Practice Set Worksheet

Comparison and Contrast NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING

Name : ________________________ Date & Time : _____________

Program : _______________________ Score : _____________

Activity 3.1

Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow.

Planting a garden is a lot like having a family. Both require a great deal of work, especially
as they grow and as the seasons change. As summer days lengthen, your plants become dependent
on you for sustenance, much like your children depend on you for food and drink. Like a thirsty
child asking for a drink of water, your plants do the same. Their bent, wilted “body” language
translated, issues a demand much the way your child requests milk or juice. When their collective
thirsts are quenched, you see the way they both thrive in your care. The fussy child becomes satisfied,
and the plant reaches toward the sun in a showy display. You might also find that you have to clean
the space around your plants much like you would pick up toys and clothes that have been thrown
helter-skelter in your toddler’s room. Similarly, plants shed spent petals, roses need to be pruned,
and weeds to be pulled. To keep children healthy, parents protect their children against disease with
medicine, and gardeners do the same with insect repellant. To nourish them, parents give children
vitamins, and gardeners use fertilizer, as both promote healthy growth. As children grow and
become adults, they need less and less care. However, here’s where the similarity ends. While plants
die or become dormant, children still maintain a vital role in the family unit.

1. What two things are being compared and contrasted here?

2. In what ways are these two things similar?

a.

b.

c.

d.

3. In what way(s) are these two things different?

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 Practice Set Worksheet
Comparison and Contrast NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING

Name : ________________________ Date & Time : _____________

Program : _______________________ Score : _____________

Activity 3.2

Read the following definitions written in Column A. Then, identify what is being referred to by
matching the definitions with their correct terms listed in Column B. Write ONLY the letter of your
choice on the space provided for each item.

Answer Column A Column B

__________ 1. A public transport vehicle, usually powered by a. locomotive
electricity from wires above it, which travels along b. astounding
rails laid in the surface of a street. c. petrol
__________ 2. Difficult to remember, or recall. d. graze off
__________ 3. To argue or dispute. e. lucrative
__________ 4. The practice of spying or of using spies, typically by f. wrangle up
governments to obtain political and military g. stampede
information. h. tram
__________ 5. __________ is a sudden panicked rush of a number of i. espionage
horses, cattle, or other animals. j. elusive
__________ 6. This refers to a liquid obtained from petroleum, used
especially as a fuel for cars and other vehicles.
__________ 7. A __________ activity, job, or business deal produces a
great deal of profit.
__________ 8. __________ is a powered rail vehicle used for pulling
trains.
__________ 9. When animals __________, they eat the grass or other
plants that are growing in a particular place.
__________ 10. This means “surprisingly impressive or notable”.

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 Practice Set Worksheet
Comparison and Contrast NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING

Name : ________________________ Date & Time : _____________

Program : _______________________ Score : _____________

Activity 3.3

Read the two fairy tales below. Each is from a different culture. What are the similarities between
two tales? What are the differences? Use the Venn diagram on the next page to list three (3)
similarities and three (3) things that are different about each tale.

Fairy Tale No. 1

Long ago, in the land now known as Canada, there lived two native children, a sister and
brother. They were orphans and had to care for themselves. This was especially difficult since the
boy never grew bigger than a baby, no matter how old he got.
The sister loved her brother very much, and she made a bow and arrow especially for him to
shoot. He learned to hunt wild snow birds for food, and soon he had enough bird skins to make
himself a coat. It was a fine coat and the boy wore it with pride.
One day, the boy asked his sister, “Are there other people in the world? Mother told stories
of people just like us, but I’ve never seen them.” For as long as they had been on their own, the girl
and boy had never met another soul. “Mother told me the same,” said the girl. “She was born to
faraway people, who raised her up when she was a girl like me.” The boy decided to seek his
mother’s people.
He set off for his journey wearing his beloved coat of bird skins. But the sun was high and
hot, and the boy’s coat began to shrink. Soon, it was so tight that when the boy moved, the coat tore
into pieces.
“I’ll get you for this, sun!” said the boy. His sister fashioned a snare out of a lock of her long,
strong hair, and the boy snuck out before dawn to trap the sun. He placed his snare at the point on
the horizon where the sun would rise and sat down to wait. Sure enough, as the sun began to rise, it
was caught in the boy’s trap.
“Who will free me from my bindings?” the sun implored the world’s animals. First,
Woodpecker tried, but its head grew red from the heat. To this day, woodpeckers have red heads.
Finally the task fell to the mouse, who was the biggest and strongest creature of them all. The mouse
began to gnaw at the snare and slowly, hair by hair, the mouse began to cut through it. Though its
back was singed to ash, the mouse kept at its task. Finally, the mouse freed the sun from its bondage,
but not before the heat shrunk it to a fraction of its former size. When it began

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 Practice Set Worksheet
Comparison and Contrast NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING

Name : ________________________ Date & Time : _____________

Program : _______________________ Score : _____________

its task, the mouse was the largest of all animals. By the time it finished, it was the smallest. To this
day, the mouse remains one of the tiniest animals, and its coat is still the color of ashes.

Fairy Tale No. 2

Once upon a time, before the continent of Europe was given that name, there lived a couple
who had no children. They wished every day for a child, even if he were no bigger than a hazelnut.
At last, their wish was granted, and they had a child who was the size of a hazelnut, just as they had
said. They loved the child very much and they took excellent care of him.
When the hazelnut child turned fifteen, his parents asked what he would become, now that
he was of an age to work. “I would like to be a messenger,” said the child. His mother laughed and
asked, “How can you possibly be a messenger? Your tiny feet would take an hour to carry you the
distance anyone else could cover in a minute.”
“Give me a message to carry,” said the boy, “and see how quickly I return.” So his mother
told him to go to the house of his aunt in the neighboring village and bring back a comb. “I’ll be
back before you know,” said the boy. His mother held the front door open for her son, and off he
went on his journey. He found a man on horseback who was headed for the next town. The boy crept
up the horse’s leg, crawled under the saddle, and began to pinch the horse’s back. Rearing up, the
horse took of at breakneck speed and wouldn’t slow down, no matter how hard the rider pulled at
its reins. When they reached the neighboring village, the hazelnut child quit pinching the horse, and
it slowed enough that the boy was able to climb back down its leg. His aunt was delighted to see him
and gave him the comb he asked for.
The hazelnut child returned home on the back of another horse and presented his mother
with the comb. “But how did you get home so quickly?” she asked. He did not answer her question,
but only said, “You see, I told you messenger was the profession for me.”
Using his newfound skill, the hazelnut child hitched a ride on a stork that was flying south
for the winter and landed in a faraway country. There, he met the king, who was astonished this
tiny creature who rode storks as if they were horses. The king was so taken with the hazelnut child
that he gave the boy a diamond bigger than himself. The boy hitched the diamond to his stork and
flew home, and he and his parents lived in peace and prosperity for the rest of their lives.

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 Practice Set Worksheet
Comparison and Contrast NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING

Name : ________________________ Date & Time : _____________

Program : _______________________ Score : _____________

Venn Diagram

20

Comparison and Contrast
Name : ________________________
Program : _______________________
Performance Task 1 (25-30 minutes)
Read the two stories below. Then, complete the graphic organizer.
Story 1
Pierre changed into his track clothes
and laced up his shoes. He left the locker
room to meet the rest of the kids outside on
the field. It was the first day of track tryouts.
The coach walked up and greeted the
athletes.
“I see you are all interested in being
on Town Creek Middle School’s track
team,” the coach stated. “Let’s see if you
have what it takes.”
The boys began to complete the
tryout drills. The coach wanted to see who
could run the farthest, who could run the
longest, and who could run the fastest. Pierre eating. She couldn’t sleep. It was hard to
liked to run and he knew he was talented,
but he didn't know how well the other boys
ran. Would he be good enough to make the
team?
Each time it was Pierre’s turn to run,
he began shaking and it was hard to breathe.
He was so nervous! The coach realized
Pierre was panicking and pulled him aside.
He put his hand on his shoulder and spoke
calmly to Pierre.
Practice Set Worksheet
NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING
Date & Time : _____________
Score : _____________
Story 2
Francesca was the best swimmer on
the team. She swam the fastest. She swam
long distances. She was chosen as the captain
for this season. All the other girls wanted to
be like Francesca.
The biggest race of the season was
this Friday. The whole school was excited.
The team would race against Leeward
Middle, the school’s rival team. Every year
the schools compete against each other. The
winner gets a special trophy.
Francesca was always nervous in the
days before the big race. She had a hard time
focus in class. All she could think about was
how she would beat the other team.
On Wednesday, Francesca realized
that she really wasn’t feeling right. This was
more than just being nervous and excited.
She visited the school nurse who took her
temperature and checked her throat. The
nurse called Francesca’s mom and sent her
home from school early.
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Comparison and Contrast
Name : ________________________
Program : _______________________
“Pierre, I’ve seen your running skills.
You have no reason to be nervous! Take a
deep breath and join this group. You’ve got
this! I know you can do it,” he said.
Taking a deep breath, Pierre lined up
with the other boys. As soon as the whistle
blew, he took off running. His arms and legs
moved faster than they ever had before. He
controlled his breathing and stayed focused
on the finish line. Sweat dripped down his
forehead as he used every muscle in his body
to win the race. Pierre knew he had won first
place.
Inside, Pierre was grinning from ear
to ear. He had successfully turned his first
day jitters into the fuel that helped him win
the race and make the team.
Practice Set Worksheet
NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING
Date & Time : _____________
Score : _____________
Francesca was devastated. She was so
upset that she came down with a cold right
before her big race. The trophy meant so
much for her school. What if she could not
compete? Would her team stand a chance?
The next morning, Francesca woke up
feeling better. Her mom kept her home from
school so she could rest more.
On Friday after school, Francesca
and her teammates raced at the swim meet.
Her team won in every event at the meet.
Francesca even set a school record! All of
Francesca’s rest from being sick had paid off
to help her achieve and lead her team to
victory.
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 Practice Set Worksheet
Comparison and Contrast NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING

Name : ________________________ Date & Time : _____________

Program : _______________________ Score : _____________

COMPARING TWO STORIES

Compare and Contrast Story 1 Story 2

Characters

Pierre is at track team tryout at

Setting
the middle school.

Problem

Francesca has to go home sick

Events from school and rest. She sleeps
off the sickness.

Solution

Theme

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 Practice Set Worksheet
Comparison and Contrast NOW I KNOW | A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO READING

Name : ________________________ Date & Time : _____________

Program : _______________________ Score : _____________
Performance Task 2 (Individual Oral Speed Reading – READ ALOUD)

In one minute, read the following 140-word essay with proper enunciation of words. Twenty points
shall be earned for completing the task; otherwise, you will only get 10 points.

Going to the Big City

by RV Staff Writer J.C.

Jerry was excited as the taxi hurtled its way through the city streets. He’d
never been in a taxi before, and this one was yellow and black with a TV screen in
it. The driver didn’t say much, but he was probably concentrating, because he was
going so fast! He was dashing in and out of traffic, occasionally honking his horn
and grumbling under his breath. Jerry grabbed onto his father and the side of the
door to keep from sliding around the backseat as the taxi swe rved again.

As the cars whizzed by, Jerry craned his neck to try and see the tops of the
buildings they were passing. The skyscrapers reached so high the sun blinded him
as his gaze followed them into the clouds. He’d never seen so many huge buildings
at once. It made him a little dizzy.

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