Name: Date:

“Michaela DePrince: The War

Orphan Who Became a Ballerina”
William Kremer

FIRST READ: Comprehension

Identify the choice that best answers the question.
1. In “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,” how did
Mabinty become number 27?
a. The name Mabinty means “last.”
b. She was the last child to arrive at the orphanage.
c. She was the least favorite child at the orphanage.
d. The Aunties numbered the children as they arrived.
2. In “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,” why did
the Aunties dislike DePrince?
a. She was sickly.
b. She misbehaved.
c. She was left-handed.
d. She had a skin condition.
3. In “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,” what does
DePrince credit with inspiring her to become a ballerina?
a. the influence of her adoptive mother
b. a picture in a discarded magazine
c. being orphaned at a young age
d. the civil war in Sierra Leone
4. In “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,” how did
DePrince feel at first when she learns of her mat-mate’s planned adoption?
a. happy for her friend’s good fortune
b. upset by thoughts of being left behind
c. jealous that her friend would live in America
d. scared that her friend’s adoptive parents would be mean

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 GRADE 6 • UNIT 1 • SELECTION TEST
“MICHAELA DEPRINCE: THE WAR ORPHAN WHO BECAME A BALLERINA” BY WILLIAM KREMER

Name: Date:

5. In “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,” how has
DePrince realized her dream? Choose two options.
a. with the help of her adoptive mother
b. with the support of the Aunties
c. through hard work and practice
d. as a result of luck and good timing
e. by remaining shy and self-conscious

FIRST READ: Concept Vocabulary

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

6. What is the meaning of antagonism in the following sentence?

Jared dealt with the bully’s antagonism by ignoring her.

a. foolish jokes
b. hostile opposition
c. friendly disagreement
d. unexplained behavior

7. If a person can correctly be called a refugee, which of the following must be

true?
a. The person has no close family.
b. The person has applied for citizenship.
c. The person has enrolled in a new school.
d. The person has fled from an unsafe country.

8. Which of the following would be most likely to make a person feel distraught?
a. winning a game
b. preparing for a test
c. losing a prized possession
d. trying out for a sports team

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 GRADE 6 • UNIT 1 • SELECTION TEST
“MICHAELA DEPRINCE: THE WAR ORPHAN WHO BECAME A BALLERINA” BY WILLIAM KREMER

Name: Date:

CLOSE READ: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

9. Compare these excerpts from the beginning and end of “Michaela DePrince:
The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina.”
A professional stage debut is a huge event in the life of any ballerina, but Michaela
DePrince’s recent tour of South Africa also marked the end of an
extraordinary journey from her childhood as a war orphan in Sierra Leone.
“Now I’ve grown up and I’m so happy with the way things are turning out.”

Why does the author most likely begin and end by describing DePrince’s
success and her feelings of satisfaction? Choose two options.
a. to emphasize DePrince’s triumph despite surviving horrors
b. to introduce DePrince as an important talent in American ballet
c. to suggest that DePrince has more struggles ahead of her in life
d. to organize the article in the time sequence of DePrince’s real life
e. to characterize DePrince as a successful dancer and grateful survivor

10. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,”

what did the magazine photograph of the ballerina represent to DePrince?
a. friendship, kindness, and hard work
b. discipline, athleticism, and strength
c. riches, fame, and glamour
d. beauty, love, and hope

Part B Why did the ideals in Part A represented by the magazine photograph
most likely have such a strong impact on DePrince?
a. They were lacking in DePrince’s childhood.
b. They were taught repeatedly in the orphanage.
c. They were ideals that others encouraged DePrince to have.
d. They were ideals that reminded her of her Aunties.

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 GRADE 6 • UNIT 1 • SELECTION TEST
“MICHAELA DEPRINCE: THE WAR ORPHAN WHO BECAME A BALLERINA” BY WILLIAM KREMER

Name: Date:

11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A What do details in “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became
a Ballerina” indicate is the best word to describe Elaine DePrince, Michaela
DePrince’s adoptive mother?
a. beautiful
b. generous
c. imaginative
d. disappointing

Part B Which quotation from the article best supports the answer to Part A?
a. When the Aunties told Elaine DePrince that Michaela was unlikely to find
another home, she decided to adopt both girls.
b. Not only was Elaine not wearing any pointe shoes, but … she had none in
her luggage either.
c. Her new mother quickly noticed Michaela’s obsession with ballet.
d. When they finally went to see a stage performance, she was able to point
out to her mother the places where dancers had missed their steps.

12. According to “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,”
which of the following events most helped DePrince’s self-confidence?
a. making friends with Mia, her mat-mate
b. being adopted with Mia by Elaine DePrince
c. completing a tour with the Dance Theater of Harlem
d. learning that her teacher did not notice her skin condition

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 GRADE 6 • UNIT 1 • SELECTION TEST
“MICHAELA DEPRINCE: THE WAR ORPHAN WHO BECAME A BALLERINA” BY WILLIAM KREMER

Name: Date:

CLOSE READ: Analyze Craft and Structure

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

13. Which features of “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a
Ballerina” indicate that it is biographical writing? Choose three options.
a. DePrince is a real person.
b. DePrince’s story is one of success.
c. DePrince’s story takes place in more than one country.
d. The author includes DePrince’s thoughts and exact words.
e. The author includes facts about how DePrince was adopted.

14. In “Michaela DePrince: The War Orphan Who Became a Ballerina,” the author
includes DePrince’s thoughts so that the reader can understand her
better. According to DePrince, what makes being a black ballet dancer hard?
a. overseas travel in order to have a chance at success
b. few groups want to feature African American dancers
c. rejection of dancers that have vitiligo, DePrince’s skin condition
d. expectation for ballerinas in the corps de ballet to appear the same

15. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A How does the Aunties’ view of Michaela help the reader to better
understand her?
a. The Aunties don’t like Michaela, so the reader understands why Michaela
never gets adopted.
b. The Aunties believe Michaela is talented, so the reader understands why
Michaela becomes a dancer.
c. The Aunties are superstitious about Michaela, so the reader understands
why Michaela feels unloved.
d. The Aunties believe Michaela is special, so the reader understands why
Michaela receives more attention than the other children.

Part B Which quotation from DePrince in the article best supports the answer
to Part A?
a. “One was the favorite child of the orphanage and 27 was the least
favorite.”
b. “They told me every day how I wasn’t going to get adopted, because
nobody would want a devil’s child….”
c. “I could just see the beauty in [the ballerina] and the hope and the love and
just everything that I didn’t have.”
d. “That was all I would think about when I was on stage. I had trouble
looking at myself in the mirror,” ….

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 GRADE 6 • UNIT 1 • SELECTION TEST
“MICHAELA DEPRINCE: THE WAR ORPHAN WHO BECAME A BALLERINA” BY WILLIAM KREMER

Name: Date:

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Word Study

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

16. Read the following sentence.

The movie seemed as though it would go on forever, so we were surprised when it
came to an abrupt end.

Which of the following words is a synonym for abrupt as it is used in the

sentence?
a. sudden
b. unusual
c. exciting
d. frightening

17. Read the following sentence.

Kyle takes Buddy, his beloved dog, everywhere he goes.

Which of the following words is an antonym for beloved as it is used in the

sentence?
a. elderly
b. healthy
c. despised
d. well-behaved

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Conventions

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

18. Which of these sentences includes a reflexive pronoun?

a. Chandra had planned the entire block party herself.
b. Paloma told herself that it was normal to be nervous.
c. The neighbors themselves would never have made it happen.
d. José wondered whether he would have been as brave as David.

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 GRADE 6 • UNIT 1 • SELECTION TEST
“MICHAELA DEPRINCE: THE WAR ORPHAN WHO BECAME A BALLERINA” BY WILLIAM KREMER

Name: Date:

19. Which of these sentences includes an intensive pronoun?

a. The artists called themselves the Art Smarts Group.
b. Abigail knew that she herself was the most talented.
c. With chalk, I drew a picture of myself.
d. He spilled blue paint all over himself.

20. In the following sentence, which person or thing receives the action, as
indicated by the reflexive pronoun?
Noah suggested that his dad should buy himself a new smartphone or tablet.

a. Noah
b. dad
c. smartphone
d. tablet

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