Open Up - Grade 6 - ELA - Module 2 - Mid Unit 1 Assessment

By Formative Library

Last updated over 2 years ago

Directions: Read chapter 4 of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Then, answer the questions below.

“We began in July, when we cleared the remnants of the previous season’s harvest. We collected the old maize stalks and placed them into piles” (64).

Which two words from the excerpt best help the reader to understand the meaning of the word remnants? (RI.6.1, RI.6.4, L.6.4a)

L.6.4.a

RL.6.4

RL.6.1

“With no rain, the sun rose angry in the sky each morning and showed no mercy on the seedlings that had survived. By February, the stalks were wilted and bent toward the ground. By May, half of our crop was scorched. The plants that remained were only as high as my father’s chest. If you took one of the leaves in your hand, it would crumble to dust” (68).

Which phrase from the excerpt best helps the reader to understand the meaning of the word scorched? (RI.6.1, RI.6.4, L.6.4a)

“stalks were wilted”

“bent toward the ground”

“crumble to dust”

“as high as my father’s chest”

L.6.4.a

RL.6.4

RL.6.1

Which of the following best describes a central idea in this chapter? (RI.6.2)

William preferred being a scientist to a farmer, and he didn’t want to help with the maize crop in 2000.

A surprise reward for working hard to clear the old corn stalks was a chance to catch something to eat.

Political and environmental events made things very different for the maize crop in the year 2000.

Nsima, the “doughy porridge” made from corn, is critical to the people who live in Malawi and William’s village.

RL.6.2

Which two pieces of evidence from the chapter best help to convey the central idea from Part A? (RI.6.1)

“ . . . nothing more delicious than crunchy, roasted grasshoppers with nsima” (64).

“ . . . being a scientist was loads better than farming . . . ” (62).

“ . . . nsima is so important to our diets . . . ” (63).

“ . . . I’d stumble down the trail dragging my hoe behind me” (65).

“ . . . the country began to flood” (67).

“ . . . after the rains stopped, they never came back” (68).

RL.6.1

Which of the following is a method used by the writers on pages 64 and 65 to further develop the reader’s understanding of William? (RI.6.3)

physical description

example

inner thoughts

anecdote

RL.6.3

Which of the following is something the reader can infer about William’s character from page 64? (RI.6.3)

He is selfish.

He is determined.

He is joyful.

He is competitive.

RL.6.3

Which piece of evidence from page 64 best supports the answer in Part A? (RI.6.1)

“We caught them and put them into sugar bags.”

" . . . weren’t supposed to be hunting and eating grasshoppers.”

“How many do you have, Mr. Geoffrey?”

“ . . . we did with great excitement.”

RL.6.1

Which of the following is something the reader can infer about William’s character from page 65? (RI.6.3)

He is reliable.

He is afraid.

He is resentful.

He is smart.

RL.6.3

Which piece of evidence from page 65 best supports the answer in Part A? (RI.6.1)

“I walked quickly, trying not to think . . . ”

“ . . . we didn’t use a plow or a tractor to dig them . . . ”

. “I’d start in the morning before school . . . ”

“ . . . caused me to jump out of my trousers.”

RL.6.1

Source: Open Up Resouces (Download for free at openupresources.org.)