Grade

6
Reading
Student Test Booklet
Half-Length Practice Tests
Copyright 2005 by Ohio Department of Education. All rights reserved.
Ohio
Achievement Tests
Student Name: _____________________________________
Acknowledgments
Reading
Selection 1: Something to Keep the Ears Warm
Something to Keep the Ears Warm from BE AN INVENTOR by Barbara Taylor, copyright 1987
by Field Publications, reprinted by permission of Harcourt, Inc. This material may not be
reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Selection 2: The Marble Champ
Excerpt from The Marble Champ in BASEBALL IN APRIL AND OTHER STORIES, copyright 1990
by Gary Soto, reprinted by permission of Harcourt, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in
any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher.
Artwork: Illustrated by Kenneth J. Spengler.
The Ohio Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or the provision of services.
Directions:
Today you will be taking the Ohio Grade 6 Reading Practice Test. Three
different types of questions appear on this test: multiple choice, short answer and
extended response.
There are several important things to remember:
1. Read each question carefully. Think about what is being asked. Look
carefully at graphs or diagrams because they help you understand
the question.
2. For short-answer and extended-response questions, write your answers
neatly and clearly in the space provided in the answer document. Any
answers you write in the Student Test Booklet will not be scored.
3. Short-answer questions are worth two points. Extended-response questions
are worth four points. Point values are printed near each question in your
Student Test Booklet. The amount of space provided for your answers is the
same for two- and four-point questions.
4. For multiple-choice questions, shade in the circle next to your choice in the
answer document for the test question. Mark only one choice for each
question. Darken completely the circles on the answer document. If you
change an answer, make sure that you erase your old answer completely.
5. Do not spend too much time on one question. Go on to the next
question and return to the question skipped after answering the
remaining questions.
6. Check over your work when you are finished.
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Something to Keep the Ears Warm
Barbara Taylor
1 Fifteen-year-old Chester Greenwood of Farmington, Maine, had a
problem with his ears. They were very sensitive to the freezing cold of the
long Maine winters.
2 While other children his age would race sleds down slopes, build
ice forts, and skate on frozen ponds, poor Chester would rub his ears and
go home.
3 One December day in 1873, Chester decided he had to do
something. He tied a scarf around his head,
but it itched and would not stay in place.
Then he hit upon the idea of covering just his
ears. Chester bent a piece of wire into loops,
fitted the loops over his ears, and attached
the loops to a hat. Chester asked his
grandmother to cover them with wool and fur.
4 When the other kids saw Chester in his
strange headgear, they laughed. But the
laughter stopped when they realized that
Chester was staying outside in the cold longer
than he ever had before. Soon the other kids
were asking Chester if he would make them
covers for their ears. Chester Greenwood
realized he was on to something big.
5 Orders from all over town started
pouring in. Chesters mom and grandmother
were busy helping him make more earmuffs,
the name people were calling Greenwoods
clever invention.
This photograph shows
the inventor of earmuffs
proudly promoting his
product. Chester
Greenwoods imagination
served him well all of
his life. He is credited
with more than 100
other inventions.
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6 As word of Chesters earmuffs spread throughout New England, the
inventor found ways to improve his invention. Instead of attaching the ear
covers to a hat, Chester fastened them to the end of a strip of flat metal
that he fitted over his head. The band held the ear covers firmly in place.
7 By the time he was 19, Chester had received a patent for his invention
and was well on his way to becoming rich and successful.
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Use the selection to answer questions 1 5.
1. What was Chester most
interested in when he created
the first set of earmuffs?
A. creating jobs for his mother
and grandmother
B. becoming well-known as
an inventor
C. earning money from
his invention
D. using his invention himself
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2. Orders from all over town
started pouring in. Chesters
mom and grandmother were
busy helping him make more
earmuffs, the name people
were calling Greenwoods
clever invention.
Identify the opinion in the
sentences above and explain
why it is an opinion.
Write your answer in the Answer
Document. (2 points)
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3. Fifteen-year-old Chester
Greenwood of Farmington,
Maine, had a problem with his
ears. They were very sensitive to
the freezing cold of the long
Maine winters.
What does the word
sensitive mean in the
second sentence above?
A. easily affected or hurt
B. having good sense
C. excited; agitated
D. cautious; careful
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4. In the fourth paragraph, how
does the attitude of the other
kids change?
A. from mocking to interested
B. from joyous to sorrowful
C. from amused to bored
D. from cruel to nervous
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5. How does the author
organize the information in
this selection?
A. by creating categories of
information and then
supplying specific examples
B. by making the main point
first and then presenting
supporting details
C. by presenting events in
chronological order
D. by comparing and
contrasting information
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The Marble Champ
Gary Soto
1 Lupe Medrano, a shy girl who spoke in whispers, was the schools
spelling bee champion, winner of the reading contest at the public library
three summers in a row, blue ribbon awardee in the science fair, the top
student at her piano recital, and the playground grand champion in chess.
She was a straight-A student andnot counting kindergarten, when she had
been stung by a waspnever missed one day of elementary school. She
had received a small trophy for this honor and had been congratulated by
the mayor.
2 But though Lupe had a razor-sharp mind, she could not make her
body, no matter how much she tried, run as fast as the other girls. She
begged her body to move faster, but could never beat anyone in the fifty-
yard dash.
3 The truth was that Lupe was no good in sports. She could not catch a
pop-up or figure out in which direction to kick the soccer ball. One time she
kicked the ball at her own goal and scored a point for the other team. She
was no good at baseball or basketball either, and even had a hard time
making a hula hoop stay on her hips.
4 It wasnt until last year, when she was eleven years old, that she
learned how to ride a bike. And even then she had to use training wheels.
She could walk in the swimming pool but couldnt swim, and chanced roller
skating only when her father held her hand.
5 Ill never be good at sports, she fumed one rainy day as she lay on
her bed gazing at the shelf her father had made to hold her awards. I wish
I could win something, anything, even marbles.
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6 At the word marbles, she sat up. Thats it. Maybe I could be good
at playing marbles. She hopped out of bed and rummaged through the
closet until she found a can full of her brothers marbles. She poured the rich
glass treasure on her bed and picked five of the most beautiful marbles.
7 She smoothed her bedspread and practiced shooting, softly at first so
that her aim would be accurate. The marble rolled from her thumb and
clicked against the targeted marble. But the target wouldnt budge. She
tried again and again. Her aim became accurate, but the power from her
thumb made the marble move only an inch or two. Then she realized that
the bedspread was slowing the marbles. She also had to admit that her
thumb was weaker than the neck of a newborn chick.
8 She looked out the window. The rain was letting up, but the ground
was too muddy to play. She sat cross-legged on the bed, rolling her five
marbles between her palms. Yes, she thought, I could play marbles, and
marbles is a sport. At that moment she realized that she had only two weeks
to practice. The playground championship, the same one her brother had
entered the previous year, was coming up. She had a lot to do.
9 To strengthen her wrists, she decided to do twenty push-ups on her
fingertips, five at a time. One, two, three . . . she groaned. By the end of
the first set she was breathing hard, and her muscles burned from
exhaustion. She did one more set and decided that was enough push-ups
for the first day.
10 She squeezed a rubber eraser one hundred times, hoping it would
strengthen her thumb. This seemed to work because the next day her thumb
was sore. She could hardly hold a marble in her hand, let alone send it flying
with power. So Lupe rested that day and listened to her brother, who gave
her tips on how to shoot: get low, aim with one eye, and place one knuckle
on the ground.
11 Think eye and thumband let it rip! he said.
12 After school the next day she left her homework in her backpack and
practiced three hours straight, taking time only to eat a candy bar for
energy. With a popsicle stick, she drew an odd-shaped circle and tossed in
four marbles. She used her shooter, a milky agate
1
with hypnotic swirls, to
blast them. Her thumb had become stronger.
13 After practice, she squeezed the eraser for an hour. She ate dinner
with her left hand to spare her shooting hand and said nothing to her
parents about her dreams of athletic glory.
14 Practice, practice, practice. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. Lupe got
better and beat her brother and Alfonso, a neighbor kid who was supposed
to be a champ.
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agate: a type of marble
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6. The selection is best described
as which type of work?
A. a piece of historical fiction
B. a contemporary short story
C. an informational article
about how to play marbles
D. an autobiographical
account of the authors
childhood experiences
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7. Lupe Medrano, a shy girl
who spoke in whispers, was the
schools spelling bee
champion, winner of the
reading contest at the public
library three summers in a row,
blue ribbon awardee in the
science fair, the top student at
her piano recital, and the
playground grand champion
in chess.
In the sentence above, what
does the word formed by the
root word award and the suffix
-ee mean?
A. the highest award
B. an award in science
C. one who gives an award
D. one who receives
an award
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Use the selection to answer questions 6 15.
8. It wasnt until last year,
when she was eleven years old,
that she learned how to ride a
bike. And even then she had to
use training wheels.
What is the purpose of the
second sentence above?
A. It highlights the pressure
placed on Lupe by
her parents.
B. It shows Lupes preference
for doing things differently.
C. It demonstrates how strict
Lupes father really is.
D. It reinforces Lupes lack of
athletic ability.
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9. Why does Lupe become
interested in marbles?
A. She thinks marbles is a sport
that she might actually be
able to master.
B. She wants to be like her
brother and enter the
playground championship.
C. She enjoys the idea of a
sport that can be played
indoors and away from the
rain or mud.
D. She believes that marbles
are beautiful objects and
that a collection is a rich
glass treasure.
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10. She hopped out of bed and
rummaged through the closet
until she found a can full of her
brothers marbles.
What does the word
rummaged suggest about Lupe
in the sentence above?
A. She did not really care
whether or not she found
the marbles.
B. She and her brother kept
the closet neat and
well-organized.
C. She had to move a lot of
things around in order to
find the marbles.
D. She probably used the
marbles often, since she
knew where to find them.
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11. She also had to admit that her
thumb was weaker than the
neck of a newborn chick.
Identify the comparison in the
sentence above and explain
what it means.
Write your answer in the Answer
Document. (2 points)
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12. Where is there a major contrast
in the selection?
A. Lupes academic ability
and her athletic ability
B. Lupes shy behavior and
her classmates confident
actions at school
C. Lupes inexperience at
marbles and her
brothers accomplishments
in athletics
D. Lupes ability to do
many hand exercises
and her fatigue after
shooting marbles
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13. Describe Lupes problem in the
selection and explain how she
solves it. Then state a way that
Lupe works toward her specific
goal and identify a plot
event that demonstrates a
sign of progress.
Write your answer in the Answer
Document. (4 points)
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14. Practice, practice,
practice. Squeeze, squeeze,
squeeze. Lupe got better and
beat her brother and Alfonso, a
neighbor kid who was
supposed to be a champ.
What does the paragraph
above suggest?
A. that the other kids are
letting Lupe win so she will
feel better
B. that Lupes persistence is
helping her meet her goal
C. that Lupe is growing tired of
her repetitive exercises
D. that Lupes brother is her
toughest opponent
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15. Why is Alfonso mentioned at
the end of the selection?
A. He highlights Lupes
improvement when she
wins their match.
B. He understands why Lupes
brother is annoyed with her.
C. He makes Lupe feel
useful because he needs
her help.
D. He criticizes Lupe the same
way everyone else does.
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