PL 3.0 - 3.

1 On the first Monday of September, people across the country

celebrate a wonderful holiday. It is called Labor Day. Many people
have the day off from work. People have parades and picnics. But
what is this fun-filled holiday all about?

2 Labor Day began in New York City. It was started by labor

unions. Labor unions help protect workers’ rights. In the late
1800s, workers were often treated badly. They had to work
twelve to sixteen hours each day. Sometimes they did not
get meal breaks (time to eat). They were paid very little. But one
worker alone could not change anything. So they joined together to
form unions. They held parades and protests. They asked for
better working conditions. They wanted shorter workdays and
more pay.

3 In New York City, many small groups joined together. They

formed the Central Labor Union. In 1882, this group set up a
big Labor Festival. They invited all of New York City’s workers.
The day would begin with a parade. Workers would march
through the streets. Then they would spend the day in a park.

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 1
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

4 On the big day, the leaders worried that no one would show
up. But workers slowly began to come. Then more and more
came. They came in groups. They brought bands to play music.
By the time the parade reached the park, 10,000 workers had
joined in.

5 Many kinds of workers went to the festival. They listened to

speeches. That night they watched fireworks and danced. The
festival was a great success. Newspapers called it “a day of the
people.” It was not yet named Labor Day, but a new holiday was
born.

6 Today, Labor Day is celebrated all over the country. And,

thanks to the labor unions, workers now have many laws to protect
them. The laws make sure that workers get fair pay and meal breaks.
They do not work too many hours. These laws have made workers’
lives better.

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 2
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

1. This question has two parts. Answer Part A and then Part B.
This graphic organizer can help you think about your answer.

Key Details Main Idea

Part A Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?

A Thousands of workers attended a festival in New York.

B Many small unions joined to form the Central Labor Union.
C Labor Day is a holiday that started with a festival to celebrate
workers.
D On the first Monday of September, many people celebrate by
going to parades.

Part B Which sentence (key detail) from the passage supports the main idea
in Part A?

A “So they joined together to form unions.”

B “In New York City, many small groups joined together.”
C “On the big day, the leaders worried that no one would show up.”
D “It was not yet named Labor Day, but a new holiday was born.”

2. The author of this passage seems to be strongly in favor of (likes the most)
Labor Day. Choose two phrases from the passage that support this inference
(tells you that the author is in favor of Labor Day).

A “On the first Monday of September”

B “people across the country”
C “a wonderful holiday”
D “the day off from work”
E “parades and picnics”
F “this fun-filled holiday”
Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20
For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 3
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

3. Choose the one sentence that best explains the meaning of the phrase
labor union. Underline the sentence you choose in the text below.

Labor Day began in New York City. It was started by labor unions.
Labor unions help protect workers’ rights. In the late 1800s, workers
were often treated badly. They had to work twelve to sixteen hours
each day. They were paid very little. So they joined together to form
unions. They held parades and protests. They asked for better working
conditions.

4. According to the timeline below, what happened in 1887?

A Workers formed the Knights of Labor.

B Labor Day became an official holiday.
C The first Labor Day parade was held.
D A successful railroad strike was held.

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 4
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

5. Choose two sentences from passage that give reasons why workers joined
labor unions. Check the box next to two sentences below.

6. In paragraph 2, the ai in paid is pronounced like the a in—

A date.
B park.
C drank.
D have.

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 5
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

1 On Labor Day in 1894, more than 10,000 tailors (workers who make
clothes) went on strike in New York City. They stopped working because
they were not being treated fairly. These tailors were doing important work,
but their bosses did not think so. You really can’t blame the tailors for
being
upset. So the tailors’ union called for a strike. (The workers joined
together to protect their rights, and refused to work.)

2 Tailors are workers who make clothes. In 1894, clothing was made by
hand.
Each tailor made a small part. For example, to make skirts, one person cut
the cloth. Another sewed on the buttons. A third person added the pockets.
A fourth pressed the skirt to take out the wrinkles.

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 6
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

3 The tailors worked long hours every day. The shops they worked
in were hot and crowded. Some tailors worked from early morning
to late at night. They got to work before the sun came up. They left
after the sun went down. They had time to sleep and work. That’s
all. Many did not even get a break during the day to eat lunch.

4 The tailors got paid very little, and their lives were hard. Some of
the tailors made about $4 a week. That was not enough to live on.
Also, they worked for only six months of the year. For the other half
of the year, they were not needed. So they had no work and earned
no money during that time.

5 The tailors grew tired of being treated unfairly. They wanted to

earn more money for their hard work. They did not want to work
more than ten hours per day. And they wanted to be able to take
a break to eat lunch. For these reasons, they went on strike. They
refused to work until their demands were met (they were given what
they said needed).

6 Without tailors, clothing could not be made. The clothing

companies had nothing to sell. They could not make any money.
They had no choice. They gave the tailors better conditions and
better pay.

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 7
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

7. This question has two parts. Answer Part A and then Part B.

Part A
Which sentence best states the main idea of this passage?

A In 1894, tailors in New York City went on strike because they

were not treated well.
B Some tailors went to work before the sun came up and went
home after dark.
C In 1894, clothing was made by tailors who sewed everything
by hand.
D Tailors worked for long hours in crowded shops and did not
get time off.

Part B
Choose two details from the passage that support the main idea from Part A.

A “Tailors are workers who make clothes.”

B “Each tailor made a small part.”
C “Some tailors worked from early morning to late at night.”
D “They refused to work until their demands were met.”
E “The clothing companies had nothing to sell.”

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 8
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

8. This question has two parts. Answer Part A and then Part B.

Part A
What is the meaning of the word pressed as it is used in paragraph 2?

A smoothed with an iron

B pushed hard against
C worked for a long time
D modeled or tried on

Part B
Which phrase from paragraph 2 gives a clue to the meaning in Part A?

A “made by hand”
B “cut the cloth”
C “sewed on the buttons”
D “take out the wrinkles”

Wrinkled Shirt Pressed Shirt

Commented [1]: Are we keeping these pictures in 2-
2.9? how about in this version 3.0-3.9?

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 9
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

9. The author of this passage seems to favor the tailors more than the
bosses. Choose two sentences from paragraph 1 that support this
inference. Underline the sentences you choose.

On Labor Day in 1894, more than 10,000 tailors went on strike in New York
City. They stopped working because they were being treated unfairly. These
tailors were doing important work, but their bosses did not think so. You
really can’t blame the tailors for being upset. So the tailors’ union called for a
strike.

10. According to the second passage and the timeline above, which of
these events happened in the same year as the tailors’ strike?

A The National Labor Union was founded.

B The first Labor Day parade was held.
C Labor Day became an official holiday.
D Railroad workers went on strike.

11. In paragraph 5, the word grew has the same vowel sound as—

A cut.
B due.
C burn.
D hunt.

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 10
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

Read the following prompt. Refer back to “Labor Day” and “On Strike!”
to write a response.

12. Based on these two passages, why were many U.S. workers
unhappy in the late 1800s?

Step 1. Write key details from the two texts, “Labor Day” and “On
Strike!” that explain why many U.S. workers were unhappy.

Labor Day On Strike

● ●

● ●

Step 2. Use all of the details from your graphic organizer to write 2–3
sentences to explain why the workers were unhappy.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 11
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

13. What is the correct way to write the city and state in this letter?

A Oakdale, New York

B Oakdale; New York
C Oakdale New york
D Oakdale. New York

14. What is the correct spelling of the underlined word in sentence 1?

A family
B familyes
C families
D familys

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 12
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

15. How should sentence 2 be written?

A The parents preparing a huge meal.

B The parents prepare a huge meal.
C The parents prepared a huge meal.
D The parents prepares a huge meal.

16. How should sentence 4 be written?

A The kids runs around all morning and play games.

B The kids runned around all morning and play games.
C The kids run around all morning and play games.
D The kids running around all morning and play games.

17. Which word best fits in the blank in sentence 5?

A free
B freely
C freed
D freedom

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 13
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

Read the following prompt. Then write your response.

18. Think of a recent holiday you enjoyed. It might be Labor Day or a

different holiday. Write a personal letter to a friend telling how you
celebrated the holiday. Tell what happened, where the events took
place, and who took part. Be sure to include a greeting in your
letter. Be sure to use complete sentences and follow the rules of
standard English.

____________________
(date)

___________________________,
(greeting)

What holiday did you celebrate?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

How did you celebrate the holiday? (What did you do?)

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 14
 PL 3.0 - 3.9

Where did you celebrate the holiday?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Who did you celebrate the holiday with?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

__________________________
(closing)

_________________________
(signature)

Adapted from Benchmark Advance 2018 Assessments Last Revised 9/4/20

For English Learner Students
Proficiency Level 3.0 - 3.9 15