Level Primer (50 words)

Examiner’s Introductions:

Did you ever want to NOT do what your Mother tells you to do? Please read this story about a young girl who tries to trick her Mother.

Pat sat by the tree.

“Mom wants me to work,” Pat said.

“I do not want to help her work.

I will hide by this big tree.

She will not find me.

I will hide from her.

My mom will not find me.

I will hide by this big tree!”

Comprehension Questions:

1. Where is Pat sitting? (by a tree)

2. What does Mom want Pat to do? (help her, work)

3. What does the word “word” mean? (do a chore, help Mom with house)

4. What does Pat say about what Mom wants? (She doesn’t want to help, work)

5. So what is Pat planning to do? (hide by the tree)

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Level First (76 words)

Examiner’s Introductions:

Imagine what your Mom would say if you brought every animal you saw home to live in your house. Please read about this little girl.

I found a lost baby turtle. I took him home so he could live in my house. A friend gave me his prize rabbit. I took the rabbit home to live in my house.

I found a lost duck so I took her home too. I saw a little, cold blackbird and took him home. Then, I saw a cow who looked so sad. I took her home!

But Mom said, “No! No! Not a cow!”

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the child in this story doing? (collecting stray animals)

2. What animal did the child find first? (a lost baby turtle)

3. What is meant by the phrase “a prize rabbit”? (the best one, valuable, won honors)

4. How did the cow look? (so sad)

5. Name the animals that the child in the story took home? (turtle, rabbit, duck, blackbird, cow—must name 4 for full credit)

6. How did Mom feel about a cow coming home with the little girl? (she didn’t want it in the house)

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Level Second (121 words)

Examiner’s Introductions:

Have you ever had a pet that got hurt? Read about the pet in this story.

“Look out, you’ll get hit!” I yelled as my dog ran across the busy road. Thud was the noise I heard, and then I saw my pup lying in the street. “Oh, no!” I shouted. I felt scared inside.

“Rex is my best friend!” I wanted to cry out. I knew that he was hurt, but he’d be all right if I could get help fast. I knew I had to be brave.

“Mom! Dad!” I yelled as I ran straight home. I tried to fight back the tears. They started rolling down my face anyway as I blasted through the door. “Rex has been hit, and he needs help now!” I cried out. “Please hurry so we can save him!”

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who are the main characters in this story? (a child and his/her dog)

2. What happened to the dog in this story? (dog ran across busy road and got hit)

3. How do you know the dog was hurt”? (it was lying in the street)

4. After the dog got hit, what did the child do? (ran home to get help)

5. Why was it important for the child to run fast? (if quick enough, the dog might be all right, might be saved)

6. How do you know the child in this story is upset? (tears started rolling down face, crying)

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Level Third (146 words)

Examiner’s Introductions:

Mary’s Dad had warned her NOT to go into the cave, but Mary had other ideas. Read this story and find out what happened.

The sunlight shined into the mouth of the cave so Mary could see easily at first, but the farther she walked, the darker it grew. Her dog, Boxer, ran off to explore on his own.

Soon it grew so dark that Mary could see nothing, but she could hear water dripping off the cave walls. She touched a wall with her hand to find it cold and damp. Mary began to grow fearful, so she lit her candle and held it high to look around.

Suddenly, the flame went out. She tried to relight the candle, but the first match went out! Finally, Mary’s shaking hand held the lighted candle high. She heard a low growl near her and saw a pair of fierce, green eyes glowing in the dark!

“Boxer!” she shouted. “Now I recognize those green eyes of yours! Let’s get out of here!”

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened at the beginning of the story? (Mary and her dog went into a cave)

2. What was it like inside the cave? (dark, cold, damp/wet—need two for full credit)

3. How do Mary know that it was wet in the cave? (she heard water dripping or touched the wall)

4. Why did Mary become fearful and what did she do about it? (it was dark; she lit the candle)

(continued on next page)
Level Third (146 words)

5. What happened when Mary lit the candle the first time? (it went out)

6. What did the “growling” and “fierce, green eyes” turn out to be? (Boxer/her dog)

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Level Fourth (147 words)

Examiner’s Introductions:

Please read this story about three animals that traveled far in search of their owner and faced many hardships on their journey.

The two dogs and the cat were growing tired from their long journey. Now they had to cross a river. It was wide and deep, so they would have to swim across.

The younger dog plunged into the icy water, barking for the others to follow him. The older dog jumped into the water. He was weak and suffering from pain, but somehow he managed to struggle to the opposite bank.

The poor cat was left all alone. He was so afraid that he ran up and down the bank wailing with fear. The younger dog swam back and forth trying to help. Finally, the cat jumped in and began swimming near his friend.

At that moment something bad happened. An old beaver dam from upstream broke. The water rushed downstream, hurling a large log toward the animals. It struck the cat and swept him helplessly away.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who are the characters in this story? (young dog, old dog, cat)

2. What is the problem that they face at the beginning of the story? (they are tired and have to cross a deep, wide river)

3. What does the word “wailing” mean in the phrase “wailing with fear”? (cried out, screamed, yowled)

4. The story said that the cat was left alone. Why was he alone? (dogs had crossed the river to the other side / cat was stuck on one side of the river and the dogs were on the other)

(continued on next page)
Level Fourth (147 words)

5. How did the younger dog help his friends? (he was first to go across / barked for the others to follow / swam back and forth to get the cat to swim near him)

6. At the end of the story, what happened to the cat? (swept down river because a log hit the cat or a dam broke)

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Level Fifth (171 words)

Examiner’s Introductions:

Sheila Young enjoys racing her bicycle. Read this story about something that happens to her during a bicycling race.

“Look out,” Sheila Young thought as she saw her challenger’s bicycle come too close. “Watch out or you will foul me!”

At that moment a horrifying thing happened as she was bumped by another racer at forty miles an hour. Sheila’s bicycle crashed, and she skidded to the surface of the track. From the wreck she received a nine-inch gash on her head.

The judges ruled that the race should be run again since a foul had been made. Sheila would not have enough time to get her wound stitched; still, she didn’t want to quit the race because she could only think of winning. “Just staple the cut together and bandage it,” she told the doctor. “I want to win this race!”

The doctor did as Sheila asked, and as she stood in silence while being treated, tears rolled down her face from the intense pain. Then, with a blood-stained bandage on her throbbing head, she pushed on to amaze the crowd with a sensational victory and a gold medal!

Comprehension Questions:

1. At the beginning, what happened to Sheila Young? (She crashed or another racer bumped her making her crash)

2. What injury did Shelia receive in the crash? (She had a 9-inch gash on her head or she cut her head)

3. What did the judges decide about the first race? (the race needed to be run again because there was a foul)

4. What did Sheila ask the doctor to do when she found out that the race was being run again? (just staple/stitch her cut and bandage it)

(continued on the next page)

Level Fifth (171 words)

5. What does the word “intense” mean in the phrase “the intense pain”? (extreme or very strong)

6. How did Sheila amaze the crowd? (despite her injury she won the race)

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Level Sixth (186 words)

Examiner’s Introductions:

Garrett Morgan, a black American inventor, was born in 1877. He invented the traffic signal among other inventions. Read this story about one of his important inventions.

The explosion was horrible that tragic day in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1916. Thirty-two men were trapped in a tunnel 250 feet below Lake Erie. No one could enter the smoked-filled tunnel to rescues the survivors.

“Someone get Garrett Morgan to help those men down there,” shouted a man from the crowd. “Morgan and his breathing device are the only chance those men have!”

Garrett Morgan and his brother quickly came to the aid of the men trapped in the tunnel. Morgan had invented what he called a “Breathing Device,” later to be known as the gas mask. Two years before, Morgan’s invention had been tested by filling an enclosed tent with the foulest, thickest smoke possible. Placing the device over his head, a man entered this suffocating atmosphere, stayed twenty minutes, and emerged unharmed! Later, using a poisonous gas in a closed room, another test also provided the same successful results.

Although not all lived, every man was brought to the surface by the brothers. It was Morgan’s concern for safer working conditions that saved lives that day and in the years to come.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What problem did the group of 32 men face? (they were trapped in a smoke-filled tunnel under Lake Erie)

2. What made rescuing the men in the tunnel difficult? (it was filled with smoke)

(continued on the next page)

Level Sixth (186 words)

3. Why did a man in the crowd think Garrett Morgan could help? (Morgan had invented a gas mask that would allow someone to go into the smoke-filled tunnel safely)

4. How did Morgan know the gas mask would work? (during a test, a man stayed in a smoke-filled tent for 20 minutes; or a man stayed in a room full of poisonous gas and was unharmed)

5. What does the word “emerged” mean in the phrase “emerged unharmed”? (came out of)

6. What happened to the group of 32 men? (all were brought out of the tunnel, some lived and some died)

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