Quote Accurately From a Text

Grade 5 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the answer.

1. Read this first

   Zainab at the Pottery Wheel

   Zainab had wanted to try the pottery wheel ever since she saw it in the window of the community art center. On Saturday, Mr. Okafor finally let her sit down at it. He tied a striped apron around her waist and set a lump of clay in the middle of the wheel.

   "Wet your hands first," he said. "Clay hates dry fingers."

   Zainab pressed her palms around the lump of gray clay. The wheel spun faster, and the clay wobbled like jelly. Then it flew sideways and slapped against the splash pan. Her cheeks burned.

   "That happens to everyone," Mr. Okafor said. He scooped up the clay and handed it back without a single frown.

   Zainab tried again. This time, she kept her elbows tucked against her knees, the way he showed her. The clay rose into a short tower, then collapsed into a pancake. Her fingers were gray to the wrists now. She sighed so loudly that a man painting at the next table looked up.

   "Again?" Mr. Okafor asked.

   "Again," Zainab said, and she set her jaw.

   On the fifth try, something changed. She pushed her thumbs into the center slowly, and the clay opened like a flower. The walls grew thin and even. When the wheel stopped, a small, lopsided bowl sat in front of her.

   Mr. Okafor leaned closer. "It leans a little to the left," he said. "So does my favorite mug."

   Zainab grinned. She carried the bowl to the drying shelf with both hands, as carefully as if it were made of glass. Then she wrote her name on the shelf tag in big, proud letters.

2. 1.

   Which quotation best supports the inference that Zainab is determined?

   • "Again?" Zainab said, and she shook her head.
   • "Again," Zainab said, and she set her jaw.
   • Her cheeks burned.
3. 2.

   Which quotation shows that Mr. Okafor is patient with beginners?

   • "Wet your hands first," he said.
   • He scooped up the clay and handed it back without a single frown.
   • He scooped up the clay and handed it back with a big frown.
4. 3.

   Which quotation shows that Zainab felt embarrassed when the clay flew off?

   • Her cheeks burned.
   • The clay rose into a short tower.
   • Her hands burned.
5. 4.

   Which choice is an exact quotation from the story?

   • "Clay loves wet fingers."
   • "Clay hates dry fingers."
   • "Clay hates cold fingers."
6. 5.

   Which quotation best supports the inference that Zainab is proud of her bowl?

   • When the wheel stopped, a small, lopsided bowl sat in front of her.
   • Then she wrote her name on the shelf tag in small, neat letters.
   • Then she wrote her name on the shelf tag in big, proud letters.
7. 6.

   Which quotation shows that Mr. Okafor thinks a bowl does not need to be perfect?

   • "So does my broken mug."
   • "It leans a little to the left," he said.
   • "So does my favorite mug."