Grade 4 ELA Practice Test: Theme, Characters and Making Inferences
- Theme, Characters and Inference
- 10 questions
- 15 minutes
All ten questions are about one story. Tip: an inference is a smart guess based on clues in the text plus what you already know, so always look for the sentence that proves your answer.
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.
Your result
- 0 correct
- 0 wrong
- 0 blank
-
Question 1
Read the story and answer questions 1-10.
The Garden Contest
(1) Every spring, the town of Pine Hollow held a garden contest, and every year, Mr. Alvarez won first prize for his tomatoes. This year, Nadia was determined to beat him.
(2) She planted her seeds in March and checked them every morning before school. When the first green shoots poked through the soil, she measured them with a ruler and wrote the numbers in a notebook.
(3) In June, a hailstorm swept through Pine Hollow. Nadia ran outside the next morning. Half of her tomato plants lay flat in the mud, their stems snapped.
(4) She was still kneeling in the dirt when Mr. Alvarez leaned over the fence. "Hail got mine too," he said. He held up a bundle of thin wooden stakes and a ball of soft string. "Tie the plants that are bending to these. The ones still standing may surprise you."
(5) Nadia stared at him. "But we're competing," she said.
(6) Mr. Alvarez chuckled. "A contest is more fun when everyone has something to bring."
(7) All summer, the two neighbors traded tips over the fence. In August, Nadia carried a basket of shiny red tomatoes to the town fair. She won second place. Mr. Alvarez won first, as usual, but he clapped louder than anyone when Nadia's name was called.
(8) That evening, Nadia opened her notebook and began a new page: "Next year's plan." At the top she wrote, "Ask Mr. Alvarez about compost."
Which sentence best states a theme of the story?
Correct answer: D
Mr. Alvarez helps his rival, and both end up with good tomatoes and a friendship. The hail is an event in the plot, not the lesson.
-
Question 2
Use "The Garden Contest."
What can you infer about Nadia from paragraph 2?
Correct answer: A
She checks her seeds every morning and records measurements in a notebook. Those clues show she is hardworking and careful.
-
Question 3
Use "The Garden Contest."
Why is Nadia surprised in paragraph 5?
Correct answer: C
Nadia says, "But we're competing," which shows she is surprised that her rival would help. She already knew about his tomatoes from paragraph 1.
-
Question 4
Use "The Garden Contest."
Which sentence best shows that Mr. Alvarez is happy for Nadia?
Correct answer: B
Clapping louder than anyone for Nadia shows he is glad she did well. The other sentences show his help or his past wins, not his feelings about her prize.
-
Question 5
Use "The Garden Contest."
What does the word determined mean in paragraph 1?
Correct answer: D
Nadia plans early and works every day to beat the champion, so she is firmly set on her goal. Nothing shows that she is unsure or tired.
-
Question 6
Use "The Garden Contest."
Why does Mr. Alvarez say, "The ones still standing may surprise you"?
Correct answer: B
He gives her stakes to support the bent plants, so he means the remaining plants can still do well. In August she does bring a full basket.
-
Question 7
Use "The Garden Contest."
How does Nadia's view of Mr. Alvarez change during the story?
Correct answer: C
In paragraph 1 she only wants to beat him. By the end, she plans to ask him about compost, so she now sees him as a helper.
-
Question 8
Use "The Garden Contest."
What does paragraph 8 suggest about Nadia?
Correct answer: A
She starts a plan for next year and writes a question for Mr. Alvarez. That shows she will keep gardening and keep working with him.
-
Question 9
Use "The Garden Contest."
Which word best describes Mr. Alvarez?
Correct answer: D
He shares his stakes, string, and tips with a rival. That is generous. Nothing in the story shows jealousy.
-
Question 10
Use "The Garden Contest."
From which point of view is the story told?
Correct answer: C
The narrator uses "she" and "he" and is not one of the characters, so the story is in third person. Nadia never says "I" outside of dialogue.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
More English Language Arts tests
English Language ArtsGrade 4 ELA Practice Test: Point of View, Firsthand and Secondhand AccountsPoint of View and Firsthand Accounts10 questions12 min English Language ArtsGrade 4 ELA Practice Test: Reading Comprehension and GrammarReading Comprehension and Grammar12 questions15 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 4 ELA Practice Test: Figurative Language and Text StructureFigurative Language and Text Structure15 questions20 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 4 ELA Practice Test: Main Idea and SummarizingMain Idea and Summarizing10 questions15 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 4 ELA Practice Test: Greek and Latin Roots and Context CluesGreek and Latin Roots and Context Clues10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 4 ELA Practice Test: Subject-Verb Agreement, Progressive Tenses and Relative PronounsSubject-Verb Agreement, Verb Tenses and Relative Pronouns10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 4 ELA Practice Test: Complete Sentences, Commas and Commonly Confused WordsComplete Sentences, Commas and Confused Words10 questions12 min