FL FAST 3rd Grade Reading Practice Test 3

PASSAGE SET 1 - The Lantern Recipe Paragraph 1: On the afternoon of the Moon Festival, Mei stood on a stool beside Nai Nai, her grandmother. The kitchen smelled like honey, ginger, and warm flour. Every year, their family made small mooncakes and hung paper lanterns in the mango tree behind the apartment building. Mei usually folded lanterns while the grown-ups cooked. This year, Nai Nai handed her a wooden spoon. You are ready for the filling, she said. Paragraph 2: Mei tried to look confident, but her hands felt jumpy. The recipe card was written in Nai Nai's careful handwriting. Red bean paste, sesame seeds, and one spoonful of orange peel. Mei opened the cupboard. The sesame jar was there. The orange peel was there. But the red bean paste was missing. Paragraph 3: Mei searched again, moving cans and bags aside. Nothing. Her cheeks grew hot. I ruined the tradition before we even started, she whispered. Nai Nai did not scold her. Instead, she opened the refrigerator and took out roasted sweet potatoes from last night's dinner. Traditions are like lanterns, Nai Nai said. We keep the light, but sometimes we change the paper. Paragraph 4: Together they mashed the sweet potatoes with honey and orange peel. Mei stirred slowly until the mixture became smooth and bright. She pressed dough around each spoonful of filling. Some cakes looked round, while others leaned to one side like sleepy moons. Nai Nai laughed softly and called them beautiful. Paragraph 5: That evening, Mei's cousins arrived. At first, Mei wanted to hide the unusual mooncakes. Then her little cousin bit into one and smiled. It tastes like sunshine, he said. Soon everyone was reaching for another. Paragraph 6: Under the glowing lanterns, Nai Nai asked Mei to tell the family how she had helped. Mei stood taller. She explained the missing ingredient and the new filling. When the family clapped, Mei felt hopeful. The recipe card would always matter, but now she understood that family traditions could grow, too. Question 1: What problem does Mei face in the story?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 2: Which character trait best describes Nai Nai? Explain your answer using one detail from the passage.

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 3: Part A: What is a theme of the story?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 4: Part B: Which detail from the passage best supports your answer to Part A? a) Mei stood on a stool beside Nai Nai, her grandmother. b) The kitchen smelled like honey, ginger, and warm flour. c) Traditions are like lanterns, Nai Nai said. We keep the light, but sometimes we change the paper. d) Some cakes looked round, while others leaned to one side like sleepy moons.

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 5: What does the word confident mean in Paragraph 2?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 6: From which point of view is the story told?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 7: How does Mei change from the beginning to the end of the story?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 8: Why does Nai Nai most likely smile and call the unusual mooncakes beautiful?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 9: In Paragraph 6, the word hopeful has the suffix -ful. What does hopeful mean in the sentence?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 10: Which event happens last in the story?

PASSAGE SET 2 - How Communities Use Maps Paragraph 1: A map is more than a picture of roads and buildings. A map is a tool that helps people understand a place. In a community, maps can show neighborhoods, parks, schools, rivers, bus stops, and important offices. People use maps to find where they are, where they need to go, and how different places connect. Paragraph 2: Most maps have special parts that make them easier to read. A title tells what area the map shows. A compass rose shows directions such as north, south, east, and west. A map key, also called a legend, explains symbols. For example, a small tree symbol might represent a park. A scale helps readers understand distance. One inch on a map might stand for one mile in real life. Paragraph 3: Local governments use maps when they make decisions. City leaders may study a map before choosing where to build a new library or playground. They look for areas where many families live and places that are easy to reach. Maps also help leaders plan safe routes for school buses and walking paths. Paragraph 4: Maps are important during emergencies. Firefighters and police officers use maps to find homes quickly. After a heavy storm, workers may use maps to mark flooded streets or broken traffic lights. Then they can reopen roads and repair dangerous areas in an organized way. Paragraph 5: Community members can use maps, too. A family might check a bus map before visiting a museum. A student might use a simple neighborhood map to explain the way from school to home. When people understand maps, they can participate more easily in community life. They can share ideas, ask questions, and help solve problems in the places where they live. Question 11: What is the main idea of the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 12: Name two special parts of a map and explain what each part does.

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 13: How is the passage mostly organized?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 14: What is the author's purpose for writing this passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 15: Which sentence from the passage is a fact?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 16: In Paragraph 2, what does represent mean in the sentence about a tree symbol?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 17: The word reopen in Paragraph 4 begins with the prefix re-. What does reopen mean?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 18: Part A: What can you infer about why maps are important to public safety?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 19: Part B: Which detail from the passage best supports your answer to Part A? a) A map is more than a picture of roads and buildings. b) A title tells what area the map shows. c) Firefighters and police officers use maps to find homes quickly. d) A family might check a bus map before visiting a museum.

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 20: How can understanding maps help community members participate in community life?

PASSAGE SET 3 - Weather Inside Me Line 1: This morning I carried a cloud in my chest, Line 2: gray as a sweater I did not choose. Line 3: My smile stayed folded inside my pocket, Line 4: and my shoes made slow, soft blues. Line 5: Then laughter tapped lightly on my window, Line 6: like pebbles tossed by a friendly breeze. Line 7: A joke from my sister split the cloud, Line 8: and sunlight slipped through the trees. Line 9: By lunchtime my worry was a whisper, Line 10: hiding under my chair. Line 11: I breathed in calm, warm as cocoa, Line 12: and let out the heavy air. Line 13: Feelings are weather that visits and goes, Line 14: rain, thunder, sparkle, and sun. Line 15: I can name each storm inside me, Line 16: then watch it move on and run. Question 21: What emotion does the speaker seem to feel at the beginning of the poem?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 22: What does the metaphor I carried a cloud in my chest mean?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 23: Part A: What lesson does the speaker learn about emotions?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 24: Part B: Which detail from the poem best supports your answer to Part A? a) gray as a sweater I did not choose b) My smile stayed folded inside my pocket c) A joke from my sister split the cloud d) Feelings are weather that visits and goes

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 25: Which lines include a simile?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 26: How does the mood of the poem change from the beginning to the end?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 27: What sound device is used in the phrase slow, soft blues in Line 4?

PASSAGE SET 4 - PAIRED TEXTS Text 1: Maya's Muddy Ribbon Paragraph 1: I had pictured the community garden opening a hundred times. The mayor would cut a bright green ribbon. My class would sing our seed song. I would stand beside the tomato bed I helped plant and wave to my grandmother. But when Saturday arrived, rain tapped the roof before sunrise. Paragraph 2: By ten o'clock, the rain had stopped, but the garden looked like a chocolate pudding cup. Mud clung to my sneakers. The green ribbon sagged between two posts. I felt my excitement shrink. No one will come now, I told Dad. Paragraph 3: Then Mrs. Alvarez rolled in with a cart of tiny basil plants. My teacher carried a stack of towels. Neighbors arrived wearing boots, sandals, and one pair of bright yellow rain shoes. Grandma came slowly with her cane and a bag of paper cups for lemonade. Paragraph 4: The mayor lifted the muddy ribbon and laughed. Gardens do not wait for perfect weather, she said. They begin with people who show up. She handed me the scissors because my class had planted the first seeds. My hands shook, but I cut the ribbon cleanly. Paragraph 5: Afterward, everyone worked. We spread straw over the mud, tucked basil into the herb bed, and wrote plant names on wooden sticks. Grandma sat on a bench and said the wet earth smelled like her childhood farm. I stopped worrying about my dirty shoes. The garden opening was not the sunny picture I had planned. It was better because everyone helped make it happen. Text 2: Neighborhood Garden Opens After Rain Paragraph 1: The new Oak Street Community Garden opened Saturday morning after a night of heavy rain. Although the ground was wet, more than sixty residents attended the event. The garden is located beside the Oak Street Library and includes vegetable beds, herb boxes, a tool shed, and two benches. Paragraph 2: The project began last fall when students at Pine School asked for a safe place to grow food and learn outdoors. The city council approved the empty lot for garden use in November. Since then, volunteers have cleared trash, added soil, built raised beds, and planted the first seeds. Paragraph 3: Mayor Lena Brooks spoke at the opening. She thanked students, families, library workers, and local businesses for donating time and materials. A third-grade student, Maya Chen, cut the ribbon because her class helped start the project. After the ribbon cutting, visitors planted basil and labeled several rows of vegetables. Paragraph 4: The garden will be open on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Families may sign up for small planting spaces at the library desk. According to garden leader Mrs. Alvarez, the goal is to help neighbors learn, share fresh food, and care for the land together. Question 28: In Text 1, why is Maya disappointed at first?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 29: In Text 1, what helps Maya feel better about the garden opening?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 30: What does the phrase my excitement shrink mean in Text 1?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 31: In Text 2, what was the reason the garden project began?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 32: According to Text 2, who cut the ribbon at the opening and why?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 33: What is the main purpose of Text 2?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 34: How are Text 1 and Text 2 different in point of view?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 35: Part A: What idea do both texts share about the garden opening?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 36: Part B: Which detail from the paired texts best supports your answer to Part A? a) I had pictured the community garden opening a hundred times. b) Although the ground was wet, more than sixty residents attended the event. c) The garden is located beside the Oak Street Library. d) The garden will be open on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 37: Compare how Maya in Text 1 and the writer of Text 2 describe the rain.

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 38: What does the word residents mean in Text 2, Paragraph 1?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 39: The word weekday contains the smaller words week and day. What does weekday mean in Text 2, Paragraph 4?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 40: Which text would be better to use if you wanted to know how Maya felt during the opening? Explain why.