Free printable STAAR practice test for Grade 3

Reading Language Arts

Circle the letter of the best answer, or two letters where a question asks for two, and one letter in each row of a table and for each numbered blank. No time limit.

1. The Great Hamster Hunt

   On Monday morning, Room 12 had a problem. The door of the hamster cage was open, and Pickles was gone.

   "Nobody panic," said Ms. Park. Then she looked under her own desk, just in case.

   The class split into teams. Team One checked the reading corner. They found three pencils, a lost library book, and a sock nobody would claim. Team Two checked the coat hooks. They found a mitten with a hole in the thumb, but no hamster.

   Diego, who wanted to be a detective when he grew up, lay flat on the floor. "Hamsters leave clues," he said. "Look for crumbs."

   Sure enough, there was a tiny trail of cracker crumbs. It led past the sink, around the globe, and straight to Ms. Park's lunch bag.

   Everyone tiptoed closer. The bag was moving. It wiggled to the left. It wiggled to the right. Then it made a crunching sound.

   Ms. Park opened the bag very slowly. There sat Pickles, right on top of her lunch. His cheeks were stuffed so full of crackers that his head looked twice its normal size. He blinked at them as if to say, "What? I was hungry."

   The whole class burst out laughing. Even Ms. Park laughed, though she had to say goodbye to her crackers.

   Diego carefully lifted Pickles back into his cage. Then he checked the door. The latch was loose, so the door opened whenever Pickles pushed on it. Ms. Park fixed it with a twist tie from the art closet.

   "Good detective work, Diego," she said.

   That afternoon, the class wrote a new rule on the board in big letters: CHECK THE LATCH. Under it, someone drew a hamster with puffy cheeks.

   Pickles did not seem to mind. He was fast asleep in his bedding, still full of crackers.

   1.

   What is this story mostly about?

   1. AA hamster learns how to open a lunch bag.
   2. BA class follows clues to find its missing hamster.
   3. CDiego learns how to build a hamster cage.
   4. DA teacher forgets to bring her lunch to school.
2. 2.

   What happens right after the class finds the trail of cracker crumbs?

   1. AThe class writes a new rule on the board.
   2. BTeam Two checks the coat hooks.
   3. CMs. Park fixes the latch with a twist tie.
   4. DEveryone tiptoes toward Ms. Park's lunch bag.
3. 3.

   Why was Pickles able to get out of his cage?

   1. ADiego left the door open on purpose.
   2. BThe latch was loose, so the door opened when he pushed it.
   3. CMs. Park took him out to play.
   4. DHe chewed a hole in the side of the cage.
4. 4.

   In the story, what does the word "claim" mean in "a sock nobody would claim"?

   1. Ato look for
   2. Bto throw away
   3. Cto wash and dry
   4. Dto say that something belongs to you

5. The Real Johnny Appleseed

   You may have heard stories about Johnny Appleseed. In the stories, he wanders across America planting apple trees. Some of those stories are tall tales. But Johnny Appleseed was a real person. His name was John Chapman.

   John Chapman was born in 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. As a young man, he headed west to Pennsylvania. At that time, many families were moving west to start farms on new land. Chapman had an idea. Settlers would need apple trees. Apples could be eaten fresh, dried for the winter, or pressed into cider.

   Chapman got apple seeds from cider mills. The mills threw the leftover seeds away, so he took them. He carried the seeds west in bags. Then he cleared small patches of land and planted the seeds in rows. These patches were called nurseries. He built fences around them to keep out deer.

   When settlers came, Chapman sold them young apple trees. Sometimes he traded the trees for food or clothes. If a family could not pay, he often gave them trees anyway. For almost fifty years, he planted nurseries in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

   People remembered Chapman for his kindness. He was gentle with animals and friendly to everyone he met. He often walked barefoot, even when it was cold. His clothes were plain and worn out. Some stories say he wore a cooking pot on his head as a hat. That part may not be true. But it shows how unusual people thought he was.

   Today, some towns where Chapman planted trees hold Johnny Appleseed festivals each fall. People eat apple pie, press cider, and tell stories about the man who spent his life planting for others.

   5.

   What is this passage mostly about?

   1. AHow cider is made at a cider mill
   2. BThe real life of John Chapman, who planted apple trees for settlers
   3. CWhy settlers moved to Pennsylvania
   4. DHow to plant apple seeds in a garden
6. 6.

   Which TWO things did Chapman do with his young apple trees? Choose two answers.

   1. AHe sold them to settlers.
   2. BHe shipped them back to Massachusetts.
   3. CHe traded them for cider mills.
   4. DHe gave them to families who could not pay.
   5. EHe planted them only in his own yard.
7. 7.

   Last night, Dad (1) ______ us to soccer practice.

   Which word best completes the sentence?

   (1)	Adrove	Bdriven	Cdrived	Ddrives

8. 8.

   Owls have special tools for hunting at night. Their large eyes help them see in the dark. Also, owls can hear a mouse moving under the snow. Soft feathers let them fly without making a sound. These tools make owls skilled night hunters.

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

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

   Ella has the ______ feet in our whole family.

   Which word or words best complete the sentence?

   1. Asmallest
   2. Bmost smallest
   3. Csmaller
   4. Dsmall
10. 10.

    Which book title uses capital letters correctly?

    1. ARosie and the brave little tugboat
    2. BRosie and the Brave Little Tugboat
    3. CRosie And the Brave Little Tugboat
    4. DRosie and the Brave little Tugboat