Free printable STAAR practice test for Grade 5

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. Bernie

   When Uncle Ray left for a two-week work trip, he didn't ask me to water his plants or feed his cat. He doesn't have a cat. Instead, he handed me a glass jar filled with something that looked like thick, bubbly pancake batter.

   "This is Bernie," he said. "Bernie is my sourdough starter. He's eleven years old, which makes him a year older than you, Ruby."

   I stared at the jar. "It's just flour and water, Uncle Ray."

   "It's flour, water, and millions of tiny living things," he corrected me. "Wild yeast. They eat the flour and give off bubbles of gas. That's what makes my bread rise. Feed him once a day, every day. Stir in half a cup of flour and a little water, then cover him up. Don't forget."

   For the first week, I was perfect. Every morning before school, I fed Bernie and watched. By afternoon, he would rise up the side of the jar like a slow, foamy wave. He smelled sour and a little like apples. I started to like him. I even said "good morning" to him each day, though I never told anyone that.

   Then came Thursday. I had a math test, I couldn't find my left sneaker, and my sister had used up all the hot water. I ran out the door with a granola bar in my hand and Bernie completely out of my head.

   I didn't remember him until Friday morning. When I lifted the lid, my stomach dropped. Bernie had sunk to the bottom of the jar. A thin layer of grayish liquid sat on top, and he smelled sharp, like nail polish remover.

   I was sure I had ruined eleven years of bread in one day.

   I sent Uncle Ray a photo, with about six apologies under it. My phone buzzed a minute later.

   "That liquid means he's hungry, not gone," he wrote. "Pour it off, feed him twice today, and keep him somewhere warm. Starters are tougher than they look. So are you."

   I did exactly what he said. By the afternoon, a few small bubbles had appeared. By Saturday, Bernie was climbing the jar again, as foamy and sour as ever.

   When Uncle Ray came home, he baked two round loaves with crackly golden crusts. He gave one to me.

   "I almost lost him," I admitted.

   "But you didn't," he said. "You noticed, you asked for help, and you fixed it. That's what taking care of something really means. It isn't never making a mistake. It's what you do next."

   I still think about that whenever I mess something up. And every few weeks, I stop by Uncle Ray's apartment just to say good morning to Bernie.

   1.

   Which sentence best states a theme of the story?

   1. AA rushed morning always leads to a bad day.
   2. BIt is better not to take care of living things.
   3. CBeing responsible means fixing your mistakes, not never making any.
   4. DPeople should never ask others for help.
2. 2.

   Which TWO details show that Ruby came to care about Bernie? Choose two answers.

   1. AShe said "good morning" to Bernie each day.
   2. BShe ate a granola bar on the way to school.
   3. CShe still stops by to say good morning to Bernie.
   4. DShe forgot to feed Bernie on Thursday.
   5. EShe could not find her left sneaker.
3. 3.

   In the story, what does the word "corrected" mean in "he corrected me"?

   1. Apunished me for a mistake
   2. Btold me the right information
   3. Cagreed with me
   4. Dgraded my test
4. 4.

   Why does Uncle Ray add "So are you" to his message?

   1. AHe wants Ruby to bake bread by Friday.
   2. BHe is joking that Ruby smells sour.
   3. CHe thinks Ruby should stop taking care of Bernie.
   4. DHe wants Ruby to know that one mistake will not stop her from doing a good job.

5. The Corps of Discovery

   In 1803, the United States bought a huge piece of land from France. It was called the Louisiana Purchase, and it stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Almost overnight, the size of the country doubled. But there was a problem: hardly anyone in the United States government knew much about the land they had just bought.

   President Thomas Jefferson wanted to change that. He asked Meriwether Lewis, his young assistant, to lead a team west. Lewis chose his friend William Clark to share command. Jefferson gave them a long list of jobs. They were to map the rivers, study the plants and animals, and meet the American Indian nations who lived there. Jefferson also hoped they would find a water route all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

   The team was called the Corps of Discovery. In May 1804, more than thirty men set out from near St. Louis, pushing and rowing heavy boats up the Missouri River against the current. On the Great Plains, they saw enormous herds of buffalo and animals that were new to them, such as prairie dogs.

   That fall, they reached the villages of the Mandan people, in what is now North Dakota. They built a fort and spent the winter there. There they met Sacagawea, a young Shoshone woman, and her husband, a French-Canadian trader. Both joined the expedition to help the explorers talk with the people they would meet. Sacagawea brought along her baby son.

   Sacagawea's help turned out to be very important. When the explorers reached the Rocky Mountains, they needed horses to cross. By chance, the leader of the Shoshone band they met was Sacagawea's brother. Because she could speak with the Shoshone, the team was able to trade for horses. Clark also noted that a woman with a baby showed other nations that the group came in peace.

   Crossing the mountains was cold and difficult, and the team nearly ran out of food. But in November 1805, they finally reached the Pacific coast. Clark wrote about their joy in his journal.

   The explorers never found a water route across the continent, because there was not one. Still, the journey was a success. They traveled about 8,000 miles, made maps that others would use for years, and described hundreds of plants and animals that scientists had never recorded.

   Time Line of the Journey
   May 1804: The Corps of Discovery leaves the St. Louis area.
   October 1804: The team reaches the Mandan villages.
   April 1805: The team heads west with Sacagawea.
   August 1805: The team meets the Shoshone and trades for horses.
   November 1805: The team reaches the Pacific coast.
   September 1806: The team returns to St. Louis.

   5.

   Why does the author explain that the Shoshone leader was Sacagawea's brother?

   1. ATo describe what the Shoshone traded away
   2. BTo show that Sacagawea wanted to go home
   3. CTo show one reason the team was able to get horses
   4. DTo explain where the Shoshone lived in winter
6. 6.

   Why does the author call the journey a success, even though the team did not find a water route?

   1. AThe team decided a water route was not needed.
   2. BThe team got home sooner than planned.
   3. CThe team bought more land for the country.
   4. DThe team still mapped the land and recorded many new plants and animals.
7. 7.

   Which sentence is a complex sentence?

   1. ADad washed the dishes and swept the floor.
   2. BWhen the bell rang, the students lined up.
   3. COur class planted beans in paper cups.
   4. DIt was cold, so I wore my mittens.
8. 8.

   Ethan's class is on a field trip to the history museum.

   Which line of dialogue best shows that Ethan is bored?

   1. A"Another glass case of old spoons? How many spoons does one museum need?" Ethan sighed, slouching against the wall.
   2. B"This tiny shoe belonged to a real kid two hundred years ago?" Ethan exclaimed, his eyebrows shooting up.
   3. C"The map says the dinosaur hall is upstairs, but these stairs only go down," Ethan said, turning the map sideways.
   4. D"Thank you for answering all my questions," Ethan told the tour guide with a smile.
9. 9.

   The museum has both dinosaur bones (1) ______ moon rocks.

   Which word or words best complete the sentence?

   (1)	Aand	Bor	Cnor	Dbut

10. 10.

    Which sentence uses commas correctly?

    1. AAva can, swim very well, can't she?
    2. BAva can swim very well can't she?
    3. CAva can swim very well, can't she?
    4. DAva can, swim very well can't she?