Year 3 English Reading fiction: check-up and practice test questions

Method. Find the question word: who.

1. Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: who.
   who
2. Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:
   with her cousin Jay
3. Write the answer.
   Jay

Check. The text says: "with her cousin Jay". ✓

Method. The main character is the one whose wish the story starts with.

1. Read what the character does and says. Actions and words are clues to how a character feels or what they want.
   Kofi wanted a dog
2. Put the clues together. Clues that point the same way make a good inference. Always give the evidence.
3. Write the answer.
   Kofi

Check. Kofi is the one with the wish. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: Kofi.

Method. The setting tells us where and when.

1. Find the time. The time is at the start of the sentence.
   On a frosty morning in January
2. Find the place. The children waited by the station.
   by the station
3. Write the answer.
   On a frosty morning in January, by the station.

Check. The sentence names the time and the place. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: a frosty morning in January, at the station.

Method. Read the words around sluggish.

1. Read the sentence. After a dry summer, the river is low and moves slowly.
   The river was sluggish
2. Choose the meaning. Slow fits a river that moves slowly. Fast and cold do not fit.
   (b) slow
3. Write the answer.
   (b) slow

Check. A slow river moves gently. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: moving slowly.

Method. Think about the order of the events in a simple story.

1. Find event 1 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.
   (b) The children waited at the stop.
2. Find event 2 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.
   (c) The children climbed on the bus.
3. Find event 3 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.
   (a) The bus broke down.
4. Find event 4 in the story. Events happen in the order the story tells them.
   (d) The driver fixed the bus.
5. Write the answer.
   b, c, a, d

Check. Waiting comes first, then getting on, then the breakdown, then the repair. ✓

Method. Look at what Eva does and says.

1. Read what the character does and says. Actions and words are clues to how a character feels or what they want.
   hid her report card / looked at the floor
2. Put the clues together. Clues that point the same way make a good inference. Always give the evidence.
3. Write the answer.
   worried or embarrassed

Check. Hiding the card and looking away show she is upset. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: anxious, ashamed.

Method. Look at the clues: the black clouds and the howling wind.

1. Find the clues in the text. Clues are details the writer states or only implies.
   The clouds turned black
2. Think about what usually follows. A good prediction matches the clues and what has happened so far.
3. Write the answer.
   It will rain, or a storm will start.

Check. Black clouds and a howling wind come before a storm. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: A storm will begin.

Method. Think about the big idea that the events show.

1. Think about what happens. The boy shares his lunch, and they become friends.
   shares his lunch
2. Name the big idea. The big idea is that kindness can make friends.
   kindness
3. Write the answer.
   Kindness, or sharing, or friendship.

Check. The events show kindness. ✓

Watch out. Also accept any one big idea that the events show.

Method. Think about how fairy tales usually begin, end and feel.

1. Think about the start. Many fairy tales begin with Once upon a time.
   Once upon a time
2. Think about the end and the characters. Many fairy tales end happily, and have magic or good and bad characters.
   a happy ending
3. Write the answer.
   For example: Once upon a time; magic; a happy ending; good and bad characters.

Check. Any two features that are common in fairy tales are correct. ✓

Watch out. Also accept any two clear features of fairy tales.

Method. Think about what a question does to the reader.

1. Think about the reader. A question at the end leaves the reader wondering.
   the reader wonders
2. Explain the effect. The reader wants to read on to find the answer.
   read on
3. Write the answer.
   To make the reader want to read on and find out what happens.

Check. The question creates suspense. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: To keep the reader curious about the next part.

Method. Find the question word: where. Look for the place they visited.

1. Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: where.
   where
2. Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:
   the library on Bridge Street
3. Write the answer.
   the library on Bridge Street

Check. The text says: "the library on Bridge Street". ✓

Method. Find the name, and the job the text gives her.

1. Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: who.
   who
2. Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:
   The librarian, Mrs Lowe
3. Write the answer.
   the librarian

Check. The text says: "The librarian, Mrs Lowe". ✓

Method. Find the sentence about the last page.

1. Read what the character does and says. Actions and words are clues to how a character feels or what they want.
   felt a little sad
2. Put the clues together. Clues that point the same way make a good inference. Always give the evidence.
3. Write the answer.
   sad

Check. The text says she felt a little sad. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: disappointed.

Method. Look at what Grandad says, and at what Noor does next.

1. Read what Grandad says. He says some stories are worth reading twice.
   Some stories are worth reading twice
2. Find the evidence in Noor's request. Noor asks to keep the book for one more week, so she wants to read it again.
   Can we keep it for one more week?
3. Explain the meaning. A good story can be enjoyed again, and new details can be noticed.
   enjoyed again
4. Write the answer.
   It means a good story can be enjoyed again, and you may notice new things when you read it a second time.

Check. Noor's request to keep the book shows she wants to read it again. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: a good story is worth reading again, because you enjoy it more.

Method. Think about the words setting, character and plot.

1. Choose the word. A character is a person or animal in a story.
   (b) character
2. Check the others. The setting is where and when, and the plot is the events in order.
   (a) and (c) do not fit
3. Write the answer.
   (b) character

Check. The character is the one the story is about. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: character.

Method. Think about where and when the story takes place.

1. Think about the place and time. The place and time of a story are called the setting.
   where and when
2. Name the word. The word is setting.
   setting
3. Write the answer.
   setting

Check. The setting is where and when. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: the setting.

Method. Think about the big idea of a story.

1. Think about the message. The big idea a story teaches is called its theme.
   big idea
2. Name the word. The word is theme.
   theme
3. Write the answer.
   theme

Check. The theme is the big idea. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: the theme, or the moral (for a fable).

Method. Look at the clues: the creak and the careful step.

1. Find the clue. A creaking bridge sounds weak.
   The bridge creaked
2. Make the prediction. The careful step shows Ali is worried the bridge may not hold.
   The bridge might break.
3. Write the answer.
   The bridge might break, because it creaked.

Check. The creak is the clue. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: Ali might slip, because the bridge creaked.

Method. Look at what she says.

1. Read what she says. Praising hard work shows that she is pleased with him.
   You have worked so hard
2. Say what it shows. Her words show that she is proud of Ali.
   proud
3. Write the answer.
   She is proud of Ali. Evidence: You have worked so hard.

Check. Her praise is the evidence. ✓

Watch out. Also accept: pleased, impressed.

Method. Find the setting, the main character and what Noor does, in order.

1. Find the key words in the question. These words tell us which sentence to read: retell.
   retell
2. Find the sentence that gives the answer. The text says:
   visited the library on Bridge Street / found a book about a fox who could paint the moon / Can we keep it for one more week?
3. Write the answer.
   Accept any three accurate sentences, for example: Noor and her grandad visited the library every Tuesday. Noor found a story about a fox who could paint the moon. She was sad when it ended, so she asked to keep the book.

Check. Three sentences: the setting, the events and the ending. ✓

Watch out. Also accept any three accurate sentences in the right order.