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ELA 4th. Winter Benchmark. 2016 [789452]StudentClassDate

Read the following and answer the questions below:

Spiders, Spiders, Spiders!

Spiders, Spiders, Spiders!Have you ever walked into a spider web? Do you ever see spiders scurrying across the floor or up the stalk of a plant? Spiders are all over the world and many of them are in your own backyard. Spiders are varied in their looks and habits. It is interesting to learn about different kinds of spiders.

Trap-Door Spiders are large, hairy, and harmless. They burrow in the ground and make nests. They spin silk made from spinnerets in their body to line the burrow. The entrance to the burrow is made like a trap door. This hides the spider’s lair. The Trap-Door Spider then hides in the doorway, waiting there so he can catch unsuspecting ants and insects. These spiders make their nests in groups.

Funnel-web Spiders make funnel-shaped webs to trap insects. The web is made of dried silk. The back of the web has the funnel-shaped area where the spider hides. These spiders are very shy and stay in the funnel-shaped opening until they are alerted that something is caught in the web. Insects that crawl or fly into the web get caught on the sticky surface. The spider feels the vibration, runs to the prey and bites it several times. It then wraps its victim in silk and takes it into the funnel. These spiders lay eggs in a sac and live for about a year.Jumping Spiders are found all over the world. They are usually less than 2 centimeters long. They get their name from their ability to

ELA 4th. Winter Benchmark. 2016 /27

jump 10 to 40 times their body length. These spiders are brightly colored and have stout bodies and short legs. They hunt in the daylight. The Jumping Spider crawls to within a few feet of its prey. It then crouches and pounces on the insects and web building spiders upon which it feeds.No matter where you live, spiders are part of your habitat. They all have different adaptations that allow them to live and catch food. Learning about them helps us understand and appreciate them.

1. How does the funnel-web spider use its web to catch prey?

A. It pulls the prey into its silk-lined home.

B. Its prey sticks to the surface of its home.

C. Its prey is tricked into the back of its funnel-web.

D. It hides from its prey in its funnel-shaped opening.

2. Based on paragraph 4, what is the meaning of “crouches and

pounces”?

A. to live and catch food

B. to learn about and like


C. to bend low and jump on

D. to have fat bodies and small legs

3. Based on the last paragraph, what are adaptations?

A. places where an animal lives

B. surprising facts about an animal

C. parts of an animal’s body that form webs for silk

D. changes in an animal that helps it survive in its environment

4. How does a Funnel-web Spider know something is caught in its

web?

A. by the way the web is formed

B. by the eggs laid inside the web

C. by the amount of sticky silk in the web’s wide opening

D. by the vibration the web’s silk makes when something hits it

5. In paragraph 3, which could replace victim?


A. web

B. eggs

C. prey

D. spider

6. According to the selection, what is the purpose of the spiders’

adaptations?

A. to be able to build nests

B. to catch food and survive

C. to help people appreciate them

D. to help people understand them

7. Why is it significant that the Funnel-web Spider hides in the back

of its web?

A. It shows that it is shy.


B. It shows it wraps victims in silk.

C. It shows that it lays eggs in a sac.

D. It shows that it lives for about a year.


Foreign Lands

Foreign Landsby Robert Louis Stevenson

Up into the cherry tree

Who should climb but little me?

I held the trunk with both my hands

And looked abroad on foreign lands.

5I saw the next door garden lie,

Adorned with flowers, before my eye,

And many pleasant places more


That I had never seen before.

I saw the dimpling river pass10

And be the sky’s blue looking-glass;

The dusty roads go up and down

With people tramping in to town.

If I could find a higher tree

Farther and farther I should see,15

To where the grown-up river slips

Into the sea among the ships,

To where the roads on either hand

Lead onward into fairyland,

Where all the children dine at five20

And all the playthings come alive.

Project Gutenberg, 2006. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19722 (02/20/2013).

8. Based on the poem, what are “foreign lands” in line 4?

A. lands not yet heard of


B. lands that do not exist

C. lands not yet traveled to

D. lands that cannot be seen

9. Which can the speaker actually see?

A. ships, dusty roads, people

B. a garden, a river, dusty roads

C. a river, ships, living playthings

D. people, living playthings, a garden

10. What does the speaker need in order to see into fairyland?

A. a ship

B. a river

C. a higher tree

D. a looking-glass


11. Which line from the poem suggests the speaker is creative?

A. “Up into the cherry tree”

B. “I saw the next door garden lie,”

C. “I saw the dimpling river pass”

D. “And all the playthings come alive.”

12. Based on the selection, which conclusion can be drawn about the

tree?

A. It is tall, but not as tall as the speaker would like.

B. Only little children can climb its branches.

C. It is the only thing in the speaker’s yard.

D. Only gardens can be seen from it.

13. What is the meaning of tramping in line 12?

A. flyin


g

B. moving

C. walking

D. jumping


Manitou and The Squirrels

Manitou and The Squirrelsby Ida Coe and Alice J. Christie

“Please tell me one more story about the great Manitou, Grandmother,” begged the little Indian boy.The grandmother liked to tell stories to the boy. She sat down facing him and told him the story of the great Manitou and the squirrels.This was the story she told:

Once upon a time, there was scarcely any food to be found. The great Manitou and his wife had fasted for many days, and they were very hungry.“We must have meat,” said Manitou.Then he thought of a plan.He lifted his bow and aimed a magic arrow through the door of the


wigwam.*

The arrow sped onward in the forest, until it passed through the body of a bear. It held the bear fast to a tree.Manitou and his wife went into the forest together. There they found the bear.Then Manitou said, “We will have a feast and invite our friends.”The birds and beasts were glad to accept the invitation. A large company arrived.The woodpecker was the first to taste the food. He began to eat greedily, for he was very hungry.When he put the meat into his mouth, it turned to ashes.

The woodpecker began to cough. “This is very impolite; I must not let Manitou hear me cough,” thought he.The fox was the next to taste the meat. It turned to ashes, and he began to cough.All the other guests began to cough as soon as they had tasted the meat. They tried very hard not to let Manitou hear them.They kept on tasting, but the more they tasted, the harder they coughed.At last Manitou became very angry.“I will make you remember this,” said he.In an instant, the woodpecker, the fox, and all the other guests had disappeared. In their place were many squirrels, running up and down the trees and coughing as squirrels always do when taken by surprise.To this day, squirrels do not eat meat, but instead they nibble acorns and nuts.“If you have sharp eyes,” added the grandmother, “you will find hollow places in the trees, where the squirrels hide their acorns and nuts.”*wigwam: a hut used by some tribes of American Indians, usually having an arched frame of poles covered with bark, rush mats, or


hides; somewhat similar to a round tent.

Project Gutenberg, 2004. http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/sthr310h.htm (02/20/2013).

14. According to details in the selection, why were Manitou and his wife very hungry?

A. They had a great feast.

B. They did not have meat.

C. They had fasted for many days.

D. They had meat that turned to ashes.

15. According to the selection, what caused Manitou to get angry

near the end of the story?

A. The guests ate all of the food.

B. The guests disappeared during dinner.

C. The guests were coughing while eating.

D. The guests were scared away by the squirrels.


16. According to details in the selection, what can be inferred about why the guests disappeared?

A. Manitou was so angry with the guests’ rude behavior that he turned them into squirrels.

B. The guests were afraid to tell Manitou that they disliked the food, so they left the feast quickly.

C. The guests ate the meat too quickly and did not save any for Manitou, so he turned them into squirrels.

D. Manitou was so upset that the guests would not stop coughing that he asked them to leave immediately.

17. According to the selection, which word describes the

woodpecker?

A. polite

B. greedy

C. satisfied

D. surprised


18. Based on details in the selection, which statement describes the great Manitou?

A. a bear with a magic bow and arrow

B. a hunter who cannot find his wigwam

C. a hungry woodpecker with bad manners

D. a leader who provides food for his friends

19. Which detail from the selection shows that the Manitou was angry

with his friends?

A. “ ‘We must have meat,’ said Manitou.”

B. “Then he thought of a plan.”

C. “He began to eat greedily, for he was very hungry.”

D. “ ‘I will make you remember this,’ said he.”

20. Which detail from the selection shows that the grandmother

believes the story of the Manitou and the squirrels is true?

A. She liked to tell stories to her grandson.

B. The great Manitou had a magic bow and arrow.


C. She told the boy that he could find the squirrels’ acorns and nuts hidden in trees.

D. The great Manitou became angry at his friends when they coughed on the food at the feast.


North Carolina Lighthouses

North Carolina LighthousesThe Outer Banks are a 200-mile string of barrier islands* off the North Carolina coast. They are home to seven beautiful old lighthouses. Ships needed the lighthouses to navigate the dangerous waters near the North Carolina coast. People called the area the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” because of its many shipwrecks.During the Civil War, North Carolina was part of the Confederacy. The Confederates disabled all of the lights in the lighthouses so the Union army could not use them for navigation.The Currituck Beach Lighthouse was the last brick lighthouse built on the Outer Banks. The Civil War delayed its construction.Bodie Island may have originally been called “Body” Island. Many victims of shipwrecks washed up on its shore. The federal government built the current Bodie Island Lighthouse in 1872. There were two previous lighthouses on the island. The first had a light that did not work properly. The Confederates blew up the second one during the Civil War. They did not want the Union army to use it.


The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the world’s largest brick lighthouse. The world’s tallest lighthouse is in Japan. It is made of metal and is 331 feet tall. The original Cape Hatteras Lighthouse had major problems with erosion. The current lighthouse replaced it. It was built further inland. Due to even more wearing away of the shoreline, the ocean waves often came all the way up to the new lighthouse. For that reason, it was moved further inland in 1999.Ocracoke Island was made famous by Blackbeard the Pirate, who used it as a hideout. Lightning destroyed its first lighthouse. Its current lighthouse, which is relatively small, is the second oldest lighthouse that has been in continuous use in the United States.People must travel by boat to reach Cape Lookout’s Lighthouse. It replaced the cape’s first lighthouse, which had a bad light and many cracks. It was very important during the Civil War. The area around it served as a military stronghold, an area that is strongly defended.The oldest lighthouse in North Carolina is the one on Bald Head Island. It is called “Old Baldy.” People can get to it on a ferryboat.The Oak Island Lighthouse was one of the last lighthouses to be built along the United States coast. It has one of the most powerful lights in the world. Its three different-colored outer sections are made from three different types of concrete.North Carolina Lighthouses – Important Information

Lighthouse Name Year Built Height Number of Steps

Currituck Beach 1875 162 feet 214 steps

Bodie Island 1872 156 feet 214 steps

Cape Hatteras 1870 198 feet 257 steps

Ocracoke 1823 65 feet unknown

Cape Lookout 1859 163 feet 216 steps

Bald Head Island 1817 110 feet 107 steps

Oak Island 1958 158 feet 134 ladder steps

*barrier islands: narrow islands that are parallel to the coast


21. What conclusion can be drawn from the chart?

A. Most of North Carolina’s lighthouses are over one hundred years old.

B. Most of North Carolina's lighthouses are a favorite for tourists.

C. Most of North Carolina’s lighthouses are in need of repair.

D. Most of North Carolina’s lighthouses are still being used.

22. Based on the chart, which of North Carolina’s seven lighthouses

is the oldest?

A. Ocracoke

B. Oak Island

C. Cape Lookout

D. Bald Head Island


23. Why did the Confederates disable the lighthouse lights during the

Civil War?

A. so the Union army would not be able to use them

B. because there were problems to get them to work

C. because there were serious problems with erosion

D. so the Union army could not use them as hideouts

24. Which describes why Ocracoke Island is famous?

A. Its lighthouses were used as hideouts.

B. Lightning destroyed its first lighthouse.

C. Blackbeard the Pirate used it as a hideout.

D. It has the second oldest lighthouse in the United States.

25. How does the chart support the information in the text?

A. by alphabetizing the lighthouses and providing their year built

B. by ordering the lighthouses by height and location on the


coast

C. by providing the year built and the number of steps for the lighthouses

D. by organizing the names and the material used to build the lighthouses

26. Why did the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse need to be moved in

1999?

A. It had too many cracks near the bottom of it.

B. Erosion caused the shoreline near it to wear away.

C. The light was too weak to help anyone on the sea.

D. There were too many shipwrecks that happened near it.

27. What information does the chart provide that the text does not?

A. the names of each lighthouse

B. the number of steps the lighthouses have

C. the year the Bodie Island lighthouse was built

D. the height of the tallest lighthouse in the world



Summer Vacation: Before and Now

Summer Vacation: Before and Now

Summer vacation is expected in schools of today. Many children finish the school year in May and do not start school again until September. Some students have shorter summer vacations and longer breaks during the fall and summer. Most, however, start school in August and finish the school year in early June.

How did this practice of summer vacation start? No one really knows. Some think it started years ago when most Americans lived on farms. Children were needed to help with farm work during the summer. This, however, is not quite accurate. Many farm children attended school from December to March. Then they took a short break from school to help with the spring planting. They returned to school in May and continued with their school work until August. Then it was time to help with the family harvest, and store crops for winter.

In some rural areas, children attended school for only a few months each year. The local governments did not have enough money to pay teachers for more than seven or eight months each year. In some places, both parents worked in factories. Children in these families often went to school for eleven months each year. The school provided a safe place for the children to stay while their parents worked.Summer vacation may have come about in the last century. Summers in the city were hot and miserable. In order to escape the


unpleasant city summers, wealthy families had summer homes in the country. Mothers, children, and servants often spent several months at these summer homes.

Some school systems have tried to do away with long summer vacations. They have tried having year-round schools. In a year-round school, summer breaks are only a few weeks long. There are also breaks of 2-3 weeks in fall and spring. Many educators think that students forget too many things during the summer. If students have a shorter summer vacation, it is easier for them to get started back into the school routine in the fall. However, year-round school is not common in the United States.No matter how summer vacation got started, it is a part of American life. Today, children and teachers look forward to it. People resist changing it. It will probably be around for a long time.

28. Based on the context of the last paragraph, what does “resist changing” tell about people’s feelings toward summer vacation?

A. They do not want to lose it.

B. They do not want to begin it.

C. They think it should go away.

D. They think it should be longer.

29. Based on the context of paragraph 5, what is a routine?


A. shorter summer break

B. things that are done regularly

C. activities during summer break

D. vacation for families and students

30. Which sentence from the selection supports the author’s belief

that children helping with farm work was not the cause of summer vacation?

A. Many farm children attended school from December to March.

B. Then they took a short break from school to help with the spring planting.

C. They returned to school in May and continued with their school work until August.

D. Then it was time to help with the family harvest, and store crops for winter.

31. Which detail from the selection supports why people resist

changing the traditional summer vacation?


A. Children and teachers look forward to a break.

B. Children are expected to help with farm work.

C. Children spend time at their country homes.

D. Children’s parents are too busy working.

32. Based on paragraph 2, what is a “family harvest”?

A. a group of farmers in the same family

B. a gathering of family members for a meal

C. the practice of bringing family crops to school

D. the picking and gathering of crops on the family farm

33. Why does the author say that summer vacation is a part of

“American life”?

A. to show that summer vacation has been around for a long time

B. to show that summer vacation is paid for by local government

C. to tell where summer vacation occurs in the world


D. to tell where summer vacation was invented

34. How does the author support the idea that year-round schools

are better for students?

A. by including information about summer vacation homes

B. by including educators’ opinions about summer vacation

C. by describing the need for children to work on family farms

D. by describing reasons people don’t want to change summer vacation


Clouds

CloudsEvery time we look up in the sky we see clouds. Sometimes they are light and pretty and sometimes they are dark and a little threatening. No matter what kind they are, clouds can help us predict what the weather will be. With just a little practice, you can be an amateur meteorologist (weatherman).First, we need to know how clouds form. Let’s begin with the water


cycle. The sun warms Earth and the water in lakes, rivers, streams, and ocean. As the water warms, some of it evaporates, or turns to water vapor. This water vapor goes into the air. As it gets higher in the air, it cools. The cooled water vapor condenses, or goes together, to form clouds. If the water vapor in these clouds gets heavy enough, it will fall back to Earth as precipitation.There are several types of clouds, and each of them signal a different weather condition. Cumulus clouds are the big puffy ones that often look like cotton balls in the sky. If they form low in the sky, they bring fair weather. However, if they form higher in the sky, they can bring showers and thunderstorms. Stratus clouds are low clouds that blanket the entire sky. They seem to cover the sky and make the day dark and dreary. Often these clouds bring long periods of light rain or snow. Cirrus clouds are the barely-there clouds that float along in the sky. They look like white feathers. These clouds bring pleasant weather.Nimbus is the Latin word for rain. If the word nimbus is added to any of these cloud types that means that the cloud will bring rain. For instance, nimbostratus clouds often bring continually falling rain. Cumulonimbus clouds produce thunder storms. These storms bring rain, although it doesn’t last very long.Now you can see that when you look at clouds in the sky, you are really looking at the weather! Next time you look at the clouds, try to predict what the weather is going to be.

35. How does the author show the process of the water cycle?

A. by stating that clouds can predict weather

B. by giving examples of different types of clouds

C. by providing details about amounts of rainfall and


snowfall

D. by describing the order in which evaporation, condensation, and precipitation occur

36. How does the author support the idea that cumulus clouds can

bring different types of weather?

A. “However, if they form higher in the sky, they can bring showers and thunderstorms.”

B. “They seem to cover the sky and make the day dark and dreary.”

C. “They look like white feathers.”

D. “These clouds bring pleasant weather.”

37. How does warm temperature affect water?

A. Water increases in volume.

B. Water becomes thinner.

C. Water turns into vapor.

D. Water becomes


heavy.

38. Which causes water vapor to condense?

A. a downward motion

B. a decrease in temperature

C. not enough moisture in the air

D. dry conditions around lakes and oceans

39. Which explains how clouds are formed?

A. Water vapor gets heavy and falls to Earth.

B. Cool vapor goes high in the air and then warms.

C. Warmed water vapor cools and collects together.

D. The sun warms water, causing it to evaporate and cool.

40. Which sentence from the selection supports the idea that “clouds

can help us predict what the weather will be”?

A. “With just a little practice, you can be an amateur


meteorologist (weatherman).”

B. “If the water vapor in these clouds gets heavy enough, it will fall back to Earth as precipitation.”

C. “There are several types of clouds, and each of them signal a different weather condition.”

D. “These storms bring rain, although it doesn’t last very long.”


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