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

SKILL PRACTICE
Read the question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. Why did Carnegie want to make 
English easier to read and write?
A 
because he could not read or spell
B 
because he thought most people 
would need to speak English
C 
because he thought silent letters
were a bother
D 
because he was a powerful man
 2.
 
Why did the men change the spellings 
of some English words?
A 
to get rid of hard words
B 
to make English easier to learn
C 
to show how smart they were
D 
to make a new dictionary
 3.
 
Based on the passage, which one would
be the new spelling of the word 
though
?
A 
tho
B 
thou
C 
thoo
D 
thoe
 4.
 
Why were silent letters eliminated 
in the new spellings?
A 
to make words harder to read
B 
to make words shorter to spell
C 
to show how words were spelled
long ago
D 
to spell words the way they sound
STRATEGY PRACTICE
Look at the second paragraph. Circle the sentence that tells a 
cause
.
 
Underline the sentence that describes the
 effect
.
Cause and Effect
3453.indb 162
5/6/10 4:00 PM

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Name: 
© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3453 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
163
WEEK 26
READ THE PASSAGE
Look for words that give someone’s opinion.
Up, Up, and Away!
“Impossible!” said some. “It’s foolish!” said others. Frenchman Jean-Pierre 
Blanchard claimed that he could fly. He had come to America with his hot-air 
balloon. President George Washington thought the idea was wonderful and 
wished Blanchard good luck. Scientists asked to go along on the flight. But 
Blanchard said no. He wanted the honor all to himself. As he was ready to lift off, 
however, something furry was shoved into his hands. A small dog would share 
Blanchard’s fame!
Cannons fired and bands played. The balloon rose slowly into the sky. 
Blanchard waved his feathered hat and a small flag to the crowds below. They 
cheered from roads, fields, and even rooftops. Blanchard liked all of the attention. 
The balloon sailed over a river. It seemed as narrow as a ribbon to Blanchard. 
Thin clouds looked like pulled cotton. About 46 minutes later, Blanchard landed 
the balloon in a farmer’s field. He and the dog had flown 15 miles. The farmer had 
never seen a man come down from the clouds. He ran off into the woods!