Free printable CAASPP practice test for Grade 4

English Language Arts

Circle the letter of the best answer, or two letters where a question asks for two. No time limit.

1. Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom

   A folktale from the Ashanti people of West Africa

   Long ago, all the wisdom in the world was kept in one place. Nyame, the sky god, kept it in a clay pot. One day he gave the pot to Anansi the spider. "Look inside," Nyame said, "and share what you find with everyone."

   Anansi lifted the lid and peeked in. The pot was full of knowledge: how to plant yams, how to weave cloth, how to build a house that would stand through the rainy season, and how to settle an argument between friends. Anansi's eyes grew wide.

   "If I keep all this wisdom for myself," he thought, "everyone will have to come to me for answers. I will be the most important creature in the land."

   So Anansi did not share. Instead, he decided to hide the pot where no one could ever reach it: at the top of the tallest tree in the forest.

   He tied the pot to the front of his body with a vine and began to climb. But the pot was round and heavy, and it bumped against the trunk with every step. Anansi slipped and slid back down. He tried again. Bump, slip, slide. He tried a third time and got no higher than before.

   Anansi's young son, Ntikuma, had been watching from below. "Father," he called, "why don't you tie the pot on your back? Then you could hold on to the tree."

   Anansi stopped. His son was right. It was such a simple idea, and Anansi had not thought of it, even with all the wisdom in the world tied to his chest.

   He was so surprised, and so annoyed, that he let go of the pot. It tumbled down, struck a rock, and broke into a hundred pieces. A strong wind swept through the forest. It carried the bits of wisdom in every direction: into villages and fields, along rivers, and across the sea.

   That is why, the old tellers say, no one person has all the wisdom in the world. A little of it lives in everyone, and even a child can have an idea that a grown-up has missed.

   1.

   Which lesson does this folktale teach?

   1. AGifts from the sky god should never be opened.
   2. BNo one has all the wisdom, and good ideas can come from anyone.
   3. CIt is wise to hide important things at the top of a tree.
   4. DChildren should always do what their parents say.
2. 2.

   What happens right after Ntikuma tells his father to tie the pot on his back?

   1. AAnansi ties the pot to his back and hides it.
   2. BAnansi peeks inside the pot for the first time.
   3. CNyame gives Anansi the pot of wisdom.
   4. DAnansi lets go of the pot, and it breaks on a rock.
3. 3.

   In the folktale, what does the word "settle" mean in "how to settle an argument between friends"?

   1. Ato move to a new home
   2. Bto sit down and rest
   3. Cto end or solve
   4. Dto sink slowly to the bottom
4. 4.

   Which TWO things happened when Anansi tried to climb with the pot tied to his front? Choose two answers.

   1. ANtikuma climbed up the tree to help him.
   2. BThe pot bumped against the tree trunk.
   3. CAnansi slipped and slid back down.
   4. DAnansi reached the top of the tallest tree.
   5. EThe vine broke, and the pot fell open.

5. Read this aloud to your child.

   Summer Reading Challenge

   Maple Grove Public Library
   Summer Reading Challenge
   June 16 to August 8

   Read, explore, and earn prizes this summer! The challenge is free and open to all kids ages 5 to 12.

   How It Works
   1. Sign up at the front desk to get your reading log.
   2. Read for 20 minutes or more each day. Books, magazines, and comics all count!
   3. Color in one star on your log for each day you read.
   4. Bring your log to the front desk every Friday to collect a sticker.

   Prizes
   Fill 10 stars: a free book to keep
   Fill 25 stars: a ticket to the Ice Cream Social
   Fill 40 stars: your name on the Reading Wall of Fame

   Special Events (Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.)
   June 25: Reptile Visitors from the Nature Center
   July 16: Make Your Own Comic Book
   August 6: Ice Cream Social for star readers

   5.

   Which reader will have a name on the Reading Wall of Fame?

   1. AA reader who reads for at least 20 minutes on 40 different days
   2. BA reader who reads 40 books in one week
   3. CA reader who signs up on the very first day
   4. DA reader who goes to all three special events

6. Read this aloud to your child.

   Why Thunder Follows Lightning

   During a storm, you see a flash of lightning. A few seconds later, you hear a rumble or a crack of thunder. Why do they come at different times?

   Lightning is a giant spark of electricity. In a split second, it heats the air around it to about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is hotter than the surface of the sun. The heated air expands so suddenly that it pushes hard on the air around it, making a booming sound wave. That sound is thunder.

   Light and sound both travel from the lightning to you, but light is much faster. You see the flash almost at once. Sound takes about five seconds to travel one mile. So if you count five seconds between the flash and the thunder, the lightning was about one mile away. If you count ten seconds, it was about two miles away.

   6.

   In the talk, what does the word "expands" mean in "The heated air expands so suddenly"?

   1. Agets colder and shrinks
   2. Bgets bigger and spreads out
   3. Cstops moving
   4. Dchanges color
7. 7.

   My ______ were cold after we played in the snow.

   Which word best completes the sentence?

   1. Afeets
   2. Bfeet
   3. Cfoots
   4. Dfoot
8. 8.

   ______ They can fly in ways that other birds cannot. For instance, a hummingbird can hover in one spot and even fly backward. Hummingbirds may be small, but their skills are big.

   Which sentence would be the best topic sentence for this paragraph?

   1. AWe are having a bake sale to raise money for the library.
   2. BMy uncle drives a delivery truck in the city.
   3. CHummingbirds are tiny birds with surprising skills.
   4. DTheir hearts can beat more than one thousand times a minute.
9. 9.

   Which sentence puts the describing words in the usual order?

   1. AJada wore a purple new cotton shirt to the party.
   2. BJada wore a cotton new purple shirt to the party.
   3. CJada wore a cotton purple new shirt to the party.
   4. DJada wore a new purple cotton shirt to the party.
10. 10.

    Which sentence uses commas correctly?

    1. ADad walked the dog, and, Mom watered the garden.
    2. BDad walked the dog, and Mom, watered the garden.
    3. CDad walked the dog and Mom, watered the garden.
    4. DDad walked the dog, and Mom watered the garden.