Directions: You will have 3 ¾ minutes to read the selection below and answer all the questions on the back side of this paper. Do not begin reading until your teacher tells you to.

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Essential Vocabulary:

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• rigging – The system of ropes and chains, used to support and control the masts, and sails of a ship.

Sailing with Columbus

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Columbus took three ships on his voyage, the Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria. Like all other vessels at the time they were made of wood and powered by the wind trapped in their sails. The Santa Maria was the largest of the ships. It was a merchant ship designed to carry large loads of cargo so it was very strong but it was also very slow and hard to control out in the open sea. The Pinta was a traditional caravel but still used mainly square sails. It was the fastest of the three ships. The Nina was the smallest of the ships but was the easiest to control. It was so light that it rode on top of the waves in the ocean making it surprisingly easy to control even in big storms.

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Still, handling such a vessel is not an easy task. It takes strength and experience to raise and lower the heavy sails and real courage to climb the tall rigging. If too many sails are hoisted the masts might crack or the whole ship might capsize. If there are too few sails the ship cannot steer a safe course and will drift dangerously at the mercy of the sea. Sailors have to be careful not to get caught up the many ropes on the ship and must keep the masts tightly tied down so they don’t blow away in strong winds. They must also pump out water the ship has taken in every day. It requires constant vigilance of the crew to keep the ship sailing. You can see why Columbus’ crew was so ready to go home after two months at sea!

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R

EAD N’ THINK

On your own paper write the letter of the correct answer. Be prepared to explain why you think your answer is correct (where in the reading did you find it?)

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• What does “vessels” in line 2 mean? (Vocabulary)
• Sails
• Ships
• Tools
• Storage containers

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• What can we assume from the passage? (Inference)
• Columbus and his crew never faced any real danger.
• Columbus was a great captain.
• Being out at sea was considered an honorable job.
• Being a sailor was a difficult job.

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• Why was the Nina easy to control in storms?(Cause and Effect)
• It was very light so it rode on top of the waves.
• It was a caravel so it had triangular sails.
• It was the ship with the most experienced crew.
• It wasn’t, it was small and got tossed around by the waves.

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• Which of these was not a task sailors had to complete regularly?(Comprehension)
• Tying down sails.
• Pumping out extra water.
• Go fishing for food.
• Avoid getting caught in the ropes.

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• Which of these statements best summarizes this passage? (Summation)
• Columbus took three ships on his voyage and the Pinta was the fastest.
• Ships at the time of Columbus were very hard to control.
• Even though the men worked hard Columbus’ voyage was fairly easy.
• The voyage of Columbus was very difficult and required a great amount of work from the crew just to get by.

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