Table Of Content3
Standardized GRADE
Test Tutor
READING
Practice Tests With Question-by-Question Strategies a n d T i p s T h a t H e l p
Students Build Test-Taking Skills and Boost Th e i r S c o r e s
Michael Priestley
Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages from this mini-book
for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission,
write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Editor: Maria L. Chang
Cover design: Brian LaRossa
Interior design: Creative Pages, Inc.
Interior illustrations: Wilkinson Studios, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-09601-0
ISBN-10: 0-545-09601-4
Copyright © 2009 by Michael Priestley
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.
Printed in the U.S.A.
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Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Contents
Welcome to Test Tutor .............................. 4
Test 1 ..................................................... 8
Test 2 .................................................... 30
Test 3 .................................................... 49
Answer Sheet ............................................. 69
Answer Keys
Test 1 .................................................... 71
Test 2 .................................................... 79
Test 3 .................................................... 87
Scoring Charts
Student Scoring Chart ..................................... 94
Classroom Scoring Chart .................................. 95
Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Welcome to Test Tutor!
Students in schools today take a lot of tests, especially in reading and math. Some
students naturally perform well on tests, and some do not. But just about everyone
can get better at taking tests by learning more about what’s on the test and how to
answer the questions. How many students do you know who could benefit from
working with a tutor? How many would love to have someone sit beside them and
help them work their way through the tests they have to take?
That’s where Test Tutor comes in. The main purpose of Test Tutor is to help students
learn what they need to know in order to do better on tests. Along the way, Test
Tutor will help students feel more confident as they come to understand the content
and learn some of the secrets of success for multiple-choice tests.
The Test Tutor series includes books for reading and books for math in a range of
grades. Each Test Tutor book in reading has three full-length practice tests designed
specifically to resemble the state tests that students take each year. The reading
skills measured on these practice tests have been selected from an analysis of the
skills tested in ten major states, and the questions have been written to match
the multiple-choice format used in most states.
The most important feature of this book is the friendly Test Tutor. He will
help students work through the tests and achieve the kind of success
they are looking for. This program is designed so students may work
through the tests independently by reading the Test Tutor’s helpful hints.
Or you may work with the student as a tutor yourself, helping him or her
understand each question and test-taking strategy along the way. You can
do this most effectively by following the Test Tutor’s guidelines included in
the pages of this book.
Three Different Tests
There are three practice tests in this book: Test 1, Test 2, and Test 3. Each test has
35 multiple-choice items with four answer choices (A, B, C, D). All three tests
measure the same skills, but they provide different levels of tutoring help.
Test 1 provides step-by-step guidance to help students find the answer to each
question, as in the sample on the next page. The tips in Test 1 are detailed and
thorough. Some of the tips are designed to help students read through and under-
stand the passage, and others are written specifically for each reading question
to help students figure out the answers.
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Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Sample 1
Directions: Read this story about a girl and her mother.
Then answer questions 1–5.
The Pot of Milk
Once upon a time in India, a young girl named Gheta
Take a quick look at the
lived in a small house with her mother. The mother worked
questions before you
hard to make enough money to support herself and her
begin reading so you
daughter. Every day, she milked their one cow. Then she
know what to look for.
took the milk to the market and sold it for a few rupees.
One day after the mother milked the cow, the cow fell
Think about why Gheta
ill. The mother could not leave the sick cow alone, for the
has to go to the market.
animal was the most valuable thing she owned. So she
handed her daughter a clay pot full of milk and said, “Take
this to the market and sell it.”
2. Why does the mother send Gheta to the market?
Go back to the passage to
(cid:1) (cid:23) The mother does not feel well.
see why Gheta had to go
(cid:1) (cid:24) The mother has to care for the cow. to the market.
(cid:1) (cid:25) The mother is angry with Gheta.
(cid:1) (cid:26) The mother thinks Gheta can get more money.
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Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Test 2 provides a test-taking tip for each item, as in the sample below, but the tips
are less detailed than in Test 1. They help guide the student toward the answers
without giving away too much. Students must take a little more initiative.
Sample 2
Directions: Read this passage about two boys on a vacation.
Then answer questions 1–5.
The Garden
By the second day of spring vacation, Colby and
Logan were at loose ends. Their grandmother was in the
house baking pies for a local store and couldn’t take them Take a quick look at the
anywhere. They had ridden their bikes, played hide-and- questions before reading
seek, and built a fort in the woods. Now they were bored. the passage.
Logan suggested they visit their grandmother’s new
neighbor, Mrs. Wilson, because she had a puppy. Their
grandmother said, “Now don’t bother her. Be respectful
and don’t be pests.” Think about what the
When the boys got to the house, Mrs. Wilson was working characters say and do
throughout the story.
outside in the yard. The dog bounded up to them, and the
boys introduced themselves.
“Can we play with your dog?” the boys asked.
“Sure,” said the woman with a smile.
The boys chased the dog around the yard. Then the dog
chased the boys around and around. Finally, the boys were
tired, but the puppy was not!
“Do you boys want some lemonade?” Mrs. Wilson asked.
Logan and Colby nodded. They thought this new neighbor
was really nice.
1. Why did Colby and Logan think Mrs. Wilson was nice?
Read each answer choice
(cid:1) (cid:23) She let them help her with the compost and the garden.
before you pick one.
(cid:1) (cid:24) She brought them lemonade when they were tired and
thirsty.
(cid:1) (cid:25) She let them ride their bikes in her driveway.
(cid:1) (cid:26) She played hide-and-seek and other games with them.
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Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Test 3 does not provide test-taking tips. It assesses the progress students have made. After
working through Tests 1 and 2 with the help of the Test Tutor, students should be more
than ready to score well on Test 3 without too much assistance. Success on this test will
help students feel confident and prepared for taking real tests.
Other Helpful Features
In addition to the tests, this book provides some other helpful features. First, on page 69,
you will find an answer sheet. When students take the tests, they may mark their answers
by filling in bubbles on the test pages, or they may mark their answers on a copy of the
answer sheet instead, as they will be required to do in most standardized tests.
Second, beginning on page 71, you will find a detailed answer key for each test. The answer
key lists the correct response and explains the answer for each question. It also identifies the
skill tested by each question, as in the sample below.
Answer Key for Sample 1
Correct response: B
( Analyze characters)
The mother sends Gheta to the market because the cow is sick and she has to stay
home to care for the cow.
Incorrect choices:
A The cow is sick, not the mother.
C The mother becomes angry with Gheta after she goes to the market.
D The mother just tells Gheta to sell the milk. The story does not suggest that Gheta
will get more money for the milk than the mother would.
As the sample indicates, this question measures the student’s ability to analyze characters.
This information can help you determine which skills the student has mastered and which
ones still cause difficulty.
Finally, the answer key explains why each incorrect answer choice, or “distractor,” is incorrect.
This explanation can help reveal what error the student might have made. For example, a ques-
tion about an effect might have a distractor that describes a cause instead. Knowing this could
help the student improve his or her understanding of the text.
At the back of this book, you will find two scoring charts. The Student Scoring Chart
can help you keep track of each student’s scores on all three tests and on each passage
(literary or informational). The Classroom Scoring Chart can be used to record the scores
for all students on all three tests, illustrating the progress they have made from Test 1 to Test 3.
Keep in mind that students get a lot of tutoring help on Test 1, some help on Test 2, and no
help on Test 3. So if a student’s scores on all three tests are fairly similar, that could still be a
very positive sign that the student is better able to read passages and answer comprehension
questions independently and will achieve even greater success on future tests.
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Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
1
Test
Name Date
Read each passage and the questions that follow. Look at the
Test Tutor’s tips for understanding the passages and answering Test
the questions. Then choose the best answer to each question. Tutor
says:
Directions: Read this story about a girl and her mother.
Then answer questions 1–5.
The Pot of Milk
Once upon a time in India, a young girl named Gheta
Take a quick look at the
lived in a small house with her mother. The mother worked
questions before you
hard to make enough money to support herself and her
begin reading so you
daughter. Every day, she milked their one cow. Then she
know what to look for.
took the milk to the market and sold it for a few rupees.
One day after the mother milked the cow, the cow fell
Think about why Gheta
ill. The mother could not leave the sick cow alone, for the
has to go to the market.
animal was the most valuable thing she owned. So she
handed her daughter a clay pot full of milk and said, “Take
this to the market and sell it.”
Gheta grumbled, for she was used to lying in the shade
and dreaming while her mother worked. But she understood
that if she did not sell the milk, there would be no food for
dinner.
On the way to the market, Gheta got hot. She sat down
Where is Gheta while she
to rest in the shade of a big banyan tree. As she rested, she
is dreaming?
dreamed about her future.
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Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
1
Test
Name Test
Tutor
says:
“When I sell the milk,” she said to herself, “I will use the
money to buy some eggs.
“When the eggs hatch, I will have chickens.
“I will sell the chickens and buy a young goat.
“When the goat is fully grown, I will sell it for some fruit trees.
“I will plant the trees, and then I will gather the fruit to sell.
“With the money from the fruit, I will buy lots of land. I
will plant rice in the fields. When I harvest the rice, I will sell
it and use the money to build a fine house!
“One day I will be cooking a big meal in my new kitchen.
The food will smell so good that flies will come in the
window. I will be angry, and I will kick the flies—just
like this!”
Gheta gave a big kick and knocked over the pot of milk! The
clay pot did not break, but all the milk spilled out. There was
nothing she could do except turn around and go home.
When Gheta walked into the house, her mother told her
that the cow was fine. Then she asked, “Where are the rupees?”
Gheta told her what had happened, and her mother got
very upset. But Gheta said, “It was a good thing I did not take
our cow to the market. If I had kicked her instead of the pot
of milk, she would have run away! We lost a little milk, but
we still have the cow, so we can get more.”
The mother said that was so, and her anger slowly faded.
Think about the lesson
After that, Gheta stopped dreaming and started working.
Gheta learns.
She often took milk to the market, but she never again
stopped to rest.
Questions 1–5: Choose the best answer to each question.
1. Which words from the story have almost the same meaning?
Read every answer choice
(cid:1) (cid:23) angry and alone
before you pick one. Think
(cid:1) (cid:24) walked and kicked about the meaning of
both words.
(cid:1) (cid:25) ill and sick
(cid:1) (cid:26) fine and valuable
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Standardized Test Tutor: Reading, Grade 3 © Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
