READTHEORY

TEACHING STUDENTS TO READ AND THINK CRITICALLY

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Level 2 Samples
3 Reading Comprehension Assessments

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 READTHEORY
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• Reading Comprehension Sample 2.1

Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.

The Desert

Deserts are very dry places.

Deserts get very little rain.
Also, deserts are very hot.

Deserts have special plants.

These plants like the heat.
Also, these plants can save water.

Deserts have special animals.

These animals do not need much water.
Also, these animals can hide in the sand when it is very hot.

Deserts are homes to many special plants and animals.

Questions

1) Deserts are not 4) The author of this passage is most likely a

A. dry A. teacher
B. wet B. scientist
C. hot C. doctor

2) Desert plants can 5) Desert animals are special because they

can
A. hide in sand
B. get very hot A. get very hot
C. save water B. save their water
C. hide in the sand
3) Which of the following animals would most
likely live in a desert? 6) A cactus is a type of desert plant. What
A. Snake, who likes to rest in the sun is probably true of a cactus?
B. Fish, who likes to swim in the river A. It can grow to be six feet tall.
C. Monkey, who likes to climb trees B. It can store water inside its body.
C. It can be a home to a small animal.

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved. 2

 READTHEORY
Name________________
Date________________
• Reading Comprehension Sample 2.2

Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.

A new pet shop opened up on Main Street.

Martha and Sam went to look at the new shop.

There was a brightly colored bird in the window.

The bird had red and blue feathers.
The bird had a long beak.

Inside the shop, there was a large fish tank.

The tank had many fish.
The fish were many shapes, sizes, and colors.

In the back of the shop, there was a small cage.

There were furry, gray kittens in the cage.
The kittens were very tiny.

Martha decided to buy a kitten.

Sam decided to buy a fish.
The two friends had a great day at the new pet shop.

Questions

1) The new pet shop is 5) Which sentence from the passage best
describes what was in the back of the pet
A. full of people shop?
B. on Main Street
C. small and busy A. "A brightly colored bird was perched on
a stand."
2) What is the best title for this passage? B. "Many different colored fish swam in a
large tank."
A. A Day at the Pet Shop C. "Small, furry, gray colored kittens were
B. My New Fish Tank in a cage."
C. The Best Store in Town

3) The pet shop owner most likely put the bird 6) Which animal was not in the pet shop?
in the window because A. kitten
A. the fish could not be around the bird B. puppy
B. he wanted to attract new customers C. fish
C. the bird needed enough sunlight
7) Sam decided to buy
4) The fish were located in the A. a bird
A. large tank B. a fish
B. back room C. a kitten
C. front window

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved. 3

 READTHEORY
Name________________
Date________________
• Reading Comprehension Sample 2.3

Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.

I Ride

My name is Tess and I ride horses. I ride them in the

circus. I ride them in parades. I ride them in shows. I am riding
in a horse show today. My horse runs. My horse jumps. My
horse dances. I hold on!

My horse is the best. I named her Twin. I feel like the

horse and I are the same when I ride her.

My mother is not at the horse show. She has to work.

But my father is there. He claps. He yells. He smiles.

The show ends. A man announces the winners. "First

Prize goes to Tess and Twin!" he says. He gives me a blue
ribbon. I am very excited.

My dad gives me a hug. "You won!" he says.

My dad and I go home. My dad tells my mom about my ribbon. She cries. She gives me a big
hug. "Your hard work is showing," she says.

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved. 4

Questions

1) Tess rides her horse

I. in shows
II. at school
III. on a farm
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

2) What does Tess need to do while her horse runs and jumps?
A. dance
B. hold on
C. sing
D. stand up

3) Tess most likely named her horse Twin because

A. she has a twin sister who also rides horses
B. she has two horses that look nearly identical
C. another horse at the show looks very similar to Twin
D. she feels connected to Twin when she rides

4) Where is Tess's mother during the show?

A. She as at work.
B. She is at the show.
C. She is at home.
D. She is with Tess’s father.

5) What prize does Tess win in the horse show?

A. The Gold Star
B. Winner’s Prize
C. The Red Ribbon
D. First Prize

6) How does Tess's mom feel about the ribbon?

I. sad
II. happy
III. proud
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved. 5

 READTHEORY Answers and Explanations

Sample 2.1
1) B
Question Type: Inference
At the beginning of the passage, the author writes, “Deserts are very dry places.” Wet is the opposite of dry. If deserts are very dry,
we can tell that deserts are not wet. This means (B) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A) or
(C). The author mentions that deserts are very dry and hot. Therefore these choices are incorrect.

2) C
Question Type: Detail
At the end of the second part of this passage, the author writes, “[Desert] plants can save water.” This lets us know that desert
plants can save water. Therefore (C) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A) or (B). Therefore
they are incorrect.

3) A
Question Type: Global
At the beginning of the passage, the author writes, “Also, deserts are very hot.” If snake likes to rest in the sun, and we know the
sun makes things hot, we can tell that snake would most likely live in a desert, which is hot. Therefore (A) is correct. In the passage,
the author writes, “Deserts are very dry places. Deserts get very little rain.” If fish likes to swim in the river, we can tell that the desert
would not be a good place for her to live. This is because rivers do not flow in deserts that are very hot, dry, and get little rain. This
means (B) is incorrect. The author never mentions that there are tall trees for climbing in the desert. This lets us know that if monkey
likes to climb trees, he would not most likely live in the desert. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

4) B
Question Type: Global
In this passage, the author writes about animals, plants, and the environment called the desert. Scientists study animals, plants, and
the environment. This lets us know that the author of this passage is most likely a scientist. Therefore (B) is correct. Teachers might
teach this passage, but they are less likely to write about animals, plants, and the environment than scientists. This lets us know that
the author of this passage is not most likely a teacher, and (A) is incorrect. Doctors do not typically write passages about animals,
plants, and the environment. This lets us know that the author of this passage is not most likely a doctor. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

5) C
Question Type: Detail
In the third part of this passage, the author writes, “Deserts have special animals…these animals can hide in the sand when it is
very hot.” This lets us know that desert animals are special because they can hide in the sand. This means (C) is correct. The
passage does not provide information to support choices (A) or (B). Therefore they are incorrect.

6) B
Question Type: Inference
In this passage, the author writes about the desert. In the second part of this passage, the author writes that the desert has special
plants that “can save water.” This lets us know that if a cactus is a type of desert plant, it can probably store water inside its body.
Therefore (B) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A) or (C). Therefore they are incorrect.

Sample 2.3
1) B
Question Type: Detail
In the first part of the passage, the author writes, “A new pet shop opened up on Main Street.” This lets us know that the new pet
shop is on Main Street. Therefore (B) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A) or (C). Therefore
they are incorrect.

2) A
Question Type: Global
A good title summarizes the information in the passage and lets readers know what to expect should they read further. In this
passage, the author writes about what two friends, Martha and Sam, see at the pet shop one day. This lets us know that A Day at
the Pet Shop is the best title for this passage. Therefore (A) is correct. At the end of this passage, the author mentions that Sam
bought a fish. Despite this, the author never mentions that Sam bought a fish tank. Even if he had, this would only be one detail from
the passage, and it would not summarize the information from the passage. This lets us know that My New Fish Tank is not the best
title for this passage, which means (B) is incorrect. The author never mentions that the pet shop is the best store in town. This lets
us know that The Best Store in Town is not the best title for this passage. Therefore (C) is incorrect.

3) B
Question Type: Inference
In the second part of the passage, the author writes, “There was a brightly colored bird in the window.” We know that bright colors
attract our attention. Using this information, we can tell that the pet shop owner most likely put the bird in the window because he
wanted to attract new customers. This means (B) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support
choices (A) or (C). Therefore they are incorrect.

4) A

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved. 6

 READTHEORY Answers and Explanations

Question Type: Detail

In the third part of the passage, the author writes, “Inside the shop, there was a large fish tank. The tank had many fish.” This lets us
know that the fish were located in the large tank. Therefore (A) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support
choices (B) or (C). This means they are incorrect.

5) C
Question Type: Global
In the passage, the author writes, “In the back of the shop, there was a small cage. There were furry, gray kittens in the cage.” This
lets us know that the sentence—Small, furry, gray colored kittens were in the cage.—best describes what was in the back of the pet
shop. This means (C) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A) or (B). Therefore they are
incorrect.

6) B
Question Type: Global
In the fourth part of the passage, the author writes about kittens. In the third part of the passage, the author writes about fish. Since
the author never writes about puppies, we can tell that a puppy was not in the pet shop. Therefore (B) is correct. Using the above
information, we can tell that the author writes about kittens and fish. Since this means that a kitten and fish were in the pet shop, we
can tell that (A) and (C) are incorrect.

7) B
Question Type: Detail
At the end of the passage, the author writes, “Sam decided to buy a fish.” This lets us know that Sam decided to buy a fish.
Therefore (B) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A) or (C). Therefore they are incorrect.

Sample 2.3
1) A
Question Type: Detail
In paragraph 1, Tess tells us that she rides her horse “in shows.” This supports option (I). Although horse shows may commonly be
held at a school, the passage does not give specific information about where the shows are held. This eliminates option (II). Horse
shows could also be held on a farm, but the passage does not give specific information about where the shows are held. This
eliminates option (III). Therefore (A) is correct.

2) B
Question Type: Detail
In paragraph 1, Tess is at the horse show. Tess’s horse runs, jumps, and dances. In order to do this, the horse moves quickly and in
many different directions. To stay on the horse, Tess needs to “hold on!” Otherwise, Tess will fall off the horse. Therefore (B) is
correct. (A) is incorrect because it is the horse who dances, not Tess. The passage does not provide information to support
choices (C) and (D). Therefore they are incorrect.

3) D
Question Type: Detail
At the end of paragraph 2, Tess tells us that “I feel like the horse and I are the same when I ride her.” Tess means that she feels like
she is part of Twin, or connected to her in a very close way. Choice (D) best reflects this idea. The passage does not provide
information to support choices (A), (B), and(C). Therefore they are incorrect.

4) A
Question Type: Detail
In paragraph 3, we learn that "My mother is not at the horse show. She has to work." Choice (A) provides this reason. The passage
does not provide information to support choices (B), (C), and (D). Therefore they are incorrect.

5) D
Question Type: Detail
In paragraph 4, a man announces the winners of the show, stating, “First Prize goes to Tess and Twin [Tess’s horse].” According to
the passage, the name of her prize is “First Prize.” Therefore (D) is correct. Although Tess does win a ribbon, the ribbon is blue, not
red. This means choice (C) is incorrect. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A) and (B). Therefore they
are incorrect.

6) C
Question Type: Inference
Although she does cry, Tess's mother is not sad. She cries because she is happy. We know this because she has reason to be
happy, as Tess just won first prize at the horse show. This eliminates option (I). In the final paragraph, Tess’s mother cries and
gives Tess “a big hug.” She cries because she is happy; she is crying tears of joy. This supports option (II). In addition to being
happy, Tess’s mother is proud. We know this because she tells Tess that her “hard work is showing.” The “hard work” she is
referring to must be the time she spends practicing to become a better horse rider. When someone is happy or satisfied as a result
of the work someone else has done, that person is proud. This supports option (III). Therefore (C) is correct.

© Copyright Read Theory LLC, 2012. All rights reserved. 7