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8th Grade Reading Proficient Practice Test 1



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

 1. 

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Bias, Assumptions, Stereotype --RIT 211 – 220
Read the advertisement.
Real men don’t cook! Who wants to spend a lazy Sunday slaving over a cookbook? With our BigMan canned meals, it’s as easy as dumping it into a bowl and turning on the microwave. “Keep those BigMan dinners comin’, Ma!”
Who is the most discriminated against in the advertisement?
a.
men
c.
women
b.
children
d.
the elderly
 

 2. 

Read the paragraph.
Junk food is the worst poison to hit society in the last hundred years. Everyday millions of young people suck down sugary sodas, gulp greasy French fries, and gorge on candy bars and potato chips. Cigarettes may cause lung cancer, but our country’s addiction to junk food will surely be our demise as our children grow into adulthood unhealthy and unhappy.
What is the assumption underlying this paragraph?
a.
Junk food should be eaten only on special occasions.
c.
Healthy food can cure many diseases.
b.
Eating junk food is worse than smoking cigarettes.
d.
Young people eat more junk food than adults.
 

 3. 

Read the following paragraph.
The most important advance of this century has not been in medicine or technology. It’s been in society’s willingness to open practically all professions to women. Women can excel in careers now that were not even available to them 50 years ago.
Which of the following people would be most likely to agree with this paragraph’s opinion?
a.
grandparents
c.
children
b.
women astronauts
d.
teenagers
 

 4. 

Read the following paragraph.
Jane and Henry were the best of friends. They grew up on the same street and played together all through grade school. They felt like they knew everything about each other. Now that they were both in high school, they didn’t spend as much time together. Jane was running for class president that year, and most everyone was planning to vote for her. Henry felt left out and decided to run against her. When he realized that Jane was still winning, he challenged her to a
debate in front of the school. He knew that if he promised free pizza for lunch every Friday, that he might have a chance at winning.
Why is Henry running for class president?
a.
He is jealous of Jane’s popularity at school.
c.
He loves to eat pizza on Fridays.
b.
He wants to finish high school.
d.
He wants to support Jane.
 

 5. 

Read the following paragraph.
Shelby noticed that her dogs were never excited to see her when she came home. She always went straight to the kitchen to get herself a snack and sat in front of the television until her parents came home. It wasn’t her job to feed the dogs or give them snacks, and she didn’t really like to pet them play with them in the afternoons. So, the dogs just lay on the carpet until it was dinnertime.
Which statement leads to stereotypical thinking?
a.
Shelby is tired after school.
c.
Dogs are lazy.
b.
Shelby is hungry when she gets home.
d.
Dogs are good pets.
 

 6. 

Read the following paragraph.
As the teacher started to hand out the science tests, Jake felt a lump in his throat. His hand was shaking as he wrote his name on the top of his test. As he read the first question, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, and he had no idea what the correct answers were on the entire test.
What can you infer?
a.
Jake is tired from not getting enough sleep.
c.
Jake is confident about his test.
b.
Jake did not study for his test.
d.
Jake’s teacher is mean.
 

 7. 

Read the following paragraph.
The spring air was fresh and clean, and the sun was warming the hillside. Flowers were beginning to bloom, forming a rainbow of colors throughout the meadows. All the animals were coming out from their homes to welcome the new morning, and I knew this was going to be a wonderful day as I peeked out of my tent.
What can you generalize about the author’s opinion?
a.
The author lives in California.
c.
The author is camping.
b.
The author is a man.
d.
The author is tired.
 

 8. 

Read the following paragraph.
George Washington was a great man. He was the first president of the United States. We have been studying presidents in social studies class, and we are currently doing research on Ronald Reagan. He was an actor before he got into politics.
Which is a statement of opinion?
a.
George Washington was a great man.
c.
They are studying presidents in social studies.
b.
He was the first president of the United States.
d.
Ronald Reagan was an actor.
 

 9. 

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Classify, Thinking Skills --RIT 211 – 220
Read the words listed.
jacket, jackknife, jack, jackhammer, jackal
Alphabetize the list of words.
a.
jackal, jacket, jackhammer, jackknife, jack
c.
jackknife, jackhammer, jacket, jackal, jack
b.
jack, jackal, jacket, jackhammer, jackknife
d.
jackal, jack, jacket, jackhammer, jackknife
 

 10. 

Mr. Green told Amanda, Kelly, and Veronica to place the candy bars in the concession stand in alphabetical order. Only Kelly put them in the right order.
Which is the correct order of candy bars?
a.
Snickers, Twix, Baby Ruth, Kit Kat
c.
Kit Kat, Twix, Baby Ruth, Snickers
b.
Baby Ruth, Kit Kat, Snickers, Twix
d.
Twix, Snickers, Kit Kat, Baby Ruth
 

 11. 

Use the chart to answer the following question.
mc011-1.jpg
Copyright Info: Bremner, Tony. The Usborne Book of Knowledge. London: Usborne Publishing, Ltd. 1988.

Of the choices listed, which birds have the same diet?
a.
White Stork and Great Crested Butte
c.
Ostrich and White Pelican
b.
Ostrich and White Stork
d.
White Pelican and White Stork
 

 12. 

Definite is to ___________ as uncertain is to guessed.
a.
direct
c.
verified
b.
misled
d.
confirm
 

 13. 

Read the sentences.
The engine coughed.
The wind sighs.
Fortune smiled on her.
The photograph leered from the wall.
These are examples of:
a.
similes
c.
personification
b.
metaphors
d.
symbolism
 

 14. 

Read the story.
Mary left her pencil case in a classroom. The next day it was in the lost and found. All the pencils were gone.
What does Mary know for sure about her pencil case?
a.
Someone stole it and then returned it.
c.
It was dropped in the hall.
b.
It was turned in to lost and found.
d.
Her pencils are all broken.
 

 15. 

Evaluative Reading Comprehension—Evaluate Validity --RIT 211 – 220
Read the passage.
“And did you really have the three wishes granted?” asked Mrs. White. “I did,” said the sergeant major, and his glass tapped against his strong teeth. “And has anybody else wished?” inquired the old lady. “The first man had his three wishes, yes,” was the reply. “I don’t know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That’s how I got the paw.” His tones were so grave that a hush fell upon the group.Copyright Info: Jacobs, W.W., The Monkey’s Paw and Other Tales of Mystery and the Macabre, Academy Chicago Publishers, Chicago, 1997.
Which statement best supports the conclusion that the Monkey’s Paw will bring heartache?
a.
The wishes didn’t work.
c.
The third wish was for death.
b.
No one was able to make a wish.
d.
The first man had his three wishes.
 

 16. 

When buying a new computer, where could you find the most objective, reliable information about the overall quality of computers?
a.
A person who sells computers.
c.
A school computer technician.
b.
A friend who has a computer.
d.
A report in a consumer magazine.
 

 17. 

Read the passage.
mc017-1.jpg
Copyright Info: Elements of Literature. Holt, Reinhart, and Winston. 1997.
What can be concluded about the Bed and Breakfast?
a.
It would be a good place to stay.
c.
The owner likes to play the piano.
b.
There are no rooms left to rent.
d.
The owner is a gardener.
 

 18. 

Read the passage.
True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! And observe how healthily—how calmly I can
tell you the whole story.Copyright Info: “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Elements of Literature. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1997.
What inference can you make about the narrator?
a.
The narrator is unabashedly happy.
c.
The narrator is a minister.
b.
The narrator is quite mad.
d.
The narrator has a strong sense of smell.
 

 19. 

Read the paragraph.
You don’t need to shop around. Furniture Village has the best-priced leather furniture in town. They deliver seven days a week and there are no finance charges.
What information is missing from this paragraph that you would need to determine its accuracy?
a.
the prices from other furniture stores
c.
the names of the furniture
b.
the colors and styles of the furniture
d.
where the store is located
 

 20. 

Read the following passage.
His mother clipped coupons from magazines and newspapers, kept a vegetable garden in the summer, and shopped at JC Penney and K-Mart. Their family ate a lot of frijoles, which was OK because nothing else tasted so good, though one time Alfonso had Chinese pot stickers and thought they were the next best food in the world. He didn’t ask his mother for braces again, even when she was in a better mood.Copyright Info: Elements of Literature. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 1997.
How does Alfonso support his assumption that his mother will not pay for braces?
a.
He tells how she likes to go shopping.
c.
He explains about her garden.
b.
He likes pot stickers almost as much as frijoles.
d.
He details her efforts to save money.
 



 
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