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SAMPLE TEST
2006-2008
READING/LITERATURE
GRADE
5
Vocabulary
Read to Perform a Task
Demonstrate General Understanding
Develop an Interpretation
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
It is the policy of the State Board of Education and a priority of the Oregon Department of Education
that there will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status,
religion, national origin, age or handicap in any educational programs, activities, or employment.
Persons having questions about equal opportunity and nondiscrimination should contact the State
Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Oregon Department of Education.
Office of Assessment & Information Services
Oregon Department of Education
255 Capitol Street NE
Salem, OR 97310
(503) 947-5600
Susan Castillo
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Jim Leigh
Mathematics Assessment Specialist
Doug Kosty
Assistant Superintendent
Ken Hermens
Language Arts Assessment Specialist
Tony Alpert
Director, Assessment and Evaluation
Leslie Phillips
Science, and Social Sciences Assessment Specialist
Steve Slater
Manager, Scoring, Psychometrics and Validity
Dianna Carrizales
Extended Assessment Specialist
Kathleen Vanderwall
Manager, Test Design and Administration
Sheila Somerville
Electronic Publishing Specialist
INTRODUCTION
TO
READING
AND
LITERATURE
SAMPLE TESTS
The Oregon Department of Education provides sample
tests to demonstrate the types of reading selections and
questions students at grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10
might encounter on the Oregon Statewide
Assessments. Passages on the test represent literary,
informative and practical reading selections students
might see both in school and other daily reading
activities. These sample questions were taken from
previous years’ tests. They were designed to assess
students’ abilities to:
f understand word meaning within the context of a
selection (Vocabulary);
f locate information in common resources (Read to
Perform a Task);
f understand information that is directly stated
(Demonstrate General Understanding);
f understand ideas which are not directly stated but
are implied (Develop an Interpretation);
f analyze informative reading selections and form
conclusions about the information (Examine
Content and Structure of Informational Text);
f analyze the use and effect of literary elements and
devices such as plot, theme, setting, personification
and metaphor in literature (Examine Content and
Structure of Literary Text).
WHY PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH A SAMPLE
TEST?
Most students feel some anxiety when they approach a test.
The more confident students feel about their knowledge of
the topic, the less anxious they will feel. It also may help
students feel less anxious if they are familiar with the types of
reading selections and questions they will encounter on the
test. It is important that students feel comfortable with the
test format and have some test-taking strategies to help them
achieve the best possible score.
HOW TO USE THE SAMPLE TEST
The Oregon Department of Education has provided sample
tests periodically beginning in 1997. The latest—Grade 5
Sample Test 2005-2006—appears in the student test booklet
here. Students may take this sample test as a practice
activity to prepare for the actual test.
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Oregon Department of Education
A list of test-taking strategies and tips follows this
introduction. Teachers may use the tips to:
f generate individual and class discussion;
f call attention to helpful strategies students can use to
prepare for and take the test; and
f share ideas with parents of ways to help reduce test
anxiety and promote good study habits at home.
In addition to gaining practice in reading and answering test
questions, some students also may benefit from practice in
marking bubbles on a separate answer sheet, as required on
the actual test. An answer sheet for students to mark is
provided at the end of each student test booklet.
An answer key for this test is provided at the end of this
introduction. In addition to the correct answer, the key also
identifies which reporting category each question is designed
to assess (the bolded titles in the left column of this
introduction indicate the reporting categories adopted in 2003
with student accountability starting in 2005-2006).
A table below the answer key converts the number of items
correct on the sample test to a score similar to the scores
students will receive on the Oregon Statewide Assessment
(called a RIT score). However, this test is only a practice
test. Scores on this sample test may not be substituted for
the actual Oregon Statewide Assessment.
In using the sample test, teachers may wish to have students
take the entire sample test, or complete a passage and its
questions and then discuss it in class before proceeding to
the next selection. Students may benefit from re-reading the
passages and analyzing both the correct and incorrect
answers.
Sample tests also may be shared with parents to help them
understand the types of questions their child will encounter
on the test and to practice with their child.
Sample questions may be reprinted in newsletters or shared
at community meetings to help constituents better
understand the state assessment system. Although the
sample tests are not as comprehensive as the actual tests,
they do provide examples of the subject area content and
difficulty level students will encounter as part of Oregon’s
high academic standards.
2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
i
Test-Taking Tips
Students: Use these tips to help you prepare for the test.
f If you are not sure of an answer to a
question try these tips:
Before the test
f Develop a positive attitude. Tell
yourself, “I will do my best on this test.”
- Get rid of the answers that you know
are not correct and choose among the
rest.
f Get a good night’s sleep the night before
the test.
- Read through all the answers very
carefully, and then go back to the
question. Sometimes you can pick up
clues just by thinking about the
different answers you have been given
to choose from.
f Get up early enough to avoid hurrying to
get ready for school.
f Eat a good breakfast (and lunch, if your
test is in the afternoon).
During the test
- Go back and skim the story or article to
see if you can find information to
answer the question. (Sometimes a
word or sentence will be underlined to
help you.)
f Stay calm.
f Listen carefully to the directions the
teacher gives.
f Ask questions if you don’t understand
what to do.
- If you get stuck on a question, skip it
and come back later.
f Before you read a selection on the test,
preview the questions that follow it to
help focus your reading.
- It is OK to guess on this test. Try to
make your best guess, but make sure
you answer all questions.
f After reading a selection, read the entire
question and all the answer choices.
Stop and think of an answer. Look to
see if your answer is similar to one of
the choices given.
After the test
f Before you turn your test in, check it
over. Change an answer only if you
have a good reason. Generally it is
better to stick with your first choice.
f Read each test question carefully.
Try to analyze what the question is
really asking.
f Make sure you have marked an answer for
every question, even if you had to guess.
f Slow down and check your answers.
f Make sure your answer sheet is clearly
marked with dark pencil. Erase any
stray marks.
f Pace yourself. If you come to a
difficult passage or set of questions, it
may be better to skip it and go on, then
come back and really focus on the
difficult section.
f Don’t worry about the test once it is
finished. Go on to do your best work on
your other school assignments.
f This is not a timed test. If you need
more time to finish the test, notify
your teacher.
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ii
2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
DIRECTIONS
Read each of the passages. Then read the questions that follow and decide on the
BEST answer. There are a lot of different kinds of questions, so read each question
carefully before marking an answer on your answer sheet.
WATCHING A BEEKEEPER
Read this passage from the article WATCHING A BEEKEEPER by Joan Davis to
learn about beekeeping and handling bees.
I FROZE IN PLACE AS A CLOUD of honeybees buzzed around
my head and arms. My only hope was that the big fancy net I
was wearing would keep the bees out. You see, my friend
Frank is a beekeeper. He not only keeps bees but he loves
them, too. I joined him on this warm spring day to see how a
beekeeper starts a new hive.
Honeybees had always seemed scary to me. But as I
watched Frank work, I learned something. I learned that if you
know how to handle bees the right way, beekeeping can be a
great hobby.
Frank and I each wore a helmet and a net to protect us
from bee stings. We used string to tie our pants around our
ankles to keep any lost honeybees from crawling up our legs.
For hives, beekeepers use boxes with narrow wooden
frames hanging inside. On each frame is a sheet of thin
wax. The honeybees produce more wax from their bodies
to make six-sided boxes, called cells, on these sheets. The
queen bee lays eggs in some of the cells, and the bees store
honey and pollen in others. Each cell is just big enough
for a honeybee to squeeze inside.
Frank sprayed sugar water on the mass of bees in the
center of the mailing box. For a few minutes, this makes their
wings too sticky to fly. Then he reached in for the tiny box
containing the queen bee.
“Aha,” whispered Frank, “and here she is.” His voice was
quiet but excited. He slipped the queen’s box into his pocket to
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
keep her safe. The queen is important to the hive, and the other
honeybees will attack to protect her.
Moving quietly, he dumped the rest of the honeybees from
the mailing box into the hive. After spraying the queen with
sugar water, he took her out of the special box and placed her
in her new home. He covered the top of the hive with a lid.
Then he smiled at me and said, “Not one sting. They must
really like you!”
Next, Frank opened a little door at the bottom of the hive.
This would let the honeybees fly in and out to gather nectar
and pollen for the hive. Honeybees use nectar to make honey.
They use honey and pollen as food. Soon the queen would
start laying eggs, and the hive would grow. Frank’s work for
the day was done.
Later in the summer, I saw Frank again. He proudly
presented me with a big jar of sweet, tasty honey made by my
friends the honeybees.
1
The author “froze in place as a cloud of honeybees buzzed around her.” When
used in this way, cloud means
A.
B.
C.
D.
warm steam.
large mass.
white fog.
single cell.
2
Why did Frank move quietly while he dumped the bees into the hive?
A.
B.
C.
D.
He didn’t want to wake them up.
He was trying to sneak up on them.
He was always moving slowly.
He didn’t want the bees to get angry and sting.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
3
Which statement below is an opinion?
A.
B.
C.
D.
This makes their wings too sticky to fly.
Beekeepers use boxes for hives.
Frank and I each wore a helmet.
Beekeeping can be a great hobby.
4
The author probably wrote this article to tell us
A.
B.
C.
D.
about the dangers of beekeeping.
about queen bees.
how bees make honey.
how to start a new beehive safely.
5
How does the author’s attitude about bees change in this selection?
A. She goes from being afraid of them to appreciating them.
B. Her fear of bees has increased as a result of this visit.
C. She thinks there should be easier ways to get their honey.
D. Her attitude about bees doesn’t really change.
THE FOREST CHASE
Have you even been on a fun chase where you couldn’t quite catch up to what you
were chasing? Read this passage from THE MIDNIGHT FOX by Betsy Byars to find
out about a hard-to-catch fox in a forest.
IT WAS IMPULSE MORE THAN
ANYTHING ELSE that made me
follow the black fox, and the
desire to see where she was
going and what she was going
to do. I walked quickly across
the field to the woods.
I cannot exactly explain my
fascination with this fox. It was
as if I had just learned a new
and exciting game that I
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
wanted to play more than anything else in the world. It was
like when Petie Burkis first learned to play Monopoly, and that
was all he wanted to do—just play Monopoly. One time he
followed me around the yard on his knees, begging me to play
with him. And one time he made his sitter play with him and
he did everything for her—collected her money, moved her
piece, paid her rent. All she did was sit there reading a
magazine.
That’s the way I felt about this fox. It was a new game.
The rules I didn’t exactly know yet; all I had so far was a fierce
desire to play. My father once said this could be the most
important thing in any game.
I slipped through the trees, and the forest was warm and
sunlit. All around were large wrinkled boulders. It was as if
hundreds of full skirts had been left on the forest floor to dry.
There was not a sound anywhere, and I had the feeling I was
the only living being in the whole forest.
I charged through the pines and then, to the left, I heard the
sharp bark of the fox.
I stood perfectly still, waiting. A butterfly lit on the stone
by my foot and flexed its wings. The bark came again. A high,
clear bark. I turned and began to run around the pine thicket
toward a rocky ravine. The underbrush was thick here, and
briars scratched my legs. I ran past the ravine and on through
the trees. The fox barked again and I ran even faster.
I don’t know how far I went, or in exactly which direction,
but I finally stopped by a huge old tree and sat down on a root.
There was not a sound anywhere now.
I waited. I had had the feeling, all the while I was running,
that the black fox had been calling me, leading me somewhere,
and now I had lost her.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
6
The words “boulders,” “thicket” and “ravine” are all used to help establish the
story’s
A.
B.
C.
D.
characters.
theme.
plot.
setting.
7
As used in this passage, what does the word briars mean?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Trees
Fingernails
Thorns
Foxes
8
Which did the boy do last?
A.
B.
C.
D.
He followed the fox.
He stood waiting for the fox.
He lost track of the fox.
He heard the fox.
9
By reading this story, you can guess that a fox is
A.
B.
C.
D.
afraid of the dark.
not very smart.
dangerous to people.
hard to catch.
10
Why does the author compare boulders to hundreds of full skirts left to dry?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To give you a better picture in your mind of the boulders
To warn you not to leave things in the forest
To remind you that things get wrinkled in the sun
To show that these boulders are softer than normal ones
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
WHAT IS THE BEARING CAPACITY OF ICE ON A LAKE?
In many areas of the United States, lakes and ponds freeze over during the cold
winters. The chart below contains important information about safely crossing over
these frozen bodies of water.
THE FOLLOWING CHART INDICATES the maximum safe load. It
applies only to clear lake ice that has not been heavily traveled.
For early winter slush ice, ice thickness should be doubled for
safety.
Ice thickness
Centimeters Examples
Inches
2
3
7.5
5
7.6
19
8
10
12
15
20
Maximum safe load
Tons
Kilograms
One person on foot
Group in single file
Car or snowmobiles
Light truck
Medium truck
Heavy truck
20.3
25.4
30.5
38
50.8
2
907.2
2½
3½
9
10
25
1,361
1,814.4
7,257.6
9,072
22,680
11
How thick should clear untraveled lake ice be to safely support one person on foot?
A. 2 inches
B. 3 inches
C. 4 inches
D. 5 inches
12
How thick in centimeters does the ice need to be to support a snowmobile?
A. 7.5
B. 19
C. 25
D. 907.2
13
How thick does lake ice need to be to support 9 tons of weight in the middle of winter?
A.
B.
C.
D.
8 inches
10 inches
12 centimeters
30.5 centimeters
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
MANY LEGS
In MANY LEGS, by Susan J. Tweit, you will learn about a scary creature that turns
out to be not so scary after all.
ONE SUMMER EVENING, my family and I were
sprawled on the living room couch reading, when my
daughter Molly looked up and yelped in surprise. A sixinch-long tan critter with many legs—a centipede—
rushed across the carpet toward us. I ran to the
kitchen, grabbed a glass, and quickly put it over our
visitor. Under the glass, the centipede raced in a
circle, its 40 or so legs rippling in perfect rhythm.
The centipede’s name means “one hundred
feet” in Latin. Actually, centipedes can sport as
many as 364 feet or as few as 30.
Centipedes are often confused with millipedes, but
the two are quite different. Both are arthropods—
critters with externally jointed skeletons like insects,
crabs, and shrimp, but centipedes’ long, many-segmented
bodies are flattened, while millipedes’ bodies are rounded
and wormlike. Centipedes sprout one pair of legs per body
segment; millipedes have two pairs. Even their diets differ.
Millipedes graze on decaying plant stems and leaves;
centipedes eat meat.
If you live in the United States, Mexico, or southern
Canada, you probably share your house and neighborhood with
centipedes. Look in damp, dark habitats such as in basements
or cellar corners, around drainpipes, or under rocks and rotting
logs. Search at night with a flashlight. Centipedes don’t like
light, so they may be hard to find, but they’re all around. Keep
your eyes peeled for scurrying movements.
The kind you’ll most likely find are house centipedes,
two inch-long critters with 30 or so long, slender legs. Their
slim bodies are brown with black stripes running from end to
end. Even their legs sport black “armbands.” North American
centipedes are drably colored and blend into the darkness. In
the tropics, centipedes shout their presence in vivid shades of
red, orange, green, and violet.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
14
The passage stated, “North American centipedes are drably colored. In this
sentence, drably means
A.
B.
C.
D.
brightly.
dully.
richly.
heavily.
15
Where are you most likely to find a centipede?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sunning on a rock
In a damp, dark place
Next to a pond
Grazing on a plant
16
The story states that centipedes are
A.
B.
C.
D.
round and short.
round and long.
flat and short.
flat and long.
17
Why did the author most likely write this passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To warn people about centipedes
To educate people about centipedes
To show how to catch centipedes
To compare centipedes with other insects
18
In the first paragraph, the author tells a true story. She does this to
A.
B.
C.
D.
explain that she has a daughter.
show you how to catch a centipede.
teach the reader about bugs.
grab the reader’s attention.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
ACE GETS HIS NAME
Most children know the story of Babe, the famous talking pig who helped save the
farmer’s sheep. But did you know about Babe’s grandson, Ace? Read the
beginning of this charming novel about how Ace acquires his name.
“WELL, I NEVER! DID YOU EVER?” said Farmer Tubbs.
He was leaning on the wall of his pigsty, looking down at a
sow and her litter of piglets. The sow was asleep, lying on her
side, and six of her seven piglets slept also, their heads
pillowed on their mother’s huge belly.
But the seventh piglet was wide awake and stood directly
below the farmer, ears cocked, staring up at him with bright
eyes that had in them a look of great intelligence.
“I never seed one like you afore,” said Farmer Tubbs.
“Matter of fact, I don’t suppose there’s ever been one like you,
eh?”
In reply the piglet gave a single grunt. Farmer Tubbs
was not a fanciful man, but he did, just for a moment,
imagine that the grunt sounded more like a “no” than an
“oink.” He half expected the piglet to shake its head.
Up till that time the farmer had not noticed anything
out of the ordinary about this litter. But what was now
catching his attention was the seventh piglet’s strange
marking, clearly to be seen once he was standing apart
from his brothers and sisters. On his left flank there was
an odd-shaped black spot.
The sow was a mongrel, numbering among her
ancestors Yorkshires and Saddlebacks and Gloucester Old
Spots. Usually her piglets were white with bluish patches, but
occasionally a baby would be born with an odd spot or two on
it, so it was not remarkable that this piglet should have one.
What was extremely unusual was the formation of the
single black marking. It stood out clearly against the white
background, and it was almost exactly the shape of a club in a
deck of playing cards.
“Will you look at that!” said Farmer Tubbs.
“It’s a club, a single one! And a card with a single marking
is called an ace, young feller-me-lad, d’you know that?”
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
“There be no doubt,” he said, “what us shall have to call
you. I don’t never give names to piglets as a rule—they don’t
live long enough to make no odds—but us shall have to name
you.”
The piglet stood silent and motionless, apparently taking in
every word that was said.
“Your name,” said Farmer Tubbs, “is written on you. The
Ace of Clubs, that’s who you be.”
19
“The sow was a mongrel, numbering among her ancestors Yorkshires, and
Saddlebacks, and Gloucester Old Spots.” From this description, we know that
mongrel probably means a
A.
B.
C.
D.
sickly animal.
one-of-a-kind animal.
famous animal.
mixed-breed animal.
20
When Farmer Tubbs says, “I never seed one like you afore,” he is talking about
A.
B.
C.
D.
Ace’s small size.
Ace’s unusual marking.
Ace’s white coloring.
Ace’s ability to speak.
21
In this selection, the author makes the pig seem almost human. This is a
technique called
A.
B.
C.
D.
dialogue.
metaphor.
alliteration.
personification.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Reading and Literature T
22
When the author has Farmer Tubbs talk, she uses a dialect such as, “I never seed
one like you afore.” Why did she use this technique?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To prove that this farmer doesn’t use correct grammar
To point out that language is unimportant
To emphasize what region or country he is from
To show that people talk differently to pigs
23
Farmer Tubbs thought Ace’s “oink” sounded like a “no.” Then he almost
expected the piglet to shake his head. Why would he half expect that?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Because for a moment Ace is behaving like a human
Because pigs can’t really talk but they can shake their heads
Because he knew Ace couldn’t really understand him
Because he liked having a conversation with Ace
24
From the description of Ace watching Farmer Tubbs we understand that Ace
A.
B.
C.
D.
wants to leave the pigsty.
wants to be given some food.
wants to communicate with him.
wants to be picked up.
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Grade 5 Reading and Literature
SAMPLE TEST KEY 2005-2007
Item
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Key
B
D
D
D
A
D
C
C
D
A
A
B
D
B
B
D
B
D
D
B
D
C
A
C
Score Reporting Category
Vocabulary
Develop an Interpretation
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Develop an Interpretation
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Vocabulary
Demonstrate General Understanding
Develop an Interpretation
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Read to Perform a Task
Read to Perform a Task
Read to Perform a Task
Vocabulary
Demonstrate General Understanding
Demonstrate General Understanding
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Examine Content and Structure: Informational Text
Vocabulary
Demonstrate General Understanding
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Examine Content and Structure: Literary Text
Develop an Interpretation
Develop an Interpretation
CONVERTING TO A RIT SCORE
Number correct
RIT Score
Number Correct
RIT Score
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
176.3
184.0
188.8
192.4
195.4
198.0
200.4
202.6
204.7
206.7
208.9
210.6
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
212.6
214.5
216.6*
218.7
220.9
223.3
225.9
229.0
232.6**
237.5
245.2
252.5
*Likely to meet the grade 5 standard
**Likely to exceed the grade 5 standard
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2006-2008 Sample Test, Grade 5
Oregon Reading/Literature Sample Test
Use number 2 pencil.
Do NOT use ink or ball point pen.
Make heavy dark marks that completely fill the circle.
Erase completely any marks you wish to change.
Name of Student
Name of Teacher
Name of School
1 A B C D
13
A
B
C D
2 A B C D
14
A
B
C D
3 A B C D
15
A
B
C D
4 A B C D
16
A
B
C D
5 A B C D
17
A
B
C D
6 A B C D
18
A
B
C D
7 A B C D
19
A
B
C D
8 A B C D
20
A
B
C D
9 A B C D
21
A
B
C D
10 A B C D
22
A
B
C D
11 A B C D
23
A
B
C D
12 A B C D
24
A
B
C D
Oregon Department of Education
255 Capitol St NE, Salem, Oregon 97310 (503) 947-5600