reading grade 8

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WCAP

ReadingGrade 8

Sample ItemsStudent Materials

WASHINGTON COMPREHENSIVEASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Student’s Name Date/

Copyright © 2009.All rights reserved. Educational institutions within the State of Washington have permission to reproduce

this document. All other individuals wishing to reproduce this document must contact OSPI.

NON-SECURE MATERIALS MAY BE COPIED BY WASHINGTON STATE EDUCATORS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL USE

The Offi ce of the Superintendent for Public Instruction is committed to equal opportunity in all programs, activities and employment, and to full compliance with federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, military status, age or disability.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“A Touch of Genius” by Patricia Millman, from Highlights for Children, Nov. 2000, copyright © 2000 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Photos, courtesy of the Moxley-Ross-Naranjo Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; text and photos used by permission of Highlights for Children, Inc.


this document. All other individuals wishing to reproduce this document must contact OSPI.1


Reading Assessment

Directions to the Student

Today you will take the Reading WCAP Sample Items. The Sample Items consist of two passages. The actual Reading WCAP will have six passages. The Sample Items are used to fi nd out how well you understand what you read. You will read passages and answer some questions. You may look back at the passages when you are answering the questions. There are two different types of questions, multiple-choice questions that require you to choose the best answer and short-answer questions for which you will write phrases or sentences on the lines provided in your booklet. Sample questions have been included. These sample questions do not relate to the selections you are about to read. They have been included to show you the different types of questions you will fi nd in the booklet and how to mark or write your answers. There are several important things to remember:

1. Read each passage. You may look back at the reading passage as often as you want.

2. The paragraphs in the reading passages are numbered. A question about a particular paragraph will refer to the paragraph number.

3. Read each question carefully. Then choose or write the answer that you think is best.

4. When you are supposed to write your answers, write them neatly and clearly on the lines provided. Cross out or erase any part of your work you do not want to include as part of your answer.

5. For short-answer questions, you may have more space than you need. You do not need to fi ll the whole space. Be sure to write complete answers.

6. When you are suppose to choose a multiple-choice answer, make sure you fi ll in the circle next to the answer.

7. Use only a No. 2 pencil, not a mechanical pencil or pen, to write or mark your answers directly in the space provided in your booklet. If you do not have a No. 2 pencil, ask your teacher to give you one.

8. The Reading WCAP Sample Items are un-timed, so be sure to take your time and give your best answer for each question. If you do not know the answer to a question, go to the next question. You can come back to that question later.

9. If you fi nish early, you may check over your work.

Now turn to the next page and we will look at some sample questions.

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Multiple-Choice Sample Question

For this type of question you will select the best answer and completely fi ll in the circle next to it.

1 According to the bar graph, which of these planes flies the fastest?

` A. The Boeing 747 ` B. The Concorde ` C. The DC-10 ~ D. The SR-71

For this sample question, the correct answer was D. Therefore, the circle next to D was fi lled in.

Short-Answer Sample Question

For this type of question you will write a short answer consisting of a few phrases or sentences.

2 What are two similarities between Matt and LeShaun? Include information from the story in your answer.

Both Matt and LeShaun like to read mystery

novels. Also, they both are helpful because they

both rescued the bird when it fl ew into the

abandoned shed.

Directions: Read the selection and answer the questions.

A Touch of Geniusby Patricia Millman

Michael Naranjo is a Native American, a Vietnam War veteran, and “asculptor who happens to be blind.” Behind this statement lies a remarkable story.

Michael grew up in the Tewa Indian Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico. Asa boy, he roamed the scenic foothills west of the pueblo community and exploredthe Rio Grande, a river to the south and east. His world was enriched by thebeautiful sights and sounds of the desert country.

Early InfluencesMichael’s love of sculpting was born at the pueblo, too. “My mother was a

potter, and I would help her fix her clay,” he recalls. “She gathered her clay in aplace in the hills that only she knew about. Every potter has their own sourceof clay, and when they find that clay, they’re very secretive about it.”

“My mother would bring in the clay and screen it to get out anything thatdidn’t belong, and then she would soak it in tubs. After that, she’d put theclay into a square of canvas cloth, and she’d sprinkle a different white kind ofclay on top. Then she would fold this square of canvas and press on it thisway and that way, and when she unfolded the canvas I could see this little logof clay inside.”

“That’s probably how I started sculpting… playing with clay,” Michael says.“Not long after that, I wanted to make figures of animals. And as they becamemore detailed, they became sculptures. So even back then, I knew that what Iwanted to do was be an artist someday.”

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Michael Naranjo with The Gift, 1998, at his gallery in Santa Fe.




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Seeing with His HandsMichael’s goal would not be reached easily. While serving with the Army in

Vietnam, Michael was badly wounded in battle. He lost his sight and partial useof one hand. For the first time, Michael wondered if he could ever be a sculptor.

One day, while recovering in the hospital, Michael asked if he could have asmall piece of clay. From it he made an inchworm.

The next sculpture Michael made, a Native American on a horse, was sogood it was photographed by the newspapers. Lucky thing! Because whenMichael decided to make his next sculpture, he found that the hospital didn’thave any more clay. So he reshaped the Native American on a horse into a bearwith a fish in its mouth.

Today, Michael has lots of material to use to make his memories come tolife. “I was able to see until I was twenty-three years old, so I have a very goodidea of what most things look like,” he said. “So I sit, and I think about it, and Iget a picture in my mind. If you close your eyes and think of… well, if you havea cat or a dog, you can picture your pet. The same process happens with me.”

“Once you have the material in your hand that you canmold and shape, then you can carry it over from your mind toyour fingertips; and your mind tells your fingers, ‘Make thatbigger or smaller…’ until this whole process slowly startshappening.”

“Nowadays, when I make animals, I sit there and thinkabout the days when I’d take a moment sitting on a cliff sideand look down and see a deer down there or watch someturkeys walk through the forest. Or the time I followed amountain stream and a deer stopped in this pool of waterand looked at me with his huge, brown eyes. It lasted just afew moments, but it’s one of those moments that I draw onfor inspiration.”

Michael inspires others by leading sculpture workshopsfor children and adults, veterans and seniors, both sightedand visually impaired.

In 1999, Michael was named the Outstanding DisabledVeteran of the Year and received the LIFE Presidential Unsung Hero Award.

Little cloud, 1991

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His sculptures can be seen in the museums and public buildings across theUnited States, in the Vatican, and in the White House.

A Special FanMany people like to collect Michael’s work, but Michael fondly remembers

one special young “collector.”

“It was maybe twenty years ago at the Indian Market in Santa Fe. One daythere was this little boy who came, and he was looking at my work and I wastelling him about it. Next year, he came back and said, ‘I was here last year. Doyou remember me?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I want to buy that little buffalo.’And I said, ‘OK.’ I told him how much it was.”

“As he paid for it, he said, ‘I worked all summer, and saved my money.’ I hadno words to describe the emotion I felt. I still can’t describe what a moment likethat feels like.”

Does Michael have one piece of sculpture that is his very favorite? Could it be the buffalo from the Santa Fe Indian Market? Or the bear with a fish inits mouth?

“You know, it’s the same as with the children,” Michael said. “If you havemore than one, you love them all equally. That’s how I feel about my sculptures.”

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1 Which sentence from the selection is an opinion?

` A. “The same process happens with me.” ` B. “He lost his sight and partial use of one hand.” ` C. “I had no words to describe the emotion I felt.” ` D. “Behind this statement lies a remarkable story.”

2 Which sentence best states the main idea of the selection?

` A. Michael served in Vietnam. ` B. Michael is a talented artist. ` C. Michael teaches sculpture in the pueblo. ` D. Michael has displays in museums around the world.




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3 Explain how Michael became an award winning artist. Include two detailsfrom the selection in your answer.




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4 Which statement is the most important conclusion that may be drawnfrom the selection?

` A. War teaches people to be strong. ` B. Art can make a difference in a child’s life. ` C. Hardships can motivate a person to greatness. ` D. Mothers have a great infl uence on their children.

5 After reading this selection, what generalization can you makeabout Michael?

` A. Michael is a motivated individual. ` B. Michael is an excellent teacher. ` C. Michael likes military service. ` D. Michael loves animals.




ReadingGrade 8

2008 Released ItemsStudent Edition

WASL - Washington Assessmentof Student Learning

Dr. Terry BergesonState Superintendent of

Public Instruction

Copyright © 2008 by Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rightsreserved. Educational institutions within the State of Washington have permission to reproduce thisdocument. All other individuals wishing to reproduce this document must contact OSPI.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“Waterhouse Hawkins: Dinosaur Artist” by Barbara Kerley. Copyright © 2003 by Highlights for Children, Inc.,Columbus, Ohio. Photos by Michael Gilbert, Copyright © 2003 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio.

“In Their Hands” by Emily Will. Copyright © 1994 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Photos byEmily Will. Copyright © 1994 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio.

The Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction is committed to equal opportunity in allprograms, activities and employment, and to full compliance with federal and state laws thatprohibit discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,religion, military status, age or disability.


Table of Contents

Waterhouse Hawkins: Dinosaur Artist Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Waterhouse Hawkins: Dinosaur Artist Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

In Their Hands Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

In Their Hands Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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2008 Reading Released Items

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Waterhouse Hawkins: Dinosaur Artistby Barbara Kerley

Once, almost no one knew what adinosaur looked like. Then, in 1852, anamazing artist named Waterhouse Hawkinsteamed up with Sir Richard Owen, thescientist who created the word “dinosaur.”Working together, they gave the world itsfirst look at these extinct animals.

Waterhouse Hawkins loved makingmodels of animals. He had made a jaguar forthe queen of England and a group of bison forthe emperor of Russia. He was the perfectartist to make the world’s first life-sizedinosaur models. They would stand in a parkin England.

At that time, scientists had foundscattered dinosaur fossils but never acomplete skeleton. Scientists, includingOwen, had written about these fossils, but noone knew what the dinosaurs looked like. To most people, Hawkins said, thefossils looked like “dry bones or oddly-shaped stones.” Hawkins’ models wouldchange our view of dinosaurs.

The Process of BuildingFirst, Hawkins read the scientific reports. Then he studied the fossils,

measuring carefully to learn just how big the dinosaurs were. Next, hecompared the fossils to the skeletons of living animals believed at the time tobe close relatives of dinosaurs. For example, he looked at the skeleton of aniguana for his Iguanodon design. Working with Owen, he filled in the blanksfor any missing bones.

Hawkins studied living animals to decide how the dinosaurs might havestood and to determine details such as the shape of the dinosaurs’ nails and thecolor of their skin. Owen gave the final approval for Hawkins’ designs fromnose to toes.

Hawkins was then ready to build. For each dinosaur, he made a small claymodel. Then, with the help of his assistants, he made a life-size clay figure andtook a mold of it.

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Hawkins (left) built models of other ancient animals, like Megaloceros, a prehistoric elk.

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Next, Hawkins built a huge iron “skeleton.” It had to be strong because themodel would be heavy. He covered the skeleton with a cement casting from thedinosaur-shaped mold. Finally, he painted his dinosaur. Hawkins said themodeling process was like “building a house upon four columns.”

The UnveilingHawkins spent almost two years building his dinosaurs—two Iguanodon, a

Megalosaurus, and a Hylaeosaurus—plus other ancient animals. Before heshowed his work to the public, he held a dinner party for a group of scientistsinside the mold of an Iguanodon!

On June 10, 1854, Queen Victoria opened the Crystal Palace Park tovisitors. Around 40,000 visitors came to see the first life-size models ofdinosaurs ever to appear in public. Visitors were amazed by Hawkins’dinosaurs. Some children were even frightened by the huge lifelike creations.They thought that the dinosaurs’ eyes followed them wherever they went.

New DiscoveriesThough the models seemed true to life

back in 1854, over time, scientists havediscovered more fossils and learned moreabout dinosaurs.

We now know that Hawkins’ models werenot completely accurate. For example,Iguanodon is not a cousin of the moderniguana, and the “horn” placed on thedinosaur’s nose was actually a thumb spike.Megalosaurus and Iguanodon walked on twofeet, not four. The spikes on Hylaeosaurusprobably ran from shoulder to hip instead ofdown the spine.

These new discoveries do not lessen thecontribution Hawkins made to science. Hiswork with Owen represents our first attemptto model these ancient animals. As scientists continue to learn more aboutdinosaurs, other artists will continue to follow in the footsteps of the first“dinosaur artist.”

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12 Visitors still enjoy Hawkins’ dinosaurmodels at the Crystal Palace Park.

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Another Dinosaur Artist

In 1999, almost 150 years after the first dinosaur exhibit opened, artistBrian Selznick was asked to illustrate a children’s book about Hawkins’dinosaurs. He was excited because he loved making dinosaurs. As a child, he’dmade tiny dinosaurs out of aluminum foil. In fifth grade, he’d made a prehistoricscene of dinosaurs and volcanoes out of clay, twigs, and plaster. “I entered it inthe county fair and got an honorable mention,” Selznick said.

To illustrate the children’s book, Selznick went to England to see Hawkins’models up close. “The dinosaurs loomed larger and more magnificent than Icould have imagined,” he said. For the next three days, he drew pictures andtook photographs of the models. He even climbed inside an Iguanodon!

Selznick’s art in The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins introduces a newgeneration of dinosaur fans to the first dinosaur models. The models still standin England today.

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2 Is the following statement a reasonable conclusion the reader may drawfrom the selection?

Hawkins’s models contributed to a greater understanding of dinosaurs.

Provide two details from the selection to support your answer.

1 Which sentence best summarizes the selection?

A. Hawkins studied many other animals before creating hisown models.

B. Hawkins used research and talent to create the first realisticmodels of dinosaurs.

C. People were unfamiliar with the size of dinosaurs beforeHawkins’s models.

D. Scientists today base research studies on Hawkins’s earlydinosaur models.

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4 Based on the selection, what can you assume about models of dinosaursthat would be made today?

A. Today’s models of dinosaurs would be different fromHawkins’s models.

B. Today’s models of dinosaurs would be made from iron andcement.

C. Today’s models of dinosaurs would all be made in GreatBritain.

D. Today’s models of dinosaurs would be less scary for children.

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3 What is the meaning of the word skeleton as it is used in paragraph 7 ofthe selection?

A. Cement mold

B. Large columns

C. Sturdy covering

D. Supporting structure

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6 What generalization can a reader make about building animal modelsfrom fossils?

A. Building an animal model from fossils recreates an exactimage of the animal.

B. Building an animal model from fossils requires the completeanimal skeleton.

C. Building an animal model from fossils requires a picture ofthe animal.

D. Building an animal model from fossils combines art and science.

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5 What are two differences between what Hawkins knew about dinosaurswhen he built the models and what scientists have discovered aboutdinosaurs since that time? Provide information from the selection in youranswer.


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7 Based on the selection, why were Hawkins’s models inaccurate?

A. The models of dinosaurs looked like oddly-shaped stones.

B. Making models was too much like building a house.

C. The models were based on incomplete skeletons.

D. It was difficult to build large models.

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In Their Handsby Emily Will

Christy Stickney is a mechanical engineer with a mission in life.

Christy Stickney listened as the Nicaraguan women talked about their mostcommon problems in feeding their families.

“After we harvest our corn,” said one woman, “we have no safe place to storeit, so rats eat a lot of it.”

“My ten-year-old daughter often has to stay home from school to help shellcorn,” said another. “We have to remove each kernel by hand. I don’t like her tomiss school, but without her help we wouldn’t eat.”

“It seems as if every day we have to walk farther and farther to findfirewood to cook our corn and tortillas,” a third woman said.

As the women talked, Christy encouraged them to work together to findsolutions to each other’s problems. The women were full of ideas, but they hadnever before done some of the things they needed to do if they were to solveeach problem—like mixing cement or sawing lumber. So Christy worked withthem to show them how to do those things.

Introduction:Christy Stickney lives and works in Nicaragua, a country in CentralAmerica. She works with people living in rural areas who want to developnew skills and technology to improve their lives in their villages.

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Before long, one group of women was building a rat-proof cement silo tostore corn. Another was making a simple corn sheller of wood and nails. Thethird group was assembling a fuel-efficient cement stove.

The women’s enthusiasm and plentiful ideas confirmed Christy’s thinking:People do not need ready-made solutions to their problems; rather, they wanthelp in coming up with and carrying out their own ideas.

So that’s what Christy does. Christy is an engineer—but not the kind youmight normally think of. She is a mechanical engineer whose job it is to helppeople find “appropriate technology” that will make their lives easier.

Christy is a volunteer living in Nicaragua, a country in Central America.There she works with people in their homes and fields.

For Christy, technology is not something people buy; it is something thatpeople help make to meet their own needs. For example, many families in ruralNicaragua don’t have electricity, so they wouldn’t have much use for amicrowave oven. Instead, Christy helps them use what they have to build afuel-efficient wood stove.

Christy is glad to be using her knowledge to help others. In many ways sheis following in her father’s footsteps. As a child, Christy lived in severalcountries, including Guatemala and the Philippines, where her father was amechanical engineer who did work similar to the work Christy does now.

When Christy was growing up, she helpedtest her father’s new designs for stoves orother machinery. “Once, when we were livingin Peru, my dad had me run a stove-efficiencytest in our kitchen. I would watch for water toboil on a little cookstove to time how long ittook,” Christy recalls.

One of the best parts of Christy’s job is thatit allows her to continue some of her favoritechildhood enjoyments.

“I loved driving my Matchbox cars overrough, uneven terrain when I was a child,”Christy remembers. “Now I drive through theNicaraguan countryside in Jeeps and pickups.As a child I enjoyed sketching and drawing cartoons. I’m able to do plenty ofthat now as I produce educational materials and visual aids for workshops.”

A young girl draws water from thevillage well.

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Christy’s job also gives her a chance to work with lots of different people,doing many different things. For example, she has helped build a stove for achildren’s dining hall, she has made water tanks with a church group, and shehas helped build a latrine for a co-worker’s home.

“My job requires so many different skills,” says Christy. “Researching andtesting new technologies, visiting other organizations, attending seminars,preparing educational materials, presenting workshops, writing articles, andeven giving speeches.

“I love my work!” she exclaims. “And one reason is that it demands all ofme—my whole person.”

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9 Which sentence tells how Christy’s childhood experiences and her career asan engineer are similar?

A. Both involve shelling corn and mixing cement.

B. Both involve attending seminars and giving speeches.

C. Both involve testing new stoves and microwave ovens.

D. Both involve being artistic and traveling on uneven terrain.

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8 What is the author’s purpose for writing this selection?

A. To explain challenges of life in a Nicaraguan village

B. To persuade people to become mechanical engineers

C. To show how Christy’s dad inspired her to become an engineer

D. To inform the reader about how Christy uses her talents tohelp others

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11 What is the meaning of the phrase ready-made in paragraph 7 of the selection?

A. Difficult

B. Existing

C. Pretend

D. Simple

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10 The selection shows teamwork. Provide two examples from the selectionthat support this idea.


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13 Explain how Christy’s childhood influenced her career choice. Include twodetails from the selection in your answer.

12 Based on the information in the selection, what will the Nicaraguanwomen most likely do after Christy leaves?

A. They will stop working together to solve their problems.

B. They will wait for another engineer to help them solve their problems.

C. They will continue to work together to find solutions to their problems.

D. They will keep their children out of school to help solve their problems.

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14 Which statement is the most important conclusion the reader may drawfrom the selection?

A. Volunteering in many countries is a valuable experience.

B. Following in a parent’s footsteps leads to career satisfaction.

C. Mechanical engineering enables rural people to useold technology.

D. Helping people find solutions is better than providingsolutions for them.

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STOP

ReadingGrade 8

2007 Released ItemsStudent Edition



Public Instruction


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“Superdam” by Mel Boring from Highlights for Children, August 1994. Copyright © 1994 by Highlights forChildren, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Map of Hoover Dam Courtesy of American Experience/WGBH EducationalFoundation. Copyright © 1999, WGBH/Boston.

The Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction is committed to equal opportunity in allprograms, activities and employment, and to full compliance with federal and state laws thatprohibit discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,religion, military status, age or disability.


Table of Contents

Superdam Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Superdam Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

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Superdamby Mel Boring

During the early 1900s, more and morepeople were moving to California from otherparts of the country. They needed a water supplythat would always be available to them fordrinking water, electricity, and irrigation. Manypeople thought that one solution would be toharness the powerful, 1,400-mile Colorado River,the wildest river in the West. But how?

In 1928, a special commission reported that amassive dam on the Colorado would solve manyof the problems of Californians, including theriver’s occasional floods. So in 1930, Congressauthorized the construction of the BoulderCanyon Project—the Hoover Dam—on a sectionof the Colorado River in southern Nevada.

What Hoover Dam builders had to do wassomething like this: build a fourteen-billion-pound concrete plug as high as a sixty-story skyscraper directly in the path ofthe Colorado. That plug would have to stop the river in its tracks, holding back244 million gallons of water.

If this task sounds difficult, that’s because it was. Engineers first had to digfour tunnels so that the river would go around the section of the riverbed wherethe dam would be built. Then, when the ground between the temporary damswas dry, the cement pouring could begin.

Such a huge project required lots of workers and lots of time. About 5,250people worked five years building the dam. With so many people working sohard in the middle of the Mojave Desert, there were bound to be problems,even tragedies. In the summer of 1931, when the temperature averaged 120degrees at the dam site, fourteen people died of heat exhaustion. Many moredied before the Hoover Dam was finally completed in 1935. Dam building wasdangerous business.

Hoover Dam was the largestdam in the world in 1936.

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Before the construction of theHoover Dam, building materials hadnever been used in such quantities inso short a time: five million barrels ofcement, nine thousand tons ofstructural steel, 840 miles of pipe,and twenty-one million water valves.A huge fleet of trucks brought some ofthis material to the site, but not fastenough for the constructioncompanies. So they built a railroad,too. The railroad had twenty-nineengines, in addition to hundreds offreight cars.

But the Hoover Dam buildersneeded bigger things than evenrailroad cars could carry. So they had to build factories right beside the dam tomake much of the material.

Though Hoover Dam was the largest dam in the world when it was shownto the public in 1936, today it ranks behind many dams in height and amountof water contained. But Hoover Dam set the standard for dam building infuture years. It wasn’t until 1962 that a dam larger than Hoover Dam wasconstructed—the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. In June 2003, China opened theThree Gorges Dam which is currently the largest dam in the world.

Hoover Dam Tidbits

• Hoover Dam is constructed of enough concrete to build a sixteen-foot-widehighway from San Francisco to New York City.

• Mixing the concrete required building the largest mixing machine that hadever been seen. It could make sixteen and a half tons of concrete a minute.

• The largest lake built in the United States is Lake Mead, the reservoircreated by the dam. It is about 115 miles long and 589 feet deep.

• You could float a five-story house through each of the dam’s 4,000-foot-longtunnels without touching the top or sides.

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1 What is the main idea of the selection?

A. Constructing a large dam takes many years.

B. Building dams requires thousands of people.

C. Constructing dams can help solve water shortages.

D. Building a massive dam requires extraordinary efforts.

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2 Explain two ways that the text box helps the reader understand the sizeof Hoover Dam. Include information from the text box in your answer.

3 Based on the selection, what assumption can be made about planning alarge dam?

A. Transporting the materials for a massive dam is asimple process.

B. Few people will build a massive dam because it is dangerous.

C. Geography is ignored when planning a massive dam.

D. Building a massive dam provides many jobs.

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4 What difficulties were associated with building the Hoover Dam? Includefour examples from the selection in your answer.

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2007 Reading Released Items5 According to the selection, which statement tells how Hoover Dam and

some modern dams are different?

A. Some modern dams are less dangerous than Hoover Dam.

B. Hoover Dam is more attractive than some modern dams.

C. Some modern dams are larger than Hoover Dam.

D. Hoover Dam is wider than some modern dams.

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A. To persuade the reader to visit the massive Hoover Dam

B. To entertain the reader with tales of controlling theColorado River

C. To describe the problems encountered when building theHoover Dam

D. To inform readers about the amount of materials used duringconstruction

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STOP

ReadingGrade 8

2006 Released Items



Public Instruction

January 10, 2007


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“Waste Not, Want Not” by Earl M. Weber from Highlights for Children, September 2001. Copyright © 2001 byHighlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio.

“To Reach the Promised Land” by Stephen Ray Lilley from Highlights for Children, February 1990, Vol. 45, No.2. Copyright © 1990 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Photograph of Booker T. Washingtonprovided courtesy of Hampton University Archives.


To Reach the Promised Landby Stephen Ray Lilley

Booker T. Washington1856–1915

Nine-year-old Booker, his sister Amanda, and older brother John stood closeto their mother. Excitement filled the air as the Union army moved throughVirginia in the spring of 1865.

For months Booker had heard his mother praying at night as he drifted offto sleep by the fire, “Lord, let the Yankees win this war, and let them make meand my children free.” Now they watched a blue-uniformed soldier standing onthe “big house” porch unfold a piece of paper and begin reading.

“All persons held as slaves . . . henceforward shall be free,” he proclaimed.

“What’s that mean, Momma?” Booker asked. Tears streamed down her faceas she smiled and hugged him. “Mr. Lincoln says we can come and go as weplease,” she said softly.

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Living in FreedomLife suddenly became very different for Booker’s family. They had always

been slaves. Now free, they had no home, no jobs, no money, only each other.Booker’s stepfather worked at a salt furnace near Malden, West Virginia.Putting their belongings in a small cart, the family walked hundreds of milesthrough the Appalachian Mountains to join him.

In Malden, Booker and John went to work with their stepfather. Workbegan before daylight and ended after dark. As he shoveled salt into hugewooden barrels, Booker saw children walking to school. “I had the feeling thatto get into a schoolhouse and study . . . would be about the same as getting intoparadise,” he later said.

But the family needed Booker’s income. Booker’s stepfather, a tough andpractical man, told him attending school was impossible. Knowing how muchher son wanted to learn to read, Booker’s mother saved every spare penny andbought him a well-used copy of Webster’s “Blue-Backed Speller.” For weeks hepored over the book, memorizing the alphabet and letter sounds.

Booker convinced his parents he should take lessons at night from a blackteacher. Then he told them he wished to attend day school. His stepfatherfinally accepted the idea, on condition that Booker work at the salt furnacebefore and after school. Overjoyed, Booker quickly agreed.

Booker Starts SchoolOn the first morning he attended school, Booker sat in a room filled with

students of all ages. As the teacher called the roll, Booker realized that all thestudents had something those born into slavery lacked—a last name. Bookerconsidered how he would answer his teacher.

“Name?” the teacher asked as he reached Booker.

“Booker Washington,” the new student calmly replied. At that moment itseemed that he had been Booker Washington all his life.

Each day Booker faced new obstacles. For a time he worked in a coal minedeep underground in terrifying conditions. Sometimes his candle blew out, andhe wandered helplessly in total darkness. Still, he studied at night. Then oneday he heard some miners speaking of a school called the Hampton Institutewhere poor students could work to pay their expenses. “I resolved at once to goto that school, although I had no idea where it was . . . or how I was going toreach it,” he later wrote.

“Don’t you think this might be a wild goose chase?” asked Booker’s mother.

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“It sounds like heaven to me, Momma,” Booker insisted. “I just have to go!”

His mother smiled. “We’ll find a way,” she said.

Everyone helped. Again, Booker’s mother found pennies she could spare.John donated tiny sums from his wages. Old people, eager to see one of theirown succeed, gave nickels and dimes. With this money and his own savings,sixteen-year-old Booker began the five-hundred-mile trip to Hampton, Virginia.Sometimes he rode a stagecoach, and sometimes he walked. Too poor to stay ina hotel, he often walked all night just to stay warm. In Richmond, Virginia, heworked during the days, earning money to continue his journey, and sleptunder a wooden sidewalk at night.

Booker Reaches The Promised Land“When I finally saw Hampton, I felt I had reached the promised land,”

Booker later said. Ragged, hungry and tired, he presented himself to the headteacher, Miss Mary Mackie. With a raised eyebrow she examined him criticallyand said, “Take a broom and sweep this classroom.”

Determined to impress her, Booker swept the room three times and dustedit four. Soon she returned and searched every corner for dust. Finding the roomspotless, she said, “I guess you’ll do.”

History proved her right.

Booker T. Washington became Hampton’s most famous graduate anddevoted his life to teaching. He taught the first classes at the TuskegeeInstitute in Alabama and then built it into one of the most important schoolsfor African Americans in the United States. Today, millions of people admirethis man who struggled to reach the “promised land.”

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01 What is the meaning of the word obstacles in paragraph 12 of the selection?

A. Opportunities

B. Hostilities

C. Rewards

D. Barriers

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02 The selection shows that hard work is necessary to achieve a goal. Providetwo examples from the selection to support this idea.

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03 Which sentence tells how Washington’s mother and stepfather weredifferent?

A. One allowed him to become a teacher; one preferred that hemine coal.

B. One supported his wish to attend school; one wanted himto work.

C. One wanted him to stay at home; one forced him to move away.

D. One refused his request for money; one granted it.

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04 Which sentence best summarizes this selection?

A. Booker finally attended the Tuskegee Institute.

B. Booker’s childhood dream was to become a free man.

C. Booker overcame many barriers to achieve an education.

D. Booker’s stepfather hoped Booker would work in the salt mines.

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05 What is most likely the author’s purpose for writing the selection?

A. To persuade the reader to work hard in school

B. To describe life in the South after the end of slavery

C. To explain the importance of working in the family business

D. To inform the reader about a man who struggled to achievean education

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06 What problem did Booker T. Washington face? What are three steps hetook to solve this problem?

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07 Which statement is the most important conclusion that may be drawnfrom the selection?

A. Traveling great distances in the late 1800s was a challenge.

B. Reaching one’s own “promised land” is worth the struggle.

C. Achieving an education in the late 1800s was difficult.

D. Working together to support a family is important.

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Waste Not, Want Notby Earl M. Weber

When I was growing up in the 1930s, the period of the Great Depression, Ididn’t think of our family as poor, even though we never seemed to have money.I lived on a small farm in Pennsylvania with my parents, two older sisters, andyounger brother. We had an old horse, a cow, a few pigs, a flock of chickens, anda big garden. Food was not a problem. We had our own supply of milk, meat,eggs, fresh vegetables, and Momma’s homemade bread. But money was scarce.

Earl and his family pose in front of the barn. His brother andsister stand on a barrel, which became the support for aseesaw later in the morning.

Introduction:Earl M. Weber lived on a small farm during the Great Depression, a timewhen the United States experienced severe economic hardships. The years ofthe Great Depression, 1929-1942, ranked as the longest and worst period ofhigh unemployment and low business activity in modern times. Banks,stores, and factories were closed and left millions of Americans jobless,homeless, and penniless. At the worst point of the Great Depression, in 1933,one in four Americans who wanted to work was unable to find a job.

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On Sunday mornings, Momma would give each of us two pennies for ourSunday School offerings. Carefully knotting my two cents in the corner of ahandkerchief, she would hand it to me and caution me to “be careful not to loseit.” Today, two pennies won’t buy much of anything, but in the 1930s everypenny was important.

As a boy of nine, I had only a vague idea of what it meant to live duringhard times. The weekly newspaper would carry pictures of people standing inline for bread, and the evening newscast on our tabletop Crosley radio wouldtell about the huge number of jobless people and their hardships. But thesereports referred to people in the cities, and we lived in the country. We neverwent to bed hungry, and we didn’t stand in line for bread.

Although my father was fortunate to have a job at the feed mill, his salaryof eighteen dollars a week was barely enough to pay the farm mortgage and theelectric bill, and to buy necessities like the flour and yeast Momma needed tobake her bread.

Momma earned a few dollars baking pies and bread, which she sold at thelocal market. Twenty cents for a pie and ten cents for a loaf of bread!Sometimes I helped at the market, and if we had a good day, Momma wouldgive me a nickel for an ice-cream cone.

Momma used the market money to buy clothing for the family. With fourchildren and two adults to clothe, she seldom bought anything new. One daywhen I walked to the mailbox at the end of our lane, I was excited to see apackage from Sears, Roebuck and Company. That usually meant new clothingfor one of us. As it turned out, I was the lucky one this time, with a brand-newpair of brown tweed knee-length pants. Although we always went to schoollooking neat and clean, most of our clothing was patched, darned, or mended.So to me, a new pair of knee-length pants was very special.

Christmas was special, too, because then we got new socks, and for a littlewhile wouldn’t have to wear socks darned in the toes and heels.

Momma made some of our clothing, using a treadle (foot-powered) sewingmachine. To make nightgowns, she used the muslin sacks that our chicken feedcame in. I wore a nightgown with “PRAT’S CHICKEN FEED” printed in bigblack letters on the front. (It wasn’t until years later when my high-school classwent on an overnight trip that I got my first store-bought pajamas.) Somecompanies actually put their feed in sacks made of colorfully patterned calico.Momma liked this material for making aprons and dresses.

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When a piece of clothing was worn out, itwasn’t thrown away. First, all the buttonswere removed, sorted by size and color, andput in cans or glass jars. Then the clothingwas examined, and the best parts were cutinto strips and saved for making rugs.

Almost nothing in our house was thrownaway. Store parcels were generally tied withstring. We saved this string by winding it ona ball. One of my jobs was to wash andflatten used tin cans. We nailed these piecesof tin over holes in the barn roof to stop theleaks and over holes in the corncrib to stopthe mice and rats from eating the corn.

A wooden crate was considered a realprize. We would take it apart for futureprojects, being careful not to split the boards.We even straightened the bent nails andstored them in a tin can.

Although we tend to think of recycling assomething fairly new, in the 1930s it was partof everyday life. “Waste not, want not” was afamiliar and often repeated phrase duringthose Depression years.

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08 What is the meaning of the word necessities in paragraph 4?

A. Extras

B. Seasonings

C. Supplementals

D. Essentials

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09 According to the text box, which statement is true?

A. Ice cream cones in the 1930s cost one dollar.

B. A woman in the 1930s could sell a pie for thirteen cents.

C. Kids with a job in the 1930s could earn ten cents an hour.

D. A feed mill salary in the 1930s was eighteen dollars a week.

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10 Any of these titles could be another title for the selection. Choose the titleyou think best fits the selection.

Every Penny Counts

Recycling Helps

We All Worked Together


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11 Which sentence tells how the author and his sister are similar?

A. Momma would give both a nickel for an ice cream cone.

B. Both of them received two pennies for Sunday school.

C. Both of them received a new pair of knee-length pants.

D. Momma made clothes for both from colorful calico.

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12 Which sentence best summarizes this selection?

A. People ate well during the Great Depression.

B. Families wasted nothing during the Great Depression.

C. Bread lines were common during the Great Depression.

D. Items were recycled for money during the Great Depression.

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13 Is this statement a reasonable conclusion that may be drawn from the selection?

People could live a rewarding life during the Great Depression.



A. To entertain with stories about recycling during the 1930s

B. To describe a family’s resourcefulness during the 1930s

C. To demonstrate how to make clothes from feed bags

D. To persuade the reader to waste nothing

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reading grade 8

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