Open Up - Grade 6 - ELA - Module 2 - Mid Unit 2 Assessment - Formative Library | Library

Directions: Read “The Hippo Roller.” Then, answer the questions below.

The Hippo Roller
(1) Water is necessary to drink, clean, cook food, grow crops, and stay healthy, yet many people struggle to live without this essential resource. According to the World Health Organization, 4 out of every 10 people live without access to safe water. Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker, two South Africans who grew up on farms, invented the Hippo Water Roller to address this critical problem.

(2) Johan Jonker noticed workers on his father’s farm using 5-gallon plastic buckets to gather and carry water. He knew the containers were of poor quality and not very durable, but that wasn’t the only problem. And it wasn’t just a problem for his father’s farm. In fact, there are millions of women and children who use those same 5-gallon buckets to collect water, walking up to 6 hours every day and balancing the heavy containers on their heads. This not only takes up precious time that could be used for more important activities, but it causes neck and spine damage besides being exhausting. Jonker and Petzer knew that there had to be a better way.

(3) The two inventors’ first try at solving this problem was based on a wheelbarrow, with one wheel supporting a large area used to carry the water. This initial idea failed because the price of the wheel was much too expensive. Petzer thought, “Let’s put the water inside the wheel!” And the Hippo Water Roller was born. The Hippo Roller is a large barrel attached to a handle that allows users to collect more water and easily roll it back to their homes.

(4) Petzer and Jonker’s solution has had tremendous impact. Users can now collect 25 gallons of water in one trip, and they can do it with less physical strain. “I used to fetch water six or seven times a day,” reports one user. “Now with the Hippo, I do it once every two or three days.” With the Hippo Roller, women and children are collecting more than just water; they are also collecting time. Children are now attending school, and women are being trained in skills to start a business and earn income in the time that they used to spend getting water. Also, with more time to cultivate and irrigate their fields, farmers can now grow more crops. The Hippo Water Roller provides life-giving water and empowers users, mainly women and children, to put more of their time towards improving their communities and their own lives.

“Many people struggle to live without this essential resource.”

Which word in paragraph 1 best helps in understanding the meaning of essential? (RI.6.1, RI.6.4, L.6.4a)

safe

problem

necessary

struggle

L.6.4.a

RL.6.4

RL.6.1

“This not only takes up precious time that could be used for more important activities, but it causes neck and spine damage besides being exhausting.” (paragraph 2)

Which synonym of the word precious best matches how it is used in the sentence? (RI.6.4, L.6.4a)

loved

expensive

picky

rare

L.6.4.a

RL.6.4

Carefully read these two sentences:

“This not only takes up precious time that could be used for more important activities, but it causes neck and spine damage besides being exhausting.”

This not only takes up valuable time that could be used for more important activities, but it causes neck and spine damage besides being exhausting.

The words in bold have very similar meanings. Given the context of the article, what does the connotation of the word precious add to the reader’s understanding of the text? (RI.6.4, L.6.5c)

It suggests the idea that time has both personal and monetary value.

It suggests the idea that time is only limited.

It suggests the idea that time both is limited and has personal value.

It suggests the idea that time has only monetary value.

RL.6.4

L.6.5.c

Which of the following sentences from the article best describes its central idea? (RI.6.1, RI.6.2)

“The Hippo Water Roller provides life-giving water and empowers users, mainly women and children, to put more of their time towards improving their communities and their own lives.” (paragraph 4)

“The Hippo Roller is a large barrel attached to a handle that allows users to collect more water and easily roll it back to their homes.” (paragraph 3)

“Water is necessary to drink, clean, cook food, grow crops, and stay healthy.” (paragraph 1)

“Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker, two South Africans who grew up on farms, invented the Hippo Water Roller to address this critical problem.” (paragraph 1)

RL.6.2

RL.6.1

Which type of figurative language is used in the sentence “the Hippo Water Roller was born”? (RI.6.4, L.6.5a)

personification

hyperbole

simile

allusion

RL.6.4

L.6.5.a

Which type of figurative language is used in the sentence “they are collecting time”? (RI.6.4, L.6.5a)

metaphor

allusion

hyperbole

personification

How does the author’s use of figurative language (as identified above in Parts A and B) help to develop a key idea of this article? (RI.6.3, RI.6.4, RI.6.5, L.6.5a)

The author’s use of figurative language makes the text interesting but does not help to develop a central idea.

The author’s use of figurative language helps readers relate and conveys the critical nature of the problem the Hippo Roller solved.

The author’s use of figurative language reinforces the idea that solutions are created with effort and are useful.

The author’s use of figurative language explains that Hippo Roller users are also able to keep time using the device.

RL.6.4

RL.6.3

RL.6.5

L.6.5.a

Which of the following best describes the structure used in this article? (RI.6.5)

Advantages/Disadvantages

Compare/Contras

Problem/Solution

Cause/Effect

RL.6.5

Which of the following best describes the function of the sentence “Petzer thought, ‘Let’s put the water inside the wheel!’” (paragraph 3) within the structure of the article?

This sentence shows how Petzer and Jonker used the design thinking process to create their invention.

This sentence explains the cause of the difficulty faced by the women and children who carried water.

This sentence reveals the key to how the Hippo Roller became the solution to carrying water far distances.

This sentence shifts the attention from the disadvantages of the Hippo Roller to the advantages.

10.

How does that sentence help to develop a central idea of this article? (RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.5, W.6.10)

W.6.10

RL.6.5

RL.6.2

RL.6.1

11.

Which best describes a method used by the author to further develop our understanding in the final paragraph? (RI.6.3)

physical description

inner thoughts

quotation

anecdote

RL.6.3

12.

How does the inclusion of this method help to develop the central idea of the article? (RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.3, RI.6.5, W.6.10)

RL.6.3

W.6.10

RL.6.5

RL.6.2

RL.6.1

13.

Write an objective summary of the article. Remember a summary of an informational text should include the following: an introduction stating the title and central idea, a brief outline of what the text is about, key details from the text to support your central idea, and no opinions or judgments. (RI.6.1, RI.6.2, W.6.10)

W.6.10

RL.6.2

RL.6.1

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