rskills® progress monitoring test...

Test 9b

rBook Flex II

NAME: DATE:

rSkills Test 9b, page

rSkills Progress Monitoring®

DIRECTIONS: This is a reading test. Follow the directions for each partof the test, and choose the best answer to each question.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

1

Sample .A Yanna put her books on the desk and sat down. Ms. Miller was writing on the board as the rest of the students walked in.

Where does this story take place?at a restaurantat a factoryin a schoolin a classroom

Sample .B Which word best completes the sentence?The students closed their books and sat _______.

quieterquietlyquietedquietest

See Answer Key at end of test.

Go on to the next page to begin the test.TM ® & © Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

rBook Flex IIrSkills Test 9b, page 2

ComprehensionRead the following article and editorial. Then answer questions 1–5.

Catching Up With the MolinasWhen Gladys Matta de Molina looks out her front window, she can see the

baseball field at Jesus Rivera Park. When she looks the other way—toward onewall of her home in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico—her three famous sons, Bengie,Jose, and Yadier, stare back from picture frames. The Molina home itself is alandmark in this small town of less than 40,000 people. It was here that anamazing dream came true—not for one son, but for three. All three Molinas havebecome famous as Major League Baseball players in the United States.

Eighteen families have produced trios of Major League brothers, but nonehas featured three catchers. The Molinas are also the only trio in which all threeplayers have won World Series rings.

How did these brothers accomplish such an improbable feat? Most peoplebelieve it began with the family’s father, Benjamin Molina, Sr., who played inPuerto Rico’s Superior League. When his oldest son Bengie was nine, Molina,Sr., decided to focus his attention on coaching his sons. According to thebrothers, that focus was intense.

Eventually, Jose caught the eye of a scout from the Los Angeles Angels. Meanwhile, Bengie was playing very well in a local league with a strong .400batting average. So when the scout showed up to arrange Jose’s tryout, Mrs.Molina, who had collected newspaper articles about Bengie, waved them in thescout’s face, insisting that he deserved a tryout, too.

Actually, Bengie ended up being the first of the brothers to turnprofessional, signing with the Angels in 1993. Two weeks later, the ChicagoCubs drafted Jose. Yadier, following in his brothers’ footsteps, was drafted in2000 by the Cardinals. That all three Molina brothers became catchers isparticularly amazing, and all three became important leaders on their teams.

In 2008, the brothers suffered a personal tragedy. On October 11 of thatyear, Benjamin Molina, Sr., died of a heart attack while tending the baseball fieldhe built for his hometown.

In his final blog entry of the 2009 season, Bengie gave tribute to his father.Playing with the San Francisco Giants at the time, Bengie had never reached hisgoal of hitting 20 home runs in one season. He recalled that, not long before hedied, his father assured him that it would happen. After he died, Bengie made him a silent promise to reach the goal. His twentieth home run came on aWednesday late in the season. Rounding the bases, Bengie felt an incrediblesense of relief. When he stepped on home plate, he looked up at the heavens andsaid to his father, “Hey, I did it. You were right. I did it.”

Time for a Change

Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in America find new players in a fewdifferent ways, but the main source is a system known as the draft. Players whoplay baseball in high school or college in the United States or Canada become eligible to play professionally in the major leagues. Every June, the owners andgeneral managers of MLB teams meet and choose the players they want on their teams. Those players are then drafted onto the team and offered a contract.

This system seems to work well for American- and Canadian-born playersand those who go to American schools. But what about all of the good playerswho don’t fall into one of these categories? Those players are not listed in thedraft, and they cannot be drafted in the same way. But why shouldn’t they beeligible to play?

In recent years, more and more MLB players are not American-born, andmany of them never attend college. Today, for example, almost 30 percent of allprofessional players in MLB are Latino. They come from the DominicanRepublic, Venezuela, Cuba, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, and other countries ofthe Caribbean Basin. In 2009, there were 18 MLB players from Japan. Therewere six players born in Taiwan. Others came from Germany, Denmark, Ireland,and Australia. The demographics in MLB have changed.

The time has come for a change. Major League Baseball should create aworldwide draft that allows players from any country to be eligible for MLB.Any baseball player with the required skills and enough experience should beable to enter the draft and be considered by the pros—regardless of where theplayer was born or his level of education. This would make the system fair to alland would more adequately reflect the fact that players are drawn from all overthe world, not just American colleges.

The world is changing, and MLB should keep up.

GO ONTM ® & © Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.


When Gladys Matta de Molina looks out her front window, she can see thebaseball field at Jesus Rivera Park. When she looks the other way—toward onewall of her home in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico—her three famous sons, Bengie,Jose, and Yadier, stare back from picture frames. The Molina home itself is alandmark in this small town of less than 40,000 people. It was here that an amazing dream came true—not for one son, but for three. All three Molinas havebecome famous as Major League Baseball players in the United States.


How did these brothers accomplish such an improbable feat? Most peoplebelieve it began with the family’s father, Benjamin Molina, Sr., who played inPuerto Rico’s Superior League. When his oldest son Bengie was nine, Molina, Sr., decided to focus his attention on coaching his sons. According to thebrothers, that focus was intense.

Eventually, Jose caught the eye of a scout from the Los Angeles Angels.Meanwhile, Bengie was playing very well in a local league with a strong .400batting average. So when the scout showed up to arrange Jose’s tryout, Mrs.Molina, who had collected newspaper articles about Bengie, waved them in thescout’s face, insisting that he deserved a tryout, too.



In his final blog entry of the 2009 season, Bengie gave tribute to his father.Playing with the San Francisco Giants at the time, Bengie had never reached hisgoal of hitting 20 home runs in one season. He recalled that, not long before hedied, his father assured him that it would happen. After he died, Bengie made him a silent promise to reach the goal. His twentieth home run came on a Wednesday late in the season. Rounding the bases, Bengie felt an incrediblesense of relief. When he stepped on home plate, he looked up at the heavens andsaid to his father, “Hey, I did it. You were right. I did it.”

Time for a Change

Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in America find new players in a fewdifferent ways, but the main source is a system known as the draft. Players whoplay baseball in high school or college in the United States or Canada becomeeligible to play professionally in the major leagues. Every June, the owners andgeneral managers of MLB teams meet and choose the players they want on theirteams. Those players are then drafted onto the team and offered a contract.

This system seems to work well for American- and Canadian-born playersand those who go to American schools. But what about all of the good playerswho don’t fall into one of these categories? Those players are not listed in thedraft, and they cannot be drafted in the same way. But why shouldn’t they be eligible to play?


The time has come for a change. Major League Baseball should create aworldwide draft that allows players from any country to be eligible for MLB.Any baseball player with the required skills and enough experience should beable to enter the draft and be considered by the pros—regardless of where theplayer was born or his level of education. This would make the system fair to all and would more adequately reflect the fact that players are drawn from all overthe world, not just American colleges.




When Gladys Matta de Molina looks out her front window, she can see thebaseball field at Jesus Rivera Park. When she looks the other way—toward one wall of her home in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico—her three famous sons, Bengie,Jose, and Yadier, stare back from picture frames. The Molina home itself is alandmark in this small town of less than 40,000 people. It was here that an amazing dream came true—not for one son, but for three. All three Molinas havebecome famous as Major League Baseball players in the United States.


How did these brothers accomplish such an improbable feat? Most peoplebelieve it began with the family’s father, Benjamin Molina, Sr., who played inPuerto Rico’s Superior League. When his oldest son Bengie was nine, Molina, Sr., decided to focus his attention on coaching his sons. According to thebrothers, that focus was intense.

Eventually, Jose caught the eye of a scout from the Los Angeles Angels.Meanwhile, Bengie was playing very well in a local league with a strong .400batting average. So when the scout showed up to arrange Jose’s tryout, Mrs.Molina, who had collected newspaper articles about Bengie, waved them in thescout’s face, insisting that he deserved a tryout, too.



In his final blog entry of the 2009 season, Bengie gave tribute to his father.Playing with the San Francisco Giants at the time, Bengie had never reached hisgoal of hitting 20 home runs in one season. He recalled that, not long before hedied, his father assured him that it would happen. After he died, Bengie made him a silent promise to reach the goal. His twentieth home run came on a Wednesday late in the season. Rounding the bases, Bengie felt an incrediblesense of relief. When he stepped on home plate, he looked up at the heavens andsaid to his father, “Hey, I did it. You were right. I did it.”

Time for a Change

Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in America find new players in a fewdifferent ways, but the main source is a system known as the draft. Players whoplay baseball in high school or college in the United States or Canada becomeeligible to play professionally in the major leagues. Every June, the owners andgeneral managers of MLB teams meet and choose the players they want on theirteams. Those players are then drafted onto the team and offered a contract.

This system seems to work well for American- and Canadian-born playersand those who go to American schools. But what about all of the good playerswho don’t fall into one of these categories? Those players are not listed in thedraft, and they cannot be drafted in the same way. But why shouldn’t they be eligible to play?


The time has come for a change. Major League Baseball should create aworldwide draft that allows players from any country to be eligible for MLB.Any baseball player with the required skills and enough experience should beable to enter the draft and be considered by the pros—regardless of where theplayer was born or his level of education. This would make the system fair to alland would more adequately reflect the fact that players are drawn from all overthe world, not just American colleges.


1 In “Catching Up with the Molinas,” the author’s main purpose is to— .

entertain readers with a story about Bengie Molina.inform people about the Molina brothers.describe the town of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico.persuade readers that the Molinas are great players.



2. The author of this text wants his audience to understand that the Molinabrothers had great success because—

their mother convinced talent scouts to let her sons try out for the majorleagues.the brothers lived across the street from their hometown field.their father, a former player, dedicated his life to coaching his sons.the three brothers worked hard to give each other support.

3. The author’s main purpose in “Time for a Change” is to—explain why players want to join professional teams.give information about important Latino ball players.compare the skills of players from different countries.persuade readers that the MLB draft should be changed.

4. From the author’s point of view in “Catching Up With the Molinas,” theMolina brothers are—

valued much higher than they deserve.very talented and successful.paid much less than they are worth.the kindest and most generous players in baseball.



5. Which statement best represents the author’s point of view in “Time for aChange”?

The MLB draft should be changed to allow players from othercountries to enter.The MLB draft should be changed because it is unfair to players fromAsia.The players on MLB teams should better reflect the world’spopulation.The best players in Major League Baseball come from countries otherthan the United States.



Read this short story. Then answer questions 6–10.

Mighty MayaMaya Ortiz stared up at the front of the school with a suitcase and an

overstuffed duffle bag. She had already told her parents goodbye. Now, Mayahad no choice but to climb the tall, marble steps and enter the next phase of herlife.

Mami and Papi had been thrilled that at the age of 15, Maya had displayedan “extraordinary talent,” which qualified her to attend the famed School forSuperpowers. With a sigh, Maya joined the other students streaming up the stairsand into the main building. Inching toward a row of tables, she picked up herdorm assignment and the day’s orientation schedule.

“Proceed straight to the auditorium.” A teacher handed Maya a red folder.“You can put your bags down,” she added. “Oliver?” Calling over a tall boy in aT-shirt that read Super Delivery Boy, she pointed to Maya’s bags. “Take these toroom 402D, please.”

Oliver picked up Maya’s things, closed his eyes, and poof—her stuffdisappeared. Maya’s surprise must have shown on her face. “Don’t worry,”Oliver whispered. “I never miss.”

After the assembly, Maya wandered through the girls’ dorm, where shefound the door to 402D open. “Are you Maya?” asked a red-haired girl standingin the entrance.

Before Maya could answer, the girl let out a squeal of glee and pulled herinto the room. “I’m Felicia,” she said, “and I’m so glad you’re finally here. Thisis one of the best rooms, I mean, there’s actual closet space . . .”

Maya smiled as Felicia went on to explain that, although she was Maya’sage, she’d been attending the school for two years. “You should have seen mewhen I first got here.”

“What do you mean?”

Felicia explained that when she began hearing things—faraway things, like conversations miles away—she almost drowned in the noise. Here at school, she’d learned how to tune things in and out. Felicia’s chatter—so welcome atfirst—now frustrated Maya. So far, she’d seen Oliver “disappear” stuff to remotedestinations, and now she learned that her roommate could hear people talkingfrom miles away. How could Maya’s silly little “power” possibly measure up tothis?

“For example,” Felicia was saying now, “on the fifth floor, Sofia and Isabelare wondering what our new girl can do.”

“Who, me?” Maya felt a red flush creep up her neck. “Oh, I don’treally . . .” How grateful she felt when the noon bell sounded, calling everyone tolunch.

In the cafeteria, Maya let conversation buzz around her, feeling more thanever like she didn’t belong. Up and down the table, kids were showing off. Onegirl had squeezed her water glass, creating a column of ice. Another student madeplates move toward him from the other end of the table. Maya took one of the pens from her shirt pocket, opened her sketch pad, and began to doodle.

“Are you going to finish that?” Maya looked up to find a boy named David pointing to the remains of her strawberries and whipped cream.

“No, but, if you really want more . . .” Maya cautiously lifted her pen offthe paper. In the air, she drew a clean white bowl filled with strawberries, and allthe chatter at the table died down. As she imagined their purplish-red hue, theoutlines filled with color, causing gasps from around the table. Maya finished thedessert with mounds of whipped cream.

As students applauded, Maya looked at David, who seemed afraid to touchher creation.

Aware of people’s stares, Maya turned back to her sketch pad, thinkingmaybe she did belong here after all. Compared to the amazing things other kidscould do, things that could really make an impact, she’d thought her “power” aflimsy, trivial thing. Surprisingly, her new classmates seemed to appreciate it.

At the other end of the table, however, Herman, a boy of about 12, rosefrom his chair. “You think that’s so great? Watch this,” he said, throwing ahandful of crackers into the air. Suddenly, the crackers turned into bats, and thebats began swooping all around the table.

Other students started screeching and knocking chairs over in their haste toflee, but Maya stood and quickly drew a large butterfly net. Using both hands towave the net back and forth, she caught all of the bats in a matter of seconds. Assoon as they were caught, the bats turned back into crackers.

“Wow!” said the other students as they clapped and cheered.

“Let’s call you Mighty Maya!” shouted Felicia.



Maya Ortiz stared up at the front of the school with a suitcase and an overstuffed duffle bag. She had already told her parents goodbye. Now, Mayahad no choice but to climb the tall, marble steps and enter the next phase of herlife.


“Proceed straight to the auditorium.” A teacher handed Maya a red folder. “You can put your bags down,” she added. “Oliver?” Calling over a tall boy in aT-shirt that read Super Delivery Boy, she pointed to Maya’s bags. “Take these toroom 402D, please.”









In the cafeteria, Maya let conversation buzz around her, feeling more thanever like she didn’t belong. Up and down the table, kids were showing off. Onegirl had squeezed her water glass, creating a column of ice. Another student madeplates move toward him from the other end of the table. Maya took one of the pens from her shirt pocket, opened her sketch pad, and began to doodle.

“Are you going to finish that?” Maya looked up to find a boy named David pointing to the remains of her strawberries and whipped cream.



Aware of people’s stares, Maya turned back to her sketch pad, thinkingmaybe she did belong here after all. Compared to the amazing things other kids could do, things that could really make an impact, she’d thought her “power” a flimsy, trivial thing. Surprisingly, her new classmates seemed to appreciate it.

At the other end of the table, however, Herman, a boy of about 12, rosefrom his chair. “You think that’s so great? Watch this,” he said, throwing a handful of crackers into the air. Suddenly, the crackers turned into bats, and thebats began swooping all around the table.






Maya Ortiz stared up at the front of the school with a suitcase and anoverstuffed duffle bag. She had already told her parents goodbye. Now, Mayahad no choice but to climb the tall, marble steps and enter the next phase of herlife.


“Proceed straight to the auditorium.” A teacher handed Maya a red folder.“You can put your bags down,” she added. “Oliver?” Calling over a tall boy in aT-shirt that read Super Delivery Boy, she pointed to Maya’s bags. “Take these toroom 402D, please.”









In the cafeteria, Maya let conversation buzz around her, feeling more thanever like she didn’t belong. Up and down the table, kids were showing off. Onegirl had squeezed her water glass, creating a column of ice. Another student madeplates move toward him from the other end of the table. Maya took one of thepens from her shirt pocket, opened her sketch pad, and began to doodle.

“Are you going to finish that?” Maya looked up to find a boy named Davidpointing to the remains of her strawberries and whipped cream.



Aware of people’s stares, Maya turned back to her sketch pad, thinkingmaybe she did belong here after all. Compared to the amazing things other kidscould do, things that could really make an impact, she’d thought her “power” aflimsy, trivial thing. Surprisingly, her new classmates seemed to appreciate it.

At the other end of the table, however, Herman, a boy of about 12, rosefrom his chair. “You think that’s so great? Watch this,” he said, throwing ahandful of crackers into the air. Suddenly, the crackers turned into bats, and thebats began swooping all around the table.






6 From the speaker’s point of view, Maya seems—.

self-centered and loud.talented and modest.quiet and unremarkable.bold and adventurous.

7 From Maya’s point of view, her main problem is—.

figuring out whether she belongs in her new school.catching the bats created by Herman.learning how to control her new power as an artist.making new friends in a strange place.



8. The author describes what the students do at lunch in order to—give the reader information about a future world.convince the reader that Maya is real.show the reader the types of powers students have.help the reader compare Maya’s new school to other schools.

9. What information does the illustrator share through the picture?what the bats look like as they swoopwhere Maya goes to schoolthat David ends up eating the strawberry desserthow Maya meets her roommate

10. The author’s main purpose in this text is to—give information about Maya’s new school.teach an important lesson about art.persuade readers to study art.tell an entertaining story.



Vocabulary/Word StudyRead each question and decide which is the best answer. Fill in the circle next to the answer you have chosen.

11. The Latin root hostis means “enemy.” Which word comes from the Latinroot hostis?

hostilehotelhostesshoisted

12. The Greek root morph means “form.” Which word contains the Greek rootmorph?

morningmetamorphosisanymoresophomore

13. The Latin root ped means “foot.” Which word contains the Latin root ped?steppedrepeatedpedestriandepend



14. The Latin root tort means “twist.” Which word contains the Latin root tort?tornstorereportdistorted

15. What does the underlined idiom in this sentence mean?At 90% off, the jacket was such a steal that I had to buy it.

worth more than you paidstolen from another storenot worth stealingcosting more than its value

16. After Julio’s dad lost his job, the family found it difficult to make endsmeet.The phrase make ends meet means—

finish one’s work.build matching sets of furniture.tie rope or ribbons.have enough money to pay the bills.



17. After a week of lying, the criminal decided to come clean and confess tothe police.What does the underlined phrase mean?

clean the roomtell the truthtake a showerreturn to the scene

18. I bragged about our team, but now that we have lost five games in a row, Imay have to eat my words.What does the underlined phrase mean?

have a small snackeat with other playersdo as I promisedtake back what I said



ConventionsRead each question and decide which is the best answer. Fill in the circle next to the answer you have chosen.

19. Which word or words best complete this sentence?Ben worked _______ on his essay all morning.

steadysteadiersteadilymost steady

20. Which word best completes this sentence?Liza moved ________ to catch the fly ball.

swiftswifterswiftestswiftly

21. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.Gino tied his shoelaces _______.

looselylooselooserloosen



22. Choose the word or words that best complete the sentence.I sat down and filled in the form _______.

completemore completecompletelymost complete

23. Which is the best way to correct this sentence fragment?Played video games.

Played video games after school.Playing video games, Karen and I.Karen and I played video games.Played video games with Karen.

24. Which is the best way to correct this sentence fragment?Applied for a summer job.

My brother James applied for a summer job.Applied for a summer job last week.After school, applied for a summer job.Applied for a summer job and hoped to get it.



25. Choose the best way to correct this sentence fragment.A hiker lost in the mountains.

A hiker lost in the White Mountains.A young hiker lost in the mountains.A hiker got lost in the mountains.A hiker who was lost in the mountains.


Write your answer in your own words on the lines below or on theanswer document. Use complete sentences.

Open Response


26 Review the story “Mighty Maya.” Which student at the School forSuperpowers has the most useful talent? Write one or two sentences toevaluate.

.


Write your answer in your own words on the lines below or on theanswer document. Use complete sentences.

Open Response


27 Review the two texts “Catching up with the Molinas” and “Time for aChange.” How do these two texts support or contradict each other? Write twoor three sentences to explain.

.


Writing Prompt


Read the prompt. Write your response below or on the answer document.If you need more space, continue writing on a separate paper.

STOP

28 Think about the Dominican Republic players who could not join the MLB.Write a personal narrative about a time when you have been restricted fromdoing something. Remember to

• identify the topic in an introductory statement, • list events in time order, using vivid details,• connect vivid details with transition words,• summarize the experience in a concluding sentence, and• use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

.

TM ® & © Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

Writing Prompt


Read the prompt. Write your response below or on the answer document.If you need more space, continue writing on a separate paper.

STOP

.


Test 9b Answer KeySample Questions


A.B.

Comprehension1. Author's Purpose2. Author's Purpose3. Author's Purpose4. Craft and Structure: Point of View5. Craft and Structure: Point of View6. Craft and Structure: Point of View7. Craft and Structure: Point of View8. Author's Purpose9. Author's Purpose

10. Author's Purpose

Vocabulary/Word Study11. Latin or Greek Roots12. Latin or Greek Roots13. Latin or Greek Roots14. Latin or Greek Roots15. Idioms16. Idioms17. Idioms18. Idioms

Conventions19. Using Adverbs20. Using Adverbs21. Using Adverbs22. Using Adverbs23. Correcting Sentence Fragments24. Correcting Sentence Fragments25. Correcting Sentence Fragments


Test 9b Answer KeyOpen Response (sample answers):


26 . Maya’s talent is probably the most useful because she can createanything just by drawing it, so she could provide food for the hungryand shelter for the homeless.(2 points: Evaluate)

27 . In a way, the articles contradict each other. The Molina brothers wereall scouted and all got tryouts with MLB teams, but the author of“Time for a Change” says the MLB draft doesn’t give players likethem a fair chance.(4 points: Synthesize)


28. Answers will vary. Use the rubrics from the SAM Portfolio tab to assess student responses.

Writing Prompt:

NAME: DATE:

Test 9b Answer Document

Multiple Choice Questions


1 .2 .3 .4 .5 .6 .7 .8 .9 .

10 .11 .12 .13 .14 .15 .16 .17 .18 .19 .20 .21 .22 .23 .24 .25 .


NAME: DATE:


Open Response


26 .


NAME: DATE:


Open Response


27 .


NAME: DATE:


Writing Prompt


28 .


NAME: DATE:


Writing Prompt


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