Maniac Magee (Harper Trophy Newbery Edition, 1990)

Transcription

1 Student Team Literature Standardized Reading Practice Test Maniac Magee (Harper Trophy Newbery Edition, 1990) Reading Vocabulary DIRECTIONS Choose the word that means the same, or about the same, as the underlined word. Then circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. SAMPLE A Accurate means the same as A boring B exciting C exact D very long 1. A suspicious person is one who is - A mistrustful B interesting C angry D quiet 2. Solitude means F hurry G loyalty H aloneness J noise 3. To do something frantically means to do it - A carefully B slowly C regretfully D wildly 4. A glum person is one who is - F cheerful G careless H boring J sad 5. Another word for cunning is - A kindness B embarrassment C cleverness D weakness 6. Reluctant means - F unwilling G enthusiastic H devoted J irritating 7. Another word for aroma is - A interest B texture C smell D delight 8. To endure is to - F create G put up with H set aside J describe 9. Someone who is hysterical is - A an art lover B dedicated to his or her work C wildly emotional D well dressed 10. A chaotic situation is very - F peaceful G well organized H inspiring J disorderly Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

2 DIRECTIONS Read the sentence in the box. Then choose the answer in which the underlined word is used in the same way. Circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. SAMPLE B The point of Amanda s suggestion was to help Maniac be accepted in the East End. F G H J 13 The highway crewmen used hot pitch and gravel to resurface the road. The runner streaked toward second just as Jorge sent a high, fast pitch over the plate. The choir director gave us the pitch on the piano before we began to sing. Emotions were at a high pitch when the election results finally came in. In which sentence does the word point mean the same thing as in the sentence above? A Marcia broke the point of her pencil. B It is usually rude to point at people. C If you listen carefully you will understand the point I am making. D John paddled the canoe around the point and up the little stream. 11 In which sentence does the word volume mean the same thing as in the sentence above? A Dante took down a heavy volume from the bookshelf. B The perfume spread quickly to fill the entire volume of the room. C I found a huge volume of information about my topic in this article. D Mama asked Sheryl to turn down the volume on her tape player. 12 The volume of the laugh coming from Screecher s throat was amazingly loud. Grayson s finest moment was the pitch that struck out Willie Mays. In which sentence does the word pitch mean the same thing as in the sentence above? In which sentence does the word polish mean the same thing as in the sentence above? A It is important to polish your writing before you do your final draft. B Ernest knew he had to polish his shoes before he went to church. C Sheyann wanted to polish off her homework quickly so she could watch television. D Antoine signed up for the dance class so he could polish his steps. 14 It took Maniac less time to polish off his sandwich than it had taken Grayson to go and get it. Mars Bar was furious when Maniac beat him while running backward. In which sentence does the word beat mean the same thing as in the sentence above? F Grandma beat the eggs before she added the milk and sugar. G Brian could beat his brother in wrestling, but not in basketball or chess. H The drum major used his long baton to beat the time during the parade. J Hundreds of students taking the shortcut soon beat a path through the bushes. 2 Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 2012

3 DIRECTIONS As you read each sentence, use the other words in the sentence to help you figure out what the underlined word means. Then circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. SAMPLE C Maniac slipped his fingers into the old glove slowly, timidly, as though entering a holy place. Timidly means A roughly B jokingly C shyly D furiously 15 The crowd was clamoring wildly as Maniac ran around the bases for another home run. Clamoring means - A shouting B racing C yawning D observing 16 McNab flinched to avoid the ball that was coming straight at him. Flinched means - F blinked G dodged H caught J glared 17 A little of the glare lingered in the lady s eyes as she sent Maniac home. Lingered means - A remained B scolded C hurried D smiled 18 When Grayson said, I was a pitcher, his voice was no longer worn and tired, but fresh and robust. Robust means F sleepy G silly H angry J strong 19 Grayson s special stopball pitch had a peculiar way of hanging in the air that Maniac had never seen before. Peculiar means - A fast B strange C ordinary D uninteresting 20 Grayson couldn t stop laughing at the ludicrous sight of Maniac in clothes twice as big as he was. Ludicrous means - F tiresome G frightening H silly J huge Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

4 Reading Comprehension DIRECTIONS Read each passage. Then read each question about the passage. Decide which is the best answer. Circle the letter for the answer you have chosen. SAMPLE Amanda was happy to give up her room to Maniac. It gave her an excuse to sleep with Hester and Lester every night. Most of the time during the day the little ones drove her crazy; she couldn t stand to be in the same hemisphere with them. But at night, the best thing was to have them snuggled up on both sides of her. It made no sense, but that s how it was. Mr. Beale divided the little ones room into two sections with a panel of plywood, and Amanda moved her stuff into the back part. Except for her suitcase of books that stayed in her old room, with Maniac. The way Maniac fit in, you would have thought he was born there. He played with the little ones and read them stories and taught them things. He took Bow Wow out for runs and he did the dishes without anybody asking. (Which made Amanda feel guilty, so she started to dry.) He carried out the trash, mowed the grass, cleaned up his own spills, turned out lights, put the cap back on the toothpaste tube, flushed the toilet, and Mrs. Beale called it the miracle on Sycamore Street he kept his room neat. 1 Amanda was happy that Maniac came to live with the Beales because A she always wanted a brother. B her father redecorated her room when Maniac came. C she was tired of taking out the trash and mowing the lawn. D it gave her an excuse to sleep with her little sister and brother. 2 The best title for this passage is F Chores at the Beales House. G Amanda s New Room. H Maniac Moves In. J Mrs. Beale s Miracle. 4 Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 2012

5 Chapter 18 Amanda tried to reason with him. You can t listen to that old coot. He s goofy. He s always saying stuff like that. You can t go because of something one nutty old coot says. Maniac pointed out that it wasn t the nutty old coot who chalked up the front of the house. Amanda laughed. That? That s no big deal. It wasn t even paint. If they really meant it, they would ve done it in paint. And anyway, don t you know they did my mother a favor? It gave her a chance to get out the old bucket and do some serious scrubbing. Ever since the kids stopped crayoning the house, she hasn t known what to do with herself. Now she s happy again. Maniac didn t answer. Amanda didn t understand that most of the hurt he felt was not for himself but for her and the rest of the family. She stomped her foot. You gotta stay! I don t gotta do anything. You go, you ll starve. Was I starving before I came here? You ll freeze to death in the winter. Your fingers ll get so stiff they ll break off like icicles. I ll go somewhere. Somewhere? Like the deer pen? I ll be okay. Or maybe Prairie Dog Town, huh? How about that? She jabbed him. You could live in a gopher hole. You d be starving, so that would be perfect, because then you d be so skinny you could fit right down there all snuggly in their little tunnels. He shrugged. Sounds cozy. This was driving Amanda bonkers. He was acting so different, all glum, and wiseacre answers. As if he didn t care, not about anything. Yeah? she sniffed. Well, what re you gonna do for a pillow, huh? I know you put my pillow on the floor. I ll use a hibernating gopher. Fuh-nee. And bathroom, huh? Where will you go to the bathroom? The bushes. McDonald s. Lots of places. She hated it. An answer for everything. And the scariest part was, he was probably right. If anybody could survive on the loose, it would be this kid who showed up from Hollidaysburg. Who slept on floors. Who outran dogs. He was making her so mad! 1 Maniac wants to leave the Beales house because A he thinks it is more fun to live at the zoo. B he doesn t like the food they serve. C he doesn t want them to have trouble because he stays with them. D Mars Bar told him to. 2 Amanda s main reason for wanting Maniac to stay is that F she cares about him and will miss him. G she really believes he will die if he leaves. H she doesn t want to have to do all the chores. J he makes her brother and sister happy. GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

6 3 In this passage, Amanda is angry because A someone chalked up the front of her house. B Maniac is acting as if he doesn t mind going away. C Maniac put her pillow on the floor D Mars Bar tore her book 4 Amanda s statement, You d be so skinny you could fit right down there all snuggly in their little tunnels, is an example of F personification. G allusion. H idiom. J hyperbole. 5 Which of the following do you think is probably true? A Mrs. Beale really enjoyed scrubbing the chalk off the house. B Maniac really is upset about leaving the Beales house. C Amanda will really be glad when Maniac is gone. D At this point in the story, Maniac is really very well liked in the East End. GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 6 Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 2012

7 Chapter 31 It was still dark when Maniac awoke on Christmas morning. Within an hour or two, the holiday would come bounding down the stairs and squealing round the tinseled trees of Two Mills. But for the moment, Christmas bided its time outside, a purer presence. Maniac shook Grayson awake, but stayed the old man s hand when he reached to turn on the light. They bundled themselves and ventured into the silent night. Maniac carried a paper bag. Snow had fallen several days before. In much of the town it had been plowed, shoveled, and slushed away; but in the park along the creek, the woods, the playing fields, the playground it still lay undisturbed, save for the tracks of rabbits and squirrels. Beyond the tall pines, stars glittered like snowflakes reluctant to fall. They visited their tree. They stood silently, just to be near it, letting the magic of it drift over them. In the pine-patched moonlight, the Queen Anne s goblets looked for all the world like filigreed silver. They walked the creek woods all the way to the zoo, meandering wordlessly throughout the snowy enchantment. As if by design, they both stopped at the same spot, above the halfsubmerged, rooty clump of a fallen tree. Somewhere under there, they knew, was the den of a family of muskrats. Maniac whispered: Merry Christmas. They visited the animals at the zoo, at least the outdoor ones, wishing them a happy holiday. The ducks seemed especially pleased to see them. By the time they came to the buffalo pen, dawn was showing through the trees. Before the old man finished saying, Wanna boost? Maniac was up and over the fence. If the mother buffalo was glad to see the fence-hopping human again, she didn t show it. But Baby came trotting on over, and the two of them had a warm reunion. Before leaving, Maniac reached into the paper bag and brought out a present. For you, he said. It was a scarf or rather, three scarves tied together. He wrapped them around Baby s neck. Next year I ll get you stockings for your horns, he grinned, if you have them by then. A final nuzzle, and he was back over the fence. They headed back home as the town awoke. Breakfast was eggnog and hot tea and cookies and carols and colored lights and love. 6 The first paragraph contains an example of F irony. G allusion. H flashback. J personification. 7 Which of the following is a statement of fact? A The snow in the park had not been plowed or shoveled. B The tree in the park looked magical in the moonlight. C The baby buffalo loved Maniac like a brother. D Christmas is a time for showing love. 8 In the paper bag, Maniac carried F some butterscotch Krimpets. G tinsel to decorate the tree in the park. H a present for the baby buffalo. J a thermos full of eggnog. 9 The information contained in the passage suggests that A Maniac and Grayson felt lonely in the woods. B Maniac and Grayson were very quiet as they walked through the woods. C Maniac and Grayson were in a hurry to get home again. D Maniac and Grayson had never been in the woods before. GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

8 Chapter 45 So, go ahead, what happened? What happened Mars Bar snorted what happened was, I went out and rescued the dumb fish [the little McNab boy]. Like to get myself kilt. Maniac touched Mars Bar s arm. He s okay? Mars Bar snickered. Yeah, he s okay, but that ain t the main part. The main part is, how he was all grabbin on to me comin off them tracks. Shakin. Shiverin. Huggin. Like he wanted to climb inside me. I was afraid he shook his head, giggled afraid the fishbelly was gonna kiss me. They laughed. Maniac tried to picture it, the two of them, making their way across the trestle, tie by tie, arms wrapped around each other. And even that ain t the mainest part, said Mars Bar, his voice rising in wonder. Even when we got off, the midget wouldn t let me go. We re off it, I says to him. You re rescued. But all he does is grab me harder, like he s a octopus or somethin. Off the platform, down the steps, out to the street he s still doin it. I couldn t pry him off nohow. So, said Maniac, what did you do? Wha d I do? I took him home. Maniac stopped dead. What? Mars Bar shrugged. I figured, let my mom pry him off me. Course, the other one had to come too. But I made him leave them muddy sneakers outside. He put his nose to a fence. What s in there? I don t see nothin. Prairie Dog Town. They re underground. So, what then? So, my mother took over. She pried the one off me, and soon s she does, he jumps right onto her, like a octopus. I go to pull him off and she gets all mad at me and says let him go, let him go. She gets the wet one dried off. Takes off his clothes and puts my old stuff on him. Stuff she been savin case I get a little brother someday. But I won t, cause my mom can t have no babies no more. And I ain t even come to the craziest part yet. What s that? They didn t wanna go home. They stayed all day. My mother babyin em, feedin em. I tell her not to, she swats me away. Sometimes my mom ain t got no sense. She makes me play games with them. Monopoly and stuff. Finally my father drives them home. It s after dark. They re getting out of the car, and know what they say to me I m in the car too He wagged his head. They ask me to come in and play that game-a theirs. Rebels. They, like, beg me. They say, Come one pleeeeese if you play with us, we ll let you be white. You believe that? Maniac chuckled. I believe it. The sequence chain below shows some events mentioned in the reading selection. 1 Mars Bar rescued a boy from the trestle. 2 Mars Bar took both boys home to his mother. 3 4 Mars Bar played Monopoly with his guests. 10 Which statement belongs in Box 3? F The boy held tightly to Mars Bar like an octopus. G Mars Bar s mother dried the wet one off and gave him clean clothes. H Mars Bar s father drove the boys home. J Mars Bar told Maniac what happened. GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 8 Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 2012

9 11 From the information found in the passage, we can guess that A Mars Bar is angry with Maniac. B Maniac is faster than Mars Bar. C Maniac and Mars Bar are suspicious of each other. D Maniac and Mars Bar like and respect each other. 12 From the information given in the passage, the reader can guess that Mars Bar s mother F is a kind person who loves children. G doesn t have any sense. H is a very strict person. J is a fussy housekeeper. 13 The events this passage tells about were surprising to Maniac and Mars Bar because A Mars Bar had never done anything this brave before. B Mars Bar did not think his old clothes would fit the boys. C the McNab boys were white and had always hated black people before. D Mars Bar s mother usually made him play outside with his guests. 14 Which prediction is most likely? F Mars Bar will play Monopoly with the McNab boys every week. G Mars Bar s mother will have another baby soon. H Maniac will move back in with the McNabs. J The McNab boys attitude toward black people will change. 15 Which of the following states a major theme of this book that is supported by this passage? A Parents and children need to communicate with each other. B People of different races can be friends if they get to know each other. C Young people can learn from the experiences of their elders. D It is dangerous for young people to follow the influence of the crowd. Talent Development Secondary Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland