Student Name ____________________________________________

Grade 8 practice test Page 

English
Reading

Directions: In this section of the test, you will show how well you can understand
written English. There are several selections and some questions about each one. For
each question, mark the letter of the correct answer on your answer sheet.

“Eat Your Vegetables!”

If you don’t eat your vegetables
Aunt Cornelia said to me,
you’ll end up weak and scrawny,
your bones all rubbery.

So I snacked on squash1 and lettuce

and even ate my peas
I gobbled up cucumbers
and put eggplant2 on my cheese.

I made tomato ice cream

with special mushroom sauce
I baked up cabbage cookies
and even fried some moss3.

But now that I’ve had gardens

full of fresh and leafy stuff
my face has gotten green
and my skin is rather rough.

My fingers look like carrots

and my nose has grown a root.
I do feel very healthy
But I’d better eat some fruit.

Translations
squash = calabaza
1
2
eggplant = berenjena
3
moss = musgo

Go on to the next page.

Page  READING Grade 8 - English

l
1 What kind of writing is this? l
3 Inleafythestuff
selection, gardens full of green and
A poem means
B story A many flowers.
C article B cheese sauce.
D play C ice cream cookies.
D a lot of vegetables.

l
2 The writer’s purpose is to be
A helpful.
B sad.
C funny.
D loving.

Go on to the next page.

Grade 8 - English READING Page 

June 3
It’s so good to be back in Puerto Rico. Of course, I miss my friends and family in Chicago, but
these vacations with my grandparents are so great. I’m tired from the flight but I want to get up
early tomorrow and go fishing with grandpa.

June 4
I am extremely fatigued, as Mrs. Powell would say. She’s always trying to get us to improve our
vocabulary. We got up at 5:00, then hiked for an hour, carrying all our heavy equipment. But
eventually we made it to the beach. It felt great to go in the water. We unrolled our huge net and
headed into the water. The net alone probably weighed 15 pounds! But we caught a bunch of red
snapper. They tasted fantastic – and knowing that we caught them ourselves made them taste even
better.

June 6
I forgot to write yesterday. We were up pretty late at the party my aunt gave for me. My little
cousin is so cute. Angelita is only eight, but she’s a great dancer. She chatters away so quickly that
it’s sometimes hard for me to follow her. I really need to practice my Spanish.

June 9
I’ve been having such a terrific time that I keep forgetting to write in my journal! But Mrs. Powell
said we should keep journals this summer – she says it’s an excellent way to improve our writing
skills. I’m glad I’m going to have her for English again next year. I can’t believe I’ll be in the 9th
grade.

June 10
Tomorrow we’re going fishing again. This time we’re going to fish from a small boat. And we’re
getting up even earlier – 4:00 in the morning. But grandpa says it’s worth it. Over the weekend,
I’m going to go snorkeling with my cousin Julio. We went last year. I couldn’t believe the colors
of the tropical fish! And the water is so clear, you can see every detail of the fish and the coral. I
wonder what my friends back in Chicago are doing. They’re not snorkeling in Lake Michigan, I’m
pretty sure of that!

Go on to the next page.

Page  READING Grade 8 - English

l
4 Mrs. Powell is the writer’s l
6 According to the selection, what will the
A teacher. writer do on June 11?
B aunt. A snorkel with Julio
C cousin. B fish with grandpa
D grandmother. C dance with Angelita
D fly on an airplane with friends

l
5 The selection is mainly about a
A wonderful vacation.
B boring assignment.
C new school.
D big fish.

Go on to the next page.

Grade 8 - English READING Page 

That Sounds Good!

1 Until about 120 years ago, there was no such thing as recorded music. If people wanted
to listen to music, they had to go to a place where musicians were performing live. If
people wanted to listen to music at home, they had to play the instruments themselves—
or invite some musicians over to play for them!

5 The first machine that could record and play music was invented in the late 1800’s.
This machine, called the gramophone, recorded sound onto a flat plastic disc called a
record. To hear the sound, a needle was placed onto a spinning record. These earliest
records rotated 78 times per minute.

8 In the 1980’s, the compact disc, or CD, was introduced. The CD player does not use a
needle. Instead, there is a laser inside the player that gets information from the CD. CD’s
became very popular because they were smaller than records but could hold more music.

12 In recent years, people have begun using MP3 players to listen to music. MP3 is the
name of the computer files used in the player. MP3 players are very small and have very
few moving parts. They keep the music on computer chips instead of on CD’s or records.
MP3 players can hold much more music on them than CD’s or records. With today’s
music players, you can keep thousands of songs in the palm of your hand.

Go on to the next page.

Page  READING Grade 8 - English

l
7 What is selection mostly about?
A famous musicians
B where to buy music
C machines that play music
D how musicians use computers
l
10 MP3 players get their name from
A the name of the computer file.
B the size of the computer chips.
C the number of moving parts.
D the speed of the player.

l
8 Inmean?
line 2, what does the word performing

A selling
B playing
C recording
D listening

l
9 Why can MP3 players hold so much
music?
A They use lasers.
B They use mirrors.
C They use a flat disc.
D They use computer chips.

Go on to the next page.

STOP.
 Answer Key
8th Grade- English

1. E83.4, The student draws inferences.

A Correct. This selection is a poem.

B Incorrect. This selection is NOT a story.

C Incorrect. This selection is NOT an article.

D Incorrect. This selection is NOT a play.

2. E83.4, The student draws inferences.

A Incorrect. The writer does NOT use words that imply he is trying to be helpful.

B Incorrect. The writer does NOT use words that imply he is sad.

C Correct. The writer uses words that imply he is trying to be funny.

D Incorrect. The writer does NOT use words that imply he is trying to be loving.

3. E83.4, The student draws inferences.

A Incorrect. The story does NOT mention flowers.

B Incorrect. The story does NOT mention cheese sauce.

C Incorrect. The story mentions ice cream and cookies, but this is not the meaning
of the phrase.

D Correct. The selection is mainly about vegetables; therefore this is the correct
answer.
4. E83.3, The student identifies the main idea.

A Incorrect. The author is not writing about a visit to Dolly’s.

B Incorrect. The author does NOT mention drinking less coffee.

C Incorrect. The author does NOT compare doughnuts to other foods.

D Correct. The author does try to convince people to buy Dolly’s Doughuts.

5. E83.1, The student identifies details.

A Incorrect. According to the, the shop opens at 12:00 P.M. on Sundays.

B Correct. According to the passage the shop is open from 9:30 A.M. to 11:00
P.M. on Saturdays.

C Incorrect. According to the passage, the shop closes at 6:00 P.M on Thursdays.

D Incorrect. According to the passage, the shop closes at 6:00 P.M on Wednesdays.

6. E83.4, The student draws inferences.

A Incorrect. The passage does NOT mention getting a job at Dolly’s.

B Incorrect. The phrase “we can help” does not mean that “everyday is like a party”.

C Incorrect. The passage does NOT mention that Dolly’s sells decorations.

D Correct. The passage states that Dolly’s sells doughnuts, sandwiches, cookies,
and coffee.
7. E83.3, The student identifies the main idea.

A Incorrect. The selection mentions musicians, but this is NOT the main idea.

B Incorrect. The selection does NOT mention where to buy music.

C Correct. The selection is mostly about the different types of machines that
play music.

D Incorrect. The selection does NOT mention how musicians use computers.

8. E83.4, The student draws inferences.

A Incorrect. In the context of the selection, performing does NOT mean “selling”.

B Correct. In the context of the selection, performing means “playing” music.

C Incorrect. In the context of the selection, performing does NOT mean “recording”.

D Incorrect. In the context of the selection, performing does NOT mean “listening”.

9. E83.3, The student identifies the main idea.

A Incorrect. The selection does NOT mention that MP3 players use lasers.

B Incorrect. The selection does NOT mention that MP3 players use mirrors.

C Incorrect. The selection does NOT mention that MP3 players use flat discs.

D Correct. The selection states that MP3 players store music on computer
chips.
10. E83.1, The student identifies details.

A Correct. The selection states that MP3 players got their names from the
computer files.

B Incorrect. The selection does NOT mention the size of the computer chips.

C Incorrect. The selection mentions that MP3 players have few moving parts, but
this is not how they got their name.

D Incorrect. The selection does NOT mention the speed of the MP3 player.