Assessment/Accountability
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Grade 4

IV. English Language Arts Sample Assessment Materials

February 1998

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Sample Assessment Materials

Language and Literature Component

Directions:

Read the article and the poem to learn some interesting things about mosquitoes.
Then answer the questions that follow.

Reading Passages:

The Deadliest Fang

by Elaine Marie Alphin

Did you know that when you swat a mosquito, you're braver than a jungle explorer facing a hungry tiger? In the last 200 million years, the mosquito has killed more animals and people than any single species or weapon. The mosquito looks tiny and defenseless--a quarter million mosquitoes gathered together would weigh less than one pound. Yet the mosquito kills at least one million people worldwide every year.

Scientists have found fossilized mosquitoes dating back to the early Tertiary Period of geologic history, long before the appearance of humans. Today, we share the world with nearly 3,000 species of mosquitoes. Most live in the tropics, but species thrive in all parts of the globe, even by the icy polar seas. That means the mosquito is after you wherever you live.

But it's nothing personal. The mosquito doesn't realize how deadly her bite can be. She comes to you for life, not death. Yes--"she" is a deliberate pronoun. Male mosquitoes drink only flower nectar and other plant juices; it's the female who drinks your blood in order to produce offspring.

. . . When a mosquito bites an animal or a person who is diseased, she sucks up the disease-causing organisms along with the blood. Then the next time she bites someone, she can pass along the disease in her saliva. Fortunately, most of the mosquitoes you swat in your backyard cause nothing worse than the itchy welt. But in other parts of the world mosquitoes spread such diseases as malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness, and encephalitis.

Because many mosquitoes live in the tropics, malaria is one of the most common diseases they carry. In the 1950s the disease was so widespread in tropical areas that mosquito-carried malaria could kill a person every ten seconds during the hot summer months.

Fortunately, there are natural predators in the warm, still waters where mosquitoes breed. Many eggs and larvae are eaten by fish, especially minnows, and by tadpoles and insects. Birds, bats, lizards, and dragonflies feast on adults. This means that many mosquitoes only live for a few days.

Mosquitoes are hard to discourage, but scientists keep searching for ways to control them. Chemical spraying works to some extent, but it can damage the environment and other insect populations. Scientists are experimenting with sterilization, but this doesn't help with the pests breeding in your backyard right now.

. . . The only proven repellent is a strong smell of garlic, which unfortunately repels other people, too. Perhaps its success against this lethal bloodsucker contributed to the belief that garlic protects against imaginary vampires. Next time you brave the real world's deadliest fangs, maybe you should go armed with a pungent snack of garlic bread. It might keep the mosquitoes from snacking on you.

Reprinted with permission of author Elaine Marie Alphin © 1996.

Sample Assessment Materials

The Leech and the Mosquito

by Heidi Porter

As Leech was lounging in the mud,
A leg walked by, soft pink with blood.
So, rousing, with a little yawn
He latched himself discreetly on.

"Excuse me. . ." said Mosquito, "Do
you think there might be room for two?"

"Of course," Leech said, "I would adore
Your company! There's plenty more."

"How kind of you, and what good luck."
She jabbed her stylets in to suck.
"It's sweet,"
(Her voice was tinged with woe),
"However, I dislike type-O."

"Well, generally, I like type-A,
But this blood has a good bouquet.
The reds are rich. . .
What winsome whites!
And aren't these lovely lymphocytes?"

But then, they heard a piercing screech!
"Good gracious, Greta, you've a leech!"
A hand swooped down and made a
SPLAT!

It was quiet after that.

Reprinted with permission of author Heidi Porter © 1996.

Sample Assessment Materials

Multiple-choice Questions:

Questions 1 through 6 are based on "The Deadliest Fang."

1. What is the MOST LIKELY reason that the author called this passage "The Deadliest Fang"?

*A. Mosquitoes cause the deaths of large numbers of people each year.

B. Mosquitoes can draw blood when they bite.

C. A mosquito's bite itches for a long time.

D. A mosquito is a predator.

2. Most mosquitoes live

A. in the mountains.

B. in the deserts.

C. by the polar seas.

*D. in the tropics.

3. In paragraph 3, the author writes "'she' is a deliberate pronoun" to point out that

A. mosquitoes like to bite females more than males.

*B. only female mosquitoes bite.

C. female mosquitoes mate before they bite.

D. male mosquitoes cannot fly.

4. Mosquitoes need blood so they

A. can fly.

B. can live.

*C. can produce offspring.

D. taste bad to hungry insects and birds.

5. The MAIN idea of the last two paragraphs is

A. about the use of chemical sprays.

B. how mosquito bites affect you.

C. where the idea of a vampire comes from.

*D. how to control and repel mosquitoes.

6. In paragraph 8, the word pungent in "a pungent snack of garlic bread" means

A. long-lasting.

*B. strong-smelling.

C. delicious.

D. fresh.

Questions 7 through 9 are based on "The Leech and the Mosquito."

7. In "The Leech and the Mosquito," the leech and the mosquito can best be described as

A. careful.

B. shy.

C. afraid.

*D. polite.

8. In the poem, what is the major rhyming pattern?

*A. pairs of lines

B. every other line

C. every line

D. every other stanza

9. The word SPLAT! shows that the

A. mosquito and leech jumped quickly to the hand.

*B. mosquito and leech were slapped.

C. mosquito and leech fell onto the ground.

D. blood on the leg got smeared.

Open-response Question:

10. How are "The Deadliest Fang" and "The Leech and the Mosquito" alike? How are they different?

Sample Assessment Materials

Composition Component -- Short Session

Writing Prompt:

• Read the sentence in the box above.
• Jot down any notes, ideas, or organizers, such as webs, that would help you write your response. Use the area below labeled "Notes."
• Write your response in the space provided. You may wish to refer to the directions provided before the Reading Passage as you write.

You will not have time to revise your writing. Your response should be a few paragraphs long. When you are finished, you may check your work and make corrections.

Notes:

Sample Assessment Materials

Composition Component -- Long Session

Student Directions:

You may use a dictionary during Sessions 1 and 2.

Session 1: This session will be approximately 45 minutes long. During this session, you should

• plan what you are going to write (take notes, or make an outline or web), and
• write a first draft on the paper provided by your teacher.

If you have not finished your rough draft by the end of Session 1, you should be close to finishing. Most of your time during Session 2 should be spent revising your draft and producing your final composition.

Session 2: You will have another 45 minutes for this session. During this time, make revisions that improve your composition, and write your final composition on the pages that follow in this test booklet. When you revise your draft, keep in mind the things the scorer will be looking for in your composition (see below).

Scoring Guidelines

Your composition will be given two scores. The first score will be for your ideas and how well you develop them. The second score will be for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. As you revise your draft, keep in mind the following questions:

• Did I write about the TOPIC?
• Did I STAY ON THE TOPIC that I was told to write about?
• Did I use DETAILS in my writing?
• Did I give EXAMPLES or IDEAS for my details?
• Did I ORGANIZE my writing?
• Did I write so that my ideas are CLEAR to other people?
• Did I CHOOSE WORDS CAREFULLY to express what I want to say?
• Did I use COMPLETE SENTENCES?
• Did I use CORRECT SPELLING, GRAMMAR, CAPITALIZATION, and PUNCTUATION?

Sample Assessment Materials

Writing Prompt:

Write the FIRST draft of your composition on the paper provided by your teacher. You have the remainder of Session 1 to complete your draft. You may wish to refer to the directions for Sessions 1 and 2 and the Scoring Guidelines as you write.

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