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. The Two-Paddle Problem

   Jada and her cousin Marcus had each paddled a canoe before, but never together. On the first morning of their family's camping trip in northern Minnesota, they carried a green canoe down to the edge of Loon Lake. The water was smooth as glass. A small island covered with tall pines sat in the middle of the lake.

   "Let's paddle to the island," said Marcus. "We can eat lunch there."

   Jada climbed into the front, and Marcus took the back. They pushed off from the dock. Then everything went sideways.

   Jada paddled hard on the left. Marcus paddled hard on the left too. The canoe swung to the right and kept turning until they were facing the dock again. Jada switched to the right side. At the same moment, so did Marcus. The canoe spun the other way.

   "You're doing that on purpose!" Jada said.

   "I am not! You keep switching!" said Marcus.

   Somewhere out on the water, a loon called. It sounded a lot like laughing.

   For ten minutes they turned in slow circles. Their arms ached, and the island looked just as far away as before. Finally, Jada laid her paddle across her knees. "This isn't working," she said. "We need a plan."

   Marcus was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Aunt Bea told me the person in the back is supposed to steer. What if you paddle on one side and I paddle on the other? I'll watch where we're going and fix our direction."

   "And we count strokes together," Jada added, "so we pull at the same time."

   They tried it. "One, two. One, two." Jada pulled on the right. Marcus pulled on the left. When the front of the canoe drifted, he held his paddle still in the water to bring it back. Slowly, the canoe straightened out. Then it began to glide.

   The island grew larger. Soon they could see pine needles on the ground and a flat rock that was perfect for sitting. They ate their sandwiches there and watched the loon dive and pop up far away.

   On the trip back, they hardly needed to count. Their paddles dipped at the same time, as if the canoe had only one pair of arms.

   At the dock, Aunt Bea waved. "I saw you two out there, spinning like a top," she called. "What changed?"

   Jada and Marcus looked at each other and grinned. "We started talking," Jada said, "instead of just paddling."

   1.

   Why did the canoe keep turning in circles at first?

   1. AA loon kept swimming in front of the canoe.
   2. BMarcus was steering in circles to tease Jada.
   3. CThe canoe was too heavy for two people.
   4. DBoth cousins paddled on the same side at the same time.
2. 2.

   How does Jada change from the beginning of the story to the end?

   1. AShe goes from being calm to being angry with Marcus.
   2. BShe goes from blaming Marcus to working with him.
   3. CShe goes from steering the canoe to sitting in the back.
   4. DShe goes from loving canoes to never wanting to paddle again.
3. 3.

   Aunt Bea says the cousins were "spinning like a top." What does this comparison show?

   1. AThe cousins were dizzy and needed to rest.
   2. BThe canoe was moving fast in a straight line.
   3. CThe cousins were playing with toys in the canoe.
   4. DThe canoe kept turning around and around.
4. 4.

   Which TWO sentences from the story show that the cousins learned to work together? Choose two answers.

   1. ATheir paddles dipped at the same time, as if the canoe had only one pair of arms.
   2. BSomewhere out on the water, a loon called.
   3. CFor ten minutes they turned in slow circles.
   4. D"And we count strokes together," Jada added, "so we pull at the same time."
   5. E"You're doing that on purpose!" Jada said.

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.

   How many stars must a reader fill to get a free book?

   1. A10
   2. B20
   3. C5
   4. D25

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.

   According to the talk, what causes the sound of thunder?

   1. AThe sun heats the air before a storm.
   2. BLight travels faster than sound.
   3. CClouds bump into each other during a storm.
   4. DAir heated by lightning expands very quickly.
7. 7.

   Owen read a book ______ he waited for the dentist.

   Which word best completes the sentence?

   1. Aso
   2. Bunless
   3. Cbut
   4. Dwhile
8. 8.

   One Saturday morning, Diego discovered that his dog, Rusty, was missing. He searched the backyard and called Rusty's name again and again. Later, he and his sister taped signs to light poles around the block. That evening, a neighbor called to say Rusty was in her garden. Diego hugged Rusty and promised to always close the gate.

   What is the writer's main purpose in this paragraph?

   1. Ato share an opinion and give reasons for it
   2. Bto tell a story about something that happened
   3. Cto explain how to do something, step by step
   4. Dto give facts about a topic
9. 9.

   Is this ______ jacket?

   Which word best completes the sentence?

   1. Ayoure
   2. Byou're
   3. Cyour
   4. Dyore
10. 10.

    Which sentence uses commas correctly?

    1. AWe swept the floor wiped the tables, and, stacked the chairs.
    2. BWe swept the floor, wiped the tables, and stacked the chairs.
    3. CWe swept the floor, wiped the tables, and, stacked the chairs.
    4. DWe swept the floor wiped the tables, and stacked the chairs.