made a little movie about the duck. When they showed Leonthe film, the artists were worried they would be in trouble. Leonthought the film and the duck were very funny. Daffy Duck becamea famous cartoon character.

9 Chuck loved to make people laugh. After he made his first film,he worried that people would not find it funny. He snuck into atheater to look at people watching his cartoon. A little girl sitting infront of Chuck whispered to her mother, “Mommy, I knew weshould have come here.” This made Chuck feel better.

10 Making cartoons was not easy. Chuck had to do about 400drawings for each film. Sometimes he would draw the samepicture 40 times. He tried to draw each character perfectly. Hewanted to show that each character was unique, just like his catJohnson.

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1 Why did Chuck go into the theaterwhen his first film was being shown?

A He wanted to see how manypeople came to see the film.

B He wanted to make sure that thefilm started on time.

C He wanted to see if adultsunderstood his film.

D He wanted to see if people thoughthis film was funny.

2 According to the article, why didChuck’s father send him to art school?

A He saw that Chuck could drawvery well.

B He wanted Chuck to work as an artist.

C He wanted Chuck to do better in school.

D He knew that Chuck liked to draw cartoons.

3 Which words from the article helpthe reader know what the wordindividual means in paragraph 5?

A Chuck loved that

B different from

C taught the lesson

D a lot like people

4 Based on information in the article,the reader can conclude that Chuck—

A did not like his boss, Leon

B was the first person to make cartoons

C became an artist to please his parents

D wanted to make people happywith his art

5 What is the most likely reason whythe author wrote this article?

A To persuade kids to grow up to be artists

B To tell a story about a very funny cat

C To share information about an artist

D To show how to draw a cartoon animal

6 Which sentence from the article tellsthe reader that Chuck was asuccessful artist?

A Chuck liked living close to wheremovies were made.

B His brothers and sisters liked to draw.

C They taught him how to tell storiesthrough cartoons.

D Daffy Duck became a famouscartoon character.

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7 Based on information about Chuck,which of the following representssomething he probably would nothave done?

A Continue to invent new characters

B Become a teacher at an art school

C Give food to animals on the street

D Sketch a cartoon about real life

8 What does the word unique mean inparagraph 10?

A Alike

B Lonely

C Different

D Likeable

9 Why is paragraph 8 important to this article?

A It shows how artists get their ideas.

B It explains how bosses should act.

C It tells the reader why Chuck drew.

D It describes how Chuck got a job.

10 A common idea throughout thisarticle is the importance of—

A learning everything about whatyou like to do

B finding people to support your dreams

C trying out many different hobbies

D working for a person whom you admire

11 What does the word eventually meanin paragraph 7?

A Quickly

B Finally

C Eagerly

D Timidly

12 The author organizes the selection by—

A describing how cartoons are made

B explaining how to comparecartoons

C explaining how an artist got started

D describing how a cat became famous

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January 2006 Volume 1

Does Speech Speed up Plant Growth?by Wendy Wisteria

1 After June Harris wakes up, she has breakfast and walks her dog.Next, she takes time to talk to her plants. This might sound a littlestrange to some. However, June thinks that talking to her plantshelps them grow. June’s mother always talked to the flowers in theirhome. She felt that this kept the plants healthy. At first, June didn’tthink there was any truth to this. She soon changed her mind aftershe bought some ferns for her new apartment. “My plants weren’tdoing well. I watered them and made sure they received a lot ofsunlight. Nothing seemed to help. That’s when I decided to starttalking to them.” She says the plants improved once she startedspeaking to them.

The Plant Report


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2 June’s morning habits might seem unusual to some people.However, the idea of talking to plants to help them grow is a fairlycommon one. This idea was first introduced by Dr. Gustav TheodorFechner in 1848. Dr. Fechner believed that plants had feelings. Hethought that plants that received a lot of attention were healthierthan ones that were left alone.

3 Other plant owners soon showed interest in the idea. LutherBurbank believed that plants could understand the feeling behindwords. This means that how a person speaks to a plant is moreimportant than what a person says. June agrees with this idea: “Gentlewords calm a plant while mean ones could make it sick.” GeorgeMilstein thought that some types of music might also help. He madea recording of peaceful songs for people to play to their plants.

4 Some people still think that science can explain why talking toplants helps them grow. Tim Thomas is an authority on plants. Heoffers an interesting explanation. “Just like people need oxygen, allplants need carbon dioxide in order to live,” he says. “Becausehumans release this gas when they speak, plants might receivemore carbon dioxide when they are talked to.” Others think thatpeople who talk to their plants are more likely to spot problems.

5 It is surprising that there hasn’t been more research on thissubject, because there are so many people who feel words havesome effect on plants. Scientist April Ross hopes to change this. Sheis starting a six-month experiment to see if speech helps plants.

6 Dr. Ross will use pea plants in her test. Her team members willplant one seed in every pot. Then they will put the plants into twogroups. “As they grow, all of the plants will get the same amount ofwater, soil, and sunlight,” says Dr. Ross. “This is to make sure thatthe only difference between the groups is whether or not they aretalked to.”

7 One group of pea plants will be talked to every day by a memberof Dr. Ross’ team. The other will be the experiment’s control group.These plants will be kept in silence. This is so the team can observethe normal length of time it takes a pea plant to grow.

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8 The team will take careful measurements during the experiment.They will see how long it takes for each seed to poke out fromunderneath the soil. They will measure the height and color of eachplant every day. They will compare these results at the end of sixmonths. Dr. Ross is very excited about the test. “We hope that anydifferences will finally prove whether or not talking to your plantsdoes them any good,” she says.

9 June Harris has decided to continue to talk to her plants even ifDr. Ross finds that speech has no effect on them. “I actually liketalking to them,” she says. “It seems to keep my plants healthy, soI feel as if I’m doing something good.”

13 In paragraph 4, what does the wordauthority mean?

A Owner

B Expert

C Teacher

D Farmer

14 June started talking to her plantswhen—

A her mother told her about Dr. Fechner

B she read about Mr. Milstein’srecord

C she heard about Dr. Ross’ testresults

D her plants started to become very sick

15 Based on information in this article,the reader can conclude that—

A more study is needed before it canbe determined the effects of talkingon plants can be determined

B talking to plants might be harmfulto them because people releasecarbon dioxide

C watering and care does more forthe health of plants than talkingto them

D Dr. Ross’s pea plants will growbetter when kept in silence

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16 According to the article, why doesTim Thomas think that science canexplain the connection betweentalking to plants and an increase intheir growth?

A He thinks that people who talk totheir plants are more likely to seea problem.

B He believes that plants are able tounderstand the meaning behindmany words.

C He thinks plants get an extraamount of carbon dioxide whenthey are talked to.

D He believes that plants are verymuch like humans because theyhave feelings.

17 What is paragraph 5 mostly about?

A When Dr. Ross will takemeasurements

B How Dr. Ross will conduct the experiment

C Why Dr. Ross started the experiment

D What Dr. Ross expects to find

18 Which sentence from the article suggeststhat talking to plants to increase theirgrowth is a widespread idea?

A However, the idea of talking to plantsto help them grow is a fairly commonone.

B She says the plants improved onceshe started speaking to them.

C Others think that people who talk totheir plants are more likely to spotproblems.

D Luther Burbank believed that plantscould understand the feeling behindwords.

19 Which sentence from the article is anexample of a fact?

A It is surprising that there hasn’t beenmore research on this subject, becausethere are so many people who feelwords have some effect on plants.

B He thought that plants that receiveda lot of attention were healthier thanones that were left alone.

C “Just like people need oxygen, allplants need carbon dioxide in order to live.”

D “It seems to keep my plants healthy, soI feel as if I’m doing something good.”

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20 Based on the explanation of theexperiment in the article, which ofthe following represents why Dr. Rossdoesn’t grow both peas and carrots?

A She wants to make sure the onlydifference in the groups is if theyare talked to.

B She knows that pea plants growvery quickly and easily most ofthe time.

C Pea plants will be easy to measurebecause they poke out from underthe soil.

D She knows that pea plants respond well to the sound of the human voice.

21 What is the most likely reason whythe author wrote this article?

A To persuade readers to start talkingto their plants

B To tell a funny story about awoman who talks to her plants

C To explain why people thinktalking might help plants grow

D To show people the right way to water, care for, and talk to their plants

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A “Berry” Nice Surprise

1 Everyone in town knew at least two things about the Gespheltsisters: all were named after great men in their family’s past, and allwere very talented in one way or another. Rarely did a day passwithout one of their names appearing in the paper for some greatsuccess. Seventeen-year-old Casey was a brilliant piano player. Shehad actually written the music for this year’s high school play.Fifteen-year-old Andy was a rising star on the basketball team. Sheheld the school record for most points scored in a single game.Thirteen-year-old Gerri was an honors student and a member of theScience Olympiad team. Last year, she had earned four gold medalsat the competition. Then there was 11 year-old Charlie. Charlie’sname didn’t appear in the paper as often as her sisters’ names. Shewas a “B” student, a so-so athlete, and an okay singer. She often feltout of place among her sisters. At family events, aunts, uncles, andcousins would shower Casey, Andy, and Gerri with praise, whileCharlie got polite smiles and nods.

2 One evening at dinner, Charlie’s parents decided that theirfamily should celebrate the girls’ many accomplishments. Theybegan planning a party for the following month. As Charlielistened to them chatter about tents, tables, and chairs, she thoughtabout how great it would be to have a party thrown in her honor.Just once she would love to be the best at something.

3 “What about a cake?” Charlie’s mother asked. She tapped a penon the table. “The girls love strawberries, so maybe we could get astrawberry cake.”

4 “I could make a strawberry cake,” said Charlie. Charlie had onlyever baked cookies and brownies, but they had always disappearedas fast as lightning.

5 Mrs. Gesphelt looked at her daughter. “I don’t know, honey.That’s a pretty big job. Do you think you could handle it?”


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6 Charlie nodded. “I know I can. I’ll need your help getting it inand out of the oven, but I’ll do everything else myself.”

7 Mrs. Gesphelt agreed to let Charlie bake the cake. However,when Charlie’s sisters heard the plan, they didn’t seem thrilled.Charlie overheard them talking. They were worried that she wouldmess up the cake for their special day.

8 Well, thought Charlie, I’ll just have to prove them wrong.

9 The next day, Charlie pored over cookbooks looking for theperfect recipe for a strawberry cake. None of them seemed quiteright. Finally, Charlie decided to combine a few different cakes tocreate the perfect one.

10 On the day of the party, Charlie woke up early and got startedon the cake batter. She had decided to make angel food cake, butshe had also chopped up some fresh strawberries and stirred theminto the batter. Then she divided the batter into three pans. Whilethe cakes were in the oven, Charlie started making the vanilla icingto put on the cake. When the cakes were done baking, Mrs.Gesphelt removed them from the oven, and Charlie allowed themto cool. After that, she started to puther masterpiece together.

11 She set the first round angel foodcake on a silver tray. She spread a thicklayer of strawberry preserves all overthe top of the cake. She set the secondcake on top of the first cake, andspread some vanilla icing over the topof it. Then she set the third cake ontop of the second cake. With all threecakes in place, Charlie was ready toadd the icing. However, she addedsome red food coloring to the vanillaicing first, which turned it a pretty rosecolor. She spread a thick layer of pinkicing all over the top and the sides ofthe cake. She swirled the spatula roundand round to make a beautiful patternin the icing. Next she took some ripe,

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red strawberries and cut them in half. Then she placed them in acircle on top of the cake. Finally she placed the remaining icing in acake-decorating bag and squirted it around the edge of the cake. Justas she was finishing, Charlie’s sisters arrived in the kitchen.

12 “Charlie, this is beautiful!” exclaimed Andy. Gerri and Caseynodded in agreement, their eyes wide.

13 Soon guests began to arrive at the party. When it was time forcake, Mrs. Gesphelt set the silver tray on the table and removed thelid. Everyone immediately remarked how beautiful the cake looked.

14 “Charlie made it,” said Mrs. Gesphelt with a smile.

15 A few people looked surprised by her statement. Some seemed toeye the cake suspiciously before actually taking a bite. However, onebite was all it took for people to realize that the cake tasted as goodas it looked.

16 “Charlie, this cake is incredible,” raved Aunt Maureen. “Youcould win a baking contest with this cake, no questions asked.”

17 “She’s right, Charlie,” said Uncle Ted. “You know, every Aprilthey have a strawberry festival in Poteet, Texas. I’m pretty sure theyhave a cake-baking contest. This one would be a sure winner.”

18 Charlie grinned. She wasn’t used to getting so much attentionfrom her family, but she had to admit that it felt pretty good. Notonly that, she might have stumbled upon something that she coulddo best.

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22 Which sentence from the story bestshows that Charlie did not have theamazing talents that her sisters had?

A On the day of the party, Charlie wokeup early and got started on the cakebatter.

B Charlie’s name didn’t appear in thepaper as often as her sisters’ names.

C “I’ll need your help getting it in andout of the oven, but I’ll do everythingelse myself.”

D Finally, Charlie decided to combine afew different cakes to create theperfect one.

23 In paragraph 15, what does the suffixin the word suspiciously mean?

A In such a way

B Most

C Without

D The study of

24 Why does the author say that thedesserts Charlie bakes disappear asfast as lightning?

A To show that Charlie bakes thingsvery quickly

B To explain why Charlie’s familynever eats dessert

C To show that people must reallylike Charlie’s desserts

D To emphasize that Charlie enjoysbaking for her family

25 Why does Charlie volunteer to bakethe cake for her sisters’ party?

A She feels bad that she has nothingto celebrate.

B She thinks that it will make herparents proud of her.

C She knows that her sisters likestrawberry cake.

D She wants to show that she hassome special talents.

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26 Why is paragraph 11 important tothis story?

A It shows the reader how muchtime and effort Charlie put intothe cake.

B It emphasizes how quickly Charliecan throw together a great cake.

C It instructs readers how to make astrawberry-vanilla layer cake.

D It explains why Charlie wanted tobake the cake for her sisters’celebration.

27 Which of these shows that Charliehas a special talent?

A She is a so-so athlete.

B She is an okay singer.

C She asks if she can bake a cake forthe party.

D Her aunt and uncle encourage herto enter a baking contest.

28 After talking with her aunt and uncle,why does Charlie smile?

A She thinks that she can win thecake-baking contest.

B She realizes that she hasdiscovered something she is goodat doing.

C She knows that she has made thepeople at the party happy.

D She believes that she can make thebest cakes in town.

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29 Which is the best summary of the story?

A Charlie believes that her sisters aremore talented than she is. Whenher parents decide to throw hersisters a celebration, Charlie asks ifshe can make the cake. The cake isa hit with everyone, and Charliethinks that she has foundsomething she can do well.

B Charlie is not as talented as hersisters, but she can make really goodcookies and brownies. She can alsomake great cakes and agrees to makeone for her sisters’ celebration. Shebakes a strawberry angel food cakecovered in pink icing.

C Charlie’s sisters are worried thatCharlie will mess up the cake fortheir celebration. Charlie hearsthem talking and wants to provethem wrong. Charlie bakes a cake,but it doesn’t turn out as well asshe had hoped. Still, everyone atthe party enjoys it.

D Charlie asks if she can bake thecake for her sisters’ celebration.However, Charlie soon finds thatthe job is more difficult than shethought. She asks her aunt forhelp with the cake. The final cakeis perfect for the party, andeveryone loves it.

30 The author organizes the selection by—

A describing the strawberry festivalin Poteet, Texas

B comparing Charlie to her threetalented sisters

C explaining the steps for baking astrawberry cake

D describing the celebration forCharlie’s sisters

31 Why are some people surprised whenthey learn that Charlie baked the cake?

A They didn’t think strawberry cakewould taste so good.

B They didn’t know that Charlie wassuch a good baker.

C They know Charlie is too young tobake a cake.

D They know that strawberry cakesare hard to bake.

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Moving Day Blues

1 Daniel’s father stopped the car in front of the large brick house.The movers had already arrived and were unloading furniture andboxes from the truck. Daniel sighed. He knew that he should behappy that his father had found such a great new job. However, hecouldn’t help thinking about how hard it would be to start a newschool and make new friends. He missed his old friends already.

2 Daniel stepped out of the car and into the blazing Texas sun. Hewondered what the weather was like back in Michigan. There wasprobably a cool breeze blowing off the lake. Wandering into hisnew house, Daniel found his new bedroom. It was much biggerthan his old bedroom. He walked to the window and peeredoutside. He could see into the neighbors’ yard and noticed a soccerball and goal at one end of the lawn.

3 “I wonder who lives there,” Daniel thought. Just then, he heardhis father calling him from downstairs. “Coming, Dad!” he called ashe walked down the steps.

4 “The movers just brought in your sports equipment. I thoughtyou might want to organize it in the little shed in the back yard,”said Daniel’s father.

5 Daniel nodded and grabbed the box. Daniel wound his waythrough the maze of people and boxes until he finally reached theback door. The little shed his father had mentioned was in the farcorner of the yard. Daniel unloaded his baseball bats and mitts,basketball, soccer balls, and tennis rackets. As he was leaving theshed, a voice called to him from over the fence.

6 “Hey, you, what’s your name?”

7 Daniel looked toward the voice. It came from a girl about his agewearing a T-shirt. She balanced her foot on the soccer ball as sheadjusted her ponytail.

Read the next two selections. Then answer the questions that follow them.



8 “I’m Miranda,” she said, holding out her hand.

9 Daniel shook Miranda’s hand. “I’m Daniel.”

10 “You know, my best friend used to live in your house, but hisfamily had to move away,” said Miranda.

11 Daniel told Miranda that his father had just gotten a new joband that’s why they had moved. Then he eyed the soccer ball.

12 “Do you play?” he asked.

13 “Are you kidding?” asked Miranda. “Soccer is my life.”

14 Daniel smiled. “Maybe making friends here won’t be thatdifficult after all,” he thought.

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A New Friend

1 At first, Miranda thought her alarm clock was beeping, but thenshe realized that it was a large moving truck backing into thedriveway of the house next door. Miranda closed her eyes and triedto fall back to sleep. It didn’t work. She couldn’t help but thinkabout how much she missed her best friend.

2 Ever since David had moved away, Miranda had been unbelievablybored. Today was no different. She and David had done everythingtogether. Now that he was gone, Miranda felt completely alone. Sheknew that new people were moving into David’s house that day,but she really wasn’t looking forward to meeting them. She finallyrolled out of bed and went downstairs. Her mother had toast andeggs waiting for her at the table.

3 “There’s a new family moving in next door,” said Miranda’smother. “Their car pulled in after the moving truck. It looks like afather and son, and the boy is just about your age.”

4 Miranda gave her mother a sleepy nod. When she finished herbreakfast, she returned to her bedroom. She thought about readinga book, but decided she needed exercise instead. She changed intoshorts and a T-shirt and swept her hair into a ponytail. Maybe shewould go kick the soccer ball around for a while.

5 Miranda was about to go out the back door when she noticed aboy in a baseball cap carrying a box of sports equipment to the shednext door.

6 “That’s where David kept his sports equipment, too,” thoughtMiranda as she watched the boy disappear into the small, darkbuilding.

7 Miranda went outside and kicked the soccer ball around for awhile. When the boy finally left the shed, she leaned over the fenceand called to him.

8 “Hey, you, what’s your name?” She paused. “I’m Miranda.”

9 The boy studied her for a moment and then moved closer.

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10 “I’m Daniel,” he said, shaking her hand.

11 “You know, my best friend used to live in your house, but hisfamily had to move away,” said Miranda.

12 “My father just got a new job, so we had to move here fromMichigan,” said Daniel. “It was hard leaving behind all my friends.”He looked at Miranda’s soccer ball. “Do you play?”

13 Miranda laughed. “Are you kidding? Soccer is my life.”

14 Daniel smiled, and Miranda tossed him the ball.

15 “David might be gone,” she thought, “but I think Daniel and Icould be pretty good friends.”

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Use “Moving Day Blues” to answer questions 32-35.

32 What is Daniel’s problem just after hearrived at his new home?

A He thinks that it will be difficultto make new friends.

B He isn’t sure that his new schoolwill have a soccer team.

C He will have to share a bedroomwith his younger brother.

D He doesn’t like the people thatlive next to his new house.

33 Why does Daniel sigh after his fatherstops the car?

A He’s very excited to finally see hisnew house.

B He hopes that his new school hasa soccer team.

C He’s thinking about how thingshave changed.

D He wishes that he were outsideplaying soccer.

34 What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A What Daniel thinks about hisdad’s new job

B Why Daniel is not happy abouthaving to move

C Daniel comparing his new hometo his old one

D Daniel thinking about joining thesoccer team

35 In paragraph 5, the word equipmentmeans—

A cards

B hats

C toys

D supplies

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Use “A New Friend” to answer questions 36-38.

36 Why is Miranda unable to fall back to sleep?

A She can hear the noises from nextdoor.

B She is thinking about her nextsoccer game.

C She is thinking about her friendwho moved.

D She can smell the eggs her motheris cooking.

37 Which sentence from the story tellsthe reader that Miranda likes to stayactive?

A When the boy finally left the shed,she leaned over the fence and calledto him.

B She thought about reading a book,but decided she needed exerciseinstead.

C Ever since David had moved away,Miranda had been unbelievablybored.

D She changed into shorts and a T-shirtand swept her hair into a ponytail.

38 What is the best summary of the story?

A Miranda misses her best friendDavid. She thinks about all thethings that they used to do togetheras she watches people move intoDavid’s old house. She decided tokick the soccer ball around to takeher mind off of David.

B Miranda sees that people aremoving into her best friend’s oldhouse. She doesn’t really want tomeet them. Miranda’s mothermakes her breakfast and tells herabout the people moving in nextdoor. Miranda stays inside andreads a book.

C Miranda wakes up to the sound of amoving truck. She sees that peopleare moving into her best friend’s oldhouse. She tries to go back to sleep,but she can’t. Instead, she thinksabout all the good times she hadwith her best friend and how muchshe misses him.

D Miranda notices that a family ismoving into her best friend’s oldhouse. Her mother tells herdaughter that they have a boy aboutMiranda’s age. Miranda goes outsideto play soccer and meets the boy. Heenjoys soccer as well. Miranda hopesthat they can be friends.

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Use “Moving Day Blues” and “A New Friend” to answer questions 39-42.

39 Look at this diagram of information from both stories.

Which of these belongs on the blank line?

A Is ready to start school

B Is in need of a new friend

C Likes hot weather

D Lives with father

40 One idea found in both of these stories is that change—

A can help you learn new things about yourself

B can help to make the world a better place

C is not easy no matter how old we are

D is not as bad as we often imagine it to be

Daniel • Just moved to Texas • Misses his home in Michigan

• Enjoys playing soccer• ______________

Miranda • Has lived in Texas forever • Is curious about the new neighbor

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41 One difference between Daniel andMiranda is that—

A Miranda is a better soccer playerthan Daniel

B Daniel left his old friends andhouse behind

C Miranda is a better student thanDaniel

D Daniel thinks it will be easy tomake friends

42 Both of these stories describe—

A characters who have stumbledupon a new friend

B how hard it can be to leavebehind old friends

C people who are ready to move tonew places

D why it is important to be nice to everyone

STOP

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★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★ ★ Mastering STAAR Reading ★


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Read the next two selections. Then answer the questions that follow them.

u see A Wild Time, page 2

The Texas Star NewsMonday, November 6

A Wild Time: San Diego Zoo Turns 90SAN DIEGO—The San Diego Zoostretches across a hundred acres ofland in Balboa Park in sunnysouthern California. It is one of theworld’s largest and most popularzoos. It houses thousands ofanimals. It is also home tohundreds of thousands of plants,many of which help to feed thezoo’s inhabitants. This year, thezoo turned 90 years old.

The zoo began as a twinkle in theeye of Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth.Wegeforth was born in Marylandin 1882. His love of animals beganat a very young age. He often heldstuffed-animal circuses in hisbackyard. Sometimes he caughtreal crabs, snakes, frogs, and turtlesto make his circus more lively andinteresting. Though Wegeforthloved animals, he studied medicinein college. By 1910, he and two ofhis brothers were all doctors in San Diego.

That same year, San Diego’s CityPark was renamed Balboa Park. Thecity made plans to get the parkready for the Panama-CaliforniaExposition. This was a large fair puttogether to celebrate the openingof the Panama Canal. Several newbuildings were raised. Many ofthese buildings still stand todayand house museums. Theexposition opened on December31, 1914, and ran until 1917. Itbecame a quick success. Millions ofpeople flooded to the park. Amongthe many things for visitors to seewas a collection of live animals,including lions. After seeing thelions in their cages, Wegeforthdecided that the city of San Diegowas ready for its own zoo. This iswhy zoo workers often tell peoplethat the zoo “began with a roar.”

1

2

3

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u A Wild Time, cont. from page 1 Page 2

On October 2, 1916, Wegeforthfounded the Zoological Society ofSan Diego. His idea for a zooquickly gained support. Beforelong, the San Diego ZoologicalGarden was born. Today, we knowit as the San Diego Zoo.

Since then, the zoo has gonethrough many changes. In 1972, itopened the Wild Animal Park. TheWild Animal Park places animalsfrom all over the world in groups.They live together as if they werestill in the wild. Visitors to the parkcan see the animals by riding onthe railway that runs through thepark. They can also hop on aspecial truck that will take themeven closer to the animals. In 1975,the zoo built a place wherescientists can study rare plants andanimals and look for new ways toprotect them. It’s located at theentrance of the Wild Animal Park.

The San Diego Zoo is still awonderful place for visitors of allages. The zoo offers manyeducational events. Among theseare special speakers and art classes,as well as children’s sleepovers and camps.

4 5

6

Founder of the Zoological Society ofSan Diego, Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth

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December 15

Dear Shannon,

1 I am looking forward to your first visit to my family’s newhouse in San Diego. I can’t believe that it’s only a few weeksaway! There are so many wonderful things that I want toshow you when you arrive. However, by far the best place tovisit is the San Diego Zoo. It’s located in Balboa Park neardowntown San Diego, so it’s only a few minutes from myhouse. I already bought tickets for us so that we don’t haveto wait in a long line when we get there.

2 The zoo is divided into several different exhibits. My favoriteis called Polar Bear Plunge. In addition to polar bears, thisarea of the zoo includes reindeer, ducks, and other birds. Ilike watching the polar bears. Sometimes they lay on therocks at the edge of a pool of water. Other times they splasharound in the water. The exhibit also includes a viewingroom where you watch the polar bears swim underwater. Thefirst time I was there, one of the polar bears swam right up tothe glass and looked at me!

3 Another area of the zoo you would probably enjoy is thesection containing the giant pandas. All of the pandas areadorable, but one of them is just a little over a year old.When you look at her, it makes you want to hug her like abig teddy bear. Many times, you can catch the pandassleeping in the shade or climbing in the trees.

4 If you’d like to do something a little bit wilder than the zoo,we can go to the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. The parkis further from my house than the zoo, but it’s definitelyworth the drive. At the Wild Animal Park, you can seeeverything from lions, elephants, and giraffes to cheetahs,gazelles, and ostriches. It’s an incredible experience!



5 Anyway, these are just a few ideas to keep in mind for yourtrip to San Diego. I’m looking forward to your visit so much!I know it’s only been a couple of months since my familymoved, but it feels like I haven’t seen you in years. Let usknow the details of your flight before you leave so we canmeet you at the airport. See you soon!

Your best friend,

Candice

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1 The Panama-California Expositionwas held to —

A honor the work of Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth

B bring interesting animals to California

C celebrate the opening of thePanama Canal

D attract more people to the San Diego Zoo

2 In paragraph 1, the word inhabitants means —

A visitors

B residents

C exhibits

D people

3 Paragraph 6 of A Wild Time is mainlyabout —

A the people who work at the WildAnimal Park

B the founder of the San Diego Zoo

C the educational events at the San Diego Zoo

D the addition of the Wild Animal Park

4 Look at the outline below and answerthe question that follows.

Which of the following belongs inthe blank?

A Wild Animal Park

B San Diego Zoo

C Panama-California Exposition

D Zoological Society of California

I. ________________________

A. Lets animals live likethey are in the wild

B. Has a railway runningthrough it

C. Opened in 1972

D. Contains animals fromall over the world

Use the newspaper article to answer questions 1–4.

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Use the letter to answer questions 5–7.

5 Why is paragraph 1 important to the letter?

A It tells about common problems atthe zoo.

B It describes the animals that are atthe zoo.

C It shows that Candice has neverbeen to the zoo.

D It explains why Candice is writingabout the zoo.

6 In paragraph 3, the word adorable means —

A furry

B large

C cute

D hungry

7 The reader can tell that the San DiegoZoo is a popular place for people tovisit because —

A it is located in Balboa Park

B there are often long lines to wait in

C it is close to downtown San Diego

D there are many interesting animals

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8 One idea found in both of theseselections is that the San Diego Zoo —

A is a great place to visit when inSan Diego

B was started by Dr. Harry M. Wegeforth

C is home to polar bears and giant pandas

J has a section where rare plants are studied

9 How does the reader know that ifShannon and Candice want to see theplace where scientists study rareplants and animals, they will have todrive there?

A The Wild Animal Park is fartherfrom Candice’s house than the zoo.

B It is on the other side of Balboa Park.

C It is located outside of California.

D It is very close to the airport.

10 Which detail in Candice’s lettershows that she feels the same wayabout animals as Dr. Wegeforth in thenewspaper article felt?

A Candice thinks that the pandabears are cute.

B Candice wants her friend to seethe polar bears.

C Candice believes that the zoo isthe best place to visit.

D Candice lives only a few minutesfrom the zoo.

11 A similarity between these twoselections is that both discuss —

A the founder of the zoo

B the 90th birthday of the zoo

C the location of the zoo

D the polar bears at the zoo

Use the newspaper article and the letter to answer questions 8–11.

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The Sounds of Stradivarius

1 Violins are small musical instruments with strings. Musicianscan produce beautiful sounds by rubbing a stretched ribbon ofhorse hair over these strings. For hundreds of years, violin playershave been adding their instruments’ special sounds to musicalworks of all sorts. However, no violins sound just like those knowntoday as Stradivarius violins.

2 Stradivarius violins were made by one man, Antonio Stradivari.Stradivari was born in Italy in 1644. He began studying musicalinstruments as a young man. One local violin-maker encouragedStradivari’s interest in that instrument. In 1680, Stradivari opened hisown shop, in which he spent his days building and fixing violins.

3 People had been making violins in Italy for almost200 years before Stradivari opened his shop, butStradivari quickly proved that he was special. Hebecame famous for his love of violins and the highquality of his work. Even today, Stradivari’s violins arethought to be among the finest musical instruments inthe world.

4 What made Stradivari’s violins merit such praise?Throughout his life, Stradivari was always looking fornew and better ways to improve his work. He soondeveloped ideas about violin-making that people stilldon’t understand today.

5 All we can say for sure was that Stradivari used atleast two different kinds of wood in each violin. Someof this wood might have been from certain trees thathad grown thick to live in cold weather. The wood alsomight have been soaked in sea water. Stradivari coatedthe wood with a type of paint that included honey andeggs. He then held the violin parts together with aspecial kind of glue.


A violin made byStradivari

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6 Stradivari also studied every inch of his violins to make surethey were perfect. He fretted over the size and shape of the violins.Some people have noticed odd details in his instruments. Everyviolin has two S-shaped holes in the front to let the sounds out. OnStradivari’s violins, these holes were not lined up equally. This tinydetail might have made the wonderful Stradivari sound.

7 The violins made by Antonio Stradivari came to be known as“Stradivarius”—or “Strad” for short. There were hundreds of Stradsmade, and today there are still around 650 of them. Stradivari alsomade other musical instruments. Some people believe that he madeover 1,000 in his life. These included guitars, violas, cellos, andeven a big harp. He certainly was a busy builder.

8 Although there were many Strads, there still weren’t enough.After Stradivari’s death in 1737, many people around the worldwanted their own Strads. Violin-makers worked hard to make violinsthat looked and sounded like Stradivari’s. They even put labelsreading “Stradivarius” on their violins so people would think theywere Stradivarius violins and buy them.

9 Sometimes it is difficult today to tell if an old violin was madeby Stradivari himself or by a copycat. Experts at museums have tocarefully look at violins to decide if they came from the greatestviolin-maker. Those violins that were made by Stradivari are prizedby many people today. They are some of the most importantmusical instruments in the world.

10 The most well-known violins made by Stradivari have beennamed, usually by their owners. Some of the names are the lastnames of the owners, while other names are strange or even silly.These violin names include Soil, Hammer, Ruby, and Hercules.

11 Amazingly, many Strads are still played today! World-classmusicians love playing Strads in concert. Sadly, these Strads cost alot of money, and only a few music lovers can afford to buy them.

12 After hundreds of years, the wonderful violins of AntonioStradivari are still offering lovely music to the ears of many. Theidea of Stradivarius violins is strong all over the world. In fact, inAmerica, some people use the word “Stradivarius” to meananything that is of excellent quality.

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12 At the end of the article, the readercan tell that Stradivari’s violins —

A are used by almost all musiciansthroughout the world

B cannot be found in any Americanmuseums today

C are very special to their owners

D were never meant to be used forhundreds of years

13 In paragraph 4, what does the wordmerit mean?

A Deserve

B Discover

C Understand

D Confuse

14 What is one idea found throughoutthis article?

A Violins are not a popularinstrument.

B Hard and careful work will be appreciated.

C All students should learn to play music.

D Stradivari made violins, guitars,and cellos.

15 Paragraphs 10 and 11 are mostly about —

A how Stradivari built his instruments

B where people can go to buy old violins

C what happened to Stradivari’s violins

D when violin music first became popular

16 How does the author organize this article?

A By describing each stage ofStradivari’s life from childhood to old age

B By comparing violins to severalother kinds of musical instruments

C By listing each kind of music that wasplayed during Stradivari’s lifetime

D By explaining how Stradivariusviolins were made and why they are important

17 The most likely reason Stradivari didnot line up the S-shaped holes on thefronts of his violins was because hewanted to —

A make the violins more beautiful

B change the sound of the violins

C help the violins last longer

D have each violin look different

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18 Which is the best summary of this article?

A Antonio Stradivari was born inItaly in 1644. Starting as a youngman, Stradivari began building hisown violins. He used several kindsof wood and special glues. Heeven used a kind of paint thatmixed honey and eggs.

B People have made violins in Italyfor hundreds of years. Somepeople also make harps, guitars,violas, and cellos. Some of thesemusical instrument makers wereso good that other people tried tocopy their work.

C Some of today’s finest musicianslove playing concerts usingStradivarius violins. Thesemusicians often have to spend along time finding real violins, andmay have to pay a lot of money.However, the Stradivarius violinsare still very popular.

D Antonio Stradivari put great careinto the violins he made. TheseStradivarius violins madewonderful sounds and theybecame very popular and wereoften copied. Even hundreds ofyears later, musicians loveStradivari’s violins.

19 What is this article mainly about?

A Why one man’s violins were special

B What materials are best for violins

C How to build your own violin

D When the violin was first invented

20 Why did other violin-makers put“Stradivarius” labels on theirinstruments?

A To trick buyers into thinking theywere made by Stradivari

B To remind people that Stradivarimade the first violin

C To show buyers that a violin wasmade in Stradivari’s style

D To keep people from buyingStradivari’s musical instruments

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An Italian Tourby Luciana Rossi

1 My ancestors on both sides of my family are Italian, but I wasborn in America and had never left the country. So when my momtold me that she and my dad were planning to take me to Italy inJune, I was really excited.

2 When we landed at the Venice airport, we got our luggage,stepped out into the hot air, and took a bus into the city. I knewthat the city was on the water, but it was really strange to see it inperson. The main water route is called the Canal Grande. It is linedwith shops and restaurants. My father suggested we walk around onsome of the city’s small roads, but I wanted to take a “bus,” whichis actually a large boat. The boat took us past many buildings, somethat looked like the apartment buildings at home but with waterout front instead of a sidewalk and private boats docked instead ofparked cars. The boat went a little faster than I thought it would,and the breeze cooled us off a bit. I smiled and waved at every boatwe passed. Many visitors waved back, happy to be on vacation.

3 Next we passed under the Rialto Bridge. It is a very large bridge,and it used to be the only way to get from one side of the canal tothe other when it was first built in1588. We got off of the boat hereand walked across the bridge,which actually has a row of shopson each side. I bought a souvenirmask, and my mother bought ared linen tablecloth.

4 After shopping on the bridge,we walked around San MarcoSquare and saw all of the beautifulbuildings in this area. They don’tlook like any of the buildings we The Canal Grande in Venice

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have at home. I thought it was strange how many pigeons werewalking around the square—since it was very crowded with people.We also went to a modern art museum, which I thought was a lotof fun. Then we were hungry, so we looked for a place to eat dinner.We found a small, nice restaurant with large windows looking overthe canal. We had to wait in line for about an hour to get into therestaurant. Then we finally got to order dinner. I ordered a thickbean soup with pasta in it. At first I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but it wasdelicious. After dinner we were full and tired, so we headed back toour hotel and went to sleep.

5 The next day we woke up early and boarded a train to visitRome. The train ride took four hours, so I was glad I had broughtmy new book along. It was also very nice to look out the windowat the Italian countryside. When we got to Rome, we went straightto our new hotel, and then into the city to see the sites. It was veryhot that day, but we had to wear pants in keeping with the Romancustom of covering up your legs when entering a museum orchurch. When we passed Trevi Fountain, I remembered learningabout it in school, so I stopped to study it.

6 The fountain was built from 1732-1762 and contains statues offigures from Roman history and mythology. My favorite statueswere the horses. Before we left, I turned my back to the fountain,tossed a coin over my shoulder, and made a wish. That’s thetradition for foreign visitors.

7 We spent the rest of the day visiting ancient sites. I couldn’tbelieve how old they were! The Coliseum was huge, and large partsof it have crumbled away over the years. This is where ancient peopleused to go to see competitions and other forms of entertainment. Wealso went to the Pantheon, an ancient temple that was surprisinglywell-preserved. I liked the ancient sites, but a lot of tourists werethere, and I felt very tired by the time we were done. I wanted to liedown and take a nap right on the stairs of the Pantheon! But mymom and dad were tired too, so we went back to the hotel to eatdinner and go to sleep.

8 Our next stop will be Naples, and we’ll fly home from there. I’vehad a great trip so far, and I love Italy, but it will be nice to be backat home, too.

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21 How does Luciana organize what shewrote about her tour of Italy?

A By explaining how she has changedduring the course of her trip

B By discussing her tour of Italyfrom start to finish

C By listing the details of each placethat she has visited

D By describing how the Italiancountryside looks from a train

22 From information in the selection,the reader can tell that Luciana andher parents —

A studied Italian customs beforearriving in Italy

B often eat Italian food at home in America

C wished they had taken a walkingtour of Venice

D are most looking forward to seeing Naples

23 Look at the following outline ofinformation from the selection.

What information belongs on theblank line?

A Art museum

B Naples

C Restaurant

D Church

I. Venice

A. Streets of water

B. Rialto Bridge

C. San Marco Square

D. _________________

II. Rome

A. Trevi Fountain

B. Coliseum

C. Pantheon

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24 Which is the best summary of this selection?

A Luciana and her parents travel toItaly where they see manyinteresting places. In Venice, theyride on a boat and see the RialtoBridge. They also visit San MarcoSquare. After leaving Venice, theydecide to go home early.

B Luciana and her parents take a tripto Italy to see Rome. They go tothe Coliseum where ancientRomans watched competitions.They also go to the Pantheon,which is an ancient temple. Thenext stop on their trip is Naples.

C Luciana’s parents take her on atour of Italy because her family isfrom there. They travel to Venicefirst, where they tour the city in aboat. Then they take a train rideto Rome, where they visit severalancient sites. They will next travelto Naples.

D Luciana’s parents take her onvacation to Italy. They take a tourof Venice and later travel to Rome.In Rome, Luciana’s family getstired from fighting the crowds tosee the sites. They are lookingforward to a quiet plane ride backto America.

25 Paragraph 7 is mainly about —

A the crowd at the Pantheon

B making a wish at Trevi Fountain

C the ancient sites in Rome

D seeing a competition at the Coliseum

26 From information in the selection,the reader can tell that Luciana —

A has studied a lot of art in school

B wants to return to Italy soon

C is not afraid to try new things

D did not enjoy visiting Rome

27 What does Luciana buy in the shopsalong the Rialto Bridge in Venice?

A A tablecloth

B A mask

C A coin

D A book

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28 Luciana tosses a coin into TreviFountain and makes a wish because —

A she learned about the fountain at school

B the fountain gives people good luck

C she does not want her tour of Italyto end

D it’s a tradition for foreign visitorsto do so

29 Why is Luciana excited about goingon a tour of Italy?

A She wants to see the streets ofwater in Venice.

B She wants to see all of the ancientsites in Rome.

C She has never before met any ofher relatives from Italy.

D She has never before traveledoutside the United States.

30 Why do Luciana and her parents go back to the hotel after visiting the Pantheon?

A They have to change before touringthe churches and museums.

B They are tired from the Pantheonbeing crowded with tourists.

C They have to catch an early flightback to America the next day.

D They are going to take the train toVenice that night.

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A Souvenir from Pony Island

1 When my mom gave me a book called Misty of Chincoteague byMarguerite Henry, she told me that she had read it as a kid. I loveit when my mother gives me her old books. It reminds me that shewas once an eleven-year-old girl like me, and it makes me realizehow much we are alike.

2 The book is about two kids who fall in love with a horse namedPhantom. Even though the story happened at another time wheneverything was quite different, I can connect with the charactersbecause I’ve always wanted a horse of my own. The book talksabout something called “Pony Penning Day,” where ponies wereled through the ocean from one small island to another. Overdinner, I described what I had read, and my father’s replyastonished me.

3 “They still do that annually,” he said.

4 “Do what?” my little brother Paul asked.

5 I explained to him how once a year, the townspeople of anisland called Chincoteague rounded up ponies on a nearby islandand walked them through the shallow water to Chincoteague.

6 “Why would they do that?” my brother asked.

7 “The people on the island tame the horses and sell them,” I explained.

8 “Could we purchase one?” my brother asked. I had alwayswanted a horse but never bothered to ask. We lived in Houston andthere wasn’t much room in our backyard for a horse, especially ahorse that was used to having a whole island to roam.

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9 My father, who worked on a ranch when he was young, shookhis head. Although he thought horses were striking, he could seepast their beauty. “The tales explain riding horses, but they don’tmention the difficult work involved in caring for them.”

10 While there was no chance of getting a horse, I had an idea.

11 “I sure wish we could visit Chincoteague Island,” I said. Mylittle brother opened his eyes wide, and my mom brightened atthis suggestion.

12 “They usually run the ponies in July. We could plan a trip in thesummer. Would that satisfy your urge for horses?” my dad asked.

13 “Yes!” my mom, Paul, and I shouted together.

14 In July, we drove to Chincoteague Island where my parents hadrented a house on the beach. After Paul and I chose our bedrooms,we excitedly ran to the window. The house next to ours had afenced-in area filled with ponies. After we unpacked, my family andI spent over an hour standing at the wooden fence admiring all ofthe beautiful animals.

15 The next morning, we awoke so early that it was still dark. Mymom made us dress in old play-clothes while she packed water,snacks, and suntan lotion in a backpack. When we walked down tothe restaurant for breakfast, so many people had gathered therealready, it seemed like everyone in Chincoteague was preparing forthe running of the ponies.

16 After breakfast we walked to the park where the ponies arrive.The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the sky was beginning to lighten. Afew single lights danced in the distance, but that was the onlymovement; I didn’t see horses anywhere.

17 As the sun showed, I grew restless. After looking forward to thisvery moment for so long, the excitement of the crowd gave mechills. It was like the second after I blew out the candles on mybirthday cake and had a whole pile of presents before me waiting tobe discovered.



18 Then I spottedsomething, a little blur ofmovement. The whisperingof the crowd silenced as thefaint faraway splashingapproached. I strained myneck and squinted for a fewmore seconds until I couldmake out a horse. Itstruggled through the water.Finally, one white ponystepped onto ChincoteagueIsland, and the crowdcheered.

19 As more horses came onshore, I felt like begging myfather for a pony andpromising to take on all ofthe responsibilities. All overthe island, big signsannounced Chincoteague horses for sale. I turned to my father,whose gaze was stuck on the horses that still approached. My brotherreached up, grabbed my hand, and squeezed.

20 “Aren’t they handsome?” he said. I knew there was no point inmaking a fuss about bringing home a pony. My brother would gethopeful, and then my parents would have to disappoint him. “Whenwe go home, will you write me a story about a pony?” he asked.

21 Paul gave me a great idea. I always searched for great books, butI never thought about writing one. Maybe I could invent a story asentertaining as the books I’d read. I promised to write in my journalthat night, something as beautiful as the sight before me. After thefirst few horses scrambled toward us, more followed, and the sun litup the ocean. I took a picture of the scene with my memory andbegan to write a story in my head.

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31 At the end of the story, the reader cantell that the narrator —

A feels that her younger brother is a bother

B is too tired to enjoy the special moment

C thinks books are better than experience

D was greatly moved by the sightshe saw

32 Why does the narrator want to go to Chincoteague?

A To buy a horse

B To see the ponies

C To visit the beach

D To help her brother

33 In paragraph 3, the word annually means —

A for fun

B in some places

C every year

D on certain days

34 Why did the narrator read Misty of Chincoteague?

A Her parents said she should read more.

B She only reads stories about horses.

C Her father used to work on a ranch.

D She likes to read her mother’s books.

35 Which sentence from the story showsthat the narrator’s father liked horses,but thought caring for them was a lotof work?

A My father, who worked on a ranchwhen he was young, shook his head.

B Although he thought horses werestriking, he could see past their beauty.

C “Would that satisfy your urge forhorses?” my dad asked.

D All over the island, big signs announcedChincoteague horses for sale.

36 How does the author organize this story?

A By describing events in the orderthey occur

B By stating all the reasons forbuying a horse

C By explaining how a girl learns tolike her brother

D By comparing Houston withChincoteague Island

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37 How does the narrator’s attitudechange at the end of the story?

A She realizes she wants to workwith horses.

B She decides to write about her experience.

C She wishes that she had her own horse.

D She thinks that her parentsunderstand her.

38 Which sentence from the story bestshows that the narrator is protectiveof her brother?

A My little brother opened his eyeswide, and my mom brightened at thissuggestion.

B My brother reached up, grabbed myhand, and squeezed.

C My brother would get hopeful, andthen my parents would have todisappoint him.

D “When we go home, will you writeme a story about a pony?” he asked.

39 Why is paragraph 2 important to the story?

A It shows how books used to be different.

B It describes the characters in the book.

C It suggests that the narrator enjoys stories.

D It explains why she wants to workon a ranch.

40 The narrator’s father does not want toget a pet horse because —

A he thinks horses are too much work

B he does not think the kids want one

C he has to take care of horses at his job

D he knows his wife does not like horses

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41 The narrator suggests visitingChincoteague Island because —

A she is mad at her brother

B her father wants to travel

C she wants to see the event

D her mother asked about it

42 The first-person point of view in thestory helps the reader understand —

A the narrator’s belief that her fatherwas unfair

B why Paul wanted to buy a horseand take it home

C why the narrator argued with hermother

D the narrator’s feelings whilelooking at the ponies

STOP

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Mastering STAAR Reading prepares students to succeedon the STAAR reading test.

Part 1 of Mastering STAAR Reading is made up of fourpassages with questions. Each question is followed bya hint to help you focus on the response.

The Reporting Category, Content Student Expectation, and whether it is a Readiness or Supporting standard isalso included so that you know what type of questionis being asked.

Part 2 of Mastering STAAR Reading is made of twopractice tests, each with individual and paired passages.

mastering staar reading

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