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Week 33 Summative Assessment

Last updated 8 months ago
25 questions

Green Plants

Adaptions for Different Climates

Deserts are very dry. They receive little rain, but when rain does fall, carpets of tiny plants suddenly appear. One of these plants is the bladderpod mustard. Rain causes the mustard’s seeds to germinate. The young plants grow quickly, producing flowers, which, in turn, produce a new crop of seeds. This entire life cycle—from seed to flower to seeds—may be completed in only 10 days, or the seeds may lie in the ground for years, waiting for the next rain.

Unlike most plants, cactuses, which live mainly in dry places, make food and store water in their thick stems rather than in leaves. The thin spines on their stems help to prevent water loss. A cactus also has a system of many long roots. The roots grow very close to the surface, spreading widely in all directions. They can soak up water quickly, even after a very light rainfall. The water that is stored in the stem is used during dry periods. For example, the giant saguaro cactus can store enough water in its stem to last the plant about three years.

At the opposite extreme are living conditions in tropical rainforests. Some of these forests receive hundreds of inches of rainfall every year. Plants have large, wide leaves with many stomates so they can easily give off excess water.

Trees in a tropical rain forest are evergreen. That is, they are always green and keep their leaves all year long. Tropical evergreens also grow all year round. Other trees, such as maples and oaks, which are common to cold climates like the Canadian forests, are deciduous. These trees lose all their leaves in autumn. Their branches are bare until the following spring, when they grow a new set of leaves. Trees cannot grow when temperatures fall below freezing. Their roots cannot take in water when the ground is frozen, so maple and oak trees rest until spring, when days are once again warm. Theyshed their leaves to protect against losing water. During the winter rest, the trees do not carry out photosynthesis—instead, they depend on their stored food to stay alive.

How Plants Defend Themselves

When a zebra spots a hungry lion, it uses its strong legs to run away. Plants, however, cannot escape enemies by running. They have other adaptations to protect themselves.

Have you ever brushed your hand or leg against a stinging nettle? If so, you’ll never forget the experience! The stinging nettle is a rather ordinary-looking plant that grows among grasses or weeds in fields and along roadways. It is covered with many tiny hollow hairs. At the base of each hair is a container filled with poison. When you—or an animal—brush against the nettle’s hairs, the tips break off. The hairs enter the skin, and poison flows into your body. The sting caused by these tiny “needles” lasts for hours.

Many plants have sharp spines on their stems or leaves. This prevents animals from eating the plants. Holly trees, yuccas, and roses are examples of plants with this kind of special defensive adaptation.

Plants have to defend themselves against other plants, too, preventing them from “stealing” their water and other resources. The leaves of the brittlewood shrub secrete a poison. Rains wash the poison off the plant’s leaves and onto the ground. The poison makes the soil near the shrub so deadly that other plants cannot grow there.

Fire is another enemy of plants. Many plants are killed by fire, but their seeds are able to survive. One reason that sequoias can live for thousands of years is that they can defend themselves against fire with their thick bark. Some old sequoias have bark that is 2 feet (0.6 meter) thick

stomates—small holes
photosynthesis—the process of a plant making its own food from sunlight
secrete—form and give off
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4

Why do some plants secrete poison? RI.4.1

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What is the main idea of the passage? RI.4.2

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Which quotation supports the author's point that some plants have adaptations that help them save water to use later? RI.4.8

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Which part of the cactus keeps it from losing water? RI.4.1

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Read the sentence from paragraph 6:
When you—or an animal—brush against the nettle’s hairs, the tips break off.

What does the author mean by the phrase “brush against”? RI.4.4

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Which choice tells how some plants defend themselves from danger? RI.4.3

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What text structure is used in paragraph 4? RI.4.5

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What point does the author make about the adaptations of plants? RI.4.8

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Which quotation supports the inference that some plants may appear to be harmless at first? RI. 4.1

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Which phrase from paragraph 1 helps the reader determine the meaning of the word germinate? L.4.4

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How are cactuses and deciduous trees similar? RI.4.3

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What can the reader infer about how temperature impacts plants? RI.4.1

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What does the word preventing mean as it is used in paragraph 8? L.4.6

"A Way to Help"

1 Maria always loved the smiles she got every time she helped someone. Her parents needed help mowing the grass, and her neighbors struggled carrying in their groceries.

2 For her tenth birthday, Maria’s parents gave her a kitten. They could not have given her a better gift! Maria named her kitten “Tucker.” Every day Maria played with Tucker, fed him, and taught him tricks. They quickly became best friends.

3 After hearing a report on the radio, Maria decided she wanted to do more than help her parents and neighbors. Since she was only ten, she realized she would need assistance. “Mom, would you help Tucker and me so we can do something to help people?” asked Maria.

4 “Of course,” said Maria’s mother. “What do you want to do?”

5 With a grin on her face, Maria hugged her kitten and said, “Do you remember when our class presented a play at the nursing home across the street from our school? Would you take Tucker and me to visit the people living there? I think it would cheer them up.”

6 “I am proud of you for wanting to make life better for others. Tucker would definitely make them smile, and so would you!” Maria’s mother happily agreed to take them to the nursing home the next day.

7 When they entered the lobby, there was a nurse at the desk. Maria nervously introduced herself, “Hi. My name is Maria, and this is Tucker. We are here to visit the residents.”

8 Giving Maria and Tucker the first smile of the morning, the nurse patted Tucker and replied, “What a wonderful gift!” Looking at Maria’s mother, she said, “This is a very thoughtful and caring young girl.” Turning to Maria, she asked, “Does Tucker have all of his shots?”

9 Excitedly, Maria nodded her head and showed the nurse the veterinarian’s records. Tucker looked up and meowed, as if he knew what the nurse meant. “You are both ready, then. Welcome to our nursing home. There are quite a few people who would love to see you and Tucker today,” said the nurse.

10 Maria, her mother, and Tucker walked down the halls, going room to room. Everyone smiled when they saw the visitors. Some of them wanted to hold Tucker, and when they did he licked their hands and purred. Many shared memories of their pets and told stories of when they were young like Maria. All of them thanked Maria for bringing Tucker to visit them.

11 Mr. Harris, the oldest person in the nursing home, said, “I hope this will not be the only time you come to visit. I was lonely until you and Tucker walked in and brightened my day. What a joy you have given me!”

12 Maria, her mother, and Tucker spent several hours visiting as many people as they could. As they were leaving, Maria’s mother said, “You should be proud of yourself. You made many people happy today because of your acts of kindness.”

13 “We made a lot of people happy, Mom, because Tucker and I make a great team,” Maria replied.

14 After that, Maria’s mother dropped off the team several times a week so Maria and Tucker could bring smiles to all the people in the nursing home.
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Part A What does the word assistance mean as it is used in paragraph 3? Since she was only ten, she realized she would need _____. L.4.5a

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Part B: Which detail from the passage supports the answer in Part A?
After hearing a report on the radio, Maria decided she wanted to do more than help her parents and neighbors. Since she was only ten, she realized she would need assistance. "Mom, would you help Tucker and me so we can do something to help people?" asked Maria. RL.4.1

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How are Mr. Harris's and Maria's feelings at the end of this text similar? RL.4.3

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How did the nurse at the desk feel when she met Maria? RL.4.3

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Part A: Which theme best fits the story? RL.4.2

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Part B: Which sentence from the passage supports the answer in Part A? RL.4.1

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Which word would best replace the word hugged in paragraph 5? RL.4.4

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What is the most important reason for Maria to bring Tucker's veterinarian records to show the nursing home? RL.4.3

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Based on the context of paragraph 7, what does the word residents mean? RL 4.4

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What is most likely the reason Maria wanted to go to a nursing home instead of a homeless shelter? RL4.3

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What event happens before Maria meets Mr. Harris? RL4.1

"The Three R's"

Molly watched as the cafeteria trash cans overflowed at lunchtime. "It is such a shame to see all this waste," she muttered under her breath. "Someone should do something!"

The next day, Molly decided to visit the principal. She explained that she was concerned to see how many recyclable materials were thrown away during the lunch hour each day.

"I am hoping to start a recycling club," she explained to Thomas. "I think our school could really improve, and help the environment."

"What a wonderful idea!" Thomas exclaimed."I will talk to our teachers and see what we can do."

Molly met with Thomas three more times before creating an after school recycling club.

Molly visited classrooms in her school, searching for volunteers to join the club. She was thrilled to see so many of her peers as interested as she was in helping the environment.

Within their first four meetings, the recycling club created bins for cardboard, plastics, and paper items. They made signs to hang up in the hallways reminding students to "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!" The club created a tally chart to show which classes had the least amount of trash after lunchtime.

"What a difference we have made in only four weeks!" Molly told Thomas. "Imagine what we could do after a year!"
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How are the endings of "A Way to Help" and "The Three R's" similar? RL.4.9