Text Features & Structure

Passage 1: Volcanoes

A volcano is an opening in Earth's surface where hot melted rock called magma can come out. When magma reaches the surface, it's called lava.

How Volcanoes Form

Deep under the ground, it is very hot. Rock melts and forms magma. When pressure builds up, the magma pushes up through cracks in the Earth.

Inside a Volcano

Crater

← Opening at top

Vent

← Tube to surface

Magma Chamber

← Where magma collects

Figure 1: This diagram shows the main parts inside a volcano.

Types of Volcanoes

Some volcanoes are active, meaning they could erupt. Others are dormant (sleeping) or extinct (will never erupt again).

Glossary

Active: A volcano that could erupt at any time

Dormant: A volcano that is "sleeping" but could wake up

Extinct: A volcano that will never erupt again

Magma: Hot melted rock under the Earth's surface

Questions About Passage 1

1. What is the purpose of the heading "How Volcanoes Form"?

○ A. To define the word "volcano" ○ B. To tell the reader this section explains how volcanoes are created ○ C. To show a picture of a volcano ○ D. To list types of volcanoes

2. How does the diagram help you understand the passage?

3. If you wanted to know what "dormant" means, where would you look?

○ A. The diagram ○ B. The heading ○ C. The glossary ○ D. The caption

4. Why did the author put "magma" and "lava" in bold?

○ A. To show they are the same thing ○ B. To make the text look pretty ○ C. To show these are important vocabulary words ○ D. To tell readers to skip them

Passage 2: Animal Habitats Around the World

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Rainforestspage 2

Chapter 2: Desertspage 8

Chapter 3: Oceanspage 14

Chapter 4: Arcticpage 20

Rainforests

Rainforests are home to more than half of all plant and animal species on Earth! These warm, wet forests get lots of rain—sometimes over 80 inches per year.

Animals like monkeys, parrots, and jaguars live in the rainforest. Many live high up in the trees in an area called the canopy.

Where Rainforests Are Found

S. America

Africa

C. Africa

N. Africa

S.E. Asia

Australia

Has Rainforest

No Rainforest

Questions About Passage 2

5. Based on the Table of Contents, on which page would you find information about polar bears?

○ A. Page 2 ○ B. Page 8 ○ C. Page 14 ○ D. Page 20

6. What is the purpose of the map in this passage?

7. The sidebar "Fun Fact!" is included to—

○ A. give extra interesting information about rainforests ○ B. define vocabulary words ○ C. show what a rainforest looks like ○ D. tell what chapter comes next

8. How does the Table of Contents help a reader?

○ A. It defines words in the book ○ B. It shows pictures of animals ○ C. It helps readers find specific topics quickly ○ D. It explains what habitats are

Passage 3: Our Solar System

Our solar system has eight planets that orbit the Sun. Each planet is different in size, temperature, and distance from the Sun.

Planet	Type	Distance from Sun	Number of Moons
Mercury	Rocky	36 million miles	0
Earth	Rocky	93 million miles	1
Mars	Rocky	142 million miles	2
Jupiter	Gas Giant	484 million miles	95

Rocky vs. Gas Planets

The four planets closest to the Sun are called rocky planets because they have solid surfaces. The outer planets are gas giants made mostly of gases like hydrogen.

Questions About Passage 3

9. According to the table, which planet has the most moons?

○ A. Mercury ○ B. Earth ○ C. Mars ○ D. Jupiter

10. How does the table help you understand the passage?

11. What information does the table give that is NOT in the main text?

○ A. That there are eight planets ○ B. The exact distance of each planet from the Sun ○ C. That some planets are rocky ○ D. That planets orbit the Sun

12. The heading "Rocky vs. Gas Planets" tells the reader that this section will—

○ A. list all eight planets ○ B. compare two types of planets ○ C. explain what the Sun is made of ○ D. show pictures of planets

Questions About Passage 1

Questions About Passage 2

Questions About Passage 3

Challenge Questions