Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts : Show Basic Understanding
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts
All Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Show Basic Understanding
Adapted from “How the Camel Got His Hump” in Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1902)
Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.
Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.”
“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.
Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.”
“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.
Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.”
“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.
At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”
That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.
Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow‐wow with the Three.
“Djinn of All Deserts,” said the Horse, “is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new‐and‐all?”
“Certainly not,” said the Djinn.
“Well,” said the Horse, “there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.”
“Whew!” said the Djinn, whistling, “that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?”
“He says ‘Humph!’” said the Dog; “and he won’t fetch and carry.”
“Does he say anything else?”
“Only ‘Humph!’; and he won’t plough,” said the Ox.
“Very good,” said the Djinn. “I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.”
"Camel my friend, what's this is hear of your doing no work, the world so new-and-all?", and the Djinn
"Humph!"
"Camel, you've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your 'scruciating idleness."
"Humph!"
"I shouldn't say that again if I were you. You might say it once too often. Camel, I want you to work."
"Humph!"
No sooner has Camel said it than he sees his back, that he is so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping human
"Do you see that hump? That's your very own humph that you've brought upon your very own self by not working. Today is Thursday, and you've done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work," said Djinn.
"How can I with this humph on my back?" asked Camel.
"That's made a-purpose all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you. Stay with the Three, and behave."
"Humph! Humph!"
From that day to this the Camel always wears a humph. Now we call is "hump" so that we will not hurt his feelings. However, he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave.
Why were the horse, dog, and ox mad at the camel?
The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because they had to work double-time since the camel refused to work.
The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because the camel would not talk to them.
The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because the camel got to eat better food than they did.
The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because the camel only talked to the Man.
The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because they had to work double-time since the camel refused to work.
We were told near the beginning of the story that the Man said the horse, dog, and ox would have to work double-time to make up for the camel not working.
At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”
That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.
Example Question #2 : Show Basic Understanding
“Honest Abe”
Abraham Lincoln is not just the face on the penny. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and he was known as “Honest Abe." This nickname started when he was a young boy working in a store. If he gave someone the wrong change back, then he would follow them home and give them their left over money. “Honest Abe” is remembered as an honest boy and a great president.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one-room home in Kentucky, and then later moved to Indiana and later Illinois. He grew up very poor and after his mother passed away, his older sister took care of him. Abraham Lincoln did not have an easy time growing up, but he was very smart. Most of what he knew he learned on his own by reading books, he was self-taught.
Lincoln became president in 1861. Lincoln wanted to end the use of slavery in the United States, which upset many people. Because of this, some states did not want to be apart of the United States and tried to have their own laws and rules. A war started and lasted for 4 years. This became known as the Civil War. After it ended, all of the states of the United States stayed together, and President Lincoln said that all slaves needed to be set free.
Abraham Lincoln’s life was too short. He died at age 56, but he will always be remembered.
Based on the passage, what describes Abraham Lincoln's childhood?
Happy
Challenging
Easy
Strict
Challenging
The answer to this question will not be found directly in the text, but we can use details from the text to help us select an answer. In the passage, we are told that Lincoln did not have an easy time growing up. His mother passed away when he was young and he grew up very poor. Because of these things, his childhood was most likely not happy or easy. It would be very sad and hard to lose a mother so young and grow up in a one-room home. Nothing is mentioned about Lincoln's dad or sister being strict.
"Challenging" is the best answer to this questions. It would be challenging to grow up poor, having to teach yourself things instead of being taught by a teacher everyday, and losing your mother at a young age.
Example Question #3 : Show Basic Understanding
“Honest Abe”
Abraham Lincoln is not just the face on the penny. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and he was known as “Honest Abe." This nickname started when he was a young boy working in a store. If he gave someone the wrong change back, then he would follow them home and give them their left over money. “Honest Abe” is remembered as an honest boy and a great president.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one-room home in Kentucky, and then later moved to Indiana and later Illinois. He grew up very poor and after his mother passed away, his older sister took care of him. Abraham Lincoln did not have an easy time growing up, but he was very smart. Most of what he knew he learned on his own by reading books, he was self-taught.
Lincoln became president in 1861. Lincoln wanted to end the use of slavery in the United States, which upset many people. Because of this, some states did not want to be apart of the United States and tried to have their own laws and rules. A war started and lasted for 4 years. This became known as the Civil War. After it ended, all of the states of the United States stayed together, and President Lincoln said that all slaves needed to be set free.
Abraham Lincoln’s life was too short. He died at age 56, but he will always be remembered.
Where was Abraham Lincoln born?
All of the choices are correct
Indiana
Illinois
Kentucky
Kentucky
This question is asking us for a detail from the passage, which means we can find the answer directly in the passage. We are told in the second paragraph that Lincoln was born in Kentucky. We were also told that he lived in Indiana and Illinois, but he was born in Kentucky.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one-room home in Kentucky, and then later moved to Indiana and later Illinois. He grew up very poor and after his mother passed away, his older sister took care of him. Abraham Lincoln did not have an easy time growing up, but he was very smart. Most of what he knew he learned on his own by reading books.
Example Question #4 : Show Basic Understanding
“Honest Abe”
Abraham Lincoln is not just the face on the penny. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and he was known as “Honest Abe." This nickname started when he was a young boy working in a store. If he gave someone the wrong change back, then he would follow them home and give them their left over money. “Honest Abe” is remembered as an honest boy and a great president.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one-room home in Kentucky, and then later moved to Indiana and later Illinois. He grew up very poor and after his mother passed away, his older sister took care of him. Abraham Lincoln did not have an easy time growing up, but he was very smart. Most of what he knew he learned on his own by reading books, he was self-taught.
Lincoln became president in 1861. Lincoln wanted to end the use of slavery in the United States, which upset many people. Because of this, some states did not want to be apart of the United States and tried to have their own laws and rules. A war started and lasted for 4 years. This became known as the Civil War. After it ended, all of the states of the United States stayed together, and President Lincoln said that all slaves needed to be set free.
Abraham Lincoln’s life was too short. He died at age 56, but he will always be remembered.
What was the first thing we learned about Lincoln from the passage?
Lincoln was the 16th president
Lincoln is on the penny
Lincoln died at age 56
Lincoln was born in Kentucky
Lincoln is on the penny
We are looking for the first thing that we learned in the passage, so we want to start at the beginning of the passage. The first thing that we learn is that Abraham Lincoln is on the penny.
Abraham Lincoln is not just the face on the penny. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and he was known as “Honest Abe." This nickname started when he was a young boy working in a store. If he gave someone the wrong change back, then he would follow them home and give them their left over money. “Honest Abe” is remembered as an honest boy and a great president.
We are told that he's "not just the face on the penny" which means that he is on the penny, but was also many other things. He was the 16th president, he was born in Kentucky, and he died at age 56. But the first thing we learn is that he was on the penny.
Example Question #5 : Show Basic Understanding
“Honest Abe”
Abraham Lincoln is not just the face on the penny. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and he was known as “Honest Abe." This nickname started when he was a young boy working in a store. If he gave someone the wrong change back, then he would follow them home and give them their left over money. “Honest Abe” is remembered as an honest boy and a great president.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one-room home in Kentucky, and then later moved to Indiana and later Illinois. He grew up very poor and after his mother passed away, his older sister took care of him. Abraham Lincoln did not have an easy time growing up, but he was very smart. Most of what he knew he learned on his own by reading books, he was self-taught.
Lincoln became president in 1861. Lincoln wanted to end the use of slavery in the United States, which upset many people. Because of this, some states did not want to be apart of the United States and tried to have their own laws and rules. A war started and lasted for 4 years. This became known as the Civil War. After it ended, all of the states of the United States stayed together, and President Lincoln said that all slaves needed to be set free.
Abraham Lincoln’s life was too short. He died at age 56, but he will always be remembered.
What is the last detail about Lincoln that we learn from the passage?
Lincoln became president in 1861
Lincoln was the 16th president
Lincoln died at age 56
Lincoln was born in 1809
Lincoln died at age 56
We are looking for the last detail, so we want to look near the end of the passage for the answer to this question.
Abraham Lincoln’s life was too short. He died at age 56, but he will always be remembered.
Lincoln did become president in 1861, was born in 1809, and was the 16th president, but we learn about those things before we learn that he died at age 56.
Example Question #11 : Key Ideas And Details
The Farm and the Magical Rainstorms
Since the time he was a little boy, Farmer Bo had always wanted to have a farm filled with lots of different kinds of animals. One day, as he was strolling down a country road, he saw a big sign in the middle of a field that reads “For Sale.” From what he could see, there wasn’t much to the land. Just a lot of open space and a small shack. The shack looked pretty old and beat-up from the outside. However, Farmer Bo never was the type to need nice things. He lived a simple life. He decided he would buy the land, live in the shack, and begin building a barn.
During the first night he spent in the shack, it began raining cats and dogs outside. Farmer Bo couldn’t sleep that night because he was worried that there might be too much flooding to start building his barn the next day. All night long he heard cracks of lighting and heavy drops of rain beating down on his tin roof. When morning came, he looked outside and couldn’t believe his eyes! There, in the middle of his field, was the start to his barn. It wasn’t completed yet, but there was a frame to the barn. Farmer Bo was baffled. He had no clue how this structure had just appeared. Instead of getting to work to complete his barn, he decided to see what would happen the next night.
That night no rain came. The ground was as dry as a bone when Farm Bo woke up from his slumber. To his disappointment, the barn still stood in the field just as it had the previous day- still not complete. Night after night he waited, but each day no more progress had been made when he woke up the next morning. After two weeks he decided he would get to work himself. He spent all day out in the hot sun working to build sides to his barn. When the sky got dark, and he was forced to quit working, he had half of the barn finished.
That night, the rain came again. To Farm Bo’s delight, the sides of the barn were all finished when he woke up the next morning. He decided not to sit back and keep waiting for the rain. So he quickly got to work on the barn’s roof. He nailed hundreds of shingles in one single day, but again night came before the roof was complete. That night, he went to bed tired, sore, and hoping for rain.
Why did Farmer Bo decide not to work on his barn for two weeks?
Because the animals were supposed to build the barn.
Because he hired construction workers to build the barn.
Because he changed his mind about having a farm.
Because he woke up after his first night sleeping in the shack and part of the barn had been built overnight.
Because he woke up after his first night sleeping in the shack and part of the barn had been built overnight.
In the second paragraph of the story, we are told that when Farmer Bo woke up after his first night he was delighted, or happy, to see that the frame of the barn had been built overnight. The end of this paragraph says that instead of getting to work that day he decided to see what would happen the next night. He waited two weeks, but no progress was made, so then he got to work himself. Based on this information, the correct answer is, “Because he woke up after his first night sleeping in the shack and part of the barn had been built overnight.”
Example Question #7 : Show Basic Understanding
Adley Joins the Soccer Team
The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.
All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.
Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.
During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.
What does Adley normally do each morning?
Scores a lot of goals during soccer games.
Goes to soccer practice.
Studies for school.
She wakes up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and runs to school.
She wakes up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and runs to school.
This story opens or begins, by telling us what Adley normally does each morning. She, “wakes up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and runs to school.” This is the correct answer.
Example Question #6 : Show Basic Understanding
Adley Joins the Soccer Team
The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.
All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.
Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.
During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.
What helped Adley’s confidence during soccer practice?
Listening to her coach.
Wearing her cleats.
Making friends with her teammates.
Practicing each night.
Wearing her cleats.
The answer to this question can be found in the last paragraph, specifically in the last sentence of the story. We are told that as Adley was wearing the clears her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared. Thus, wearing the cleats helped Adley’s confidence during soccer practice.
Example Question #7 : Show Basic Understanding
Adley Joins the Soccer Team
The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.
All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.
Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.
During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.
What was special about Adley joining the soccer team?
She was a year younger than most of the girls on the team.
Her dad was the coach.
She had missed try-outs but was allowed to join the team anyways.
She was the only girl on the team.
She was a year younger than most of the girls on the team.
The answer to this question can be found in the first paragraph of the story. We were told that Adley’s dad had to “pull strings” to get her on the team. This means he had to ask for favors in order to get her on the team. He needed to do this because she wanted to join the team a year earlier than girls were allowed to join the soccer team at her school. So the correct answer is, “She was a year younger than most of the girls on the team".
Example Question #10 : Show Basic Understanding
The Farm and the Magical Rainstorms
Since the time he was a little boy, Farmer Bo had always wanted to have a farm filled with lots of different kinds of animals. One day, as he was strolling down a country road, he saw a big sign in the middle of a field that reads “For Sale.” From what he could see, there wasn’t much to the land. Just a lot of open space and a small shack. The shack looked pretty old and beat-up from the outside. However, Farmer Bo never was the type to need nice things. He lived a simple life. He decided he would buy the land, live in the shack, and begin building a barn.
During the first night he spent in the shack, it began raining cats and dogs outside. Farmer Bo couldn’t sleep that night because he was worried that there might be too much flooding to start building his barn the next day. All night long he heard cracks of lighting and heavy drops of rain beating down on his tin roof. When morning came, he looked outside and couldn’t believe his eyes! There, in the middle of his field, was the start to his barn. It wasn’t completed yet, but there was a frame to the barn. Farmer Bo was baffled. He had no clue how this structure had just appeared. Instead of getting to work to complete his barn, he decided to see what would happen the next night.
That night no rain came. The ground was as dry as a bone when Farm Bo woke up from his slumber. To his disappointment, the barn still stood in the field just as it had the previous day- still not complete. Night after night he waited, but each day no more progress had been made when he woke up the next morning. After two weeks he decided he would get to work himself. He spent all day out in the hot sun working to build sides to his barn. When the sky got dark, and he was forced to quit working, he had half of the barn finished.
That night, the rain came again. To Farm Bo’s delight, the sides of the barn were all finished when he woke up the next morning. He decided not to sit back and keep waiting for the rain. So he quickly got to work on the barn’s roof. He nailed hundreds of shingles in one single day, but again night came before the roof was complete. That night, he went to bed tired, sore, and hoping for rain.
When did Farmer Bo decide he wanted a farm?
When he was a little boy
After he bought a farm
After his dad bought a farm
When he was an adult
When he was a little boy
The opening sentence will help us answer this question. We are told that “Since the time he was a little boy, Farmer Bo had always wanted to have a farm….”. The correct answer is “When he was a little boy”.
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