Correct: A NC.RI.3.1
So the ponies do not depend on human handouts to survive. [¶4 Text Evidence: "stay at least 50 feet away so the horses do not depend on human handouts."]
NC Standard Course of Study • Evidence Explorers Teacher Guide Page 1 of 2 • Worksheet 1 Key
Teacher Scoring Guide • Practice Set 2
Practice Quiz Multiple-Choice Keys • NC.RL.3.1, .3.2 & NC.RI.3.1, .3.2
10 Questions • 10 Points
1 pt per question
Part 1: "The Legend of the First Strawberries" (NC.RL.3.1 & NC.RL.3.2) 5 Points
1
Correct: A NC.RL.3.1
A bitter quarrel over harsh words. [¶1 Text Evidence: "they had a bitter quarrel over harsh words."]
2
Correct: C NC.RL.3.1
Blackberries and purple huckleberries. [¶3 Text Evidence: "caused dark blackberries and purple huckleberries to sprout..."]
3
Correct: B NC.RL.3.1
She noticed the sweet fragrance of the strawberries. [¶4 Text Evidence: "The sweet fragrance made the woman stop."]
4
Correct: B NC.RL.3.2
They shared the sweet berries and promised to speak kindly. [¶4 Key Detail: Recounts the peaceful resolution.]
5
Correct: A NC.RL.3.2
Harsh words bring pain, but kindness and forgiveness heal relationships. [Central Moral of legend.]
Part 2: "The Secret Trap: North Carolina's Venus Flytrap" (NC.RI.3.1 & NC.RI.3.2) 5 Points
6
Correct: B NC.RI.3.1
Within 75 miles of Wilmington, North Carolina. [¶1 Text Evidence: "within 75 miles of Wilmington, North Carolina..."]
7
Correct: B NC.RI.3.1
Two trigger hairs must be touched within 20 seconds. [¶3 Text Evidence: "touches two trigger hairs within 20 seconds, the trap snaps shut..."]
8
Correct: B NC.RI.3.2
The Venus flytrap is a unique NC plant that traps insects to survive in poor soil. [Main Idea: Synthesizes article.]
9
Correct: A NC.RI.3.2
The acidic wetland soil lacks nitrogen and essential nutrients. [¶2 Text Evidence: "soil in these coastal bogs is very acidic and lacks essential nutrients..."]
10
Correct: B NC.RI.3.1
By making taking a wild flytrap from state land a felony crime. [¶4 Text Evidence: "taking a wild Venus flytrap from state land is now a serious felony crime."]
Test-Taking Strategy for NC Standardized Formats: Teach students the "Cross & Check" rule: Physically draw an X over options with facts not stated anywhere in the numbered paragraphs!
NC Standard Course of Study • Evidence Explorers Teacher Guide Page 2 of 2 • Practice Set 2 Key
4 Independent Assessment: Informational Passages (15 Minutes) Independent
Students transition to Page 2 of Worksheet 1 (Outer Banks wild horses) or Practice Quiz 2 (Venus Flytrap). Students independently underline proof in the text and solve Questions 6–10. Teacher circulates with an observation clipboard.
5 Exit Defense: "Prove Your Choice" (5 Minutes) Wrap-Up
Teacher calls out Question 8: "Why is Option B the true main idea, while Option A is just a small detail?" Students write their 1-sentence proof on an exit ticket or share aloud.
Multi-Tiered Scaffolding & Differentiation
Tier 2 / Intervention
Multilingual Learners
Enrichment / Fast Finishers
Multiple-Choice Common Misconceptions to Address
Common Error on NC.RI.3.2: Students frequently select a detail sentence simply because it is mentioned in the text (like Spanish shipwrecks in Q8), confusing a single interesting fact with the overarching main idea of the whole passage.
NC Standard Course of Study • Evidence Explorers Teacher Guide Page 2 of 2 • Pacing & Scaffolding
4
In recounting the story, which detail explains how the characters restored peace? (NC.RL.3.2)
A They agreed to live on separate sides of the mountain.
B They shared the sweet berries and promised to speak kindly.
C The Sun commanded them never to pick wild berries again.
D The man built a brand new wooden cabin eastward.
5
What is the central message or moral of this Cherokee legend? (NC.RL.3.2)
A Harsh words bring pain, but kindness and forgiveness heal relationships.
B Strawberries are sweeter when eaten on mountain summits.
C Traveling eastward is faster than traveling westward.
D Blackberries are always more bitter than huckleberries.
NC Standard Course of Study • 3rd Grade English Language Arts Practice Set 2 • Page 1 of 2
Practice Set 2 • Informational Multiple Choice
Standards: NC.RI.3.1 (Explicit Text Evidence) & NC.RI.3.2 (Main Idea & Key Details)
NC Science Article
The Green Swamp Ecosystem
Informational Text
[1] Deep in the boggy coastal wetlands within 75 miles of Wilmington, North Carolina, grows one of the strangest plants on Earth: the Venus flytrap. This remarkable carnivorous plant is native only to this small coastal area of the Carolinas and nowhere else in the wild.
[2] The soil in these coastal bogs is very acidic and lacks essential nutrients, especially nitrogen, which ordinary plants need to grow. To survive, the Venus flytrap developed an incredible adaptation: it traps and digests insects to obtain the nutrients missing from the wet ground.
[3] Each leaf forms a pair of clam-shaped lobes lined with sweet nectar and tiny trigger hairs. When an ant or fly walks across a leaf and touches two trigger hairs within 20 seconds, the trap snaps shut in less than a tenth of a second! The plant's interlocking teeth lock the prey inside, where digestive juices break it down over several days.
[4] Today, wild Venus flytraps face serious danger from wetland development and illegal poaching. In North Carolina, taking a wild Venus flytrap from state land is now a serious felony crime. Nature preserves like the Green Swamp work tirelessly to protect their bog habitats so these unique native plants can continue to thrive.
6
According to paragraph 1, where is the Venus flytrap native to in the wild? (NC.RI.3.1)
A Rainforests across tropical South America.
B Within 75 miles of Wilmington, North Carolina.
C High mountain peaks of the Blue Ridge.
D Desert sand dunes along the Outer Banks.
7
Based on paragraph 3, what must happen for the trap to snap shut? (NC.RI.3.1)
A Rainwater must fill the bottom of the leaf.
B Two trigger hairs must be touched within 20 seconds.
C Sunlight must hit the red lobes for one hour.
D An insect must drink all of the sweet nectar.
8
What is the main idea of the entire article? (NC.RI.3.2)
A Ants and flies are dangerous to wetland plants.
B The Venus flytrap is a unique NC plant that traps insects to survive in poor soil.
C Nitrogen is the most common nutrient in bog soil.
D Most wetland preserves are located in mountain valleys.
9
Which key detail from paragraph 2 explains why the Venus flytrap eats insects? (NC.RI.3.2)
A The acidic wetland soil lacks nitrogen and essential nutrients.
B The plant cannot receive any direct sunlight in the bog.
C Insects build nests inside the plant's roots.
D The leaves need to defend themselves from deer.
10
Based on paragraph 4, how has North Carolina law taken action to protect the Venus flytrap? (NC.RI.3.1 & NC.RI.3.2)
A By forbidding anyone from visiting the Green Swamp preserve.
B By making taking a wild flytrap from state land a felony crime.
C By planting Venus flytraps along every coastal roadway.
D By providing artificial food pellets to wild plants.
NC Standard Course of Study • 3rd Grade English Language Arts Practice Set 2 • Page 2 of 2
