Grade 5 ELA Practice Test: Text Structure in Informational Texts
- Text Structure in Informational Texts
- 10 questions
- 15 minutes
Each short passage uses one main structure. Tip: look at how the whole passage is built, not just at one signal word.
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
In late summer, many monarch butterflies in eastern Canada and the northern United States begin flying south. By November, millions have reached forests in the mountains of central Mexico, where they spend the winter. When spring comes, they start the trip north again.
Which structure does the author mainly use?
Correct answer: A
The passage follows the butterflies through time: late summer, November, then spring. It does not compare two things or solve a problem.
-
Question 2
When too many deer live in one forest, they eat young trees faster than new ones can grow. Consequently, fewer tall trees replace the old ones, and birds that nest in those trees lose their homes.
Which structure does the author mainly use?
Correct answer: C
Too many deer (cause) leads to fewer young trees, which leads to birds losing homes (effects). Consequently is a cause-and-effect signal word.
-
Question 3
Cars on Elm Road drove so fast that children had trouble crossing to school. The town council voted to add a crosswalk with flashing lights and to hire a crossing guard. Since then, crossing Elm Road has become much safer.
Which structure does the author mainly use?
Correct answer: B
The passage names a problem (fast cars, unsafe crossing) and tells how the town solved it. The time words are only details.
-
Question 4
Frogs and toads are both amphibians that begin life as tadpoles. Frogs usually have smooth, moist skin and long back legs for jumping. Toads, on the other hand, usually have dry, bumpy skin and shorter legs, so they tend to walk or make small hops.
Which structure does the author mainly use?
Correct answer: D
The passage tells how frogs and toads are alike (both amphibians) and different (skin and legs). On the other hand signals a contrast.
-
Question 5
The giant sequoia is one of the largest trees on Earth. Its reddish-brown bark can be more than two feet thick. Its trunk can be wider than a car is long, and its branches may not start until far above the ground.
Which structure does the author mainly use?
Correct answer: A
Every sentence adds a detail about what the sequoia is like. Nothing happens in time order, and no problem is solved.
-
Question 6
Which word or phrase most often signals cause and effect?
Correct answer: C
As a result introduces an effect. Similarly signals a comparison, and first of all usually signals order.
-
Question 7
Text 1 tells the story of the Wright brothers' first powered airplane flight in 1903, from building the plane to the moment it lifted off.
Text 2 explains how airplanes and helicopters are alike and different.
How are the structures of the two texts different?
Correct answer: B
Text 1 follows events in time order, from building to flying. Text 2 tells how two machines are alike and different, which is compare and contrast.
-
Question 8
Which word signals that an author is about to show how two things are alike?
Correct answer: D
Similarly introduces a likeness. However usually introduces a difference, and finally signals the last step.
-
Question 9
Which graphic organizer would work best for taking notes on a compare-and-contrast article?
Correct answer: B
A Venn diagram has two circles that overlap, so you can write what is the same in the middle and what is different on each side.
-
Question 10
An article explains how workers built a bridge, from testing the soil to opening the bridge to traffic.
Why did the author most likely use chronological order?
Correct answer: A
Building a bridge happens in stages, so time order helps readers follow each step. The article does not argue, compare or only describe.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
More English Language Arts tests
English Language ArtsGrade 5 ELA Practice Test: Homophones, Homographs and Commonly Confused WordsHomophones, Homographs and Commonly Confused Words10 questions15 min English Language ArtsGrade 5 ELA Practice Test: Reading Comprehension and GrammarReading Comprehension and Grammar12 questions15 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 5 ELA Practice Test: Theme, Point of View and Comparing TextsTheme, Point of View and Comparing Texts15 questions20 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 5 ELA Practice Test: Greek and Latin Roots and AffixesGreek and Latin Roots and Affixes10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 5 ELA Practice Test: Figurative Language, Similes, Metaphors and IdiomsFigurative Language: Similes, Metaphors and Idioms10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 5 ELA Practice Test: Verb Tenses, Perfect Tenses and Tense ShiftsVerb Tenses: Perfect Tenses and Tense Shifts10 questions12 minEnglish Language ArtsGrade 5 ELA Practice Test: Commas and Punctuating TitlesCommas and Punctuating Titles10 questions12 min