Elementary School Reading Quiz: Reading And Comprehending Literature
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Reading And Comprehending LiteratureQuestion 1 of 15

The Last Row

Marisol had counted on the beans. All spring she had watched the row nearest the fence, the one she had planted herself, while her grandmother tended the rest of the garden. The seedlings came up crooked but stubborn, pushing through soil that was mostly clay.

Then the deer came.

By morning her row was a ruin of chewed stems. Marisol stood at the fence for a long time without speaking. Inside her chest, something hardened like cooling wax.

"Well," her grandmother said behind her. "That is the garden's way of asking a question."

Marisol did not turn around. "It's asking whether I should have used the netting."

"Maybe." Her grandmother crouched and lifted one of the ragged stems. Below the bite, a pale green nub had already begun to swell. "Or maybe it's asking whether you'll look close enough to see what's left."

Marisol knelt. The nub was small, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it was there, and there was another on the next stem, and another after that. Not every plant. But more than none.

She went to the shed for the netting. It took her the rest of the afternoon to string it along the row, and her fingers were raw by the time she finished. When she stepped back, the row still looked terrible.

It also looked like a row that might have beans in August.

Why does Marisol go to the shed for the netting?

She has decided to protect what is still growing.
Her grandmother has told her to put it up.
She wants to keep the deer out of the whole garden.
She plans to start a new row of beans.
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Elementary School Reading Quiz

Elementary School Reading Quiz: Reading And Comprehending Literature

Practice Reading And Comprehending Literature in Elementary School Reading with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Reading And Comprehending Literature, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Elementary School Reading.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

The Last Row

Marisol had counted on the beans. All spring she had watched the row nearest the fence, the one she had planted herself, while her grandmother tended the rest of the garden. The seedlings came up crooked but stubborn, pushing through soil that was mostly clay.

Then the deer came.

By morning her row was a ruin of chewed stems. Marisol stood at the fence for a long time without speaking. Inside her chest, something hardened like cooling wax.

"Well," her grandmother said behind her. "That is the garden's way of asking a question."

Marisol did not turn around. "It's asking whether I should have used the netting."

"Maybe." Her grandmother crouched and lifted one of the ragged stems. Below the bite, a pale green nub had already begun to swell. "Or maybe it's asking whether you'll look close enough to see what's left."

Marisol knelt. The nub was small, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it was there, and there was another on the next stem, and another after that. Not every plant. But more than none.

She went to the shed for the netting. It took her the rest of the afternoon to string it along the row, and her fingers were raw by the time she finished. When she stepped back, the row still looked terrible.

It also looked like a row that might have beans in August.

Why does Marisol go to the shed for the netting?

  1. She has decided to protect what is still growing. (correct answer)
  2. Her grandmother has told her to put it up.
  3. She wants to keep the deer out of the whole garden.
  4. She plans to start a new row of beans.
Explanation: After Marisol kneels and finds the pale green nubs, she learns that some of her plants survived, and she puts up the netting to keep the deer from finishing them off. Choice B is wrong because her grandmother only asks her a question and never tells her what to do. Choice C is wrong because she strings the netting along her own row, not the whole garden. Nothing in the story suggests she is replanting.

Question 2

The Last Row

Marisol had counted on the beans. All spring she had watched the row nearest the fence, the one she had planted herself, while her grandmother tended the rest of the garden. The seedlings came up crooked but stubborn, pushing through soil that was mostly clay.

Then the deer came.

By morning her row was a ruin of chewed stems. Marisol stood at the fence for a long time without speaking. Inside her chest, something hardened like cooling wax.

"Well," her grandmother said behind her. "That is the garden's way of asking a question."

Marisol did not turn around. "It's asking whether I should have used the netting."

"Maybe." Her grandmother crouched and lifted one of the ragged stems. Below the bite, a pale green nub had already begun to swell. "Or maybe it's asking whether you'll look close enough to see what's left."

Marisol knelt. The nub was small, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it was there, and there was another on the next stem, and another after that. Not every plant. But more than none.

She went to the shed for the netting. It took her the rest of the afternoon to string it along the row, and her fingers were raw by the time she finished. When she stepped back, the row still looked terrible.

It also looked like a row that might have beans in August.

The story says that inside Marisol's chest, "something hardened like cooling wax." What does this comparison suggest about her?

  1. She is warming up to a new idea.
  2. She is closing herself off. (correct answer)
  3. She is starting to feel physically sick.
  4. She is about to shout at her grandmother.
Explanation: Wax that cools becomes stiff and closed, so the comparison suggests that Marisol's feelings are shutting down after she sees the ruined row. Choice A reverses the image, since the wax is cooling rather than warming. Choice C reads a feeling as a physical illness, and nothing in the scene suggests she is about to raise her voice.

Question 3

The Last Row

Marisol had counted on the beans. All spring she had watched the row nearest the fence, the one she had planted herself, while her grandmother tended the rest of the garden. The seedlings came up crooked but stubborn, pushing through soil that was mostly clay.

Then the deer came.

By morning her row was a ruin of chewed stems. Marisol stood at the fence for a long time without speaking. Inside her chest, something hardened like cooling wax.

"Well," her grandmother said behind her. "That is the garden's way of asking a question."

Marisol did not turn around. "It's asking whether I should have used the netting."

"Maybe." Her grandmother crouched and lifted one of the ragged stems. Below the bite, a pale green nub had already begun to swell. "Or maybe it's asking whether you'll look close enough to see what's left."

Marisol knelt. The nub was small, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it was there, and there was another on the next stem, and another after that. Not every plant. But more than none.

She went to the shed for the netting. It took her the rest of the afternoon to string it along the row, and her fingers were raw by the time she finished. When she stepped back, the row still looked terrible.

It also looked like a row that might have beans in August.

From what point of view is the story told?

  1. First person, by Marisol.
  2. First person, by the grandmother.
  3. Third person, with access to Marisol's thoughts. (correct answer)
  4. Third person, with access to every character's thoughts.
Explanation: The narrator calls the girl "Marisol" and "she" rather than "I," so the story is in third person. The narrator also tells us what Marisol feels inside her chest, but never what her grandmother is thinking, so the access is limited to one character.

Question 4

Winter Fence

The fence posts wear their caps of snow. They will not step inside. They hold the wire. They watch the road. They hold. That is their pride.

All night the wind goes door to door
and rattles what it finds.
The posts say nothing back at all.
They hold. They do not mind.

By March the caps have slipped away. The sagging wire has dried. The posts lean tired by the road. They hold. That is their pride.

The poem says the fence posts "wear their caps of snow" and that they "watch the road." Why does the poet describe them this way?

  1. To show that the posts are actually alive.
  2. To make the posts seem like patient people. (correct answer)
  3. To explain how fences are built.
  4. To show that the snow is dangerous.
Explanation: Wearing a cap and watching a road are things people do, so giving these actions to fence posts makes them seem like patient figures standing guard. Choice A takes the comparison literally, and choices C and D describe information the poem never gives.

Question 5

The Map

CHARACTERS
NELL, a girl of eleven
THEO, her younger brother

SETTING: The attic of an old house. Late afternoon. Dusty light comes through one small window.

(NELL kneels beside an open trunk. THEO stands in the doorway, not coming in.)

NELL: Come look at this.

THEO: There are spiders up here.

NELL: There are spiders everywhere. Come look.

(THEO takes two steps in, then stops.)

NELL (unfolding a large paper): It's a map. Of this house. Somebody drew every room.

THEO: Why would you draw a house you are standing in?

NELL (pausing): I don't know. Maybe so you would remember it.

(She smooths the paper against the floor. A corner tears.)

NELL: Oh —

THEO (crossing to her quickly): Let me. I'm better at paper.

(He kneels. Carefully, he fits the torn corner back into place and holds it there.)

THEO: There's a room here that isn't in the house.

NELL: What?

THEO: This one. Off the kitchen. There's no door there now.

(They both look at the map. Neither speaks. Below them, a floorboard settles.)

Why do Nell and Theo stop talking at the end of the scene?

  1. They have noticed something on the map that they cannot explain. (correct answer)
  2. They are afraid of the spiders that Theo mentioned when he arrived.
  3. They have heard someone climbing the stairs up toward the attic door.
  4. They are angry about the torn corner.
Explanation: Theo points out a room on the map that does not exist in the house, and the two of them look at it in silence. Choice C is tempting because a floorboard settles, but that sound comes after the two have already stopped speaking, so it cannot be the reason they fell silent. The scene never says anyone is on the stairs. Nothing suggests fear of spiders or anger at that moment.

Question 6

Winter Fence

The fence posts wear their caps of snow. They will not step inside. They hold the wire. They watch the road. They hold. That is their pride.

All night the wind goes door to door
and rattles what it finds.
The posts say nothing back at all.
They hold. They do not mind.

By March the caps have slipped away. The sagging wire has dried. The posts lean tired by the road. They hold. That is their pride.

How is the poem organized?

  1. As one long stanza made up of twelve lines
  2. As four separate stanzas of three lines each
  3. As two stanzas of six lines each
  4. As three stanzas of four lines each (correct answer)
Explanation: The poem has three groups of lines separated by blank space, and each group contains exactly four lines. Counting the groups gives three, and counting the lines inside any one group gives four. Choice A ignores the blank lines that divide the poem into parts, and choices B and C swap or mismatch the two numbers.

Question 7

The Last Row

Marisol had counted on the beans. All spring she had watched the row nearest the fence, the one she had planted herself, while her grandmother tended the rest of the garden. The seedlings came up crooked but stubborn, pushing through soil that was mostly clay.

Then the deer came.

By morning her row was a ruin of chewed stems. Marisol stood at the fence for a long time without speaking. Inside her chest, something hardened like cooling wax.

"Well," her grandmother said behind her. "That is the garden's way of asking a question."

Marisol did not turn around. "It's asking whether I should have used the netting."

"Maybe." Her grandmother crouched and lifted one of the ragged stems. Below the bite, a pale green nub had already begun to swell. "Or maybe it's asking whether you'll look close enough to see what's left."

Marisol knelt. The nub was small, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it was there, and there was another on the next stem, and another after that. Not every plant. But more than none.

She went to the shed for the netting. It took her the rest of the afternoon to string it along the row, and her fingers were raw by the time she finished. When she stepped back, the row still looked terrible.

It also looked like a row that might have beans in August.

What is the main message of the story?

  1. Gardens are difficult to protect from hungry animals without help.
  2. Grandparents usually understand a garden problem better than children do.
  3. Hard work is always its own reward.
  4. Loss can be less complete than it first appears. (correct answer)
Explanation: The turning point comes when the grandmother asks whether Marisol will look closely enough to see what is left, and Marisol finds that some plants survived. Choice A names the topic rather than the message. Choices B and C are common lessons, but neither matches what actually changes in this story.

Question 8

Winter Fence

The fence posts wear their caps of snow. They will not step inside. They hold the wire. They watch the road. They hold. That is their pride.

All night the wind goes door to door
and rattles what it finds.
The posts say nothing back at all.
They hold. They do not mind.

By March the caps have slipped away. The sagging wire has dried. The posts lean tired by the road. They hold. That is their pride.

What main idea does the poem express?

  1. Winter is the hardest season for anyone to get through.
  2. Fences need to be repaired every spring.
  3. Steady, quiet effort has a value of its own. (correct answer)
  4. The wind always wins in the end no matter what.
Explanation: In every stanza the posts simply keep holding, and the poem calls this their pride. The second stanza adds that they "say nothing back at all" when the wind rattles them. Choice A treats the setting as the point. Choice B adds practical advice the poem never gives, and choice D is the opposite of what happens, since the posts are still standing at the end.

Question 9

The Last Row

Marisol had counted on the beans. All spring she had watched the row nearest the fence, the one she had planted herself, while her grandmother tended the rest of the garden. The seedlings came up crooked but stubborn, pushing through soil that was mostly clay.

Then the deer came.

By morning her row was a ruin of chewed stems. Marisol stood at the fence for a long time without speaking. Inside her chest, something hardened like cooling wax.

"Well," her grandmother said behind her. "That is the garden's way of asking a question."

Marisol did not turn around. "It's asking whether I should have used the netting."

"Maybe." Her grandmother crouched and lifted one of the ragged stems. Below the bite, a pale green nub had already begun to swell. "Or maybe it's asking whether you'll look close enough to see what's left."

Marisol knelt. The nub was small, no bigger than a grain of rice, but it was there, and there was another on the next stem, and another after that. Not every plant. But more than none.

She went to the shed for the netting. It took her the rest of the afternoon to string it along the row, and her fingers were raw by the time she finished. When she stepped back, the row still looked terrible.

It also looked like a row that might have beans in August.

Which detail best shows that Marisol does not give up easily?

  1. She watched the row nearest the fence all spring.
  2. She stands at the fence for a long time without speaking.
  3. She keeps stringing the netting even after her fingers are raw. (correct answer)
  4. She asks whether she should have used the netting.
Explanation: Stringing the netting takes her the rest of the afternoon, and her fingers are raw by the time she finishes, which shows that she keeps working through discomfort until the job is done. Choice A shows that she is attentive, choice B shows that she is stunned by the damage, and choice D shows that she blames herself. All are true details, but only one shows persistence.

Question 10

The Map

CHARACTERS
NELL, a girl of eleven
THEO, her younger brother

SETTING: The attic of an old house. Late afternoon. Dusty light comes through one small window.

(NELL kneels beside an open trunk. THEO stands in the doorway, not coming in.)

NELL: Come look at this.

THEO: There are spiders up here.

NELL: There are spiders everywhere. Come look.

(THEO takes two steps in, then stops.)

NELL (unfolding a large paper): It's a map. Of this house. Somebody drew every room.

THEO: Why would you draw a house you are standing in?

NELL (pausing): I don't know. Maybe so you would remember it.

(She smooths the paper against the floor. A corner tears.)

NELL: Oh —

THEO (crossing to her quickly): Let me. I'm better at paper.

(He kneels. Carefully, he fits the torn corner back into place and holds it there.)

THEO: There's a room here that isn't in the house.

NELL: What?

THEO: This one. Off the kitchen. There's no door there now.

(They both look at the map. Neither speaks. Below them, a floorboard settles.)

Theo says, "I'm better at paper." What does he mean?

  1. He would much rather sit and read a book than explore.
  2. He is more careful with delicate things than Nell is. (correct answer)
  3. He wants to draw a careful map of the house himself.
  4. He does not believe the map is real.
Explanation: Theo says this right after the map tears in Nell's hands, and he then fits the corner back gently and holds it in place. He is claiming to be the steadier of the two with something fragile. The other choices describe ideas the scene never raises.

Question 11

Winter Fence

The fence posts wear their caps of snow. They will not step inside. They hold the wire. They watch the road. They hold. That is their pride.

All night the wind goes door to door
and rattles what it finds.
The posts say nothing back at all.
They hold. They do not mind.

By March the caps have slipped away. The sagging wire has dried. The posts lean tired by the road. They hold. That is their pride.

What does repeating the words "They hold" in all three stanzas most likely emphasize?

  1. How weak the posts have become
  2. That the poet is describing a different fence each time
  3. How quickly the seasons pass
  4. That the posts keep doing the same thing no matter what (correct answer)
Explanation: The repeated line stays the same while the snow, the wind, and the wire all change around it, which highlights that the posts go on doing exactly one thing. Choice A misses that holding is presented as a strength, and choices B and C describe ideas the repetition does not carry.

Question 12

Winter Fence

The fence posts wear their caps of snow. They will not step inside. They hold the wire. They watch the road. They hold. That is their pride.

All night the wind goes door to door
and rattles what it finds.
The posts say nothing back at all.
They hold. They do not mind.

By March the caps have slipped away. The sagging wire has dried. The posts lean tired by the road. They hold. That is their pride.

What has changed by the third stanza?

  1. The snow has melted and the wire has loosened. (correct answer)
  2. The posts have been replaced with new ones.
  3. The wind has stopped blowing entirely.
  4. The road has been moved farther away.
Explanation: The third stanza says the caps have slipped away, the sagging wire has dried, and the posts lean tired, which shows that winter has ended and the fence has worn down. The poem never mentions new posts, a moved road, or the wind stopping.

Question 13

The Map

CHARACTERS
NELL, a girl of eleven
THEO, her younger brother

SETTING: The attic of an old house. Late afternoon. Dusty light comes through one small window.

(NELL kneels beside an open trunk. THEO stands in the doorway, not coming in.)

NELL: Come look at this.

THEO: There are spiders up here.

NELL: There are spiders everywhere. Come look.

(THEO takes two steps in, then stops.)

NELL (unfolding a large paper): It's a map. Of this house. Somebody drew every room.

THEO: Why would you draw a house you are standing in?

NELL (pausing): I don't know. Maybe so you would remember it.

(She smooths the paper against the floor. A corner tears.)

NELL: Oh —

THEO (crossing to her quickly): Let me. I'm better at paper.

(He kneels. Carefully, he fits the torn corner back into place and holds it there.)

THEO: There's a room here that isn't in the house.

NELL: What?

THEO: This one. Off the kitchen. There's no door there now.

(They both look at the map. Neither speaks. Below them, a floorboard settles.)

What do the words inside the parentheses tell the reader?

  1. What the characters are secretly thinking but do not say.
  2. What the characters do and how they move. (correct answer)
  3. Which character is going to speak next in the scene.
  4. Where the whole story is meant to take place.
Explanation: The lines in parentheses describe actions, such as kneeling beside the trunk, taking two steps in, and crossing to Nell quickly. These are stage directions. The setting appears on its own labeled line rather than in parentheses, and the speaker is shown by the name before each colon.

Question 14

The Map

CHARACTERS
NELL, a girl of eleven
THEO, her younger brother

SETTING: The attic of an old house. Late afternoon. Dusty light comes through one small window.

(NELL kneels beside an open trunk. THEO stands in the doorway, not coming in.)

NELL: Come look at this.

THEO: There are spiders up here.

NELL: There are spiders everywhere. Come look.

(THEO takes two steps in, then stops.)

NELL (unfolding a large paper): It's a map. Of this house. Somebody drew every room.

THEO: Why would you draw a house you are standing in?

NELL (pausing): I don't know. Maybe so you would remember it.

(She smooths the paper against the floor. A corner tears.)

NELL: Oh —

THEO (crossing to her quickly): Let me. I'm better at paper.

(He kneels. Carefully, he fits the torn corner back into place and holds it there.)

THEO: There's a room here that isn't in the house.

NELL: What?

THEO: This one. Off the kitchen. There's no door there now.

(They both look at the map. Neither speaks. Below them, a floorboard settles.)

Which detail best shows that Theo becomes more involved as the scene goes on?

  1. He says there are spiders up in the attic.
  2. He asks why anyone would draw a house they are standing in.
  3. He stands in the doorway without coming in.
  4. He crosses to Nell quickly to fix the torn map. (correct answer)
Explanation: Theo begins outside the room and unwilling to enter, but by the end he hurries over and carefully repairs the tear himself. Choices A and C show his early reluctance, and choice B shows curiosity without action.

Question 15

The Map

CHARACTERS
NELL, a girl of eleven
THEO, her younger brother

SETTING: The attic of an old house. Late afternoon. Dusty light comes through one small window.

(NELL kneels beside an open trunk. THEO stands in the doorway, not coming in.)

NELL: Come look at this.

THEO: There are spiders up here.

NELL: There are spiders everywhere. Come look.

(THEO takes two steps in, then stops.)

NELL (unfolding a large paper): It's a map. Of this house. Somebody drew every room.

THEO: Why would you draw a house you are standing in?

NELL (pausing): I don't know. Maybe so you would remember it.

(She smooths the paper against the floor. A corner tears.)

NELL: Oh —

THEO (crossing to her quickly): Let me. I'm better at paper.

(He kneels. Carefully, he fits the torn corner back into place and holds it there.)

THEO: There's a room here that isn't in the house.

NELL: What?

THEO: This one. Off the kitchen. There's no door there now.

(They both look at the map. Neither speaks. Below them, a floorboard settles.)

What does the scene mainly show?

  1. Two children arguing about which of them found the map.
  2. A brother teaching his sister to handle old papers.
  3. Two children discovering something puzzling in their house. (correct answer)
  4. A girl exploring the attic of an old house alone.
Explanation: Nell finds a map of her own house, and together the children notice a room on it that no longer has a door. Choice A is wrong because they never argue, choice B turns one careful moment into a lesson, and choice D is wrong because Theo is present for the whole scene.