Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Modified

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1 Name Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Modified Reading Item Sampler Grade 8 ITEM SAMPLERS ARE NOT SECURE TEST MATERIALS. THIS ITEM SAMPLER TEST BOOK MAY BE COPIED OR DUPLICATED. 18 Point

2 State of Minnesota Copyright Minnesota Department of Education Roseville, MN

3 Reading Test General Directions This test contains four segments. You may take notes and highlight in this test book or use scratch paper. All answers must be marked in this test book. Read each passage, article, or poem, and answer the questions. For each question, choose the answer you think is best. This test has multiple-choice questions. Answer each question by circling your answer. The sample shows how to do this. Sample Question Answered in Test Book: In the article, what does the word sprout mean? A. To dig B. To weed C. To grow When you nish a segment of the test, stop and check your answers. Then use the sticker given to you to seal it. Once you seal a segment, you cannot go back to it. Each segment must be sealed before you move on to the next segment. 3 STOP

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5 Put sticker here 1 Segment 1 You will be told when to begin this segment. 5

6 1 6

7 Reading Test Segment 1 1 Maple Syrup Buckets This poem is about Mr. Wells who makes maple syrup and honey. Sometimes it takes a special kind of person like Mr. Wells to work with nature. Read the poem and answer questions 1 7. The questions appear at the end of the poem. Some questions may ask you about certain lines in this poem. The lines are numbered on the left side. ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 7

8 1 Maple Syrup Buckets by Ralph Fletcher 1 At the edge of Mr. Wells s woods I count eighteen rusty buckets hanging from maple trees. In these parts it s a known fact 5 that Mr. Wells has never smiled in fact hardly speaks at all though he once explained to me why it takes forty gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup 10 which made me wonder if maybe he requires forty hours of silence to make a single hour of talk. He keeps bees, too: succulent honey. Strange that such a sour man should 15 produce all that sweetness. ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 8

9 1 Use the whole poem to answer questions According to lines 10 12, how does Mr. Wells spend most of his time? A. Thinking quietly B. Making decisions C. Talking with others 2. What is the main idea of the poem? A. An observer discusses maple syrup with a shy person. B. A local business produces sweets from maple syrup. C. A private man makes maple syrup and honey. 3. What do others think about Mr. Wells? A. He works hard. B. He needs support. C. He acts grumpy. ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 9

10 1 4. What is the most likely reason the poet wrote the poem? A. To explain how to collect sap B. To reflect on a neighbor C. To describe a local business 5. Who is the speaker of the poem? A. Someone who enjoys meeting people B. Someone who makes maple syrup C. Someone who lives close to the woods 6. Which word describes a trait of Mr. Wells s personality? A. Patient B. Helpful C. Careless 7. Which word describes the tone of the poem? A. Hostile B. Thoughtful C. Depressing ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 10

11 1 Short Paragraph Vocabulary Questions Questions 8 9 each follow a short paragraph. Read each paragraph and answer the questions. The first book Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated was And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. This book became a classic, but it did not start out that way. Dr. Seuss had to be persistent to see his book in print, because it was rejected 27 times before he found a company that would publish it. 8. What does persistent mean? A. Cautious B. Nervous C. Determined Bird-watchers enjoy learning as much as possible about many types of birds. They study the features of the bodies of the birds. These observers identify species of birds by differences in the plumage. In most bird species, males are more colorful than females. 9. What does plumage mean? A. Nests B. Songs C. Feathers ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 11

12 Put sticker here This is the end of Segment 1. Check your work. Then seal this segment. 12 STOP

13 Put sticker here Segment 2 You will be told when to begin this segment. 13

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15 Reading Test Segment 2 Potato Chip Mystery This article is about the invention of potato chips, one of the most popular snack foods in the world. At the time potato chips were invented, no one knew they would become a favorite food. We do not know for certain who invented the potato chip, but there are two legends about the origin of the crispy snack. 2 Read the article and answer questions The questions appear in boxes inserted in the article and at the end of the article. Some questions may ask you about certain paragraphs. The paragraphs are numbered on the left side. ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 15

16 Potato Chip Mystery by Leslie Simpkins 1 Potato chips are a favorite snack in the United States. Every year, over six billion dollars worth of potato chips are sold. But how did the potato chip get its start? 2 In 1853, the potato chip was invented in Saratoga Springs, New York, at Moon s Lake House, a fancy restaurant. That much is clear. However, there are two different stories about who invented the potato chip. 2 3 According to one local legend, the potato chip was invented by George Speck, also known as George Crum. George worked as a chef at Moon s Lake House. One day, a customer sent his order of French fries back to the kitchen, saying that the fries were too thick. George was an ornery man, and he wanted to play a trick on the customer for complaining. George sliced the French fries so they were paper thin, and then he fried them in boiling oil so they were thin and crisp. The customer loved the delicious, crunchy potatoes. 10. Which detail from the article supports that potato chips are a favorite snack in the United States? A. Potato chips were first served in Saratoga Springs. B. Six billion dollars worth of potato chips are sold each year. C. Potato chips were invented in In paragraph 3, which word is a synonym for ornery? A. Irritable B. Wild C. Dependable ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 16

17 12. What was a surprise to George? A. The restaurant ran out of potatoes. B. The potatoes were as thin as paper. C. The customer liked the crisp potatoes. 4 The second local legend says that the potato chip was invented by Kate Speck Wicks, who was George s sister and worked with him in the kitchen at Moon s Lake House. One day, while Kate was cutting potatoes, she accidentally dropped one of the thin pieces of potato into a pan of hot oil that was meant for frying doughnuts. George took out the piece of potato and tasted it. He liked it, and the discovery was put on the menu as crispy Saratoga Chips How did George and Kate know each other? A. They were brother and sister. B. They went to the same cooking school. C. They invented doughnuts together. 14. Based on the local legend about Kate Wicks, how did she discover the potato chip? A. She heard a story. B. She saw it on a menu. C. She made a mistake. 5 No matter who invented the potato chip, George or Kate, the two stories come together at Moon s Lake House, where potato chips became a regular item on the menu. Potato chips were soon served at restaurants all around the Saratoga Springs area. Eventually, potato chips spread to restaurants across the country. ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 17

18 6 The identity of the inventor of the potato chip remains a mystery. However, the potato chip lives on, served in restaurants and available for purchase at stores in the United States and in other countries as well. 15. What does identity mean in paragraph 6? A. Age B. Name C. Location 2 ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 18

19 Use the whole article to answer question What is the purpose of this article? A. To encourage people to eat more potato chips B. To provide information about the history of potato chips C. To explain how to make potato chips 2 ITEM SAMPLER MAY BE DUPLICATED. 19

20 Put sticker here This is the end of Segment 2. Check your work. Then seal this segment. 20 STOP

21 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Reproduction of these passages was granted by permission from the following: Maple Syrup Buckets by Ralph Fletcher. From ORDINARY THINGS: Poems from a Walk in Early Spring by Ralph Fletcher. Copyright 1997 Ralph Fletcher. Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Used by permission of Marian Reiner from the author. Potato Chip Mystery by Leslie Simpkins. 21

22 ITEM SAMPLERS ARE NOT SECURE TEST MATERIALS. THIS ITEM SAMPLER TEST BOOK MAY BE COPIED OR DUPLICATED. Grade 8 MCA-Modified Reading Item Sampler 18pt

INVENTORS AND THEIR INVENTIONS WITH A SPECIAL BE AN INVENTOR UNIT

A RESEARCH-AND-LEARN BOOK INVENTORS AND THEIR INVENTIONS WITH A SPECIAL BE AN INVENTOR UNIT Written by Vowery Carlile Illustrated by Karen Birchak The purchase of this book entitles the individual teacher