V. English Language Arts,
Reading Comprehension, Grade 6
Grade 6 English Language Arts
Reading Comprehension Test
The spring 2013 grade 6 English Language Arts Reading Comprehension test was based on grades 6–12
learning standards in two content strands of the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English
Language Arts and Literacy (March 2011) listed below. Page numbers for the learning standards appear
in parentheses.
■ Reading (Framework, pages 47–52)
■Language (Framework, pages 64–67)
The Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy is available on the Department
website at www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html.
ELA Reading Comprehension test results are reported under two MCAS reporting categories, Reading
and Language, which are identical to the two framework content strands listed above.
Test Sessions and Content Overview
The grade 6 ELA Reading Comprehension test included two separate test sessions. Each session included
reading passages, followed by multiple-choice and open-response questions. Selected common reading
passages and approximately half of the common test items are shown on the following pages as they
appeared in test booklets. Due to copyright restrictions, certain reading passages cannot be released to the
public on the website. For further information, contact Student Assessment Services at 781-338-3625.
Reference Materials
The use of bilingual word-to-word dictionaries was allowed for current and former English language
learner students only, during both ELA Reading Comprehension sessions. No other reference materials
were allowed during any ELA Reading Comprehension test session.
Cross-Reference Information
The tables at the conclusion of this chapter indicate each released and unreleased common item’s reporting
category and the standard it assesses. The correct answers for released multiple-choice questions are also
displayed in the released item table.
57
English Language Arts
Reading CompRehension
DIRECTIONS
This session contains three reading selections with twenty-one multiple-choice questions and three
open-response questions. Mark your answers to these questions in the spaces provided in your
Student Answer Booklet.
On April 14, 1912, the passenger ship R.M.S. Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean and sank.
Robert Ballard led a search for the sunken ship in 1985. At the beginning of this selection, Ballard and his team
are nearing the end of their scheduled time at sea. Read the selection and answer the questions that follow.
from
Exploring the Titanic
by Robert D. Ballard
1
2
3
4
5
1
Then we had only five days left to go. The crunch had come. Suddenly the
ocean seemed huge, and our doubts began to grow. Was the Titanic really in our
carefully plotted search area? If so, surely something would have shown up on our
monitor screens by now. Were we looking in the wrong place? Would we return
empty-handed? I began to feel a rising panic.
In a last-ditch effort, we decided to check out a tiny portion of ocean bottom
that Jean-Louis and his SAR sonar system had missed because of strong currents.
We headed to that spot ten miles away.
But as we began to tow Argo1 back and
forth across the new search area, our hopes
really began to fade. There was nothing down
there. By now the routine inside our control
room had become mind-numbing: hour after
hour of staring at video images of flat bottom
mud. On top of that, we were exhausted. The
strain of it all was getting to us, and the
boredom was becoming unbearable. Then,
with a bad turn in the weather and only
four days left, we reached our lowest point.
I began to face total defeat.
Just after midnight, on September 1, I
went to my bunk for some rest, and the night
shift led by Jean-Louis manned their stations.
About an hour into their watch, one of the A photograph of the Argo as it works underwater
team members asked the others, “What are
we going to do to keep ourselves awake tonight?” All they’d seen so far was mud
and more mud, endless miles of nothing. Stu Harris, who was busy flying Argo,
didn’t answer. His eyes were glued to the Argo video monitor.
“There’s something,” he said, pointing to the screen. Suddenly every member of
the sleepy watch was alive and alert. No one could believe it wasn’t just another
Argo — the underwater vessel that contained a video camera
58
ELA Reading Comprehension
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
2
false alarm, or a joke. But, no, there on the screen were clear images of things
man-made. Stu yelled, “Bingo!” The control room echoed with a loud “Yeah!” from
the whole team, and then wild shrieks and war-whoops. All sorts of wreckage began
to stream by on the screen. Then something different appeared — something large
and perfectly round. Jean-Louis checked in a book of pictures of the Titanic. He
came across a picture of the ship’s massive boilers, used to burn coal and drive the
engines. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He looked from book to video screen and
back again. Yes, it was the same kind of boiler!
I scrambled out of my bunk when I got the news and ran to the control room. We
replayed the tape of the boiler. I didn’t know what to say. I turned to Jean-Louis. The
look in his eyes said everything. The Titanic
had been found. We’d been right all along.
Then he said softly, “It was not luck. We
earned it.”
Our hunt was almost over. Somewhere
very near us lay the R.M.S. Titanic.
Word had spread throughout the ship.
People were pouring into the control room.
The place was becoming a madhouse.
Everyone was shaking hands and hugging
Wreckage of the Titanic
and slapping each other on the back.
It was now almost two in the morning,
very close to the exact hour of the Titanic’s sinking. Someone pointed to the clock
on the wall. All of a sudden the room became silent.
Here at the bottom of the ocean lay not only the graveyard of a great ship, but
of more than 1,500 people who had gone down with her. And we were the very
first people in seventy-three years to come to this spot to pay our respects. Images
from the night of the disaster — a story I now knew by heart — flashed through
my mind.
Out on the stern of the Knorr,2 people had started to gather for a few moments
of silence in memory of those who had died on the Titanic. The sky was filled with
stars; the sea was calm. We raised the Harland & Wolff flag, the emblem of the
shipyard in Belfast, Ireland, that had built the great liner. Except for the shining
moon overhead, it was just like the night when the Titanic had gone down. I could
see her as she slipped nose first into the glassy water. Around me were the ghostly
shapes of lifeboats and the piercing shouts and screams of passengers and crew
freezing to death in the water.
Our little memorial service lasted about ten minutes. Then I just said, “Thank
you all. Now let’s get back to work.”
Knorr — the research ship used by Robert Ballard
Exploring the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard. Copyright © 1988 by Ballard and Family. Reprinted by permission of the author. Photograph
of the Argo copyright © Emory Kristof/National Geographic/Getty Images. Photograph of the wreckage of the Titanic copyright © Ralph
White/CORBIS.
59
ELA Reading Comprehension
ID:286528 B Common
1
●
ID:286531 C Common
3
●
According to the selection, how did
crew members make certain that they
had found the correct ship?
A. They sent a diver down to
explore the wreckage.
A. The crew members realized they
had a lot of work left to do.
B. They compared what they saw
to old photographs.
B. The crew members did not want
to wake others who were asleep.
C. They had an expert examine the
items they picked up.
C. The crew members were thinking
about the tragedy of the Titanic.
D. They saw the name of the ship on
a piece of wreckage.
D. The crew members were not certain
that they actually found the Titanic.
ID:286530 D Common
2
●
Based on paragraphs 9 and 10, which
reason best explains why “the room
became silent”?
What is the most likely reason
paragraph 7 is so short?
A. to suggest the narrator’s doubts
B. to show how little time was left
C. to show the narrator’s exhaustion
D. to highlight the drama of the event
60
ELA Reading Comprehension
ID:286536 B Common
4
●
ID:286526 C Common
5
●
Read the sentences from paragraph 11
in the box below.
A. a deep dive into unexplored areas
. . . it was just like the night when
the Titanic had gone down. I could
see her as she slipped nose first into
the glassy water. Around me were
the ghostly shapes of lifeboats and
the piercing shouts and screams of
passengers and crew freezing to
death in the water.
Based on paragraphs 1 and 2, what is a
“last-ditch effort”?
B. a plan to do something dangerous
C. a final try to accomplish something
D. a way to correct a previous mistake
Which of the following best describes
the sentences?
A. The narrator is watching
a movie.
B. The narrator is imagining
the scene.
C. The narrator is remembering
his past.
D. The narrator is reading about
an event.
61
ELA Reading Comprehension
Question 6 is an open-response question.
•Read the question carefully.
•Explain your answer.
•Add supporting details.
•Double-check your work.
Write your answer to question 6 in the space provided in your Student Answer Booklet.
ID:286541 Common
6
●
Based on the selection, describe the narrator’s feelings about the search for and the discovery
of the sunken Titanic. Support your answer with important details from the selection.
62
ELA Reading Comprehension
Read the selection from Jonathan Livingston Seagull and answer the questions that follow.
Jonathan
Livingston
Seagull
from
by
Richard Bach
Students read a selection from Jonathan Livingston Seagull and then
answered questions 7 through 13 that follow on pages 65 to 68 of this
document.
Due to copyright restrictions, the selection cannot be released to the
public over the Internet. For more information, see the copyright citation
below.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. Copyright © 1970 by
Richard D. Bach and Leslie Parrish-Bach. Reprinted by permission of
Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
63
ELA Reading Comprehension
Due to copyright restrictions, the selection that appeared on this page
cannot be released to the public over the Internet. For more information,
see the citation on the previous page.
64
ELA Reading Comprehension
ID:277409 A Common
7
●
ID:277411 D Common
8
●
What is the most likely purpose of
paragraph 1?
Which two conditions are contrasted in
paragraphs 2 and 3?
A. to set the mood
A. night and day
B. to describe a conflict
B. fear and safety
C. to foreshadow an event
C. sorrow and joy
D. to introduce a character
D. commotion and quiet
65
ELA Reading Comprehension
ID:304479 A Common
9
●
ID:277425 D Common
10
●
In paragraph 9, the phrase “you’re bone
and feathers!” suggests that Jonathan’s
mother believes he is too
In paragraph 13, what is the most likely
reason Jonathan drops food to another gull?
A. Jonathan wants the bird to stop
bothering him.
A. skinny.
B. flashy.
B. Jonathan wants to disobey the wishes
of his parents.
C. proud.
C. Jonathan needs more experience in
fighting for his own food.
D. timid.
D. Jonathan has made up his mind to
care more about flying than food.
66
ELA Reading Comprehension
ID:277435 D Common
11
●
ID:277439 A Common
12
●
Which of the following is the main
theme of the selection?
In paragraph 4, what does the word
falter mean?
A. the challenges of surviving
in nature
A. hesitate
B. the differences between family
and community
C. worry
B. change
D. speed
C. the homesickness one feels when
becoming independent
D. the differences between what we
want and what is expected of us
67
ELA Reading Comprehension
Question 13 is an open-response question.
•Read the question carefully.
•Explain your answer.
•Add supporting details.
•Double-check your work.
Write your answer to question 13 in the space provided in your Student Answer Booklet.
ID:277458 Common
13
●
Based on the selection, explain how Jonathan is different from other seagulls. Support your
answer with important details from the selection.
68
ELA Reading Comprehension
Read the passage about an amazing animal and answer the questions that follow.
Flying Frog
Glider in the Treetops
by Cynthia Bix and Diana Landau
I
1
n 1869, the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace was tromping through the
rainforests of Borneo when a local man brought him a surprising animal specimen. It
was a large tree frog that Wallace later described as having “come down, in a slanting
direction, from a high tree, as if it flew.”
2 Wallace was fascinated. Examining the frog, he found “the toes very long and fully
webbed to their very extremity, so that when expanded they offered a surface much
larger than that of the body.” He concluded that this was the first known case of a
“flying frog.”
3 These frogs don’t truly fly, as birds or bats do. What they do is glide—somewhat
like humans piloting a hang glider. In hang gliding, the pilot jumps off a cliff or hilltop
and sails through the air at a gradual downward slant, held aloft by lightweight “wings”
strapped to a harness. The pilot controls the craft by shifting his or her weight, or by
changing the angle of the wings.
4 Flying frogs do much the same thing.
With powerful hind legs they launch their
lightweight bodies from a high branch
into the air. They spread out their large
webbed feet and hands, as well as special
flaps of skin on their legs and arms. These
membranes of skin act like miniature
parachutes to slow the frog’s descent.
5 Some flying frogs glide as far as 40 or
50 feet as they descend by stages from
the treetops to vegetation lower down. For
these little animals, gliding is an energyefficient way to get quickly from one place
to another. By moving its legs or twisting
its toes, the flying frog can even turn as it
glides, so it can land to the right or left of its A Bornean flying frog, its foot webs stretched
wide for a parachute effect, glides down for a soft
original direction of launch.
landing on a fern.
69
ELA Reading Comprehension
6
The world in which these airborne frogs make their home is the rich and varied
rainforest of Borneo, a large island that is part of Indonesia. Here, huge trees reach 100
feet into the air. Their leafy tops meet and mingle in a dense umbrella of green, casting the
forest floor, or understory, into dim green shade. Up in the sunlit canopy thrives a colorful
community of fruits and flowers, birds, animals, and insects—some of which never come
down to the ground. Up here the flying frog finds plenty of insects to feed on, and plenty of
moisture from the frequent rains that fall on the canopy.
7 Like other tree frogs, the flying frog
is uniquely adapted for its arboreal* life.
Its feet have large, round toe pads that
help it climb and cling to vertical surfaces.
Though many people assume that these
pads adhere by suction, they actually have
tiny specialized cells that can penetrate
microscopic cracks and irregularities in tree
trunks and branches. The pads also have
glands that produce a sticky secretion to
help the frog hold tight—sort of like the
“stickum” that football players once used to
catch passes.
8 The frogs’ long legs also aid in
climbing; the strong hind legs propel their
leaps through the trees. Their large, welldeveloped eyes help them navigate through
the canopy and track down insect prey.
Scientists believe frogs have good depth
and color perception, as well as the ability
to see in all directions at once. They can
Trees are spaced quite widely, so the flying frogs
spot an insect’s slightest movement, even in
may glide up to 50 feet.
the dark.
9 Frogs have a unique ability to regulate their body temperature by changing the color
of their skin. Because the tree frog endures greater extremes of light and temperature
than its pond-dwelling relatives, it can change even more than other frogs. Light
colors reflect heat, so the frog’s skin may get lighter in hot, bright sunshine. When
temperatures drop or when it gets dark, the frog’s skin grows darker to absorb warmth.
These changes are caused by the movements of various pigments within the skin cells.
10 Color changes also provide camouflage. In response to signals from its hormones or
nervous system, the frog’s color may change to match that of the mottled brown bark
or the bright green leaf it’s sitting on. Then predators such as owls or monkeys are less
likely to see it. If one does spot it, the flying frog can often glide to safety.
11 One of the few times the little frogs come down from the canopy is to breed. Their
eggs, like those of all frogs, must hatch near water where the tadpoles can begin their
development into adult frogs.
* arboreal ­­— of or like a tree; living in trees
70
ELA Reading Comprehension
12
The flying frog is a fascinating
example of an animal that has taken its
family traits to extremes in adapting to its
special environment. With its parachutelike feet and extra-streamlined body, it
swoops through the rainforest canopy
while other frogs make their way along
the ground and through the water.
13 But like all inhabitants of the world’s
rainforests, the flying frog faces the threat
of displacement from its natural habitat.
As more and more forest is cleared for
human use, and as the effects of pollution
trickle into what forest is left, the frogs
Flying frogs cling to tree trunks and other
may face an uncertain future. One of only surfaces with their large feet and round, sticky
toe pads.
about a dozen kinds of flying frogs in
the world, this agile creature is a valuable
member of the rainforest’s community of wonders.
14
The flying frog’s skin performs many functions. Instead of drinking water,
frogs absorb it through thin skin on their abdomen, called a “pelvic patch.”
And besides breathing through their lungs, they draw in oxygen and release
carbon dioxide through their skin. To do this the skin must stay moist, a job
performed by mucous-producing glands. The mucous also gives the skin a
slippery film that protects against bacteria and helps the frog give predators
“the slip.”
“Flying Frog: Glider in the Treetops” by Cynthia Bix and Diana Landau, from Animal Athletes: Olympians of the Wild World. Copyright
© 1996 by Walking Stick Press. Reprinted by permission of Andrews McMeel Publishing. Photograph 1 copyright © Stephen Dalton/Minden
Pictures. Photograph 2 copyright © iStockphoto/Simon Gurney. Photograph 3 copyright © TIM LAMAN/National Geographic Stock.
71
ELA Reading Comprehension
ID:297890 D Common
14
●
ID:297896 B Common
17
●
How do the authors mainly introduce the
subject in paragraphs 1 and 2?
A. They compare different types of
flying frogs.
What does the information in paragraph 6
mainly suggest about Borneo’s rainforest
canopy?
A. It is remote and has rarely been
studied.
B. They question some myths about
flying frogs.
B. It supports a variety of plants and
wildlife.
C. They highlight extraordinary abilities
of flying frogs.
C. It includes few species that live on
and under the ground.
D. They describe one of the earliest
discoveries of flying frogs.
D. It has seen rapid changes in climate
and animal populations.
ID:297891 A Common
15
●
How does the explanation of hang gliding
in paragraph 3 most help the reader?
ID:297900 D Common
18
●
A. It compares frogs’ flight to
something that people do.
A. snaring them in traps.
B. It explains how flying frogs
descended from birds and bats.
B. frightening them away.
C. It shows what human pilots can
learn by studying frogs’ flight.
D. using camouflage to hide from them.
C. producing poison to kill them.
D. It contrasts the abilities of flying
frogs to those of birds and bats.
ID:297895 B Common
16
●
Based on the passage, tree frogs protect
themselves from enemies mainly by
What is the main purpose of the first
photograph of the Bornean flying frog?
A. to highlight how tiny the
frog is
B. to demonstrate how the frog
moves
C. to show the frog in its natural
setting
D. to compare the frog to another
species
72
ELA Reading Comprehension
ID:297903 B Common
19
●
ID:297906 D Common
21
●
What is the main purpose of paragraph 13?
A. to present expert opinions about
flying frogs
How is the information in the passage
mainly organized?
A. as steps in a process
B. to raise concerns about the survival
of flying frogs
B. in chronological order
C. to describe how flying frogs may
adapt in the future
D. by topic with supporting details
C. in order of importance
D. to explain why flying frogs receive
so much attention
ID:297909 C Common
22
●
ID:297905 A Common
20
●
Based on paragraphs 1 and 2, a naturalist
is most likely a person who
A. explores unknown areas.
Read the descriptions from the passage in
the box below.
B. captures animals for zoos.
C. studies animals and plants.
• . . . they launch their lightweight
bodies from a high branch . . .
D. makes amazing discoveries.
• . . . the strong hind legs propel
their leaps through the trees.
ID:297911 C Common
23
●
• . . . the flying frog can often glide
to safety.
• . . . it swoops through the
rainforest canopy . . .
Read the sentence from paragraph 6 in
the box below.
Up in the sunlit canopy thrives
a colorful community of fruits
and flowers, birds, animals, and
insects—some of which never
come down to the ground.
In the descriptions, what do the words
“launch,” “propel,” “glide,” and “swoops”
mainly show about the frogs?
A. how they move through
the air
B. how they differ from other
species
What is the purpose of the dash in the
sentence?
A. to set off a definition
B. to show fact versus opinion
C. how they behave when under
attack
C. to set off additional information
D. to show an interesting comparison
D. how they change speed in different
situations
73
ELA Reading Comprehension
Question 24 is an open-response question.
•Read the question carefully.
•Explain your answer.
•Add supporting details.
•Double-check your work.
Write your answer to question 24 in the space provided in your Student Answer Booklet.
ID:297918 Common
24
●
Read the sentence from paragraph 12 in the box below.
The flying frog is a fascinating example of an animal that has taken its family traits to extremes
in adapting to its special environment.
Based on the passage, explain why the flying frog could be called “extreme.” Support your answer
with important details from the passage.
74
Grade 6 English Language Arts
Reading Comprehension
Spring 2013 Released Items:
Reporting Categories, Standards, and Correct Answers*
Standard
Correct Answer
(MC)*
Reading
1
B
60
Reading
6
D
3
60
Reading
2
C
4
61
Reading
5
B
5
61
Reading
4
C
6
62
Reading
6
7
65
Reading
6
A
8
65
Reading
4
D
9
66
Reading
4
A
10
66
Reading
3
D
11
67
Reading
2
D
12
67
Language
4
A
13
68
Reading
2
14
72
Reading
5
D
15
72
Reading
5
A
16
72
Reading
7
B
17
72
Reading
3
B
18
72
Reading
1
D
19
73
Reading
5
B
20
73
Reading
4
A
21
73
Reading
5
D
22
73
Language
4
C
23
73
Language
2
C
24
74
Reading
2
Item No.
Page No.
1
60
2
Reporting Category
* Answers are provided here for multiple-choice items only. Sample responses and scoring guidelines for open-response items,
which are indicated by the shaded cells, will be posted to the Department’s website later this year.
75
Grade 6 English Language Arts
Reading Comprehension
Spring 2013 Unreleased Common Items:
Reporting Categories and Standards
Item No.
Reporting Category
Standard
25
Reading
2
26
Reading
5
27
Reading
4
28
Reading
3
29
Reading
3
30
Reading
5
31
Reading
2
32
Reading
5
33
Language
4
34
Language
4
35
Reading
2
36
Reading
1
37
Reading
1
38
Reading
6
39
Language
4
40
Language
1
76