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MEED

ENGLISH SKILLS RESOURCE

Exercise

number

Activity Page Number

1 Alphabetical order 2

2 Alphabetical order 2

3 Subject, predicate and object 3

4 Subject, predicate and object 4

5 Homophones 5

6 Parts of speech 6

7 Prepositions 7

8 Pronouns 8

9 Narrative essay 9

10 Figures of speech 16

11 Comprehension activities 17

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Exercise 2 - ALPHABETICAL

ORDER CODES

1. How many letters are there in the alphabet?

2. Guess which two are the middle letters. 3. Cover up the alphabet and try to say it to yourself in 5 seconds. 4. Cover up the alphabet and answer these questions:

a. Which three letters come before ‘f’? b. Which three letter come before ‘i’? c. Which three letters come before ‘r’? d. Which four letter follow ‘n’? e. Which five letters follow ‘p’?

5. Arrange these letters in alphabetical order to make words: a. mai b. yan c. mih d. mdi e. pid

6. Arrange each group of letters into alphabetical order: a. endcy b. oltfg c. xzear d. itebz e. mtubi

7. Cover up the alphabet. Write it out as quickly as you can. Write your time

down.

1. Write out the next letter after each letter of the alphabet below, to get this

message. Example: lzm = man rdbqds = secret

aqhmf sgd akzbj anw snmhfgs

2. Write out the letter before each letter of the alphabet

to get this message. Example: gzoox = happy

Note: (z comes before a)

uif mfuufs jt jo uif pme pbl usff

Exercise 1 - ALPHABETICAL ORDER

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Subjects, Objects, and Predicates with Pirates Worksheet

Part One: Identifying subjects, predicates, and objects.

Underline subjects, circle predicates, and double-underline

objects.

1. The pirate captain sang a sea shanty on his pirate ship.

2. Singing was his favorite activity.

3. He also liked feeding his parrot, swashbuckling, and

pillaging.

4. Soon after the sun rose, he called his crew to the deck.

5. The men assembled on the deck of the pirate ship.

6. As their captain strutted the deck of the ship, the men responded to his orders.

7. Some climbed ropes and looked through telescopes, while others swung on ropes

and nets.

8. Swinging, climbing, and chanting are all important skills for pirates.

9. Suddenly the tall pirate turned to the captain and exclaimed, “Argh, a vessel sails to

the west!”

10. The pirate captain shouted at the men and they loaded the cannons.

11. After the pirates battered the merchant vessel with cannon fire, the merchants

waved the white flag.

12. “Ye should board the vessel,” said the pirate captain to a group of pirates with

knives in their teeth.

13. The pirate captain steered his boat alongside the merchant vessel and snarled.

14. Boarding a ship requires both dexterity and bravery.

15. The pirates swung from ropes and landed on the deck of the merchant ship.

Exercise 3 – SUBJECT, PREDICATE AND OBJECT

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16. The crew of the merchant ship barricaded themselves in the captain’s quarters.

17. The pirates battered the door with a large log.

18. As the door gave in, the pirates realized that they had walked into a trap.

19. It was the Sheriff’s men, and they had drawn their weapons on the pirates.

20. The Sheriff said, “You’re going to jail because stealing and fighting are illegal

crimes.”

Part Two: Using Subjects, Predicates, and Objects

On the back, write five sentences using at least one subject, predicate, and object in

each.

Underline your subjects, circle your predicates, and double-underline your objects.

Subjects, Predicates, and Objects

Directions: Read and analyse each sentence. Circle the predicates, underline the

subjects, and double underline objects.

Subject: a noun or pronoun that takes the predicate.

Predicate: an action or state of being (verb).

Object: nouns or pronouns that do not take predicates.

Example: Mom and I ate the donuts. It is cold in the classroom.

S S P O S P O

1. We went to the park. 2. I sang a song. 3. Mark and I played basketball at the park. 4. She ordered a hamburger and fries. 5. Do you want to eat pasta or pizza? 6. Reading and learning can be fun activities. 7. Driving is dangerous at night. 8. I read a book and ate a box of chocolate. 9. Reading opens doors to new worlds. 10. John, Mark, Jacob, and Luke ate waffles. 11. Luke ate waffles, bacon, toast, and

potatoes.

12. Tim dusted, swept, and washed the floors.

13. Doug and Dave washed and waxed the

car.

14. He and I raked the leaves and mowed

the lawn. 15. My mom told me, "The dog is at the park."

16. I rode my bike while she ran down the

street.

17. Staring at the sun may hurt your eyes. 18. Rectangles and squares both have four

Exercise 4 – SUBJECT, PREDICATE AND OBJECT

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sides.

19. Baseball and football are both popular

sports.

20. Grades are based on tests and

assignments.

21. I will be sleeping on the desk.

22. Lying, cheating, and stealing are wrong

to me.

23. If you like school, you're going to love

work!

24. Hide-and-go-seek is a fun game.

25. Bob and Jan drank coffee and ate

donuts

26. Walking is good for your health.

27. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

peppers.

28. Tito and Kiki ate kiwis and tacos at the tiki

bar.

29. Working out builds muscles. 30. Pick up that mess!

Try it yourself:

On the back of this paper, write five sentences with a subject, predicate, and object. Circle

your predicates, underline your subjects, and double underline your objects.

Homophones are words with the same sound but have different spellings and

meanings. Choose the correct word for each sentence. Write the given sentence out

using the word that you have chosen. The, write a sentence of your own with the word

that you did not choose.

4.1 The children did not know/no the right answer.

4.2 There were too/to many learners who wanted to enter the competition.

4.3 Smoking is no longer allowed/aloud in buildings.

4.4 The film was about a cereal/serial killer.

4.5 He needed a new pane/pain of glass for the window.

4.6 I am going two/to go home.

4.7 The team won/one the match.

4.8 Most South Africans love buying items which are on sail/sale.

Exercise 5 – WORD MEANINGS

HOMOPHONES

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a. A ten cent piece is a coin. b. The dense mist made driving dangerous. c. Water will flow downhill. d. The car is here. e. He did the work happily. f. You must leave. g. I am happy. h. Put it in the box. i. I passed because I studied. j. That is an apple.

Why do we need to know parts of speech?

Imagine a bicycle building manual

that gave you the following

information:

Undo the screwy thing that holds the

big round part onto the middle bit at

the back, taking care not to bend

the long silvery bits.

Here’s the same information, using the

correct words:

Undo the nut that holds the wheel

onto the axle at the back, taking care not to bend the spokes.

Giving names to each part of speech is just as useful. Even though it is

difficult to learn all the correct names for the different parts of speech,

your English writing, reading, speaking and spelling will definitely

improve. Here is a list of the main Parts of Speech.

Use your dictionary to find out what part of speech each of the following

words is in each sentence.

Exercise 6 – PARTS OF SPEECH

Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Pronoun,

Auxiliary verb, Preposition, Conjunction, Article

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Rewrite these sentences, changing the underlined word to make the sentence sensible.

a. They sealed the bargain under a handshake.

b. The ship sailed behind the water.

c. My neighbour climbed with our fence.

d. Your dinner is through the fridge.

The words you have altered are called prepositions.

Prepositions show the relationship between one noun

and another – their position in relation to each other.

Prepositions can show relationships of when, where

and how.

Is Andrew in his car? Is he under it? (Where preposition)

Does the game start before two o’clock or at two

o’clock? (When preposition)

They arrived without their match clothes. (How

preposition)

Construct one sentence for each of the kinds of

prepositions: Where, when and how. You can use any

prepositions from this list:

after on at by of to into up down from

over under through above below behind with

Exercise 7 – PREPOSITIONS

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A pronoun can be used to replace a noun.

When Mary’s shoes and socks were off, Mary arranged the shoes and socks neatly on

the bank. Mary looked at Thandi swimming.

“Thandi can swim well,” Mary said. Mary tested the water with one toe. “The water’s

warm,” Mary said.

“What did Mary expect?” asked Thandi.

“Mary expected the water to be cold,” Mary replied.

Replace each of the bold print words or phrases with one word.

The words you will use will all be pronouns.

Here are some commonly used pronouns:

Personal Pronouns (refer to people or things)

I we me us

you you you you he, she, it they him, her, it them

Possessive Pronouns (show belonging or ownership)

my our mine ours your yours

his, her, its their his, hers, its theirs

Select an appropriate pronoun to replace the underlined

word/words. Write the entire sentence out, with your chosen

pronoun.

a. The babies cried when the babies were hungry.

b. The queen said that the queen was leaving.

c. Nick’s mother asked Nick to clean his room.

d. The tiger ate the deer and the tiger licked its lips.

Exercise 8 – PRONOUNS

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Resource: ereading.com

Writing Narrative Essays and Short Stories

A narrative essay is a journey through time. It is a personal account of the writer’s

experience, but it doesn’t need to be boring. There are lots of ways to add creativity

and to add something amazing. Writing a narrative essay takes hard work.

There is no one way to write a narrative essay, but there are some best practices that

you can follow. This page will share helpful things that I have learned about writing

better narrative essays. I hope that this will help you write better narrative essays too.

Basic Ingredients

There is no step-by-step method of writing a narrative essay that works well. Narrative

essays should not be cookie-cutter response pieces. They should be the expression of

an author’s life experience. Still, there are some basic pieces that your narrative should

have if you want to practice good story telling.

Characters

Stories need characters. It is possible to tell a story with just the narrator, but who would

want to read it? There are many different types of characters. Include a couple in your

essay.

Conflict

Conflicts are problems in the story that the main character faces. Your characters don’t

have to fight each other. There are lots of different types of conflicts, but there should

be a conflict in your essay. Most readers find stories without conflicts to be boring.

Plot

Not only should your essay have a conflict, it should have connected events around it.

This is the plot. A plot is a series of events related to a conflict in a story. Good stories

have clear, logical plotlines.

Attention Catching Techniques for Narrative Essays

It is considerate for an author to make some effort to catch the reader’s attention in the

first sentence or paragraph of an essay. Attention grabbing techniques for narrative

essays are different from those you might use in a persuasive essay. It’s best to pattern

your writing after successful models. I learned these attention grabbing techniques by

studying published works of fiction. I took some books off of my bookshelf and read the

first paragraph of each. Most of them begin by using one of the following techniques.

Exercise 9 – NARRATIVE ESSAY

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But don’t take my word for it. Grab some books off of your bookshelf and check out

how they start.

Dialogue

Dialogue is when characters speak in a story. The voices of the characters are

distinguished from the voice of the narrator through the use of quotation marks. Using

dialogue is a great way to start off your essay. It throws the reader right into the action.

If you begin with an interesting or startling piece of dialogue, you will hook your reader.

Example: “Get up, Sam! You’re going to be late for school!” My mother’s voice startled

me awake.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is when a words pronunciation imitates its sound, like boom or buzz.

Using onomatopoeia is like using dialogue. You put the onomatopoeic word in

quotation marks to distinguish it from the voice of the narrator. Like dialogue, using

onomatopoeia well will toss the reader right into the action from the first sentence of

your story.

Example: “Boom!” The thunder crack shook the lunchroom.

Description of a Character and / or Setting

Many good authors begin their stories with descriptions of a character or setting. This is

an inviting way to bring readers into the world of your story, but be careful not to get

caught up on the detail. You are trying to catch the reader’s attention. Don’t drive

them away with tedious descriptions of leaves. A good way to use this approach is to

begin your essay with a figurative language technique.

Example: The sun peaked over the green hills of Townsville like an eager child.

Character’s Action

Starting your narrative essay by describing a character’s action is a great way to kick

off your essay. Using this technique will drop readers into a story that’s already in

progress. You can introduce your readers to a character and a situation in a single

sentence.

Example: I held the empty canteen over my mouth and waited patiently for the last

drop to roll out.

Thoughtful or Thematic Statement

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Beginning your narrative essay with a strongly-worded, thoughtful statement will

capture your reader’s attention. The only problem with this technique is that it can be

hard to think of such a statement. It may be easier if you’ve thought through the plot of

your story. If you have a theme or lesson that you will attempt to express, then it is worth

a few minutes to think of a good opening sentence that will unify your efforts.

Example: I never knew the power of a kind word until I heard one when I needed it

most.

Flashback / Flash-Forward

Flashback is when the narrative jumps back in time. Conversely, flash-forward is when

the narration skips ahead. If you use flashback, you can start your essay near the

moment of final suspense, and then jump back in time to when the conflict was first

introduced. This takes a bit of finesse with your pacing, but if you can pull it off, it is a

sophisticated way to start your essay.

A Final Word on Attention Catchers

It’s important to remember that there is some crossover between these techniques. We

are writing narrative essays, not solving math problems. Don’t get hung up on putting

these attention catchers into boxes. These techniques will be more effective if you

blend them in new ways.

Climax

The climax is the turning point of a story. It is when conditions change in such a way that

the main character is capable of solving the problem. Good stories have turning points.

Readers expect and enjoy these shifts in momentum. I believe that the easiest way to

dramatically improve the quality of a narrative is to have a climax.

The feeling of the text changes during the climax. Without turning points, narrative

essays run the risk of floating the same emotion over the entire course of the text. This is

boring. This skill is so important that I make students plot out the climaxes of their

stories before I allow them to begin writing. I spend a day conferencing with them to

make sure that they have this piece in place before proceeding. That is time well spent.

I would like to extend this lesson to you. Do not begin writing your essay until you have

thought of a turning point around which to structure your story.

Vertical Time

Time in a story can pass in two ways: horizontally and vertically. Horizontal time is when

the writing moves the plot along. Vertical time is when the writing lingers on a moment.

During moments where the writer has developed the vertical time, the narrative stalls.

The writer focuses on descriptions. Here is a simple example:

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“Come on!” Kevin shouted at the bus as it pulled off without him. He kicked an empty

bottle at the gray city bus, though it was hundreds of feet away now. He plopped

down on the curb and struggled to catch his breath. A siren wailed in the distance.

In this short example the main character misses a bus. The story will eventually move on

with the character finding a ride or walking, but the writer lingers in the moment. We

spend a little time with the character as he tries to catch his breath. We hear some of

the noises in his environment. When creating your essay, think about moments when

you can stretch time to build tension and suspense.

Be careful that you do not spend too much time developing the vertical time in your

story. It is best to choose a few opportune moments to extend the passage of time in

your essay. Readers will get bored if the plot stalls because you are talking about the

scenery too much. A few details go a long way. Give some credit to your reader’s

imagination and allow his or her mind to fill in the blanks.

“Showing” and Not “Telling”

It is easy for a writer to say that a character is angry, sad, or a bully, but this is telling the

reader. Good writers don’t tell readers about characters; they show them. It takes a bit

more work to show readers your characters. You have to think of behaviors that imply

attitudes and emotions. The extra effort that it takes will be worth it. I developed this

activity to help my students practice “showing” and not “telling.” It is a skill that requires

a bit of practice, but the results of this practice are noticeable.

Again, as with vertical time, it is important to keep the story moving. Don’t spend so

much time describing every character’s actions that you can’t resolve your story.

Balancing your resources is essential. With every pen stroke or keyboard click you are

exhausting some of your time and energy.

Resolution

Good essays have powerful endings. In your narrative essay, you should use your final

paragraph to bring your story to a satisfying conclusion. Unlike persuasive essays, the

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final paragraph in your narrative essay should not restate. Here are some good ways to

finish your narrative essay:

Looking Toward the Future: A good way to conclude your story is to speculate about

what the future may hold. You can discuss how the experience that you shared in your

essay could impact the future.

Example: Who knows what the future may hold? I might go back to law school or I

might just keep working at Mickey’s. Either way I’ll never forget the time that I won that

pie eating contest.

Lesson Learned: Another good way to conclude your essay is to share a lesson that you

learned. This way you can demonstrate some thoughtful reflection on the meaning of

your life.

Example: After I won the pie eating contest, I couldn’t take the smile off of my face. I

tried to be modest, but I just couldn’t contain my feelings. I was exploding with joy. This

experience taught me that if you really want something then you have to work for it.

Now that I had acquired this prodigious honor, nothing could stop me from enjoying it,

not even myself.

Alternate Universes: Another way with which you can conclude your narrative essay is

to briefly discuss how things could have been different. Choose an important point in

your story, maybe the climax, and consider how this affected your future.

Example: Who knows what would have happened if Mrs. Gracie had never kept me

after class that I day. I might have fought Clyde. I might have dropped out of school. I

might never have entered that pie eating contest. But the important thing is that she

did keep me after class, and that was the greatest act of kindness that anyone has

ever showed me.

Telling you how to end your story is like telling a snowflake how to fall. Each story has its

own ending and it’s up to you to find it. Still, you can apply these techniques to bring a

sense of closure to your essay when a more personal technique eludes you.

Revision

New writers have a difficult time revising their work. As a new writer, you are

experiencing the power of creation. You are making stories out of experiences. It is an

amazing process. New writers become attached to their creations, and this inhibits the

revision process. The reality of the situation is that your work will get better if you

continue to revise it. As happy as a writer may be with a text, there is always a way to

improve it. Sometimes the improvements are small, like word choices or grammatical

adjustments. Other times the improvements are dramatic, like tossing out a few

paragraphs that were slowing down your story. There are many conditions that affect

how long you should spend revising your text, but you should at least proofread it.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the process of carefully reading your text while looking for errors. You

should be concerned with punctuation, grammar, and word choice when you are

proofreading . You are not making big changes, you are just making sure that the text

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expresses what you intended. Even when you do proofread, it is quite likely that you will

gloss over mistakes. Still, you are bound to catch a few “Don’t forget you hat!” Never

turn a piece of writing in without proofreading it at least once. Let them pull the test out

of your busy hands.

Peer Sharing

No matter how many times you proofread your own writing, you’re bound to miss at

least one mistake. This is because you are used to your own writing. Your brain knows

what your sentence is trying to say, so sometimes it won’t bother looking at what it really

says. A motivated stranger will do a better job proofreading your text than you. That’s

just because they have to make sense of your writing and you don’t. Your memories fill

in a lot of the blanks, whereas your readers will have no such memories. If you get the

opportunity, you should have someone read your work.

Be respectful when you give someone your work to criticize. Don’t respond emotionally

to their criticism. They are trying to show you things that you cannot see. You don’t have

to agree with them about everything, but the more you resist, the less you will get. It’s

tough to find someone who will give you honest feedback and it’s easy to scare them

away.

Revising

Sometimes a piece of writing requires massive changes. It can be hard to cut your

essays apart and throw out what might look like good writing, but if it’s not working then

it needs to go. There are two skills necessary to do this. The first is the ability to recognize

when something is not working. The other is to do the necessary hacking.

Blizzard worked on a video game called “Titan” for seven years. They spent millions of

dollars on development and hundreds of thousands of man-hours, but the game wasn’t

fun. Finally they decided to pull the plug. They killed “Titan” before it was ever released.

Can you imagine how hard that must have been? When you get so invested in

something, it can be hard to kill it off, but sometimes you have to do it. If it’s not working,

it’s not working.

Good writers are willing to do a complete overhaul on a piece of writing. They throw

things out that aren’t working. If you want to be a good writer, you need to get used to

letting your babies go when they can’t fend for themselves.

Writing narrative essays is a legitimate art form. There is no single way to do it correctly,

but there are a lot of ways to do it poorly. The only way that you can get better is to

practice. Still, there are some good practices to keep in mind while you are learning

your way around this art. I hope that you have found this page informative and useful.

Keep writing. That’s the best advice that I can give you.

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NOW WRITE YOUR OWN NARRATIVE ESSAY. Choose any ONE of the following topics.

1. Everybody gets afraid sometimes. If there were no fear, there would be no

opportunity for bravery. Write about the scariest moment in your life.

2. Some people avoid challenges. Others see them as opportunities to grow. Write about a time when you overcame a great challenge.

3. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Write about a time when you discovered something valuable that others had discarded or

ignored.

4. The golden rule states that you should treat others as you’d like to be treated. It’d be nice if everyone followed this rule, but its been broken more

than once. Write about a time when you felt disrespected. How did you handle it and what did you learn?

5. Everybody has a special talent. Write about the time when you

discovered one of your talents.

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Chicago is a city that is fierce as a dog

with tongue lapping for action.

1

Hyperbole

9

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

2

Personification

10

I could stare into your eyes as / a thousand

years come and go.

3

Simile

11

The sunshine threw his hat away.

4

Simile

12

Osama Bin Laden is not exactly a friend to

America.

5

Simile

13

Endless wealth / held out its arms to me.

6

Personification

14

As men walked up and down the street.

Wino men, old men. / Young men sharp as

mustard. 7

Metaphor

15

Time is a green orchard.

8

Understatement

16

Exercise 10 – FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

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1. Making Inferences

Directions: Read each passage and then respond to the questions. Each question will

ask you to make a logical inference based on textual details. Explain your answer by

referencing the text.

Kyle ran into his house, slamming the door behind him. He threw his book bag on the

floor and plopped onto the couch. After six hours of playing Grand Larceny VII, he ate

some pizza and fell asleep with a slice on his stomach and his feet on his book bag.

When Kyle came home from school the next day, he was noticeably upset. He

crumpled up his report card and placed it inside a soup can in the garbage. He then

flipped the soup can upside down in the garbage bin and arranged loose pieces of

trash over it. As he plopped down on the couch, he let out a sigh and picked up his

controller.

1. Why is Kyle upset? __________________________________________________________

How do you know this?

2. Why does Kyle put the report card in a soup can?

________________________________________

How do you know this?

3. Was Kyle’s report card good or bad and why was it like that?

______________________________

How do you know this?

Exercise 11 – COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES

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Anastasia sat by the fountain in the park with her head in her palms. She was crying

mournfully and her clothing was untidy. In between gasps and sobs, Anastasia cried

out a name: “Oh... John…” And then her cell phone beeped. Her hand ran into her

handbag and her heart fluttered. The text message was from John. She opened up

the message and read the few bare words, “I need to get my jacket back from you.”

Anastasia threw her head into her arms and continued crying.

4. What relationship do John and Anastasia have?

_________________________________________

Why do you feel this way?

5. Why is Anastasia sad?

_____________________________________________________________

How do you know this?

Cassie rolled over in her bed as she felt the sunlight hit her face. The beams were

warming the back of her neck when she slowly realised that it was a Thursday and she

felt a little too good for a Thursday. Struggling to open her eyes, she looked up at the

clock. “9:48,” she shouted, “Oh no!” Cassie jumped out of bed, threw on the first outfit

that she grabbed, brushed her teeth in two swipes, threw her books into her backpack

and then ran out the door.

6. What problem is Cassie having?

_____________________________________________________

How do you know this?

7. Where is Cassie going?

____________________________________________________________

How do you know this?

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Kelvin was waiting in front of the shop at 3:56. His muscles were tense and he was

sweating a bit more than usual. The other kids who gathered in front of the little

storefront, were much more relaxed, even playful. They joked back and forth lightly to

each other but for Kelvin, time slowed. 3:57. “Don’t worry, Kelvin. He ain’t even gonna

show up.” Kelvin hoped that he wouldn’t. A black four-door Camry with tinted

windows pulled up and parked across the street. Kelvin gulped. 3:58. A group of

teenagers piled out of the car. James was in the front. “Hi-ya, Kelvin. Glad you could

make it,” James said. Kelvin felt smaller.

8. Why is Kelvin waiting at the shop?

_____________________________________________

How do you know this?

9. Are James and Kelvin friends?

_______________________________________________________

What in the text supports your idea?

10. Why is Kelvin so nervous?

_________________________________________________________

What in the text supports your idea?

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Nonfiction Reading Test

Metal Detectors

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Refer to

the text to check your answers when appropriate.

Have you ever been to the beach? Did

you see a man with a headset pointing a

long pole at the ground? If so you might

have seen a person using a metal

detector. People use these devices to find

metal.

Metal detectors make magnetic waves.

These waves go through the ground. The

waves change when they hit metal. Then

the device beeps. This lets the person with

the device know that metal is close.

The first metal detectors were meant to

help miners. They were big. They cost a lot

of money. They used a lot of power. And

worst of all, they didn't work well. People

kept trying to make them better.

Metal detectors got smaller. Now they are

light and cheap. They also work better.

That is why people bring them to the

beach. They can look for rings in the

water. They can look for phones in the

sand. Metal detectors help them find

these things. They usually just find junk

though.

Metal detectors also protect people. They

help to keep guns out of some places.

They are in airports. They are in

courthouses. Some schools use them. They

help guards look for weapons. Guards use

special wands to find metal on a person.

These devices save lives in other ways too.

During wars, people plant bombs in the

ground. When the war ends, they don't

clean up their messes. This is unsafe for the

people who live in those places. Others

use metal detectors to find bombs. They

remove them and help the people.

These devices also make clothes safer. It

sounds funny, but it's true. Most clothes

are made in big factories. There are lots of

needles in these places. Needles break

from time to time. They get stuck in the

clothes. They would poke people trying

them on. They don't though. That's

because our clothes are scanned for

metal. Isn't that nice? Let's hear it for

metal detectors. They make the world a

safer place.

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1. Which was not one of the problems with the first metal detectors?

a. They were too big. b. They were too expensive.

c. They didn't work well. d. They were unsafe.

2. Which best describes the main idea of the second paragraph?

a. It describes the sounds of a metal detector. b. It explains how metal detectors

work.

c. It warns about the effects of metal detectors. d. It explains how magnetic waves

move.

3. How do metal detectors make clothing safer?

a. Metal detectors make sure factory machines are working the right way.

b. Metal detectors make sure workers don't bring weapons into factories.

c. Metal detectors make sure that broken needles don't get into clothing.

d. Metal detectors help people recover lost clothing at the beach.

4. Why were metal detectors first used?

a. To help miners b. To help security guards

c. To help doctors d. To help soldiers

5. According to the text, metal detectors have been used in all of the following except

which?

a. schools b. churches

c. courthouses d. airports

6. How do metal detectors help soldiers?

a. They warn soldiers when bullets are coming. b. They help soldiers find hidden

bombs.

c. They find weaknesses in their armor. d. They create a relaxing beeping

noise.

7. Why do people bring metal detectors to the beach?

a. Metal detectors help people keep the sand clean and safe.

b. Metal detectors look cool.

c. Metal detectors help people find valuable items.

d. Metal detectors help guards keep weapons away from the beach.

8. Which happens first?

a. The metal detector beeps alarmingly.

b. The magnetic waves hit metal and change.

c. The magnetic waves go through the ground.

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d. The metal detector creates magnetic waves.

9. How did metal detectors get better over time?

a. They became cheaper. b. They became lighter.

c. They began working better d. All of these

10. Which title would best describe the purpose of this text?

a. A Day at the Beach: Using Your Metal Detector to Find Things

b. Metal Detectors: a Complete the Story of Their Invention

c. Magnetism and More: How a Metal Detector Works

d. Metal Detectors: What They Do and How We Use Them

1. How do metal detectors save lives? Explain your answer using the text.

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2. Why would buying an early metal detector have been disappointing? Refer to the

text in your answer.

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3. In your own words, explain how metal detectors make buying clothes a safer

experience.

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Page 24 of 27

Nonfiction Reading Test

The Coliseum

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Refer to

the text to check your answers when appropriate.

The Coliseum is an ancient stadium in the

center of Rome. It is the largest of its kind.

It is very old. They started building it in the

year 70. It took ten years to build. It is still

around today.

The Coliseum has been used in many

ways. In ancient Rome, men fought each

other in it. They fought against lions, tigers,

and bears. Oh my! It was dreadful. But

most of the people loved it. As many as

80,000 Romans would pack inside to

watch. These gruesome events went on

until 523.

The Coliseum has been damaged many

times over the years. It was struck by

lightning in the year 217. This started a fire.

Much of the Coliseum is made of stone.

But the fire damaged the upper levels.

They were made of wood. This damage

took many years to repair. It was not

finished until the year 240.

The worst damage happened in 1349. A

mighty earthquake shook Rome and the

Coliseum. The south side of the building

collapsed. Pieces of the arena were all

over the ground. Many people took the

fallen stones. Others took stones from the

seating areas. They used them to repair

houses and churches.

A sketch of the Coliseum

The Romans of those days were not

connected to the Coliseum. It had last

been used as a castle. Before that it was

a graveyard. It has been hundreds of

years since the games. The damage to

the Coliseum was never repaired. It's a

good thing the outer wall of it still stands

strong.

Today the Coliseum is one of Rome's most

popular attractions. People from all over

the world come to Italy to see it. The Pope

leads a big march around it every Good

Friday. It is a symbol that many know. It

has even appeared on the back of a

coin. I guess that makes it a symbol that

many people want too.

1. Which happened first?

a. An earthquake damaged the Coliseum.

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b. The Coliseum was struck by lightning.

c. The Coliseum appeared on the back of a coin.

d. The Coliseum was used as a castle.

2. When did the Romans finish building the Coliseum?

a. The year 70 b. The year 523

c. The year 80 d. The year 240

3. What caused the fire that damaged the upper levels of the Coliseum?

a. A bolt of lightning

b. Rowdy people who came to watch the events

c. An attacking army

d. An angry mob

4. For which purpose was the Coliseum not used?

a. People fought other people in it.

b. It was a private castle.

c. People fought animals in it.

d. It was a meeting place for the government.

5. Which caused the most damage to the Coliseum?

a. Fires b. Earthquakes

c. Wars d. Hurricanes

6. What did the people do with the stones that they took from the Coliseum?

a. They repaired buildings. b. They sold them.

c. They used them as weapons. d. They used them as tombstones.

7. Which best defines the word gruesome as it is used in the second paragraph?

a. Exciting b. Funny

c. Horrifying d. Boring

8. Which best describes the main idea in the last paragraph?

a. This is about all the things the Coliseum has been used for throughout history.

b. This is about how the Coliseum is a popular place to visit today.

c. This is about how the Coliseum is a symbol that many people know.

d. This is about how the Coliseum is used today.

9. Which was not a way in which the Coliseum was damaged over the years?

a. Earthquake b. Tornado

c. Lightning d. Fire

10. Which statement would the author most likely agree with?

a. The Coliseum should be replaced with a building that is not damaged.

b. The Coliseum has its place in history but it is not useful today.

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c. The Coliseum should be used for fighting once again.

d. The Coliseum is very old and has been used for many purposes.

Why was the Coliseum repaired after the fire but not after the earthquake? Use the text

in your answer.

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Why did the fire only damage the upper levels of the Coliseum? Refer to the text in your

answer.

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Why is the Coliseum still important today? Use the text in your answer.

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