WASL - Washington Assessment of Student Learning A Component of the Washington State Assessment System Reading Grade 6 2008 Released Items Student Edition Dr. Terry Bergeson State Superintendent of Public Instruction
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Strange Idea of George Ferris by June Swanson. Copyright 982 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Photo: Chicago History Museum, ICHi-02440, Waterman. The Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction is committed to equal opportunity in all programs, activities and employment, and to full compliance with federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, military status, age or disability. Copyright 2008 by Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Educational institutions within the State of Washington have permission to reproduce this document. All other individuals wishing to reproduce this document must contact OSPI.
NON-SECURE MATERIALS MAY BE COPIED BY WASHINGTON STATE EDUCATORS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL USE Table of Contents The Strange Idea of George Ferris Selection..................................... 2 The Strange Idea of George Ferris Items........................................ 4
Directions: Read the selection and answer the questions. The Strange Idea of George Ferris by June Swanson 2 3 Have you ridden a Ferris wheel lately? Can you imagine the soaring feeling as you are pulled to the top and then swished down to the bottom again? Can you imagine the view as you look out over roofs and treetops? (Or will your eyes be closed?) Today a Ferris wheel is usually forty to sixty feet tall. That seems very high when you re on the top looking down. But the first Ferris wheel was 264 feet high taller than a twenty-story building! Can you imagine the view from the top of that? The first Ferris wheel was built for the 893 World s Fair, the World s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The people who planned the fair were looking for an attraction that would bring people to Chicago. The Eiffel Tower had been a great success for the fair in Paris in 889, and they wanted something like that. 4 George Ferris submitted drawings of a giant wheel that people could ride on. At first everyone laughed at his strange idea. But Mr. Ferris didn t give up, and finally the idea was accepted. The ride opened in June of 893. Ferris Wheel at the 893 World s Fair in Chicago 5 6 7 Today s Ferris wheels have twelve to sixteen seats, which each carry two or three people. But that first one had thirty-six enclosed cars, each holding sixty passengers. When filled, it carried 2,60 people. During that summer in Chicago, one-and-a-half million people rode the Ferris wheel. Six platforms were used to load and unload passengers. Each ride was two full turns of the wheel. On the first turn, it made six stops for loading. Then the second turn was a nonstop nine-minute ride. Each car had five large glass windows in front and in back, giving everyone a great view of Chicago and Lake Michigan. After the fair the ride was moved to a nearby amusement park built especially to show off the wheel. In 904 it was moved again this time to St. 2 Go On
Louis for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. After the fair in St. Louis closed, the wheel stood unused. In 906 it was finally sold to a wrecking company for scrap metal. It took 200 pounds of dynamite to bring it down. 8 9 Fortunately a Chicago bridge builder, W.E. Sullivan, figured out how to make a smaller Ferris wheel that could easily be taken apart and put together. In 906 he started the company that still makes many of the Ferris wheels used today. But, whenever you ride one, remember that it all began with George Ferris s strange idea! PLR0604ONP049 Go On 3
What is the main idea of the selection? A. Riding a Ferris wheel is the best way to view a city. B. World Fairs attract millions of visitors from around the world. C. Large-scale designs are more successful than small-scale designs. D. Ferris s design was so successful that Ferris wheels are still around today. 0803 2 What is the purpose of the picture in the selection? A. The picture shows the tremendous size of the 893 Ferris wheel. B. The picture demonstrates that few people could ride at one time. C. The picture shows the Ferris wheel at the St. Louis World s Fair. D. The picture demonstrates that each car had five large glass windows. 08043 4 Go On
3 Based on the information in the selection, what inference can the reader make about George Ferris? Include information from the selection to support your inference. 08045 4 Which sentence best summarizes this selection? A. George Ferris was laughed at when he proposed the 893 Ferris wheel. B. The size of the 893 Ferris wheel led to its success at the World s Fair. C. W.E. Sullivan built the popular 893 Ferris wheel. D. The 893 Ferris wheel was built to shock people. 0802 Go On 5
5 What is the author s purpose for writing this selection? A. To persuade the reader to ride a Ferris wheel B. To describe the success of the 893 World s Fair C. To entertain with a story about World Fairs D. To inform the reader about the first Ferris wheel ever built 08040 6 Is this statement a reasonable conclusion that may be drawn from the selection? The Ferris wheel was a successful invention. Provide two details from the selection to support your answer. 08042 6