Grade 5, 6, 7 and 8 STAAR Reading Test Questions Online

This is a Beta Grade 4, 5, 6, 7 annd 8 Texas STAAR Reading Test ! Advanced STAAR Reading Test practice!

 

GRADE 5, 6, 7, and 8 STAAR TEST READING PASSAGES

GRADE 5, 6, 7, and 8 STAAR TEST READING PASSAGES with TEST QUESTIONS

STAAR READING TEST PASSAGES EXPOSITORY: DRAWING CONCLUSION, INFERENCE, INFERRING AN AUTHOR'S PURPOSE 

The STAAR reading passages are written with a concentration of tier 2 and tier 3 key academic testing vocabulary! STAAR Literary Nonfiction reading test passages help students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme, authors purpose/ point of view, and genre. These are teacher made STAAR reading tests and they are beta versions.

 Advanced STAAR reading students can identify text genres, word meanings, and idiomatic expressions; support multiple generalizations from details, determine cause/effect relationships; interpret literary allusions; infer by visualizing actions; synthesize figurative language to make connections/draw conclusions; evaluate/make inferences to determine author’s background, purpose, tone, theme, and style in complex literature; analyze sophisticated stylistic techniques with examples; draw conclusions from multiple sources; and locate information from a variety of media, determining relevance for a specific purpose.  

HOT Academic Vocabulary | Discussion Ideas  environment, equate, equivalent, establish, evaluate, and evident, compare, bias, contrast, opinion, fact, cause, effect

Renewable Resources, Wind Solar and Hydroelectric:

FACTS & STATISTICS

Renewable or green energy resources are a sustainable solution for the world's future energy needs. Greenhouse gases could be a factor in rising global temperatures and a reduction or secession is warranted. How can we be certain that human-released greenhouse gases are causing global warming? Politicians and a few scientist have debated against the rising tide of evidence that greenhouse gases are the cause of global warming. The facts are, we have polluted the atmosphere; the question is what is the consequence?  Ever since the inception of the industrial revolution and the consequent rise in the use of nonrenewable fossil fuels like oil and coal, most climate scientists believe this is a possible precursor to a drastic change in climate. A possible lack of adroit awareness concerning the importance of switching to renewable green resources is the prime reason behind its lack of urgency to implement sustainable solutions. However, the uses of the alternate sources of energy are on the rise, and a few interesting facts and statistics can help in providing a better insight into what its true potentials are.

1. Wind energy is one of the most abundant forms of energy on the planet, and a single wind turbine is capable of producing enough electricity to run around 300 homes on average. Windmills have been around for more than two millennia, and they were used by ancient civilizations for myriad uses from drawing water to crushing grains.
2. However, the modern wind turbine to generate electricity was first installed by Siemens more than three decades back, and it produced just 30 kilowatts of power. The latest wind turbine from the same company produces 6 megawatts, which is 25,000 more than the earlier amount, and is enough to light up more than 6,000 homes. Wind is a result of the uneven heating caused by the solar radiation of the earth’s surface.
3. The earth absorbs only a small portion of the incident solar radiation, while reflecting everything else back. However, only 0.30% of the earth’s surface would be needed for setting up solar panels that could provide enough electricity to meet the energy needs for every human on earth.
4. Pound for pound, advanced silicon-based solar panels are capable of producing the same amount of electricity as the nuclear rods. However, since every part of the solar panels is recyclable, they have a negligible impact of the environment. On the other hand, nuclear power generation has the associated issue of hazardous radioactive waste products.
5. Earth receives more solar energy per hour than all humans can use in an entire year. In fact, solar panels and wind turbines provide more than 100 times better energy yields compared to the non-renewal energy resources.
6. The manufacturing of solar cells is much less taxing on the environment compared to manufacturing of conventional energy technologies because it emits 90% less pollutants. Moreover, solar energy can also serve as a considerable source of employment generation. This is because for every 10 megawatts of solar energy generated annually anywhere on the planet, anywhere between 200 to 400 individuals receives employment in the various sectors of solar energy industry such as research, development, manufacturing, and installation.
7. While larger countries such as USA, China, and India are the leading producers of pollutants and greenhouse gasses such as CO₂, smaller countries have at taken the lead and are at the forefront of utilizing non-renewable energy resources. Thus, Iceland receives its entire energy supply from geothermal energy sources, while Paraguay receives 90% of its energy requirements from the Itaipu Dam.
8. Hydroelectric power generation has been one of the oldest forms of harnessing of renewable energy resources by humans. Its cost of generation per unit is among the lowest, while it also helps in cutting down carbon emission. Dams built for hydroelectric electricity generation also has a number of additional uses such as irrigation, navigation, and shipping.
9. The share of hydroelectric power’s contribution to world energy requirements stands at around 20%, and it has remained steady at this level for quite some time. Several factors discouraging its widespread utilization are the mammoth initial investment and adverse impacts on the local population by causing dislocation and flooding.

DOK Level 2 and 3 Reading Comprehension Questions 

1. What conclusions can you draw from the article

a. Global warming is debated as a political hoax

b. Renewable resources are not coast effective

c. Solar power is inefficient and only works in full sun

d. Green energy is possible solution to the increased levels of greenhouse gasses such as CO₂

2. What facts would you select to support the theory that renewable energy is a sustainable choice? 

a. Paraguay receives 90% of its energy requirements from the Itaipu Dam.

b. Pound for pound, advanced silicon-based solar panels are capable of producing the same amount of electricity as the nuclear rod. 

c. Nuclear power generation has the associated issue of hazardous radioactive waste products.

d. Hydroelectric power generation has been one of the oldest forms of harnessing of renewable energy resources by humans. 

3. What examples are used to ague that Climate changes is caused by the burning of fossil fuels? 

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 STAAR TEST READING PASSAGES Questions

1. According to the author, what role can renewable energy resources play in saving the earth’s environment?

1. Renewable energy resources can help in cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions
2. Renewable energy resources are limited in amount and will end before causing any harm to the atmosphere
3. Renewable energy resources do not require any investment for developing technologies compatible to it

2. What was the power generation capacity of the oldest commercial wind turbine set up by Siemens?

1. 30 kilowatt
2. 30 megawatt
3. 30 gigawatt

3. How much of earth’s surface is adequate for setting up solar panels to meet earth’s energy consumption?

1. 0.03%
2. 0.3%
3. 3%

4. Solar panels and wind turbines provide __ times better energy yield compared to non-renewable energy sources

1. 10
2. 100
3. 1000

5. According to the author, development of solar technology is better for the environment because

1. It emits 90% less pollutants than conventional technologies
2. The people involved are highly skilled
3. Solar panels take less space compared to conventional power generation equipment

6. Share of hydroelectric power in total power output is around

1. 20%
2. 22%
3. 25%

7. What is/are the probable cause/s behind the limited popularity of hydroelectric power generation?

1. Mammoth initial investment required
2. Adverse impacts on the local population such as dislocation
3. An adverse impact on the local population by causing flooding.
4. All of the above

RECYCLING FACTS & STATISTICS

Our Earth is capable of fulfilling all our needs but none of our greed. Thus, it has become important that recycling take precedence over-exploitation of newer resources in a bid to provide a more comfortable life to the people.

1. Almost 60 to 70% of the waste materials that reach the dumps are of a recyclable nature that people can reuse with productive outcome. Similarly, more than half of that same waste can be composted to enhance fertility of soil and increase crop production without the need of using chemical fertilizers.
2. Plastic is often the nuisance number one when it comes to non-biodegradable wastes since it takes almost 700 years to dispose naturally in a landfill. Moreover, it constitutes more than half of the total recyclable wastes that are present in the dumps. In fact, we are dumping more than 250,000 plastic bottles, and the recyclable plastics kill hundreds and thousands of sea creatures every year.
3. Famous chocolate brands from across the world uses aluminum to wrap their products to make it more presentable and attractive to their customers. People enjoy these products but do not think twice about recycling the aluminum wraps, which almost always ends in the dustbin. However, the energy, manpower, and money required for manufacturing these wraps from virgin material is almost hundreds that from recycled aluminum metal. Most people are unaware of the monetary and environmental benefits of recycling these seemingly insignificant items such as aluminum wrappings around their favorite chocolate products.
4. Recycling of paper is fortunately more popular than that of most other materials. Even then, trees felled for the purpose of manufacturing of paper and various allied products is going on at an unimaginable rate of more than 100 acres of wooded land per minute. This alarming rate of deforestation is leading to further skewing of balance between the production and absorption of carbon dioxide on a global scale. Recycling of paper is the only way to put a cap on this alarming development.
5. A fully-grown tree can yield around 700 paper grocery bags on an average, which an average supermarket can consume in less than an hour. On the other hand, it takes around a minimum of 15 to 20 years for a tree to reach its maximum size. Therefore, one single supermarket can consume a whole trees within an hour, which took nearly a couple of decades to grow.
6. On the other hand, recycling a ton of paper can help in saving 17 trees, 350 pounds of limestone, 275 pounds of sulfur, 9,000 pounds of steam, 60,000 gallons of water, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 225 kilowatts of water. Moreover, recycling of paper consumes energy which is nearly 70% less compared to what making paper from virgin wood and other raw materials would have required. In fact, by recycling paper that is worth saving 14 trees, recyclers can reduce air pollutants by a whopping amount of 165,142 tons.
7. Glass is among the few items that are completely recyclable while takes the maximum time to decompose in landfills. However, the tragedy lies in the fact that most of the glass items end in landfills instead of being recycled because of lack of awareness. Even then, there is a distinct rise in the demand for cullet or the recycled glass because of the less consumption of electricity in their processing compared to manufacturing of virgin glass.
8. Styrofoam items such as coffee cups have become immensely popular, but these are not biodegradable. The discarded Styrofoam items end in landfills and remain there for centuries. Thus, it is essential to say no these products and instead opt for biodegradable options such as paper and clay cups.

Questions

1. According to the author, why does recycling need to take precedence over exploring new resources?

1. Because recycling is the latest in-thing
2. Because the earth can only fulfill our needs but not our greed
3. Because recycling has been made mandatory by international law

2. What is the percentage of recyclable waste materials that are dumped?

1. 60 – 70%
2. 65 – 75%
3. 30 – 60%

3. Dumping plastic indiscriminately into landfills is not a good idea because

1. Plastic is practically non-biodegradable and remains in landfills for hundreds of years
2. More plastic items are dumped than can be disposed of without causing harm to the environment
3. All of the above

4. The act of cutting down tree for various industrial purposes can be summed into a single term

1. Reforestation
2. Deforestation
3. Afforestation

5. Recycled glass is known by the term of

1. cullet
2. green glass
3. glass aggregates

6. What are the best substitutes to the use of Styrofoam coffee cups according to the author?

1. Paper and clay cups
2. Plastic containers
3. Glass bottles

7. According to the author, what is the main reason behind the limited popularity of recycling?

1. Lack of proper awareness
2. Because people are lazy, careless, and callous about nature
3. Because recycling is not a profitable or coast effective option

Grade 5, 6, 7 and 8 STAAR Reading Test Questions Samples

STAAR Test Prep Reading Passages with Reading Comprehension Test Questions 

Grade 3 GRADE TEST FORMS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics
ANSWER KEYS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics

Grade 4 GRADE TEST FORMS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics
ANSWER KEYS 2014 Writing 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics | 2014 Writing

Grade 5 GRADE TEST FORMS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics | 2014 Science
ANSWER KEYS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics | 2014 Science

Grade 6 GRADE TEST FORMS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics
ANSWER KEYS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics

Grade 7 GRADE TEST FORMS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics | 2014 Writing
ANSWER KEYS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics | 2014 Writing

Grade 8 GRADE TEST FORMS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics | 2014 Science| 2014 Social Studies
ANSWER KEYS 2014 Reading | 2014 Mathematics | 2014 Science |
2014 Social Studies

STAAR Reading Test Vocabulary Review: Fact, Opinion, Cause, Effect, Drawing Conclusion, Inferencing, Inferring, Exaggeration, hyperbole. Editorial, and Authors view Point

Read the STAAR Test Prep Reading Passages practice selection and choose the best answer to each question.

Please read the teacher made opinion article below and discuss the key concepts, Fact, Opinion, Cause, Effect, Drawing Conclusion, Inferencing, Inferring, and Authors view Point. Socratic seminar extensions: Rank the paragraphs in order of importance and discuss the authors view-point. Writing extensions: Highlight the text with different colors bas4ed on opinion, facts, or myths and fabrications.

Top 10 scientists who changed the world: Number 1 Marie Curie

1.     While many people are familiar with male scientists and Nobel Prize winners, there are many brilliant and illustrious women out there who have made a significant difference in the world of science, which has had many repercussions in many other areas, including health care.

2.     Born Maria Sladowska in Poland in 1867, Marie Curie was the first women to win the Nobel Prize in two different categories, for her work in physics in 1903 and in chemistry in 1911. She was a pioneer in an era when women were facing many barriers in education and in particular the sciences, as well as teaching.

3.     It’s hard to imagine today that any woman would not get into university when she was a top student in her high school, but university was not permitted for women in Poland at the time, as it was in many countries around the world in the Victorian era. Marie attended a night school to further her education, known as the ‘floating university’ in Warsaw, that eluded the Russian occupation by teaching Polish students at night and changing locations frequently to avoid being intercepted

4.     At the time, the only university in Poland would not admit her, she had to leave her home country of Poland in order to complete her Ph.D. and further her studies in the scientific realm.

5.     She began interested in radium, and along with her husband, Pierre Curie, she began to study the rays it emitted, which has fascinated her. Her husband, Pierre, set aside his own work in order to pursue a joint study with her, and they worked together in their pursuit of radium, until his untimely death in a carriage accident.

6.      Both of Marie Curie’s parents were teachers and she continued in this route when she became the first female professor at the Sorbonne in Paris, as his position was made available to her after his death.

7.     While Marie Curie’s advancements in radium affected our understanding of atomic chemistry, but the most important contribution her work has made was leading to the development of X-ray technology that we still use today in health care, primarily in order to look at broken bones, and even in radiation treatments for cancer patients.

8.     During World War I she established the first radiological centres and mobile X-ray units to assist in the care of soldiers, and travelled to raise some funds so that she could establish the radium research institute, in order to continue her work on radioactivity.

9.     She was the first to speak about radioactivity, and also discovered a new radioactive element, polonium, which was named after her home country of Poland.

10.      Marie Curie died of leukemia, as a result of her ongoing exposure to radium and radioactivity. As the harmful effects and risks of radiation were not known at the time, Marie Curie would often carry test tubes in her pocket and was heavily exposed to radioactivity throughout her work, which lead to her death in 1934.

11.     While Marie Curie is widely known for her work on radioactivity, her legacy is not only tied to her breakthroughs in science, but also in how she contributed to the advancement of women in science and education with a number of important firsts to her name.

12.     Her legacy also continued beyond her death, as she has also received many posthumous awards. Many institutes recognize her work by bearing her name, such as the Maria Slodowska-Curie Institute of Oncology in her native Warsaw, Poland; and the Institut Curie in Paris, her second home.

13.     Arguably the most famous female scientist the world has known, Marie Curie has inspired many female scientists to follow in her footsteps, while also opening new doors for women to teach at the University level, and work in the field of mathematics, chemistry and physics.

Open-ended Reading Comprehension questions

1. Why was the university that Marie Curie attended known as the floating university?
2. What was Marie Curie’s contribution to the field of health care?
3. What was unique about Marie Curie’s Nobel Prize recognition?
4. Why did Marie Curie leave Warsaw?
5. What was so important about Marie Curie’s legacy?
6. What did Marie Curie contribute to the advancement of women?

Reading comprehension questions

1. Why was the university that Marie Curie attended known as the floating university?

a. The subject matter was always changing

b. It was always a different group of students

c. They always changed locations

2. What was one of Marie Curie’s contributions to the field of health care?

a. Radiation therapy

b. Chemotherapy

c. Radiotherapy

3. What was unique about Marie Curie’s Nobel Prize recognition?

a. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize

b. She was the first women to win the Nobel Prize in both physics and chemistry

c. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in physics

d. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry

4. Why did Marie Curie leave Warsaw?

a. Because she has leukemia

b. Because she could not attend the men’s university

c. Because she wanted to meet her future husband


5. What was so important about Marie Curie’s legacy?

a. She was the first woman scientist

b. She created an Oncology institute in her name

c. She inspired many women scientists

6. What did Marie Curie contribute to the advancement of women?

a. She allowed women to study science

b. She was the first woman scientist

c. She opened doors for women to teach in university

d.      She opened doors for women to be part of World War I

Pick One DOK Level 3 Question and Research, Discuss, and Share with a partner.
• How are Marie Curie's discoveries related to physics today?
• What conclusions can you draw from a lack of female scientist in the 19th Century?
• How would you adapt Marie Curie's bio into a graphic time-line?
• How would you develop a checklist for selecting a new Nobel Laureates in science?
• Can you predict who will be the next women to receive the Nobel Prizes?
• What is the best text evidence to why Marie Curie selected science as a field of study? Why?
• What conclusion can be drawn from these three texts?
• What is your interpretation of a lack of female physicist, use text evidence to support your rationale.
• How would you describe the sequence of events that lead to Marie Curies death?
• What facts would you select to support Marie Curies is a maverick?
•Can you elaborate on the reason why her work was important to WWII?
• What would happen if Marie Curie never made her discoverers?
• Can you formulate a theory for radioactivity?
• How would you test to see if a substance was radioactive?
• Can you elaborate on the reasons you agree or disagree with the articles Title? Why?

 

Deforestation Facts, Opinions, And Myths

1.     The Earth's rainforests, woodlands, and jungles are under a great deal of pressure. Our once abundant jungles are rapidly becoming extinct due to mismanagement or illicit activities such as gold mining, hydropower, timber harvesting, and the hunger for land to raise cattle and crops. Tropical rainforest and mature forests are being damaged by the lumber and paper trade. 

2.     Millions of indigenous people's livelihoods are being threatened and their aboriginal way of living in the jungles is undermined, plus a wide array of animal and plant types will cease to exist forever. If such deforestation facts are already known to man, then why is the rate of forest abolition continually growing? 

3.     Perhaps it's because poor people in some of the poorest nations are in dire need for both food and money, such things are allowed to happen. Through man's negligence, more than half of the world's irreplaceable rainforest, a rich natural treasure is gone, clear-cut, replaced with  palm plantations and cattle ranches. That is why there is no blaming mother nature if she strikes back at us through natural disasters. 

4.     Now, the earth's entire ecosystem is consciously or unconsciously being “punished” by the powers of nature. From floods to the deadly summer heatwaves, bizarre weather and to the growing global temperatures of the planet, people are buffeted by the troubles rooted in their own making. It was never implausible for such disasters to take place considering how the human race used, abused and injured the most indispensable part of the Earth, our delicate ecosystem. 

"Truths" On How Our Forests Rapidly Disappear

5.     We are suffering the loss of Earth's supreme biological reserves just as we are making a start at being grateful for their significance to the world and our own wellbeing. The tropical rainforests once made-up 14% of the planet's land mass, and presently, they make up only 6%. 

6.     Both environmentalists and experts anticipate that the remaining rainforest will be destroyed and consumed by development in approximately 40-70 years. Millions of acres of tropical forests are lost every year with disastrous and unseen consequences for both emerging and industrialized countries.
Scientist estimate that deforestation is responsible for the loss of 137 plant types, animal of various sorts, and insect species every passing day due to man's ruthless steps. The totality equates to 50,000 extinctions of flora and fauna species' per year. As the forests diversity fade away, so do many probable cures for grave and serious diseases disappear. 

7.     At present, 121 prescription drugs worldwide are derived from plant sources. The 25% of humankind's pharmaceuticals also originated from the forest's ingredients. Only 1% of the world's forest have been tested for possible medicinal cures by scientists, and the rest of the untested flora offer more possibilities of new medicines. 

8.     Through rainforest deforestation, up to 50% of the world's species of flora, fauna and organisms will be extinct or relentlessly jeopardized over the next 100 years to come. The very reason why our rich natural resources are being depleted of natural resources is because of short-sighted giant agribusiness, logging corporations, irresponsible land-owners, and feckless government administrations. 

9.     If such practices will never cease, total annihilation of all species will surely come next. If the possibilities for repairing nature are much higher now, then it is greatly suggested that bigger steps should be made to fight against the complete death of our world.

Mankind's Drive To Save Nature

10.     A call for sustainable and economically harvested rainforest crops is obligatory for conservation efforts to turn the tide of mass deforestation. Nations, governments, and corporations that opt-out doom any chance of success. Procuring essential and viable woodland products can result to positive modification by generating a marketplace for these goods while at the same time sustaining the indigenous people's financial system and providing the economic explanations and substitution ways to wounding the forest just for the mere worth of its lumber.

11.     The deforestation facts are widely known to man and thus should be given proper action. Both government and the localities should take advantage of the offered solutions to deforestation problems. If dealt with properly, our rainforests can endow the entire population's need for these biological reserves on a perpetual basis.

1. Read this sentence from paragraph 4.

Perhaps it's because poor people are in dire need for both food and money, such things are allowed to happen.

This sentence states —

A. an opinion of causes for deforestation

B. a statement of facts why deforestation happens

C. a prediction of why people allow deforestation

D. a solution to deforestation


2. Read this sentence from paragraph 1.

The Earth's rainforests, woodlands jungles are under a great deal of pressure.

This sentence infers that Earth's rainforests, woodlands, and jungles are—

A. forest are growing larger

B. forest are decreasing

C. illegal activity is destroying forest

D. people need to conserve the rainforest


3. Which word is a synonym for negligence in paragraph 3?

A. forgiven

B. carelessness

C. cautious

D. slowness

4. Read this sentence from paragraph 9.

If such practices will never cease, total annihilation of all species will surely come next.
This sentence is an example of ---

A. cause

B. effect

C. dialogue

D. fact

5. Which word is a antonym for abolition in paragraph ?

A. destruction

B. restoration

C. freedom

D. caution

6. Which passage is an example of cause and effect

A. The tropical rainforests once made-up 14% of the planet's land mass, and presently, they are only 6%. 

B. The deforestation facts are widely known to man and thus should be given proper action.

C. If dealt with properly, our rainforests can endow the entire population's need for these biological reserves on a perpetual basis.

D. Through rainforest deforestation, up to 50% of the world's species of flora, fauna and organisms will be extinct or relentlessly jeopardized over the next 100 years to come.