CHASING VERMEER BY BLUE BALLIETT READING COUNTS TEST REVIEW
1. When the kids were in Delia Dell Hall at night, they
A. pulled a giant rope and made a bell ring.
B. couldn't close one of the two-foot-thick doors.
C. called the arts reporter at the "Chicago Sun-Times."
D. discovered a storage area by pressing a panel.
2. Calder and Petra had an idea about where to look because
A. Petra kept thinking about things made from wood.
B. Calder found a map written on a cloth napkin.
C. Calder kept scribbling "See the Trees" on paper.
D. Petra called an architect who worked for her mother.
3. Charles Fort had
A. given away all of his money to libraries.
B. wished he could have won awards.
C. had given copies of "Lo!" to his grandchildren.
D. looked for unexplained events in newspapers.
4. When Petra saw her father in Delia Dell Hall,
A. his fingers were coated in oil paints.
B. he was carrying a rectangular package.
C. she said she would be late for dinner.
D. she thought that he was spying on her.
5. Three people in Chicago received a letter that said
A. they would be robbed before Halloween.
B. a centuries-old crime had to be corrected.
C. Vermeer's relatives needed more money.
D. Vermeer wasn't as good as van Gogh.
6. Petra found the book titled "Lo!" after
A. searching her parents' bookshelf.
B. she went to the library.
C. Ms. Hussey gave the class an assignment.
D. her mother helped her find it at the bookstore.
7. Petra saw Ms. Hussey _____ when she was at Powell's.
A. buying a book about magic for her children
B. buying gold pencils with red lettering
C. selling some used books
D. reading a book with the word "Never" on it
8. Calder and Tommy …
A. swore never to like girls.
B. wrote letters using a code.
C. skipped two grades together.
D. watched Chicago Cubs games.
9. Calder _____ after Mrs. Trek let him and Petra into the basement.
A. stayed hidden in the basement all morning
B. found a tunnel in the basement's floor
C. became suspicious
D. locked Mrs. Trek in the basement
10. After the painting was stolen, demonstrations took place because
A. the "Chicago Sun-Times" arts reporter didn't report it.
B. an unsigned letter was printed in the "Chicago Tribune."
C. the demonstrators thought the police had made a mistake.
D. two television reporters thought the painting was ugly.
11. After the painting was stolen,
A. two men claimed to have found new Vermeers.
B. people started taking painting classes.
C. Vermeer's great-grandchildren talked to reporters.
D. people talked in public about real Vermeers.
12. Why were Petra and Calder surprised when Mrs. Sharpe's name was in the news?
A. They learned her dead husband had been a Vermeer scholar.
B. They didn't know that she was related to Mr. Powell.
C. She had never told them that she had painted in Paris.
D. They learned that she was Vermeer's last remaining relative.
13. The author of this book is
A. Eoin Colfer.
B. Agatha Christie.
C. Blue Balliett.
D. T.A. Barrer
14. Because they wanted to explore the University School, Calder and Petra
A. looked at blueprints of the building.
B. said they were making a master map.
C. said they were sick.
D. pretended that they were lost
15. Calder______when he went to the bathroom at Mrs. Sharpe’s home.
A. saw many wooden storage spaces
B. found soaps shaped like famous statues.
C. noticed the shower curtain was covered with Vermeer prints.
D. looked at a poster of a kitten on a branch
16. After Mrs. Sharpe was placed into an ambulance, Petra and Calder
A. warned her about Dr. Missy Long.
B. called her daughter in Iowa City.
C. saw there were cameras in every room of her home.
D. considered reading a letter she asked them to mail.
17. Petra and Calder got into trouble with a guard at the Art Institute because they
A. took a picture of a painting.
B. held a vase made in China.
C. stuck bubble gum on the wall.
D. entered a restricted room.
18. The thief turned out to be the man who
A. had married Tommy's mother.
B. had pretended to be the Castigliones' tenant.
C. had taught Ms. Hussey at Purdue University.
D. was Petra's cousin.
19. Calder thought Mrs. Sharpe had been involved with the painting after
A. Mrs. Sharpe refused to speak to him and Petra.
B. he watched Mrs. Sharpe signal to Mr. Powell.
C. Mrs. Sharpe gave money to the police chief.
D. he and Petra had tea at Mrs. Sharpe's home.
20. When Calder showed Petra a book of Vermeer paintings,
A. Sharpe said that they were stealing from her.
B. they started keeping a notebook of unexplained things.
C. Mr. Powell said that the book needed a new spine.
D. they decided to take up painting.
21. After Petra had found a paper in Mrs. Sharpe's hedge,
A. Vermeer's only remaining relative sued the art museums.
B. two movies about Vermeer's life played in theaters.
C. an expensive book was put on sale for an affordable price.
D. a famous art teacher was kidnapped from his offices.
22. When he looked in a crate beneath his bed, Calder
A. asked his mother why her paintbrushes were there.
B. found a wooden box with a picture of a man on it.
C. knew that his science project would win first prize.
D. sneezed so much that he woke up the baby.
23. When they called the National Gallery of Art, Petra and Calder
A. learned that "A Lady Writing" was going to Chicago.
B. were asked if they wanted to buy "A Lady Writing."
C. said they wanted postcards of "A Lady Writing."
D. asked for "A Lady Writing" to be sent to Maine.
24. Calder showed his pentominoes to Mrs. Sharpe, which are
A. a set of eight wooden blocks.
B. a set of paintbrushes in different sizes.
C. twelve puzzle pieces that can be used to make rectangles.
D. plastic circles that can be stretched to almost any size.
25. After they read about Vermeer in the library, Petra and Calder
A. decided to make blue M&Ms a symbol.
B. decided they liked van Gogh more.
C. held a Vermeer Party on Thanksgiving.
D. earned perfect scores on the quiz.
26. After Calder and Petra found the painting,
A. a group of dogs snarled and barked at them.
B. they placed booby traps around the yard.
C. a woman pulled Calder into the sewers.
D. a man attacked Calder on the playground.
27. Petra _____ after she dreamed about the woman.
A. saw Christmas cards with the woman's picture
B. wished that the woman would go away
C. made a Valentine's Day card for the woman
D. dressed like the woman for Halloween
28. In Castigliones' backyard, Petra
A. saw a man's footprints.
B. tripped over a wire.
C. admired the rose garden.
D. smelled a woman's perfume.
29. Petra became excited while exploring Delia Dell Hall because
A. she learned that Delia Dell was one of her relatives.
B. she bought a set of pentominoes just like Calder's.
C. she had been thinking about Mrs. Sharpe's words.
D. Ms. Hussey had lived in one of the hall's rooms.
30. Petra _____ after she read "Lo!"
A. described "Lo!" for an assignment
B. copied "Lo!" for an assignment
C. sold "Lo!" to Calder
D. lost "Lo!" in the park