FL FAST 4th Grade Reading Practice Test 2

PASSAGE SET 1 - The Last Lap Maya tightened the straps on her running shoes and stared at the red track. Last month, she had tripped during the final lap of the school relay. Her knee had healed, but the memory still stung. Every time she pictured the race, she heard the sharp gasp from the crowd and saw the baton roll away like it had decided to quit before she did. Today was the spring fitness challenge, and Coach Rivera had placed Maya in the relay again. Her teammates, Jada, Luis, and Ben, stood beside her near lane three. Jada squeezed Maya's shoulder. You practiced every day, she said. Your legs know what to do. Maya nodded, but her stomach felt like a jar of jumping crickets. She had practiced, but practice was quiet. Practice did not have parents clapping, students shouting, or a whistle that made her heart leap. The first whistle blew. Jada sprinted ahead and passed the baton to Luis. Luis kept their team close to the front. Ben ran the third lap, his arms pumping like engine pistons. Then he reached Maya. For one second, Maya saw last month all over again. She saw the track rushing up. She heard the baton clatter. Her hand trembled, but Ben shouted, Go, Maya! Maya took the baton and ran. At first, she ran carefully, watching every step. Two runners passed her. The crowd grew louder. Then she remembered Coach Rivera's advice: Look where you want to go, not where you are afraid to fall. Maya lifted her eyes to the finish line. Her steps became smoother. She pushed harder. The wind pressed against her cheeks, and her fear began to loosen its grip. She passed one runner near the curve. The other was only a few steps ahead. In the last stretch, Maya's legs burned, but she did not slow down. She crossed the finish line just after the first-place runner. Her team had finished second. Maya bent over, breathing hard. She expected to feel disappointed, but instead she felt tall inside. Jada hugged her, and Luis cheered as if second place were a trophy made of gold. Coach Rivera walked over. You did more than finish a race, she said. You retraced a scary path and made a new ending. Maya looked back at the track. It no longer seemed like a place waiting for her to fail. It looked like a path she could run again. Question 1: What is the main challenge Maya faces in the passage?

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

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 3: What does the phrase her stomach felt like a jar of jumping crickets mean in the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 4: Which event happens immediately after Maya remembers Coach Rivera's advice?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 5: From what point of view is the passage told? How can you tell?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 6: Part A: What can you infer about how Maya changes from the beginning to the end of the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 7: Part B: Which detail from the passage best supports your answer to Part A? a) Her knee had healed, but the memory still stung. b) She pushed harder. The wind pressed against her cheeks, and her fear began to loosen its grip. c) Jada squeezed Maya's shoulder. d) Ben ran the third lap, his arms pumping like engine pistons.

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 8: What is a theme of the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 9: What does Coach Rivera mean when she says Maya made a new ending?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 10: The word retraced includes the prefix re-. Based on the passage, what does retraced mean?

PASSAGE SET 2 - Mary Anderson and the Clear View On a cold day in 1902, Mary Anderson rode a streetcar through New York City. Snow and sleet tapped against the front window. The driver could not see the road clearly, so he stopped the streetcar, opened the window, and leaned out into the freezing air to wipe the glass by hand. Each time he did this, icy wind blew inside and chilled the passengers. Many riders probably complained, but Anderson did something more useful. She observed the problem carefully. If the driver needed to clear the window, she thought, there should be a way to do it without opening the window or stopping the car. Anderson was not a scientist in a famous laboratory. She was a businesswoman from Alabama who had managed property and cattle. Still, she understood that inventions begin with noticing a need. When she returned home, she designed a device that could be operated from inside a vehicle. It used a lever connected to a swinging arm with a rubber blade. The driver could move the lever, and the blade would sweep rain, snow, or sleet off the windshield. In 1903, Anderson received a patent for her invention. A patent is a legal document that gives an inventor the right to make or sell an invention for a certain period of time. Anderson tried to sell her idea to companies, but many people did not think drivers would want it. One company even said the device had no real value. At that time, cars were still new, and most did not travel very fast. Roads were often rough, and many people believed driving in bad weather was simply something to avoid. As automobiles became more common and faster, the need for a clear windshield became obvious. Later inventors improved Anderson's idea by making wipers automatic and adding motors. Today, windshield wipers are required on cars in many places. Drivers use them during rainstorms, snow flurries, and even when bugs splash on the glass. Anderson did not become wealthy from her invention, and her patent expired before windshield wipers became standard equipment. However, her careful observation helped solve a problem that affected safety for millions of drivers. Mary Anderson's story shows that an invention does not always begin with complicated machines. Sometimes it begins with one person asking a practical question: Why does this problem have to stay a problem? Question 11: What is the main idea of the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 12: What problem did Anderson notice while riding the streetcar?

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

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 14: What does the word patent mean as it is used in the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 15: What is the author's purpose for writing this passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 16: Part A: What can you conclude about Mary Anderson from the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 17: Part B: Which detail from the passage best supports your answer to Part A? a) Snow and sleet tapped against the front window. b) She observed the problem carefully. c) At that time, cars were still new, and most did not travel very fast. d) Drivers use them during rainstorms, snow flurries, and even when bugs splash on the glass.

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 18: Which sentence from the passage states a fact rather than an opinion?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 19: The word automobiles contains the root auto, which means self. How does this meaning connect to the word automobiles?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 20: Write a brief summary of the passage.

PASSAGE SET 3 - The Paper Boat I folded a boat from notebook paper, creased its sides with care, and set it in the gutter stream after rain had washed the air. The tiny boat bowed bravely, like a knight before a king. The water tugged its silver path and taught the boat to swing. It bumped a leaf, it kissed a twig, it spun beside a stone. The current whispered, Keep on going, you are not alone. My boat was just a folded page, no anchor, sail, or oar, but still it carried all my hopes past our quiet door. When it slipped beneath the grate, I felt my wishes go, not lost, but moving somewhere else where hidden rivers flow. Question 21: What is the speaker doing at the beginning of the poem?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 22: What mood is created by the poem? Explain your answer.

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 23: Which line contains a simile, and what does it mean?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 24: What does the paper boat most likely symbolize in the poem?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 25: Part A: What can you infer about the speaker's view of hope?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 26: Part B: Which detail from the poem best supports your answer to Part A? a) I folded a boat from notebook paper, b) It bumped a leaf, it kissed a twig, c) not lost, but moving somewhere else d) The tiny boat bowed bravely,

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 27: What is an example of personification in the poem? Explain why it is personification.

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 28: How does the structure of the poem help show the boat's journey?

PASSAGE SET 4 - PAIRED TEXTS Text 1: Diary of Lena Torres, September 14, 1935 This morning the sky looked bruised, purple around the edges and gray in the middle. Papa said a storm was pushing in from the gulf, but he still opened the small grocery because people needed bread, kerosene, and cans of beans. I helped Mama tie the shutters with rope. The wind kept pulling at my sleeves like an impatient child. By noon, rain hit the windows so hard that I could not hear the clock. Mr. Alvarez from next door came running with his hat pressed flat against his head. He said the harbor was rising and that his fishing boat had snapped one line. Papa grabbed his raincoat and told me to stay inside. I wanted to argue, but the look on Mama's face closed my mouth. For two hours we waited. The house groaned. A shelf fell in the kitchen, and three jars of peaches burst on the floor. Mama and I cleaned the sticky glass while the wind roared above us. I kept picturing Papa at the dock, tying knots with cold fingers. Near dark, the front door opened. Papa stepped in, soaked and muddy, with Mr. Alvarez behind him. They had saved the boat by tying it to a larger post farther from the broken pier. Papa smiled when he saw us, but his hands shook as he took off his coat. Tonight our lantern is low, and the floor smells like peaches and rain. The storm is still outside, but everyone is here. I think that is what safe means. Text 2: Harbor Town Storm of 1935 On September 14, 1935, a strong tropical storm moved through the small harbor town of San Paloma. Weather reports were limited at the time, so many residents had only a few hours to prepare. Families secured windows, gathered food, and moved livestock or boats when possible. The storm caused heavy rain, high winds, and rising water along the docks. Several small boats were damaged when ropes snapped or piers weakened. Local business owners played an important role before the worst weather arrived. Stores remained open long enough for residents to buy basic supplies such as bread, lamp fuel, and canned food. Although the storm damaged buildings near the waterfront, neighbors worked together to reduce losses. Some residents helped tie boats to stronger posts, while others shared tools, blankets, or dry clothing. According to later town records, no deaths were reported in San Paloma during the storm, partly because people warned one another and moved indoors before nightfall. The storm is remembered not only for the damage it caused but also for the cooperation it inspired. In the years that followed, San Paloma improved its warning system and rebuilt parts of the dock with stronger materials. The event became an example of how a community can respond to danger with preparation, communication, and courage. Question 29: In Text 1, why does Papa open the grocery even though a storm is coming?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 30: What does the description the sky looked bruised suggest in Text 1?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 31: In Text 1, what can you infer about Lena's relationship with her family?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 32: According to Text 2, what were two effects of the storm on San Paloma?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 33: How is Text 2 mainly organized?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 34: Part A: Which statement best describes an idea found in both texts?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 35: Part B: Which detail from the paired texts best supports your answer to Part A? a) This morning the sky looked bruised, purple around the edges and gray in the middle. b) Mama and I cleaned the sticky glass while the wind roared above us. c) Some residents helped tie boats to stronger posts, while others shared tools, blankets, or dry clothing. d) Weather reports were limited at the time, so many residents had only a few hours to prepare.

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 36: How is the point of view in Text 1 different from the point of view in Text 2?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 37: Which text is a primary source, and why?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 38: What is the author's purpose in Text 2?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 39: The word secured in Text 2 means made safe or fastened. Which detail from Text 1 shows people securing something?

(Use the passage from Question 29 to answer this question.) Question 40: Compare how the two texts describe courage during the storm.