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. Above the Tree Line

   Theo had been looking forward to this hike all summer. He and his grandmother, whom everyone called Nana Jo, had started up the trail at six in the morning. The air in the Colorado mountains was so cold that their breath made little clouds. Their goal was the top of Elk Peak, a rocky summit more than 13,000 feet high.

   For three hours, they climbed through pine forest. Then the trees grew shorter and more twisted, until finally they stopped growing at all. Theo and Nana Jo stepped out above the tree line, onto a wide slope of grass, wildflowers, and loose gray rock. The summit rose ahead of them like a giant's broken tooth.

   "Two more miles," said Nana Jo, checking her map. "Maybe an hour and a half."

   Theo grinned. He could already picture himself at the top, waving at the whole world.

   They climbed steadily as the path zigzagged back and forth across the slope. A marmot whistled at them from behind a boulder, and Theo whistled back. But as the morning wore on, Theo noticed Nana Jo looking over her shoulder more and more often.

   Behind them, to the west, a cloud was growing. It had started as a small white puff. Now it was tall and lumpy, with a flat gray bottom, and it was getting darker.

   Nana Jo stopped. "Theo," she said, "we need to talk about that cloud."

   "It's far away," Theo said. "We're so close."

   "In these mountains, storms often build in the afternoon," Nana Jo said. "Up here above the trees, we're the tallest things around. That's not where you want to be when there's lightning."

   Theo looked at the summit. It seemed close enough to touch. Then he looked back at the cloud. A low rumble rolled across the valley, so faint he almost thought he had imagined it.

   His chest felt tight. He had waited all summer for this. But he remembered something Nana Jo always said: "A good hiker makes plans. A wise hiker changes them."

   "Okay," he said slowly. "Let's go down."

   They hurried back along the zigzag path. By the time they reached the shelter of the trees, the first fat raindrops were splashing on the rocks behind them. Thunder boomed over the summit where they would have been standing. Theo and Nana Jo waited under the thick pines, eating trail mix and listening to the rain.

   An hour later, the storm had passed, and the sun came out over the wet meadow.

   "I'm proud of you," said Nana Jo. "Turning around is the hardest part of climbing."

   Theo looked up at Elk Peak, shining now in the afternoon light. "It'll still be there next summer," he said.

   "So will we," said Nana Jo, and she smiled.

   1.

   How does Theo feel when Nana Jo first says they need to talk about the cloud?

   1. AHe is glad to finally head home.
   2. BHe is angry that Nana Jo brought a map.
   3. CHe is afraid of the whistling marmot.
   4. DHe does not want to give up on reaching the top.
2. 2.

   The summit "rose ahead of them like a giant's broken tooth." What does this simile help the reader picture?

   1. AA white peak covered in snow
   2. BA tall, jagged, rocky peak
   3. CA peak shaped like a person
   4. DA smooth, round hill
3. 3.

   Why does Nana Jo say they should not stay above the tree line?

   1. AThe trail above the tree line closes in the afternoon.
   2. BThey would be the tallest things around if lightning struck.
   3. CThere is no water above the tree line.
   4. DHer map does not show the rest of the trail.
4. 4.

   Which TWO details from the story show that turning back was a wise choice? Choose two answers.

   1. AThe path zigzagged back and forth across the slope.
   2. BThunder boomed over the summit where they would have been standing.
   3. CThe first raindrops were falling as they reached the shelter of the trees.
   4. DNana Jo checked her map and said there were two more miles.
   5. EA marmot whistled at them from behind a boulder.

5. Sequoyah's Talking Leaves

   In the early 1800s, the Cherokee people lived in the southeastern part of what is now the United States. They had a rich language, with stories, songs, and history passed down by speaking. But there was no way to write the Cherokee language down.

   A Cherokee man named Sequoyah wanted to change that. Sequoyah was born around 1770 in what is now Tennessee. He worked as a silversmith, making jewelry and other objects from silver. He could not read or write English. But he had watched settlers send letters and read from books. Some Cherokee called these papers "talking leaves," because the marks on them seemed to carry voices from far away.

   Sequoyah believed his people could have talking leaves of their own. Around 1809, he began to work on a way to write Cherokee. At first, he tried making a different picture for every word. Soon he had drawn thousands of pictures, and he realized there would never be an end to them. There were simply too many words.

   So Sequoyah tried something new. He listened closely to the sounds that made up Cherokee words. He noticed that the language used a fairly small number of syllables, or sound parts, again and again. What if each syllable had its own symbol? Then a reader who knew all the symbols could sound out any word.

   The work took about twelve years. Some neighbors laughed at him, and some thought he was wasting his time. But Sequoyah kept going. By 1821, he had created a set of about 85 symbols, one for each syllable in the Cherokee language. This kind of writing system is called a syllabary.

   To prove that it worked, Sequoyah asked Cherokee leaders to test him and his young daughter, Ayoka. The leaders sent Sequoyah out of hearing, then spoke a message to Ayoka. She wrote it down using the symbols. When Sequoyah returned, he read the message aloud, word for word. The leaders were amazed.

   The syllabary spread quickly. Because each symbol stood for a sound people already knew, many Cherokee learned to read in just a few weeks. Within a few years, thousands of Cherokee could read and write in their own language. In 1828, the first Cherokee newspaper was printed, with articles in both English and Cherokee.

   Sequoyah is one of very few people in history to create a complete writing system all by himself. Today, Cherokee children and adults still use his syllabary to read, write, and keep their language alive.

   5.

   In the passage, what is a "syllabary"?

   1. Aa newspaper printed in two languages
   2. Ba book of Cherokee stories
   3. Ca set of jewelry made from silver
   4. Da writing system with one symbol for each syllable
6. 6.

   Which TWO details support the idea that the syllabary was easy for Cherokee people to learn? Choose two answers.

   1. AMany Cherokee learned to read in just a few weeks.
   2. BThe work took Sequoyah about twelve years.
   3. CWithin a few years, thousands of Cherokee could read and write.
   4. DAt first, he drew thousands of pictures.
   5. ESome neighbors thought he was wasting his time.
7. 7.

   Thirsty after the race, Imani drank the whole bottle of water in a few seconds.

   Which word could replace drank to make the sentence more exact?

   1. Agot
   2. Bhad
   3. Csipped
   4. Dgulped
8. 8.

   The pilot (1) ______ flew our plane waved to us at the gate.

   Which word best completes the sentence?

   (1)	Awhere	Bwhich	Cwho	Dwhose

9. 9.

   Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?

   1. AThe nurse said that Dr. kim would see me soon.
   2. Bthe nurse said that Dr. Kim would see me soon.
   3. CThe Nurse said that Dr. Kim would see me soon.
   4. DThe nurse said that Dr. Kim would see me soon.
10. 10.

    My shoes were muddy I left them on the porch.

    This is a run-on sentence. Which choice fixes it correctly?

    1. AMy shoes were muddy, I left them on the porch.
    2. BMy shoes were muddy I left them on the porch.
    3. CMy shoes were muddy, so I left them on the porch.
    4. DMy shoes were muddy so, I left them on the porch.