G R A D E 6 A S S E S S M E N T O F R E A D I N G , W R I T I N G A N D M AT H E M AT I C S , 2 0 0 4 – 2 0 0 5

Student Booklet
LANGUAGE
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Student Booklet: Language 2 Section C 3
 Wheels slows movement. The wheel is the
perfect friction beater.
What do you think was the most
important invention ever? Fire? A metal Rollers
axe? Ice cream? How about the wheel? Egyptian pyramid builders and the
Without the wheel, you wouldn’t have makers of Stonehenge used circular 40
5 cups, plates and bowls made on a rollers to move huge stone blocks from
potter’s wheel. There would be no cars, the quarries to the building sites.
bicycles or roller skates. Like all circles,
wheels have radial symmetry, and that’s
what makes them so useful.

10 Who invented the wheel? Cave dwellers

drew wheel-shaped pictures on cave
walls to represent the sun. But people
didn’t use wheels for anything practical
until about 4000 B.C.E., when the potter’s
15 wheel and the wheeled cart were invented.
The Aztecs of Mexico made pottery toys
with wheels but they didn’t use wheels
for transportation. Why not? Because
wheeled carts aren’t much use unless Solid Wheels
20 there are some large, strong, tame animals The first wheels were made of three
to pull them. Since there were no horses rectangular boards fastened together 45
or oxen in North and South America at into a square and then rounded off at
that time, the Aztecs used llamas instead the corners. Early people didn’t make
and loaded packs on their backs. wheels from slices of logs because they
didn’t have metal saws. But cross-sections
25 The inventor of the wheel figured out of logs wouldn’t work very well as wheels 50
that it took less energy to roll something anyway because they would split apart
along the ground than to drag it. Wheels along the grain.
work by reducing friction—the result of
one thing rubbing over another. Some
30 friction is useful. Without it, your feet
would slip out from under you as you
walk. (People slip on banana peels
because there’s not enough friction
between the shoe and the banana peel.)
35 But too much friction wastes energy and

4 Section C Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, 2004–2005

 Spoked Wheels Inflatable Rubber Tires
Between 2000 B.C.E. and 1500 B.C.E. John Boyd Dunlop patented the first
55 spoked wheels were invented and used “pneumatic” rubber tire in 1888 as a
for chariots. Made of a hub and rim way to make bicycles ride more smoothly. 70
connected by spokes, these wheels were Early bicycles were sometimes called
lighter than solid wheels and provided a “boneshakers” because their metal wheels
faster, smoother ride. gave such a bumpy ride, even when
covered with solid rubber tires. Dunlop
came up with the revolutionary idea of 75
fitting the wheel with an inflatable rubber
inner tube protected by a rubber tread.

60 Wheels and Axles

The earliest wheels were firmly attached
to their axle—when the wheels turned,
the axle turned too. About 100 B.C.E., a
big improvement was the rotating wheel
65 that spins freely on an axis that doesn’t
turn. This design cuts down on friction.

Selections from Circles by Catherine Sheldrick Ross, illustrated

by Bill Slavin, used by permission of Kids Can Press Ltd.,
Toronto. Text copyright © 1992 by Catherine Sheldrick Ross.
Illustrations copyright © 1992 by Bill Slavin.

Student Booklet: Language 2 Section C 5

1. Read the following sentence. 3. Read the following sentence.
“What do you think was the most “Wheels work by reducing friction—the
important invention ever? Fire? A metal result of one thing rubbing over
axe? Ice cream?” (lines 1 to 3) another.” (lines 27 to 29)
Which sentence best replaces the word The words after the dash ( — ) are used
“Fire”? to
a How was fire important? a tell the purpose of wheels.
b Who found fire important? b provide an example of work.
c Was fire the most important? c add to the meaning of “reducing.”
d Why is fire the most important? d explain the meaning of “friction.”

2. The main idea of the article is that 4. Which word from the article means
a the wheel has radial symmetry. “craters from which people get stone”?

b wheels are used throughout the a axles

world. b quarries
c the wheel is the most important c chariots
invention. d pyramids
d cups, plates and bowls are made on
potters’ wheels.

6 Section C Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, 2004–2005

5. Read the sentence below:

The wheel was an important invention.

Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement. Use information from the text and
your own experiences to support your answers.

6. Describe two important ways in which wheels were used in ancient civilizations.

Student Booklet: Language 2 Section C 7

Probing the Earth’s Deepest Secrets

John Buchanan, a university geology professor, has lived this adventure. Most geologists
study the surface of the earth, but John prefers to look underground. When he was
thirteen years old, he liked to read about caves, yet he never dreamed he’d one day crawl
through them. But his teachers urged him to study hard and follow his interests, so
that’s what he did. Now each spring, he travels to the Central American country of Belize 5
to explore Petroglyph Cave.

“Some people say I have too much fun with my research,” laughs John, “because much
of what I do is like an Indiana Jones movie. On our way to Petroglyph, we’ve run into
poisonous snakes, scorpions, bad-tempered monkeys—and that’s before we even get to
the entrance! Once inside, we need to look out for bloodsucking beetles, sudden drop- 10
offs and flooded passageways. It’s dangerous work, and nobody should explore a cave
alone or without experience. But the effort and risk are well worth the sights we see
inside.”

John’s found a lot of exciting things. In April 1996, he and fellow explorers discovered
two formations he thinks nobody has seen before. One was a hump of limestone rising 15
from the floor, which they called a camelback stalagmite. The other was a raised and
rippled area on the floor, which could be the result of animals passing through the cave
over hundreds of years. John and another geologist, Tom Miller, are studying how both
these formations were made. They hope their research will help explain how wind, rain
and animal life can affect the growth of geological features below and above the earth. 20

Also in Petroglyph, John and other explorers found signs of a 2000-year-old Mayan
community, perhaps the same community whose rock carvings give the cave its name.
They discovered bits of pottery and tools along with the bones of Mayans buried in the
cave. And in banks of fine clay, they’ve found samples of ancient pollen. “On the surface
of the earth, flooding and erosion usually destroy that sort of evidence. But below the 25
ground, it is preserved. By looking at such samples, a botanist might be able to discover
what crops the ancient Mayans grew or whether they slashed and burned the rain forests
they lived in.” John believes that discoveries like these may help us better understand the
day-to-day lives of the Mayans.

8 Section C Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, 2004–2005

Some of Petroglyph’s treasures are geological features that formed over thousands of 30
years as dripping water left behind small bits of limestone. In some places, the mineral-
rich water caused stalactites to descend from the ceiling or stalagmites to rise from the
ground. There are also rare cave pearls, little marbles of limestone that form when drops
of calcium-rich water fall from stalactites and cause a spinning motion in the shallow
pools below. 35

Besides these delicate rock formations, caves like Petroglyph also conceal rare species of
animal and insect life. Some of these creatures, such as cave fish, are blind, and others,
like bats, are equipped with special radar to compensate for the total darkness of their
habitat.

“What’s exciting about caves,” John says, “is that new discoveries are always out there 40
waiting for you.”

“Probing the Earth’s Deepest Secrets” reprinted by permission of Cricket magazine, June 1998, Vol. 25, No. 10,
© 1998 by John Soennichsen. Photographs courtesy of the collection of Dr. John Buchanan.

Student Booklet: Language 2 Section C 9

 7. A geologist is a person who studies 10. How did Petroglyph Cave get its name?
a insect life. a It was named for the animals and
b ancient crops. crops found nearby.

c rock formations. b It was named for the Mayan rock

carvings found there.
d poisonous snakes.
c It was named for the delicate rock
formations found there.
8. The information in this article is most
likely accurate, because the writer d It was named for the Mayan pottery
and tools found nearby.
a studied plants.
b read about geology.
c visited Central America.
d interviewed John Buchanan.

9. John Buchanan became interested in

caves when
a he visited Central America.
b he saw an Indiana Jones movie.
c he read about caves as a teenager.
d he met a geologist named Tom
Miller.

10 Section C Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, 2004–2005

11. In your own words, state the main idea of paragraph two. Include details from the text to
support your answer.

12. John Buchanan discovered stalactites and stalagmites in Petroglyph Cave.

Explain how these formations are different, using information from the text to support
your answer.

Student Booklet: Language 2 Section C 11

 Section

D
Student Booklet: Language 2 Section D 13
 13. Stories are hiding everywhere, just waiting to be uncovered. Your imagination can create a
story from just one small piece of information.

He felt the little box in his pocket and smiled.

Imagine a story to write, using this sentence. The sentence must be included at some point
in your story.
On your own, think about

• your audience.
• who “he” might be.
• what might be in the box.
• why it is important to him.
• the necessary elements of a story.
• words that are interesting and
descriptive.

Ideas for My Story

Remember:
• Write on every line.
• Check over your work.
• Check your spelling, grammar
and punctuation.

14 Section D Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, 2004–2005

Now write your story.

Student Booklet: Language 2 Section D 15

16 Section D Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, 2004–2005
Student Booklet: Language 2 Section D 17
 14. It is the first day of summer holidays, and you awaken to a grey, rainy day. Not to let the
weather get you down, you set out to make this the best rainy day ever!

Imagine that you are ready for bed and that you write in your journal before you go to sleep.

Ideas for My Journal Entry

Remember:
• Check over your work.
• Check your spelling,
grammar and
punctuation.

18 Section D Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, 2004–2005

Now, write your journal entry, The Best Rainy Day Ever.

STOP

Student Booklet: Language 2 Section D 19