4th Grade Reading Proficient Practice Test 11

Name:

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Read the passage.
He could hear the deafening clomp of the footsteps behind him as he ran through the trees in utter darkness. His heart was beating out of his chest, and he fumbled in his pockets for something, anything to defend himself. It was getting closer, and he could feel its hot breath on the back of his neck. Trying to scream, John opened his mouth, but no sound would come out. He decided he must take action. So, summoning all of his courage, he darted behind a tree and
turned to face the creature.
The author’s use of _____________________ makes this passage more interesting to the reader.

a.	rhyme	c.	dialogue
b.	suspense	d.	character development

Read the passage.
None of the other children on the playground wanted to play with Jan, because she was hitting
them when they would tag her. Jan’s teacher walked over to Jan and asked her what was
wrong. Jan said that none of the other students liked her and she had no friends, because they
all though she was mean. Her teacher smiled and said, “You can always catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
What did Jan’s teacher mean by this?

a.	f you give the other children honey, they will like you.	c.	The students would like to eat honey on a picnic.
b.	Flies like to eat honey, but they don’t like to eat vinegar.	d.	You will make more friends by being sweet than being sour.

Read the poem.
The Storm
In fury and terror
The tempest broke,
It tore up the pine
And shattered the oak,
Yet the hummingbird hovered
Within the hour
Sipping clear rain
From a trumpet flower.
Copyright Info: Coatsworth, Elizabeth. “The Storm.” Elements of Literature, Introductory Course. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997.
The author’s use of _________________ appeals to the senses of the reader.

a.	imagery	c.	irony
b.	figure of speech	d.	metaphor

Read the poem.
Fame is a bee.
It has a song—
It has a sting—
Ah, too, it has a wing.
Copyright Info: Dickinson, Emily. Elements of Literature, Introductory Course. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997.
This is an example of:

a.	mood	c.	metaphor
b.	similie	d.	irony

Read the passage.
It was her first day at her new school, and Jenny was terrified. She didn’t know anyone there, and this was a much bigger school than she was used to. Jenny wasn’t even sure she could find her locker, let alone her classes! She walked slowly down the hall with her chin tucked to her chest, so as not to make eye contact with anyone. She rubbed the old penny in her pocket with her left hand and remembered the night her grandmother had given it to her, saying that it
was a penny she loved as a child and Jenny should always keep it with her to remind herself that she is always loved too. As she finally found her locker and put all her books away, Jenny rubbed the penny again and thought to herself, I can do this, and she walked with her head up to find her first class for the day.
What does the penny symbolize to Jenny?

a.	peace	c.	friends
b.	love	d.	money

Read the passage.
Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches
Had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches
Had non upon thars.

Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

But because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches
Would brag. “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort.
“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”
And whenever they met some, when they were out walking,
They’d hike right on past them without even talking.

When the Star-Belly children went out to play ball,
Could a Plain Belly get in the game . . .? Not at all.
You only could play if your bellies had stars
And the Plain-Belly children had none upon thars.
What is the problem and possible resolution for this passage?
Copyright Info: Geisel, Theodor (Dr. Seuss). “The Sneetches.” Elements of Literature, Introductory Course. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997.

a.	The Star-Belly Sneetches don’t like the Plain Belly Sneetches because they are shorter, and they should move to another part of the country to avoid them.	c.	The Star-Belly Sneetches and the Plain Belly Sneetches are good friends, and they should make plans together.
b.	The Plain Belly Sneetches don’t like the Star-Belly Sneetches because they act funny, and they should tell them to leave them alone.	d.	The Star-Belly Sneetches don’t like the Plain Belly Sneetches because they look different, and they should learn to accept them and not judge them.

Read the passage.
It was wintertime when Martha came to the USA from Mexico. She didn’t like the cold, but she loved to play in the snow. At school, she didn’t have many friends. It was difficult to learn a different language. Her friends and her teacher couldn’t understand her very well.
In this story, the main problem is:

a.	Martha cannot communicate with others very well.	c.	Martha misses Mexico.
b.	Martha doesn’t like winters.	d.	Martha doesn’t have many friends.

Read the passage.
One day, Peter told his brother about the fish he caught. He said, “I caught a beautiful trout yesterday. It was as big as a truck!” Peter told his brother he would take him fishing on Saturday, so he could catch a big fish too.
Peter exaggerated his story when he said:

a.	The fish he caught was beautiful.	c.	He would take his brother fishing on Saturday.
b.	The fish he caught was as big as a truck.	d.	He would take his brother fishing.

Literary Response and Analysis—Problem Resolution--RIT 201 - 210
Read the passage.
Sally was home alone. She could hear thunder and see lightning when she looked out the window. All of a sudden, the lights went out. Sally stood rigidly still as the tears filled her eyes.
Identify Sally’s problem and what resolution she should use.

a.	The power is out, and Sally should go get the flashlight from the kitchen.	c.	The lights are out, and Sally should go to the kitchen to get a cookie.
b.	The power is out. Sally should go to bed.	d.	The lights are out, and Sally should go to the store for more light bulbs.

10.

Word Analysis—Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms--RIT 191 - 200
Fill in the blank.
When we went to Cheyenne, we drove __________ a tunnel.

a.	through	c.	though
b.	threw	d.	thorough

11.

Read the sentence and decide which pair of synonyms could be used in place of the
underlined word.
The little girl wore an enormous hat.

a.	huge-large	c.	wonderful-great
b.	minute-small	d.	beautiful-lovely

12.

Which group of words means the same as the word lost?

a.	missing, misplaced, hidden, vanished	c.	found, forfeited, misplaced, weak
b.	missing, misplaced, returned, without	d.	leave, disabled, sickly, hidden

13.

Word Analysis—Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary--RIT 191 - 200
1. Read the passage.
We selected for our victim the only child of a prominent citizen named Ebenezer Dorset. The father was respectable and tight, a mortgage fancier and a stern, upright collection-plate passer and forecloser. The kid was a boy of ten, with freckles.
In the passage, what does the word prominent mean?
Copyright Info: Not enough information. O. Henry. “The Ransom of Red Chief” page 25.
(Teacher authors: Phillips, Blackman, Felts).

a.	well-known	c.	mean-spirited
b.	unnoticeable	d.	wealthy

14.

Read the sentence.
Fran asked for a duplicate of the original letter.
Choose the best synonym for the underlined word.

a.	copy	c.	summary
b.	answer	d.	review

15.

Read the passage.
Yes, Utzel hated everybody and everything, but he adored his daughter. He daydreamed that a rich young man would fall in love with her, marry her, and provide for his wife and his father-inlaw. But not a young man in the village showed the slightest interest in poverty.
In the passage, what does the compound word daydream mean?
Copyright Info: Not enough information. Singer, Isaac Bashevis. “Utzel and His Daughter,
Poverty,” page 149. Teacher authors: Phillips, Blackman, Felts).

a.	pleasant thoughts	c.	terrible thoughts
b.	sleeping pictures	d.	daily pictures

16.

Read the sentence.
I gave him the dog whistle and the key to the cabin and left sufficient food.
Which word means the same as sufficient?

a.	enough	c.	unfamiliar
b.	no	d.	delicious

17.

Word Analysis—Word Components--RIT 191 - 200
1. Given the word base, which of the following would be an appropriate compound word?

a.	baseball	c.	abase
b.	baseless	d.	bases

18.

Read the definition of each root.
chron-time
phobia-fear
phile-love
Given the definitions of these roots, which would mean enjoying being afraid?

a.	phobophilia	c.	chronophilia
b.	acrophobia	d.	chronophobia

19.

Read the definitions of the prefixes.
anti-against
con-with
pre-before
Given these prefixes, which word would mean unfriendly or not wanting to be around others?

a.	antisocial	c.	predict
b.	context	d.	antidote

20.

Root
Struct—build
Suffixes
ion—noun
ist—one who
ed—past tense
s—many
Given these definitions, which word means a new building?

a.	construction	c.	constructed
b.	destruct	d.	constructs

21.

What word rhymes with bear?

a.	there	c.	tier
b.	dear	d.	bean

22.

Which word ends with the same sound as tough?

a.	cuff	c.	fought
b.	though	d.	truth

23.

Word Analysis—Antonyms, Homonyms, Synonyms--RIT 201 - 210
Read the passage.
Then Miss Hopley did a formidable thing. She stood up. Had she been standing when we entered, she would have seemed tall. But rising from her chair, she soared. And what she carried up and up with her was a buxom superstructure, firm shoulders, a straight sharp nose, full cheeks slightly molded by a curved line along the nostrils, thin lips that moved like steel springs, and a high forehead topped by hair gathered in a bun. Miss Hopley was not a giant in body, but when she mobilized it to a standing position she seemed a match for giants. I decided
I liked her.
Which sentence is the best example of the opposite of this description of Miss Hopley?
Copyright Info: Not enough information. Barrio Boy, page 127. (Teacher authors: Phillips,
Blackman, Felts).

a.	Miss Hopley lay motionless on the floor.	c.	Miss Hopley was a match for giants when she moved.
b.	Miss Hopley rose from her chair, soaring over others.	d.	Miss Hopley had a pointy nose and full cheeks.

24.

Complete the sentence.
The farmer went into the fields to _____ his seeds.

a.	sow	c.	so
b.	sew	d.	sough

25.

Word Analysis—Contextual Meaning and Vocabulary--RIT 201 - 210
Read the passage.
Then he jumped. The head was lying a little clear of the water jar, under the curve of it; and as his teeth met, Rikki braced his back against the bulge of the red earthenware to hold down the head. This gave him just one second’s purchase, and he made the most of it. Then he was battered to and fro as a rat is shaken by a dog—to and fro on the floor, up and down, and round in great circles, but his eyes were red and he held on as the body cartwhipped over the floor, upsetting the tin dipper and the soap dish and the flesh brush, and banged against the tin side of the bath.
Copyright Info: Not enough information. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Page 11. (Teacher authors: Phillips,
Blackman, Felts).

What does the word battered mean?

a.	attacked	c.	baseball equipment
b.	bread dough	d.	lathered

26.

Read the sentence and choose the best synonym for the underlined word.
In the gloom of the rainy dawn, Kayla scanned the horizon searching for the long-promised arrival of the horse-drawn carriage.

a.	searched	c.	glanced
b.	looked	d.	noticed

27.

Word Analysis—Multiple Meanings--RIT 201 - 210
An ad for hand cream claims the cream moisturizes and evens skin tone. What does tone mean?

a.	quality of color	c.	elegant style
b.	musical sound	d.	interval on a musical scale

28.

Word Analysis—Word Components--RIT 201 - 210
Which is a multi-syllable compound word?

a.	motorcycle	c.	motoring
b.	motionless	d.	multi-purpose

29.

From what root word is electioneer made?

a.	electric	c.	elective
b.	elect	d.	election

30.

With the addition of a prefix, which word now means the opposite of do?

a.	redo	c.	undo
b.	doer	d.	doing

31.

What suffix added to the word breath changes its meaning?

a.	less	c.	ing
b.	s	d.	able

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