Reading: National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy

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year

5
national assessment program
literacy and numeracy

READING
2008

0:50 Time available for students to complete


test: 50 minutes
Use 2B or HB
pencil only

© Curriculum Corporation, on behalf of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008.
YEAR 5 reading
Read Why elephants and emus cannot fly on page 2
of the magazine and answer questions 1 to 6.

1 The branch fell on the man’s head because


Shade one
the man was careless. bubble.

the elephants landed in the tree.


the elephants tried to climb the tree.
the man took away the elephants’ wings.

2 The man used his powers of thought to


punish the elephants.
reward the elephants.
frighten the elephants.
surprise the elephants.

3 Which word best describes Emu in the Australian story?


hero
cheat
coward
show-off

4 Why did Kookaburra really set up a competition with Emu?


to teach Emu a lesson
to teach Emu to fly better
to show off in front of Emu
to see whose wings were the best

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
5 At the end of the Australian story, what happened to Emu’s wings?
Shade one
They shrank. bubble.

They disappeared.
They grew stronger.
They became more colourful.

6 What is the same about the Indian folktale and the Australian story?
Both make fun of silly characters.
Both show that animals are clever.
Both tell how simple life used to be.
Both explain why something is the way it is.

Read Dale Richards on page 3 of the magazine


and answer questions 7 to 13.

7 This text mainly describes Dale’s


Shade one
school life. bubble.

plans for the future.


daily surfing routine.
development as a surfer.

8 Dale has been surfing since


1988.
he was 11.
he finished school.
he moved to Townsville.

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
9 Some surfers said that Dale was a natural. This means that Dale
Shade one
got plenty of help. bubble.

lived near the beach.


quickly learned to surf.
wanted to surf all over the world.

10 As a student at school, Dale surfed


as much as he could.
on the weekends only.
at 4 am every morning.
for eight hours each day.

11 According to the text, one thing that has contributed to Dale’s surfing success is that
he has been given support.
he has a background in football.
he has had to fight for his dreams.
he has surfed in different countries.

12 What is the main purpose of this text?


to warn
to argue
to inform
to criticise

13 Which quote from the text helps to show that Dale is determined to succeed?
decided to start surfing
always got plenty of help
picked up surfing right away
can focus completely on surfing

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
Read Amphibians on page 4 of the magazine
and answer questions 14 to 20.

14 The text describes amphibians as animals that


Shade one
do not have lungs. bubble.

cannot swim very well.


can live on land and in water.
use their gills to eat and breathe.

15 According to the text, the world’s largest amphibian is a


frog.
toad.
newt.
salamander.

16 One of the differences between frogs and toads is that


frogs have drier skins.
frogs lay eggs in strings.
frogs develop tails as adults.
frogs can stay underwater longer.

17 Young frogs start to breathe with their heads above water when they
develop lungs.
start eating insects.
develop internal gills.
hatch out of their eggs.

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
18 Number the boxes 1, 2, 3 and 4 to show the correct order of stages
in a frog’s development. Write one number
in each box.
forelegs grow

hind legs grow

tail disappears

spawn hatches

19 Which part of a tadpole is described as feathery?


Shade one
tail bubble.

gills
skin
lungs

20 The main purpose of the diagram at the end of the text is to


describe the life cycle of frogs.
explain the eating habits of frogs.
highlight the differences between frogs and toads.
show the many types of amphibians that live in ponds.

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
Read Lacy on page 5 of the magazine
and answer questions 21 to 26.

21 … the air was baked thin above the shed.


Shade one
This suggests that bubble.

the shed was used as a bakery.


the roof of the shed was very hot.
the narrator lived high up in the mountains.
the drought had changed the look of things.

22 According to the text, why did the narrator


think that the goanna was a dinosaur? Write the answer
on the lines.

23 The narrator chases after Lacy goanna when she heads for the chookhouse.
This is because the narrator thinks Shade one
bubble.
the goanna might be in danger.
the chickens might be in danger.
the goanna might escape from her farm.
the tree might break under the goanna’s weight.

24 The narrator suggests that Lacy goanna climbs the wattle tree to
get away from her.
rest in the heat of the day.
get ready for a fight with her.
get a better view of the chookhouse.

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
25 Near the end of the story, why is the narrator eye-to-eye with Lacy goanna?
The narrator is on the chookhouse roof. Shade one
The narrator has also climbed up the tree. bubble.

The branch holding Lacy goanna is bent down.


Lacy goanna has climbed halfway down the tree.

26 No, you can’t see me really. (second last paragraph)


Who is you in this sentence?

the reader
the chooks
the goanna
the narrator

Read Pet dogs — what do you think? on page 6 of the magazine


and answer questions 27 to 31.

27 What do the two writers agree about?


Dogs deserve good food.
Dogs should be properly trained.
Dog owners need a sense of humour.
Dog owners spend too much on their pets.

28 According to Sarah, bounders are dogs that


chase you.
attack you.
bark at you.
jump at you.

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
29 John suggests that having a pet dog in the classroom is
Shade one
a good way of training a dog to be calm. bubble.

cruel for the dog but useful for the teacher.


disruptive for the teacher and the students.
a way of making classrooms happier places.

30 Which sentence best describes John’s attitude to dog training?


It is hard work for the dog.
It is not hard for the owner to do.
It is a good thing for both the dog and the owner.
It is unnecessary because dogs easily understand humans.

31 John writes, we do give dogs a good life.


Which paragraph of Sarah’s letter is he responding to most directly?

paragraph 1
paragraph 2
paragraph 3
paragraph 4

© MCEETYA 2008


YEAR 5 reading
Read Attack and Defence on page 7 of the magazine
and answer questions 32 to 36.

32 Which dinosaur used its tail like a whip?


Shade one
Diplodocus bubble.

Triceratops
Tuojiangosaurus
Pachycephalosaurus

33 Multi-purpose tail Stabbing tail A spiky shield Built like a tank


These sub-headings were most likely chosen to

catch the reader’s attention.


explain the most difficult words.
introduce the most important dinosaurs.
show the difference between attack and defence.

34 The main purpose of the illustrations in this text is to show


dinosaur skin patterns.
a range of dinosaur weapons.
the enormous size of dinosaurs.
the way dinosaurs changed over time.

35 The two dinosaurs Europlocephalus and Pachycephalosaurus have cephal in their names.
Using information in the text, what is the cephal part of their names most likely to mean?

Write the answer


on the line.

© MCEETYA 2008

10
YEAR 5 reading
36 According to the text, which two species of dinosaurs had to defend
themselves against attacks by members of their own species? Shade two
bubbles.

Apatosaurus Gallimimus Pachycephalosaurus Tyrannosaurus

Diplodocus Tuojiangosaurus Europlocephalus Triceratops

END OF Test

© MCEETYA 2008

11
YEAR 5 reading practice questions
Read Tim on the back cover of the magazine
and answer questions P1 to P4.

P1 The story takes place on


Shade one
Monday. bubble.

Tuesday.
Wednesday.
Thursday.

P2 Which two words begin and end with the letter s?


shirt Shade two
bubbles.
shoes
socks
school

P3 Number the boxes 1, 2, 3 and 4 to show the order in which Tim dressed.

shoes Write one number


in each box.

shorts

shirt

socks

P4 Where was Tim going?


Write the answer
on the line.

© Curriculum Corporation, on behalf of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008.

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