• Practice for every day of the school year • Help students prepare for standardized testing

STRATEGY PRACTICE
Did your mind wander as you read? What did you do to focus on 
what you were reading?
SKILL PRACTICE
Read the question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. The passage is mostly about 
.
A 
how an octopus can trick its enemies
B 
an octopus and its enemies
C 
why an octopus squirts ink
D 
life in the ocean
 2. Which fact explains why an octopus 
might look like a rock?
A 
It can squirt ink.
B 
It can jet out of sight.
C 
It can change the texture of its skin.
D 
It can close the openings on its body.
 3. An octopus is in the open water. Then 
it sees danger. It will probably 
.
A 
squeeze between rocks
B 
change its appearance
C 
jet away quickly
D 
pretend to be dead
 4. Which of these is the best head for 
the last paragraph?
A 
“I’m Too Soft to Eat”
B 
“I Look Like a Rock”
C 
“I’m Too Fast for You”
D 
“You Can’t Get Me!”
Monitor Comprehension
3453wk6.indd 44
5/14/10 10:03 AM

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Name: 
© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3453 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
45
WEEK 6
Monitor Comprehension
DAY 5
READ THE PASSAGE
As you read, pay close attention to the facts.
The first drinking straws grew outdoors. People broke off a piece of hollow 
grass. They plunked it into their cold lemonade and then sipped. Holding a glass 
with warm hands warmed the drink. So the grass helped keep the lemonade cold. 
But, ripe grass also changed how the lemonade tasted.
Marvin Stone wanted something that worked better than grass. He liked working 
with paper. So, he wrapped a strip of paper around a pencil. He glued the edges 
closed. Sure enough, his paper drinking straw worked. He then tried thicker paper 
that he covered in a thin wax. That paper did not fall apart in a drink. 
Mr. Stone experimented with different sizes of straws. He decided that 8
½
inches 
was the perfect length for a straw. He found the best width, too. It let the drink 
through but kept lemonade seeds out.