Practice Reading Section
This is the Practice Reading Section.
 
Here is a list with pictures to help you locate the story and article in the Reading Section and Answer Section.
 

Julie’s Race ..................... Click here
 

Outer Space ..................... Click here
 
Directions: It should take about 30–45 minutes to read the passages in this book and answer the 16 questions in the Answer Section. Read each passage, then refer back to it as needed when answering the questions in the Answer Section.
Read the story "Julie’s Race" and then answer Numbers 1 through 8 in the Answer Section.
 

     he dogsled race was about to begin. Julie’s team of dogs was lined up at the starting gate. Julie stood behind them. The air was so cold that she could see her breath. Other teams were lined up, too, and the dogs were excited. Julie kept her eyes on the clock. At exactly ten o’clock, she and the other racers yelled, "Mush!" The dogs knew that meant "Go!" They leapt forward and the race began!

Julie had trained months for this race, and she hoped she and her dogs would win. Hour after hour, day after day, Julie’s dogs pulled the sled in order to get in shape for the race.

Now, they ran over snowy hills and down into frozen valleys. They stopped only to rest and eat. They wanted to stay ahead of the other teams. The racers had to go a thousand miles across Alaska. Alaska is one of the coldest places on Earth. The dogs’ thick fur coats helped keep them warm in the cold wind and weather. In many places along the route, the snow was deep. Pieces of ice were as sharp as a knife. The ice could cut the dogs’ feet. To keep that from happening, Julie had put special booties on their feet.

At first, the dogs seemed to pull the sled very slowly. They were still getting used to the race. But on the third day out, they began to pull more quickly. They worked as a team and passed many of the other racers. Once, one of the sled’s runners slid into a hole and broke. Julie could have given up then, but she didn't. She fixed it and they kept going.

When they finally reached the finish line, they found out that they had come in first place! It was a great day for Julie and her dogs.

Now proceed to the Answer Section below.



Read the article "Outer Space" and then answer Numbers 9 through 16 in the Answer Section.
 

     From far out in space, Earth looks like a blue ball. Since water covers three-fourths of the Earth’s surface, blue is the color we see most. The continents look brown, like small islands floating in the huge, blue sea. White clouds wrap around the Earth like a light blanket. The Earth is shaped like a sphere, or a ball. It is 25,000 miles around! It would take more than a year to walk around the whole planet. A spaceship can fly around the widest part of the sphere in only 90 minutes.

Even though spaceships have traveled to the Moon, people cannot visit the Moon without special suits. The Moon has no air or water. Plants and animals can’t live there either. Astronauts first landed on the Moon in 1969. After that, there were six more trips to the Moon. They brought back Moon rocks, which scientists are still studying. There are holes, or craters, all over the Moon’s surface. Scientists believe that meteorites smashed into the Moon millions of years ago and formed the craters.

The Sun is the closest star to Earth. A star is a hot ball of burning gas. The Sun looks very big because it is so close. But the Sun is just a medium-sized star. Billions of far-away stars are much bigger than our Sun. The burning gases from the Sun are so hot that they warm the Earth from 93 million miles away! Even though the Sun is always glowing, the night here on Earth is dark. That’s because the Earth rotates, or turns around, every 24 hours. During the day, the Earth faces the Sun. Then we see light. During the night, the Earth turns away from the Sun. Then it faces the darkness of space.

Each day we learn more about the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun.

Now proceed to the Answer Section below.


Practice Reading Test Answer Section
 


This is your Practice Reading Test Answer Section. The questions in this section are based on the story and article in your practice Reading Section (above). You may go back to the Reading Section to help you answer the questions.

Now answer Numbers 1 through 8. Base your answers on the story "Julie’s Race."

The author of "Julie’s Race" wrote the story in order to

  describe how dogs stay warm in cold weather.
tell about a dogsled race.
explain how cold it can be in winter.
entertain the reader with funny stories about dogs.
 
Where does the dogsled race take place?
  in Antarctica
on a track
in Alaska
 in a field


What happened BEFORE the dogs began running?

  The dogs pulled the sled slowly.
Julie and the dogs lined up at the starting gate.
The runner on Julie’s sled broke.
The dogs pulled the sled over hills and into valleys.
 

  Read this sentence from the story.
  Julie’s team of dogs was lined up at the starting gate.
 
What does team mean?
 
friends and family
to join together
many dogs
a group working together
 

Why did Julie and her dogs win the race?
 
Use the story to explain your answer.



Why don’t the dogs freeze in the cold weather?

  Julie puts special booties on their feet.
They sleep by the fire at night.
Their thick fur coats keep them warm.
It doesn’t get very cold in Alaska.
 

  Read this sentence from the story.
  The dogs’ thick fur coats helped keep them warm in the cold wind and weather.
 
What does thick mean?
 
thin
hard
fat
skinny
 

What kind of person is Julie?

  Use the story to help explain your answer.



  Proceed to the next reading: "Outer Space"


Practice Reading Test Answer Section
 


This is your Practice Reading Test Answer Section. The questions in this section are based on the story and article in your practice Reading Section (above). You may go back to the Reading Section to help you answer the questions.

Now answer Numbers 9 through 16. Base your answers on the article "Outer Space."

Why is blue the color we see most when looking at Earth from outer space?

  Because most of the Earth is covered in land.
Because the Sun’s rays make the Earth look blue.
Because most of the Earth is covered in water.
Because clouds wrap around the Earth.

  Read this sentence from the story.
  Scientists believe that meteorites smashed into the Moon millions of years ago and formed the craters.
 
What does formed mean?
 
hit
made
broke
stopped
 

Write one fact and one opinion from the article that tells what the Earth looks like from outer space.
 



What causes daylight on Earth?

  The full Moon causes daylight.
Daylight is caused by the Earth facing away from the Sun.
The heat of the Sun’s rays causes daylight.
Daylight is caused by the Earth facing toward the Sun.

Which of the following sentences BEST describes the Sun?

  
  The Sun looks small because it is so far from Earth.
The Sun is a ball of burning gases that gives the Earth heat and light.
The Sun is a small star.
The Sun is not as hot as it looks.
 
Why did the astronauts bring rocks back from the Moon?

  
  Because they didn’t know if they would return to the Moon ever again.
Because they wanted to prove that they went to the Moon.
Because they wanted to remember how the Moon looked.
Because they wanted to study them and learn more about the Moon.
 
Describe some of the things we know about the moon.
  Use the article to help support your answer.



What is the main idea of the article?

  
  Plants and animals can’t live on the Moon.
Without the Sun we would have no heat or light.
We know a lot about the Earth, Moon, and Sun, but there is still more to learn.
From outer space, the Earth looks tiny, even though it is thousands of miles around.
 
This is the end of the Practice Test.
You may go back and check or finish questions you did not answer. Check your time so you stop or finish when the time is up. When you are done click on the submit button. You will be able to print your answers.
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