Writing assignment 2b

Pre-Assessment

1. "What’s wrong, Mary?" Tom asked his friend. Mary was usually smiling, but she was frowning today.      "I guess I am just down in the dumps," Mary said. "My mom told me that my grandmother cannot come to see me on my birthday."      "I am sorry," Tom said. "Can I do anything to cheer you up?"      "I think I will go home and hit the sack," Mary told him. "Maybe I will feel better after I get some rest."

What does the phrase down in the dumps mean?

A. It means to feel hungry.

B. It means to feel proud.

C. It means to feel sad.

D. It means to feel happy.

2. What does Mary mean when she says she will hit the sack?

A. She will beat a sack.

B. She will go to sleep.

C. She will use the phone.

D. She will eat dinner.

3.      Beth ran downstairs to the kitchen. Mom gave her word that they would do something fun if the weather was nice. Luckily, it had turned out to be a sunny morning. Beth could not wait for Mom to decide what they would do. First, Mom said they would go swimming at Grove Lake, but then she found out the lake was closed for the weekend. Next, Mom said they would go hiking on the nature trail, but then she found out that it was soaking wet after last night’s storm. Then Mom said they would watch the soccer games down at Adams Park, but then she found out that the games were canceled. It seemed like every plan they made hit a snag. Beth did not like that their Saturday plans were up in the air. She liked knowing exactly what she was going to do at all times. She wished that they could make a plan and not have it get ruined.

What does the author mean when she says that their plans hit a snag?

A. They should not have planned to go swimming.

B. Beth wanted to come up with a plan by herself.

C. Problems always got in the way of their plans.

D. Mom kept changing her mind about their plans.

4. What does the phrase gave her word mean?

A. used big words

B. made a promise

C. spread a rumor

D. told some lies

5. More than anything, Matt wanted to be the top dog on his swim team. For that reason, he practiced every day. What does the phrase top dog mean?

A. to walk dogs

B. to be the best

C. to climb on top

D. to go swimming

6. People do not have to be born in the United States to be citizens. Immigrants can become United States citizens if they want. First, they have to live in the United States for at least five years. During that time, they have to obey the law. Then, they take a test on American history and government. After passing the test, they make a pledge to be loyal to the United States—and then, they are new citizens.

What does the word immigrant mean?

A. a person who never leaves home

B. anyone who lives in the United States

C. a person who comes to live in a new country

D. a person who works for the state government

7. The Fly By

     Pesky had lived around city trash cans all his life, ever since he was in his larval stage. But Pesky really wanted to find a suburban picnic. From other insects, he had heard stories about the food outside the city. He wanted to taste fresh food. He no longer wanted decayed food from the trash. Pesky needed liquid. So, he dreamed of hamburger grease, soda pop, and melted ice cream.      One afternoon, Pesky took the short trip outside the city and found a backyard picnic. The Millers had just started eating, so Pesky decided to join them. He flew onto the rim of a soda can. Mr. Miller quickly shooed him away.      Then, Pesky landed on an apple pie and walked all the way down its middle before being shooed away by Mrs. Miller. She did not like the way he spread his cooties over the pie’s diameter. He never knew bothering people could be so fun. He landed on the kids’ plates and buzzed everyone’s ears.      Pesky was having the time of his life until the Millers moved indoors. Pesky tried to fly inside, too. But they shooed him away and quickly slammed the door behind them.      But next door to the Millers, Pesky spotted a backyard table filled with food. The Smiths were over by the grill waiting for their hot dogs. “I will dig in before they do,” Pesky said. “Then, I can have fun by buzzing their ears and landing on their food. Mwahahaahaha!”

A fly in its larval stage is most likely

A. noisy.

B. young.

C. thirsty.

D. curious.

8. According to the story, which of the following is an example of a liquid?

A. pie crust

B. orange juice

C. frozen yogurt

D. boiled egg

9. Insects is another way to say

A. large cities.

B. trash cans.

C. people.

D. bugs.

10. Which phrase in the story helps the reader understand the meaning of the word suburban?

A. outside the city

B. wanted to find

C. heard stories

D. a soda can

11. The students were alarmed on the need to take care of themselves against diseases.

What is the meaning of the underlined word?

A. To give notice

B. To surprise

C. To disturbed

D. Happy

12. Lewis was warned to be careful not to trip on the rocks.

What is the meaning of the underlined word?

A. To cause

B. To fall over

C. Vacation

D. Visit

13. The teacher asked the students to write the date on their notebooks.

What is the meaning of the underlined word?

A. A specific day in time

B. A night out

C. A plan

D. A meeting

14. Tianna asked her sister when the flight will be taking off?

What is the meaning of the underlined word?

A. A feather

B. A ride in a car

C. A trip on an aircraft

D. A walk around the park

15.  I really admire my friend Keri. She is a very kind person and a good student. What does the word admire mean in this sentence?

A. to look up to

B. to dislike

C. to not understand

D. to fear

16. When the neighbor rang the doorbell the dog started to bark.

What does bark mean in the sentence?

A. A sound uttered by a cat

B. The outer covering of a tree

C. The sound made by a dog

D. The top of the door

17. The old typewriter in the attic fell on Michael’s foot.

What does foot mean in the sentence?

A. Human body part use for standing

B. Part of a table

C. A unit measure

D. The top layer of a cake

18. Melissa ran the last leg of the 4x400 relay because she was the fastest on the track team.

The word last mean ___________ in the sentence.

A. Final

B. Second

C. First

D. Beginning

19. The softball player was swung the bat and hit the pitcher.

The word bat mean ___________ in the sentence.

A. A small flying animal

B. Game

C. Object use to hit a ball

D. A person who is old

20. Donna left her History book in her locker a school.

What does the word book mean in the sentence?

A. To register

B. To read

C. A collection of pages

D. A magazine

21. If Jessica gives her an allowance biweekly, she gets an allowance

A. every day

B. once a month

C. every two weeks

D. weekly

22. John and his friends are planning to watch the pregame show before Dallas Cowboy vs. Tennessee Titanic.

What does the prefix pre-means?

A. Before

B. After

C. During

D. Whenever

23. Melissa have to rewrite her research paper over.

What is the meaning of the word rewrite in the sentence?

A. Not to write

B. To write again

C. To stay the same

D. To read again

24. The boys’ restroom was unclean and had a foul odor.

What is the meaning of the word unclean in the sentence?

A. To be clean

B. Not clean

C. To be spotless

D. A little clean

25. My daughter, Adrianna, is a very dependable person. You can always count on her to help you.

What does the word dependable means?

A. able to be late

B. able to be friendly

C. able to be depended on

D. able to be crazy