Reading Comprehension: The Disappearing Fish

Reading Comprehension: The Disappearing Fish           7 Dec 2017

Comprehension:

Write the letter of the phrase or sentence that best answers each question.

During what time of the year does this story take place?

• Winter
• Spring
• Summer

How does Nadine feel about her environment?

• She appreciates it
• She thinks her town is too small
• She finds it to be boring

What happened that caused Nick and Nadine to be concerned?

• Nick’s koi were dying
• Nick’s koi were disappearing
• Nick’s koi were sick

Why was it important to watch the pond from inside the house?

• So the heron wouldn’t smell them
• So they would keep warm and dry
• So they didn’t scare away the koi thief

By putting a screen over the koi pond, Nick is

• Keeping the fish out of the sun
• Keeping the herons from reaching the fish
• Keeping trash out of the pond

Learn About Words:

You can often tell the meaning of a word by reading the words around it. Look at each number in parenthesis. Find the paragraph in the story with the same number. Then find the word that fits the given meaning. Write the word.

1. Favored; Chose to (1) Preferred
2. Watch carefully (1) Observe
3. Bought (2) Purchased
4. Nesting place for herons (2) Canal Lock
5. A type of carp, which is a fish (3) Koi
6. Disappeared (6) Vanished
7. Cried out (9) Wailed

Words:

A word may have more than one meaning. It’s meaning depends on the way it is used. The word band is an example.The band will play in the parade, the hat had a wide band around it. Look at each number in parentheses. Find the paragraph in the story with the same number. See how the word in the bold type is used in the paragraph. Decide whether it has meaning a or b. Write a or b.

Lock (2)

1. a piece of hair
2. a section of waterway

Mean (5)

1. suggest; intend
2. not nice

Patient (12)

1. a person under a doctor's care
2. calm; willing to wait

Word Study:

Nick cleaned the pond.

The word cleaned is a verb. It tells what Nick did. Words that what someone or something did are generally verbs. Look at the groups of words below. Then read the sentences. Write the verb that best completes each sentence.

share       playing       growling

slam       thanked       dusting

spoke       trotted

• My sister is __playing__ in the yard
• That dog is __growling__ at me!
• Please __share__ that piece of pie
• My aunt __thanked__ me for the gift
• Paula __spoke__ to me yesterday
• The horse __trotted__ into the barn
• Don’t __slam__ the door!
• He is __dusting__ the furniture

Nadine seems angry

That book is mine

Nick became president

The verbs in the sentences above are called linking verbs. Linking verbs do not express actions; they express a sentence with a noun, pronoun, or adjective that describes or identifies that subject. Some common linking verbs are to be, to become, to look, to seem, to sound, and to taste. Read the sentences below. If a sentence contains a linking verb, write that verb If it does not, write NO.

• That music sounds classical
• This meat tastes like leather
• I waved to my neighbour
• The rabbit nibbled on the carrot
• Janet seems happy
• That dog is bold
• We dined at eight o’clock
• Mr. Fish became my teacher

Present tense; I walk       I buy

Past tense; I walked       I bought

To form the past tense of many verbs, simply add the ending -ed. Walk becomes walked. But some verbs are have irregular past tense-for example. There are two verbs in the past tense in bold type in each sentence below. Write the one that is irregular.

• The snow melted when the plants grew taller
• I was in the store when you walked in
• The room became brighter when I opened the curtains
• The dog dug a hole and buried the bone
• I selected a new dress and wore it to the park.
• We ate dinner and walked to the park
• The wind blew so hard the building swayed