Read this passage about a popular children’s author. Then answer questions about the passage. Choose the best answer for Numbers 1 to 12. An Author Who Makes Reading Fun Have you ever read Ramona Quimby, Age 8? How about Mitch and Amy? If you have, then you are familiar with some of the books by Beverly Cleary. Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn on 12 April 1916. She spent her early years on her family’s farm. She lived in a town that was so small it did not have a library. Cleary’s mother arranged to have books sent from another library. The books were kept in a room over a bank. Cleary’s mother acted as a librarian, lending the books out. This was where Cleary says she made the “most magical discovery. There were books written especially for children!” Cleary's family moved to the city when she was six years old. This is where Cleary attended school. As a student she struggled with reading. She also did not like many of the books she found. She thought the characters fell short. They weren't like real children. The children she knew were fun and full of adventure. Cleary wanted to read stories about those kind of children. Since she couldn't find books like that, she decided that she would one day write them. When Cleary was older, she went to university to become a librarian. That's where she met Clarence Cleary. They married in 1940. A few years later she had children. That's when Beverly began to write. Her first book was Henry Huggins. The Mouse and the Motorcycle was written next. The idea came from her son. He wanted to read a story about a motorcycle. Years ago, the city where Beverly went to school honoured her in a special way. A children's library was named for her. “I knew | would be a children’s librarian and, with luck, write books to help fill the library shelves,” she said. And that she did! Cleary has written over 30 books and has won many awards for her work. But her biggest success comes in the form of young readers all over the world who enjoy her books. © 2012 Howker Brownlow Education * 9781743305577 © CARS Plus Suen! Guide D CA12130Finding Main Idea 1, What is the passage mostly about? ® Beverly Cleary’s books ® Beverly Cleary’s children © Beverly Cleary’s life © Beverly Cleary’s school years Recognising Cause and Effect 4. Cleary wrote The Mouse and the Motorcycle because ® she wanted to write a story about an animal. her husband asked her to write a story about a mouse. she wanted to write a special story for all children. her son wanted to read a story about a motorcycle. ©®o@ Recalling Facts and Details 2. At university, Beverly Cleary studied to bea ® storyteller. ® librarian. © teacher. © farmer. Comparing and Contrasting 5. The passage is most like a ® short story. © biography. © history article. © set of directions. Understanding Sequence 3. The boxes show some things that happened in Beverly Cleary’s life. Cleary Beverly attends writes The university. >} Mouse || land the Motorcycle. What belongs in the empty box? ® Cleary has a library named for her. ® Cleary writes Henry Huggins. © Cleary meets Clarence Cleary. © Cleary has children of her own. Making Predictions 6. Predict which kind of book Beverly Cleary might write in the future. ® a book about the homes of desert animals ® a book about the life of a famous person © a book about a little girl who has trouble making friends © a book about famous writers CARS Pus Stdent Guide D CA12130 9781743305577 * © 2012 Hawker Brownlow EducalFinding Word Meaning in Context 7. You can tell that a Librarian is someone who: ® “collects books”. © “works at the library”. © “reads books to children”. © “sends books to libraries”. Identifying Author’s Purpose 10. The author wrote this passage mainly to ® describe the events that shaped a writer’s life. © inform readers how to write children’s books. © try to get people to read books written by Beverly Cleary. © entertain readers with facts about popular books. Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences 8. You can tell that Beverly Cleary ® enjoyed being a writer more than being a librarian. learned how to write children’s books while attending university. Interpreting Figurative Language 11. In paragraph 3, the phrase fell short means ® “were not funny”. © “were difficult to understand”. © “were lacking in many ways”. © “were interesting to read Opinion 9. Which of these is a fact about Beverly Cleary? ® All children enjoy reading books by Beverly Cleary. ® Beverly Cleary grew up on a farm. © Beverly Cleary is a talented storyteller. © Beverly Cleary had a more interesting childhood than most writers. ® © got most of the ideas for her about”, books from her family. © wanted to become a writer from the time she was a little girl. Distinguishing Between Fact and Summarising 12. What is a good summary of the passage? ® Awoman writes many popular books for children. © A girl grows up to write the kind of books she would like to read. © A woman decides to write books that children will think are funny. © A library is named after a popular writer. © 2012 Hawker Brownlow Education * 9781743305577 * CARS Plus Student Guide D CA12130