FCAT Reading Sample Items for Grade 6

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FCAT Reading Sample Items for Grade 6

• All questions are from the FCAT Reading Item
  Specification for Grades 6 - 8

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Table of Contents

LA.A.1.3.2 (Reading) Slides 3-6
LA.A.2.3.5 (Reading) Slide 14
LA.A.2.2.7 (Reading) Slides 7-8
LA.A.2.3.8 (Reading) Slide 15
LA.A.2.3.1 (Reading) Slides 9-11
LA.E.2.2.1(Literature) Slide 16
LA.A.2.3.2 (Reading) Slides 12-13
LA.E.2.3.1 (Literature) Slide 17
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Passage A, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
LA.A.1.3.2
Read this sentence from the article.

The student uses a variety of strategies to
analyze words and text, draw conclusions, use
context and word structure clues, and recognize
organizational patterns. Grade 6 MC
The stripes of the juvenile cleaners disappear as
the fish mature and stop cleaning.
What does the word juvenile mean?

• bold
• striped
• C. tidy
• D. young
• Which two words from the article are most nearly
• opposite?
• approach, flee
• disappear, mature
• C. jumpy, dangerous
• D. tidy, obvious

6th Grade
4
How did the author organize the opening paragraph
of the article?
LA.A.1.3.2

• She made a general statement about the moray eel
  and gave related details.
• B. She explained the reasons fish need cleaning
  and described the effects of the process.
• C. She told what happened to a moray eel and a
  goby fish, using chronological order.
• D. She developed a list of topics about fish,
  identifying what would be covered in the article.
  
• Read this sentence from the article.
• By hanging upside down, a fish makes itself
  more vulnerable to predators.
• The origin of the word vulnerable is the Latin
  root
• vulner- meaning wound or hurt. What does
  vulnerable
• mean?
• free from hurt
• causing to be hurt
• C. the condition of being hurt
• D. having the capacity to be hurt

The student uses a variety of strategies to
analyze words and text, draw conclusions, use
context and word structure clues, and recognize
organizational patterns. Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
5
Passage B, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
LA.A.1.3.2
Read this sentence from the article.

The student uses a variety of strategies to
analyze words and text, draw conclusions, use
context and word structure clues, and recognize
organizational patterns. Grade 6 MC
When the author states that the Sioux had a
deeply rooted culture of their own, she means
that members of the Sioux culture A. believed
in staying close to nature. B. had a firmly
established way of life. C. showed strong
respect for the family unit. D. were grounded in
respect for the individual. Read this quotation
from the article.
. . . so she went away to boarding school
and then on to college. In which
sentence does the word board have the same
meaning that it has in the term boarding
school? A. Callie had never been on board a
large ship before. B. Jason used a new wooden
board to repair the broken step. C. My uncle
rents a room from his sister and also pays her
for his board. D. After the storm broke the
glass, the shop owner had to board up a window.
6th Grade
6
Passage C, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
LA.A.1.3.2

The student uses a variety of strategies to
analyze words and text, draw conclusions, use
context and word structure clues, and recognize
organizational patterns. Grade 6 MC

• Read this sentence from the passage.
• But by the time she contacted the potential
  client, the mystery had become a non-mystery.
• What does the word potential mean?
• new
• possible
• C. recommended
• D. serious

6th Grade
7
LA.A.2.2.7
Passage B, Grade 6. See Appendix C. What
advantage did Ella Cara Deloria have over
other people who might have wanted to learn about
the Sioux? A. She knew the Sioux language. B.
She had become an ethnographer.
C. She had studied with Dr. Franz
Boas. D. She
traveled to the Sioux reservations. Passage C,
Grade 6. See Appendix C.
Read this sentence from the passage.
But Louisa couldnt figure out why, and
it bugged her like a cloud of
starving mosquitoes. The
author compares Louisas problem to a cloud of
starving mosquitoes
because a cloud of mosquitoes A. is very
annoying. B. can be very frightening.
C. makes a humming noise.
D. consists of many tiny
parts.
The student recognizes the use of comparison
and contrast in a text. Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
8
LA.A.2.2.7

• Why did Louisa have more cases to solve in
  Foxtail
• Falls than she had in Carringford Springs?
• In Foxtail Falls, she had more friends who were
  grownups.
• B. People in Foxtail Falls communicated with
  each other less often.
• C. People in Foxtail Falls were more careless
  with their belongings.
• D. In Foxtail Falls, she paid less attention to
  what people were doing.

The student recognizes the use of comparison
and contrast in a text. Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
9
LA.A.2.3.1

• Passage A, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
• What is the main idea of this article?
• The size of a fish determines its role as either
  predator
• or prey.
• B. Fish use signals to communicate with each
  other in many
• ways.
• C. Cleaner fish and host fish help each other
  stay alive and
• healthy.
• D. Both large and small fish move to shelter when
  they
• sense danger.
• If the article needed a new title, which would be
  best?
• A. Undersea Cooperation
• B. False and True Cleaners
• C. Laying Down Your Weapons
• D. The Fierce Moray and the Little Goby

The student determines the main idea or
essential message in a text and identifies
relevant details and facts and patterns of
organization
Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
10

LA.A.2.3.1
Passage B, Grade 6. See Appendix C. Which of
Ella Cara Delorias accomplishments was
most valuable?

The student determines the main idea or
essential message in a text and identifies
relevant details and facts and patterns of
organization
A. She demonstrated what it meant to be a true
Sioux. B. She wrote a novel about the life of a
Dakota woman. C. She showed others what an
ethnographer has to offer. D. She preserved
cultural knowledge that would have been lost.
Passage C, Grade 6. See Appendix C. Which
sentence gives the best summary of the passage?
Louisa becomes a detective, solves a big
mystery, and learns how to help others. B.
Louisa moves to a new town, opens her detective
business, and makes a new friend. C. Louisa
solves one mystery in her new town and decides to
open a different business. D. Louisa meets a boy
and his grandfather and learns why people in her
new town get along well.
Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
11
LA.A.2.3.1

• Which statement best describes the lesson of the
• story?
• It is important to be a good neighbor.
• B. Helping other people can be rewarding.
• C. It is hard work to run your own business.
• D. New friends can be as good as old friends.

The student determines the main idea or
essential message in a text and identifies
relevant details and facts and patterns of
organization. Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
12
LA.A.2.3.2
Passage A, Grade 6. See Appendix C. What was
the authors purpose in writing this article? A.
to give examples of parasites that live on fish
B. to explain a cooperative relationship among
fish C. to demonstrate the importance of
undersea exploration D. to develop a lesson about
the importance of scientific research Passage B,
Grade 6. See Appendix C. With which statement
would the author of Ella Cara Deloria most
likely agree? A. Each culture has value and
should be preserved. B. Ethnography is the best
profession for serious students. C. Novels are
the best way to communicate information about a
persons values. D. A person who studies another
culture should speak the language of that
culture.
The student identifies the authors purpose
and/or point of view in a variety of texts and
uses the information to construct meaning.
(Includes LA.A.2.2.2 Identifies the authors
purpose in a simple text, and LA.A.2.2.3
Recognizes when a text is primarily intended to
persuade.) Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
13
LA.A.2.3.2

• Why did the author write the article about Ella
  Cara
• Deloria?
• to describe the science of ethnography
• B. to illustrate the value of a good education
• C. to explain the delay in the publication of a
  novel
• D. to give an account of an interesting persons
  life
• Passage C, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
• Which statement describes what the author
  probably
• thinks about the people in Foxtail Falls?
• They should offer to help people more often.
• B. They should continue to mind their own
  business.
• C. They should try to find a detective to replace
  Louisa.
• D. They should be more like the people in
  Carringford Springs.

The student identifies the authors purpose
and/or point of view in a variety of texts and
uses the information to construct meaning.
(Includes LA.A.2.2.2 Identifies the authors
purpose in a simple text, and LA.A.2.2.3
Recognizes when a text is primarily intended to
persuade.) Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
14
LA.A.2.3.5
This item is based on Passage A, Grade 6. See
Appendix C. How do both the moray eel and the
goatfish signal a need for cleaning? A. They
stop moving. B. They open their mouths. C. They
hold their heads or tails upright in the water.
D. They change color to make parasites more
visible.
The student locates, organizes, and interprets
written information for a variety of purposes,
including classroom research, collaborative
decision making, and performing a school or
real-world task. (Includes LA.A.2.3.6 Uses a
variety of reference materials, including
indexes, magazines, newspapers, and journals and
tools, including card catalogs and computer
catalogs, to gather information for research
projects, and LA.A.2.3.7 Synthesizes and
separates collected information into useful
components using a variety of techniques, such as
source cards, note cards, spreadsheets, and
outlines.) Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
15
LA.A.2.3.8

• Passage A, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
• The information in the article The Oceans
  Cleaning
• Stations could best be used for a student
  research
• project on
• food chains found in the ocean.
• B. marine animals that are endangered.
• C. relationships between predator and prey.
• D. animal species that depend on each other.
• Passage B, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
• Which of the following statements best supports
  the
• idea that Ella herself followed the most
  important
• cultural tradition of the Dakotas?
• A. She delayed her own work if a relative needed
  help.
• B. She worked hard by doing research and giving
  lectures.

The student checks the validity and accuracy of
information obtained from research, in such ways
as differentiating fact and opinion, identifying
strong vs. weak arguments, recognizing that
personal values influence the conclusions an
author draws. Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
16
LA.E.2.2.1

• Passage C, Grade 6. See Appendix C.
• What is the main reason that Louisa decides to
  start
• a newspaper in Carringford Springs?
• She can learn how to become an even better
  detective.
• B. She can hire Scott as a reporter to help her
  with the work.
• C. She can talk to Grandpa Dooley to find out
  what is happening.
• D. She can use the same talents she used in her
  detective business.

The student recognizes cause-and-effect
relationships in literary and informational
texts. Applies to fiction, nonfiction, poetry,
and drama. Grade 6 MC
6th Grade
17
LA.E.2.3.1

Passage C, Grade 6. See Appendix C. Which word
best describes Louisa? A. determined B.
mysterious C. Quiet D. suspicious When Louisa
realizes that her detective agency will not have
any customers, how does she solve this problem?
A. She decides to start a newspaper business. B.
She hires Scott to help her paint a new sign. C.
She begins to write about the cases from her old
town. D. She asks Grandpa Dooley to find people
who need help.

The student understands how character and plot
development, point of view, and tone are used in
various selections to support a central conflict
or a story line. (Includes LA.E.1.3.2 Recognizes
complex elements of plot, including setting,
character development, conflicts, and
resolutions.) Grade 6 MC



6th Grade