STAAR Reading Grade 8 2015 - Past Paper
Quiz by Texas Education Agency
Grade 8
ELAR (2009)
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Feel free to use or edit a copy
includes Teacher and Student dashboards
Measures 15 skills from
Measures 15 skills from
Track each student's skills and progress in your Mastery dashboards
With a free account, teachers can
- edit the questions
- save a copy for later
- start a class game
- automatically assign follow-up activities based on students’ scores
- assign as homework
- share a link with colleagues
- print as a bubble sheet
52 questions
Show answers
- Q1By using the first-person point of view, the author is able to show —the enthusiasm the narrator feels while working on the projectwhat the narrator’s classmates think about the outcome of the projecthow the father feels about hiring someone to help with the narrator’s projectthe father’s concerns about how the project will be accomplished60s8.6.C: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Fiction
- Q2Read the following dictionary entry. Which definition most closely matches the meaning of surveyed as it is used in paragraph 2?Definition 4Definition 2Definition 3Definition 160s8.2.E: Reading - Vocabulary Development
- Q3In paragraphs 7 through 10, why is the father’s response to the narrator’s plan important to the excerpt?It gives the narrator a chance to explain his reasons for selecting the project.It provides the narrator with the support he needs in order to begin the project.It shows how pleased the father is with the narrator’s decision.It allows the father to give advice to the narrator about how to clear the land.60s8.6.A: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Fiction
- Q4Read this sentence from paragraph 2. The author uses imagery in this sentence most likely to show how —the narrator is surprised by his father’s ability to repair equipment on the farmlarge Little Baldy seemed to the narrator before he began the projectproud the narrator thinks his father will be with the outcome of the projectthe narrator was inspired to plant corn on Little Baldy in a specific pattern60s8.8: - Comprehension of Literary Text - Sensory Language
- Q5Paragraphs 11 through 15 support the primary theme of the excerpt by emphasizing the narrator’s —diligencemodestysatisfactionsincerity60s8.6.B: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Fiction
- Q6The narrator describes his mule ride to school in a way that shows his —gratitude for having transportationjealousy of his classmatesfondness for using his imaginationappreciation for where he lives60s8.6.A: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Fiction
- Q7Which sentence best illustrates the narrator’s commitment to his project?We burned the brush and I was ready to start plowing.I could not see an object ten feet in front of me in this mist.Next morning Little Baldy was a dark hill jutting high into February’s cold, windy sky.Then, with a hand planter, I planted the corn on moonlit nights.60s8.6.A: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Fiction
- Q8The simile in paragraph 1 helps the reader understand why the narrator —rides over the land quickly on his way to schoolnotices the part of the landscape he will use for his projecttakes a specific path to school in the morningwants to think of a project that will be useful to his family60s8.8: - Comprehension of Literary Text - Sensory Language
- Q9When the narrator explains how he completed his project, his classmates’ response shows that they —believe that the professor thinks the project is excellenthave changed the way they perceive the narratorrealize how much the outcome of the project means to the narratorwant to participate in a similar project on another piece of land60s8.6.A: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Fiction
- Q10The father’s work schedule contributes to the development of the plot because it —prevents the father from having enough time to finish his part of the projectcauses concern about the cost of paying someone to help the narratorcreates tension when the narrator realizes he has to complete the project without his fatherallows the narrator to complete his project in secret60s8.6.A: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Fiction
- Q11The author includes the information about President Kennedy’s idea and NASA to show that —governments typically support the development of new technologysomething seemingly impossible can become a realitygreat leaders have a remarkable ability to accomplish their goalstechnological advancements are needed in order to change our world60s8.9: Reading - Comprehension of Informational Text - Culture and History
- Q12What is the best summary of the selection?President John F. Kennedy believed that it was important for people to travel into space. In 1969, the United States sent astronauts on a mission to the moon. Science fiction writers such as Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Ray Bradbury have described space travel and new technologies in their books.In 1969, the United States sent three astronauts on a mission to the moon for the first time. More than 100 years earlier, Jules Verne had described an expedition that very closely resembled the 1969 mission. Verne and other well-known science fiction writers, such as H. G. Wells and Ray Bradbury, have displayed an unusual ability to predict the future in their writings.In 1865 science fiction author Jules Verne wrote about an expedition to the moon. He described a crew of three men launching their spacecraft from Florida and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean when they returned to Earth. Some people compare his writing with the first trip humans made to the moon, which occurred in 1969.Science fiction writers Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Ray Bradbury wrote about life in the future. Verne wrote about humankind’s first trip to the moon, and Wells described many technologies that exist today. Bradbury wrote about traveling to Mars.60s8.10.A: Reading - Comprehension of Informational Text - Expository Text
- Q13According to the selection, one reason that humans develop new types of technology is that they want to —make accurate predictions about the futuredemonstrate that distant places are interesting to visitengage in difficult tasksdiscover new information60s8.10.A: Reading - Comprehension of Informational Text - Expository Text
- Q14Based on the information the author includes about the three science fiction writers, the reader can conclude that the author believes that the writers were —scholarseducatorsvisionariesrealists60s8.10.D: Reading - Comprehension of Informational Text - Expository Text
- Q15Read lines 11 and 12 from the poem. Why does the poet compare space travelers to the early settlers of America?To suggest that explorers will overcome the difficulties in space just as explorers in the past overcame their difficultiesTo highlight the difficulties that the early settlers encountered when venturing into new placesTo imply that the obstacles the early settlers faced discouraged them from exploring new landsTo demonstrate that explorers will encounter the same challenges in space as explorers in the past did in other frontiers60s8.4: Reading - Comprehension of Literary Text - Poetry
