Find the sentence that proves your answer

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Rain Gauge (story)

   [1] Every morning before school, Esme checked the glass jar taped to the garden fence and wrote the number in a blue notebook. [2] The jar had a ruler glued to its side, and Esme had marked each line twice with a steady hand. [3] Mr. Tran next door watched from his porch and said the project looked like a lot of fuss for a little water. [4] On Monday the jar held half an inch of rain, and Esme circled the number twice. [5] On Tuesday a gust of wind knocked the jar into the flower bed, and the water soaked into the soil. [6] Esme did not guess at the amount; instead Esme drew a line through the page and wrote, "No reading: jar spilled." [7] By Friday the notebook had five tidy rows, and one of them was crossed out. [8] That afternoon Mr. Tran leaned over the fence and asked how much rain the yard had received that week. [9] Esme opened the notebook, read the four good readings aloud, and explained that Tuesday was missing. [10] Mr. Tran nodded slowly and said that most people would have filled in a number. [11] On Saturday Esme found a heavier jar with a wider base and wedged it into a bucket of stones. [12] On Sunday morning Mr. Tran dropped a flat rock into the bucket without saying a word.

2. 1.

   Jun reads the story. All four sentences are true. Which one best proves this claim: Esme values honest records over a complete notebook?

   • [3] Mr. Tran next door watched from his porch and said the project looked like a lot of fuss for a little water.
   • [6] Esme did not guess at the amount; instead Esme drew a line through the page and wrote, "No reading: jar spilled."
   • [2] The jar had a ruler glued to its side, and Esme had marked each line twice with a steady hand.
   • [11] On Saturday Esme found a heavier jar with a wider base and wedged it into a bucket of stones.
3. 2.

   Kira reads the story. One sentence: "[10] Mr. Tran nodded slowly and said that most people would have filled in a number." Which claim does it best support?

   • Mr. Tran is worried that Esme left a gap in the notebook.
   • Mr. Tran wants to build a rain gauge of his own now.
   • Mr. Tran respects how Esme handled the missing reading.
   • Mr. Tran still thinks the project is a fuss over a little water.
4. 3.

   Luz reads the story. Which sentence best proves this claim: by the end of the week, Mr. Tran respects Esme's careful work?

   • [8] That afternoon Mr. Tran leaned over the fence and asked how much rain the yard had received that week.
   • [10] Mr. Tran nodded slowly and said that most people would have filled in a number.
   • [3] Mr. Tran next door watched from his porch and said the project looked like a lot of fuss for a little water.
   • [4] On Monday the jar held half an inch of rain, and Esme circled the number twice.
5. 4.

   Noah reads the story. Which sentence best proves this claim: Esme changes the setup after the spill?

   • [11] On Saturday Esme found a heavier jar with a wider base and wedged it into a bucket of stones.
   • [7] By Friday the notebook had five tidy rows, and one of them was crossed out.
   • [5] On Tuesday a gust of wind knocked the jar into the flower bed, and the water soaked into the soil.
   • [9] Esme opened the notebook, read the four good readings aloud, and explained that Tuesday was missing.
6. 5.

   Pia reads the story. Sentences [2] and [4] both show Esme doing something twice. Which claim do they best support?

   • Esme is sure the jar will fill up before the weekend is over.
   • Esme double-checks measurements to be sure they are right.
   • Esme wants to impress Mr. Tran with a fancy science project.
   • Esme is nervous that the marked jar might break in the wind.

7. Quiet Wings (article)

   [1] Most birds make a swishing sound when they flap, but an owl can glide past a listener almost without a whisper. [2] This silence is not an accident, because an owl's wings are built to break up noise. [3] The front edge of each large wing feather is lined with tiny fringes, like the teeth of a comb. [4] These fringes split the rushing air into many small streams instead of one loud rush.

   [5] Soft, fuzzy feathers cover the upper side of the wing, and they soak up much of the remaining sound. [6] The back edge of each wing also ends in a soft, frayed fringe that lets air slide away smoothly. [7] Because of these features, an owl's wing beats are much quieter than a pigeon's of about the same size.

   [8] Quiet flight matters to an owl for two reasons, and both have to do with finding food. [9] Many owls look for food in the dark, using hearing to find mice that rustle in leaves or grass. [10] A noisy wing would cover up the faint sounds of the prey the owl is trying to hear. [11] A silent approach also gives a mouse little warning before the owl arrives. [12] Scientists studying owl feathers have copied the fringed edge to design quieter fan blades and aircraft parts.

8. 6.

   Ren reads the article. Which sentence best proves this claim: quiet wings help an owl hear its prey?

   • [12] Scientists studying owl feathers have copied the fringed edge to design quieter fan blades and aircraft parts.
   • [9] Many owls look for food in the dark, using hearing to find mice that rustle in leaves or grass.
   • [11] A silent approach also gives a mouse little warning before the owl arrives.
   • [10] A noisy wing would cover up the faint sounds of the prey the owl is trying to hear.
9. 7.

   Tala reads the article. One sentence: "[12] Scientists studying owl feathers have copied the fringed edge to design quieter fan blades and aircraft parts." Which claim does it best support?

   • Owl wings have a feature that people find useful to copy.
   • Fan blades and aircraft parts are made from real owl feathers.
   • People have built machines that fly as quietly as an owl does.
   • Fringed feathers help owls break up the noise of rushing air.
10. 8.

    Zee reads the article. Which sentence best proves this claim: a pigeon's wing is not as well designed for silence as an owl's?

    • [9] Many owls look for food in the dark, using hearing to find mice that rustle in leaves or grass.
    • [5] Soft, fuzzy feathers cover the upper side of the wing, and they soak up much of the remaining sound.
    • [1] Most birds make a swishing sound when they flap, but an owl can glide past a listener almost without a whisper.
    • [7] Because of these features, an owl's wing beats are much quieter than a pigeon's of about the same size.
11. 9.

    Ari reads the article. Sentence [11] says a silent approach gives a mouse little warning. Which explanation links it to the claim that quiet flight helps owls catch food?

    • The sentence is about an owl, so any sentence about the owl shows that quiet flight helps it catch food.
    • Mice are active in the dark, which shows that owls and mice are alike in how they use their ears.
    • A mouse that hears nothing cannot run before the owl arrives, so the owl is more likely to catch it.
    • Owls give mice little warning, which shows that mice are poor at hearing nearby sounds in the dark.
12. 10.

    Bo reads the article. Which sentence best proves this claim: owls cut noise at the back of the wing as well as the front?

    • [4] These fringes split the rushing air into many small streams instead of one loud rush.
    • [6] The back edge of each wing also ends in a soft, frayed fringe that lets air slide away smoothly.
    • [7] Because of these features, an owl's wing beats are much quieter than a pigeon's of about the same size.
    • [3] The front edge of each large wing feather is lined with tiny fringes, like the teeth of a comb.