Grade 3 · English Language Arts
An author and a reader. Two perspectives.
Use the author’s words as evidence, then explain how your own view compares.
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Study the lessons first, then answer independently. Complete the drawing, writing and demonstration tasks as well as the questions.
Informational reading: unit practice testGrade 3 · 12 questions · About 30 minutes, plus performance tasks
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1Question 1
Question 1
Read this original text: “Our reading corner should stay quiet. Students need a place to rest away from noisy games.” Which statement expresses the author's perspective?
- A. The corner should host louder games.
- B. The corner should offer a quiet place.
- C. Students dislike games in the playground.
- D. Students should stop having recess.
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
The recommendation that the corner should stay quiet states the author's perspective. The need for rest supplies the reason. The text does not support broader claims about every student or about ending recess.
A: The author recommends quiet and contrasts it with noisy games.
C: The author recommends a quiet corner but does not say students dislike playground games.
D: The author proposes one quiet space, not eliminating recess.
2Question 2
Question 2
An author writes, “A garden is the best place for quiet reading.” Nina says, “I would use the garden for music practice.” How does Nina's perspective compare with the author's?
- A. They both favor using the garden for music.
- B. They both favor leaving the garden unused.
- C. They prefer different uses of the garden.
- D. Nina favors the same activity as the author.
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
Identify the owner of each idea before comparing them. The author prefers quiet reading, while Nina prefers music practice. Their perspectives differ about the garden's use; neither statement says that the garden should be abandoned.
A: Only Nina favors music; the author favors quiet reading.
B: Both suggest using it, but for different activities.
D: Music practice differs from the author's preference for quiet reading.
3Question 3
Question 3
An author writes, “Keep the garden quiet at recess so students have a restful choice.” Leo says, “I also want a quiet place, but it should be in the library.” Which comparison is most accurate?
- A. They disagree about whether quiet places help.
- B. They agree on quiet but prefer different places.
- C. They agree that the garden is the best location.
- D. They disagree that students should have recess.
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
Leo's word “also” signals agreement with the need for a quiet place. His library preference differs from the author’s choice of the garden. Compare only the stated ideas; do not invent an unrelated disagreement about whether recess should occur.
A: Leo explicitly says he also wants a quiet place.
C: Leo identifies the library rather than sharing the author’s preference for the garden.
D: Neither statement proposes removing recess.
4Question 4
Question 4
Read: “The garden has two benches beside the classroom window. I think a quiet garden helps readers concentrate. Flowers grow beside the path that leads to the gate. The path curves around the edge of the garden.” Which sentence most directly shows the author's perspective?
- A. “The garden has two benches beside the classroom window.”
- B. “Flowers grow beside the path that leads to the gate.”
- C. “I think a quiet garden helps readers concentrate.”
- D. “The path curves around the edge of the garden.”
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
The phrase “I think” introduces a judgment about the benefit of quiet. That sentence directly establishes the author's perspective. The other sentences supply setting details rather than a judgment about the benefits of quiet.
A: This describes the number of benches without stating a judgment about them.
B: This describes where flowers grow without stating a preference.
D: This sentence describes the path rather than a judgment about quiet reading.
5Question 5
Question 5
An author favors quiet reading outside. You prefer active outdoor games. Which response distinguishes your view from the author's accurately?
- A. “The author prefers reading; I favor playing outdoors.”
- B. “The author prefers games; I favor reading outdoors.”
- C. “We favor the same activity because we both go outside.”
- D. “My preference for games shows the author enjoys them.”
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
A comparison should identify both perspectives and make clear whose view is whose. The correct response preserves the author's stated preference while explaining a different personal preference. Disagreement does not require misrepresenting either person.
B: This reverses the preferences stated for the author and the reader.
C: Sharing an outdoor setting does not establish the same preference.
D: The reader’s preference does not establish that the author shares it.
6Question 6
Question 6
Read: “Drumming is enjoyable, but the garden should remain quiet because students need a restful choice.” A reader says, “The author hates all music.” What is the best evaluation of the reader's claim?
- A. It overstates the author's view about one space.
- B. It matches the author’s feelings about drumming.
- C. It shows that the reader favors quiet reading.
- D. It is correct because quiet and music mean the same thing.
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
The author acknowledges that drumming can be enjoyable while recommending quiet in a particular place. Wanting one quiet location is not equivalent to hating all music. Accurate perspective analysis respects the scope of the author's statement.
B: The text discusses the garden and even calls drumming enjoyable.
C: The reader makes a claim about the author but does not state a personal preference.
D: The text distinguishes quiet from drumming; the words do not have the same meaning.
7Question 7
Question 7
A guide's contents list says “Planting—page 3; Watering—page 6; Compost—page 9; Glossary—page 11.” You need directions for watering seedlings. Where should you begin?
- A. Planting
- B. Compost
- C. Glossary
- D. Watering
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: D
Match the topic in the question with the contents-list heading. “Watering” directly names the information needed and points to page 6. After turning there, read the section to locate the actual directions.
A: This section concerns putting plants in place, not the requested watering directions.
B: Compost is a different topic from watering seedlings.
C: A glossary defines terms rather than providing the requested watering directions.
8Question 8
Question 8
A guide includes a “Care During School Breaks” sidebar and a heading about garden care before planting. It also has an entrance photograph and a list of writers. Where should you look to find who checks the plants while students are away?
- A. The caption about the garden entrance
- B. The box titled “Care During School Breaks”
- C. The heading about garden care before planting
- D. The list identifying the guide’s writers
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: B
A sidebar title can signal information relevant to a specific question. The box titled “Care During School Breaks” matches both the activity and the time in the question. Read it to find the person responsible rather than guessing from unrelated features.
A: A gate photograph does not directly identify who provides care during breaks.
C: Care before planting is not the same topic as care while students are away.
D: Author names identify writers, not necessarily garden caregivers.
9Question 9
Question 9
Which search words best target information about plant scraps suitable for school-garden compost?
- A. school garden compost plant scraps
- B. things we like at school
- C. school garden plant scraps photographs
- D. school garden volunteer meeting dates
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: A
Useful search words name the subject and the detail being sought. “School garden compost plant scraps” includes both context and material type. The reader must still examine a relevant result to verify which scraps are suitable.
B: This broad phrase does not identify compost or suitable scraps.
C: This targets photographs of scraps rather than information about their suitability for compost.
D: This targets meeting dates rather than materials suitable for compost.
10Question 10
Question 10
A webpage menu has links labeled “Garden Map,” “Volunteer Schedule,” and “Contact Us.” You need the dates when helpers are assigned. Which link should you try first?
- A. Garden Map
- B. Contact Us
- C. A page footer with its copyright date
- D. Volunteer Schedule
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: D
A schedule organizes activities or assignments by time. The Volunteer Schedule label therefore provides the most direct route to helper dates. Open the linked information and check its entries; the label alone does not supply a particular date.
A: A map is more relevant to location than assignment dates.
B: Contact information could help later, but the schedule directly targets the requested dates.
C: A copyright date does not provide the dates of volunteer assignments.
11Question 11
Question 11
A guide includes a contents page, a glossary, and a photograph caption. You need the meaning of “compost.” Which feature should you check first?
- A. The contents page's page numbers
- B. The caption naming a photographer
- C. The glossary entry for compost
- D. The book's total number of pages
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: C
A glossary explains terms used in a text. Locate “compost” and read its definition. The contents page might help find the glossary, but the entry itself is the feature that provides the requested meaning.
A: Page numbers help locate sections but do not usually define terms.
B: A photographer's name does not define the word compost.
D: Length of the book provides no word meaning.
12Question 12
Question 12
A search for “garden water” returns a page about fountains, but you need the location of a school garden's tap. What is the best next step?
- A. Use the first result even though it is about fountains.
- B. Assume the tap is beside the fountain in the result.
- C. Broaden the search to general garden information.
- D. Refine the search to include school garden tap location.
Reveal answer and explanation
Answer: D
Check whether a result answers the information need. When it does not, add specific key words such as “tap” and “location.” Then read a relevant result and verify the location instead of treating an unrelated page as evidence.
A: A result must answer the actual question; being first does not make it relevant.
B: The result gives no evidence for that location in this school garden.
C: A broader garden search is less targeted to locating this tap.