Grade 3 ELA Practice Test: Story Elements and Central Message
- Story Elements and Central Message
- 10 questions
- 15 minutes
All ten questions are about one short story. Tip: to find the central message, ask yourself what the main character learns by the end.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Read the story and answer questions 1-10.
The Red Mitten
(1) On the first snowy day of winter, Owen found a red mitten lying on the sidewalk outside his school. It was small, with a white star stitched on the thumb.
(2) Owen's own hands were freezing. He had left his gloves at home again. "Finders keepers," he whispered, and he pulled the mitten over his left hand. It was a little tight, but it was warm.
(3) At recess, Owen noticed a first grader named Lily standing by the fence. She was holding one red mitten and crying. "My grandma made these for me," she told her teacher. "Now one is gone."
(4) Owen looked down at the white star on his hand. His stomach felt heavy, as if he had swallowed a rock.
(5) He walked slowly over to Lily. "I think this is yours," he said, holding out the mitten. "I found it this morning. I'm sorry I wore it."
(6) Lily's face lit up. She hugged the mitten to her chest. "Thank you!" she cried.
(7) Owen shoved his cold hands into his pockets for the rest of recess. His fingers were cold, but somehow the rest of him felt warm.
What is the central message of the story?
Correct answer: C
Owen gives up the warm mitten and stays cold, but he feels "warm" inside. That shows the lesson about doing the right thing. Forgetting gloves is a detail, not the message.
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Question 2
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
Where does most of the story take place?
Correct answer: B
Owen finds the mitten outside his school, and the rest of the story happens at recess. No scene happens at a house or a store.
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Question 3
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
Why does Owen put on the mitten at first?
Correct answer: D
Paragraph 2 says his hands "were freezing" and he had left his gloves at home. He does not know Lily yet, so he is not trying to trick her.
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Question 4
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
What is Owen's problem in the middle of the story?
Correct answer: A
When Owen sees Lily crying, he realizes the mitten on his hand is hers. That is the problem he must solve.
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Question 5
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
"His stomach felt heavy, as if he had swallowed a rock."
What does this sentence show about Owen?
Correct answer: C
The heavy feeling comes right after he sees the star and knows the mitten is Lily's. It shows guilt, not real sickness or hunger.
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Question 6
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
Which word best describes Owen at the end of the story?
Correct answer: B
Owen tells the truth, returns the mitten, and says he is sorry. He acted selfishly at the start, but not at the end.
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Question 7
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
"Lily's face lit up."
What does this phrase mean?
Correct answer: A
The words are not meant literally. A face that "lights up" shows sudden joy, which fits Lily hugging her mitten and saying thank you.
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Question 8
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
Which event happens first in the story?
Correct answer: D
The story begins in paragraph 1 with Owen finding the mitten. The other events happen later, at recess.
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Question 9
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
Read paragraph 7. Why does the rest of Owen feel warm?
Correct answer: C
His hands are still cold, so the warmth is a feeling, not real heat. He feels good about returning the mitten.
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Question 10
Use the story "The Red Mitten."
How does Owen change from the beginning to the end of the story?
Correct answer: B
At first Owen says "Finders keepers" and wears the mitten. Later he returns it and apologizes. He never finds his own gloves.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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