STAAR Grade 4 RLA — Practice Test 1

Reading Passage 1: "The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter"

Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow.

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter

Adelaide had lived on Salt Rock Island for as long as she could remember. The lighthouse where her father worked stood at the very edge of the rocky cliffs, and on stormy nights, its long beam cut through the dark like a sword. Adelaide loved the lighthouse. She loved the smell of salt in the air and the way the seabirds wheeled overhead in noisy circles.

One gray afternoon in October, her father came down from the lantern room with a worried look. "The wind is shifting," he told her. "There's a storm coming, and it's a big one."

By suppertime, the rain was lashing against the windows in heavy gray sheets. The wind shrieked and made the old wooden walls of the cottage tremble. Adelaide sat by the fire and tried to read, but she could not stop listening for trouble.

Just past nine o'clock, the lighthouse light flickered — and went out.

Her father grabbed his coat. "The bulb has burned through," he said quickly. "I have to climb up and replace it. Stay here." He pulled open the heavy door and disappeared into the wild night.

Adelaide pressed her face against the cold glass of the window. Out on the black water, she thought she saw a faint light bobbing — a ship! It was moving closer to the rocks. Without the lighthouse beam, the captain would never see the danger in time.

Adelaide's heart pounded. She remembered what her father had taught her about the great brass bell at the top of the cliffs, the bell sailors had used long ago, before lighthouses existed. The bell still worked. Maybe it could warn the ship.

She pulled on her boots and her thick wool coat. The wind tried to push her back as she stepped outside, but she leaned into it and ran. Rain stung her cheeks. Her hands were already numb when she reached the bell tower. She grabbed the rope with both hands and pulled with all her weight.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

The deep, brassy sound rang out across the water — louder, somehow, than the storm itself. Adelaide kept pulling, her arms burning. She did not stop, even when she heard her father shout her name from the lighthouse far behind her.

When the sun rose the next morning, the storm had passed. A small fishing boat lay safely anchored in the cove. Its captain hugged Adelaide tight. "We heard the bell," he said, his voice shaking. "We turned in time."

Adelaide just smiled and looked up at the lighthouse — and at her father, who was smiling, too.

1. Which sentence BEST summarizes the passage?

2. Which word BEST describes Adelaide?

3. Read this sentence from the passage: "The wind shrieked and made the old wooden walls of the cottage tremble." The word shrieked means —

4. Why does Adelaide run to the bell tower?

5. What is the MOST LIKELY theme of this passage?

6. The author writes that the lighthouse beam "cut through the dark like a sword." This is an example of —

7. Why does the author MOST LIKELY include the detail that Adelaide's hands were "already numb" when she reached the bell tower?

8. Based on the passage, how does Adelaide's father MOST LIKELY feel at the end?

9. Which event happens LAST in the passage?

Reading Passage 2: "How Sea Turtles Find Their Way"

Read the informational passage. Then answer the questions that follow.

How Sea Turtles Find Their Way

Sea turtles are some of the greatest travelers in the animal kingdom. Some species swim thousands of miles across open ocean — and then return, years later, to the very same beach where they were born. For a long time, scientists could not figure out how they did it. The ocean has no roads, no signs, and no landmarks for an animal to follow. So how does a turtle find its way home?

Recent research suggests that sea turtles can sense Earth's magnetic field. The Earth itself acts a little like a giant magnet, with invisible magnetic lines that run from one pole to the other. These lines have different strengths and angles in different parts of the world. Scientists believe sea turtles can read these tiny magnetic differences almost like a built-in map.

This ability shows up very early. When a baby loggerhead turtle hatches and scrambles into the ocean for the first time, it must immediately swim out into deep water without getting lost. Researchers in Florida tested baby turtles in tanks. They used special equipment to copy the magnetic field of different parts of the Atlantic Ocean. The babies turned and swam in the direction that would be safest in the real world. They had never been in the ocean before — but they already "knew" which way to go.

As turtles grow, they may also use other clues. Some scientists think turtles pay attention to the position of the sun, ocean currents, and even the smell of certain places along the coast. Together with their magnetic sense, these clues help an adult turtle find the same beach where she once hatched, sometimes after thirty years away.

Sadly, modern life can confuse this incredible system. Bright city lights along beaches can make hatchlings crawl in the wrong direction. Pollution and noise from boats may interfere with their senses. Many groups of scientists and volunteers now work to protect dark, quiet beaches so that future generations of sea turtles can still find their way home.

How Sea Turtles Navigate
Clue	How it helps
Magnetic field	Acts like a built-in map of Earth
Sun position	Helps tell direction during the day
Ocean currents	Carry turtles toward known regions
Smells along the coast	Help locate a familiar beach

10. What is the central idea of this passage?

11. According to the passage, what helps sea turtles sense direction in the ocean?

12. Read this sentence: "The babies turned and swam in the direction that would be safest in the real world." In paragraph 3, the word scrambles means —

13. Look at the table titled "How Sea Turtles Navigate." Which clue helps a turtle locate a familiar beach?

14. Why does the author MOST LIKELY describe the experiment with baby turtles in tanks?

15. Why does the author write that bright city lights can make hatchlings crawl in the wrong direction?

16. What is the author's PURPOSE in writing this passage?

17. Based on the passage, why is it amazing that adult turtles return to their birth beach?

18. Which sentence from the passage BEST supports the idea that turtle navigation begins very early in life?

Vocabulary

Choose the best answer.

19. Read the sentence: "The hikers had to retrace their steps after they took a wrong turn on the trail." The prefix re- in retrace means —

20. Read the sentence: "Diego found the directions confusing, so he asked his teacher for help." The word confusing means —

21. The Latin root port means "to carry." Based on this root, what does the word portable MOST LIKELY mean?

22. Read the sentence: "The wolf was cautious as it crept toward the unfamiliar forest." Which word means almost the SAME as cautious?

23. Read the sentence: "Rosa misplaced her library book and could not return it on time." The prefix mis- in misplaced means —

24. Read the sentence: "After climbing the steep mountain, Carlos felt completely exhausted." What does exhausted mean?

Conventions

Choose the best answer.

25. Read this sentence: "Each of the students bring their own pencil to class." Which is the BEST way to revise the underlined sentence?

26. Read this sentence: "Yesterday, Mia and her brother walks to the park." Which is the BEST way to revise the underlined sentence?

27. Which sentence uses quotation marks CORRECTLY?

28. Read this sentence: "The trail was muddy but, the hikers kept walking." Which is the BEST way to revise the underlined sentence?

29. Read this sentence: "Dr. lopez gave a speech at the museum on saturday." Which is the BEST way to revise the underlined sentence?

30. Read this sentence: "The puppy chased it's tail in circles around the yard." Which is the BEST way to revise the underlined sentence?

Composition & Inquiry

Choose the best answer or type the correct word.

31. Read these two sentences: "The wind was cold. The wind made the leaves swirl." Which sentence BEST combines them?

32. Read this sentence: "The cake was good and we ate every piece." Which word would BEST replace good to make the sentence more vivid?

33. Read this paragraph:
(1) Bears in the wild eat many different things. (2) They love berries and honey. (3) ____ they also eat fish and small animals. Which transition word BEST fits in the blank in sentence 3?

34. Read this sentence: "The students walked into the cafeteria." Which revision adds the BEST sensory detail?

35. Lila is writing a research report on the planets of the solar system. Which is the MOST reliable source for accurate, up-to-date facts?

36. Marcus is researching how thunderstorms form. He wants to use information from a science magazine without copying it word for word. What should Marcus do?

37. Read this sentence: "My sister and me went to the museum yesterday." Type the correct pronoun that should replace me.

38. Read this sentence: "The dog barked loudly the mail carrier dropped the package." Which is the BEST revision?