Exercise 4
In Rome long ago, only the emperor and his family could wear purple. Others were forbidden to wear that color!
1. In this paragraph, the word forbidden means
A. chosen
B. encouraged
C. spoken
D. not allowed
When a whip is snapped, it makes a loud cracking sound. Whips can
accelerate to a speed of more than 700 miles per hour. At that speed a
whip can break the sound barrier.
2. In this paragraph, the word accelerate means
A. maintain
B. go slower
C. speed up
D. remain the same
Surgeons wore white uniforms until 1914. A doctor thought that the white uniform showed too much blood from operations. He wore green instead. Red did not show as much on the green.
3. In this paragraph, the word operations means
A. surgeries
B. oxygen
C. janitors
D. straps
There is only one flock of whooping cranes in the world. These endangered birds live in Canada. They migrate to Texas for the winter. If all the birds in this flock die, the whooping crane will become extinct.
4. In this paragraph, the word endangered means
A. large
B. threatened
C. white
D. Canadian
The tortoise is the animal that lives the longest. The Mauritius tortoise had a life span of 152 years. Some scientists think it lived for 200 years! The Carolina tortoise is found in the United States. Some of these creatures have
lived for 123 years.
5. In this paragraph, the word span means
A. height
B. length
C. weight
D. thirst
What makes popcorn pop? Popcorn kernels are small and hard. There is water within the kernel. When the moisture heats up, it turns to steam. The steam causes the kernel to explode.
6. In this paragraph, the word steam means
A. dry corn
B. melted butter
C. water vapor
D. sea salt
Only one bird can fly backward. It is the tiny hummingbird. The bird flies in front of a flower. It sucks the nectar out of the flower. When it is finished, it simply backs up.
7. In this paragraph, the word backward means
A. in reverse
B. up and down
C. fast
D. like a helicopter
Many people believe that red makes a bull angry and causes him to
attack. They believe that is why a bullfighter waves a red cape, but a bull is
colorblind. It is the motion of the cape that excites the bull. A bullfighter
could wave a white or green cape, and the bull would charge.
8. In this paragraph, the word motion means
A. stopping
B. shaking
C. color
D. red
Exercise 3
Most people like football because it is full of action. But the ball is in motion only 20 percent of the game. The rest of the time is expended in things such
as huddles and time-outs.
1. In this paragraph, the word expended means
A. kicked
B. wished
C. spent
D. saved
You can measure yourself. On bare feet, stand with your back to a wall. Put a thin piece of cardboard across the top of your head and mark where it hits the wall. Run a tape measure from the mark to the floor. Now you know precisely how tall you are.
2. In this paragraph, the word precisely means
A. partly
B. exactly
C. slightly
D. fairly
The rose has long been a sign of secrecy. Hundreds of years ago, people
wore roses behind their ears. It meant that the people wearing the roses had heard something, but would not tell what they had heard.
3. In this paragraph, the word secrecy means
A. riddles
B. talking
C. silence
D. sharing
The squid is a sea animal with 10 tentacles. It uses eight of them to catch its food. The other two are longer. The squid uses them to bring the food to its mouth.
4. In this paragraph, the word tentacles means
A. eyes
B. nets
C. arms
D. heads
How can anybody remain underwater for 10 minutes? Ponder that question no more. Just fill a glass with water. Then hold it over your head for 10 minutes!
5. In this paragraph, the word ponder means
A. swim after
B. think about
C. forget about
D. know of
How do pilots avoid collisions with other planes in the air? The sky is mapped into highways just like the land is. Signals are sent up from control towers to mark these “skyways.” It’s a pilot’s job to listen to the signals.
6. In this paragraph, the word collisions means
A. birds
B. insects
C. crashes
D. tires
The trunk of a tree is made up of annual rings. Each year a new layer of wood grows to form a new ring. You can tell the age of a tree by counting its rings.
7. In this paragraph, the word annual means
A. yearly
B. hard
C. large
D. weekly
The Venus flytrap is a plant that consumes bugs. When there are no bugs, this plant will gladly accept bits of cheese!
8. In this paragraph, the word consumes means
A. eats
B. releases
C. hates
D. grows
Exercise 1
Running is fun. Some people like to run against each other.
Most people prefer to run against themselves. They may try to
run more and more miles each day, or they may try to run for
longer and longer times.
1.In this paragraph, the word prefer means
A. help
B. shop
C. measure
D. like
Many animals live in shell houses, but they get their shells in
different ways. A turtle’s shell is really part of its skeleton. It wears
its bones on the outside. A clam has no bones. It makes its shell
from salt in the ocean.
2. In this paragraph, the word clam means
A. shark
B. small land animal
C. fish
D. kind of sea animal
Babe Ruth was the home-run king for a long time. He hit a record
714 home runs. Ruth played his last game in 1935. Then he retired.
It took almost 40 years for someone to break his record.
3. In this paragraph, the word retired means
A. went to sleep
B. played songs
C. forgot something
D. quit work
There are giant ships more than 700 feet long. These ships were
built to carry tons of wheat from place to place. They have a road
folded up in back. When they get to shore, the road unfolds. The
cargo is moved on and off.
4. In this paragraph, the word cargo means
A. truck
B. load
C. garbage
D. flower
Car builders might make a new kind of car. The car will have a kind
of vision. It will warn you if something is in your way. The car will be
able to see a small child. It will be able to see a wall that is too close
when you are parking.
5. In this paragraph, the word vision means
A. smell
B. sight
C. light
D. window
Sugar arrived in Europe hundreds of years ago. Traders brought it
from the East. At first people used sugar as medicine. It was many
years before people used sugar to make desserts.
6. In this paragraph, the word arrived means
A. read
B. nodded
C. appeared
D. tested
Tears are good for your eyes. They wash away dirt and help keep
germs out of your eyes. Tears bathe your eyes all the time to keep
them from getting too dry.
7. In this paragraph, the word bathe means
A. wash
B. kiss
C. dry
D. lift
The armadillo can swim across a river. It gulps air into its stomach
to make it float. Then it just paddles toward the other side!
8. In this paragraph, the word gulps means
A. heats
B. shakes
C. plows
D. swallows
Exercise 2
Piranhas are fish. They live in South American rivers. These fish
tend to swim in large groups. They will tear the flesh off an animal
or person that gets in the water. In just minutes all that is left is
the skeleton.
1. In this paragraph, the word skeleton means
A. key
B. butter
C. pie
D. bones
A cartoon is a humorous way to tell a story or make a point. A
cartoon can be one drawing or a set of drawings. A cartoon may have
words with the picture, but words aren’t always needed.
2. In this paragraph, the word humorous means
A. dangerous
B. funny
C. thirsty
D. Cozy
Usually Pluto is the planet farthest from the Sun. Not much is
known about this distant planet. It is quite cold there since it is so far
from the Sun. Scientists don’t think that there is any life on Pluto.
3. In this paragraph, the word distant means
A. faraway
B. lucky
C. nearby
D. pleasant
Long ago, vessels crossed the water from northern
Europe to other countries. They carried Viking warriors. At first the
Vikings fought with people. Then the Vikings decided to trade. They
set up many new trade centers.
4. In this paragraph, the word vessels means
A. whales
B. ships
C. bottles
D. horses
The bluebonnet is one flower that really helps bees. A bluebonnet has a white spot on it. After a bee has visited this flower and taken nectar, the white spot turns red. The other bees don’t waste time. They know they will be disappointed if they go to the blue flowers with red spots.
5. In this paragraph, the word disappointed means
A. pretty
B. large
C. hot
D. sorry
The Negev Desert covers half of Israel. The soil in this desert is fertile. People can grow crops there. They use water from a nearby sea. Special hoses spray water on the crops.
6. In this paragraph, the word fertile means
A. rich
B. greedy
C. glad
D. sharp
The Aztecs lived long ago. They were a great tribe. They
built a glorious city. Now this city is known as Mexico City.
7. In this paragraphs the word glorious means
A. foolish
B. corner
C. grand
D. helpless
Plants can be grown without soil. They grow in special water. The water has everything that plants need to grow. This style of farming is called hydroponics. It can bc used in space.
8. In this paragraphs the word style means
A. center
B. rush
C. garden
D. Type