GRADE 4

READING COMPREHENSION
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
(45 minutes)

Directions to the Student

There are four reading passages, 21 multiple-choice

questions, and two written-response questions in
this booklet.

Read each passage and question carefully.

To help you find information in the poem, lines are

numbered 5, 10, 15, and so on.

Multiple-Choice Questions (1 mark each)

1. Decide the best answer to each question.

2. On the Multiple-Choice form, use an HB pencil to fill in the

bubble for the answer you think is correct.

3. If you decide to change an answer, completely erase your

first answer.

Written-Response Questions (4 marks each)

1. Use either a pen or a pencil. If you use a pencil, press hard
so that your writing is clear.

2. Write your answers clearly in the space provided in

the booklet.

3. You will score four marks by giving a complete, correct, and

clear answer using details from the passage.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 1

 This article gives information about potato chips.
Potato Chips
Have you ever noticed that many
supermarkets have an entire aisle just
for potato chips? It’s obvious that
we’re hooked on them, but where did
these little snacks come from?
Lenore Schur told me that it all
started in Saratoga Springs, New York,
in 1853. A new resort had opened, and
George Crum was the proud chef of the
elegant restaurant. Among other things,
Crum made excellent French-fried
potatoes.
One night, however, a guest refused
to eat the potatoes, complaining they
were too thick. Chef Crum fried
thinner slices, but the guest rejected
those, too. Insulted, Crum decided
to teach the man a lesson.
He sliced potatoes as thin as paper,
threw them into a bucket of icy water,
and then tossed them into boiling
grease. Curled and crispy, with a
Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions
touch of salt, the potatoes were served
to the guest. To Crum’s surprise, the
man loved them. The next day
“Saratoga chips” appeared on the
menu as a specialty.
Because it took a long time to peel and
slice potatoes by hand, Crum’s
Saratoga chips remained a dinner dish
served chiefly in the northern states. It
wasn’t until the 1920s that a
mechanical potato peeler was invented
and mass production of chips became
possible.
From salt and vinegar, dill, and
barbecue, to yogurt and chives, potato
chips today come in as many tasty
varieties as you can imagine. But even
if you love chips, don’t think about
substituting a handful for your daily
helping of vegetables—processing the
potatoes takes away most of their
nutritional value.
Page 2
 1. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. How to make potato chips.

B. How to please your guests.
C. How potato chips were invented.
D. How to peel and slice potatoes by hand.

2. What does the author of this passage ask if you’ve “ever

noticed” about potato chips?

A. That they started in Saratoga Springs.

B. That they come in many tasty varieties.
C. That we’re hooked on these little snacks.
D. That many supermarkets have an entire aisle for them.

3. How did the chef feel when the guest refused to eat the potatoes?

A. Angry.
B. Scared.
C. Insulted.
D. Shocked.

4. To give the correct order of the steps Crum took when he first
prepared Saratoga chips, what should go in the empty box?
(Write your answer on the Multiple-Choice form. Do not fill
in the box below).

Toss in
Slice Serve
thinly. ? boiling
to guests.
grease.

A. Add salt.
B. Peel by hand.
C. Wash potatoes.
D. Throw into ice water.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 3

 5. According to this passage, why were potato chips more
available after 1920?

A. Potatoes were cheaper.

B. More potatoes were available.
C. Better equipment was invented.
D. Supermarkets sold potato chips.

6. What advice does the author of this passage give to

the reader?

A. Don’t insult the chef.

B. Don’t refuse to eat potatoes.
C. Don’t reject French-fried potatoes.
D. Don’t substitute chips for vegetables.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 4

 Have you ever wondered where your coat or shoes
disappeared to? Read to find out some of the things
Raymond has lost.

Lost
by Allan Ahlberg
Dear Mrs. Butler, this is just a note
About our Raymond’s coat
Which he came home without last night,
So I thought I’d better write.

5 He was minus his scarf as well, I regret

To say; and his grandma is most upset
As she knitted it and it’s pure
Wool. You’ll appreciate her feelings, I’m sure.

Also, his swimming towel has gone

10 Out of his P.E. bag, he says, and one
Of his socks, too—it’s purplish and green
With a darn1 in the heel. His sister Jean

Has a pair very similar. And while

I remember, is there news yet of those Fair Isle2
15 Gloves which Raymond lost that time
After the visit to the pantomime3?

Well, I think that’s all. I will close now.

Best wishes, yours sincerely, Maureen Howe
(Mrs.). P.S. I did once write before
20 About his father’s hat that Raymond wore

In the school play and later could not find,

But got no reply. Still, never mind,
Raymond tells me now he might have lost the note,
Or left it in the pocket of his coat.

1darn: mend or repair

2Fair Isle: type of knitting
3pantomime: type of play at a live theatre

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 5

 7. Who is the writer of the note?

A. Jean.
B. Raymond.
C. Mrs. Howe.
D. Mrs. Butler.

8. Who is Mrs. Butler most likely to be?

A. Raymond’s sister.
B. Raymond’s mother.
C. Raymond’s teacher.
D. Raymond’s grandma.

9. What clothing does Raymond’s sister have that is similar to the

clothing that Raymond lost?

A. Socks.
B. A coat.
C. Gloves.
D. A scarf.

10. When did Raymond lose his gloves?

A. After P.E. class.

B. After visiting the pantomime.
C. After coming home last night.
D. After visiting the swimming pool.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 6

 11. How might Raymond best be described?

A. Sorry.
B. Upset.
C. Messy.
D. Forgetful.

12. What did Raymond lose most recently?

A. His father’s hat.

B. His coat and scarf.
C. His Fair Isle gloves.
D. His swimming towel.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 7

 13. “Lost” is a letter written in the form of a poem. Give
two ways you can tell that this is a poem and two ways
you can tell that this is a letter. (4 marks)

1. 2.

Poem

1. 2.

Letter

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 8

 Read this passage to find out how a girl finds a creative
solution to a problem.

I Want a Dog
by Dayal Kaur Khalsa

That evening her parents decided it was time to settle the dog
question once and for all. They sat down in the living room and
explained to May why they didn’t want her to have a dog now.

Her mother began. “Dogs take a lot of care.”

“I’ll do it,” said May.

“They have to be walked every morning and every night,” her

father said. “In rain and sleet and hail and snow.”

“I’ll do it,” said May.

“Dogs have to be brushed and bathed and taken to the vet for
shots,” her mother said.

“I’ll do it,” said May.

“Dogs have to be trained to obey,” said her father.

“I’ll do it all,” said May, for every reason they gave for not
wanting a dog was exactly why she did want a dog.

They had a lot of other reasons as well. Nevertheless, May

pleaded, “Please, please, please, please, can I have a dog
anyway?” But still her parents said, “No.”

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 9

 May was furious. She stomped up to her room. She kicked her
rollerskate with all her might. It whipped out the door, raced
across the hall to the top of the stairs, plunged over, and bumped
all the way to the bottom.

May watched in amazement. The rollerskate looked like a little

white dog bounding down the stairs.

May had a great idea.

She tied a rope around the rollerskate and pulled. The rollerskate
rolled toward her. She walked across the room with it. The
rollerskate rolled after her. It was just like walking a dog on
a leash.

May went to work. She built a giant training course where she
could practice walking her rollerskate.

“We’re so happy to see you busy doing something other than

always trying to get a dog,” her parents told her.

When she could walk the rollerskate across cracks and around
corners without the rollerskate tumbling, May felt ready to try
it outside.

The rollerskate bumped over the sidewalk like a frisky little

puppy. When May ran fast and stopped short, the rollerskate
shot ahead of her, tugging on the leash. It was almost like having
a real dog.
But when she took her rollerskate to the playground, her friends
laughed. They said she looked funny dragging a rollerskate
around on a rope.

“It’s not a rope,” she said. “It’s a leash. I’m practicing for when I
get a real dog. And then I’m only going to let people who really
know how to walk a dog, walk mine.”

After that, they all wanted to walk her rollerskate.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 10

 14. Which of the following best describes May’s character?

A. Kind.
B. Polite.
C. Respectful.
D. Determined.

15. Why do May’s parents refuse to buy her a dog?

A. May is not old enough.

B. Dogs are very expensive.
C. Dogs are a big responsibility.
D. May’s room is always messy.

16. Why were May’s parents pleased with their daughter’s

behaviour?

A. May cleaned up her bedroom.

B. May stopped asking for a dog.
C. May took good care of her dog.
D. May built a giant training course.

17. How do you know that May is a creative thinker?

A. She promised to look after her dog.

B. She invented new ways to train dogs.
C. She treated her rollerskate like a real dog.
D. She tricked her parents into getting a dog.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 11

 Read the passage and the information web to find out some
interesting facts about an endangered animal.
Vancouver Island Marmots
The Vancouver Island marmot is
Canada’s most endangered animal and
one of the world’s rarest mammals.
In 1984, there were between 300–350
marmots. There are now fewer than
80 left in the wild. The only place in
the world they live is in the mountains
of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
There are 14 species of marmots
worldwide—four of which live in
Canada. Marmots are the largest
members of the squirrel family and can
typically weigh as much as 5–6 kg
(about the size of a cat). They are
herbivores, feeding on grasses and
flowers.
Marmots are peaceful, social animals
that may be wiped out forever if
nothing is done to save them.
The Marmot Recovery Foundation
is working to increase the number of
Vancouver Island marmots. They
Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions
allow people, for a fee, to “adopt a
marmot.” They send you a full-sized
poster of a Vancouver Island marmot,
an official adoption certificate, a
recovery newsletter and a year-end
report on how your marmot fared
that year—whether it had babies,
moved, etc.
The goal is to get the Vancouver
Island marmot off the endangered
species list. May 1 was declared
Vancouver Island Marmot Day in
British Columbia.
The Marmot Recovery Foundation
provides a captive breeding and
releasing program for marmots, trying
to increase their numbers in the wild.
They are making great progress.
The Toronto Zoo has 15 animals that
should be ready to breed soon. The
Calgary Zoo has 12 animals. Their
six females will be old enough to
breed next spring.
Page 12
 Marmots have an
average of three pups
per litter, which stay Logging and
with their parents for deforestation have
Unlike other two years. contributed to the
marmots, the decline in the marmot
Vancouver Island population. We must
marmot has do what we can to
chocolate-brown fur protect them.
and white patches.

Marmots are the largest

Marmots live in members of the squirrel
underground colonies family (the group of
consisting of one rodents that includes
male, one or two squirrels, chipmunks
females and their and prairie dogs).
young. Their
underground burrows
have many entrances
and exits, as well as
many tunnels.
Length: 60–70 cm
Weight: approx. 6 kg
Food: Grasses and flowers
Marmots use their Habitat: Only the mountains of
high-pitched whistle Vancouver Island
to communicate and British Columbia
warn others of danger.
One local nickname
of the Vancouver
Island marmot is the
“whistle pig.”

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 13

 18. What is the main purpose of this article?

A. To discuss the size of marmots.

B. To report on the habitat of marmots.
C. To describe the behaviour of marmots.
D. To warn about the possible extinction of marmots.

19. How is the Vancouver Island marmot different from other marmots?

A. It is bigger than other marmots.

B. It only has two babies at a time.
C. It is a peaceful and social animal.
D. It has chocolate-brown fur and white patches.

20. For how many years do marmot pups stay with their parents?

A. Two.
B. Two-and-a-half.
C. Three.
D. Three-and-a-half.

21. According to the article, why has the Vancouver Island marmot
become Canada’s most endangered animal?

A. Mining.
B. Hunting.
C. Logging.
D. Captive breeding.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 14

 22. What is the goal of the Marmot Recovery Foundation?

A. To adopt marmot babies for a fee.

B. To learn more about how marmots can survive
in the wild.
C. To move marmots from Toronto and Calgary to
Vancouver.
D. To get the Vancouver Island marmot off the endangered
species list.

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 15

 23. Complete the following notes by writing information
about marmots under each of the questions. (4 marks)

Where do marmots live in the wild?

What do marmots eat?

How do marmots communicate?

What do we know about marmot babies?

END OF BOOKLET

Grade 4 – Reading Comprehension – Sample Questions Page 16

 Acknowledgments

“Potato Chips.” Excerpt from Cricket Magazine. October 1993,

Vol. 21 #2. Carus Publishing Co. Magazine Division, Illinois, U.S.A.

“Lost,” by Allan Ahlberg. The Ring of Words: An Anthology of Poetry

for Children. Edited by Roger McGough. Faber and Faber, Ltd.
London, England. ©1998. p. 59.

I Want a Dog by Dayal Kaur Khalsa. Tundra Books. Montreal,

Québec, Canada. ©1987 by Dayal Kaur Khalsa.

“Vancouver Island Marmots.” WILD: The Wildlife Magazine for Kids.

Sept./Oct. 1999. Issue 32. Tribute Publishing, Inc. pp. 26–29.