Year 4 Reading reasoning practice for selective school tests

What the section covers

Finding information

Locating a detail that is stated directly, sometimes in a table or a caption rather than the paragraphs.

Working things out

Answers the text implies but never says — why a character acted, what happened between two paragraphs.

Purpose and audience

Deciding why a text was written and who it was written for.

Comparing texts

Holding two texts side by side and noticing where they agree, differ or contradict.

Sample questions

8 real questions from our Year 4 papers, covering the different ways this section asks things. Answer the ones you can click; the rest show how they work. Nothing to sign up for.

1. Question 1

   How many characters appear in this text other than Maya and Gran?

   
   fourthreetwoone

2. Question 2

   Maya cuts off the blue ribbon because

   
   she is annoyed with Gran.she does not want to go to camp.she is too impatient to look for thread.she wants to show Gran she can be unselfish.

3. Question 3

   Is Gran too strict?

   
   Yes, because she is always cross.Yes, because she is unfair to Maya.No, because she looks after two houses.No, because Maya would try anyone’s patience.

4. Question 4

   Capital letters are used when Gran says “I WILL …”

   
   to show Kim is being a pest.because Gran is in a very cross mood.to assert that she is in charge and must be obeyed.because she thinks Maya will not hear her over the twins.

5. Question 5

   Maya’s behavior can best be summed up as

   
   wicked.naughty but well meaning.stubborn.mean spirited.

6. Question 6

   Gran slipped the blue ribbon into the tin because she

   
   knows in time she will look back fondly on what happened.does not want Maya to ever see it again.wants to keep proof of Maya’s disobedience.wants to return it to Maya in the morning.

7. Question 7

   In stanza one the word funny means this creature

   
   makes people laugh on purpose.is quite unusual.tells clever jokes.has many friends.

8. Question 8

   The creature’s behaviour is typical of

   
   an insect.a human.a monster.a mixture of insect and human.