ELA Reading and Comprehension 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A poem describes autumn leaves as 'tired old soldiers retreating from the battlefield.' This is an example of:
- Simile
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Hyperbole
- Alliteration
Correct answer: Personification
Personification gives human qualities (tired, retreating) to non-human things (leaves).
Question 2: Which of the following is the best summary of a text about climate change that discusses rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and threatened habitats?
- Climate change is the most important issue in the world today
- Climate change causes rising temperatures, melting ice, and habitat loss (Correct answer)
- Scientists disagree about whether climate change is real
- We must act immediately to stop climate change
Correct answer: Climate change causes rising temperatures, melting ice, and habitat loss
A good summary captures the main points without adding opinion or information not in the text.
Question 3: In nonfiction, what is the main difference between a fact and an opinion?
- Facts are written by experts; opinions are written by others
- Facts can be verified as true or false; opinions express personal views (Correct answer)
- Facts are always short; opinions are always long
- Facts appear in headlines; opinions appear in body paragraphs
Correct answer: Facts can be verified as true or false; opinions express personal views
Facts are verifiable statements, while opinions reflect personal judgments that cannot be proven true or false.
Question 4: A student is reading a complex passage and encounters an unfamiliar word. The BEST first strategy is to:
- Skip the word and continue reading
- Look up the word in a dictionary immediately
- Use surrounding sentences for context clues (Correct answer)
- Ask a teacher before continuing
Correct answer: Use surrounding sentences for context clues
Context clues within the passage are the most efficient first strategy for determining the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
Question 5: The following sentence contains which type of figurative language? 'The thunder grumbled angrily across the sky.'
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Onomatopoeia
Correct answer: Personification
Giving the thunder the human qualities of grumbling and feeling anger is personification.
Question 6: A reader wants to verify a specific date mentioned in a history article. Which feature should the reader use?
- The table of contents
- The glossary
- The index (Correct answer)
- The introduction
Correct answer: The index
The index lists specific topics and page numbers, making it the best tool for locating a specific fact quickly.
Question 7: Which sentence best demonstrates an author's informative (expository) purpose?
- You must recycle to save the planet!
- The water cycle involves evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. (Correct answer)
- I believe renewable energy is our only hope.
- Imagine a world without clean water.
Correct answer: The water cycle involves evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
An expository sentence presents factual information objectively without persuasion or narrative.
A poem describes autumn leaves as 'tired old soldiers retreating from the battlefield.' This is an example of: