Read this passage. Then answer the questions.

Bald Eagles

Appearance

1 Bald eagles are large birds. They can weigh as much as fourteen pounds. They have a wingspan up to eight feet. Both male and female eagles have blackish-brown feathers on their bodies. The feathers on their heads and tails are white. (Long ago, the word bald meant “white spot,” not “hairless,” so “bald eagle” was a fitting name.) Their feet and beaks are yellow.

Habits

2 Bald eagles live near rivers, lakes, and marshes. There, they find fish, their favorite food. They will eat live fish or dead fish. They eat other animals, too.

3 Have you ever heard of someone having “eagle eyes”? Bald eagles have excellent eyesight. They fly high in the sky looking for food in the water or on the land. When they see food, they swoop down. They grab it with their sharp talons, or claws. Bald eagles can spot a rabbit from a mile away.

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

Nesting

4 Bald eagles build their nests in the tops of tall trees. They use the same nest, or aerie, year after year. They make the nest larger as needed. Eagle nests can be as much as ten feet wide. Some weigh as much as half a ton!

5 Bald eagles lay one to three eggs once a year. The eggs hatch in about thirty-five days. The young eaglets fly within three months. Soon after that, they live on their own.

A Noble Bird

6 Bald eagles may look fierce and mean, but they are not. Male and female eagles mate for life. They share all the work. Most bald eagles live about twenty-five years.

7 Bald eagles are at the top of their food chain. No other animals hunt them. It is an awesome sight to see a huge bald eagle soaring in the sky. For many people, eagles stand for freedom and strength.

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

15. Why does the author of the passage think that “bald eagle” is a fitting name for these birds?

A They lose the feathers on their heads as they grow older.

B The man who first studied them and named them was bald.

C Their heads are white and the word “bald” used to mean “white spot.”

D They have lots of feathers on their heads instead of hair.

16. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then answer Part B.

Part A What is the main idea of this passage?

A Bald eagles are good parents.

B Bald eagles can weigh fourteen pounds.

C Bald eagles can be very dangerous birds.

D Bald eagles are strong, noble birds.

Part B Choose one sentence from the passage that supports the main idea from Part A.

A “It is an awesome sight to see a huge bald eagle soaring in the sky.”

B “Bald eagles live near rivers, lakes, and marshes.”

C “They fly high in the sky looking for food in the water or on the land.”

D “Both male and female eagles have blackish-brown feathers on their bodies.”

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

17. Which sentence from paragraph 6 would be the best caption for the photograph in the passage? Underline the sentence you choose.

Bald eagles may look fierce and mean, but they are not. Male and female eagles mate for life. They share all the work. Most bald eagles live for about twenty-five years.

18. In paragraph 4, what is the meaning of the word aerie?

A young eagle

B female eagle

C eagle’s claw

D eagle’s nest

19. Look at the details listed in the chart. Choose two main topics to complete the chart. Put each main topic letter in the correct box at the top of the chart.

Main Topic: Main Topic:

blackish-brown feathers swoop to catch fish

white heads and tails build huge nests

yellow beaks and feet lay one to three eggs a year

Possible main topics:

A Awesome to See

B Where Eagles Live

C How Eagles Hunt

D Things Eagles Do

E How Long Eagles Live

F What Eagles Look Like

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

20. What feeling does the author express about eagles?

A trust

B fear

C respect

D concern

21. Under which heading would you find information about what eagle homes look like?

A Appearance

B Habits

C Nesting

D A Noble Bird

22. In paragraph 1, the word hairless means—

A without hair.

B able to grow hair.

C having hair.

D before hair.

23. In paragraph 2, the word food has the same vowel sound as—

A look.

B tool.

C spot.

D good.

24. In paragraph 5, the g in eaglet is pronounced like the g in—

A huge.

B danger.

C large.

D piglet.

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

Read this passage. Then answer the questions.

Our National Bird 1 Every country in the world has an animal of some kind as

its symbol. The animal represents an idea that is important to the people of the country. Russia’s animal is the bear. India’s is the tiger. Spain’s animal is the bull. In 1782, the U.S. Congress chose a bird to represent the new nation. It chose the bald eagle.

2 Today, the bald eagle is on many of our coins. It is also in the center of the Great Seal of the United States. This eagle holds a bundle of arrows in one talon. It holds an olive branch in the other. In its beak is a banner that reads “E pluribus unum.” That Latin phrase means “out of many, one.” Many states have joined together to make one country.

3 Some people think the bald eagle was a poor choice for our national symbol. They think these birds are bullies. The bald eagle steals food from other animals. People point out that eagles seek and eat dead fish or animals. They say that eagles are fierce and mean.

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

4 For example, Ben Franklin did not want the eagle to be our national symbol. He preferred the turkey. He called it a “bird of courage.” In a letter to his daughter in 1784, Franklin called the bald eagle “too lazy to fish for himself.” He further wrote, “I wish that the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly. He is a rank coward.”

5 Others, however, consider the bald eagle a good choice. They like the way eagles perch high above the waters, proud and bold. They admire that no other animals hunt eagles. They believe that because bald eagles fly and nest wherever they choose, they are the perfect symbol of freedom and strength.

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

25. Who chose the bald eagle as the national symbol of the United States?

A Ben Franklin

B the U.S. Congress

C Ben Franklin’s daughter

D people from other countries

26. What is the meaning of symbol in this passage?

A a powerful bird that hunts for food

B a thief who steals food from others

C someone who works for the government

D something that represents an idea

27. In paragraph 4, the word preferred means—

A liked better.

B represented.

C held up.

D showed.

28. Which paragraph in the passage describes the illustration?

A paragraph 2

B paragraph 3

C paragraph 4

D paragraph 5

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

29. Some people think the eagle was the right choice for our national symbol. Others think it was the wrong choice. Write the letter of each passage detail into the correct box on the chart.

Right Choice Wrong Choice

Details:

A Eagles steal food from other animals.

B Eagles are proud and free.

C Eagles are strong and powerful.

D Eagles are bullies.

E Eagles eat dead animals.

F Eagles have no natural enemies.

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

30. Suppose that you and your family visit a national park. You drive or hike through the park and see many kinds of wildlife. Then you see a bald eagle. Write a personal narrative telling what happens on your trip and what you see. Describe the bald eagle. Use details from the passages to support your ideas. Be sure to use complete sentences and follow the rules of standard English.

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Grade 3 • Interim Assessment 1 (continued)

STOP