Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts : Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts
All Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #241 : Language
Brian really did not want to go to the haunted house. He was trying to think of a way to get out of it. He was so nervous, he started shaking every time he thought about it.
Given the information above, select the best answer choice to show how Brian feels about haunted houses.
Brian was startled by haunted houses.
Brian was terrified of haunted houses.
Brian was scared of haunted houses.
Brian was terrified of haunted houses.
Some words are alike but have slight differences in meaning. This is referred to as shades of meaning.
Terrified, scared, and startled all mean to have a negative feeling about something. But, these words all have different intensities.
Startled means to be surprised suddenly.
Scared means to be afraid.
Terrified means to be filled with great fear.
Because we are told that Brian was shaking with nervousness, which shows he was filled with great fear. “Terrified” is the correct answer.
Example Question #242 : Language
Select the answer choice that best describes a very big stuffed bear.
The stuffed bear was enormous.
None of the answer choices are correct.
The stuffed bear was large.
The stuffed bear was big.
The stuffed bear was enormous.
Some words are alike but have slight differences in meaning. This is referred to as shades of meaning.
Big, enormous, and large all mean to be great in size. Since we are looking for “very big” or the largest option, “The stuffed bear was enormous” is the correct answer.
Example Question #251 : Language
Which sentence best describes how a witch would laugh at a funny joke?
The witch threw back her head and cackled.
The witch threw back her head and giggled.
The witch threw back her head and chuckled.
The witch threw back her head and snickered.
The witch threw back her head and cackled.
Some words are alike but have slight differences in meaning. This is referred to as shades of meaning. All of the vocabulary words are synonyms for laughter, giggled, cackled, chuckled, and snickered. When thinking about the context of the request, a witch laughing, the word with the best meaning to match this would be cackling. Throwing her head back shows it would be a hearty laugh rather than a small hidden laugh like a giggle, chuckle, or snicker.
Example Question #252 : Language
Which sentence describes how Andy would throw his toy if he were having a temper tantrum?
Andy chucked his toy to the side during his tantrum.
Andy hurled his toy to the side during his tantrum.
Andy sent his toy to the side during his tantrum.
Andy tossed his toy to the side during his tantrum.
Andy hurled his toy to the side during his tantrum.
In this question, readers can imagine a child having a tantrum and throwing a toy during their fit. The word that best describes how Andy would throw the toy is "hurled." Hurling means throwing something with force, which would make sense during a temper tantrum. Some words are alike but have slight differences in meaning. This is referred to as shades of meaning. Chuck, hurl, toss, and send all mean to throw something but each evokes a different shade of meaning.
Example Question #253 : Language
Which sentence describes how someone with an injury would move?
Jessa ran down the field to complete the race.
Jessa bolted down the field to complete the race.
Jessa jogged down the field to complete the race.
Jessa limped down the field to complete the race.
Jessa limped down the field to complete the race.
Limping, bolting, jogging, and running are all synonyms to describe the speed of movement. If someone is injured, it is not likely that they will be moving quickly, so the word that describes the slowest form of motion of the four is to "limp." Bolting describes someone moving very fast, running is also a speedy type of movement, and jogging would be medium speed. Some words are alike but have slight differences in meaning. This is referred to as shades of meaning.
Example Question #1 : Describe Characters
Adapted from “How the Camel Got His Hump” in Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1902)
Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.
Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.”
“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.
Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.”
“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.
Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.”
“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.
At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”
That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.
Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow‐wow with the Three.
“Djinn of All Deserts,” said the Horse, “is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new‐and‐all?”
“Certainly not,” said the Djinn.
“Well,” said the Horse, “there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.”
“Whew!” said the Djinn, whistling, “that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?”
“He says ‘Humph!’” said the Dog; “and he won’t fetch and carry.”
“Does he say anything else?”
“Only ‘Humph!’; and he won’t plough,” said the Ox.
“Very good,” said the Djinn. “I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.”
"Camel my friend, what's this is hear of your doing no work, the world so new-and-all?", and the Djinn
"Humph!"
"Camel, you've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your 'scruciating idleness."
"Humph!"
"I shouldn't say that again if I were you. You might say it once too often. Camel, I want you to work."
"Humph!"
No sooner has Camel said it than he sees his back, that he is so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping human
"Do you see that hump? That's your very own humph that you've brought upon your very own self by not working. Today is Thursday, and you've done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work," said Djinn.
"How can I with this humph on my back?" asked Camel.
"That's made a-purpose all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you. Stay with the Three, and behave."
"Humph! Humph!"
From that day to this the Camel always wears a humph. Now we call is "hump" so that we will not hurt his feelings. However, he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave.
How is the Camel described throughout most of the story?
Lazy
Active
Happy
Sad
Lazy
The camel won't do any work, which means he is lazy.
Example Question #2 : Describe Characters
The Dog and the Princess
Once upon a time Princess Ali and her mother, The Queen, ruled all of the lands. Princess Ali’s father had died when Ali was very young, so she had no memory of him and she always felt like something was missing from her life. But, many people told her tales of the great King Archie. Every story that she heard made her father sound like a jovial and fun king. Everyone always laughed when they spoke of King Archie. She thought about him often and how different her life may have been if she had grown up with both a mother and a father.
On a beautiful spring day, Princess Ali was walking in the grand gardens when she spotted a goofy-looking dog. His legs were way too long for his body, one ear stood straight up, while the other folded down, and his big tongue hung out of the left side of his mouth. He had a great big grin on his face as he ran towards Princess Ali. The dog was running too quickly and wasn’t able to stop his long legs from crashing into Princess Ali, so they both tumbled to the ground.
Princess Ali giggled as the dog covered her in kisses. When she was able to break free, she stood up and the dog began to dance in circles around her, barking happily. She saw that he wore a red collar with the name “Archie” stitched in white writing. She decided this dog must belong to someone so she spent all day walking the dog around the kingdom trying to find his rightful owners.
Throughout the day Princess Ali laughed more than she ever had. The dog spent the whole day trying to please her and make her laugh. He chased butterflies, played in puddles, licked her hand, snuggled his head into her belly, and pulled flowers out of the ground for her. As the day drew to a close, they hadn’t come across anyone that claimed to be his owner.
Princess Ali decided to keep the dog Archie, and they all lived happily ever after.
How is King Archie described in the story?
Strict and harsh
Sad and lonely
Happy and fun
Lonely and happy
Happy and fun
In the first paragraph, we are told that King Archie was a jovial and fun king. Jovial means to be cheerful or happy, so the correct answer is “Happy and fun”.
Example Question #2 : Describe Characters
The Dog and the Princess
Once upon a time Princess Ali and her mother, The Queen, ruled all of the lands. Princess Ali’s father had died when Ali was very young, so she had no memory of him and she always felt like something was missing from her life. But, many people told her tales of the great King Archie. Every story that she heard made her father sound like a jovial and fun king. Everyone always laughed when they spoke of King Archie. She thought about him often and how different her life may have been if she had grown up with both a mother and a father.
On a beautiful spring day, Princess Ali was walking in the grand gardens when she spotted a goofy-looking dog. His legs were way too long for his body, one ear stood straight up, while the other folded down, and his big tongue hung out of the left side of his mouth. He had a great big grin on his face as he ran towards Princess Ali. The dog was running too quickly and wasn’t able to stop his long legs from crashing into Princess Ali, so they both tumbled to the ground.
Princess Ali giggled as the dog covered her in kisses. When she was able to break free, she stood up and the dog began to dance in circles around her, barking happily. She saw that he wore a red collar with the name “Archie” stitched in white writing. She decided this dog must belong to someone so she spent all day walking the dog around the kingdom trying to find his rightful owners.
Throughout the day Princess Ali laughed more than she ever had. The dog spent the whole day trying to please her and make her laugh. He chased butterflies, played in puddles, licked her hand, snuggled his head into her belly, and pulled flowers out of the ground for her. As the day drew to a close, they hadn’t come across anyone that claimed to be his owner.
Princess Ali decided to keep the dog Archie, and they all lived happily ever after.
During the first paragraph, we could describe Princess Ali as
happy because she’s found a dog.
lonely and sad without her father.
happy that she and her mother rule the land together.
tired because she doesn’t get much sleep.
lonely and sad without her father.
To answer this question, we are told to only focus on the first paragraph. Later in the story, Princess Ali seems happy because she’s found a dog, but don’t get tricked by this answer option. We want to only look at the first paragraph. During the first paragraph, Princess Ali talks about not growing up with her father and how her life doesn’t feel complete. Based on this information, we can conclude that Princess Ali is long and said without her father.
Example Question #3 : Reading
The Dog and the Princess
Once upon a time Princess Ali and her mother, The Queen, ruled all of the lands. Princess Ali’s father had died when Ali was very young, so she had no memory of him and she always felt like something was missing from her life. But, many people told her tales of the great King Archie. Every story that she heard made her father sound like a jovial and fun king. Everyone always laughed when they spoke of King Archie. She thought about him often and how different her life may have been if she had grown up with both a mother and a father.
On a beautiful spring day, Princess Ali was walking in the grand gardens when she spotted a goofy-looking dog. His legs were way too long for his body, one ear stood straight up, while the other folded down, and his big tongue hung out of the left side of his mouth. He had a great big grin on his face as he ran towards Princess Ali. The dog was running too quickly and wasn’t able to stop his long legs from crashing into Princess Ali, so they both tumbled to the ground.
Princess Ali giggled as the dog covered her in kisses. When she was able to break free, she stood up and the dog began to dance in circles around her, barking happily. She saw that he wore a red collar with the name “Archie” stitched in white writing. She decided this dog must belong to someone so she spent all day walking the dog around the kingdom trying to find his rightful owners.
Throughout the day Princess Ali laughed more than she ever had. The dog spent the whole day trying to please her and make her laugh. He chased butterflies, played in puddles, licked her hand, snuggled his head into her belly, and pulled flowers out of the ground for her. As the day drew to a close, they hadn’t come across anyone that claimed to be his owner.
Princess Ali decided to keep the dog Archie, and they all lived happily ever after.
How is the dog described in the story?
Goofy and happy
Mean and aggressive
Goofy and mean
Aggressive and happy
Goofy and happy
Throughout the passage, only positive words are used to describe the dog. In the second paragraph, we are told that the dog looks “goofy”. In the third paragraph we are told that the dog dances around and barks happily. The correct answer is “Goofy and happy”.
Example Question #2 : Reading
The Dog and the Princess
Once upon a time Princess Ali and her mother, The Queen, ruled all of the lands. Princess Ali’s father had died when Ali was very young, so she had no memory of him and she always felt like something was missing from her life. But, many people told her tales of the great King Archie. Every story that she heard made her father sound like a jovial and fun king. Everyone always laughed when they spoke of King Archie. She thought about him often and how different her life may have been if she had grown up with both a mother and a father.
On a beautiful spring day, Princess Ali was walking in the grand gardens when she spotted a goofy-looking dog. His legs were way too long for his body, one ear stood straight up, while the other folded down, and his big tongue hung out of the left side of his mouth. He had a great big grin on his face as he ran towards Princess Ali. The dog was running too quickly and wasn’t able to stop his long legs from crashing into Princess Ali, so they both tumbled to the ground.
Princess Ali giggled as the dog covered her in kisses. When she was able to break free, she stood up and the dog began to dance in circles around her, barking happily. She saw that he wore a red collar with the name “Archie” stitched in white writing. She decided this dog must belong to someone so she spent all day walking the dog around the kingdom trying to find his rightful owners.
Throughout the day Princess Ali laughed more than she ever had. The dog spent the whole day trying to please her and make her laugh. He chased butterflies, played in puddles, licked her hand, snuggled his head into her belly, and pulled flowers out of the ground for her. As the day drew to a close, they hadn’t come across anyone that claimed to be his owner.
Princess Ali decided to keep the dog Archie, and they all lived happily ever after.
How is Princess Ali described at the end of the story?
Lonely
Happy
Sad
Angry
Happy
The last paragraph of the story starts by telling us that Princess has laughed more than she ever had that day. Happy people tend to laugh, so the correct answer is “Happy”.
All Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts Resources
