Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? Try These Questions From The Actual Fifth Grade FCAT

March 14, 2008

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As the FCAT continues today in schools across North Escambia, we thought we would help you waste a little time by playing a game of “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” with actual questions from past fifth grade FCATs.

Grab everybody around you and get ready. To play along and see how you might do on the fifth grade FCAT, you’ll need a piece of paper to record your answers to the following questions:

(1) Samantha baked a dessert for her class using the recipe shown below.
Samantha used the least amount of which ingredient?

CRANBERRY APPLE CRUNCH

  • A. 3/4 cup chopped apples
  • B. 1/2 cup oats
  • C. 2/3 cup cranberry sauce
  • D. 1/4 cup brown sugar

(2) Louie made 17 bag lunches for the school outing. If Louie
had made 4 more lunches, he would have made exactly
3 times as many bag lunches as Marc did. How many lunches did Marc make?

  • A. 6
  • B. 7
  • C. 13
  • D. 4

(3) Coach Neal is planning a track meet for 84 students. Each race has 3 teams,
with 4 runners on each team. How many races should Coach Neal plan so
that each student runs in exactly one race?

  • A. 7
  • B. 12
  • C. 21
  • D. 28

(4) Toshi wants to find out which after-school sport is most popular among all
the students at his elementary school. Which of these groups would be best
to survey in order to get this information?

  • A. all students at the school
  • B. all teachers at the school
  • C. all fifth grade students at the school
  • D. all parents of the students at the school

(5) The 1927 legislative session designated the mockingbird as the state bird of
Florida. The bird is about 10 inches long and has a wingspan of 15 inches.

Which fraction represents the mockingbird’s length compared to
its wingspan?

  • A. 1/5
  • B. 2/15
  • C. 2/3
  • D. 3/2

(6) Angie is flying to London, England, on a plane departing at 2:00 p.m. She is
required to be at the airport one and a half hours before the departure time and it takes her 45 minutes to get from her house to the airport. What is the latest time
Angie can leave her house to arrive at the airport at the required time?

  • A. 11:45 am
  • B. 12:30 am
  • C. 1:15 pm
  • D. 4:15 pm

(7) Melanie measured the mass of the textbooks in her backpack. Which unit of
measure best describes the mass of the textbooks?

  • A. 3 grams
  • B. 3 kilograms
  • C. 3 metric tons
  • D. 3 milligrams

(8) Marchelle built a rectangular wooden picture frame. The frame has a
perimeter of 130 inches and a width of 30 inches.

What is the height, in inches, of the picture frame?

  • A. 30 inches
  • B. 35 inches
  • C. 10 inches
  • D. 13 inches

(9) Sonya has to write the greatest four-digit number she can think of by
following these three rules:
1. Any digit 0 through 9 may be used.
2. Any digit may be used only once.
3. There must be an 8 in the tens place.
What is the greatest number Sonya could write by following the three rules?

  • A. 9876
  • B. 9786
  • C. 8796
  • D. 9867

For the next two questions, read the two selections in blue.

Betsy Brandon Meets the Betsy Brandon Meets the President
by M.V. Pollock
There was a flurry of excitement in the Brandon household early one morning in
1791. It was the day that General Washington, the president, was supposed to visit
Salisbury, North Carolina. For most of the people, it would be their only chance to
see anyone so important. Everybody planned to be there. Everybody, it seemed,
except fourteen-year-old Betsy, the oldest child of Squire Richard Brandon’s
family. Betsy had to stay at home to finish the chores.
“Ha! Betsy won’t get to see the president,” teased the younger children as they
climbed into the family buggy. Betsy tried to hide her disappointment as they rode
away.
But Betsy was not one to mope. She returned to the kitchen and washed the
breakfast dishes and swept the floor. Then she took her bonnet from the hook on
the back of the door. She was going outside to feed the chickens. But what was
that rumbling noise? It sounded like wheels, but not like those of her father’s
buggy. It seemed to come from the opposite direction.
Betsy hurried to the front door and peeked out. Her eyes grew wide. Coming
down the road that passed in front of the house was the most beautiful coach she
had ever seen. It was pale ivory and trimmed in gold.
As it came near, Betsy felt herself drawn down the pathway to get a better
view. The coach was decorated with elaborate scenes that reminded Betsy of the
four seasons. And it bore an impressive emblem, like a coat of arms.
Suddenly the driver pulled on the reins. “Whoa!” he said loudly. The ornate
harnesses tinkled musically as the four fine horses halted right in front of the gate
where Betsy stood.
Fearful, Betsy wanted to run, but she felt as if her feet were glued to the path.
The door of the coach opened, and a tall, handsome man in uniform stepped down.
He was almost as tall as her father. He tipped his hat and nodded in her direction.
Then another, even more handsome man stepped out. He was white haired and at
least six-feet-four. Surely they were men of importance on their way to Salisbury
to see the president.
“Good morning, miss,” said the white-haired man. His face was stern and
deeply lined, but his blue eyes were warm and friendly.
“Good morning, sir.” Betsy’s voice quavered when she spoke.
“Is your father home?”
“No, sir.”
“Is your mother home?”
As Betsy shook her head, her golden braids moved back and forth. “My family
all went to Salisbury to see the president,” she explained.
“Did you not wish to see the president, too?” The voice was kind.
“Oh yes, sir,” Betsy replied. “I wanted to see the president more than anything,
but I must stay here to do the chores.”
The two men exchanged amused glances. “If you will prepare breakfast for us,
I promise you will see the president before any of the others.”
Thinking that the president would soon pass by on his way to Salisbury, Betsy
hurried into the kitchen. She prepared a delicious breakfast, which the two men
seemed to enjoy.
They thanked her and prepared to leave. Betsy asked, “Sir, when my family
returns, to whom shall I say I served breakfast?”
The white-haired man climbed inside the coach. Leaning out the window he
smiled. “Just tell them you served breakfast to President Washington and his aide,”
he said. And the coach rolled away in clouds of dust.

Washington by Nancy Byrd Turner
He played by the river when he was young,
He raced with rabbits along the hills,
He fished for minnows, and climbed and swung,
And hooted back at the whippoorwills.1
Strong and slender and tall he grew —
And then, one morning, the bugles blew.
Over the hills the summons came,
Over the river’s shining rim.
He said that the bugles called his name,
He knew that his country needed him,
And he answered, “Coming!” and marched away
For many a night and many a day.
Perhaps when the marches were hot and long
He’d think of the river flowing by
Or, camping under the winter sky,
Would hear the whippoorwill’s far-off song.
Boy or soldier, in peace or strife,
He loved America all his life!

(10) Based on the story and the poem, how was Washington’s life as a child
different from Betsy Brandon’s life?

  • A. Washington played by the river, but Betsy played at home.
  • B. Washington practiced marching, but Betsy prepared tasty meals.
  • C. Washington practiced birdcalls, but Betsy listened for passing coaches.
  • D. Washington spent his days playing, but Betsy spent her days helping at home.

(11) Which event from the story FIRST prepares the reader for something
unexpected to happen?

  • A. Betsy watched the family buggy leave.
  • B. The coach stopped in front of the house.
  • C. Betsy wondered what the rumbling noise was.
  • D. People were excited about seeing an important man.

(12) Read this sentence from the story.
As it came near, Betsy felt herself drawn down the pathway to get a
better view.
In which sentence below does the word view have the same meaning as it
does in “Betsy Brandon Meets the President”?

  • A. Direct your view to the second picture on the left.
  • B. The report clearly states the writer’s point of view.
  • C. The defense lawyer’s speech affected the judge’s view of the situation.
  • D. The guests can get a view of the garden by looking out of the window.

(13) The author of the story describes Washington as having a face that is “stern
and deeply lined” and eyes that are “warm and friendly.” What does this lead
the reader to believe?

  • A. Washington was always polite to others, even when he was worried.
  • B. Washington’s experiences in life had made him tough, but he remained akind person.
  • C. Washington was difficult to know because his looks were so different from his personality.
  • D. Washington’s hardships as a soldier made him older than he really was, but he continued to serve his country.

(14) Read these lines from the poem “Washington.”
He said that the bugles called his name,
He knew that his country needed him,
The poet includes these lines to show that Washington

  • A. heard the sounds of nature.
  • B. wanted to travel the country.
  • C. played a musical instrument.
  • D. felt patriotic toward his country.

(15) Read these lines from the poem “Washington.”
Perhaps when the marches were hot and long
He’d think of the river flowing by
The poet includes these lines to suggest that whenever Washington felt weary
and tired, he would

  • A. find shade by a river.
  • B. cool himself in a river.
  • C. change his travel route to follow a river.
  • D. recall a childhood experience about a river.

That concludes our questions from last year’s actual fifth grade FCAT. Now it is time to grade yourself. Click here for the answer key.

Just so you know…we picked the “easier” multiple choice questions. We did not use the math questions, for instance, were you had to draw geometric figures or show and explain your work.

If you’d like to let us know how you did, click here to email news@northescambia.com

For the entire fifth grade reading FCAT, click here for the test, or click here for the test with answers.
For the entire fifth grade math FCAT, click here for the test, or click here for the test with answers.

Pictured above: Students at Carver/Century K-8 School just before taking the FCAT.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Education, FEATURE TOP STORY, News