Name ______Date ______
EARLY AMERICAN ARTISTS
1 America has had many famous artists. The first American artists to become
famous painted portraits. Portraits are pictures of people. These artists also
painted historical events.
2 The first famous American artist was Benjamin West. He was born in
Pennsylvania in 1738. He did not become famous until after he had moved to
England in 1763.
3 Another famous artist was John Singleton Copley. He was born in Boston. The
year was 1738, the same year that West was born. West later invited him to
England. Copley moved to England in 1774. He was often thought to be the
best American painter of his time.
4 Gilbert Stuart was born in Rhode Island in 1753. He went to London to study
with Benjamin West in 1775. He achieved great success in London. He was
famous for his portraits. He returned to America in 1793 for one reason.
Stuart wanted to paint George Washington. Gilbert Stuart’s paintings of
George Washington were a big hit. They are still the most popular paintings
of our first president. If you have ever seen a picture of George Washington—
and who hasn’t?—it was probably Stuart’s.
5 John Trumbull was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1756. Like every famous
American artist before him, he went to London to study. Before he could begin
his studies with Benjamin West, he was arrested for treason! The year was
1780. America was fighting Britain in a revolution. In that war, Trumbull had
served as an aide to General George Washington. In 1783, he was released
from prison and finally got to study with West. He is most famous for his
scenes from the American Revolution. Have you ever seen a picture of the
Declaration of Independence being signed? You were probably looking at John
Trumbull’s most famous work. In his will, Trumbull left money to Yale to start
an art museum and an art school. Many of his most famous works now hang
in the Yale Art Museum in New Haven.
1. The text defines portraits as —
A “famous artists”
B “American artists”
C “pictures of people”
D “people who paint people”
2. Benjamin West —
A was the best American painter of his time
B taught all the other artists mentioned in the text
C went to prison for working for George Washington
D is famous for his paintings of George Washington
3. Why does the writer mention the Declaration of Independence?
A To give an example of Trumbull’s work
B Because it started the Revolutionary War
C To explain why Trumbull was put in prison
D Because it was Gilbert Stuart’s most famous painting
4. Both Benjamin West and John Singleton Copley —
A painted George Washington
B were born in Boston
C were born in 1738
D taught in London
5. What is this reading about?
A Portrait painting
B Artists who taught in London
C American artists who fought in the Revolutionary War
D American artists famous for painting portraits and historical events
from “THE ADVENTURES OF REDDY FOX” —
Part I
by Thornton W. Burgess
I. GRANNY FOX GIVES REDDY A SCARE
1 Reddy Fox lived with Granny Fox. You see, Reddy was one of a large family. It
was so large that Mother Fox had to work hard to feed so many hungry little
mouths. So she had let Reddy go to live with old Granny Fox. Granny Fox was
the wisest, slyest, smartest fox in all the country round. Now that Reddy had
grown so big, she thought it about time that he began to learn the things that
every fox should know. So every day she took him hunting with her. She
taught him all the things that she had learned about hunting. She taught him
about how to steal Farmer Brown’s chickens without awakening Bowser the
Hound. She showed him all about the thousand and one ways of fooling a dog
which she had learned.
2 This morning Granny Fox had taken Reddy across the Green Meadows, up
through the Green Forest, and over to the railroad track. Reddy had never
been there before. He didn’t know just what to make of it. Granny trotted
ahead until they came to a long bridge. Then she stopped.
3 “Come here, Reddy, and look down,” she commanded.
4 Reddy did as he was told, but a glance down made him giddy, so giddy that he
nearly fell. Granny Fox grinned.
5 “Come across,” said she, and ran lightly across to the other side.
6 But Reddy Fox was afraid. Yes, Sir, he was afraid to take one step on the long
bridge. He was afraid that he would fall through into the water or onto the
cruel rocks below. Granny Fox ran back to where Reddy sat.
7 “For shame, Reddy Fox!” said she. “What are you afraid of? Just don’t look
down and you will be safe enough. Now come along over with me.”
8 But Reddy Fox hung back and begged to go home and whimpered. Suddenly
Granny Fox sprang to her feet, as if in great fright. “Bowser the Hound! Come,
Reddy, come!” she cried, and started across the bridge as fast as she could go.
9 Reddy didn’t stop to look or to think. His one idea was to get away from
Bowser the Hound. “Wait, Granny! Wait!” he cried, and started after her as
fast as he could run. He was in the middle of the bridge before he remembered
it at all. When he was at last safely across, it was to find old Granny Fox
sitting down laughing at him. Then for the first time Reddy looked behind him
to see where Bowser the Hound might be. He was nowhere to be seen. Could
he have fallen off the bridge?
10 “Where is Bowser the Hound?” cried Reddy.
11 “Home in Farmer Brown’s dooryard,” replied Granny Fox dryly. Reddy stared
at her for a minute. Then he began to understand that Granny Fox had simply
scared him into running across the bridge. Reddy felt very cheap, very cheap
indeed. “Now we’ll run back again,” said Granny Fox. And this time Reddy
did.
1. According to the first paragraph, —
A Mother Fox sent Reddy away because he was naughty
B Granny Fox needed Reddy’s help around the house
C Granny Fox is teaching Reddy things he needs to know
D Reddy is in trouble for stealing chickens from Bowser
2. In paragraph 4, the word giddy means —
A dizzy
B funny
C scared
D tall
3. Why does Reddy cross the bridge?
A To prove he’s not afraid
B Because Granny tricked him
C Because Bowser is biting his heels
D To go hunting for chickens on the other side
4. From the reading, the narrator probably thinks —
A Reddy is a coward
B Granny Fox loves Reddy
C Reddy shouldn’t trust Granny Fox
D Mother Fox should take Reddy home
5. Which line shows that Reddy learned the lesson Granny wanted to teach him
today?
A “But Reddy Fox hung back and begged to go home and whimpered.”
(paragraph 8)
B “He was in the middle of the bridge before he remembered it at all.”
(paragraph 9)
C “He felt very cheap, very cheap indeed.” (paragraph 11)
D “And this time Reddy did.” (paragraph 11)
THE VAIN JACKDAW
1 A jackdaw picked up some beautiful peacock feathers left on the ground. He
stuck them into his own tail. Then, thinking himself too fine to mix with the
otherdaws, he strutted off to the peacocks, expecting them to welcome him as
one of themselves.
2 The peacocks saw through his disguise at once. To punish him for his
foolishness and conceit, they began to peck him. Soon he was stripped of all
his borrowed plumes.
3 Very much ashamed, the jackdaw went sadly home, meaning to join his old
friends as if nothing had happened. But, remembering how he had looked
down on them, the other daws chased him away and would have nothing to do
with him.
4 “You should have been content,” said one, “to be as nature made you, instead
of trying to be what you are not. Then, you would not have been punished by
your betters or hated by your equals.”
1. Why does the jackdaw think he is better than the other daws?
A Because he thinks he looks like a peacock
B Because he has found some peacock feathers
C Because the other daws are not as intelligent as he is
D Because the peacocks have accepted him as one of their own
2. How does the jackdaw lose his peacock feathers?
A He drops them while running away.
B The other daws pull them out.
C The peacocks pull them out.
D They fall out.
3. When the jackdaw comes back from seeing the peacocks, his old friends —
A welcome him back
B feel sorry for him
C send him away
D peck him
4. What does this story teach?
A You should try to appear better than you are.
B People should accept others, even if they look different.
C You should always be yourself.
D People should not trust birds.