TAKS Practice Test 3

Fred the Fish 

    When Dan turned ten years old, he asked his parents for a fish.  His fifth grade classroom had a fish tank, and Dan loved to watch the graceful fish swim.  His parents knew that Dan had a passion for the fish from school because he had come home talking about them so much.  After discussing with Dan the importance of taking good care of a pet, they agreed.  Soon they would learn that Dan would need a little help caring for his fish.

    Dan's first fish was purchased at the pet store and brought home the day after his birthday.  They had bought all the proper fish  supplies and spread them out on the kitchen table.  Dan was delighted to be setting up his own aquarium.  He felt like an important and responsible grownup.  When his father started arranging the gravel and plants in the bowl, Dan became upset.  Unable to explain his feeling that he was old enough to handle setting up the tank, Dan began to dry.  When his father asked why he was crying and Dan pointed to the tank, his father figured out that Dan wanted to take care of the fish home as well as the fish.  So he let Dan pour the rest of the gravel into the bottom of the large glass bowl,  situate the plastic fish cave in the center, and fill the tank with water.  Using a tiny net, Dan scooped Fred, which was the name Dan gave the fish,  out of the plastic bag that he had traveled in from the pet store.  With a plop, Fred entered his new home.  Dan giggled with pleasure as he watched Fred zip around his spacious aquarium.  His birthday wish for a fish of his own had come true.

   Dan planned to take good care of Fred.  He asked his father to read the directions off the side of the food box.  This way he could be sure to give Fred the right amount of food to make sure he stayed healthy and strong.

                                HOW TO FEED A FISH

                Feed the fish two or three times daily.   Only feed the fish as much food as can be consumed in five minutes.

    The next day at school, Dan had noticed a fish in the classroom aquarium that sucked on the glass of the tank.  Ms. Smith told him it was an algae eater, which is a fish that cleans the tank by eating the algae that collects on the glass of the aquarium.  Dan came home from school worried that his fish did not have an algae eater to keep the aquarium clean.  He decided that eh would clean the algae for Fred until they could get and algae eater from the pet store.  In order to clean the inside of the bowl, Dan needed to empty the water from the aquarium, which meant that he must transfer Fred to another water source until the tank had been cleaned and refilled.

   Dan wanted Fred t be comfortable while he was away from his home, so he tried to find a place to put Fred that was most like his fish bowl aquarium.  After surveying the house, Dan scooped Fred out of the aquarium.  After surveying the house, Dan scooped Fred out of the aquarium with the fish net and dropped him in his temporary watery home, the toilet bowl.  Dan watched Fred swish about the toilet for a moment and then skipped back to the aquarium to begin cleaning the insides, hopeful that he would do the job as well as an algae eater.

Name:

Class:

1.  The word proper in paragraph two means.....

Choose: A.  Accurate or correct B.  Excessively decent or respectable C.  Real or geniune D.  Perfect or absolute

2. Read the directions for feeding a fish.  How many times a day should you feed the fish?

Choose: A.  One time B.  Two times C.  Three times D.  Five times

3.  What is the main idea of paragraph?

Choose: A.  Dan asks to borrow Ms. Barn's sucker fish. B.  Since Dan doesn't have a sucker fish, he cleans the tank himself C.  Dan refuses to clean Fred's tank. D.  Dan puts Fred in the bathtub while he cleans the tank.

4.Compare the fish tank and the toilet.

Choose A.  They are both made of blue glass B.  They are both square and contain gravel C.  They both have clear water and are glass D.  They are full of water and are round.

5.  Which would be Dan's opinion?

Choose: A.  His mother is grouchy. B.  He  knows how to set up an aquarium. C.  He doesn't know how to express his feelings. D.  His father does not think he is old enough to care for a fish.

 6.  According to the passage, the author feels.....

Choose: A.  Animals should not be allowed at school. B.  A safety net should be on all toilets. C.  No one should have a fish. D.  Children should be surpervised when caring for a pet.

7.  How does Dan's mother feel about Dan when he flushed Fred down the toilet?

Choose: A.  She is angry because Dan get not ask permission. B.  She is frightened that he will make a mistake. C.  She feels compasion for him because she does not want him to feel sad. D.  She thinks he is fun entertainment.

8. What conclusion can you draw, if you feed your fish too much food?

Choose: A.  The fish will over eat and die. B.  The plants will grow better. C.  The fish will just get fat. D.  The water will turn blue.

9.  The first thing Dan did after Fred fell in the toilet was....

Choose: A.  He dipped him up in a net. B.  He cleaned the aquarium. C.  Watched Fred swim in the toilet. D.  Poured Fred into the sink

10.  Write a two sentence summary of this passage.

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