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3rd grade reading comprehension
3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 16 questions · Common Core: RI.3.1, RL.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.4.2 · England: Y3/4 Reading (retrieval), KS2 SATs Reading, Y3/4 Reading (main ideas)
Name
Date
Score/ 16
The Mapmaker's Apprentice
Ines had worked in Master Corvo's shop for three years, and in all that time he had never let her draw a single line on a real map. She ground his inks, stretched his parchment and swept up the shavings from his quills. When she asked why she could not draw, he only said, "A mapmaker must first learn to see."
So Ines watched. She watched sailors come in, sunburnt and impatient, to buy charts of the southern coast. She watched merchants argue over which mountain pass was fastest. Most of all, she watched Master Corvo, who spent far longer listening to travellers than he did holding his pen.
One winter morning, a fisherman stumbled into the shop, soaked and shaking. A storm had pushed his boat far north, past the edge of every chart in the city. He had found a narrow channel between two islands that no map showed, and it had saved his life.
Master Corvo was in bed with a fever. The fisherman was leaving on the evening tide.
Ines hesitated only for a moment. Then she sat the fisherman by the fire and asked him questions — not just where the channel was, but how the water changed colour near the rocks, where the gulls gathered, how long it took to row from one island to the other. She wrote down every answer. Only when she had heard everything did she pick up a pen.
When Master Corvo recovered, she laid the new chart in front of him. He studied it for a long time without speaking. Then he took his own pen, signed his name in the corner, and beneath it, for the first time, he wrote hers.
Question 1
Read "The Mapmaker's Apprentice". What jobs did Ines do in the shop for three years?
- A. She sold charts to merchants.
- B. She sailed with the fishermen.
- C. She drew maps of the coast.
- D. She prepared materials and cleaned up.
Question 2
Which sentence retells this in the THIRD person? I hid behind the sofa because I was scared.
- A. She hid behind the sofa because we were scared.
- B. Mia hid behind the sofa because I was scared.
- C. Mia hid behind the sofa because she was scared.
- D. I hid behind the sofa because she was scared.
Lady Montagu and the Smallpox Gamble
In the early eighteenth century, smallpox was one of the most feared diseases in Europe. It killed around three in every ten people it infected and left many survivors scarred or blind. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu knew its cruelty personally: the disease had killed her brother and marked her own face.
In 1717, while living in Constantinople (now Istanbul), where her husband was the British ambassador, she observed a remarkable practice. Local women would take a small amount of material from a mild smallpox sore and scratch it into the skin of a healthy person. The person usually developed a mild illness and was then protected for life. This process was called variolation.
Montagu was so impressed that she had her young son variolated. When she returned to England, she campaigned to spread the practice, despite fierce opposition. Some doctors resented being taught by a woman; others distrusted a practice from abroad. To win public confidence, Montagu had her daughter variolated in front of physicians from the royal court.
Variolation was not without risk: a small number of patients developed severe smallpox, and they could infect others. Decades later, in 1796, Edward Jenner developed a safer method using cowpox, a related but much milder disease. His method, called vaccination after the Latin word for cow, gradually replaced variolation.
Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980. Jenner is often called the father of vaccination, but the story began with the courage of a woman who noticed what others had overlooked.
Question 3
Read "Lady Montagu and the Smallpox Gamble". What were TWO reasons some people opposed Montagu?
- A. It used cowpox and caused scars.
- B. It was too expensive and too slow.
- C. She was a woman, and the practice came from abroad.
- D. Jenner disagreed and the king banned it.
From Egg to Frog
A frog starts life as a tiny egg in a pond. The eggs stick together in a soft, wobbly clump.
A small tadpole hatches from each egg. A tadpole has a long tail. It swims in the water and breathes with gills, just like a fish.
The tadpole eats and grows. Soon it grows back legs. Then it grows front legs. Its tail gets shorter and shorter.
At last, the tail is gone. Now it is a frog! The frog can hop on land and swim in the pond. It breathes air with its lungs. It catches flies with its long, sticky tongue.
One day, the frog may lay eggs of its own. Then the life cycle starts all over again.
Question 4
Read "From Egg to Frog". The text says the eggs are "wobbly". What does wobbly mean?
- A. shaky and not firm
- B. very loud
- C. hard and still
- D. very hot
A Helicopter on Mars
In February 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars. Tucked underneath it was a passenger: a tiny helicopter called Ingenuity. It weighed only about 1.8 kilograms, a little less than a big bag of flour.
Flying on Mars is much harder than flying on Earth. The air on Mars is extremely thin, about one hundredth as thick as the air we breathe. Helicopter blades push against the air to lift off, so with so little air, Ingenuity's blades had to spin very fast: about 2,400 times a minute.
On 19 April 2021, Ingenuity rose about three metres into the Martian sky, hovered for about forty seconds and landed again. It was the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. Engineers on Earth cheered, even though the radio signals took several minutes to reach them.
Ingenuity was only meant to make five test flights. Instead, it made 72. It scouted ahead for the rover, taking photos of rocks and slopes so that drivers on Earth could choose safe routes.
In January 2024, one of Ingenuity's blades was damaged during a landing, and the mission ended. The little helicopter still sits on Mars today, and engineers are already using what they learned to design bigger flying machines for future missions.
Question 5
Read "A Helicopter on Mars". Why did Ingenuity's blades have to spin so fast?
- A. Because the helicopter was heavy.
- B. Because the rover was chasing it.
- C. Because Mars is very hot.
- D. Because the air on Mars is very thin.
How to Build a Junk Robot
Do you have a pile of empty boxes and bottle tops? Instead of throwing them away, turn them into a robot! This project takes about an hour.
You will need: one cereal box, one smaller box (such as a toothpaste box), four cardboard tubes, bottle tops, glue, scissors and some tape.
Step 1: Ask an adult to help you cut a hole in the top of the cereal box. This will be the robot's body.
Step 2: Glue the smaller box on top of the body to make the head. Hold it in place for a minute while the glue sets.
Step 3: Tape two cardboard tubes to the sides of the body for arms and two to the bottom for legs.
Step 4: Glue bottle tops onto the head for eyes and onto the body for buttons and dials.
Step 5: Leave your robot to dry overnight before you play with it.
Top tip: Give your robot a name and write it on a label. Robots with names are much more fun!
Question 6
Read "How to Build a Junk Robot". What is the cereal box used for?
- A. the eyes
- B. the robot's body
- C. the robot's legs
- D. the robot's head
Where Does a Can Go?
You finish a fizzy drink and drop the empty can into the recycling bin. That is not the end of the can's story. It is the start of a new one.
First, a truck collects the recycling and takes it to a sorting centre. There, machines separate the materials. A giant magnet pulls out steel cans. Aluminium cans (aluminum in the US) are not magnetic, so a different machine pushes them aside.
Next, the aluminium cans are squashed into huge blocks and taken to a factory. The cans are shredded into small pieces, cleaned, and melted in a furnace. The hot liquid metal is poured into moulds and cooled into long bars.
Then the bars are rolled out into thin sheets, like dough under a rolling pin. The sheets are cut and shaped into brand-new cans, filled with drinks, and sent to the shops. A recycled can can be back on a shelf in about sixty days.
Recycling aluminium is a big help to our planet. Making a can from old cans uses about 95 percent less energy than making one from new metal dug out of the ground. Aluminium can be recycled again and again without getting worse, so the can in your hand might once have been part of hundreds of other cans.
Question 7
Read "Where Does a Can Go?". Why is a different machine needed for aluminium cans?
- A. Aluminium melts in the sun.
- B. Aluminium cans are too small.
- C. Aluminium is too heavy.
- D. Aluminium is not magnetic.
The Fennec Fox
The fennec fox is the smallest fox in the world. It weighs about as much as a bag of sugar. It lives in the Sahara Desert in North Africa, one of the hottest places on Earth.
The first thing most people notice about the fennec fox is its enormous ears. They can be as long as 15 centimetres, which is huge for such a small animal. The ears do two important jobs. First, they let heat escape from the fox's body, helping it to stay cool. Second, they are so sensitive that the fox can hear insects moving under the sand.
The fennec fox has other ways to survive in the desert, too. Thick fur on the bottoms of its feet protects it from the burning sand. During the hottest part of the day, it rests in a cool burrow underground. It comes out to hunt at night, when the air is cooler.
Water is hard to find in the desert, but the fennec fox can go a long time without drinking. It gets most of the water it needs from the food it eats, such as insects, plants and small animals.
Question 8
Read "The Fennec Fox". Where does the fennec fox live?
- A. a city park
- B. a rainforest
- C. the Sahara Desert
- D. the Arctic
Why Do Leaves Change in Autumn?
In many parts of the world, autumn turns forests into blazes of yellow, orange and red. But where do these bright shades come from? The answer is hidden inside every leaf.
During spring and summer, leaves are busy making food for the tree. To do this, they use sunlight, water and air. A green substance called chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight. There is so much chlorophyll in a leaf that it hides all the other shades.
As autumn arrives, the days grow shorter and there is less sunlight. Trees such as maples and oaks begin to get ready for winter. They stop making chlorophyll. As the green fades away, the yellows and oranges that were in the leaf all along begin to show.
Some trees, such as certain maples, also make a brand-new red substance in autumn. This is why some leaves turn bright red or purple.
Finally, the tree seals off each leaf where it joins the branch. The leaf dries out and falls. Without leaves, the tree uses less water during the cold winter months. In spring, new green leaves will grow, and the cycle will begin again.
Question 9
Read "Why Do Leaves Change in Autumn?". What is chlorophyll?
- A. the place where a leaf joins a branch
- B. a red substance made in autumn
- C. a kind of tree
- D. a green substance that captures energy from sunlight
Pepper's First Week: A Diary
Saturday. Today we collected Pepper from the rescue centre. She is a skinny brown dog with one floppy ear and one ear that stands straight up. In the car, she shook the whole way home, and I held her blanket so she could smell it. I felt nervous too.
Sunday. Pepper hid behind the sofa all day. Mum says rescue dogs sometimes need time to trust people because they do not know what is going to happen next. I lay on the floor and read my comic out loud so she could get used to my voice.
Tuesday. A breakthrough! When I got back from school, Pepper crept out and sniffed my shoes. Then she licked my hand. I stayed completely still, although I wanted to cheer.
Thursday. We went to the park on her lead. A bicycle rang its bell, and Pepper jumped behind my legs. I knelt down and talked to her calmly until her tail started wagging again.
Friday. Tonight Pepper fell asleep with her head on my foot. I didn't move for an hour, even though my foot went numb. I think she has decided she lives here now.
Question 10
Read "Pepper's First Week: A Diary". Where did the family get Pepper?
- A. from a rescue centre
- B. from a neighbour
- C. from a pet shop
- D. from the park
Why Do Leaves Change in Autumn?
In many parts of the world, autumn turns forests into blazes of yellow, orange and red. But where do these bright shades come from? The answer is hidden inside every leaf.
During spring and summer, leaves are busy making food for the tree. To do this, they use sunlight, water and air. A green substance called chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight. There is so much chlorophyll in a leaf that it hides all the other shades.
As autumn arrives, the days grow shorter and there is less sunlight. Trees such as maples and oaks begin to get ready for winter. They stop making chlorophyll. As the green fades away, the yellows and oranges that were in the leaf all along begin to show.
Some trees, such as certain maples, also make a brand-new red substance in autumn. This is why some leaves turn bright red or purple.
Finally, the tree seals off each leaf where it joins the branch. The leaf dries out and falls. Without leaves, the tree uses less water during the cold winter months. In spring, new green leaves will grow, and the cycle will begin again.
Question 11
Read "Why Do Leaves Change in Autumn?". Why do some leaves turn red?
- A. Insects paint them.
- B. Some trees make a new red substance in autumn.
- C. The leaves get sunburnt.
- D. Chlorophyll turns red when cold.
Question 12
Read "Why Do Leaves Change in Autumn?". Why can't we see yellow and orange in leaves during summer?
- A. The sun bleaches them.
- B. They are not made until autumn.
- C. The green chlorophyll hides them.
- D. Rain washes them away.
The Climbing Wall
The climbing wall at the leisure centre was twelve metres high, and from the bottom it looked like a mountain covered in brightly coloured sweets. Jaya had watched her older cousin, Ravi, scramble to the top of it a dozen times. Today was her first turn.
The instructor clipped the rope to her harness and checked the knot twice. "Remember," she said, "use your legs, not just your arms. And don't look down until you're ready."
The first few holds were easy. Jaya climbed quickly, buoyed by Ravi's cheers. But halfway up, the holds grew smaller and farther apart. Her arms began to burn. She looked down – and immediately wished she hadn't. The floor seemed impossibly far away, and her legs began to tremble.
"I want to come down," she called.
"You can," the instructor answered calmly. "Or you can rest. Lean back into the harness. The rope's got you."
Jaya didn't believe her. But slowly, she let her weight sink back. The rope held. Her breathing steadied. She looked at the wall in front of her, not at the floor, and noticed a small yellow hold to her right that she hadn't seen before.
Ten minutes later, she slapped the top of the wall. The leisure centre erupted in cheers – or at least Ravi did, which felt like the same thing.
Question 13
Read "The Climbing Wall". What advice does the instructor give at the start?
- A. Look down every few metres.
- B. Climb as fast as possible.
- C. Use your legs and don't look down until you're ready.
- D. Only use your arms.
The Long Wall
The Great Wall of China is not one wall at all. It is a network of walls, trenches and watchtowers built and rebuilt over more than two thousand years by different dynasties. If all its sections were laid end to end, they would stretch over 21,000 kilometres – more than half the distance around the Earth.
The earliest walls were built from packed earth around the seventh century BCE, when rival Chinese states defended their borders from one another. In about 220 BCE, the first emperor of a united China, Qin Shi Huang, ordered many of these separate walls to be joined together to protect the north from raiding groups.
The sections that most visitors see today are far younger. They were built during the Ming dynasty, between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. Ming builders used bricks and stone, which is why these sections have survived so well. Watchtowers were placed close enough together for soldiers to send signals using smoke by day and fire by night.
The wall came at a terrible cost. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, prisoners and farmers were forced to work on it, often in freezing mountains or burning deserts. Many died, and stories and songs about their suffering are still told.
Did the wall work? Historians disagree. It slowed down small raids and helped control trade and travel, but determined armies could still break through or simply go around it. Today, its greatest power may be as a symbol – of human effort, of history and of a nation's identity.
Question 14
Read "The Long Wall". Why have the Ming sections survived so well?
- A. They were rebuilt last year.
- B. They were built in the desert.
- C. They were built with bricks and stone.
- D. They are the oldest sections.
The Fennec Fox
The fennec fox is the smallest fox in the world. It weighs about as much as a bag of sugar. It lives in the Sahara Desert in North Africa, one of the hottest places on Earth.
The first thing most people notice about the fennec fox is its enormous ears. They can be as long as 15 centimetres, which is huge for such a small animal. The ears do two important jobs. First, they let heat escape from the fox's body, helping it to stay cool. Second, they are so sensitive that the fox can hear insects moving under the sand.
The fennec fox has other ways to survive in the desert, too. Thick fur on the bottoms of its feet protects it from the burning sand. During the hottest part of the day, it rests in a cool burrow underground. It comes out to hunt at night, when the air is cooler.
Water is hard to find in the desert, but the fennec fox can go a long time without drinking. It gets most of the water it needs from the food it eats, such as insects, plants and small animals.
Question 15
Read "The Fennec Fox". In paragraph 2, what does "sensitive" mean?
- A. very large
- B. able to notice very small things
- C. easily upset
- D. very soft
Question 16
The school fair raised $460. The money will buy new books for the library and a bench for the playground. What will the money buy?
- A. books and a bench
- B. computers
- C. football kits
- D. a new school bus
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