• 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 does Mia decide to bake a cake 
by herself?
A 
She thinks baking is fun.
B 
She is hungry for some cake.
C 
She likes following directions.
D 
She thinks baking will be easy.
 2. Why is Mia bored?
A 
She is waiting for the cake
to bake.
B 
She has nothing to do.
C 
She is waiting for summer vacation
to begin.
D 
She is waiting for Mom
to come home.
 3. Why does Mia’s cake taste bad?
A 
because Mia works too slowly
B 
because Mia does not enjoy baking
C 
because Mia did not bake the cake
for a long enough time
D 
because Mia used salt instead of sugar
 4. Because Mia makes a mistake while 
baking, she decides to 
.
A 
ask her mom for help
B 
give up on baking
C 
work more slowly and carefully
D 
eat a cookie to feel better 
STRATEGY PRACTICE
Tell a partner the beginning, middle, and end of the passage.
Use one sentence to tell each part.
Cause and Effect
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Name: 
© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3453 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
55
WEEK 8
READ THE PASSAGE
Look for facts and opinions about the kudzu (KUD-zoo) plant.
The Ever-Growing Plant
What if you wanted to make a scary movie about a plant that grew out of 
control? What would that plant be like? Would it climb light poles and telephone 
wires? Would it wrap around trees and crawl all over fields? Would it climb tall 
buildings and cover a house until that house looks like a giant bush?
There is a plant like that in the southern United States. It’s called kudzu, and
it can grow a foot a day! Some people say if you stand still long enough, kudzu
will grow all over you! 
About 100 years ago, people liked kudzu. Farmers fed it to their cows. They 
planted it in their fields. The plant’s strong roots kept the soil from washing away. 
People liked the shade the vines provided from the summer sun. After a time, 
people saw that nothing stopped kudzu from growing. The weather did not get 
cold enough to hurt the plant. Insects did not care to eat it. Now, people think 
kudzu grows too well. They think it is the worst plant in the world.