Local ssessment Item ank Reading Grade 6 Informational Text ssessment 5 Student Name: ate: This assessment is designed to provide information about reading comprehension skills. It contains a reading passage with multiple choice, short answer, and constructed response items. Read the passage and then mark the bubble with the correct answer on the multiple choice items. Write responses to the short answer and constructed response items in the box provided. Refer back to the passage as necessary. You may mark up the passage in any way that is helpful in answering the items.
Read this passage about roller coasters. Then answer the questions that follow. Riding Roller oasters: Is It a Job For You? kiko Ono The yclone, Kumba, Superman, Space Mountain, the SooperooperLooper, the Great merican Scream Machine, the orkscrew What do these names have in common? They re all roller coasters at merican amusement parks. Roller coasters are the most popular rides at most amusement parks. These days, each new coaster built has to be bigger, faster, more exciting, and scarier than the last. ut how do riders know the coasters are safe? What do parks do to test their coasters before we excitedly jump into a car, fasten our belts, and take that ride? In fact, amusement parks hire people to test their roller coasters in a number of ways. Getting paid to test a roller coater could be an interesting job. Some of merica's est oasters Roller oaster musement Park Speed Height rop Kingda Ka Six Flags Great 128 mph 456 ft 418 ft dventure, NJ Superman the Six Flags Magic 100 mph 415 ft 328 ft Escape Mountain, Intimidator 305 Kings ominion, 90 mph 305 ft 300 ft V iamondback Kings Island, TX 80 mph 230 ft 215 ft 4 5 Parks are very careful about testing their coasters. They have to make sure that the coaster does not go too fast and that the loops and turns are not too tight. They also have to make sure that riders will not get sick or hurt. They use computer models to make sure the design is safe. The models show, for example, that the coaster won t fly off the track or send riders shooting into midair. They test the coaster with water dummies of different sizes that represent real riders. Then they study the effects of the coaster ride on the dummies. They use crash test dummies, like carmakers do, to measure the stress the coaster puts on human bodies. Finally, they run the ride over and over with real test riders. What a great job that sounds like riding roller coasters all day! ctually, it s probably not as fun as it sounds. Think about it. Your body is jolted around, your stomach drops, and the turns and loops make you dizzy all day long. Some parks hire volunteers to come and ride all day. One such rider, when interviewed, said, When I was asked if I wanted to be a test rider, I jumped at the chance. nd the first six or seven times were great! ut by the thirtieth time, I was so ready to get off that ride. I felt sick and had a headache. nd frankly the ride was boring by then. Informational Text ssessment 5 1
Parks also hire full-time testers. These people ride new roller coasters many times before the coasters open. One test rider says, y the way, it s not a good idea to eat a big meal just before you test coasters. No kidding! The same tester remembers how once when a new coaster opened, he rode it 23 times in a row. The rest of his day wasn t so great. Testers learn each coaster well. They can hear any little new sound or feel any new bump or jolt the coaster makes. Several times a week after the park opens, they ride each coaster checking for anything that seems different or that concerns them. If they notice anything, however small, they let people who repair the coaster know. The staff then goes over the coaster to make sure there is nothing wrong with it. Full-time testers seem to love their jobs, even if there is the occasional day of feeling sick. They never get over the rush that comes when they turn upside down, drop 80 feet, and twist through turns. For these thrill-seekers, coasters never get boring. For the rest of us, the testers are the last step in making sure our rides are safe as well as fun and exciting. 1 ccording to the chart, which roller coaster has a 300-foot drop? 2 Roller coasters are tested to make sure they Kingda Ka Superman the Escape Intimidator 305 iamondback are fun but not scary. are exciting without being dangerous. don t go too fast or turn too tight. scare riders but do not terrify them. 2 Informational Text ssessment 5
3 How are dummies used in testing roller coasters? They are put on the tracks to see if they ll make the cars come off the rails. They are put in the cars to make people think the rides are safe. They are strapped into the cars to replace people in the tests. If they fall apart after only a few rides, the coaster is declared unsafe. 4 In what way is this passage different from an advertisement for a roller coaster? It provides information on how roller coasters are tested. It makes you think about how it feels to ride a roller coaster. It has a picture of an amusement park/roller coaster. It includes quotes from people who ride coasters. 6 In paragraph 4, the word represent means stay behind. help with. show clearly. take the place of. 7 ctually, it s probably not as fun as it sounds. Which sentence uses the word sounds the same way as in the box? The vowels in bird and learn have the same sounds. aptain Warren usually sounds the water with a weighted string. We sat by the lake and listened to all the night sounds. Jackie said that our plan sounds fine to her. 8 What is the best way to sum up paragraph 5? 5 Which subhead would fit best before paragraph 4? Ways That Parks Test Roller oasters How to Ride ll ay for Free The est oasters in merica omputers Help esign Your Ride Riding roller coasters all day is fun. Riding a roller coaster thirty times makes you sick. Testing roller coasters all day has its drawbacks. oaster testing can be very boring. Informational Text ssessment 5 3
9 tester who eats a lot just before riding a coaster is most likely to 11 The words boring, safe, and exciting are all what part of speech? get a headache. noun get sick. verb feel tired. adjective get dizzy. adverb 10 This passage is most like a magazine article. realistic fiction. textbook chapter. manual of instructions. 12 What happens to the testers after the roller coaster rides are designed and the amusement park opens? The tester s job is over. tester repairs cars for auto makers. Testers ride occasionally to check for wear and tear. Testers have to ride the coaster even more often. 13 Why are dummy riders used before human testers? Explain. 4 Informational Text ssessment 5
14 Use the chart below to compare the good and bad things about being a roller coaster test rider. Good things ad things 15 oes the author, kiko Ono, show a bias for or against working as a roller coaster tester? Support your answer with details from the passage. Informational Text ssessment 5 5