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Read the passage and answer the question. The Lost Compass of Hawk Hill Nora and her cousin Mateo were exploring the wooded trail behind Nora's grandmother's house on Hawk Hill. Thick oak trees shaded the path, and yellow leaves carpeted the ground. As Mateo stooped to pick up an unusually smooth gray stone, his fingers brushed against something hard tucked under a rotting log. "Look Nora!" Mateo called, brushing off damp moss. He held up a small brass compass with an engraved lid. The needle spun slowly before settling toward north. "Grandpa used to tell stories about an old surveyor who mapped these hills sixty years ago," Nora said, her eyes wide. "He said the surveyor left a hidden marker near Pine Creek." Mateo inspected the lid. "There are initials carved here: E.V. 1964." Nora pulled out her sketchbook and drew the compass. "If we follow north down toward the creek, maybe we can find the surveyor's stone marker." Working as a team, Mateo watched the compass needle while Nora marked their path with ribbon tied around tree branches. After twenty minutes of careful walking, they reached a flat granite rock near the water. Carved into its center were the matching letters: E.V. 1964. They grinned at each other, knowing they had uncovered a piece of Hawk Hill's forgotten history. Where do Nora and Mateo find the brass compass?

Reading Literature

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Read the fable and answer the question. The Weaver Bird and the Elephant Deep in the Susquehanna River valley lived a tiny weaver bird named Pip and a giant elephant named Barnaby. Barnaby was proud of his massive size and often boasted that nothing in the forest could ever trouble him. Pip, who spent his days weaving intricate grass nests, listened quietly. One sunny afternoon, a sudden rainstorm rolled over the hills. Strong gusts of wind blew a thick, heavy vine loose from a tall sycamore branch. The vine wrapped around Barnaby's front legs, tangling him so tightly that he could not take a single step. He trumpeted in frustration, pushing with all his strength, but the tough wild vine would not break. Pip flew down to the trapped elephant. "Stay still, Barnaby," Pip chirped. "My beak is small, but I know how vines are woven together." Using his sharp beak, Pip carefully pecked and pulled at the key strands of the knot. Strand by strand, the vine loosened until Barnaby was able to shake his leg free. Barnaby lowered his head in gratitude. "I thought only big strength mattered," the elephant admitted. "Today I learned that skill and patience can solve problems strength cannot." Why is Barnaby unable to walk during the rainstorm?

Reading Literature

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Question

Read the passage and answer the question. Oliver's First Science Fair Oliver stared at the empty cardboard pizza box sitting on his kitchen table. The school science fair was only two days away, and his original plan to build a battery-powered car had failed when the motor stopped working. "Don't give up yet," his sister Maya said, setting a roll of aluminum foil and a sheet of black construction paper on the table. "You can build a solar oven." Oliver lined the bottom of the box with black paper to absorb heat. Next, he covered the inside lid with shiny aluminum foil to reflect sunlight down into the box. Finally, he sealed the top opening with clear plastic wrap to trap the warm air inside. On Saturday morning, Oliver set his cardboard oven on the sunny back porch. He placed two graham crackers topped with chocolate and marshmallows inside. After thirty minutes under the clear sun, the chocolate glistened and melted over the warm crackers. When the judges walked past Oliver's booth at the fair, he proudly served them warm s'mores. He smiled as he received a blue ribbon for creative engineering. Why does Oliver have to change his original science fair project?

Reading Literature

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Question

Read the passage and answer the question. The Signal Boy of Allegheny River In the autumn of 1845, ten-year-old Eli stood on the wooden canal bank near Freeport, Pennsylvania. Morning fog clung to the quiet water of the Allegheny River system. Eli held a heavy brass lantern in his right hand and a tin horn in his left. His job as a canal signal boy was essential: he gave warnings to oncoming canal boats so they would not collide near the narrow wooden locks. Through the mist, Eli heard the steady thud of mule hooves pulling a heavy wooden barge named The Pennsylvania Star. He raised his horn and blew three sharp, clear blasts. From the boat deck, Captain Miller called out through the fog, "Good eyes, Eli! We couldn't see the lock gate ahead." Eli swung his lantern in wide circles, signaling the barge driver to slow the team of mules. The massive wooden boat glided smoothly into the lock chamber without bumping the timber walls. As the lock keeper lowered the water level, Captain Miller tossed Eli a shiny copper penny. Eli caught it with a grin, proud that his watchful eye had kept the river trade moving safely. Where and when does this story take place?

Reading Literature

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Question

Read the passage and answer the question. Pennsylvania's Whitetail Deer and Forest Ecosystems White-tailed deer are one of Pennsylvania's most recognizable wild animals. Found in forests, state parks, and farm fields across the Commonwealth, these mammals play an important role in forest ecosystems. Whitetail deer are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. During spring and summer, their diet consists of green leaves, clover, wild berries, and young tree shoots. In autumn, deer search for acorns and beech nuts dropped from hardwood trees. Acorns are rich in fats and carbohydrates, which help deer build a thick layer of fat before winter arrives. When heavy snow covers Pennsylvania forests in January and February, deer rely on their reddish-brown coats changing to thick gray winter fur. They also gather in sheltered pine or hemlock groves called "deer yards" to escape cold winds. Biologists from the Pennsylvania Game Commission monitor deer populations carefully. If deer populations grow too large, they can over-browse young trees, making it difficult for new forests to regrow. Managing deer populations helps ensure a healthy balance between wildlife and forest vegetation. What is the main idea of this passage?

Reading Informational

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Read the passage and answer the question. The Keelboats of the Ohio River Before steamboats and railroads were built in the early 1800s, river trade was the lifeblood of Western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, situated where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to form the Ohio River, became a major shipbuilding center for long wooden vessels called keelboats. A keelboat was a heavy, narrow boat with a pointed bow and a wooden ridge called a keel running along the bottom. The keel added strength and helped the boat stay straight in river currents. Keelboats ranged from forty to eighty feet in length and could carry up to fifteen tons of cargo, including flour, glass, iron tools, and textiles. Moving downstream with the river current was relatively easy. However, traveling upstream against strong currents required tremendous physical effort. Crews used long wooden poles pushed against the riverbed to push the boat forward. On steep river bends, workers walked along the riverbank pulling the boat with thick hemp ropes, a grueling process known as "warping." Keelboats allowed early American settlers and traders to exchange goods between Pennsylvania and distant ports down the Mississippi River. Although steamboats eventually replaced them by the mid-19th century, keelboats played a vital role in expanding early American commerce. Where is Pittsburgh located according to paragraph 1?

Reading Informational

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Question

Read the passage and answer the question. How Honeybees Build Hexagonal Combs Inside a bustling beehive, worker bees construct one of nature's most impressive architectural wonders: the honeycomb. Honeycombs are constructed entirely of beeswax, a natural material produced by special glands on the worker bee's abdomen. Bees use honeycomb cells to store honey, pollen, and to raise young bee larvae. What makes the honeycomb remarkable is its shape. Every comb consists of thousands of six-sided shapes called hexagons packed tightly together without any gaps. Why do honeybees build hexagons instead of circles or squares? Mathematicians have proven that a hexagonal grid uses the least amount of wax material to create the maximum amount of storage space. Circles would leave empty gaps between cells, wasting space. Squares or triangles would fit together without gaps, but they require more wax per unit of volume than hexagons. By building hexagonal cells, honeybees save energy and resources. Producing just one ounce of beeswax requires bees to consume about eight ounces of honey. The hexagon allows bees to store the maximum amount of food while using the minimum amount of precious wax. What material do honeybees use to construct honeycombs?

Reading Informational

Question · Easy

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