FL FAST 5th Grade Reading Practice Test 3

PASSAGE SET 1 - The Map on the Lunch Tray [1] On the first day at Bayview Elementary, Mateo carried his lunch tray as carefully as if it were a glass bridge. The cafeteria roared with voices. At his old school in Puerto Rico, he had known where to sit, which table wobbled, and who would trade mango slices for crackers. Here, every table seemed to have invisible walls. [2] He spotted an empty seat beside a girl drawing tiny boats on a napkin. Before he could sit, a boy in a soccer jersey waved. "That seat is saved," the boy said, though nobody was coming. Mateo nodded and moved on, his cheeks hot. [3] At the last table, he sat alone and opened the lunch his abuela had packed: arroz con gandules, plantains, and a small guava pastry wrapped in wax paper. The food smelled like Saturday afternoons in San Juan. A few students glanced over. Mateo folded the wax paper tighter, wishing his lunch were as ordinary as the square pizza everyone else had. [4] That afternoon, Ms. Dorsey announced a class project called "Where We Are From." Each student would create a map showing places, people, and memories that shaped them. "A map does not have to show only streets," she explained. "It can show belonging. It can show the route to becoming yourself." [5] Mateo stared at the blank poster board. He could draw the blue apartment building where he used to live, the basketball court under the almond trees, and the airport where he had tried not to cry. But would anyone understand those places? Would they laugh at the Spanish words he wanted to label in bright marker? [6] At home, Abuela watched him erase the same palm tree three times. "A map with no mistakes is a map that never traveled," she said. She placed the guava pastry wrapper beside his poster. Its red label read Dulce Isla. "Start with what you carried," she added. [7] Mateo glued the wrapper in the center. Around it, he drew a spiral of places: San Juan, the airplane window, the small Florida apartment, and finally Bayview Elementary. He wrote some labels in English and some in Spanish. The languages curved together like two rivers meeting. [8] On presentation day, Mateo's hands shook. When he held up his map, the room became quiet. He explained how plantains reminded him of his grandfather's garden and how the airport was both an ending and a beginning. When he finished, the girl who drew boats raised her hand. "My family moved from Haiti," she said. "Your spiral looks like the way I feel sometimes." [9] The boy in the soccer jersey looked at the floor, then said, "I like the river part. My dad says I speak English at school and Portuguese at home. It feels like switching teams without changing who you are." [10] At lunch, Mateo opened his tray again. This time, the smell of arroz con gandules rose like a flag. The girl with the boats sat across from him and offered half a sandwich. The soccer boy slid into the empty seat and asked, "Is that pastry good?" [11] Mateo broke the guava pastry into three uneven pieces. The invisible walls around the table did not crash down all at once, but a door opened. Mateo took a bite, tasted home, and for the first time all day, did not wish it tasted like anything else. Question 1: What character trait best describes Mateo at the beginning of the passage? Use details from the passage to support your answer.

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 2: What does the phrase "invisible walls" mean in paragraph 1?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 3: Explain how the class project helps move the plot forward.

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 4: From which point of view is the passage told, and how does that point of view affect the story?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 5: Part A: What is a theme of the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 6: Part B: Which detail from the passage best supports your answer to Part A? a) "The cafeteria roared with voices." b) "He spotted an empty seat beside a girl drawing tiny boats on a napkin." c) "The languages curved together like two rivers meeting." d) "The invisible walls around the table did not crash down all at once, but a door opened."

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

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 8: In paragraph 10, the passage says the smell of Mateo's food "rose like a flag." What does this simile suggest?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 9: What is the main conflict Mateo faces in the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 1 to answer this question.) Question 10: Why is the title "The Map on the Lunch Tray" a good title for the passage?

PASSAGE SET 2 - Why Schoolyards Need Pocket Prairies [1] Many schoolyards contain more asphalt than living plants. Blacktop is useful for basketball games and bus loops, but it also absorbs heat, sends rainwater rushing into storm drains, and provides little food or shelter for wildlife. A practical solution is to create pocket prairies, which are small areas planted with native grasses and wildflowers. Schools should replace some unused lawn or pavement with pocket prairies because these spaces cool the campus, support local species, and become outdoor classrooms. [2] A pocket prairie does not need to be large to make a difference. A strip beside a fence or a square near a library window can hold muhly grass, blanketflower, coreopsis, milkweed, and other native Florida plants. Native plants are adapted to local rainfall and soil, so they usually need less watering than imported ornamentals. Their deep roots also help rain soak into the ground instead of flowing across pavement. This reduces runoff, which can carry oil, fertilizer, and litter into nearby canals, lakes, and bays. [3] Pocket prairies can also reduce heat. On a sunny afternoon, pavement can become much hotter than the air around it. Plants cool an area by shading the ground and releasing water vapor through a process called transpiration. Even a small prairie island can make the edge of a playground more comfortable. Students may not notice the scientific term, but they will notice that a place with flowers and grass feels less harsh than a bare corner of concrete. [4] Wildlife benefits as well. Native bees, butterflies, and beetles need nectar and pollen. Birds feed on insects and seeds. Milkweed is especially important because monarch caterpillars can eat only milkweed leaves. When schools plant native species, they create stepping-stone habitats. These are small safe places that help animals move through neighborhoods where large natural areas have disappeared. [5] Some people object that pocket prairies look messy or require too much work. That concern is understandable, but it is not a strong reason to reject the idea. A prairie is not the same as an abandoned lawn. With a clear border, signs, and a maintenance schedule, it can look intentional and attractive. Students, families, and community volunteers can help remove weeds, collect data, and add mulch to paths. The work becomes part of the learning. [6] Pocket prairies turn science lessons into direct observation. Students can measure soil temperature, count pollinators, sketch plant structures, write persuasive letters, and calculate the area of the garden. They can also see how one local choice connects to larger environmental issues. A textbook might explain habitat loss, but a schoolyard prairie lets students witness restoration on a scale they can understand. [7] Schools do not need to transform every field into wilderness. Children still need open space for games and events. However, replacing one unused patch of grass or pavement with native plants is a reasonable compromise. A pocket prairie is small, but its impact is not merely decorative. It is a cooler corner, a habitat, a living laboratory, and a reminder that environmental solutions can begin just outside the classroom door. Question 11: What is the author's main claim in the passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 12: Which key detail explains how pocket prairies help protect water quality?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 13: What does the word "transpiration" mean as it is used in paragraph 3?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 14: How is the passage mainly organized?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 15: Part A: Why does the author include paragraph 5?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 16: Part B: Which detail from the passage best supports your answer to Part A? a) "Blacktop is useful for basketball games and bus loops" b) "A prairie is not the same as an abandoned lawn." c) "Milkweed is especially important because monarch caterpillars can eat only milkweed leaves." d) "Students can measure soil temperature, count pollinators, sketch plant structures, write persuasive letters, and calculate the area of the garden."

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 17: Which sentence from the passage states an opinion rather than a fact?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 18: What does the prefix "re-" mean in the word "replace" in paragraph 1?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 19: What is the author's purpose for writing this passage?

(Use the passage from Question 11 to answer this question.) Question 20: Explain how the author connects a local action to a larger environmental issue.

PASSAGE SET 3 - Gate Made of Wind Freedom is not a golden key kept shining in a king's pocket. It is a gate made of wind, opening wider when voices gather. It is the drumbeat in a marching street, the whisper under a locked door, the seed that splits the sidewalk with a green and stubborn roar. Freedom wears no single face. It borrows yours and mine. It asks the quiet heart to speak and teaches bent backs how to shine. Some days it arrives like sunrise, soft gold across the floor. Some days it comes as thunder, shaking every door. Still, freedom keeps on walking, barefoot through dust and rain. It carries songs like lanterns and lifts them up again. Question 21: What abstract idea is explored in the poem?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 22: What is the overall mood of the poem?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 23: Identify one metaphor in the poem and explain what it means.

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 24: How does the poet use personification in the poem?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 25: Part A: What is the speaker's perspective on freedom?

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 26: Part B: Which lines from the poem best support your answer to Part A? a) "Freedom is not a golden key / kept shining in a king's pocket." b) "It is the drumbeat in a marching street, / the whisper under a locked door" c) "Some days it arrives like sunrise, / soft gold across the floor." d) "Still, freedom keeps on walking, / barefoot through dust and rain."

(Use the passage from Question 21 to answer this question.) Question 27: How does the poem's structure contribute to its meaning?

PASSAGE SET 4 - PAIRED TEXTS Text 1: A Red Light on the Sand [1] I had volunteered for the turtle patrol because my older sister said it would look good on a service record. At first, that was the truth. I imagined walking the beach at sunrise, writing a few numbers on a clipboard, and returning home before the day became hot. I did not imagine feeling responsible for animals I had never seen. [2] Our team met at 5:30 on a June morning. The sky over the Atlantic was still gray, and the sand held the night's coolness. Ms. Alvarez handed me a small flashlight covered with red plastic. "White light can confuse hatchlings," she said. "If we need light, we use red. Mostly, we use our eyes." [3] We walked in a slow line above the tide mark, searching for tracks. Sea turtle tracks looked like tire marks made by a tiny tractor. When we found a nest, Ms. Alvarez showed me how to mark it with wooden stakes and yellow tape. "We protect the nest," she said, "but we do not disturb it." [4] Near a row of condos, I noticed something wrong. A deep path of turtle tracks curved away from the water and toward the parking lot. At the edge of the dunes, tiny hatchlings were scattered like moving pebbles. Several were crawling toward a bright security lamp. [5] My first feeling was panic. My second was anger. How could one light pull them in the wrong direction? Ms. Alvarez knelt beside me. "They follow the brightest horizon," she explained. "Before buildings, that was usually moonlight over the ocean." [6] We called the wildlife hotline. While we waited for a trained responder, we shielded the hatchlings from the lamp with our bodies and kept curious people back. I held the red flashlight low, and its glow looked weak compared with the harsh white lamp. Still, one hatchling turned toward the darker shape of the sea. Then another followed. [7] By the time the responder arrived, most of the hatchlings were moving in the correct direction. No one cheered loudly because the beach felt like a library where the books were alive. I watched the last turtle pause at the foam, then vanish into a wave. [8] Later, I helped Ms. Alvarez place a notice in the condo office asking residents to close curtains and use turtle-safe lights during nesting season. I had joined the patrol to earn hours. I stayed because the beach had become more than scenery. It was a nursery, and even a small bulb could decide which way a new life would turn. Text 2: How Artificial Light Affects Sea Turtles [1] Sea turtles have nested on Florida beaches for thousands of years. Adult females crawl from the ocean, dig nests in the sand, and lay eggs. Weeks later, hatchlings emerge and travel toward the water. This journey is dangerous even under natural conditions because birds, crabs, fish, and rough waves reduce the number of hatchlings that survive. [2] Artificial light adds another challenge. Hatchlings usually move toward the brightest natural horizon, which is often the open sky reflected over the ocean. Lights from buildings, parking lots, roads, and flashlights can cause hatchlings to crawl inland instead. This problem is called disorientation. A disoriented hatchling may become exhausted, be eaten by a predator, dry out after sunrise, or be struck by a vehicle. [3] Artificial light can also affect adult turtles. Bright beaches may discourage females from nesting in suitable areas. If a female avoids a beach because of light, she may choose a poorer nesting site or return to the water without laying eggs. For threatened and endangered sea turtle species, each nest matters. [4] Communities use several strategies to reduce light pollution during nesting season. People can turn off unnecessary outdoor lights, close curtains after dark, and replace bright white bulbs with long-wavelength amber or red lights. Fixtures can be shielded so light points downward instead of spreading across the beach. Many coastal towns also require beach furniture to be removed at night so turtles do not become trapped. [5] Education is important because many harmful choices are accidental. A visitor may not realize that a phone flashlight can mislead hatchlings. A property owner may install a bright security lamp without knowing its effect. Signs, volunteer patrols, and local rules help people understand how everyday actions influence wildlife. [6] Protecting sea turtles does not mean people can never enjoy the beach at night. It means using the beach responsibly during nesting season. When communities reduce artificial light, they help hatchlings find the ocean and give ancient travelers a better chance to continue their journey. Question 28: In Text 1, why does the narrator first join the turtle patrol?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 29: How does the narrator's attitude change by the end of Text 1?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 30: What does the phrase "moving pebbles" suggest about the hatchlings in Text 1?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 31: What is the main idea of Text 2?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 32: According to Text 2, what is disorientation?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 33: Part A: What conclusion can be drawn from both texts about human actions near nesting beaches?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 34: Part B: Which detail from the paired texts best supports your answer to Part A? a) Text 1: "Our team met at 5:30 on a June morning." b) Text 1: "At the edge of the dunes, tiny hatchlings were scattered like moving pebbles." c) Text 2: "Lights from buildings, parking lots, roads, and flashlights can cause hatchlings to crawl inland instead." d) Text 2: "Sea turtles have nested on Florida beaches for thousands of years."

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 35: How are the purposes of Text 1 and Text 2 different?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 36: How does Text 1 help readers understand the information in Text 2?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 37: What does the suffix "-tion" mean in the word "disorientation"?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 38: Which text uses more sensory details, and why?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 39: What is one similarity between Ms. Alvarez in Text 1 and the communities described in Text 2?

(Use the passage from Question 28 to answer this question.) Question 40: Which statement best explains the message shared by both texts?