PARCC English Language Arts Grade 3 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which is the BEST topic sentence for a paragraph about helping the environment?
- Trees are green.
- There are many ways kids can help the environment. (Correct answer)
- I like animals.
- The sky is blue on sunny days.
Correct answer: There are many ways kids can help the environment.
A good topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph will be about.
A topic sentence introduces the main idea of a paragraph. 'There are many ways kids can help the environment' is specific enough to guide the paragraph while broad enough to support multiple details.
Question 2: Read: 'The fox crept slowly through the tall grass.' What does 'crept' mean?
- Ran quickly
- Moved quietly and carefully (Correct answer)
- Jumped high
- Slept peacefully
Correct answer: Moved quietly and carefully
Crept means to move slowly and carefully, often to avoid being noticed.
'Crept' is the past tense of 'creep,' meaning to move slowly, quietly, and carefully. The context clue 'slowly through the tall grass' supports this meaning — the fox is trying not to be seen.
Question 3: What is the purpose of quotation marks in a story?
- To make words louder
- To show the exact words someone said (Correct answer)
- To mark important vocabulary
- To end a paragraph
Correct answer: To show the exact words someone said
Quotation marks show dialogue — the exact words a character speaks.
Quotation marks (' ') enclose the exact words spoken by a character in dialogue. They help readers distinguish between narration and speech. Example: 'Let's go to the park,' said Maria.
Question 4: Which word is a synonym for 'happy'?
- Sad
- Angry
- Joyful (Correct answer)
- Tired
Correct answer: Joyful
Joyful means very happy — it's a synonym (word with similar meaning).
Synonyms are words with similar meanings. Joyful, glad, cheerful, and delighted are all synonyms for happy. Learning synonyms helps build vocabulary and makes writing more interesting.
Question 5: In the sentence 'The enormous elephant drank from the river,' which word describes the elephant?
- Drank
- River
- Enormous (Correct answer)
- From
Correct answer: Enormous
Enormous is an adjective that describes how big the elephant is.
Adjectives describe nouns. 'Enormous' describes the elephant, telling us about its size. It answers the question 'What kind of elephant?' Other adjectives might describe color, shape, or number.
Question 6: What is the correct way to begin a letter?
- Hey
- Dear Mr. Johnson, (Correct answer)
- To whoever reads this
- Hello.
Correct answer: Dear Mr. Johnson,
'Dear [Name],' is the proper greeting (salutation) for a letter.
'Dear Mr. Johnson,' follows proper letter-writing conventions with a salutation that includes a title and name, followed by a comma. This format is appropriate for formal and informal letters.
PARCC English Language Arts Grade 3 2
Which is the BEST topic sentence for a paragraph about helping the environment?