Excel

Get the Results You Want!

Year 3
NAPLAN -style
*

Tests
Sample questions for Numeracy,
Language Conventions, Reading
and Writing

Four practice tests each for

Numeracy, Language Conventions,
Reading and Writing

Detailed answers with

explanations for all questions

The best test preparation for

your child

James Athanasou &

Angella Deftereos

* This is not an officially endorsed publication of the NAPLAN program and is produced by Pascal Press independently of Australian governments.
 Excel
Get the Results You Want!

Year 3
NAPLAN -style
*

Tests

James Athanasou &

Angella Deftereos

* This is not an officially endorsed publication of the NAPLAN program and is produced by Pascal Press independently of Australian governments.
© 2010 James Athanasou and Angella Deftereos
Reprinted 2010 (twice)
Revised in 2011 for NAPLAN Test changes—new Reading question formats
and new Writing Test (persuasive text)
New NAPLAN Test question formats added 2012
New NAPLAN Test question formats added 2013
Reprinted 2014, 2015
Language Conventions questions updated 2016
ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2
Pascal Press Pty Ltd
PO Box 250
Glebe NSW 2037
(02) 9557 4844
www.pascalpress.com.au
Publisher: Vivienne Joannou
Project editor: Mark Dixon
Edited by Tim Learner and Joanne Innes
Proofread and answers checked by Peter Little and Dale Little
Cover, page design and typesetting by DiZign Pty Ltd
Printed by Green Giant Press
Reproduction and communication for educational purposes
The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or
10% of this book, whichever is the greater, to be copied by any educational institution
for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that
administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL)
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Telephone: (02) 9394 7600
Facsimile: (02) 9394 7601
Email: [email protected]
Reproduction and communication for other purposes
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study, research, criticism or review) no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written
permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

While care has been taken in the preparation of this study guide, students should check
with their teachers about the exact requirements or content of the tests for which they
are sitting.
NAPLAN is a trademark of Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA).
Notice of liability
The information contained in this book is distributed without warranty. While
precautions have been taken in the preparation of this material, neither the authors nor
Pascal Press shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any liability,
loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions
and content contained in the book.
All efforts have been made to gain permission for the copyright material reproduced in
this book. In the event of any oversight, the publisher welcomes any information that will
enable rectification of any reference or credit in subsequent editions.
 CONTENTS
Introduction............................................... iv LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
The My School website............................ ix TESTS
Instructions for parents Language Conventions Test 1 ............... 91
and teachers using this book .............. x
Check your skills ..................................... 97
Language Conventions Test 2 ............... 99
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
Check your skills ................................... 105
Numeracy ................................................... 1
Language Conventions Test 3 ............. 107
Answers...................................................... 7
Check your skills ................................... 112
Reading ...................................................... 8
Language Conventions Test 4 ............. 114
Answers.................................................... 15
Check your skills ................................... 120
Language Conventions........................... 16
Answers.................................................... 21 WRITING TESTS
Introduction............................................ 121
NUMERACY TESTS
Persuasive texts .................................... 123
Numeracy Test 1 ...................................... 22
Sample question.................................... 125
Check your skills ..................................... 29
Sample answers .................................... 126
Numeracy Test 2 ...................................... 31
Writing Test 1 ......................................... 128
Check your skills ..................................... 39
Check your skills ................................... 130
Numeracy Test 3 ...................................... 40
Writing Test 2 ......................................... 131
Check your skills ..................................... 47
Check your skills ................................... 133
Numeracy Test 4 ...................................... 48
Narrative texts ....................................... 134
Check your skills ..................................... 56
Sample question.................................... 139
Sample answers .................................... 140
READING TESTS
Writing Test 3 ......................................... 142
Reading Test 1 ......................................... 57
Check your skills ................................... 144
Check your skills ..................................... 64
Writing Test 4 ......................................... 145
Reading Test 2 ......................................... 65
Check your skills ................................... 147
Check your skills ..................................... 73
Reading Test 3 ......................................... 74
GLOSSARY
Check your skills ..................................... 81
of grammar and punctuation terms..... 148
Reading Test 4 ......................................... 82
Check your skills ..................................... 90 ANSWERS
Answers to Numeracy Tests ................ 153
Answers to Reading Tests ................... 159
Answers to Language
Conventions Tests ............................ 162

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 INTRODUCTION
This book is designed for students preparing for their NAPLAN Tests, parents who want
to help their children and teachers who wish to prepare their class for the NAPLAN Tests.
Students may also nd this book useful for general revision for Year 3.
We hope that you will nd this guide easy to use and that it is useful in preparing students
for these important tests. In the following sections we will try to answer some frequently
asked questions about the tests.

What is NAPLAN? considered the basis for future learning in

school. Of course, we recognise that there are
NAPLAN stands for National Assessment
many other personal or social skills that are
Program—Literacy and Numeracy. It is the
important in life. We realise that students have
largest educational testing program in Australia.
their own special talents and aptitudes but at
The tests cover Reading, Writing, Language the same time governments want to be able to
Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and assess their educational achievement in some
Punctuation) and Numeracy. In other words, of the fundamental skills. It is important to
they cover what are known to many people emphasise that there are many different kinds
as the basic skills of reading, writing and of literacy and numeracy, and that these tests
arithmetic. cover only some aspects.

What is the purpose of NAPLAN? What do the tests indicate?

Although NAPLAN has been designed mainly The NAPLAN Tests are designed to be tests
to provide administrators and politicians with of educational achievement. They show what a
information about schools and educational student has learnt or can do.
systems, it is also relevant for each student.
It provides a public record of his or her They are not IQ tests. Students who do
educational achievement. extremely well on these tests will be quite
bright. It is possible, however, for some
It is amongst the most valuable series of tests
intelligent students to perform poorly
that students will undertake in their primary
because of disadvantage, language, illness or
and secondary schooling. Very often it will be
other factors.
their first formal public examination. There is
no harm in preparing them for this event.
Who does the NAPLAN Tests?
What is being assessed? The NAPLAN Testing Program is held for
The content of the tests is based on what is students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 each year. The
generally taught across Australia, so don’t be tests are designed for all students.
surprised if it doesn’t match exactly what each
Some schools may exempt students from the
student is learning in his or her class. Most
tests. Those exempted may include students
schools should be teaching more than the basic
in special English classes, those who have
levels of literacy and numeracy.
recently arrived from non–English speaking
The tests cover only a specific range of skills. backgrounds, or students with special
This is because literacy and numeracy are disabilities.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 INTRODUCTION
Our advice to parents and guardians is that Conventions and Numeracy. Use this as a
students should only undertake the test if it guide for any revision.
is likely to benefit them. It would be a pity if
If the NAPLAN Tests indicate that there are
students were not personally or emotionally
problems, repeated testing with other measures
ready to perform at their best and the results
of educational achievement is strongly
underestimated their ability. The results on this
recommended. It is also relevant to compare
occasion might label them inaccurately and it
the results of the NAPLAN Tests with general
would be recorded in their confidential student classroom performance.
record card. In some instances parents have
insisted successfully that their child be exempt Remember that all educational test results have
from the testing. limitations. Don’t place too much faith in the
results of a single assessment.
Who developed these tests?
Does practice help?
The tests were orginally developed by the
There is no benefit in trying to teach to the
Curriculum Corporation in conjunction with
NAPLAN Tests because they contain so
State and Territory Departments of Education
many different questions and these will vary
or Boards of Studies and are now being
from year to year. Nevertheless, a general
developed by ACARA (Australian Curriculum,
preparation for the content of the NAPLAN
Assessment and Reporting Authority). These
Tests should be quite helpful.
are large-scale educational tests in which the
questions are extensively trialled. Any poor Practice will help students overcome
questions should have been eliminated in these unfamiliarity with test procedures and specific
trials. The tests are designed to produce results forms of questions. It should also help them
with high validity and reliability. perform to the best of their ability.
Use the tests in this book to practise test skills
How can the results be used? and also to diagnose some aspects of learning
The results of the NAPLAN Tests offer an in Year 3. In saying this, parents should make
opportunity to help students at an early stage sure that their child is keen and interested in
of their schooling. The findings can be used as undertaking these practice tests. There is no
indicators of any problem areas. benefit in forcing students to practise.

It would be a pity to miss this chance to help Sometimes it is easy to forget that they are
students at this point in their schooling when still young children. We recommend that you
it is still possible to address any issues. The sit with them or at least stay nearby while they
findings can also be used as encouragement are completing each test. Give them plenty of
for students who are performing above the praise and encouragement for their efforts.
minimum standard.
How are students graded?
It is important for parents and teachers to look One of the big advantages of NAPLAN is that
closely at the student report. This indicates it uses a single scale of achievement. This has
areas of strength and weakness. The report 10 levels of achievement that are called bands.
can be a little complex to read at first but It will then be possible for you to see how
it contains quite a helpful summary of the much progress has been made by each student
skills assessed in Reading, Writing, Language in literacy and numeracy from Year 3 to Year 9.
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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 INTRODUCTION
Normally we would expect students to increase Step 2
their level of achievement at each stage. In this Once you have completed the checklists, you
book we have tried to grade the questions into will be able to see at a glance your approximate
levels of difficulty for you. level of ability. All you have to do is find the
point where you started having consistent
Each year of NAPLAN covers different bands. difficulty with questions. For example, if you
These are shown in the table below. answer most questions correctly up to the Low
average level and then get most questions
Bands Bands Bands Bands wrong from then onwards, it is likely your
covered covered covered covered ability is at a Low average level.
in Year 3 in Year 5 in Year 7 in Year 9
What results are provided for
10
parents and teachers?
9 9
Parents, teachers and schools receive
8 8 8
comprehensive test results. These enable
7 7 7
interpretation of results at a personal and
6 6 6 6 group level.
5 5 5 5
The parent reports will show performance in
4 4 4
broad skill bands. Some people will look only
3 3 at the band reached on these tests, but really it
2 is more important to see what a student knows
1 or can do.
The bands covering the middle 60% of
Students who are in Band 2 in Year 3 students will be shaded in a lighter colour in
are performing at the national minimum the report provided to parents. This is called
standard. Students who are in Bands 3 to 6 the average range, but really it is quite a large
are performing above the national minimum group. There is a huge difference between
standard. students at the top and bottom of this average
range. Averages tend to hide more than they
How our book’s grading system reveal. It will, however, be possible to see
works whether a student is performing above or
below the expected range of performance.
Step 1 Each band will list a student’s skills in specific
In this book you will notice that we have areas of literacy and numeracy. The results
provided Check your skills pages (please turn are not straightforward to interpret and some
to page 29). These pages provide you with assistance may be required. The bands are not
information about the approximate level of a percentage.
difficulty of each question in the Practice
tests section. We have divided the questions Nevertheless, check to see what each student
into six levels of difficulty: knows or can do. See where they need extra
help. Look at their strengths in the fields of
· Very high · Low average literacy and numeracy. Then check how the
· High · Low class or school performed and where the
· High average · Very low. student is placed within the group as well as in

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 INTRODUCTION
comparison with all other students in their year choice is by far the preferred option for
group. Once again, a knowledge of how to large-scale testing.
interpret test results is required and you should
Please note that multiple-choice tests are not
seek assistance. The worst thing you can do
influenced by guessing because the options
is just to look superficially at the bands—it is
should be written so that they are almost
important that these are used for the benefit of
equally attractive. Someone who has the
each student.
ability should immediately recognise the
answer, whereas someone who does not have
Are the tests in Year 3 and Year 5
the ability would think that all the options
the same? are possible. The chances are very low that
The tests increase in difficulty with each year someone could guess their way to a high score.
tested but the general content is much the
Furthermore, not everyone realises that in
same. Some questions might be repeated.
NAPLAN there are many questions in the
This is because it allows the test developers
tests that require short answers, as well as
to standardise the results across Years 3 and 5.
performance tests in the area of writing. In fact
The similar questions act like anchors for all
it would probably make little difference what
the other questions.
format is used. By and large bright students
will typically do well whatever the method of
When are the tests held? assessment and those students who are well
The tests are held in May on an agreed date. below average will struggle with whatever
The actual timetable is listed on the official method of assessment is used.
NAPLAN website (www.naplan.edu.au). They
Overall, in our judgement the NAPLAN Tests
are spread over three days. The tests should be
appear to be of quite a high technical standard
given in the mornings.
and we should have reasonable confidence in
the results.
What are the types of questions?
Many questions are multiple choice but some Are there time limits?
require students to express their answers
in different ways. There is also a writing Yes, there are time limits for each test. These
component that is graded. are usually set so that 95% of students can
complete the tests in the time allowed.
Some people think that the multiple-choice
If more than one test is scheduled on a day,
questions that are used in the tests disadvantage
there should be a reasonable rest break of at
students. Others think that multiple choice can
least 20 minutes between tests. In some special
only assess trivial details. Some might think
cases students may be given some extra time
that students are able to pass multiple-choice
and allowed to complete a response.
tests by guessing. We don’t agree with any of
these assertions—it all depends on how well
the questions are written, whether there are Will students be shown what to do?
sufficient questions, whether they assess the Our education systems now have considerable
relevant skills and whether they have been pilot experience with large-scale testing. The testing
tested on a preliminary group. In the absence program is normally very well organised
of any other compelling reasons, multiple with clear instructions given to schools and

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 INTRODUCTION
teachers. Teachers receive special instructions Please note that it isn’t really possible to
for administering the tests. predict specifically what the content of the
NAPLAN Tests might be. In our opinion the
Teachers will probably give students practice
content seems to vary somewhat from the
tests in the weeks before the NAPLAN Tests.
earlier Basic Skills Tests or Achievement
Students will be shown how to complete the
Improvement Monitor (AIM) Tests. This could
information on the cover of the tests and how
be because it focuses on ‘the essential elements
to show their answers.
that should be taught at the appropriate year
If a student has special needs (such as requiring levels’. There is a greater use of pictorial
a writer or extra time), please check the day supplementary material. Our initial impression
before that the appropriate arrangements have is that the NAPLAN Tests are easier than their
been made by the school. predecessors but the standard is increasing.

Are copies of the tests available? The questions in this book are only a guide.
Check the official NAPLAN website for
All tests are returned to the education
additional details and past papers. The reader
department for marking. Sample questions
is advised that there will be changes in format
and past papers are available on the official
and content from year to year.
NAPLAN website (www.naplan.edu.au). Many
schools and teachers may also have copies. So welcome again to Excel Year 3
Under no circumstances should students ever NAPLAN*-style Tests. Thank you for your
be allowed to practise on the real test as this patience in working through this introduction.
destroys the validity and accuracy of the test We hope you find this guide helpful. It is
results. designed to be easy to use and to help students
prepare for the tests.
How is this book organised? We would like to thank Nicholas Athanasou,
The book is divided into sample questions who attempted all the practice tests for us and
and practice tests. We start with samples of provided valuable feedback. We are grateful
the Numeracy and Literacy (Reading and for the editing of Christine Eslick, and to Peter
Language Conventions) questions. Work Little and Dale Little for checking answers.
through these examples so that every student This was invaluable. In preparing this edition
knows what needs to be done. At the very we would like to acknowledge the cooperation
least, please ensure that each student is at least and support of the publishers Matthew
familiar with the sample questions. Sandblom, Vivienne Joannou and Mark Dixon
This is then followed by four practice tests for of Pascal Press. We wish every student well in
Numeracy, four practice tests for Reading and the NAPLAN Tests and in their future studies.
four practice tests for Language Conventions.
There is also a sample Writing question and James Athanasou & Angella Deftereos
four practice tests for Writing. At the very
least, revise the sample questions if you do not
have enough time to do the practice tests.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 THE MY SCHOOL WEBSITE
Introduction If the coloured bars are red, it means that the
school is below the similar schools or below
The My School website (www.myschool.edu.
all other schools.
au) provides the NAPLAN results for around
10 000 Australian schools. It has been a source Common scale
of controversy because it allows everyone to
For this school you can see that in each case
see a school’s overall results in the NAPLAN
the score was above that for similar schools
Tests. It will also allow comparison—fairly or
and certainly well above that for all other high
unfairly—with other schools.
schools. If you take Reading, for example, you
Each school has a profile page that includes will see that the average score for this school
a description of the school. It includes social was 652 in Year 7, compared with 594 for
background as well as educational data about similar schools and 541 for all other schools.
the school, including the number of students It is fairly likely that this is a selective school.
and teachers, attendance rates, information
For each of the five NAPLAN areas (Reading,
about students’ backgrounds and other details.
Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation,
The school’s NAPLAN results are compared and Numeracy) there is a common scale. Each
with the national average and the average scale has an average score of 500. Around
results of similar schools. Here is a sample 68% of schools have average scores within the
of the results that you might see. It is taken range of 400 to 600.
from the page of one high school. This is a
This school’s score of 652 for Reading in
high-performing high school but one that
Year 7 is above the average of 500 and in
doesn’t prepare its students specifically for the
the top 16% throughout Australia (16% of
tests through special practice.
schools score less than 400, 68% score from
400 to 600, and 16% score more than 600).
Of course, this school did even better in
Numeracy in Years 7 and 9.

Other pages
Other pages on the My School website show
additional information, such as the percentage
of students achieving at each band in the
NAPLAN Tests.
The chart displays the average NAPLAN
scores for Reading, Writing, Spelling,
Note that the My School website provides an
Grammar and Punctuation, and Numeracy in
overall indication of a school’s performance
2009. The scores of the school are shown in
but it does not say anything about individual
the top row (in blue on the website). Beneath
students.
this—under the heading SIM—you will see
the average scores for what are considered
similar schools. Under the heading ALL you
will see the results for all Australian schools.
If the coloured bars are green, it indicates that
the school’s scores are above the other scores.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 InstructIons for parents and teachers usIng thIs book
Test materials Literacy Tests
All the test materials are contained in this Literacy is divided into three tests: Reading,
book. There are answers for scoring the Language Conventions and Writing.
responses. There are also diagnostic charts to
Allow around 45 minutes for Reading Tests,
help you. The diagnostic charts are only an
and 40 minutes for Language Conventions and
approximate guide to achievement bands.
Writing Tests, with a break in between. Don’t
Equipment explain terms during the testing. This can be
done after the practice session.
Students will not need rulers, white-out, pens
or calculators. Students should be provided · In the Reading Tests students will read
with a pencil, an eraser and a blank sheet of stories, letters and non-fiction writing. There
paper for rough working. will be supporting pictures and charts.
Students will be asked to find information,
Time limits make conclusions, find the meaning or look
at different ideas.
Try to keep roughly to the time limits for the
practice tests. You may give some students · The Language Conventions Tests are divided
extra time if they are tired. Even a short break into two parts: spelling, and grammar and
every 20 minutes is appropriate. punctuation. Students will be asked to check
words and also to correct words with less
Instructions to students regular spelling. They must also be able to
Explain patiently what needs to be done. use verbs and punctuation, such as speech
Students should only attempt these practice marks and commas, correctly.
tests if they wish to and do no more than one · For the Writing Tests students will write
test in a session. specific types of texts. They will be judged
on the structure of their writing, as well as
Recording answers their grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Show students the way to mark the answers.
They have to colour in circles, shapes or
numbers, or write the answers in the boxes or
on the lines provided. The next section contains the sample
questions for Numeracy, Reading and
Numeracy Tests Language Conventions. After the
sample questions there are 16 practice
The Numeracy Tests in this book have tests of the different aspects of literacy
35 questions. Allow around 45 minutes for and numeracy.
each Numeracy Test.
Try not to explain terms during the testing.
This can be done after the practice session. If
a question is still too hard, it is better to leave
it at this stage. Some students may not be
ready for the task. There is a diagnostic chart
at the end of each Numeracy Test to help you
identify any problem areas.

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—NUMERACY
Here are some sample Numeracy questions. Make sure you read each question carefully
so that you know exactly:
• what information is given to you in the question
• what the question is asking you to nd.
Then make sure you read each answer option carefully in order to choose the correct
answer. You can use a calculator to help you answer these questions. There is no time
limit for the sample questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you. There is no time limit for the sample questions.
To answer these questions, write the answer in the box or colour in the circle with the
correct answer. Colour in only one circle for each answer.

1. Which of these groups shows the number 11? 5. I folded this pattern in half.

   

   
    Fold here
    Which shape could I see?
   
   
   
   
    ● ● ● ●
   
● ● ● ● 6. How much do these coins add up to?

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

2. Which number is the largest?

54 45 64 61
● ● ● ●

3. Which is the tallest house?

85c $1.55 $1.75 $1.85
● ● ● ●
7. There are 15 candles. Each child is given
● ● ● ● three candles.

4. Which object is a cube? 

How many children will get candles?
6 3 8 5
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

1 c Answers and explanations on page 7

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—NUMERACY
8. This table shows the number of cars in Which city is in B3?
each family.
● Burnie
Family Number of cars ● Queenstown
Rooney 3 ● Launceston
Collier 2 ● Hobart
Flowers 3
Hager 1 11. Where is Port Arthur on the grid?
Pennycook 2 C1 A2 B3 C3
● ● ● ●
How many cars do the Rooney family and
the Flowers family have altogether? 12. A packet of chips costs $2. A boy buys 5
cars packets of chips.
Write your answer
in the box. Fill in the number sentence below. Show
how much he spent.
9. Which is the largest angle? $ 35=$

Write your answers

in the boxes.

● ● ● ●
13. Here are some objects. There is a top row
and a bottom row.
10. Here is a map of Tasmania. It shows five
locations. The map is divided into sections
marked 1, 2, 3, 4 along the side and A, B,
C, D along the bottom.


Which object is in the top row second from
the left?

envelope bell clock pencil

● ● ● ●

14. What time does this clock show?

 12:00 3:00 3:15 9:00

● ● ● ●

2 c Answers and explanations on page 7

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—NUMERACY
15. There is a picture that covers some squares. Now look at this example. The number
How many pictures like this one are needed 3 is not the same when it is flipped or
to cover all the area? (Hint: use the size turned over.
of the first picture to help you. Remember
to include the picture that is shown in the
final total.)

3 3

Which of these numbers will look the same
if it is flipped or turned over?

6 7 8 9
How many pictures are needed? ● ● ● ●
pictures Write your answer
18. Look at these 2 trucks. The first one carries
in the box.
24 computers. The second truck carries
16. Name the main shapes that
36 computers.
make up this figure.
● diamonds
● squares
● triangles
How many more computers are there in the
● rectangles second truck compared to the first?
60 12 8 16

You are about halfway through the ● ● ● ●

sample questions—well done!
19. Break each shape into quarters. How many
parts would you have in total?
17. Look at the example below. The number
0 looks the same when it is flipped or
turned over.

20 12 8 16

0 0
● ● ● ●

3 c Answers and explanations on page 7

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—NUMERACY
20. There is a pattern in these numbers. Write Which one of the 4 shapes below is the
in the number that is missing. same as the one shown? Is it A, B, C or D?

50
+50 A B

100
+50
C D

A B C D
Write your answer
in the box. ● ● ● ●

21. What shapes should come next in 24. This toy car costs $2.50.
this pattern?


   
● ● ● ● How much will three toy cars cost?

22. Use the calendar below to answer the next Write your answer
question. in the box.

JANUARY 2009
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat 25. This chart shows the number of cars in
our street.
1 2 3
Cars in our street
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Ford
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Type of car

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Toyota

How many days are there from 4 to Subaru

19 January? Holden

Write your answer 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

in the box. Number of cars

Which answer is correct?

23. Here is a shape made
out of some blocks. ● There are more Fords than Holdens.
● There are more Toyotas than Subarus.
● There are fewer Fords than Subarus.
● There are fewer Toyotas than Subarus.

4 c Answers and explanations on page 7

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—NUMERACY
26. Here is a chart of how people voted in 29. Here is a shape made from different pieces.
an election. How many of the pieces are triangular
prisms?
Obama XXXXXXXXXX
Bush XXX
McCain XXXXXXX
Clinton XXXXXX

Each X stands for 10 people. 3 4 9 16

How many people voted for Obama? ● ● ● ●

people Write your answer 30. There are 22 dollars to be divided between
in the box. John and Jane. John has to receive 4
dollars more than Jane.
27. Here is a shape. Some parts are coloured
and some are blank.

How many parts are coloured?

● 4 out of 7 parts
● 4 out of 4 parts
● 3 out of 7 parts
● 3 out of 3 parts

28. There are 4 parking lots in an airport for

planes. The parking lots are called A, B, C How much will each person get?
and D.
Jane: dollars
One of them is only one-quarter full.
John: dollars
A Write your answers
in the boxes.

B 31. Here are four groups of three people.

Which parking lot is one-quarter full? The total number of people is equal to:
A B C D 413 423 433 443
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

5 c Answers and explanations on page 7

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—NUMERACY
32. Imagine a calculator that gives all answers 34. There is a pattern in these numbers. Write
to end in either 0 or 5. the number that is missing.
If the sum was 6 1 5 then it would give a
result of 10 because 10 is closest to 11. If 5 12 19 33
the sum was 6 1 7 it would give a result of
15 because the true answer of 13 is closest Write your answer
in the box.
to 15.
What answer would it give for 27 1 36?
35. I left home at 8 am. I take exactly an hour
55 60 65 70 to travel to school.
● ● ● ● My digital watch is 10 minutes fast. What
time will it show?
33. Draw a chart which shows the pattern in
these numbers. What will the next pattern
look like? 9:1 0 8:5 0 9:0 0 1 0:1 0
● ● ● ●

Draw your answer

in the box.

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the sample questions for Numeracy. Even if you don’t
practise any others, at least you will have done a fair sample of the questions.
How did you go with these sample questions? Check to see where you did well and where
you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were hard for you.
There are four more Numeracy Tests to practise, each containing 35 questions. They
include many of the same types of questions, plus a few other types.

6 c Answers and explanations on page 7

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 ANSWERS TO SAMPLE QUESTIONS—NUMERACY
1. The second group is the number 11. This 19. 16. Each square would be divided into four and
should have been easy for you. then there would be 4 3 4 5 16 pieces.
2. The largest number is 64. If you want to
change your answer just erase it and colour in
the circle you want.
3. The third house is the tallest. Did you pick
this easily? 20. 150. The numbers increase by 50. We start with
50 then add 50 to make 100. Then we add 50
4. The cube is the first object.
to 100 to make 150. Did you write your answer
5. The first answer is correct. We have tried in the rectangle?
to show this below (it is not drawn to scale).
21. . The pattern is quite simple: there are two
When you put both halves together then you
 then three  and then four .
get a circle.
After the  symbol, then, comes the  symbol.
22. 15 days. There are 15 days from the 4th to the
19th January (19 2 4 5 15).
23. D. This is L-shaped with five blocks. The
6. $1.85. The coins are
others are quite different.
5c 1 10c 1 20c 1 50c 1 $1 5 $1.85.
24. $7.50. Each car costs $2.50 so the sum is
7. 5. There are 15 candles and each child is given
$2.50 3 3 5 $7.50.
three candles. So there must be five children
(3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 5 15 or 15 4 3 5 5). 25. There are fewer Toyotas than Subarus.
There were six Toyotas and eight Subarus.
8. 6. The Rooney family have three cars and the
Flowers family have three cars and this makes 26. 100. There are ten Xs. Each X stands for
six cars altogether. Did you write your answer 10 people so the sum is 10 3 10 5100.
in the space provided? 27. 4 out of 7 parts. You need to count the parts
9. The second answer is correct. It is the largest and then decide how many are coloured.
angle. The space between the lines is widest. 28. A. This has only one plane in the four spaces
Don’t let the length of the lines confuse you. It so it is one-quarter full.
is the size of the opening that is important. 29. 4. There are four triangular prisms. There is
10. Burnie is in B3. Remember to count across the one at the nose of the aeroplane, one for each
bottom first then count upwards. wing and one for the tail of the aeroplane.
11. Port Arthur is in the square or cell called C1. 30. Jane 9 dollars and John 13 dollars. This
12. $2 3 5 5 $10. The chips cost $2. The boy is because 9 1 13 5 22 and the difference
buys five packets, so the sum is $2 3 5 5 $10. between them had to be four dollars.
Did you write your answer in the space 31. 4 3 3. The total number of people is equal
provided? to 4 3 3 because there are four groups of
13. The pencil is in the top row and second from three people.
the left. 32. 65. The true answer to the sum 27 1 36 is 63
14. 3:00. The time is three o’clock. and the closest number ending in a 0 or a 5
is 65.
15. 6. There are 24 squares and each picture covers
four squares. 33. 16 dots. These are squares. We started with
131, then 232, then 333 and then 434 or
16. They are all triangles.
16 dots. Get someone to explain this to you if
17. . The number  looks the same when it is our explanation is not clear.
turned over horizontally. This is what we mean 34. 26. The pattern is 5, 12, 19, 26 then 33. The
by flipped over. numbers increase by 7.
18. 12. The second truck has 36 computers and this 35. 9:10. I leave home at 8 am and it takes an hour
is 12 more than the first truck. It is: to travel so I get there at 9 am. My watch is
36 2 24 5 12. 10 minutes fast so it will show 9:10.

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
Here are some sample Reading questions. You will need to look at or read a text. Make
sure you read each question carefully so that you know exactly what the question is
asking. Then nd the relevant section in the text. Finally make sure you read each answer
option carefully in order to choose the correct answer. There is no time limit for the
sample questions.
To answer these questions, write the answer in the box or colour in the circle with the
correct answer. Colour in only one circle for each answer.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.

1. Look at the diagram below and answer

question 1. Which part does not match the Look at the book cover and answer
label? Colour in only one answer. questions 2 to 4.

A H

B
G

D
F
E
From Art Today, CD1/0031/BWC078A.JPG

● A handle bars 2. Who wrote this book?

● B bell ● Jane L Stewart
● C spokes ● The Camp Fire Girls
● D pedal ● Girl Guides
● E chain
● F tyre 3. What is this text about?

● G reflector ● It is a book about women campers.

● H seat ● It is a book about boy scouts and

girl guides.
Did you colour in one ● It is a book about girl campers.
of the circles?
4. What would you read about in this book?
● You would read about cooking at a
camp.
● You would read about bushwalking.
● You would read about bushfires.

8 c Answers and explanations on page 15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
Look at the cartoon and answer l The painter puts up the sign; speaks to
questions 5 to 7. the man; sees the man touching the wet
paint; and gets angry with the man.
l The painter puts up the sign; checks to
see that the paint is not touched; listens
to the man whistling; and gets angry
with the man.

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

Read Trees and answer questions 8 to 14.

Trees
A tree is a plant with a tall, woody trunk.
Like all plants, trees need air, water and
sunlight to live and grow.
A tree has a long, woody trunk covered in
From Art Today, CD3/0163/AGH296B/C/D/G/.JPG bark. The trunk supports
the branches, putting them
5. What is happening in this cartoon? high above the ground.
Bark is dead and protects
l The man is helping the painter. the living trunk inside.
l The man is being cheeky and annoying The trunk grows thicker
the painter. and taller each year.
l The painter is angry because the man is Trees have many branches. Tree branches
whistling. spread out in all directions towards sunlight.
More and more branches grow each year.
6. What does the sign FRESH PAINT mean? Leaves grow on the branches. The leaves
l It means that the tin of paint is new. cover the tree in a canopy of green. Leaves
use the sun’s energy to make food for the
l It means that the paint is still wet. whole tree.
l It means that he is about to paint. The tree has roots under the ground. Roots
absorb water and nutrients from the soil.
7. What does the painter do in this cartoon? Trees need water to live and grow. The roots
l The painter puts up the sign; checks to also hold the tree firm when the wind blows.
see that the paint is not touched; sees From Go Facts: Trees, Blake Publishing, 2000
the man touching the wet paint; and
gets angry with the man.

9 c Answers and explanations on page 15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
8. What would be another good title for ● The leaves help get water and nutrients
this text? from the soil.
● How a Tree Grows ● The leaves help make food for the tree.
● What is a Tree?
14. Find a rhyming word from the passage for
● The Story of Trees
these words. Write your answers on the
● Kinds of Trees lines below.
bunk ___________________
9. Where would you see a passage like this?
dark ___________________
● on the Internet
● in a newspaper deer ___________________

● in a book found ___________________

● on a poster boil ___________________

10. Which sentence is wrong? 15. Below are the stages of the life cycle of a
● Trees need air, water and sunlight to tree, but they are not in the correct order.
live and grow. Put them in the correct order. Write the
numbers 1 to 4 in the boxes.
● Bark is dead.
● The trunk uses the sun’s energy to make Write your answers
in the boxes.
food for the whole tree.
● The tree has roots under the ground. When the tree is mature it flowers.
New seeds grow from the flowers.
11. Which word is similar in meaning
to canopy? Small roots grow down into the
● shelter ground reaching for water. A green
shoot grows up into the sunlight.
● revealing The young tree must begin to make
● circle its own food.
● partition The life of a new tree starts when
a seed drops from a branch. It may
12. The word absorb means drop to the ground or be carried
● to choose. away by an animal, by wind, or
● to need. by water. A seed needs water and
warmth to begin to grow.
● to give away.
● to soak up. Young trees are called saplings.
Saplings grow straight and tall
13. What is the purpose of the leaves on a tree? towards sunlight.
● The leaves protect the trunk.
You are about halfway through the
● The leaves hold the tree firm when
sample questions—well done!
the wind blows.

10 c Answers and explanations on page 15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
Read The Ants and the Grasshopper and 18. Why was the grasshopper so hungry?
answer questions 16 to 21. Write your answer on the lines.

___________________________________
The Ants and
___________________________________
the Grasshopper
One bright day in late ___________________________________
autumn a family of
Ants were bustling ___________________________________
about in the warm
___________________________________
sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored
up during the summer, when a starving
Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came 19. What is the purpose of this story?
up and humbly begged for a bite to eat. ● The purpose of this story is to inform.
“What!” cried the Ants in surprise, ● The purpose of this story is to advertise.
“Haven’t you stored anything away for the
● The purpose of this story is to entertain.
winter? What in the world were you doing
all last summer?” ● The purpose of this story is to teach.

“I didn’t have time to store up any food,” 20. What does the word whined mean?
whined the Grasshopper. “I was so busy
making music that before I knew it the ● complained
summer was gone.” ● groaned
The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust. ● drank
“Making music, were you?” they cried. ● suggested
“Very well; now dance!” And they turned
their backs on the Grasshopper and went on 21. What is the hidden meaning of this story?
with their work. ● The hidden meaning of this story is that
From The Gutenberg Project e-book of The Aesop for grasshoppers are lazy.
Children With Pictures by Milo Winter, Rand McNally, 1919
● The hidden meaning of this story is that
ants are hard working.
16. What is the title of this passage? ● The hidden meaning of this story is
● One bright day in Autumn that we should save while we have the
● The Aesop for Children chance.

● The Ants and the Grasshopper ● The hidden meaning of this story is
that we should work hard and not
17. In which season did the story occur? play music.
● Spring
● Summer
● Autumn
● Winter

11 c Answers and explanations on page 15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
Read Giant Pandas and answer 22. Why are the giant pandas losing their
questions 22 to 25. habitats?
● They eat about 12 kg of bamboo a day.

Giant Pandas ● The zoos are closing down.

Panda Facts ● They have been burnt down.

• Giant pandas are part ● Humans are taking over their
of the bear family. environment.
• Only about
1500 giant pandas remain in the wild. 23. Colour in the statements that are true.
• Giant pandas have a sixth claw, like a (You can colour in more than one.)
thumb, used mainly to grasp bamboo. ● Giant pandas can weigh up to 160 kg.
Conservation Concerns ● Giant pandas have six thumbs.
Endangered due to humans taking over ● There are about 1500 pandas left in
much of their environment.
the wild.
Range ● Giant pandas can be found in China,
Central and Western China. Myanmar and Vietnam.
Habitat ● Giant pandas are brown and white.
Giant pandas live in bamboo forests. They
● Giant pandas are an endangered
used to be found in China, Myanmar and
Vietnam, but now are mainly found in species.
Southwest China. ● Giant pandas live to be about 20 to
Size 30 years old.
Height: 1.2 to 1.5 m ● Giant pandas are carnivores
Weight: 80 to 160 kg (meat-eaters).

Appearance 24. What is the author’s purpose in this text?

The giant panda looks like other bears
except it has black patches over its eyes, ● The author’s purpose is to entertain.
ears, legs and shoulders. ● The author’s purpose is to persuade.
Feeding Habits ● The author’s purpose is to inform.
Giant pandas are herbivores. They mainly ● The author’s purpose is to advertise.
eat bamboo. They spend about 10 to 16
hours eating each day. Giant pandas eat 25. How many hours a day does a panda
about 12 kg of bamboo a day. spend eating?
Offspring ● 10 to 16 hours
Giant pandas mate between March and
May. Females give birth to one or two cubs ● 12 to 16 hours
about 3–6 months later. ● 3 to 6 hours
Life Span ● 20 to 30 hours
About 20 to 30 years.

12 c Answers and explanations on page 15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
A table of contents can be found at the Read the text and answer
beginning of a book. It may list the title questions 29 to 32.
of the book, as well as the name of each
chapter and on which page it begins. Read “This bridge links the north and south parts
the table of contents from the book Wild of the city. It opened on 19 March 1932 and
Animals and answer questions 26 to 28. is the largest bridge in Australia. There are
six million rivets and 52 800 tonnes of steel.
150 000 vehicles cross it every day,” she said.
Wild Animals “It takes ten years and 30 000 litres to paint
the whole bridge. So as soon as the painters
Table of contents
finish they have to start all over again.”
1. What is a Tasmanian Devil? 2
On and on went the tour lady as they climbed.
2. Are there killer cats? 7 Then she stopped and finally drew a breath,
3. How loud is a lion’s roar? 12 “Here we are ladies and gentlemen! The best
4. Can any animal outrun a cheetah? 19 view in town.”
5. How big is a tiger’s paw? 25 Ella and Dom looked up. They were at the
6. Which leopard has lost its spots? 32 very top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge! The
7. Do hyenas laugh? 38 view was a knockout. Ella forgot all about her
fear of heights.
8. What changes coat in the winter? 45
From SWAT: Sent to Sydney by Lisa Thompson,
9. Who won the race: Blake Education, 2000
the fox or the hare? 49
10. Can bears walk on water? 52 29. What would be a good title for this passage?
● Our Holiday
26. How many chapters are there in this book? ● The Sydney Harbour Bridge
9 10 11 12 ● The Best View in Town
● ● ● ● ● Ella and Dom’s Adventure

27. What is the title of the fourth chapter? 30. How many vehicles cross the Bridge
every day?
● Are there killer cats?
● 150 000
● How loud is a lion’s roar?
● 30 000
● Do hyenas laugh?
● 52 800
● Can any animal outrun a cheetah?
● six million
28. On which page can you find information
31. Ella and Dom looked up. This is
on tigers?
● a statement.
7 25 19 12
● a question.
● ● ● ●
● an explanation.
● a command.

13 c Answers and explanations on page 15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
32. Find a rhyming word from the text for 33. Colour in the statements which are true.
these words. Write your answers on the (Hint: more than one statement is correct.)
lines provided. l Kalvin Costi is a singer.
fridge _________________________
l Kalvin Costi is an actor and director.
death _________________________ l Kalvin Costi was born in Japan.
new _________________________ l Kalvin Costi likes dancing with
penguins.
Read Kalvin Costi and answer question 33. l Kalvin Costi won an award for his
movie ZFX.
l Kalvin Costi appeared in six movies.
Kalvin Costi
Born 18.1.55, he sang
in a band and had a
number one hit in Japan
in 1970. He starred in
the movies California
Beach and The Fox. He
directed and acted in
the award-winning film
Dances with Penguins. He then followed
with ZFX, Underwaterworld and Your
Place.

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the sample questions for Reading. Even if you don’t practise
any other Reading Tests, at least you will have done a fair sample of the questions.
How did you go with these sample questions? Check to see where you did well and where
you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were hard for you.
There are four more Reading Tests to practise, each containing just under 40 questions.
They include many of the same types of questions, plus a few other types.
The spelling, grammar and punctuation questions are in the Language Conventions
sample test. You can do this test now or you can leave it until later. Now take a break
before you start any more tests.

14 c Answers and explanations on page 15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 ANSWERS TO SAMPLE QUESTIONS—READING
1. B—bell. These are the brakes of the bike, not This may have been a hard question for you.
the bell. Did you colour in the circle for B? Remember to ask for help if you are not sure
Do you know what to do if you change your of the answers.
mind? Just erase the wrong answer and then 16. The title of this passage is The Ants and the
change your answer. Do not leave two answers Grasshopper. This should have been easy
coloured in—remember to erase one of them. for you.
2. Jane L Stewart 17. Autumn.
3. It is a book about girl campers. Remember: 18. He was so hungry because he had not stored
in this test you should guess if you are not sure. anything away.
4. You would read about cooking at a camp. 19. The purpose of this story is to teach.
5. The man is being cheeky and annoying
20. complained. To whine means ‘to complain or
the painter.
moan about something’. This may have been a
6. It means that the paint is still wet. little tricky for you. Remember to ask someone
7. The painter puts up the sign; checks to see if you are not sure. It is not a problem if you
that the paint is not touched; sees the man have to use a dictionary to find the meaning.
touching the wet paint; and gets angry with The aim of these questions is to help you learn,
the man. not to practise answers.
8. What is a Tree? This is the actual title of the 21. The hidden meaning of this story is that we
passage. Did you remember to colour in only should save while we have the chance.
one of the circles?
22. Giant pandas are losing their habitats because
9. You would normally see a passage like this in humans are taking over their environment.
a book.
23. Giant pandas can weigh up to 160 kg.
10. The trunk uses the sun’s energy to make There are about 1500 pandas left in the wild.
food for the whole tree. The leaves, and not Giant pandas are an endangered species.
the trunk, use the sun’s energy to make food Giant pandas live to be about 20 to
for the tree. 30 years old.
11. Canopy means shelter. You may not have seen
24. The author’s purpose is to inform.
the word before.
25. Giant pandas eat for 10 to 16 hours a day.
12. The word absorb means to soak up.
26. There are 10 chapters in this book.
13. The leaves help make food for the tree.
27. The title of the fourth chapter is ‘Can any
14. Trunk rhymes with bunk.
animal outrun a cheetah?’
Bark rhymes with dark.
28. Information on tigers can be found on page 25
Year rhymes with deer.
in the chapter titled ‘How big is a tiger’s paw?’
Ground rhymes with found.
29. A good title for this passage would be
Soil rhymes with boil.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge.
15. 1. The life of a new tree starts when a seed
drops from a branch. It may drop to the 30. 150 000
ground or be carried away by an animal, by 31. This is a statement. This may have been
wind, or by water. A seed needs water and difficult for you. If you are not certain which
warmth to begin to grow. answer to choose, eliminate those answers that
2. Small roots grow down into the ground you are sure are wrong and then make a guess
reaching for water. A green shoot grows up from those that are left over.
into the sunlight. The young tree must begin 32. Bridge rhymes with fridge.
to make its own food. Breath rhymes with death.
3. Young trees are called saplings. Saplings View rhymes with new.
grow straight and tall towards sunlight. 33. Kalvin Costi is a singer.
4. When the tree is mature it flowers. Kalvin Costi is an actor and director.
New seeds grow from the flowers. Kalvin Costi appeared in six movies.

15

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
Instructions for teachers and parents
This section tests whether students can nd spelling, grammar and punctuation errors
in a text and whether they can write correctly. Most of the questions are multiple choice.
Sometimes they will have to write an answer. In all cases emphasise that they have to
read each question carefully and study each answer option in order to choose the correct
answer.

Read the text Fish. Each sentence has one word that is incorrect. Colour in the circle
with the correct answer.

Fish

1. Fish live in water. Fish can breethe breth breath breathe

under water. ● ● ●

2. Gills let oxigen from the water into oxegen oxygen oxigin
the fish’s blood. ● ● ●

3. All fish are coverd with scales. couvered covered cuvered

● ● ●

4. Most babie fish hatch out of eggs. babi babby baby

● ● ●

5. Plankton gros in the sea. growes grows groes

● ● ●

6. Some fish eat otha fish. other uther utha

● ● ●

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

16 c Answers and explanations on page 21

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
Read the sentences. They have some gaps. Colour in the circle with the correct answer.
Colour in only one circle for each answer.

7. Tuesday ■ another of our special days. has is

● ●

8. Dieu was class monitor last ■. weak week

● ●

9. Mrs Bramble teaches Grade ■. For Four Fore

● ● ●

10. Pat ■ how they laughed at her joke. remember remembered

● ●

11. You can see the ■ in the back garden. goanna Go Anna
● ●

12. ■ dog is black, brown and white. Marios Mario’s Marios’

● ● ●

13. The quick brown fox jumped ■ in under over

the lazy dog. ● ● ●

14. ■ played tennis in the street. david David Davids

● ● ●

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

17 c Answers and explanations on page 21

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
The spelling mistakes in these sentences have been circled. Colour in the circle with
the correct spelling.

15. The Gold Coast had 35 beaches and have has having
tropical rainforests. ● ● ●

16. There are national parks . mountain villages ? ! ,

and spectacular views. ● ● ●
17. You can visit kraft shops. cruft crafte craft
● ● ●

18. Ther are many parks for barbecues Their They’re There
and picnics. ● ● ●

You are about halfway through the sample questions—well done!

Read the text A Scare at the Beach. Each line has one word that is incorrect.
Colour in the circle with the correct spelling.

A Scare at the Beach

19. An ionman champion was pushed off his ironman ienman ianman
surfboard by a shark. ● ● ●

20. Bystanders thort the shark was around thawt thort thought
three metres long. ● ● ●

18 c Answers and explanations on page 21

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
21. They saw too other large sharks. two to
● ●

22. A helicopter chased a ways the awhay away arway

other sharks. ● ● ●

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

The spelling mistakes in these sentences have been circled. Colour in the circle with
the correct spelling.

23. Many anemals live in trees. animalls animels animals

● ● ●

24. Trees provide food and shelta . shelter shelte shellter

● ● ●

25. Most monkeys fined food in trees. phined finde find

● ● ●

26. Their homs are above the ground. homes homz hommes
● ● ●

27. Monkeys are used to liffe in the trees. lief life lyfe
● ● ●

28. Their tales help them to climb. tailz tails tayles

● ● ●

19 c Answers and explanations on page 21

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS—LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
Colour in the circle with the correct answer.

29. Where should the speech marks ( ” ) go?

● ●●

 
“Hello, said Mr Smith .


30. Where do the capital letters go? Colour in more than one bubble.

derek went to malaysia in june and won’t be back until the christmas holidays.

  ●
 
● ●
 
● ●

31. Where does the apostrophe ( ’ ) go?

● ● ●

   
The elephant swayed its trunk at my brothers friends.

32. Shade three circles to show where the apostrophes ( ’ ) should go.
● ● ● ●

   
Its impossible for Jims cousins to come to his grandmothers house.


END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the sample questions for Language Conventions. Even if
you don’t practise any more Language Conventions Tests, at least you will have done a
fair sample of the questions.
How did you go with these sample questions? Check to see where you did well and where
you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were hard for you.
There are four more Language Conventions Tests to practise. These are longer and
contain around 50 questions. They include many of the same types of questions, plus a
few other types.

20 c Answers and explanations on page 21

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 ANSWERS TO SAMPLE QUESTIONS—LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
1. breathe 29. “Hello”, said Mr Smith. We have underlined
2. oxygen the changes for you to make it easier to see.
This has also been done in the next three
3. covered
questions.
4. baby
30. Derek went to Malaysia in June and won’t
5. grows be back until the Christmas holidays.
6. other 31. The elephant swayed its trunk at my
7. is brother’s friends. Brother’s needs an
8. week apostrophe because it shows possession or
9. Four ownership: the friends belong to the brother.
We hope that you didn’t put an apostrophe for
10. remembered
its. The difference between its and it’s is still
11. goanna. If you aren’t sure about an answer, not clear for many adults, so you have done
just guess. If you have time, you can come well if you recognised this.
back to these questions at the end.
32. It’s impossible for Jim’s cousins to come
12. Mario’s to his grandmother’s house. It’s is an
13. over. Ask your teacher or parents why this is abbreviation of the words it is; Jim’s and
an unusual sentence. Hint: see if it uses every grandmother’s show possession or ownership.
letter in the alphabet. Watch out for apostrophes—even adults make
14. David. Please note that there are no tricks mistakes with them.
intended in any of these questions. In the
NAPLAN Tests, the questions are specially
selected and designed to test your knowledge.
15. has
16. ,
17. craft
18. There. Look for capital letters, punctuation
marks, spelling or grammar. Get someone to
explain what is meant if it isn’t clear to you.
Usually there is something that has to be fixed
but sometimes it is correct. Read it through
once before trying to answer each question.
19. ironman. Don’t spend too much time on any
one question. Allow around one minute for
each question.
20. thought
21. two
22. away. This is one word.
23. animals
24. shelter
25. find
26. homes
27. life
28. tails

21

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 1
This is the rst Numeracy Test. There are 35 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you.
Don’t be afraid to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 45 minutes for this test.
Write the answer in the box or colour in the circle with the correct answer. Colour in only
one circle for each answer.

1. Look at the  shapes. Count how many 4. Which object is a cylinder?

there are. Then write how many TENS
and ONES there are.

 ● ● ● ●

 5. I cut this white shape out of the orange
 paper. Then I folded the paper in half.




TENS
Which shape should I see?
Write your answers
ONES in the boxes.

2. Which number is the largest?

369 693 396 963 ● ● ● ●
● ● ● ●

3. Which is the longest piece of wood?

Did you colour in one
of the circles?
●

22 c Answers and explanations on pages 153–154

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 1
6. How much do these coins make altogether? 9. Here are four angles. The angle is shown
with a dot. Which is the largest angle?

● ● ● ●

10. Here is a chart. It shows four pictures at

different positions in the chart. The map
is divided into sections marked 1, 2, 3, 4
along the side and A, B, C, D along the
bottom.
$3.70 83c $8.30 $3.80
● ● ● ● 4

7. Count the crayons. Each child is given four
crayons.
3

 2
 
 1

 A B C D

How many children will get crayons? Which picture is in B2?

●
5 6
● ●
7
●
8
   
● ● ● ●
8. This table shows the number of points for
11. Each car has four wheels.
each country in football.

Team Number of points

Austria 8
Fill in the number sentence below to show
France 10 how many wheels there are.
Italy 6
Germany 7
3 4 = wheels
Spain 4
Write your answers
Which team is in third place? in the boxes.

Austria Spain Germany Italy

● ● ● ●

23 c Answers and explanations on pages 153–154

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 1
12. Here is some information to answer 15. Look at this calendar.
a question.
May
The match was last Monday.
M T W T F S S
Today is Thursday 18 July.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
When was the match?
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
l The match is on 22 July.
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
l The match is on 15 July.
29 30
l The match is on 16 July.
l The match is on 14 July. How many weeks are there from 4 May to
25 May?
13. Here is a digital clock. 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks

8:00
l l l l

16. Which of these shapes would look

Which clock shows this time? the same if it was flipped horizontally

º¾À¿
(sideways)?

l l l l !M K Q l l l l
14. There is a picture that covers some squares.
How many pictures like this one are needed 17. Look at these two ropes. The first one is
to cover all the area? (Hint: use the size 78 cm. The second one is 39 cm.
of the first picture to help you. Remember
to include the picture that is shown in the
final total.)

| How much longer is the first rope

compared with the second?
29 cm 39 cm 9 cm 49 cm
How many pictures are needed? l l l l

pictures 18. Colour one quarter of these shapes.

Write your answer
in the box.

24 c Answers and explanations on pages 153–154

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 1
19. There is a pattern in these numbers. Write 22. Here is a shape made up of some blocks.
the number that is missing in the box.

30
+100
130 Which one of the four shapes below is the
same as the one shown? Is it A, B, C or D?
+100

20. Which hand signal should come next in

this pattern?
A B



   
● ● ● ● A
C

B C
D

D
● ● ● ●
21. Use the table to answer the next question.

23. This football costs $3.50.

Birds in my backyard today

Type of bird Number of birds

Rosella 3
Magpie 9
Pigeon 16
Galah 2
How much will three footballs cost?
How many magpies and pigeons are there?
Write your answer here. $
Write your answer here.

25 c Answers and explanations on pages 153–154

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 1
24. This chart shows the length of some objects. 27. There are six spaces that have a number.
We can spin the arrow and it will land on
Length
90 one of the spaces with a number.
80
70
Centimetres

60
3
50
2 1
40
30
20 5 4
10 6
0
My table My book My computer My phone

If I spin this arrow, what is the chance it

Which answer is correct? will land on the space for the number 5?
● My computer and phone together are ● 1 out of 6 chances
the same length as my table.
● 4 out of 6 chances
● My table is the same length as my
book, my computer and my phone ● 6 out of 1 chances
together. ● 5 out of 6 chances
● My book and computer together are the
same length as my table. 28. There are four shapes. They are called
A, B, C and D. Each shape has part of it
● My book and phone together are the coloured.
same length as my computer.

25. Here is a chart showing how many

questions were answered correctly in a test.
A B C D
Patterson 
Lawson  Which shape is one-quarter coloured?
Kendall  A B C D
Gordon  ● ● ● ●

Each  stands for one question correct. 29. Here is a shape made
How many questions were answered from different pieces.
How many of the pieces
correctly by Gordon?
are triangular prisms?
Write your answer
in the box.

26. Who answered the most questions correctly?

2 4 9 6
Patterson Lawson Kendall Gordon
● ● ● ●
● ● ● ●

26 c Answers and explanations on pages 153–154

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 1
30. There are 18 dollars to be divided. Fred 32. There is a car in the middle lane on a
will get twice as much as Jenny. freeway. There are 20 cars ahead and
40 cars behind. In the left lane there are
30 cars and in the right lane there are
80 cars.
How many cars are there on this freeway?
(Give the closest answer.)
160 165 170 175
● ● ● ●

33. Here is a column of five numbers, starting

with 1, then 3, then 5, then 7 and then 9.
There is a pattern in these numbers. In the
last column draw the dots which finish
the pattern.

How much will each person get?

Fred: dollars

Jenny: dollars
Write your answers
in the boxes.

31. This chart shows a trip taken by John. He Draw your answer
passes three buildings. in the box.

START

34. In this map there are three pathways

towards 100.
The three paths start with 20.
Which pathway — A, B or C — will give
you exactly 100?
END
25 40 20 A
As he passes each building, which one S
is NEVER on John’s left-hand side? T
A 20 35 20 25 B
(Do not include those in front or behind.) R
T
15 35 25 C

A B C
● ● ●
School House Church
● ● ●
27 c Answers and explanations on pages 153–154
© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 1
35. Here are four fractions.
1– 1– 3– 1–
4 2 4 3
If you take a half of one of them, you
will find that it is a quarter. What is
the fraction?

1– 1– 3– 1–
4 2 4 3
● ● ● ●

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the rst Numeracy Test. Even if you don’t practise any
others, at least you will have done a fair sample of the questions.
How did you go with these test questions? Some were harder than the sample questions.
Check to see where you did well and where you had problems. Try to revise the questions
that were hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on page 30 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions.
There are now three more practice tests, each containing 35 questions. We will start to
include new types of questions in each of these tests.

28 c Answers and explanations on pages 153–154

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS
Instructions For each question we have described the skill
involved in answering the question. Then,
Please go back and read the introduction
depending on what sort of skill is involved,
on page vi to How our book’s grading
we have placed it into one of the six levels.
system works.
It should make sense, especially when you
Check the answers go back and look at the type of question. The
As you check the answer for each question, Very low level includes the easiest tasks and
mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark then they increase in difficulty.
any questions that you omitted or left out as Don’t worry about the level of ability in
incorrect () for the moment. which you are located. We expect students
Then look at how many you answered to be spread across all of the six bands. Also
correctly in each level. Your level of ability is numeracy may or may not be your strongest
the point where you started having consistent subject.
difficulty with questions. For example, if you The purpose of these practice tests is to help
answer most questions correctly up to the Low you be as confident as possible and perform
average level and then get most questions to the best of your ability. The purpose of the
wrong from then onwards, it is likely your NAPLAN Tests is to show what you know or
ability is at a Low average level. You can ask can do. For the first time it allows the user
your parents or your teacher to help you do to estimate his or her level of ability before
this if it isn’t clear. taking the actual test and also to see if there is
We expect you to miss some easy questions any improvement across the practice tests.
and also to answer some hard questions Remember that the levels of ability are only a
correctly, but your ability level should be rough guide. No claim is made that they are
where you are starting to find the questions perfect. They are only an indicator. Your level
too hard. Some students will reach the top might change as you do each practice test. We
band—this means that their ability cannot hope that these brief notes are of some help.
be measured by these questions or even the
NAPLAN Tests. They found it far too easy.

Understanding the different levels

We have divided the questions into six levels
of difficulty:
• Very high
• High
• High average
• Low average
• Low
• Very low.

29

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: NUMERACY TEST 1
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.

Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Write a two-digit number to match the number of objects? Very low
2 Apply knowledge of place value to compare three-digit numbers? Very low
3 Compare the length of objects by observation? Very low
4 Name common three dimensional objects? Very low
5 Visualise the symmetry of a folded shape? Very low
6 Calculate the total value of a set of coins? Low
7 Form equal groups using a diagram showing a collection of objects? Low
8 Locate data in simple and two-way tables? Low
9 Compare the size of different angles by observation? Low
10 Locate position by following simple directions or by using coordinates on a grid? Low
11 Complete a number sentence involving multiplication? Low average
12 Find an earlier date? Low average
13 Convert digital time to analogue time? Low average
14 Use informal units to measure the area of a grid? Low average
15 Find the number of weeks from a calendar? Low average
16 Recognise a gure after it has been ipped? Low average
17 Solve a problem involving the difference between numbers less than 100? High average
18 Understand the term quarters and use simple fractions? High average
19 Continue a number pattern involving counting on by hundreds? High average
20 Identify a sequence? High average
21 Interpret data in simple tables? High average
22 Recognise a model viewed from a different perspective? High average
23 Solve everyday money problems involving addition or multiplication? High
24 Interpret data from column graphs to conrm a statement? High
25 Use a key to interpret picture graphs? High
26 Use a key to interpret picture graphs? High
27 Use chance terms to describe the outcome in a simple experiment? High
28 Use informal units to compare different models? High
29 Identify prisms within a composite model? Very high
30 Solve a division problem involving unequal shares? Very high
31 Use a diagram to determine the right-hand side of a journey? Very high
32 Use an appropriate problem-solving strategy such as guess-and-check? Very high
33 Solve a problem? Very high
34 Follow a numerical pathway? Very high
35 Solve a fraction problem? Very high
TOTAL

30

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
This is the second Numeracy Test. There are 35 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you.
Don’t be afraid to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 45 minutes for this test.
Write your answer in the box or colour in the circle with the correct answer. Colour in only
one circle for each answer.

1. Here are some bundles of sticks. There are 3. When we estimate, we guess the answer.
10 sticks in the bundle. We might say how much or how many
There are also some sticks that are not in we think.
a bundle.
Count the sticks. Then write how many
TENS and ONES there are altogether.

Using this picture, estimate the number of

stars in the sky.
● It is 3.
● It is more than 10.
How many sticks are there altogether?
● It is 5.
Write your answer ● It is 10.
in the box.
4. Which group of coins can I use to make
35 cents?
2. What part or fraction of this shape
is coloured?

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

3– 1– 1–
4 4 2
● ● ●
● ● ●

31 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
5. I cut this white shape out of the orange 7. Look at this calendar.
paper. Then I folded the paper in half.
JUNE
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Folded here
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Which shape should I see?
29 30

Today is Monday. Next Monday is 22 June.

What is the date today?
1 June 8 June 15 June 22 June
● ● ● ● ● ●

8. This table shows the score at the end of

a game.

● ● Team Number of points

Red 15
Blue 4
6. Look at the crayons.
Green 5
The first child has five crayons.
Yellow 3

 White 12

The next child has nine crayons. How many more points did the red team
score than the yellow team?

 10 11 12 13
● ● ● ●
Which sum shows how many crayons there
are altogether?
● 5 1 9 = 13
● 9 2 5 = 14
● 14 2 5 = 9
● 5 1 9 = 14

32 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
9. Here are four angles. The angle is shown 11. Here is a piece of wood. It is to be cut into
with a dot. Which is the largest angle? pieces that are 10 centimetres long. How
many 10-centimetre pieces can be made
● from it?

●
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
This tape measure is marked in centimetres

●
Fill in the number sentence below to show
how many pieces.
●
4 10 = pieces

10. Here is a chart. It shows four pictures at Write your answers

different spots in the chart. The map is in these boxes.
divided into sections marked 1, 2, 3 and 4 12. Here is a block that is made up of separate
along the side and A, B, C and D along cubes.
the bottom.

North
4
Do Town

Abadaba Do
3 Love-Love-Me Town
Do Town

How Do You
2 I Do Town
Do Town

Which sum shows how to find the number

1 of cubes?
DO-MANIA

A B C D ● 31313
● 91919
● 919
Which town is in D2?
● 93939
● I Do Town
● Love-Love-Me Do Town
13. It is morning. Which clock shows the latest
● Do Town
time in the morning?
● How Do You Do Town

 ● ● ● ●

33 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
14. Here is a pattern made up of hexagons 16. Which of these letters will look the same if it is
(these are the shapes with six sides). flipped horizontally or turned over sideways?

P QWE
There is a rectangle in the corner with a
black border.

l l l l

17. Each boy has drawn some circles. Look at

the number of circles drawn by each.
Bob

Ian

How many hexagons are needed to fill the Ian has drawn fewer than Bob. How many
rectangle? (Hint: use the hexagons that are fewer?
outside to help you.) 18 22 25 27
hexagons l l l l

Write your answer 18. Here are some shapes. Colour one third of
in the box.
these shapes.

15. Name the shapes in this figure.

19. There is a pattern in these numbers.

Write in the number that is missing.

50
+100
l They are all rectangles.
l They are all triangles.
l They are all squares. +100
l They are all cubes. 250 Write your answer
in the box.

34 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
20. What shape should come next in Which one of the four shapes below is the
this pattern? same as the one shown? Is it A, B, C or D?

?

   
● ● ● ●
A B

21. Here is a chart of some small countries. It

shows their coastline and how long it is.

Country Coast
Bosnia 20 km C D
Jordan 26 km
Monaco 4 km A B C D
Nauru 30 km ● ● ● ●
Tuvalu 24 km
24. We can flip, slide or turn shapes.
Which country has the shortest
Here is an example. Look closely at what
coastline? happens to the coloured shape.

Write your answer Flip Slide Turn

in the box.

22. John can walk one kilometre in 10 minutes.

How long would it take him to walk around
the coastline of Monaco?
● 30 minutes
● 40 minutes Have we done a flip, a slide or a turn with
● 50 minutes this coloured shape?
● 60 minutes

23. Here is a shape made out of some blocks.

Flip Slide Turn

● ● ●

35 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
25. This table shows the temperature at 2 pm 27. This table shows the Hindu calendar. It is
on 25 November one year throughout used for religious festivals.
Australia. The table shows the Hindu Month and the
It shows the temperature now. It also shows number of days in that month.
the forecast highest temperature (or likely
It also shows when that month begins in
temperature) for the day.
our calendar.
Forecast highest Hindu Calendar
Temperature temperature
City Now for the day Our date which is the first
Months Days day of the Hindu month
Adelaide 28 °C 26 °C
Chaitra 30 22 March
Brisbane 27 °C 28 °C
Vaisakha 31 21 April
Canberra 19 °C 20 °C
Jyaistha 31 22 May
Darwin 34 °C 35 °C
Asadha 31 22 June
Hobart 13 °C 16 °C
Sravana 31 23 July
Melbourne 23 °C 25 °C
Bhadrapada 31 23 August
Perth 21 °C 22 °C
Asvina 30 23 September
Sydney 20 °C 20 °C
Karttika 30 23 October
Margasirsa 30 22 November
Which city is the coldest now?
Pausa 30 22 December
● Adelaide Magha 30 21 January
● Brisbane Phalguna 30 20 February
● Canberra
I was born on 26 October. In which Hindu
● Darwin month is my birthday?
● Hobart
Write your answer here.
● Melbourne
● Perth 28. An estimate is a guess. For the sum 11 + 7
● Sydney an estimate would be around 20.
Why did we pick 20? We sort of guessed.
26. Which statement is true?
We changed each number to the closest 10.
● The temperature in Adelaide is now
11 is closer to 10 than 20 so it becomes 10.
more than the forecast high for the day.
● The temperature in Darwin is now at its 7 is closer to 10 than 0, so it also
forecast highest for the day. becomes 10.

● The temperature in Sydney and The sum is then 10 + 10 = 20.

Melbourne is now the same. Of course the correct answer is 18, but a
● The temperature in Sydney and rough guess is 20. It is fairly close but not
Canberra is now the same. perfectly accurate. It is an estimate.

36 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
Now estimate the answer to this sum: 31. A 2-digit number is any number from 10
31 1 28 5 ? right up to 99. Draw a circle around the
2-digit multiples of 5.
40 50 60 70
● ● ● ● 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 22 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
29. There are three rows. On each row there
are some glasses. 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
Row Objects
50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
Top
 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69
Middle
1 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
Bottom
 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
On which row (Top, Middle or Bottom)
would I have the best chance of picking How many 2-digit multiples of five are
the glasses? there in this table?

● Top Write your answer here.

● Middle
● Bottom 32. The scores on a die are shown on the faces.
They can be any number from 1 to 6.
30. There are four shapes. They are labelled
A, B, C and D. Each shape has part of
it coloured.

If you throw a die, which statement is true?

A B
● It is more likely you will score a 1, 2
or 3.
● It is more likely you will throw a 6.
● Any number from 1 to 6 is possible.
C D
● It is more likely you will score a 4, 5
or 6.
Which shape is coloured one quarter?

A B C D
● ● ● ●

37 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 2
33. This triangle is made up of numbers from 35. Some children catch this bus to school.
1 to 6. Some numbers have been filled in
for you.
When you add the three numbers on each
side then each of the three sides of this
triangle equals 11.
Write the numbers 1, 2 and 3 in the
correct circles. At the first stop 8 get on.
At the second stop 7 get on and 3 get off.
6 At the third stop half get off.
How many children are still on the bus?

5 6 7 8
4 5 ● ● ● ●

34. There are three pathways towards 100. The

three paths start with 8. Which pathway —
A, B or C — will give you exactly 100?

32 38 22 A
S
T
A 8 33 27 33 B
R
T
17 37 33 C

A B C
● ● ●

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the second Numeracy Test. We tried to change the
questions and some were a little harder.
How did you go with these test questions? Check to see where you did well and where
you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on page 39 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions.
There are now two more practice tests, each containing 35 questions. We have included
some new types of questions in this test.

38 c Answers and explanations on pages 154–155

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: NUMERACY TEST 2
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.

Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Write a two-digit number to match the number of objects? Very low
2 Find half of a whole gure? Very low
3 Estimate a familiar quantity? Very low
4 Calculate the value of some coins? Very low
5 Visualise the symmetry of a folded shape? Very low
6 Calculate a two-digit addition? Low
7 Locate a date in a calendar? Low
8 Locate data in a simple table and subtracts? Low
9 Compare the size of different angles by observation? Low
10 Locate position by following simple directions or by using coordinates on a grid? Low
11 Complete a number sentence involving division? Low average
12 Use a sum to nd the volume of a shape? Low average
13 Know latest analogue time in terms of am? Low average
14 Use informal units to measure the area of a grid? Low average
15 Identify common shapes within a geometric design? Low average
16 Recognise a gure after it has been ipped? Low average
17 Solve a problem involving the difference between numbers less than 100? High average
18 Understand the term thirds and use simple fractions? High average
19 Continue a number pattern involving counting on by hundreds? High average
20 Identify a sequence? High average
21 Interpret data in simple tables? High average
22 Use multiplication to solve a problem? High average
23 Recognise a model viewed from a different perspective? High average
24 Recognise the property of a shape that has been ipped or turned? High
25 Interpret data from a chart? High
26 Interpret data from a chart to conrm a statement? High
27 Select data from a chart to nd a date? High
28 Use an estimate to describe the outcome? High
29 Estimate the chances of selecting an object? High
30 Find the fraction of a shape that is coloured? Very high
31 Find two-digit multiples up to 100? Very high
32 Calculate the likelihood of an event? Very high
33 Solve an incomplete problem? Very high
34 Follow a numerical pathway? Very high
35 Solve a fraction problem? Very high
TOTAL

39

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 3
This is the third Numeracy Test. There are 35 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 45 minutes for this test.
Write the answer in the box or colour in the circle with the correct answer. Colour in only
one circle for each answer.

1. This drawing shows the number 236. 3. Look at the shapes in this picture.
There are 2 hundreds, 3 tens and 6 units.

2 3 6
Hundreds Tens Units

Now, what number is shown by this Which three different types of shapes are
drawing? used in this picture?
● circle, triangle, square
● circle, triangle, rectangle
● circle, square, rectangle
Hundreds Tens Units
● sphere, cube, triangle
Write your answer
in the box. 4. Which group of coins can I use to make
$1.75?
2. Each candle shows a birthday in a month.

  
January February March

  
April May June

  
July August September

  
October November December

How many birthdays were there in August?

4 5 6 7
● ● ● ●
● ● ● ●
Did you colour in one
of the circles?

40 c Answers and explanations on pages 155–157

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 3
5. I cut this white shape out of the orange 7. Here are some hats.
paper. Then I folded the paper in half.

Folded here

Which shape should I see? (This is not

drawn to scale.)

Share them into three equal groups. How

many are left over?
● ●
4 3 2 1
● ● ● ●

8. This table shows the weight of some parts

of a body.
● ●
Body Weight
Part (grams)
6. Look at the trees. Each has six pieces of
Brain 1400
fruit on it.
Lungs 600
Heart 300
Skin 11000
Kidney 150

Which is the third heaviest body part?

Brain Lungs Heart Kidney
● ● ● ●

9. Which angle is a right angle? A right angle

Which sum shows how many pieces of is like the corner of a square. The angle is
fruit there are altogether? shown with a dot.

● 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 = 24
● 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 = 30
● 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 = 36
● ● ● ●
● 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 = 42

41 c Answers and explanations on pages 155–157

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 3
10. Here is a map. It shows the path from 12. Here is a piece of wood. It is to be cut
Edgar Street to Anzac Parade. into pieces that are 5 centimetres long.
The path from Edgar Street to Anzac How many 5 centimetre pieces can be cut
Parade is shown by the dotted line. from it?
Follow the arrow.

East 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Edgar Street

North South This tape measure is marked in centimetres

West

Fill in the number sentence below to show

Garden Street
how many pieces.
Garrett Street 4 5 = pieces
Holmes Street

Moverly Road

Loch Maree Street

Write your answers
in these boxes.
Ian Street

Benvenue Street 13. Which clock shows the time around 7:30?

Anzac Parade

Which streets lead all the way from ● ● ● ●

Edgar Street to Anzac Parade?
14. Here is a house. There is a measuring tape
● Garden Street then Holmes Street
underneath. Use this to find the width of
● Garden Street then Garrett Street the picture.
● Garrett Street then Loch Maree Street
then Ian Street then Benvenue Street
● Edgar Street then Holmes Street

11. Is Anzac Parade North, South, East or West 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

of Edgar Street? Use the directions on the This tape is marked in metres.

side of the map to help you.

How wide is it?
North South East West
● ● ● ● ● 10 metres
● 15 metres
● 20 metres
● 25 metres

42 c Answers and explanations on pages 155–157

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 3
15. Name the shapes in this figure. 19. There is a pattern in these numbers.
Write in the number that is missing.

100
–7
l They are all circles. 93
l They are all spheres.
–7
l They are all ellipses.
l They are all rectangles.

16. Which of these letters will look the same

if it is flipped horizontally or turned over 20. Which shape should come next in
sideways? this pattern?

F PH J vvvtttzzzRRR{?

l l l

17. To make a bunch of roses you need

l
{ t v R
l l l l
six flowers.
Look at the roses in the drawings below.
21. Here is a chart of energy used by different
appliances. This is counted in watts.

Appliance Energy used

Dishwasher 2000 watts

Computer 400 watts

How many bunches can be made? Printer 350 watts
5 7 4 6
Light bulb 100 watts
l l l l
TV 250 watts
18. Here are some shapes. Colour one half of
these shapes. Which appliance has the second lowest
usage of watts?

Computer TV Printer Light bulb

l l l l

43 c Answers and explanations on pages 155–157

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 3
22. How many of these money notes are worth 24. We can flip, slide or turn shapes.
twice as much as one of the other notes? Have we done a flip, a slide or a turn
(rotate) with this shape?

Flip Slide Turn

● ● ●

25. This table shows some wars. It shows when

they started and when they finished. Some
2 3 4 5
are still going.
● ● ● ●

Years War
23. Here is a shape made out of some blocks. 1914–1918 World War 1

1939–1945 World War 2

1950–1953 Korean War

1957–1975 Vietnam War

Which one of the four shapes below is the
same as the one shown? Is it A, B, C or D? 1991 Gulf War

Afghanistan –
2001–
War on Terror

2003– Iraqi War

Which is the longest war?

A B
● World War 1
● World War 2
● Korean War
● Vietnam War
C D ● Gulf War
A B C D ● Afghanistan
● ● ● ● ● Iraqi War

44 c Answers and explanations on pages 155–157

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 3
26. Which statement is true? 41 cm

● The war in Afghanistan is longer than

19 cm
World War 2. 29 cm

● The Korean War was shorter than the

38 cm
Gulf War.
● The Vietnam War was before the 110 cm 120 cm 130 cm 140 cm
Korean War. ● ● ● ●
● World War 2 has not finished.
29. Choose the correct statement.
27. The world’s largest book costs about ● There are more odd numbers than
$10 000. It is around the size of a very even numbers.
large kitchen table.
● Some odd numbers can be divided
Which of these calculations would you do evenly by two.
if you wanted to buy 5 of these books for ● The largest ever odd number is 9 999
your friends? 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999
● divide $10 000 by five 999 999 999.
● add five to $10 000 ● An odd number is an even number
plus one.
● subtract five from $10 000
● multiply $10 000 by five 30. There are signs missing in this calculation.

28. The perimeter is the distance around

Use a 1 2 3 4¸
or or or to fill the
something. Here is a simple example to spaces. The spaces are shown with 3 dots.
remind you how to find the perimeter. 8 … (6 … 4) 5 80
Example
Write your answers over
The perimeter of this shape is 6 cm. the sets of 3 dots.

2 cm
31. Add any three numbers in a row. It could
be 1 1 2 1 3 or 2 1 3 1 4 or even
1 cm 1 cm
20 1 21 1 22 or even 98 1 99 1 100.
Choose the correct statement.
2 cm
● The answer to the addition is always
Now estimate the perimeter or the distance an odd number.
around this complicated figure. The ● The answer to the addition is always
distance around each side is shown for you an even number.
(it is not exact). We do not want the exact ● The answer to the addition is always
answer. We want you to guess or estimate a multiple of three.
the answer.
● The answer to the addition is always
two times the middle number.

45 c Answers and explanations on pages 155–157

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 3
32. The scores on a die are shown on the faces. 34. There are three pathways towards 100. The
They can be any number from 1 to 6. three paths start with 200. Which pathway
— A, B or C — will give you exactly 100?

120 2 60 A
S
T
You throw a die twice and add the scores. A 200 100 2 3 B
The first die gives a number from 1 to 6. R
T
The second die also gives a number from 2 60 80 C
1 to 6.
How many different ways can the total of A B C
the two thrown dice add up to seven? ● ● ●
3 7 5 6
35. Look at the drawing below. There is a
● ● ● ● pattern but one part is missing. This is
shown with a question mark (?).
33. This triangle is made up of numbers from
12 to 17. Some numbers have been filled in Pick which piece
for you. (A, B, C or D)
will complete
When you add the three numbers on each
the pattern.
side then each of the three sides of this
triangle equals 44. ?
Write the numbers 12, 13 and 14 in the
correct circles.

17
A B C D
● ● ● ●
15 16

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the third Numeracy Test. We tried to change the questions
and some were a little harder. Don’t worry if you didn’t nish it in time as we added some
new types of questions.
How did you go with these test questions? Check to see where you did well and where
you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on page 47 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions.
There is now one last practice test that contains 35 questions.

46 c Answers and explanations on pages 155–157

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: NUMERACY TEST 3
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.

Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Write a three-digit number to match the number of objects? Very low
2 Use pictures in a chart? Very low
3 Recognise shapes? Very low
4 Calculate the value of some coins? Very low
5 Visualise the symmetry of a folded shape? Very low
6 Calculate a two-digit addition? Low
7 Decide the remainder after forming equal groups from a collection of objects? Low
8 Locate data in a simple table? Low
9 Compare the size of different angles by observation? Low
10 Locate positions from a map? Low
11 Locate directions from a map? Low average
12 Complete a number sentence involving division? Low average
13 Know analogue time? Low average
14 Find the length from a measuring tape? Low average
15 Identify common shapes within a geometric design? Low average
16 Recognise a gure after it has been ipped? Low average
17 Divide a quantity into groups with a remainder? Low average
18 Understand the term half and use simple fractions? High average
19 Continue a number pattern subtracting seven? High average
20 Identify a sequence? High average
21 Interpret data in simple tables? High average
22 Recognise money that is double in value? High average
23 Recognise a model viewed from a different perspective? High average
24 Recognise the property of a shape that has been turned? High
25 Interpret data from a chart? High
26 Interpret data from a chart to conrm a statement? High
27 Select a mathematical operation to nd an answer? High
28 Use an estimate to determine the perimeter? High
29 Dene an odd number? High
30 Insert the signs in a sum? Very high
31 Find a pattern in the sum of consecutive numbers? Very high
32 Calculate the likelihood of an event? Very high
33 Solve an incomplete problem? Very high
34 Follow a numerical pathway? Very high
35 Find the missing part of a matrix? Very high
TOTAL

47

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
This is the fourth Numeracy Test. There are 35 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
These questions will be harder than the earlier Numeracy Tests so don’t worry if you can’t
answer all the questions. Allow around 45 minutes for this test.
Write your answer in the box or colour in the circle with the correct answer. Colour in only
one circle for each answer.

1. Here are some drawings. The beads show 2. Show which is the largest number (not in
the number of Hundreds, Tens and Units. size but in quantity) in the sequence below.
Which drawing shows the number 561?

349 496
● ● ● ●
●

3. Write your answer to this calculation.

Hundreds Tens Units

9
● 2 6
Hundreds Tens Units

4. Write your answer to this calculation.

● 8
Hundreds Tens Units 1 3

●
5. Write your answer to this calculation.

Hundreds Tens Units

6
3 2
Did you colour in one
of the circles?

48 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
6. Look at the shapes in this picture. 8. A white space has been cut out of the
orange rectangle. Find the two pieces
which will fill in the space exactly without
being rotated or turned.

Which of the following shapes is used?

● triangle
● cross
● rectangle
● sphere 1 2 3 4

7. Which group of notes make a total of $85?

Write two numbers, one in

each of these boxes.

9. Look at the pagodas. Each has five roofs.

Which sum shows how many roofs there

● ● are altogether?
● 4 3 5 = 24
● 534=9
● 4 3 5 = 25
● 4 3 5 = 20

10. Here are some numbers.

0 0 1 2 1 2
3 4 5 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 6 7 8 9
● ●

49 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
Put seven in one group and seven in 13. Here is a chart of a real island. It is
another group. How many are left over? called Megisti.

8 7 6 5
St Stefanos Cape
● ● ● ● 1
ta
un
Mo
11. This table shows the sales of some songs.

Song Year Sales 2

Ai Lias
Candle in the
1997 37 million
Wind KASTELORIZO
3
Hey Jude 1968 10 million Megisti
I Want to Hold
1963 12 million
Your Hand Avlonia
4
It’s Now or
1960 12 million Kilada
Never
Rock Around
1954 17 million 5 Galazia Spilia
the Clock
White
1945 30 million
Christmas A B C D E

Which is the third most popular song?

What part of the island is located near D3?
● White Christmas
● Megisti
● Rock Around the Clock
● Avlonia
● It’s Now or Never
● St Stefanos Cape
● I Want to Hold Your Hand
● Galazia Spilia
12. Here is a balance. It is like a scale which
14. Which is the furthest distance between
weighs two things.
two places on this map?
● Galazia Spilia to Kilada
● Kilada to Avlonia
● Megisti to Ai Lias
● Avlonia to Megisti

Which statement is true?

● The right side is heavier than the left.
● The left side is heavier than the right.
● Both sides are the same weight.

50 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
15. Here is a picture. It is cut into two pieces. 17. Here is the corner of a pattern. It is made
up of two grey and two white squares.

A B C

How many squares (grey and white) are

D E F needed to fill all the space?

Show the two pieces that make the 16 12 8 20

top picture. ● ● ● ●

and
18. Connect the diamond shapes in this figure.
Draw a line which joins all the diamond
Write the letters A, B, C, D, shapes.
E or F in these boxes.

16. This clock shows the time now. How many

minutes are there before 10:30?

● 90 minutes
● 60 minutes What shape have you drawn?
● 30 minutes
● It is a circle.
● 5 minutes
● It is a square.
● It is a diamond.
● It is a triangle.

51 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
19. Here is a face. It is made up of figures and 22. Complete this calculation.
shapes. The mouth is around 2 centimetres
wide. 23
2 15

23. How much do you get when you add these

money notes together?

How wide is the whole of the face?

● 4 centimetres
● 5 centimetres
● 7 centimetres
● 9 centimetres

20. There are three figures. Each contains

different shapes. $175 $185 $195 $200
● ● ● ●

24. These pictures of clocks are in order. They

show a pattern.





Look at the shapes in these three figures.
How are they grouped together?
● by colour
● by type of shape Which clock comes next in the pattern?
● by size
● by number

21. Complete this calculation.




 ● ● ● ●
51
1 27

52 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
25. There is a pattern in these three shapes. 28. Here is a shape made out of some blocks.
Which one of the four shapes below
is the same as the one here?
Is it A, B, C or D?

Which one of the four shapes below

continues the pattern?

A B C D

A B C D A B
● ● ● ●

26. There is a pattern in these numbers. Write

the number that is being subtracted.

65 C D

– A B C D

52 ● ● ● ●

29. This table shows the seven wonders of the

– ancient world and when they were built.
39 The dates are not exact. BC means that they
are dates Before Christ.
Write your answers
in these boxes.
Seven Wonders Date

27. We can flip, slide or turn shapes. Colossus of Rhodes 305 BC

Have we done a flip, a slide or a turn Hanging Gardens of Babylon 600 BC
(rotate) with this coloured shape?
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus 350 BC

Pharos of Alexandria 279 BC

Statue of Zeus 450 BC

Temple of Artemis 550 BC

Turn Slide Flip The Great Pyramid of Giza 2500 BC
● ● ●

53 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
Which was the newest or last of the Which statement is true?
Seven Wonders of the World?
● The distance around the pyramid is just
● Great Pyramid over 900 metres.
● Hanging Gardens ● The distance around the pyramid is just
● Statue of Zeus over 1000 metres.

● Temple of Artemis ● The distance around the pyramid is

230 metres.
● Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
● Colossus of Rhodes 31. In Australia there are around 724 televisions
● Pharos of Alexandria for every one thousand people.
What calculation would you do if you
wanted to guess how many televisions were
owned by 5000 Australians?
● divide 5000 by 724
● add 5000 to 724
● subtract 724 from 5000
● multiply 724 by five

32. Here is a pattern of dots in some squares.

One part of the pattern is missing.

30. The Great Pyramid of Giza is about the

?
size of six football fields. It is the only
one of the Seven Wonders of the World to Which is the missing pattern?
survive. It was built as a burial place for
a king. Here is a photo and a drawing of
the Pyramid for you. Answer the question
about the Pyramid.
● ● ● ●

33. There are signs missing in this calculation.

Use a 1 2 3 4
or or or to fill the
spaces. The spaces are shown with 3 dots.

20 … (10 … 5) 5 4
The Pyramid has four sides. Each side is
about 230 m long. Write your answers over
the sets of 3 dots.

54 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 NUMERACY TEST 4
34. Here is a chart of when some inventions 35. Here are three scales. They are balanced.
were developed. This means that both sides weigh the same.

Invention Year
Ballpoint pen (biro) 1938
Here is another scale. A weight is missing.
Calculator 1971
Credit card 1950 ?
Crossword puzzle 1913
Ice cream cone 1904 Which weight should go there so that it
Internet 1989 will balance?

iPod 2000  ✱✱ ✱ ✱✱

Lego 1955 ● ● ● ●
Sliced bread 1928

How many inventions were developed

between 1925 and 1950?

5 4 3 2
● ● ● ●

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the nal Numeracy Test. We tried to change the questions
and some were a little harder. Don’t worry if you didn’t nish it in time as we added some
new types of questions.
How did you go with these test questions? Check to see where you did well and where
you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on page 56 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions.
This is the last Numeracy Test. We will start to look at Literacy tasks in the sections that
follow. Now take a well-earned rest.

55 c Answers and explanations on pages 157–158

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: NUMERACY TEST 4
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.

Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Use place values to match three-digit numbers? Very low
2 Select the highest number? Very low
3 Complete a subtraction? Very low
4 Complete an addition? Very low
5 Complete a multiplication? Very low
6 Recognise shapes? Low
7 Calculate the value of some notes? Low
8 Complete a shape? Low
9 Solve a problem using multiplication? Low
10 Decide the remainder after forming equal groups from a collection of objects? Low
11 Locate data in a simple table? Low
12 Compare the weight of different sides by observation? Low average
13 Locate positions from a map? Low average
14 Locate distances from a map? Low average
15 Find the pieces that complete a pattern? Low average
16 Find the number of minutes before a certain time of day? Low average
17 Use informal units to measure the area of a grid? Low average
18 Identify a common shape? Low average
19 Estimate the length of an object? Low average
20 Find the basis for grouping shapes? High average
21 Complete an addition? High average
22 Complete a subtraction? High average
23 Add money values? High average
24 Identify a sequence? High average
25 Complete a pattern in the fraction of a shape that is coloured? High average
26 Continue a number pattern subtracting thirteen? High
27 Recognise the property of a shape that has been ipped? High
28 Recognise a model viewed from a different perspective? High
29 Interpret data from a chart? High
30 Interpret data from a chart to conrm a statement? High
31 Select a mathematical operation to nd an answer? Very high
32 Find the missing pattern in a series of numbers? Very high
33 Insert the signs in a sum? Very high
34 Interpret data in simple tables? Very high
35 Balance quantities? Very high
TOTAL

56

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 1
This is the rst Reading Test. There are 35 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 45 minutes for this test. Take a short break if necessary.
In this test you will need to look at a picture or read something rst. Then read each
question and colour in the circle with the correct answer.

Look at the drawing and answer Read Solomon Grundy and answer
question 1. questions 2 to 5

Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy
Born on a Monday
Christened on Tuesday
Married on Wednesday
Took ill on Thursday
Worse on Friday
Died on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.
From Art Today, CD1/0051/QRT096/.JPG

1. What is happening in this drawing? 2. What type of writing is this?

● The rabbit is reading the warning from ● Solomon Grundy is a poem.
the owner.
● Solomon Grundy is a story.
● The rabbit is reading a street sign.
● Solomon Grundy is a book.
● The sign is giving directions to rabbits.
● The rabbit is looking at a sign. 3. Who was buried on Sunday?
● Solomon Grundy
Did you colour in one
of the circles?
● his wife
● the end

57 c Answers and explanations on page 159

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 1
4. When was Solomon Grundy married? Look at this page from a TV guide and
answer questions 7 to 12.
● Sunday ● Thursday
● Monday ● Friday Time Channel Two Time Channel Seven
4.00 Music Videos 5.00 Video Clips
● Tuesday ● Saturday 7.00
7.30
Worldwatch
Soccer Sunday
7.30
8.00
Sunday Sunrise
The Sunday Business Show
9.30 Worship Sunday 9.00 Living Life

● Wednesday 10.30
12.30
Cricket
Movie: “The Man who Saved
10.00
10.30
The Entertainment Show
Masterpiece (rpt)
Hollywood” (1976 M rpt) 11.00 Gardens Galore: with Lou Loudi
starring Ryan Witherspoon and 11.30 That's Cooking
Marcel Rousseau. 12.00 Wonderful World of Sports
5. Solomon Grundy was most likely written for 2.30
3.00
Surprise, Surprise!
Travel Today: The Greek Islands with
1.00
3.00
Formula One Racing
Movie: “Nine Lives” (1998
Pamela Thosdromo. PG) starring Peg Ryan and
● adults. 4.00
4.30
The Lucy and Cherul Show (rpt)
Tenpin Bowling 5.30
Burt Dussille.
Sunday Chef: with Lee Margos
5.00 Ciao! and Troy Kota.
● teenagers. 6.00
7.00
News and Weather
The Wildlife Show (rpt)
6.00
7.00
World News
World Sport
8.00 Everybody Loves Jerry! 7.30 Home Sweet Home
● children. 8.30 Movie: “The Price of Freedom” (1998
M rpt) starring Austin Eleftheri and
8.00
9.00
Opera Tonight
Movie: “Cruel Interrogation”
Victor Mitchell. (1999 MA) starring Lisa Murray,
10.30 Latenight News Henry Curley and Miles Tipota.
11.30 Soccer: European Champions League 11.30 Sunday Replay: Sport Highlights
Look at the cover of this book and 1.00
2.00
Tennis Highlights
Close
12.30
1.30
TV Shopping Direct (rpt)
Close
answer question 6.
Write your answers
on the lines.

7. At what time does Channel Seven end?

_________________________________

8. For which day of the week is this

TV guide?

_________________________________

9. How many sporting programs are on

Channel Two on this day?

_________________________________
From Art Today, CD1/0036/LIF066.JPG

10. List one of the stars in the movie Cruel

6. Which sentence is true?
Interrogation.
● It is a fairy tale about a man and a boy.
_________________________________
● It is about fairies, animals and people.
● It is a true story about a man and a boy. 11. Name one of the news programs on
● It is about pets that sing and dance. Channel Two.

_________________________________
Did you colour in one
of the circles? 12. What do you think rpt means after the title
of a program?

_________________________________

58 c Answers and explanations on page 159

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 1
Read Letter to a Wizard and answer 13. What is the name of this poem?
questions 13 to 16.
● Please let me come
● Anon
Letter to a Wizard ● Letter from a Wizard
Please let me come ● Letter to a Wizard
And be a wizard for
14. What wizard’s clothing is mentioned in the
the day
poem? (Colour in more than one circle if
How much fun we’d have, necessary.)
I’d really love to stay! ● belt
Oh how splendid it’ll be, ● jacket
Us wizards, you and me, ● magic wand
We could even make ● black pointy hat

Some spider cobweb tea! ● trousers

● cloak
I’d like to ride your broomstick,
● broomstick
If you just show me how.
● rat
I’m sure it’s just as easy,
To turn my brother into a cow! 15. What is this poem mainly about?
Write your answer on the lines.
Oh, please Mr Wizard,
I’ll wear a big black pointed hat, ___________________________________

And my magic wizard’s cloak, ___________________________________

I’ll even bring a juicy rat.
___________________________________
Imagine all the spells,
___________________________________
We can create together,
We can turn teachers into toads, 16. Why does the author want to be a wizard
for the day? (Colour in more than
We can even change the weather!
one circle if necessary.)
I can be your helper, ● She thinks it would be fun.
I’ll work hard all day long, ● She needs a job.
I’ll try my very hardest, ● She would like to fly a broomstick.
Not to do a single thing wrong! ● She likes eating rats.
Love from Monique ● She would like to create spells.
● She wants to be a teacher.

59 c Answers and explanations on page 159

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 1
Read Little Jane and the Poor Man and 19. What are the pennies in the story?
answer questions 17 to 20.
● food
● jewellery
Little Jane and the Poor Man ● coins
This is Jane ● vouchers
Anderson and her
sister. They have 20. Why does the story say that we should help
been out this the poor?
morning. As they ● We should help the poor because they
were coming home need some bread and cake.
they saw a poor man lying upon the ground.
He was lame and unable to walk. Jane and ● We should help the poor because we are
her sister felt very sorry for him and when kind.
they were about to leave they gave him a ● We should help the poor because they
few pennies which they had in their bags. are lame and cannot walk.
This was very kind. ● We should help the poor because one
They were so willing to part with their day we might also need help.
pennies that they might enable the old man
to buy a loaf of bread or some cake for his Look at the pictures and answer
dinner. question 21.
We should always be ready to supply the
needs of the poor. We do not know whether 21. Which picture matches the saying
we may become poor some day and also Don’t stop the plough to catch a mouse?
need the help of friends. Colour in one circle.
Adapted from The Project Gutenberg e-book of
Pleasing stories for good children. By a friend to youth by
Truman and Smith

17. Where would you expect to see this story?

● in a magazine
● A ● B
● in a book
● in a comic
● on the Internet

18. What is the purpose of the story?

● to teach us to help the poor
● C ● D
● to teach us about the olden times
Adapted from The Project Gutenberg e-book of Dumpy
● to teach us how to have fun Proverbs by C Honor and C Appleton, Grant Richards, 1903
● to teach us about poverty

60 c Answers and explanations on page 159

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 1
Look at the pictures and answer question 22. Read the words from a popular song and
answer questions 24 to 28.

22. Which picture matches the saying Time

and tide wait for no man?
Colour in one circle.
BLUE (da ba dee)
Yo listen up here’s a story about a little
guy that lives in a blue world and all day
and all night and everything he sees is just
blue like him inside and outside, blue; his
house with a blue little window and a blue
Corvette and everything is blue for him and
● A ● B his self and everybody around ’cause he
ain’t got nobody to listen …
Lyrics taken from ‘Blue (da ba dee)’ by Eiffel 65

24. What is the name of this song?

● Blue
● C ● D ● Blue (da ba dee)
Adapted from The Project Gutenberg e-book of Dumpy
Proverbs by C Honor and C Appleton, Grant Richards, 1903
● Story about a little guy that lives in a
blue world
Look at the pictures and answer question 23.
25. What is this song about?
● It is a song about a little man that lives
23. Which picture matches the saying It is an in a blue world.
ill wind that blows nobody any good?
● It is a song about a little man that lives
Colour in one circle.
all day and all night.
● It is a song about everything a
man sees.

26. Which sentence is true?

● Everything he sees is blue.
● A ● B
● He sees inside and outside.
● He sees everybody blue.

27. What are some of the things that he sees?

● the inside and outside
● the inside, his house, the window
● C ● D
● his house, the window, a Corvette
Adapted from The Project Gutenberg e-book of Dumpy
Proverbs by C Honor and C Appleton, Grant Richards, 1903

61 c Answers and explanations on page 159

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 1
28. Why is the man unhappy? 29. What is the author’s purpose?
● because everything he has is blue ● The purpose of the text is to inform.
● because he has a blue home ● The purpose of the text is to persuade.
● because there is no-one to talk to ● The purpose of the text is to entertain.
● The purpose of the text is to advertise.
Read the passage and answer questions
29 to 35. 30. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
● It is an introduction to Athens, Greece.

The first Olympic Games ● It provides a conclusion to Sydney,

were held in 776 BC and Australia.
were dedicated to Zeus, ● It begins the story of the Olympics.
the greatest of all gods. ● It aims to connect Sydney and Beijing.
They were held every
four years in Olympia, 31. Which statement about the first Olympics
Greece. All Greek is false?
citizens were invited to
attend and compete, but ● The prize was a wreath made of an
there was a strict ban on women. olive branch.
● The games were dedicated to the
To begin with the festival lasted a single
god Zeus.
day, but later this increased to five days.
On the first day there were sacrifices to the ● The Olympics were held every
gods and then the events began. The first four years.
events were the diaulus (a foot race two ● All Greeks were invited to attend and
lengths of the stadium), then later running, participate.
wrestling, jumping, discus, javelin, boxing
and the most exciting of all—the chariot 32. What does the word sacrifice mean?
races. The prize for the winners of the first
● remove
Olympics was a wreath made of an olive
tree branch and sums of money. ● complete
How different these Olympics were to ● offering
those of today! Now people all over the ● eliminate
world watch to see their country compete
in a spirit of friendship. They are held 33. To begin with, how long did the festival
in different nations and not in ancient last for?
Olympia. Now men and women compete.
● 1 day
Greece hosted the Olympic Games when
they were held in Athens in 2004 and ● 5 days
Beijing hosted the games in 2008. ● 4 years
● 2 days

62 c Answers and explanations on page 159

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 1
34. What is a diaulus?
● a disease
● an Ancient Greek god
● a type of race
● a city in Greece

35. What is the aim of the last paragraph?

Write your answer on the lines.

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the rst Reading Test. This test had different types of
questions. They are like comprehension passages. You had to look at something or read
something and then make a judgement.
In the NAPLAN Tests all the reading matter is in a separate booklet. Don’t try to read all
the booklet before answering the questions. It may take too long to read everything. Look
at the booklet quickly. Read each section when you come to answer the questions for it.
How did you nd these questions? We hope that you found them interesting. There
are further questions in the next Reading Test. The next test contains some different
questions. Take a long break before doing any more tests!
Use the diagnostic chart on page 64 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions.
Please note that multiple interpretations are possible for the levels of difculty of these tasks.
Also, some questions involve skills from different levels. This is only an initial guide to the
approximate level of the reading skill assessed.

63 c Answers and explanations on page 159

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: READING TEST 1
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.
Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Make some meaning from a picture? Very low
2 Describe the type of text? Very low
3 Make some meaning from short texts that have simple sentences? Very low
4 Make some meaning from short texts that have simple sentences? Very low
5 Describes the audience for a text? Low
6 Make some meaning from a picture? Low
7 Find clearly stated information? Very low
8 Make connections between pieces of clearly stated information? Low
9 Find clearly stated information? Low
10 Make connections between pieces of clearly stated information? Low
11 Interpret information? Low average
12 Identify meaning of words from their context? Low average
13 Find clearly stated information? Very low
14 Make connections between pieces of clearly stated information? Low
15 Identify the meaning? Low
16 Identify the main idea? Low average
17 Infer the source of a passage? Low average
18 Find the purpose of a story? High average
19 Dene a word that is not in common use? High average
20 Find the meaning of a story? Low average
21 Match a picture to a saying? High average
22 Match a picture to a saying? High average
23 Match a picture to a saying? High average
24 Identify the title? Low
25 Identify the story of the song? High
26 Identify a common idea? High
27 Connect information? High average
28 Draw a conclusion? High
29 Infer the purpose? Very high
30 Recognise the purpose of the opening paragraph? Very high
31 Connect ideas? High average
32 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
33 Locate information? Low average
34 Identify a word? High
35 Recognise the purpose of the closing paragraph? Very high
TOTAL

64

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
This is the second Reading Test. There are 39 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 45 minutes for this test. Take a short break if necessary.
In this test you will need to look at a picture or read something rst. Then read each
question and colour in the circle with the correct answer.

Look at the movie poster and answer Look at the drawing and answer questions
question 1. 2 to 3.

From Art Today, CD1/0051/QRT170.JPG

From Art Today, CD1/0036/LIF050.JPG

2. What is happening in this drawing?
Did you colour in one
of the circles? ● The rabbit is doing arithmetic.
● The rabbit is working in an office.
● The rabbit is checking sums.
1. What is this poster about?
3. Which statement is true?
● It is a fairy tale about a man and
● This is a real rabbit.
little people.
● This is a really bright rabbit.
● It is a story about something that really
happened. ● The rabbit is making silly mistakes
with the calculations.
● It is a true story about a man and
little people. ● The rabbit in this drawing cannot
be real.
● It is all about little people that sing
and dance.

65 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
Read Doctor Foster and answer questions
4 to 5. ‘Jason asked you to his birthday party,’ she
said. ‘You must ask him to Saint Naum
Ohridski’s Monastery picnic.’
Doctor Foster What Mum doesn’t know, is that Jason
Doctor Foster went asked the whole class to his party. She was
to Gloucester just so pleased that I was invited.
In a shower of rain; Mum doesn’t understand Jason was born
He stepped in a puddle, here. He plays Aussie Rules, not soccer.
He eats hamburgers, not savoury pastries
Right up to his middle, like maznik or zelnik. When we had to fill
And never went there again. in the form for Mr Burness about religious
instruction classes, Jason left it blank.
Jason goes to discos, not Macedonian
4. What happened to Doctor Foster?
dancing classes.
● He forgot his umbrella.
I’m the expert on dancing classes. I’m the
● He tripped in a puddle of water. only Macedonian kid who’s had fifty-six
● He was caught in the rain. lessons and still can’t dance.
● He stepped in a puddle of water. Anyway, the dancing wasn’t the only reason
I didn’t want to ask Jason. He’s popular —
5. Which word rhymes with Foster? and I’m just a new ‘Maco’ kid.
● Gloucester Jason looked up from tying his runners.
● middle ‘What time do I have to be at your place?’
he asked.
● rain
● again That’s when I nearly fell over the bat that
I’m always dropping. (Dad says that instead
● puddle of Pece, my name should be Clumsy.)
‘About 9 o’clock,’ I stuttered. ‘We’ll be
Read the story and answer questions
back about 5 o’clock. Is that okay?’
6 to 13.
‘Fine. See you then, Pete.’
From The Day My Friend Learned to Dance by
‘Do you want to Hazel Edwards, HBJ, 1990
come to a barbecue on
Sunday, Jason? It’s a
Macedonian picnic.’ 6. When is the barbecue?
● The barbecue is on Tuesday.
Our grade was getting changed for T-ball.
I waited for Jason to say no. ● The barbecue is after school.
My Mum said I had to ask him. And when ● The barbecue is on Sunday.
Mum’s made up her mind, you don’t argue.

66 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
7. Did Pece expect Jason to come to 11. Will Jason come to the barbecue?
the picnic? ● Yes ● No
● Yes ● No
12. Was Pece surprised?
8. Why did Pece’s mother tell him to ● Yes ● No
ask Jason?
● Jason asked Pece to his birthday party. 13. What name does Jason call Pece?
● You don’t argue with Pece’s mother. ● Pete
● Jason is Pece’s friend. ● Clumsy
● Maco
9. What do we learn about Jason? (Colour in
more than one circle if necessary.)
Read the short fable and answer
● He eats hamburgers. questions 14 to 19.
● He goes to discos.
● He is a ‘Maco’ kid.
Once upon a time a
● He is new. cheeky dog ran off with
● He is popular. a bone from a butcher’s
shop. The greedy dog
● He is religious.
ran away as fast as it
● He learns dancing. could and no one could catch it.
● He likes savoury pastries. The dog kept on running and running until
● He plays Aussie Rules. at last it came to a river bank. It stopped for
a moment but as the dog looked down into
● He plays soccer.
the water, it saw another dog with a large
bone in its mouth.
10. What are we told about Pece? (Colour in
more than one circle if necessary.) The greedy dog thought ‘Why, that dog has
a bone that’s as big as mine, so I shall jump
● He eats hamburgers.
on that dog and take its bone for myself.
● He goes to discos. Then I can have two bones.’ But the silly
● He is a ‘Maco’ kid. dog did not realise that it was only seeing
itself in the water.
● He is new.
The dog leapt in and there was a large
● He is popular.
splash of water but there was no other dog
● He is religious. to be seen. As the greedy dog jumped in
● He learns dancing. to grab the other bone, the bone that it
had stolen dropped from its mouth. It sank
● He likes savoury pastries.
down into the deep dark water.
● He plays Aussie Rules.
Like all people who are greedy, there is
● He plays soccer. nothing for them in the end. They end up
with less.

67 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
14. What was in the river? Read the poem and answer questions
20 to 24.
● another dog
● nothing
● a reflection of the dog The big waves are breaking
And the blue water’s fine
15. What did the dog try to do?
The whole family’s happy
● It tried to fight the other dog.
● It jumped into the river. Oh, what a great time.

● It tried to get another bone.

There’s nothing so good
16. What is the best way to describe this dog? As my Christmas holidays
● naughty Just fishing and swimming
● greedy And lazy old ways.
● angry
My Dad is delighted
17. What happened to the dog?
At having a rest
● The dog found another dog.
● The dog tricked itself. No work for two weeks

● The dog kept the bone. He feels like he’s blessed.

18. What did the dog lose? And Mum is so pleased

● The dog lost its temper. That her everyday chores
● The dog lost the fight.
Are far from her mind
● The dog lost the bone.
By these blue ocean shores.
19. What does this fable teach us? Anon

● It teaches us not to steal.

● It teaches us that greedy people can 20. Who is writing this poem?
lose everything. ● Mum
● It teaches us that greedy people are ● Dad
easy to fool.
● child

21. Where is the family?

● The family is on vacation near the sea.
● The family is together for Christmas.
● The family is on vacation at home.

68 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
22. Why is the mother happy? Read the passage and answer questions
25 to 27.
● The mother is happy because she can
go fishing and swimming.
● The mother is happy because the surf
is fine.
● The mother is happy because she is free
from her everyday jobs.

23. Why is the father happy?

Write your answer on the lines.

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________
People from all over the world flock to
___________________________________ New York City for fame and fortune.

___________________________________ Think big buildings like the Empire State

Building and the Rockefeller Centre. Think
24. What would be a good name for this poem? rap music, hip-hop, jazz, cool art, yellow
taxis, graffiti on the trains and strange
● Christmas Vacation
people in the street. Think baseball teams
● A Long Weekend like the New York Yankees. New York City
● Getting Far Far Away would have to be the MOST amazing place
in the whole UNIVERSE! It’s fast, big and
● Sailing Away
exciting.
From SWAT: New York City by Lisa Thompson,
Blake Education, 2000

25. Why do people all over the world flock to

New York City?
● to see the New York Yankees
● to listen to rap, hip-hop and jazz music
● to ride a yellow taxi
● for fame and fortune

69 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
26. How does the author describe New York? 29. Which of the following does NOT mean
● New York is strange and cool. the same as a gift?

● New York is full of rich people. ● something presented to you

● New York has lots of musicians and ● something you receive

baseball players. ● something you buy
● New York is fast, big and exciting. ● something offered free

27. Which word is different? 30. Where did this gift come from?
● fame ● United States
● fortune ● France
● fast ● New America
● the seven seas
Read the passage and answer questions
28 to 33. 31. Which word means the same as clutch?
● release

I am a woman who stands clutching a ● unleash

flaming torch. I live alone on an island ● hold tightly
and am monstrously tall. I was a gift from ● set free
France and arrived in the United States
in 214 different crates in 1884. For many 32. Which word means the same as glimpse?
New Americans arriving by ship, I was
their first glimpse of their new country. ● idea
The seven points on my crown radiate to ● peek
the seven continents and the seven seas. ● house
From SWAT: New York City by Lisa Thompson, ● globe
Blake Education, 2000

33. How many different crates did the gift

come in?
28. What would be a good title for this passage?
● 1884
● The Tall Woman
● 214
● A Gift from France
● 7
● A New Country
● 52
● The Flaming Torch

70 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
Read Spiders and answer questions 34. Which of the following are signs of a
34 to 39. funnel-web spider bite?
● rash, weakness, vomiting

Spiders ● trouble breathing, heavy sweating,

stomach pain
There are many species
of spiders in Australia ● bleeding, itching, sweating
and Australian spiders ● back pain, headache, cramps
are among the most
lethal in the world. 35. What should you do if a funnel-web spider
Years ago, the treatment bites you? Colour in one circle.
for spider bites included
● put an ice-pack on the bitten area
cutting through the bite and sucking out
the venom, or poison. Now, however, ● cut through the bite and suck out the
doctors have shown that putting pressure on venom
the bitten area will stop the spread of the ● wash the bite, then cover it with a
venom throughout the body until the victim bandaid
can get to a hospital, where a doctor can
● bandage up the area tightly and don’t
help.
move the victim at all
The funnel-web has a large body of about
3 cm long, and together with its legs can 36. When should the victim seek medical help?
cover an adult hand. The funnel-web is very ● suddenly
aggressive and has been responsible for
several deaths in Australia. ● slowly
● never
The signs of a funnel-web spider bite are:
• pain ● immediately
• heavy sweating
37. Verbs are doing words. Which of these
• stomach pain words from the passage are BOTH verbs?
• twitching of muscles Colour in one circle.
• trouble breathing. ● cutting, doctor
To give first aid for funnel-web spider bites, ● stop, help
follow this procedure:
● venom, victim
1. Put pressure on the bitten area, bandage
up the area tightly and don’t move the ● have, most
body at all.
2. Keep the victim calm and at rest.
3. Call an ambulance or doctor immediately.

71 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 2
38. Which statement is true? Colour in
one circle.
● Funnel-web spiders are as long as an
adult’s finger.
● Australian spiders are not lethal.
● The way to treat a bite is to cut it and
suck out the venom.
● The victim should try to move their
legs once bitten.
● The funnel-web spider measures
3 cm long.
● Putting pressure on the bite will stop
the venom spreading.

39. Which word means the same as aggressive?

● helpless
● delicate
● fragile
● violent

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the second Reading Test. This test had different types of
questions. They are like comprehension passages. You had to look at something or read
something and then make a judgement.
How did you nd these questions? We hope that you found them interesting. Revise
anything that was too hard for you. There are further questions in the next Reading Test.
The next test contains some different questions. Now take a long break before doing any
more tests.
Use the diagnostic chart on page 73 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions.
Please note that multiple interpretations are possible for the levels of difculty of these tasks.
Also, some questions involve skills from different levels. This is only an initial guide to the
approximate level of the reading skill assessed.

72 c Answers and explanations on pages 159–160

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: READING TEST 2
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.
Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Make some meaning from a picture? Very low
2 Find clearly stated information? Very low
3 Make some meaning from a picture? Very low
4 Make some meaning from short texts that have simple sentences? Very low
5 Make connections between words that rhyme? Low average
6 Find clearly stated information? Low
7 Find clearly stated information? Very low
8 Make connections between pieces of clearly stated information? Low
9 Find clearly stated information? Low
10 Make connections between pieces of clearly stated information? Low
11 Find information? Low
12 Find information? Low
13 Find clearly stated information? Very low
14 Make connections between pieces of clearly stated information? Low average
15 Interpret information? Low average
16 Describe a character? Low average
17 Identify events? Low average
18 Identify events? Low average
19 Identify the main idea? High average
20 Interpret information? High average
21 Interpret information? Low average
22 Interpret information? High average
23 Interpret information? Low average
24 Identify the title? Low
25 Find clearly stated information? Very low
26 Identify the author’s description? Low average
27 Separate an adjective from nouns? High average
28 Identify the title of a text? Very high
29 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
30 Find clearly stated information? Very low
31 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
32 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
33 Find clearly stated information? Very low
34 Find clearly stated information? Very low
35 Find clearly stated information? Very low
36 Connect information? High average
37 Identify verbs? High
38 Validate a conclusion? Very high
39 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
TOTAL

73

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 3
This is the third Reading Test. There are 35 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 45 minutes for this test. Take a short break if necessary.
In this test you will need to look at a picture or read something rst. Then read each
question and colour in the circle with the correct answer.

3. Which word is similar in meaning

Read the label and answer questions 1 to 4.
to consumer?
● seller
● supplier
● provider
● purchaser

4. Which preservative is found in Brite?

339 654 443 142
● ● ● ●

Look at the book cover and answer

questions 5 to 6.

1. In which country is Brite! prepared?

● Melbourne
Did you colour in one
of the circles?
● America
● Australia
● Britain

2. What is the main purpose of this label?

● The label makes you buy more Brite!
● The label provides instructions for
making lemonade.
● The label informs customers as to what
is in the bottle or can.
● The label tells the story of the
Rocka-Cola Company. From Art Today, CD2/0155/END000CB.JPG

74 c Answers and explanations on pages 160–161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 3
5. Which statement is true? 7. What type of text is this
● It is a children’s book about the ● a poem
evening sky. ● a web page
● It is an adult book about tales of men ● an advertisement
wrestling.
● an invitation
● It is a book of wonderful tales of the
Arab world. 8. Who is inviting you to the fete?

Did you colour in one

● the staff
of the circles? ● the parents
● Greenplace Primary School
● the Principal at Greenplace Primary
School
6. What type of things would you find in
this book? 9. At what time will the fete be open?

● kings, queens, knights, castles ● 10 am to 2 pm

● sultans, princes, camels, oases ● 10 pm to 4 am

● goblins, fairies, witches, elves ● 10 am to 4 pm

● 10 am to 7 pm
Read the text and answer questions
10. Who might be receiving these invitations?
7 to 10.
● the school staff
● family members
● the school pupils
● all of the above

Look at the drawing and answer questions

11 to 12.

From Art Today, CD2/0088/GA4058.JPG

75 c Answers and explanations on pages 160–161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 3
11. What is the girl doing in the drawing? 13. What would be a good name for this poem?
● She is following the footprints of the dog. ● A Bird
● She is playing detective on the beach. ● With a Twig in Your Beak
● She is playing with her dog. ● Anon
● She is a scientist. ● Little Bird in the Tree

12. What does the drawing show about this dog? 14. Who is ‘busy’ in this poem?
Give a reason. Write your answer on ● the bird
the lines.
● the nest
___________________________________ ● the building
___________________________________
Read Muddles and Mix-ups and answer
___________________________________ questions 15 to 19.

___________________________________

Muddles and Mix-ups

Read the poem and answer
You often find several children in the one
questions 13 to 14.
school who have the same name.
There might be two Michaels or four
With a twig in your beak Sarahs or three Matthews.
Busy building a nest The first Matthew may be short and fair.
You stop for a moment
The second Matthew may be medium-sized
To take a brief rest.
with red hair and freckles.
You know what to do The third Matthew may be tall and
And where you should go dark-haired.
How to work quickly But the name Matthew suits all three
And when to be slow. because their names have grown on them.
You live in a world When you meet someone else with the
So free of our cares same name as yours, it’s natural to feel a
With only the present little curious about the other person.
And Nature’s affairs. Say your name is Bianca and you meet
another Bianca. You can’t help wondering,
Little bird in the tree can you, what the other Bianca is like. Is
Such a glorious sight she friendly? Are you going to like her?
Your work is now done
With the coming of night.
Anon

76 c Answers and explanations on pages 160–161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 3
19. When does confusion occur?
Names can sometimes cause confusion.
● when the letter is addressed to
Here is an example.
Melinda Smith
The three Smith sisters all have names ● when the letter is addressed to
beginning with the letter M. They are called Marlene Smith
Melinda, Marlene and Melissa.
● when the letter is addressed to M Smith
Think how confusing it can be when
● when the letter is addressed to
the family receives a letter addressed to
Melissa Smith
M Smith!
In a case like this, it’s a good idea to Read the instructions and answer
address a letter in full, to Melinda Smith questions 20 to 23.
(or Marlene Smith or Melissa Smith). Then
there can be no mistake.
From Names are Fun by Vivienne Wallington, HBJ, 1992 Iron-On Transfer Instructions
1. Most important, ask
Mum or Dad to help.
15. What is an example of sharing names?
2. Do not use a pure cotton
● when your name fits you fabric—use nylon or
● when there are two Michaels in a school polyester.
● when your name has grown on you 3. Do your ironing on a
hard surface such as a magazine.
16. What does the third Matthew look like? 4. Place the transfer facedown on a single
● He is short and fair. piece of fabric.
5. Pin the transfer into position so that it
● He is medium-sized with red hair
does not move.
and freckles.
6. Set the setting on the iron to ‘COTTON’.
● He is tall and dark-haired.
7. Do not scorch the fabric. Cover the
17. When do some people feel curious? area to be ironed with brown paper or
tissue paper.
● People feel curious when they meet
someone with the same name. 8. Press down hard and move the iron
around smoothly.
● People feel curious when they meet
9. Iron for about 20 seconds.
someone who is friendly.
● People feel curious when they meet CAUTION: NOT INTENDED FOR
someone who is nice. CHILDREN UNDER 8—TO BE USED
WITH ADULT HELP
18. What is a muddle?
● It is an example.
● It is a mix-up.
● It is a name.

77 c Answers and explanations on pages 160–161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 3
20. What is the most important instruction?
Once upon a time, when children were
● Ask Mum or Dad to help.
naughty, parents said: ‘A bogy will get you!’
● Do not use cotton.
What is a bogy?
● Iron for about 20 seconds.
A bogy is a mischievous or frightening or
21. Which fabric should be used?
dangerous spirit. Bogy is a very old word
and it comes from the British Isles, from a
● polyester time when people believed in the world of
● silk fairies, goblins and ghosts.
● cotton Adults used to frighten children by telling
them about many different kinds of bogies.
22. How long should it be ironed for? Some lived in water, others waited in fruit
● 15 seconds trees, and many hid in dark places, indoors
and out.
● 20 seconds
Adults were afraid of bogies too, especially
● 25 seconds
the kind that lurked on the roads on dark
nights, lying in wait for the traveller.
23. For what age group is this recommended?
Why did adults scare children with bogy
● children over 5 years with adult help
stories?
● children over 6 years with adult help
There were three main reasons:
● children over 7 years with adult help
1. To protect crops from children’s
● children over 8 years with adult help stealing fingers.
2. To keep children away from dangerous
Read Bogies and answer questions places.
24 to 28.
3. To make children behave.
From A Bogy Will Get You by Edel Wignell, HBJ, 1992

Bogies
24. Which statement is true?
● A bogy is not a real thing.
● A bogy is a real thing.

25. What are we told about bogies?

● Bogies were frightened of children.
● Bogies were frightened of adults.
● Adults were afraid of bogies.

78 c Answers and explanations on pages 160–161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 3
26. Where did the word bogy come from?
● It came from the British Isles. Australians are famous for their use of
colourful expressions and sayings. For two
● It came from children.
hundred years we have been using old slang
● It came from Australia. words, inventing new ones and perhaps
forgetting some that may go in and out
27. What type of bogies frightened adults? of fashion as times and sayings change.
● the bogies that lived in water In fact, Aussies invent words to describe
everyday events in their lives. This can be
● the bogies that were on roads on
confusing for non-Australians. Not only
dark nights
are the words new to them, but one word
● the bogies that lived in fruit trees can have lots of different meanings. For
example, if a car is hot, it’s probably stolen;
28. Which of the three reasons given for adults if a person is wearing hot clothes, they
scaring the children with bogies is related look trendy; if someone is a hot guitarist,
to the opening sentence? it means they are skillful; and a hotshot in
● to protect crops tennis is a person with lots of potential.
From Dinky-Di by Shane Power, HBJ, 1992
● to keep children away from danger
● to make children behave
29. What is slang?
Read Australian-made and answer ● Slang is the special sayings that a
questions 29 to 35. certain group of people use.
● Slang is a foreign language.

Australian-made ● Slang is the correct English that we use

in Australia.
Each country has its
own version of slang, ● Slang is used only in Australia.
newcomers to our
land may never have 30. Why would newcomers have trouble
heard our kind of with slang?
slang, and certainly Write your answer on the lines.
would not understand
its meaning. What must they think when ___________________________________
they hear talk of a smoko (rest break) or
hard yakka (work) or a crawler (someone ___________________________________
looking for praise) or a blue (fight) or snags
___________________________________
on the barbie (barbecued sausages)? They
may want to reach for a dictionary to help ___________________________________
them translate foreign speech!
___________________________________

79 c Answers and explanations on pages 160–161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 3
31. Why is the article called Australian-made? 33. For about how long have Australians been
● Australian-made is about the colourful using old slang words?
expressions used in every country. ● for about 100 years
● Australian-made is about the problems ● for about 200 years
newcomers have with the language in ● for about 300 years
Australia.
34. What is an example of a slang word that
● Australian-made is about the colourful
language that has been developed in can have more than one meaning?
this country. ● smoko
● Australian-made is about the products ● cuppa
made in Australia. ● hot
● crawler
32. For what are Australians famous?
● Australians are famous for their use of 35. What is the role of the first sentence in
colourful language. both paragraphs?
● Australians are famous for snags on ● The first sentence tells the reader what
the barbie. each paragraph is about.
● Australians are famous for their smokos ● The first sentence tells the reader a
and cuppas. true story.
● The first sentence tells the reader what
is important.

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the third Reading Test. This test also had some different
types of questions. Some involved pictures and some were like comprehension passages.
We hope that these tasks were interesting for you. How did you nd these questions?
Revise anything that was hard for you. There are further questions in the nal Reading Test.
Use the diagnostic chart on page 81 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions.
Please note that multiple interpretations are possible for the levels of difculty of these
tasks. Also, some questions involve skills from different levels. This is only an initial guide
to the approximate level of the reading skill assessed. No claim is made that this will be
identical to the scores a student will receive in the actual tests, as the assessors will use a
complex scoring system to estimate a student's level of ability.

80 c Answers and explanations on pages 160–161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: READING TEST 3
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.

Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Find clearly stated information? Very low
2 Identify the purpose? Low average
3 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
4 Find clearly stated information? Very low
5 Make meaning from a text which has visual support? Low
6 Make simple inferences? Low average
7 Identify a style of writing? High average
8 Make meaning from a simple advertisement? Low
9 Find clearly stated information? Very low
10 Draw conclusions? Low average
11 Infer from the action in a drawing? High
12 Draw an inference from a cartoon? High
13 Identify the title of a text? Low average
14 Find clearly stated information? Very low
15 Compare and connect information? High average
16 Identify details? Low
17 Infer a personal state of feeling? High
18 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
19 Interpret information? Low average
20 Identify the priority of an idea? Low average
21 Make connections between pieces of clearly stated information? Low
22 Identify clearly stated information? Very low
23 Identify the limitations of the instructions? Low average
24 Indicate the truth of an idea? Low average
25 Identify a fact from the text? Low average
26 Identify a fact from the text? Low average
27 Connect information? High average
28 Relate the introduction to the conclusion? Very high
29 Infer the meaning of a word? High
30 Compare and connect information? High average
31 Identify the relevance of a title? Very high
32 Locate information? Low average
33 Locate information? Low
34 Identify a word with multiple meaning? High
35 Recognise the purpose of the opening sentence of a paragraph? Very high
TOTAL

81

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
This is the nal Reading Test. There are 37 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 45 minutes for this test. Take a short rest break if necessary.
In this part you will need to look at a picture or read something rst. Then read each
question and colour in the circle with the correct answer.

Look at Lands & Peoples and answer Look at the cartoon and answer questions
question 1. 2 to 3.

From Art Today, CD1/0057/NYW224B–C.JPG

From Art Today, CD4/0259/CAW000C.JPG 2. What is happening in the first part of

the cartoon?
1. What does the name of the book Lands & Give a description. Write your answer on
Peoples tell you? the lines.
● It's about other countries and
their people. ___________________________________

● It's about the land and the people who ___________________________________

work on it.
___________________________________
● It's about how people landed in
different countries.
3. Which statement is true about the man in
● It's about England. the second picture?

Did you colour in one

● He looks suspicious.
of the circles?
● He looks astonished.
● He looks happy.
● He looks satisfied.

82 c Answers and explanations on page 161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
Read My Pants Have Sprung a Huge Hole 4. Who wrote this poem?
and answer questions 4 to 9.
● Santa Claus
● The Elves
My Pants Have Sprung a ● Jan Weeks
Huge Hole ● My Pants Have Sprung a Huge Hole
A week before Christmas, on a wintry night,
5. What happened in this poem?
Snow lay around like a blanket of white.
● There was a hole in Santa’s pants.
The air was bitter, colder than ice
● There was a hole in the Elves’ pants.
And no one went out without thinking twice. ● There was a hole in Santa’s jacket.
Then all of a sudden a voice thundered out
6. When did all this happen?
Piercing the silence that lay all about.
● It happened after Christmas.
It shouted so loud, so sharp and so clear,
● It happened at Christmas.
That voice was meant
● It happened a week before Christmas.
for the whole world to hear.
Booming from somewheree 7. What things tell you for sure that it was
up in the North Pole, cold? (Colour in as many circles as
The voice said: ‘My pants necessary.)
have sprung a huge hole! ● It was a week before Christmas.
Look at the back of me! See the big tear! ● It was against the law.
You could park a gigantic battleship there! ● It was at the North Pole.
It’s against the law – a crime do you hear? ● It was night.

For a chap like me to expose his rear! ● It was silent.

● The air was cold.
How can I possibly go, “Ho, ho ho!”
● There was a gigantic battleship there.
With my underpants all out on show?’
● There was snow.
Then Santa himself appeared at the door,
Hands covering the rip, which tore a 8. How do we know Santa was angry?
bit more. ● He was angry because he was loud
With forehead so wrinkled and face so cross, and cross.

He spluttered, ‘Is this how you treat ● He was angry because he appeared at
your boss? the door.
● He was angry because he said that it
One of you elves must be playing a joke—
was mean to do this to him.
A mighty mean thing to do to a bloke!’
From Ho, Ho, Ho! by Jan Weeks, HBJ, 1992

83 c Answers and explanations on page 161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
9. What does the word bloke mean?
You will need a table, and a cloth which
● a man
is large enough to hang down to the floor
● a mate on three sides. Use drawing-pins or tape
● something torn to hold the cloth in place. The side facing
you should be open, so that you can store
● a mean thing
all your props under the table where the
audience cannot see them.
From How to be a Magician by Rachael Collinson,
Did you colour in one HBJ, 1992
of the circles?

10. What would be another good name for

this passage?
● Ten Terrific Tricks
Read How to Be a Magician and answer
● How to Trick Your Family and Friends
questions 10 to 14.
● How to Do Magic Tricks

How to Be A Magician 11. What is this passage about?

You can be a magician! ● preparation

The secret of being a ● practice

successful magician is ● patter
learning how to do tricks
properly. There are three 12. How many ingredients are listed?
main ingredients in this
recipe for success: 1 2 3 4
preparation, practice ● ● ● ●
and patter.
Preparation 13. What does preparation mean?
Preparation means having all your props ● It means being a successful magician.
and clothing ready in advance. ● It means having everything ready.
Props are the particular items you need to ● It means learning how to do
perform each trick. tricks properly.
For clothing you need a jacket or a
long-sleeved shirt with pockets and buttons.
Trousers should have pockets where you
can hide things. A belt is a good idea too,
as you can attach all kinds of things to it.

84
c Answers and explanations on page 161
© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
14. What clothing does a magician need?
(Colour in more than one circle if necessary.) Only eat meat, fish and poultry occasionally.
● belt Chewing food properly before you swallow
it is very important. Even nutritious food
● drawing pins
can be bad for you if you eat it too quickly
● jacket or eat too much of it. Always make time
● magic wand to sit down and relax when you eat your
food. Eating good food can be lots of fun,
● pockets where you can hide things
especially if you take time to prepare and
● props enjoy your meals.
● shirt with long sleeves, pockets and From Fun with Food by Eleanor Parker, HBJ, 1992
buttons
● shirt with short sleeves, pockets
and buttons 15. Why is healthy food important?

● table cloth ● Healthy food makes you stronger.

● tape ● Healthy food gives you balance.

● trousers ● Healthy food gives you a diet.

16. Which foods are said to be low in sugar,

Read Healthy Food Builds Healthy Bodies
salt or fat?
and answer questions 15 to 19.
● meat
● poultry
Healthy Food Builds ● salted butter
Healthy Bodies
● fresh fruit
To eat a healthy, balanced diet we should
choose a variety of the following foods 17. What foods are included with cereals?
each day. These provide plenty of fibre and
are low in sugar, salt and fat. ● fresh fruit
•
Fresh fruit ● meat, fish and poultry
•
Fresh vegetables ● milk, cheese and yoghurt
•
Sprouts, nuts ● bread, rice and pasta
and seeds
•
Soya beans and lentils 18. What does occasionally mean?
•
Cereals and wholegrain products ● once every now and then
including bread, rice and pasta
● once every day
•
Dairy products like milk, cheese
and yoghurt ● at every meal
•
Eggs (preferably free-range) ● once a year
•
Cold-pressed oils, spreadable fats like
unsalted butter

85 c Answers and explanations on page 161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
19. When is nutritious food bad for you?
Give an example. Write your answer on It has a rich tradition and culture. Many
the lines. Australians like to visit Bali, which is a
favourite cultural and holiday centre.
___________________________________
___________________________________
20. How many islands are there in Indonesia?
___________________________________
● 13 000
___________________________________
● 60
Read Indonesia and answer questions ● 6000
20 to 25. ● 200 million

21. On how many islands do people live?

INDONESIA
● 13 000
● 60
● 6000
● 200 million

22. What are two of Indonesia's products?

● rice, fish
Indonesia is one of Australia’s closest ● coasts, mountains
neighbours. This is a map of Indonesia. It
is made up of over 13 000 small islands. 23. How large is Indonesia?
People live on about 6000 of these islands.
● It is the fifth largest country in
Indonesia is between the Indian and Pacific the world.
Oceans. It is near the equator and has a hot ● It is mainly a Muslim country.
climate. Rice and fish are two of the main
products. The region is mostly coastal and ● People live on about 6000 islands.
some of the larger islands have mountains.
There are 60 active volcanos in Indonesia. 24. Between which two oceans is Indonesia?
● Indonesia is between Borneo and
Indonesia is a large nation of some
Sumatra.
200 million people and is the fifth largest
country in the world. Most of the people ● Indonesia is between Jakarta and
are of a Muslim background, with some Sumatra.
Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. They ● Indonesia is between Australia and
speak mainly Bahasa Indonesia. For Borneo.
many years Indonesia was a Dutch colony
● Indonesia is between the Indian and
and it gained independence just after
Pacific Oceans.
World War II. Indonesia has been a poor
country but this is starting to change.

86 c Answers and explanations on page 161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
25. Which part of Indonesia do Australians
visit frequently? Often Dad’s friend Graham Willis would
be there too. Graham, a police sergeant,
● Borneo
would call in for a chat on his way to or
● Bali from work.
● Sumatra From Joanne by Paul Williams, HBJ, 1992

● Jakarta

26. What did Joanne’s father own?

Read the passage and answer questions
26 to 32. ● He owned a grocery and
sandwich shop.
● He owned a seafood shop in Bondi.
Joanne’s father owned ● He owned four rooms.
a milk bar and sandwich
shop in Bondi, a Sydney ● He owned a milk bar and
beachside suburb. Joanne sandwich shop.
and her Dad lived at the
back of the shop in four 27. Where did Joanne live?
tiny, cluttered and untidy ● Joanne lived with her parents.
rooms. Joanne's mum died when she was
three. Joanne had wonderful memories of ● Joanne lived at the back of Bondi.
her mum. Memories of a soft voice, ● Joanne lived at the back of the shop.
cuddles, bed-time stories and having her
hair brushed. 28. How old was Joanne when her
Joanne loved her father and loved their mother died?
home. She had always been her Dad’s girl, ● 3 years old
although she had her mother’s smile. Dad
● 5 years old
read her stories and gave her cuddles too,
but it was difficult for him to make time ● 8 years old
for an 8 year old. He opened the shop at
8 o’clock in the morning and didn’t finish 29. Who read bedtime stories to Joanne?
until 9 o’clock at night. Then there was the
● Her father’s friend read bedtime stories
cooking and the housework to be done, and
to Joanne.
Joanne’s school clothes to be washed and
ironed every night. ● Joanne read bedtime stories to herself.

Just before storytime, Joanne would go into ● Joanne's father read bedtime stories
the shop and share a milkshake with her to Joanne.
father. Dad’s milkshakes were a real treat:
double milk, malt, two scoops of ice cream,
and chocolate flavouring.

87 c Answers and explanations on page 161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
30. When did Joanne’s father finish work?
India has many beautiful buildings, but
● He finished at 9 o’clock.
none are more famous than the Taj Mahal.
● He finished at 8 o’clock. The white marble building glistened in
● He finished just before storytime. the sun.
‘It’s so beautiful!’ gasped Amber.
31. What was in the milkshakes her
father made? Habbibi proudly explained the story behind
it. ‘It was built many centuries ago by an
● milk scoops, ice cream and chocolate emperor named Shah Jahan. He was very
flavouring rich and he loved his wife deeply. When
● milk, malt, ice cream and chocolate she died he was heart-broken so he built
flavouring this in her memory. It took 20 000 workers
● milk, malt, cream and chocolate 21 years to build.’
From SWAT: Incredible India by Lisa Thompson,
Blake Education, 2000
32. Why was Graham Willis there?
● He was a police sergeant.
● He read her stories. 33. What would be a good title for this passage?
● He called in for a chat. ● Amber, Jeremy and Habbibi on their
Magical Journey.
Read the passage and answer questions
● An Emperor named Shah Jahan.
33 to 36.
● The Taj Mahal.
● A Day in India.

34. Who built the Taj Mahal?

● Habibi
● The Emperor Taj
● Shah Jahan
● Amber

35. How many years did it take to build?

● 20 000
This time Amber made a perfect landing ● 176
right in front of the Taj Mahal. Jeremy ● 12
landed a few seconds later. Habbibi didn’t
even question his new form of transport. ● 21
All he said was, ‘This is very handy. One
day I hope to be able to travel like this on
my own.’

88 c Answers and explanations on page 161

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 READING TEST 4
36. Amber said, ‘It’s so beautiful!’ This is The Story of Apples
● a statement. When the apples are ripe they are
● a question. picked and then packed into cartons.
● an exclamation. The petals drop off the flower and the
● a comment. apple grows.
Seeds are planted in the ground and
Read The Story of Apples and answer watered regularly.
question 37. Flowers begin as tight buds. These are
the buds of apple tree flowers.
The fruit is taken to the market and sold.
37. Seeds and fruit grow from flowers.
Each flower must be pollinated before The apple blossoms open. Bees or other
it can make fruit and seeds. Number the insects carry pollen from one flower to
following sentences in order from 1 to 7 another. This is called pollination
so the text makes sense. As the apple tree begins to grow,
the plants are sprayed to keep the
pests away.

Write your answers

in the boxes.

END OF TEST

We hope that these tasks were interesting for you. There are no further Reading Tests.
Now take a long break before you do any more tests.
Question 37 is not an easy question. You did well if you were able to put the sentences in
the correct order. Revise anything that was hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on page 90 to see which level of ability you reached. This is only
an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or even
missed some easier questions. Get some help if you don’t understand something.
Please note that multiple interpretations are possible for the levels of difculty of these
tasks. Also, some questions involve skills from different levels. This is only an initial guide
to the approximate level of the reading skill assessed. No claim is made that this will be
identical to the scores a student will receive in the actual tests, as the assessors will use a
complex scoring system to estimate a student's level of ability.

89
c Answers and explanations on page 161
© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: READING TEST 4
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.

Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Identify purpose from a title? Low average
2 Make meaning from pictures? Very low
3 Infer emotion from a picture? High
4 Identify the author? High average
5 Make meaning from a short text? Low average
6 Find clearly stated information? Very low
7 Make meaning from a short text? Low
8 Infer an emotion from a short text? Low
9 Identify the meaning of words? High average
10 Identify an alternative title? High average
11 Draw an inference? High
12 Find clearly stated information? Low
13 Make meaning of a concept? Low average
14 Find clearly stated information? Low
15 Identify a common idea? High average
16 Interpret an idea in a simple text? Low average
17 Find clearly stated information? Very low
18 Identify the meaning of a word? High average
19 Infer meaning? Low average
20 Find clearly stated information? Very low
21 Find clearly stated information? Very low
22 Find clearly stated information? Very low
23 Find clearly stated information? Very low
24 Identify a fact from the text and from a diagram? Low
25 Identify a fact from the text? Low
26 Find clearly stated information? Very low
27 Find clearly stated information? Very low
28 Find clearly stated information? Very low
29 Identify a fact from the text? Low
30 Identify a fact from the text? Low
31 Identify a fact from the text? Low
32 Infer motivation? High
33 Find a title? High
34 Locate information? Low
35 Identify a fact from the text? Low
36 Recognise an exclamation? Very high
37 Sequence events? Very high
TOTAL

90

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
This is the rst Language Conventions Test. There are 50 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 40 minutes for this test. Take a short break if necessary.

Each sentence has one word or punctuation mark that is incorrect.

Colour in the circle with the correct answer.

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

1. The outback is a big area in the middel midle middle middul

of Australia. ● ● ●

2. The girl asked, ‘Do people live there’. , ! ?

● ● ●

3. He said, It’s a hot and dry place.’ ‘ “ ,

● ● ●

4. Jacks Dad smiled. Jacks Jac’s Jack’s

● ● ●

5. Ive never been there. I’ve Ive’ I’v

● ● ●

6. You can see many kangaroos and wallabees. wallabies wallabys

● ●

7. There are catel in the outback. cattle catle cattel

● ● ●

91 c Answers and explanations on page 162

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
There is one spelling mistake in each sentence.
Write the correct spelling for each circled word in the box.

Our restaurant is a great place for a berthday party. 8.

Every child gets a special meel. 9.

You get a small burger, fries, drink and a serprize. 10.

There is also a gift to take hoem. 11.

Children love our parties and parents do to . 12.

Contact our neerest restaurant for details. 13.

The spelling mistakes in these sentences have been circled.

Write the correct spelling for each circled word in the box.

Explore Pokemon Island. Your help is

needed to identify the meny Pokemon that 14.

live on the island. Be as quite as possible. 15.

At the beech you will see Kangashkan. 16.

In the tunnel you might fin Magnemite. 17.

By the river their is Magikarp. 18.

92 c Answers and explanations on page 162

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
Read the text Dragons. Colour in the circle with the word you think is correct.
There isn’t a mistake in every question but you must still colour in one circle for
each answer.

Dragons

19. Where did dragons come from? comes came come

● ● ●

20. Some say that they were reel creatures, real reel rile
which lived many years ago. ● ● ●

21. In one story the first dragon tame the tames tamer tamed
floods by digging big ditches. ● ● ●

In another story, the dragon grew inside a

22. large egg at the bottom of the sea. when it when When
● ●

23. floated to the surface, its bright colours its it’s its’
made someone pick it up. ● ● ●

24. They took it to the beach and their it lay Their there There
for many years. ● ● ●

When the egg hatched the baby dragon

grew very large. It caused a great storm,

25. and flew up into heven. hevan heathen Heaven

● ● ●
Adapted from Dragons of China by Ida Chionh, HBJ, 1992

93 c Answers and explanations on page 162

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
Read the text My Excursion. The spelling mistakes in these sentences have been
circled for you. Colour in the circle with the correct spelling.

My Excursion

26. On Wensday our class went on Wednesday Wensdy Wednesdy

an excursion. l l l

27. We cort a bus to the city. caught caute cawt

l l l

28. We plaed in the park. plaid played plade

l l l

29. It was a nice, suny day. sonny sunny sonni

l l l

30. We sor lots of interesting things. saw sew sore

l l l

31. We learnt all about brids . birdes berds birds

l l l

32. We learnt how people used to leeve leav leave live

in the olden days. l l l

33. After lunch we walked form the museum fromm from froom
to the city. l l l

Read the text Vegetables. There are three answers underlined. Only one is correct.
Circle the correct word.

Vegetables

34. People eat hundreds of different / diferent / differrent vegetables.

35. They are an important food for / in / to people around the world.

36. Lettuce and spinach are leafie / leafy / leefy vegetables.

37. Celery and asparagus are good to ate / aet / eat.

38. Pumpkins and tomatoes are vegetables that contain seeds. Scientists call them fruit because
they is / them are / they are part of the plant that carries the seed.

94 c Answers and explanations on page 162

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
39. We no / know / now them as vegetables.

40. Some vegetables grow under the ground, / under the ground. / under the ground?
From Go Facts – Plants as Food, Blake Education, 2006

Colour in the circle with the right answer.

41 Which word in this sentence is a noun?

The tired boy is sleeping and he is snoring loudly.
l The
l tired
l boy
l sleeping

42 Which word in this sentence is used as an adjective?

The girl wears a white shirt when she plays sport.
l girl
l white
l shirt
l plays

43 Which words can replace the pronoun they in this sentence?

Jenny said that the school will have a big tent when they go camping tomorrow.
l the school
l the student
l the girls
l Jenny and me

44. I’ve is short for I have. What does I’d I should I would I said I did
stand for? l l l l

45. Why does the word Tokyo need a l It is a large city.

capital letter? l It looks good.
l It is a proper noun.
l Many people live in Tokyo.

95 c Answers and explanations on page 162

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
Read the sentences. Correct the mistakes and write the correct sentence on
the lines provided. Be careful: some sentences may have more than one mistake.

46. Drago who came here from Serbia said that he was happy to be in Australia.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

47. He and his mother thinks his father died in the war.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

48. He loves Australia because the people are most kinder to refugees than in other countries.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

49. Drago said I am too sad to talk about it.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

50. John or Jim always like to invite Drago to play with them.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the rst Language Conventions Test.
How did you go with these test questions? Some were harder than the sample questions.
Check to see where you did well and where you had problems. Try to revise the questions
that were hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on pages 97–98 to see which level of ability you reached. This is
only an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered some difcult questions correctly or
even missed some easier questions.
There are now three more tests, each containing 50 questions. They include many of the
same types of questions, plus a few new types.

96 c Answers and explanations on page 162

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.
Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Spell middle? Low
2 Use question marks correctly? Low
3 Use speech marks correctly for direct speech? High
4 Use apostrophes correctly? Low average
5 Use apostrophes correctly? Low average
6 Spell wallabies? Low average
7 Spell cattle? Low
8 Spell birthday? Low
9 Spell meal? Very low
10 Spell surprise? Low
11 Spell home? Very low
12 Distinguish to from too? Low
13 Spell nearest? Low
14 Spell many? Low
15 Spell quiet? Low average
16 Spell beach? Low
17 Spell nd? Very low
18 Use pronouns correctly? High average
19 Recognise the correct tense? Low average
20 Spell real? Low
21 Recognise the correct tense? Low average
22 Use a capital letter for the start of a sentence? Very low
23 Use a possessive adjective correctly? Low average
24 Identify the correct form of an adverb? Low
25 Spell heaven? Low
26 Spell Wednesday? High
27 Spell caught? Very high
28 Spell played? Low
29 Spell sunny? Low
30 Spell saw? Very low
31 Spell birds? Low

97

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 1
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL ü or û
32 Spell live? Low
33 Spell from? Very low
34 Spell different? Low average
35 Identify the correct preposition? Low
36 Spell leafy? Low average
37 Spell eat? Very low
38 Use plural pronouns correctly? High average
39 Spell know? Low average
40 Use punctuation correctly? Low
41 Identify a noun in a short sentence? High average
42 Recognise an adjective? High
43 Identify a pronoun in a short sentence? High average
44 Identify a contraction? Very high
45 Recognise that a proper noun needs a capital letter? High average
46 Place commas correctly in a complex sentence? Very high
47 Match the plural form of the verb to the subject? Very high
48 Use comparative adjectives correctly? High
49 Use speech marks correctly for direct speech? High
50 Use the plural form correctly with a pair of pronouns? Very high
TOTAL

98

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2
This is the second Language Conventions Test. There are 50 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 40 minutes for this test. Take a short break if necessary.

Read the text Quiet Pony for Sale. Each sentence has one word that is incorrect.
Colour in the circle with the correct spelling.

Quiet Pony for Sale

1. hannah came with her parents to live in Hannah hanna Hana
the small country town. ● ● ●

2. She had to catch the bus to school day. day! day;

each day ● ● ●

3. She saw a sign while she am waiting was is were

for the bus to arrive. ● ● ●

4. The sign was glood to a post. glud glude glued

● ● ●

5. The sign said, Quiet pony for sale’. ‘Quiet “Quit ‘Quite
In the paddock was a pony. ● ● ●

6. Its coat was ruf and covered in mud. ruff rough

● ●

7. The pony staired at her with sad eyes. staid stared starred
● ● ●

8. “Heer, pony!” said Hannah. ‘Hear ‘Here, Hair

● ● ●

9. The pony standed still. stood stand

● ●

10. “I’ll bring yoo something tomorrow,” you ya

said Hannah. ● ●
Did you colour in one
Adapted from Quiet Pony for Sale by Mary Small, of the circles?
HBJ, 1990

99 c Answers and explanations on page 163

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2
Read the letter with some parts missing. Choose the correct word or words to ll the gap.
Colour in only one circle for each answer.

Dear Rod

11. Dad said we be coming to Perth wil will

in September. It is a long time away but I ● ●

12. looking forward to seeing all will am are

my cousins. ● ● ●

13. I heard that you now near live liv

the beach. Maybe we can go ● ●

14. surfing . Thanks for teaching me toogether together

to play tennis last year. I liked it ● ●

15. so much that this summer I maid made maed

tennis my school sport. I go to training ● ● ●

16. every . My favourite players are Saterday Saturday

Federer and Nadal. ● ●

17. I will be counting every month until untill

the September holidays. ● ●

Did you colour in one

Your cousin of the circles?

Mark

Read the passage about a dog. Each line has one word that is incorrect.
Write the correct spelling of the word in the box.

I have a dog. Hes a Labrador. 18.

Coud you teach my dog new tricks? 19.

his name’s Jack. 20.

100 c Answers and explanations on page 163

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2
Colour in the circle with the right answer.

21. Which word in this sentence is a noun?

She likes to write with a pen.
l likes
l write
l with
l pen

22. Which word in this sentence is used as an adjective?

My little cousin is called Evan.
l My
l little
l cousin
l Evan

23. Find the pronoun in this sentence.

Jan scored her first goal yesterday.
l scored
l her
l goal
l yesterday

Read the letter. The spelling mistakes have been circled.

Write the correct spelling for each circled word in the box.

Dear Mayor

I am writing to you about the park neer our school. 24.

If you let them build units we will loos our play area. 25.

Kids from the area will have kno play equipment to use. 26.

We use that park because it is very shady and pritty . 27.

101 c Answers and explanations on page 163

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2

If you let them build then many kids and there parents will be 28.
very angry.

Pleese don’t let those people destroy our park. 29.

It’s the only one we hav . 30.

From
Anthony James

Read the following sentences and choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
Colour in only one circle for each answer.

31. My were hurting after that long feat feet fete

bushwalk. l l l

32. I had to the video while I went paws pause pores pours
to answer the phone. l l l l

33. Roger down the river until it rode road rowed

became dark. l l l

34. We played outside until it began to . reign rein rain

l l l

I took my car to the mechanic so he could

35. if the brakes were working properly. check cheque

l l

Some parts are missing from the sentences below. Colour in the circle with the correct
words to complete the sentence. Look also for missing commas or punctuation.

36. A butterfly comes .

l of an egg
l from an egg
l that an egg

102 c Answers and explanations on page 163

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2
37. the eggs grew into caterpillars.
l The female butterfly, which was a beautiful mixture of colours, laid her eggs under a
leaf and
l The female butterfly which was a beautiful, mixture of colours, laid her eggs under a
leaf and
l The female butterfly which was a beautiful mixture of colours laid her eggs under a
leaf, and

38. The teacher said,

l The caterpillar will attach itself to a nearby branch and begin spinning its cocoon.
l “The caterpillar will attach itself to a nearby branch and begin spinning its cocoon.”
l The caterpillar will “attach itself to a nearby branch and begin spinning its cocoon.”

39. the fully grown caterpillar shed its skin.

l After a little while you and I will sees
l After a little while you and I will see
l After a little while you and I will seen

There are three answers underlined in the sentences below. Only one is correct.
Circle the correct word.

40. The sports played in Australia in the early days were those brought / bought / brort by the
British and Irish.

41. Now, Australians love to participait / participate / partysipate in all sports.

42. Australia remains a world chammpion / champion / championn in cricket, tennis, hockey
and football.

43. Sport is something to be shared by evrywon / everyone / every one .

44. Sport helps keep you / your / yous healthy and relaxed.

45. Sport will continue to fascinate Australians for a long / longer / longest time.
Adapted from Shane Power, Sport in the Making: A History of Popular Sport in Australia, HBJ, 1990.

103 c Answers and explanations on page 163

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2
Correct the mistakes in the sentences and write the correct sentence on the lines
provided. Be careful: some sentences have more than one mistake.

46. Ariel who was three had been given her first tricycle by her father.

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

47. Her father and brother had teached her everything there was to know about cars.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

48. The boys werent interested in fixing bikes, only in riding them.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

49. Yeah! Who cares if you get covered in grease? said Harley.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

50. Ariel and her brother has spent thier pocket money on a new computer.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the second Language Conventions Test. We really mean
this as there were many questions to answer.
How did you go with these test questions? Some were harder than the last test. Check to
see where you did well and where you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were
hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on pages 105–106 to see which level of ability you reached.
Again, we remind you that this is only an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered
some difficult questions correctly or even missed some easier questions.
There are now two more tests, each containing 50 questions. They include many of the
same types of questions, plus a few new types.

104 c Answers and explanations on page 163

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct (ü) or incorrect (û). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect (û) for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions.
For example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get
most questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You
can ask your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.
Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL ü or û
1 Use capital letters for proper nouns? High average
2 Recognise that a sentence needs a full stop at the end? Low
3 Use the past tense correctly? Low average
4 Spell glued? Low average
5 Use quotation marks for quoted text? High
6 Spell rough? High average
7 Spell stared? High average
8 Spell here? Very low
9 Use the irregular past tense correctly? Low average
10 Use pronouns correctly? High average
11 Spell will? Very low
12 Use the present continuous tense correctly? Low
13 Spell live? Low average
14 Spell together? High average
15 Spell made? Low
16 Spell Saturday? Low average
17 Spell until? Low
18 Use an apostrophe correctly for a contraction? Low average
19 Spell could? Low average
20 Use a capital letter for the first word of a sentence? Very low
21 Identify a noun in a short sentence? High average
22 Recognise an adjective? High
23 Identify a pronoun in a short sentence? High average
24 Spell near? Low average
25 Spell lose? Low average
26 Spell no? Low average
27 Spell pretty? Low average
28 Use third-person possessive pronouns correctly? Low average
29 Spell please? Low
30 Spell have? Low
31 Spell feet? Low

105

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 2
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
32 Spell pause? High average
33 Spell rowed? Low average
34 Spell rain? Low
35 Spell check? Low
36 Identify the correct preposition? Low
37 Place commas correctly in a complex sentence? Very high
38 Use speech marks correctly for direct speech? High
39 Use tense correctly with a pronoun? High
40 Spell brought? High
41 Spell participate? High
42 Spell champion? High average
43 Identify the correct plural pronoun? High average
44 Identify the correct singular pronoun? High average
45 Identify the correct adjective? Low average
46 Place commas correctly in a complex sentence? Very high
47 Use the simple past or past perfect tense correctly? High average
48 Use an apostrophe correctly for contractions? Low average
49 Use speech marks correctly for direct speech? High
50 Use the present perfect or past perfect tense correctly? Very high
TOTAL

106

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 3
This is the third Language Conventions Test. There are 50 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 40 minutes for this test. Take a short break if necessary.

Each sentence has one word that is incorrect. Colour in the circle with the correct answer.

1. they were very angry. They they

● ●

2. All the trees have been choped down! chopped choped

● ●

3. They am playing in the school band. is was are

● ● ●

4. My dad was born in perth, Western Australia. perth Perth Purth

● ● ●

5. Our favorite game is cricket. favourit favourite

● ●

6. He listened too each student say their speech. too two to

● ● ●

7. He wondered what was beehind the behind beahind

wardrobe. ● ●

8. The plane flew abuv the clouds. abov above ubuv

● ● ●

Read the sentences. They have some gaps. Choose the correct word to ll the gap.
Colour in one circle for each answer.

9. Here are the you will need. thing things

● ●

10. There is a line that is drawn in . read red

● ●

107 c Answers and explanations on page 164

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 3
11. There about ten girls in that class. is are
● ●

12. Use a compass to work out which witch wich

way is north. ● ● ●

13. Here is a photo the team. over off of

● ● ●

14. In French the word ‘gare’ means mens meant

station. ● ● ●

15. There is a red and ambulance. white wite wait

● ● ●

16. Sign the sheet to prove that you’ve you

been at each game. ● ●

Each sentence has one word that is incorrect. Colour in the circle with the correct answer.

17. Squirrels are not founed in Australia. found founde fawned

● ● ●

18. Squirrels live in other countrys. countries countrees country

● ● ●

19. They run allong branches. alonge along aloong

● ● ●

20. They serch the ground for food. cearch search searche
● ● ●

21. Squirrels bery nuts in the ground. bury berry berrie

● ● ●

22. Squirrels are smal mammals. smoll smalle small

● ● ●

108 c Answers and explanations on page 164

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 3
23. They have four teath. teathe teath teeth
● ● ●

24. They have a bushi tail. bushee bushie bushy

● ● ●

25. There are many types of squirrels world worlde whirled

throughout the werld. ● ● ●

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

Read the text Amphibians. The words that are circled are spelling mistakes.
Write the correct spelling for each circled word in the box.

Amphibians

Amphibians are animals that live on

land sum of the time, and in water the 26.

rest of the time. Frogs are amphibians.

A frog’s skin is smoothe and moist. 27.

In spring, frogs lay their eggs in the worter . 28.

The eggs hatch into tadpoles. They have long tales to 29.

swim with. As they get bigga , tadpoles grow legs 30.

and tern into frogs. Frogs eat insects. 31.

They catch them on their sticky tungs . Frogs swim with 32.

their legs and feet. There feet are good for jumping. 33.

109 c Answers and explanations on page 164

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 3
Read the sentences and choose the correct word or words to complete them.
Colour in one circle for each answer.

34. Nicholas and Mary-Ellen cousins. is are was

l l l

35. Anthony John are brothers. or and with

l l l

36. Angelena used to live at . l 17 edward Avenue

l 17 Edward avenue
l 17 Edward Avenue

37. John’s school was . l Waverley College at Bondi

l Waverley college at Bondi
l waverley college at bondi

Colour in the circle with the right answer.

38 Which word in this sentence is a noun?

The bus stopped suddenly.
l The
l bus
l stopped
l suddenly

39 Which word in this sentence is used as an adjective?

We saw a funny movie yesterday.
l We
l funny
l movie
l yesterday

40 Which word in this sentence is a pronoun?

Some teachers care about how we feel at school.
l Some
l about
l how
l we

Read the sentences. Three words are underlined. Only one is correct.
Circle the correct word or punctuation.

41. Food from plants can give us energy and / but / if keep us healthy.

110 c Answers and explanations on page 164

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 3
42. Food can also be sweet just four / for / fore taste.
43. Us / Our / We use sugar made from sugarcane to make some food sweet.
44. There are many animals such as birds . / ? / , bees and bears that like sweet food.
45. Many drinks are / is / am made using plants.
46. Coffee and tea both come of / to / from plants.

Read the sentences. Correct the mistakes and write the correct sentence on the lines
provided. Be careful: some sentences have more than one mistake.

47. He is a boy aged 13 who is thin has brown hair wears braces and is well-dressed.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

48. Jim who was born in Perth and lived there for five years moved to Sydney.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

49. My mother and me went to the shopping mall.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

50. He was so pleased that he went and said it is really a good group!

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the third Language Conventions Test.
How did you go with these test questions? Some were harder than the last test. Check to
see where you did well and where you had problems. Try to revise the questions that were
hard for you.
Use the diagnostic chart on pages 112–113 to see which level of ability you reached.
Again, we remind you that this is only an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered
some difficult questions correctly or even missed some easier questions.
There is now only one more test to complete. It contains 50 questions. They include many
of the same types of questions, plus a few new types.

111 c Answers and explanations on page 164

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 3
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct () or incorrect (). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect () for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.
Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
1 Use a capital letter for the rst word of a sentence? Very low
2 Spell chopped? Low
3 Match the subject of the sentence correctly with the verb? Low average
4 Use a capital letter for a proper noun? Low
5 Spell chopped? High
6 Identify the correct preposition? Low
7 Spell behind? Low
8 Spell above? Low
9 Use plural nouns correctly? Low average
10 Spell red? Low
11 Use plural verbs correctly? Low average
12 Spell which? Low
13 Identify the correct preposition? Low
14 Spell means? Low average
15 Spell white? Low
16 Use apostrophes correctly for contractions? High average
17 Spell found? Very low
18 Spell countries? Low average
19 Spell along? Very low
20 Spell search? High average
21 Spell bury? Low average
22 Spell small? Very low
23 Spell teeth? Very low
24 Spell bushy? High average
25 Spell world? Low average
26 Spell some? Very low
27 Spell smooth? Low
28 Spell water? Low
29 Spell tails? Low
30 Spell bigger? Low
31 Spell turn? Low

112

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 3
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL ü or û
32 Spell tongues? Low average
33 Use third-person possessive pronouns correctly? Low average
34 Match the subject of the sentence correctly with the verb? High
35 Recognise the correct use of conjunctions? Low average
36 Use capital letters correctly for proper nouns? Low average
37 Use capital letters correctly for proper nouns? Low average
38 Identify a noun in a short sentence? High average
39 Recognise grammar conventions in a sentence? High
40 Identify a pronoun in a short sentence? High average
41 Identify the correct conjunction? Low average
42 Use prepositions correctly? Very low
43 Use pronouns correctly? High
44 Recognise the use of a comma in a list? Very high
45 Match the subject of the sentence correctly with the verb? Low average
46 Identify the correct preposition? Low
47 Place commas correctly in a complex sentence? Very high
48 Place commas correctly in a complex sentence? Very high
49 Use pronouns correctly? High
50 Place a comma correctly in a complex sentence and use speech marks Very high
correctly for direct speech?
TOTAL

113

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
This is the last Language Conventions Test. There are 50 questions.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask your teacher or your parents to help you. Don’t be afraid
to ask if it isn’t clear to you.
Allow around 40 minutes for this test. Take a short break if necessary.

Read the sentences with some gaps. Colour in the circle with the correct answer.
Colour in one circle for each answer.

1. Everyone there was a ghost in knew knowed known

the story. ● ● ●

2. They liked the game of cricket. once first

● ●

3. house was the most decorated Gerry’s Gerrys Gerries

house in the street at Christmas time. ● ● ●

4. There were many stars stairs stares

from the ground floor to level three. ● ● ●

5. In the play she was wearing a cap that witch’s witches

looked exactly like a hat. ● ●

6. was a dangerous place to swim. It it

● ●

7. This shopping centre is you were where wear

would expect to see many people that ● ● ●
you know.

Did you colour in one

of the circles?

114 c Answers and explanations on pages 164–165

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
Read the sentences. The spelling and punctuation mistakes have been circled.
Write the correct word or punctuation mark in the box.

Your backyard is a miniature jungel . 8.

Little creatures hide among the plants and lurk unda leaves. 9.

Insects and plants deepend on each other for survival. 10.

Plants provid animals with oxygen, food and shelter. 11.

Animals help plants by spreding their pollen or seeds. 12.

There are many inhabitents in your garden. 13.

A few are very Tiny . 14.

These can only be sawed using a magnifying glass. 15.

There are many insects and mos can be seen with the naked eye. 16.

You need to know where and when to look for them ? 17.

Adapted from Your Backyard Jungle by Kerri Bingle,

David Bowden & Jenny Dibley, HBJ, 1992.

115 c Answers and explanations on pages 164–165

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
The spelling mistakes in these sentences have been circled.
Colour in the circle with the correct answer.

18. miss good is our neighbour. l Miss good

l Miss Good
l Miss good

19. There are six horses in Mr Teds stables. Teds’ Ted’s

l l

20. He always comes two our house. that to it

l l l

21. she was tall. They She Her

l l l

22. Both his hands where strong. was am were

l l l

23. He undastandes everything about cars. l under stands

l undastands
l understands

Colour in the circle with the right answer.

24 Which word in this sentence is a noun?

He painted the wooden door carefully
He painted wooden door
l l l l

25. Which word in this sentence is used as an adjective?

The early bus to Marrickville will get me home.

early bus get home

l l l l

26. Which words can replace the pronoun they in this sentence?
Nicholas said they will play cricket on Saturday.

Nicholas and I my coach Sam and me my friends

l l l l

116 c Answers and explanations on pages 164–165

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
Read the passage. It has some gaps. Choose the correct word to ll the gaps.
Colour in the circle with the correct answer.

27. Mary and Anthony stepped into under through

the boat. ● ● ●

28. We took the lifejackets put and for so

them on. ● ● ●

29. Mary used an oar push away to for as

from the wharf. ● ● ●

30. She gave a signal to her dad and the boat off on in
took . ● ● ●

31. Shade three circles to show which words should start with a capital letter.
The early australian sports were a mixture of those from england and ireland.

  
● ● ● ● ●
 
● ●

32. Where does the missing full stop ( . ) go?

Australia plays all sports Australia is a world leader in swimming.

  
● ●
●

33. Colour in one circle to show where the missing full stop ( . ) should go.
Sport is something to be enjoyed by everyone It is fun and enjoyable.

  ●
 
● ●

117 c Answers and explanations on pages 164–165

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
34. Colour in two circles to show where the speech marks ( “ and ” ) should go.
● ● ● ● ● ●

   
Is it true that Australia has taken part in every Olympics? asked Jim.
 
35. Where should the missing speech marks ( “ and ” ) go?
● ● ● ●

 
He said, Sport helps keep you fit and relaxed. It provides enjoyment.

Adapted from Sport in the Making: A History of Popular Sport in Australia by Shane Power, HBJ, 1990

Read the passage. There are three words underlined. Only one is correct.
Circle the correct word.

Anyone who helps others is sometimes called ‘A Good Samaritan’.

This name comes from a story told a long time ago.
The story says that once upon a time there was a man traveling /
travelling / travling36 between two cities. He was attacked by
robbers. They beat him up and stole his money. They left him to die.
Many people from his own country passed / past / parsed37 by
but did not help. Some were fritend / frightend / frightened38.
Others did not want to help.
Only one person stoped / stopped / stopt39 to help. He was from another land. He gave the
man something to drink. He washed his woonds / woundes / wounds40, He took him to a
hotel and paid for him to rest. The man who helped is known today as a Good Samaritan.

Read the sentences and choose the correct word or words to complete them.
Colour in one circle for each answer.

41. Nick and Leo fish for lunch. ● is eating

● are eating
● will eating

42. Jim is father. ● Anthonys

● Anthony’s
● Anthonys’

118 c Answers and explanations on pages 164–165

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
43. Max, who is a teacher used to , . ? !
live in Maroubra. ● ● ● ●

44. John said that his sore leg is . better gooder bestest
● ● ●

45. Peter is the in the family. ● tallest

● most tallest
● more tallest

46. My mother and went to me I we

the doctor. ● ● ●

47. Both play football. of us of we of our

● ● ●

48. It is to read a book when he ● more easy

wears glasses. ● easier
● more easiest

49. walked to school. ● He and his sister

● Him and his sister
● Him and her, they

50. The sign said, cars, buses ‘No No ‘None

or trams.’ ● ● ●

END OF TEST

Well done! You have completed the nal Language Conventions Test. It means that you
have answered or attempted more than 200 Language Conventions questions.
How did you go with the questions in this test? Were some harder for you? Check to see
where you did well and where you had problems.
Use the diagnostic chart on pages 120–121 to see which level of ability you reached.
Again, we remind you that this is only an estimate. Don’t be surprised if you answered
some difcult questions correctly or even missed some easier questions.

119 c Answers and explanations on pages 164–165

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
Instructions
As you check the answer for each question, mark it as correct (ü) or incorrect (û). Mark any
questions that you omitted or left out as incorrect (û) for the moment.
Then look at how many you answered correctly in each level. You will be able to see what level
you are at by finding the point where you started having consistent difficulty with questions. For
example, if you answer most questions correctly up to the Low average level and then get most
questions wrong from then onwards, it is likely your ability is at a Low average level. You can ask
your parents or your teacher to help you do this if it isn’t clear to you.

Am I able to …
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL ü or û
1 Use the past tense correctly? Low average
2 Identify the correct adjective? Low average
3 Use apostrophes correctly for possession? Low average
4 Spell stairs? Low average
5 Use apostrophes correctly for possession? Low average
6 Use a capital letter for the first word of a sentence? Low
7 Spell jungle? Low average
8 Spell under? High average
9 Spell depend? Low
10 Spell provide? Low
11 Spell spreading Low average
12 Spell inhabitants? High
13 Spell jungle? High
14 Recognise when a capital letter is not needed? Low average
15 Use past participles correctly? Low average
16 Spell most? Very low
17 Use full stops correctly? Low
18 Use capital letters correctly for proper nouns? High average
19 Use apostrophes correctly for possession? Low average
20 Identify the correct preposition? Very low
21 Use a capital letter for the first word of a sentence? Low
22 Use the plural past tense correctly? Low average
23 Spell understands? High average
24 Identify a noun in a short sentence? High average
25 Recognise an adjective? High
26 Replace a pronoun in a short sentence? High average
27 Identify the correct preposition? Low
28 Identify the correct conjunction? High average
29 Identify the correct preposition? Low
30 Identify the correct preposition? Low
31 Use capital letters correctly? High average
32 Use full stops correctly? Low

120

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TEST 4
SKILL ESTIMATED LEVEL  or 
33 Use full stops correctly? Low
34 Use speech marks correctly for direct speech? High
35 Use speech marks correctly for direct speech? High
36 Spell travelling? High average
37 Spell passed? Low average
38 Spell frightened? Low average
39 Spell stopped? Low
40 Spell wounds? High average
41 Match the subject of the sentence correctly with the verb? High
42 Use apostrophes correctly for possession? Low average
43 Identify the correct punctuation? Very high
44 Use comparative adjectives correctly? High
45 Use superlative adjectives correctly? High
46 Identify the correct pronoun? Very high
47 Use conjunctions correctly with prepositions and pronouns? Low average
48 Use comparative adjectives correctly? High
49 Use pronouns correctly? Very high
50 Use quotation marks correctly for quoted text? High
TOTAL

121

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING: INTRODUCTION
Marking the Writing Test
Check the Writing section (www.nap.
edu.au/naplan/about-each-domain/writing/ When the markers of the NAPLAN Writing
writing.html) of the official NAPLAN Test assess your writing they will mark it
website for up-to-date and important according to various criteria. Knowing what
information on the Writing Test. From they look for will help you understand what to
2008 to 2010 students were required to look out for in your own writing.
write a narrative text and from 2011 to 2013
a persuasive text was required. In 2013 The emphasis is on the quality of expression
teachers, parents and students were advised and what the student has to say. Some features
that the 2014 Writing Test would be either that may be emphasised are:
persuasive OR narrative. The 2014 and • the quality of the content
2015 Writing Tests were persuasive, and
the 2016 Writing Test was narrative. The • what the student thinks about the topic
type of text for 2017 will again be either • what feelings are developed
persuasive OR narrative so students should • how it is structured
prepare for both. You can also find marking • whether the writing is organised clearly,
guidelines on the NAPLAN website that using paragraphs and appropriate
outline the criteria markers use when sequencing
assessing your writing. Sample Writing
Tests are also provided. • whether the writing is cohesive
• the quality of the spelling and punctuation/
grammar.
About the test
The NAPLAN Writing Test examines a Advice for parents and
student’s ability to write effectively in a teachers
specific type of text. Students will come across If students aren’t sure how to write a
a number of types of texts at school. These persuasive or narrative text then use the
can be factual (real) or literary (imaginary). practice tests to develop these skills. It may
Although we provide you with some graded not be easy for them at first. One way to start
sample answers on pages 126–127 and is to ask them to talk about the topic and to
140–141, we do not provide any others
state their views on the subject. Next you
because grading writing is a time-consuming
could show them how to plan their writing.
task which can be very subjective. It’s more
Then they can start to write.
important that you focus on improving the
standard of your writing. Give plenty of praise and encouragement.
Remember that Year 3 students are still quite
Usually there is only one Writing question young. Emphasise whatever is good and
in the NAPLAN Writing Test. You will be overlook any errors at first. Space out the time
provided with some stimulus material that between the writing tasks. Do not attempt one
acts as a prompt to writing: something to read immediately after the other as this does not
or a picture to look at. Your response will be allow time for development, Come back to
written on supplied paper. these errors at a much later stage, perhaps a
little before you start the next practice test.
In this book we look at persuasive and
narrative writing. We start with writing a
persuasive text on the following page.
122

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING: PERSUASIVE TEXTS
In this section we start with a sample of a persuasive text. First we give some details
about this type of writing, then there is a sample question with answers, and nally there
are two practice Writing Tests for persuasive texts.

About persuasive texts • You can give facts and support your ideas
• A persuasive text is designed to convince. with findings.
It states one side of a case and expresses a For example:
point of view. The first step is to decide on The majority of scientists at the world
your opinion: are you for or against? conference agreed on climate change.
• You don’t need to list reasons for and • You can use descriptive persuasive words.
reasons against. Support your point of view For example:
with facts, examples and evidence. true, fair, honest, essential, best.
• Persuasive texts can be posters, • You can use persuasive words to influence
advertisements, letters, debates or reports. the reader.
• Their main purpose is to persuade the For example:
reader to see an issue from the author’s naturally, obviously, definitely, probably,
point of view. The writing aims to persuade certainly.
the reader to change his or her mind, • You can use strong modal verbs.
and to win the support of the reader on a For example:
specific issue. To do this the author uses can, might, should, could, would.
persuasive devices.
• You can use words that make the reader
think. Thinking words can include
Examples of persuasive persuasive statistics.
devices For example:
• You can speak to the reader. 90% of children are eating too much salt.
For example: • You can include emotional language.
The government should give money to For example:
countries that suffer from famine and Many people consider that …, We must
disasters. This will show that Australia cares protect …, Certainly we must try …, I am
for all people that suffer. It is important that absolutely appalled that …
we all donate to foreign aid charities.
• You can use emotional adjectives.
• You can ask a question that leads to the For example:
answer you want. important, significant, invaluable.
For example:
Students are able to judge just as fairly as • You can use rhetorical questions. A
adults. So isn’t it right to let them have a rhetorical question asks the reader a
say in some matters? question but does not expect an answer. It
is used for its persuasive effect. It makes
the reader think and tries to emphasise one
likely answer.
For example:
Are we to think that …?

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 WRITING: PERSUASIVE TEXTS
Structure of a persuasive text • Use the present tense to explain ideas or
arguments.
Introduction For example:
• The first paragraph introduces the topic. I believe that …
Make this a statement of your opinion. • Use the past tense to give examples.
• It should be a short paragraph of For example:
approximately one to two sentences. It I have heard that …, People have tried to …
should include a strong sentence which • Remember to acknowledge your sources
captures the reader’s interest. when you use information or statistics.
In other words, give the reader an idea of
The body where the facts were obtained.
The main part of your writing should consist
of arguments. In a persuasive text an argument Conclusion
shows how you think by listing the reasons The conclusion is a strong, convincing
for your opinion. It is the case that you are statement used to repeat your position and
putting forward, just like a lawyer puts forward summarise all your key points.
a case in court. Focus on the main points and For example:
elaborate on them.
In conclusion, it is evident that …
• Use a new paragraph for each new point
It does not contain any new information or
or idea. Include reasons, evidence and
points. The conclusion should be about three
examples to support your opinion.
sentences in length.
• Try to include at least three paragraphs
with at least two sentences in each
paragraph. Avoid using paragraphs of On the following page we have provided a
one sentence only. Sample Writing question for a persuasive
text. In the persuasive text you will be
• State your arguments or ideas in order,
required to:
one after the other. They should be logical,
i.e. they should make sense. Start with the • express an opinion
strongest argument. • include facts to support your opinion
• Express your point of view clearly. Use • make sure that the first sentence of each
strong, persuasive language. Back up each paragraph is the key to what follows
idea, opinion or argument with evidence. • write in an easy-to-understand way
• Use linking words. Linking words are • persuade the reader
sometimes called connectives. Connectives • use a new paragraph for each new idea.
are words that improve the flow of your
writing and are used to join ideas.
For example: We have also provided six sample answers to
firstly, secondly, thirdly, another reason, the sample question. We have grouped them
finally, because, next, then, when, after, into the six levels of ability used throughout
so, therefore, however, even though, for this book. Please note that these are
this reason, although, pay attention to, approximate guidelines only.
another point of view, on the other hand,
alternatively.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE QUESTION: PERSUASIVE WRITING
In this part you will be doing some writing. Each Writing Test should take you 40 minutes.
Write your answer on separate sheets of paper. Use the top part of the rst sheet or the
persuasive text planning page to plan your ideas.
When you have nished, hand in your writing to your teacher, parents or another adult to
mark it for you.

Topic: Should we be allowed to have native

animals as pets?

Today you are going to write a persuasive text. The topic for your writing is whether
we should be allowed to have native animals as pets.

Write an answer that shows your opinion and ideas.

• Begin with a clear opening paragraph: tell the reader what you are going to write.
• Then write your opinions.
• Give your reasons: be convincing.
• Explain so that someone else can understand easily.
• At the end give a short summary of your ideas.

Remember to:
• think about your views on the topic
• include a clear opening and concluding statement
• plan your writing, thinking about arguments for and against
• use paragraphs
• write in sentences
• check your spelling and punctuation
• write at least one page.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE ANSWERS: PERSUASIVE WRITING
Should we be allowed to
have native animals as pets?

A VERY LOW LEVEL A HIGH AVERAGE LEVEL

animals has a hom Native animals would not be good as pets.
We should leave them where they belong.
I take the animal to my houm
Firstly animals are not always as cute as
animals not hapy you first think. They can grow big quite
To bad want to com stay in my houm. quickly and can die quickly if you don’t
help them.
Secondly, taking animals away from other
animals makes them lonely. Taking them
A LOW LEVEL from their homes is too far away so they
Animals not good for pets. won’t be able to go back and visit. So, we
shouldn’t kidnap them.
First will rek them
Thirdly, animals need somewhere to relax
and will liv not hapy with them
and refresh their brains so don’t destroy
And will skwshthem in our homs their homes.
And have dezees. Next, they won’t have company and won’t
produce so numbers of animals will go
THE END
down or disappear altogether.
Finally, animals are not that easy to look
after. Don’t think that they are cute and
A LOW AVERAGE LEVEL cuddly and don’t need lots of work. You
can’t just let them free like in the bush.
Native animals as pets is a really silly idea.
In conclusion, I believe animals as pets
The first reason is that you take them from
should be banned.
their homes
The second reason is that they are not with
other animals.
Another reason is it can hurt them.
Remember animals belong in the bush and
not in our homes.

Please note: spelling, punctuation and grammar errors have been included to replicate the likely response of a Year 3 student.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 SAMPLE ANSWERS: PERSUASIVE WRITING

A HIGH LEVEL Firstly, taking these cute and cuddly

Native animals would not be good as pets animals away from their natural
although it may sound like a good idea. environment could lead to mass extinction.
There are lots of reasons why. It’s destroying an animals way of life. It’s
like keeping an animal prisoner. If you take
Firstly, taking these cute animals away animals in danger of extinction, you will
from their natural environment will lead to create extinction. The Australian Bureau
extinction. Animals such as the bilby, the of Statistics states that since European
wombat and the koala live in the Australian settlement, over 200 years ago, 18 species
bush. Taking them away from their home of mammals have become extinct.
is like keeping an animal prisoner. If we
take them, it would not be with others In addition, some native animals such as
of its kind, so then it couldn’t mate. That the bilby, the wombat and the koala habitat
would cause the animal numbers to go is in the Australian bush. It would not be
down or disappear altogether. Scientists with others of its kind. With it not being
state that there are well over 5,000 species with others of its kind it wouldn’t mate. That
of endangered or animals and birds on our would cause the animal numbers to go down
planet. Do you want to contribute to that? Despite what some may think, those cute
Secondly, having a native animal as a pet cuddly native animals are not easy to look
can be dangerous, especially once they after especially once they grow bigger.
grow bigger. Some become very hard to Some become sick or can die because
manage because they are not used to living we are unable to give them the care
squashed in cages. they require.

Finally having animals as pet stops them Lastly, some become very hard to manage
from acting naturally . You can’t let because they are not used to living
them free like in the bush. They become squashed in a cage. They become bored
frustrated and bored. and stressed. They could even become
dangerous to children they are living with.
Therefore I believe that animals should
stay in their homes, not ours- it’s much Also, we don’t know what diseases these
safer for everyone and allows them to act native animals could spread to us.
normally and naturally. Finally, as cities grow and habitats for
animals no longer exist, taking them from
their homes is like kidnapping them. Could
you live with yourself after doing such a
horrible thing?
A VERY HIGH LEVEL In conclusion, it’s evident that native
Native animals would not be good as pets animals don’t have appeal as pets. Letting
although it may sound like a good idea. native animals into our homes is just
We desperately need to keep them in their trouble: people and animals will suffer the
homes and not kidnap them purely for consequences. Let’s take responsibility and
our benefit. reverse the rate of extinction.

Please note: spelling, punctuation and grammar errors have been included to replicate the likely response of a Year 3 student.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING TEST 1
In this part you will be doing some writing. Each Writing Test should take you 40 minutes.
Write your answer on separate sheets of paper. Use the top part of the rst sheet or the
persuasive text planning page to plan your ideas.
When you have nished, hand in your writing to your teacher, parents or another adult to
mark it for you.

Topic: All children should have

a mobile phone.
Some parents give mobile phones to their
children in order to keep in contact. A mobile
can be used to call for help when there is a
problem. Children also like mobiles because
they can talk to their friends.
Some parents refuse to give mobiles to their
children because they think that they are
unnecessary. Others are worried that using mobile
phones can cause damage to children’s brains.
What do you think? Perhaps you have some
other ideas for or against giving mobile phones
to children.

Write an answer that shows your opinion

and ideas.
• Begin with a clear opening paragraph: tell the
reader what you are going to write.
• Then write your opinions.
• Give your reasons: be convincing.
• Explain so that someone else can understand easily.
• At the end give a short summary of your ideas.

Remember to:
• think about your views on the topic
• include a clear opening and concluding statement
• plan your writing, thinking about arguments for and against
• use paragraphs
• write in sentences
• check your spelling and punctuation
• write at least one page.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING TEST 1
Here is a persuasive text planning page to start you off. Use this page to plan your ideas.

PERSUASIVE TEXT
INTRODUCTION
Introduce the topic and state your opinion. What do you think about the issue: are you for or against?
(1–2 sentences)

ARGUMENTS
List the reasons that support your opinion. (3–4 paragraphs)

REASON 1 REASON 2 REASON 3

List points and give examples List points and give examples List points and give examples
to back up your reasons. to back up your reasons. to back up your reasons.

LINKING WORDS
although ... even though ... THINKING WORDS
however ... on the other hand ... PERSUASIVE WORDS
Experts believe that ... It can
at the same time ... naturally ... obviously ... definitely ... be said that ... In my view ...
probably ... certainly ... possibly ... Another point of view is ... The
always ... if ... unless ... sometimes ... evidence supports ... In my
unlikely ... hopefully ... perhaps ... opinion ... Some people feel ...
MODAL VERBS absolutely ... On the other hand ...
must ... can ... might ... should ... Surely ...
could ... would

CONCLUSION
Repeat your opinion and summarise the main points of the argument. (3 sentences)
In conclusion ... Therefore ... I believe that ... It’s evident that ... Overall ... Although there are many
benefits to/in ... As a result ... In considering these arguments ...

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: WRITING TEST 1
Use this chart to evaluate your writing.

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A PERSUASIVE TEXT  or 

Have you clearly expressed your point of view on the specic issue?
Have you made at least three points with strong arguments and solid supporting points?
Have you backed up each argument with evidence?
Have you used the simple present tense to give views, e.g. We must try …?
Have you used the present perfect tense to give examples, e.g. I have heard that …,
People have tried to …?
Have you used a variety of correct sentence structures—including simple, compound and complex
sentences—to develop arguments?
Have you linked arguments by using a variety of time connectives, e.g. rstly, secondly, thirdly,
nally, because, in addition, next, then, when, after, consequently, so, therefore, furthermore,
however, even though, for this reason, although, pay attention to, in contrast, another point of view,
in spite of this, on the other hand, alternatively, the evidence supports a different point of view …?
Have you used clear, descriptive and persuasive words?
Have you used modal verbs/conditionals, e.g. (high) always, undoubtedly, certainly, absolutely,
denitely, obviously, never, must; (medium) probably, maybe, apparently, often, can, might, should,
could, would, if, unless; (low) unlikely, hopefully, perhaps, sometimes, possibly?
Have you used persuasive devices such as statistics (e.g. 75% of students in my class have a
mobile phone and believe that …), emotive language (e.g. Many people consider that …,
We must protect …, Certainly we must try …, I am absolutely appalled that …, important,
signicant, invaluable) and rhetorical questions (e.g. Are we to think that ...?)?
Have you considered the audience and purpose of the text?
Have you organised your writing into new paragraphs for each separate idea or argument?
Have you used thinking and action verbs to build arguments, e.g. In my opinion …,
Some people feel …, On the other hand …, Probably …, It is certain …, Surely …?
Have you used a variety of conjunctions, e.g. when, because, so, if, but, because?
Have you used reported speech, e.g. ‘I’ve noticed that …’, ‘I’ve heard that …’)?
Have you punctuated sentences correctly with capital letters, full stops, commas, exclamation
marks and question marks?
Have you used the following correctly most of the time: speech marks, possessive apostrophes,
dashes, colons, semicolons and parentheses?
Have you used the correct spelling of common words?
Have you used the correct spelling of unusual or difcult words?
Have you provided an effective and convincing concluding statement that summarises your
opinion, introduced by an appropriate phrase, e.g. Consequently …, Admittedly …,
In conclusion …, It’s evident that …, Overall …, In considering these arguments …?

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING TEST 2
In this part you will be doing some writing. Each Writing Test should take you 40 minutes.
Write your answer on separate sheets of paper. Use the top part of the rst sheet or the
persuasive text planning page to plan your ideas.
When you have nished, hand in your writing to your teacher, parents or another adult to
mark it for you.

Topic: Nicola should eat breakfast cereal.

Today you are going to write a persuasive text. Nicola and Eva are arguing over
what to have for breakfast. Nicola wants to eat bacon and eggs, but Eva wants to eat
cereal. Imagine you are Eva. What will you say to Nicola to try to convince her to eat
cereal instead?

Write an answer that shows your opinion and ideas.

• Begin with a clear opening paragraph: tell the reader what you are going to write.
• Then write your opinions.
• Give your reasons: be convincing.
• Explain so that someone else can understand easily.
• At the end give a short summary of your ideas.

Remember to:
• think about your views on the topic
• include a clear opening and concluding statement
• plan your writing, thinking about arguments for and against
• use paragraphs
• write in sentences
• check your spelling and punctuation
• write at least one page.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING TEST 2
Use this persuasive text planning page to plan your ideas.

PERSUASIVE TEXT
INTRODUCTION
Introduce the topic and state your opinion. What do you think about the issue: are you for or against?
(1–2 sentences)

ARGUMENTS
List the reasons that support your opinion. (3–4 paragraphs)

REASON 1 REASON 2 REASON 3

List points and give examples List points and give examples List points and give examples
to back up your reasons. to back up your reasons. to back up your reasons.

LINKING WORDS
although ... even though ... THINKING WORDS
however ... on the other hand ... PERSUASIVE WORDS
Experts believe that ... It can
at the same time ... naturally ... obviously ... definitely ... be said that ... In my view ...
probably ... certainly ... possibly ... Another point of view is ... The
always ... if ... unless ... sometimes ... evidence supports ... In my
unlikely ... hopefully ... perhaps ... opinion ... Some people feel ...
MODAL VERBS absolutely ... On the other hand ...
must ... can ... might ... should ... Surely ...
could ... would

CONCLUSION
Repeat your opinion and summarise the main points of the argument. (3 sentences)
In conclusion ... Therefore ... I believe that ... It’s evident that ... Overall ... Although there are many
benefits to/in ... As a result ... In considering these arguments ...

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: WRITING TEST 2
Use this chart to evaluate your writing.

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A PERSUASIVE TEXT  or 

Have you clearly expressed your point of view on the specic issue?
Have you made at least three points with strong arguments and solid supporting points?
Have you backed up each argument with evidence?
Have you used the simple present tense to give views, e.g. We must try …?
Have you used the present perfect tense to give examples, e.g. I have heard that …,
People have tried to …?
Have you used a variety of correct sentence structures—including simple, compound and complex
sentences—to develop arguments?
Have you linked arguments by using a variety of time connectives, e.g. rstly, secondly, thirdly,
nally, because, in addition, next, then, when, after, consequently, so, therefore, furthermore,
however, even though, for this reason, although, pay attention to, in contrast, another point of view,
in spite of this, on the other hand, alternatively, the evidence supports a different point of view …?
Have you used clear, descriptive and persuasive words?
Have you used modal verbs/conditionals, e.g. (high) always, undoubtedly, certainly, absolutely,
denitely, obviously, never, must; (medium) probably, maybe, apparently, often, can, might, should,
could, would, if, unless; (low) unlikely, hopefully, perhaps, sometimes, possibly?
Have you used persuasive devices such as statistics (e.g. 75% of students in my class have a
mobile phone and believe that …), emotive language (e.g. Many people consider that …,
We must protect …, Certainly we must try …, I am absolutely appalled that …, important,
signicant, invaluable) and rhetorical questions (e.g. Are we to think that ...?)?
Have you considered the audience and purpose of the text?
Have you organised your writing into new paragraphs for each separate idea or argument?
Have you used thinking and action verbs to build arguments, e.g. In my opinion …,
Some people feel …, On the other hand …, Probably …, It is certain …, Surely …?
Have you used a variety of conjunctions, e.g. when, because, so, if, but, because?
Have you used reported speech, e.g. ‘I’ve noticed that …’, ‘I’ve heard that …’)?
Have you punctuated sentences correctly with capital letters, full stops, commas, exclamation
marks and question marks?
Have you used the following correctly most of the time: speech marks, possessive apostrophes,
dashes, colons, semicolons and parentheses?
Have you used the correct spelling of common words?
Have you used the correct spelling of unusual or difcult words?
Have you provided an effective and convincing concluding statement that summarises your
opinion, introduced by an appropriate phrase, e.g. Consequently …, Admittedly …,
In conclusion …, It’s evident that …, Overall …, In considering these arguments …?

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING: NARRATIVE TEXTS
In this section we start with a sample of a narrative text. First we give some details about
this type of writing, then there is a sample question with answers, and nally there are
two practice Writing Tests for narrative texts.

Improving your narrative • Try to make the characters in your narrative

writing sound realistic and convincing. Give them
appropriate names.
For the Writing Test you might be asked to
• Remember to describe what the characters
write a narrative. If you are, try to write in a
look like and how they act and feel, using
way that is a true response and that indicates
plenty of adjectives and adverbs.
your interests.
For example:
Don’t just write in a formal and rehearsed
relieved, grumpy, terrified, politely, mad,
manner or by simply repeating something that
immature, fearlessly, angrily, daring,
is known to you. Look at the task and consider
persuasive.
the following:
• Does it want me to set out a conversation? • Try to show their personalities in the things
they do, say and think. Here are some
• Does it want me to describe something?
examples:
• Does it want me to say how something
• talkative—someone who is friendly and
happened?
chatty, someone who is inclined to talk
• Does it want my point of view? a great deal, someone who is not quiet
• Does it want me to write a poem? or shy or someone who might interrupt
When people are doing something that other people
interests them, they achieve at a higher level. • clumsy—someone awkward, someone
Try to include something that interests you in without skill or someone who is always
your writing. breaking things
• confident—someone sure of themselves or
Below are some ways to help you improve
someone who is not shy or insecure.
your writing and make it more interesting
to read. What type of character in your story
(a talkative, clumsy or confident person)
Tips for writing a narrative would be likely to say the following:
• Always try to make the opening of a “I was sure I would be able to climb over
narrative interesting or exciting for the the wall to escape” ?
reader. Start with dialogue, suspenseful • Build descriptions by using:
action or description.
• alliteration (words starting with the
For example: same letter).
“Where am I?” I yelled, to no one in For example:
particular, or Smoke started eerily moving
the rising river rushed
throughout the house, creeping under doors,
choking me with every movement. • rhyme.
For example:
• Take a look at the beginnings of some of
your favourite books to see how the authors hustle and bustle
started their narratives.

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 WRITING: NARRATIVE TEXTS
• onomatopoeia (words that sound like the • Include dialogue between descriptions.
thing they describe).
• Use questions.
For example:
• Start sentences in different ways.
crashed and banged
• similes and metaphors. • Think about the final sentence of your
narrative. This is just as important as the
• Imagine that you are photographing opening sentence. Remember: this is the
everything you see happening. last thing that will be read, and this image
• Expand sentences to explain who, what, is the one that will stay with the reader. The
how, where, when and why something ending will need to explain how the problem
happened. was solved or the event resolved.
For example:
The frightened boy collapsed wearily to the
floor, then slowly grabbed the old, wrinkled
and itchy blanket and pulled it over his
shaking body.
• Write sentences of different lengths.
• Base your narrative on an unexpected chain
of events, a catastrophe or a problem that
needs to be solved. Narratives may even
consist of more than one problem. They
become exciting when things don’t go as
planned, when an accident has occurred or
when someone or something gets lost or
stolen. Suspense is also built up by slowly
leading up to events. Instead of writing The
house collapsed, use speech, description and
action to build up to the event: The wind was
howling and the sound of thunder became
louder and louder. We heard an almighty
crash. “What was that?” I asked my
brother Michael, with a shaky voice. “Just
the wind,” he replied, not too confidently.
As bits of the ceiling crumbled all around
us, I huddled up against Michael. “No, it’s
not just the wind,” I replied, looking at the
fearful look on his face. The house started
to tremble and things were crashing and
banging all around us. We ran, not looking
behind us at all as the roof caved in and
then everything went black.

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING: NARRATIVE TEXTS
Alternative descriptive words

Make your writing more interesting by using alternatives for these common words.

BIG: large, huge, enormous, gigantic, vast, HAPPY: content, pleased, glad, joyful,
massive, colossal, immense, bulky, hefty, cheerful, in high spirits, ecstatic, delighted,
significant cheery, jovial, satisfied, thrilled
GOT/GET: obtain, acquire, find, get hold of, SAD: depressed, gloomy, miserable, distressed,
gain, achieve, take, retrieve, reach, get back, dismal, disappointed
recover, bring
BAD: awful, terrible, horrific, horrifying,
WENT/GO: leave, reach, go away, depart, exit, horrendous, evil, naughty, serious, regretful,
move, quit, scramble, crawl, trudge, tread, rotten, appalling, shocking, ghastly, dire,
trample, skip, march, shuffle, swagger, unpleasant, poor, frightening, inexcusable,
prance, stride, strut atrocious, abysmal, sickening, gruesome,
unspeakable, outrageous, disgusting,
GOOD: decent, enjoyable, superior, fine,
deplorable
excellent, pleasant, lovely, exquisite,
brilliant, superb, tremendous GOING: leaving, departing, disappearing,
separating, exiting
NICE: pleasant, good, kind, polite, fine, lovely
RUN: sprint, jog, scuttle, scamper, dart, dash,
SAW/SEE: glimpse, notice, spot, witness,
scurry, rush, hurry, trot
observe, watch, view, consider, regard,
perceive, detect WALK: stroll, march, stride, pace, hike,
stagger, move, wander, step, tread
SMALL: little, minute, short, tiny, miniature,
petite, minor, unimportant, microscopic,
minuscule, puny

SAID: boasted exclaimed mumbled replied stammered

acknowledged boomed explained murmured requested stated
added bragged expressed nagged responded stormed
admitted called feared noted revealed stuttered
advised claimed giggled objected roared suggested
agreed commanded grinned observed screamed taunted
alerted commented grunted ordered screeched thought
announced complained indicated pleaded shouted told
answered cried insisted pointed out shrieked urged
argued decided instructed questioned snapped uttered
asked declared laughed rambled sneered wailed
babbled demanded lied reassured sobbed warned
began denied mentioned remarked spoke whined
blurted emphasised moaned repeated squealed whispered

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© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 WRITING: NARRATIVE TEXTS
Useful adjectives

Using a variety of adjectives will add interest to your story.

A G
able, absolute, active, adorable, adventurous, generous, gentle, genuine, ghostly, gifted,
affectionate, alert, alive, almighty, amazing, glamorous, gloomy, glossy, good, gorgeous,
amusing, ancient, angelic, angry, annoying, graceful, great, greedy, grubby, grumpy
awful, awkward
H
B hairy, handsome, handy, happy, hard,
babyish, bad, bald, bare, beautiful, bending, harmless, hazy, healthy, heavenly, heavy,
big, bitter, blunt, boastful, bold, boring, helpful, helpless, heroic, honest, hopeful,
brainless, brainy, brave, brilliant, broken, hopeless, horrible, horrific, hot, huge, humble,
brutal, busy humorous, hungry, hurtful

C I
careful, caring, cautious, charming, chatty, icy, ignorant, immature, important, incredible,
childlike, chilly, chirpy, choosy, clean, clever, indescribable, inquisitive, invisible, irritable,
clumsy, cold, colourful, complete, confident, itchy
considerate, cool, correct, courageous, crazy,
crooked, curious, cute J
jealous, jittery, joyful, juicy, jumpy
D
damaged, dangerous, daring, dazzling, deadly, K
delicate, delicious, desperate, determined, keen, kind
difficult, dirty, diseased, disgraceful, dishonest,
disobedient, dreamy, dried, drowsy, dull, dusty L
large, lazy, light, likeable, little, lively,
E loaded, lonely, long, loud, lousy, lovely, lucky,
eager, easy, elderly, elegant, enchanting, luxurious
energetic, enormous, entertaining, envious,
excellent, exciting, experienced, expert, M
extreme mad, magical, magnificent, marvellous,
massive, masterful, mature, mean, mighty,
F mindless, miniature, modern, modest,
fabulous, faint, fair, faithful, false, fancy, monstrous, muddy, musical, mysterious
fashionable, faultless, fearful, fearless, feeble,
ferocious, fierce, fiery, fine, firm, fit, flabby, N
flashy, floppy, fluffy, foggy, foolish, forgetful, nasty, natural, naughty, neat, nervous, new,
fortunate, fragrant, freaky, fresh, friendly, nice, noisy, nosy, numb, nutritious, nutty
frightening, frightful, frosty, funny, fuzzy

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 WRITING: NARRATIVE TEXTS
O U
obedient, observant, occasional, odd, old, ugly, unexpected, unfair, unfortunate, unkind,
organised, original, outrageous, outstanding, unknown, unsteady, unwell, unwilling
overgrown
V
P vain, valued, venomous, vicious, victorious,
pale, paralysed, peaceful, peculiar, perfect, vigorous, violent, vulgar
persistent, persuasive, picky, piercing, pimply,
plain, playful, pleasant, pleasing, poisonous, W
polite, poor, popular, precious, pretty, wacky, warm, wasteful, weak, wealthy, weary,
priceless, prickly, proper, protective, proud, weird, well, wet, whimpering, wicked, wide,
puffy, pushy, puzzling wiggly, wild, wise, wishful, witty, wobbly,
wonderful, woolly, worthy, wrecked, wrinkly,
Q wrongful
quarrelsome, queer, questionable, quick, quiet,
quirky Y
young, youthful
R
radiant, rare, rattled, raw, reasonable, reckless, Z
refreshing, relaxed, relieved, remarkable, zany, zealous
respectable, restless, revolting, rich, rigid, rosy,
rotten, round, rowdy, royal, rubbery, rude,
rusty

S
sad, saggy, savage, scary, scheming, scrappy,
scrawny, scruffy, scrumptious, secretive,
selfish, sensible, serious, shaky, shapeless,
shattered, shiny, shocking, short, shy, silent,
sincere, skilful, skinny, sleek, sleepy, slimy,
slippery, sloppy, slow, small, smart, smelly,
smooth, snappy, sneaky, soapy, soft, solid,
sorrowful, sour, sparkly, special, speedy,
spellbound, spicy, spiky, spoilt, spooky, sporty,
spotty, squeaky, stainless, sticky, stranded,
strange, streaky, strong, stupid, stylish, sudden,
sulky, sunny, super, sweet, swift

T
talkative, tall, tame, tearful, tedious, tempting,
tender, terrible, terrifying, thirsty, thorny,
thoughtful, thoughtless, thrilling, ticklish, tidy,
timid, tiny, tiresome, traditional, trendy, tricky,
troublesome, trusting, truthful, trying

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 SAMPLE QUESTION: NARRATIVE WRITING
Here is a Sample Writing question for a narrative text.

Topic: Invisible for a day

Today you are going to write a narrative or story. The idea for your story is
Invisible for a day.
Imagine that you woke up one morning, put on your jumper and suddenly you
were invisible.
Remember to:
• think about the characters
• make sure there is a complication or problem to be solved
• plan your writing
• use paragraphs
• write in sentences
• check your spelling and punctuation
• write at least one page.

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 SAMPLE ANSWERS: NARRATIVE WRITING
We have provided six sample answers to the sample question. We have grouped them into the six
levels of ability used throughout this book. Please note that these are approximate guidelines only.

Invisible for a day

A VERY LOW LEVEL A HIGH AVERAGE LEVEL

i put on the jumper I woke up on the first day of the holidays.
It was cold so I wore my jumper. my friend
i feld normal sally is sleep the windowe
Ben was waiting for me at his house. I
smasht
quickly looked into the mirror to see what
I got so scered i wont to go bak to sleep i
I looked like and I wasn’t there. This is
tryed to tack of the jumper but it was stack
cool! I can do what I want because I am
invisible. I went to my sister and pulled her
hair. She went ow! You can’t see me. I went
A LOW LEVEL to mum and said hello. Where are you John
Once upon a time I woke up and put on she said? Here mum I said. But I can’t see
my jumper. I felt funny. I was scaird. It you mum said and started crying. I took
was strang. I worke around the house and my jumper off and then mum saw me. She
went to the mirar to see how I lookd like was so happy. I won’t go invisible again
I coodn’t see me. I tatched my face I was mum I said. After that she took me to Bens
ther but I thort wot is rong with you. house so we can play.
I went to see my sista she was noormal
then I thort a wich casted a spell on me
then I woke to find it was all just a dream.

A LOW AVERAGE LEVEL

So it was the first day of the holdays. I was
so exited that I ran to put my cloths on and
go outside to play with ben my frend. So
I looked into the mirra and I wasn’t there.
This was cool. I could now do watever i
wonted i mite go and play jocks on my
sister or go wherevr i wonted grate!!! Hi
everybody I yeld every one was scared. Its
just me and every one was glad. I covered
my self with my jumper so people could
seem me then i went out to play with my
frend BEN. The End.

Please note: spelling, punctuation and grammar errors have been included to replicate the likely response of a Year 3 student.

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 SAMPLE ANSWERS: NARRATIVE WRITING

A HIGH LEVEL A VERY HIGH LEVEL

Suddenly I was invisible and I also got What a silly birthday present. I really
the super power of being really fast. I felt wanted a soccer ball and all I get is this
dizzy. I began to spin so fast that I fell. boring ugly red jumper. I thought I better
I was scared and wanted to take off this put it on to make gran happy and so i did.
jumper to get rid of the spell. I tried to take I got up and went to get dressed. I went to
off the jumper but it was stack. the mirror to brush my hair, but I couldn’t
see my hair, I couldn’t see my eyes, or even
After telling my parents and friends what
my nose. Was I invisible because of the
happened, I rode my bike to school where I
jumper? Impossible! I started to wave at
acsidently knocked over a vase and the kids
the mirror. Nothing!
thort it was funny. My teacher saw it fall
all by itself and thort she was going crazy! This was not good. I was still in my little
“This could be fun I said”. room, but what was happening to me?
The itchy wool scratched my back and as
Later that day, I snucked down to parlamint
I tried to pull off the jumper it got tighter
and spied on the prime minster. Getting
and tighter! It was now 3 sizes too small
past sequrity was so easy. I took photos
and I let out a piercing cry, but gran
with my phone and sold them for a
couldn’t hear me. The jumper got so tight
million dollars.
that I couldn’t even walk anymore! I was
I told the news that I was invisible and i terrorfied and didn’t know what to do. As
had super human speed. I became famous I tried to take off the jumper suddenly it
and got lots more money and I gave it to loosened by itself.
all my firends. Suddenly, I wasn’t invisible
Then felt two strong hands grab me tightly.
anymore but I still had a million dollars so
As I looked around I realised that I wasn’t
I lived happily ever after.
alone. The whole room was filled with
invisible people wearing the same red
coloured jumper. I was wondering what
to do, when suddenly woke up to find it
was all a dream, and a present with a big
bow was sitting next to my bed. I hoped it
wasn’t a jumper!

Please note: spelling, punctuation and grammar errors have been included to replicate the likely response of a Year 3 student.

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 WRITING TEST 3
In this part you will be doing some writing. Each Writing Test should take you 40 minutes.
Write your answer on separate sheets of paper. Use the top part of the rst sheet or the
narrative text planning page to plan your ideas.
When you have nished, hand in your writing to your teacher, parents or another adult to
mark it for you.

Topic: Three wishes

You find a bottle, you rub it and a genie will grant you three wishes. Describe what
you would wish for and what it was like after the wishes came true.
Remember to:
• use paragraphs in your writing
• write in sentences
• check your spelling and punctuation
• write at least one page.

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 WRITING TEST 3
Here is a narrative text planning page to start you off. Use this page to plan your ideas.

NARRATIVE TEXT
INTRODUCTION/ORIENTATION: introduction of the main characters and setting

WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?

COMPLICATION (PROBLEM): what triggered the problem

(There may be more than one.)

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS: what happens

BEGINNING MIDDLE END

Connectives: First(ly), next, later,

after, afterwards, while, as,
meanwhile, eventually, when, so,
because, soon, consequently,
immediately, previously, however,
on the other hand, similarly,
finally, despite this, otherwise ...

RESOLUTION: how the characters resolved the problem

CONCLUSION: the final outcome

Does it end with a question; a mystery; a statement; or with a coda (a moral or lesson learnt from the experience)?

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 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: WRITING TEST 3
Use this chart to evaluate your writing.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A NARRATIVE TEXT  or 
Is there a clear beginning, middle and end?
Is there a clear introduction stating who/what/where/when?
Is the writing organised into paragraphs that focus on one idea?
Does the writing develop a complication: create a problem, or trigger a surprising or
unexpected chain of events?
Have you added expression: feelings, thoughts, actions, what is seen, heard or felt?
Have you used a variety of correct sentence structures including simple, compound
and complex sentences?
Have you used good adjectives/adverbs to build description and add information to
your writing?
Have you used imagery effectively, such as a simile or metaphor? e.g. The sky lit up
like fireworks …
Have you used past/present/future tense accurately?
Have you used pronouns correctly?
Have you used verbs correctly: accurate tense and number, e.g. he is, they are?
Have you used a variety of time connectives, e.g. firstly, next, later?
Have you used a variety of conjunctions, e.g. when, because, so, if, but?
Have you included dialogue?
Have you punctuated sentences correctly with capital letters, full stops, commas,
exclamation marks and question marks?
Have you used the following correctly most of the time: speech marks, possessive
apostrophes, dashes, colons, semicolons and parentheses?
Have you used the correct spelling of common words?
Have you used the correct spelling of unusual or difficult words?
Does the writing end in an interesting way?

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 WRITING TEST 4
In this part you will be doing some writing. Each Writing Test should take you 40 minutes.
Write your answer on separate sheets of paper. Use the top part of the rst sheet or the
narrative text planning page to plan your ideas.
When you have nished, hand in your writing to your teacher, parents or another adult to
mark it for you.

Topic: A day in the life of my pet

Imagine that you woke up and were transformed into your pet. Describe what pet you
would be, what you would spend all day doing, and how you felt during this day.
Remember to:
• use paragraphs in your writing
• write in sentences
• check your spelling and punctuation
• write at least one page.

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 WRITING TEST 4
Use this narrative text planning page to plan your ideas.

NARRATIVE TEXT
INTRODUCTION/ORIENTATION: introduction of the main characters and setting

WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?

COMPLICATION (PROBLEM): what triggered the problem

(There may be more than one.)

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS: what happens

BEGINNING MIDDLE END

Connectives: First(ly), next, later,

after, afterwards, while, as,
meanwhile, eventually, when, so,
because, soon, consequently,
immediately, previously, however,
on the other hand, similarly,
finally, despite this, otherwise ...

RESOLUTION: how the characters resolved the problem

CONCLUSION: the final outcome

Does it end with a question; a mystery; a statement; or with a coda (a moral or lesson learnt from the experience)?

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 CHECK YOUR SKILLS: WRITING TEST 4
Use this chart to evaluate your writing.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A NARRATIVE TEXT  or 
Is there a clear beginning, middle and end?
Is there a clear introduction stating who/what/where/when?
Is the writing organised into paragraphs that focus on one idea?
Does the writing develop a complication: create a problem, or trigger a surprising or
unexpected chain of events?
Have you added expression: feelings, thoughts, actions, what is seen, heard or felt?
Have you used a variety of correct sentence structures including simple, compound
and complex sentences?
Have you used good adjectives/adverbs to build description and add information to
your writing?
Have you used imagery effectively, such as a simile or metaphor? e.g. The sky lit up
like fireworks …
Have you used past/present/future tense accurately?
Have you used pronouns correctly?
Have you used verbs correctly: accurate tense and number, e.g. he is, they are?
Have you used a variety of time connectives, e.g. firstly, next, later?
Have you used a variety of conjunctions, e.g. when, because, so, if, but?
Have you included dialogue?
Have you punctuated sentences correctly with capital letters, full stops, commas,
exclamation marks and question marks?
Have you used the following correctly most of the time: speech marks, possessive
apostrophes, dashes, colons, semicolons and parentheses?
Have you used the correct spelling of common words?
Have you used the correct spelling of unusual or difficult words?
Does the writing end in an interesting way?

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 GLOSSARY OF GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION TERMS
Adjectival clause information about the verb, usually telling
An adjectival clause provides further when, where or how. It indicates manner, place
information about the person or thing named. or time, condition, reason, purpose or result.
It functions as an adjective, describing a noun Water is important because plant and animal
and answering the questions What? Who? How communities depend on water for food, water
many? or Which? and shelter. (reason)
This is the bike that was given to me by Dad. Adverbial phrase
An adjectival clause contains a subject An adverbial phrase is a group of words,
and verb and usually begins with a relative usually beginning with a preposition, that acts
pronoun (who, whom, whose, which or that). as an adverb, giving more information about
the time, manner or place of the verb, telling
Adjectival phrase
us where, when, how far, how long, with what,
An adjectival phrase is a group of words, with whom, and about what.
usually beginning with a preposition or a
participle, that acts as an adjective, giving Chloe hit Ava with the old broom.
more information about a noun. Apostrophe
The man in the blue jumper is my uncle. An apostrophe is a form of punctuation used
(preposition) to show:
The man wearing the blue jumper is my uncle. 1. a contraction (missing letters in a word),
(participle) e.g. can’t = cannot
2. possession, e.g. David’s book, the boys’
Adjective
(plural) mother
An adjective is a word used to describe and
give more information about a noun. Brackets ( )
Some examples include multiple books, a Brackets are a form of punctuation used
delicious cake, my gorgeous friend. to include an explanatory word, phrase or
sentence.
Adverb
He took the book from his friend (Anthony) but
An adverb is a word used to describe or give never returned it.
more information about a verb, an adjective or
another adverb, to tell us how, when or where Capital letter
the action happened. Adverbs often end in -ly. Capital letters are used at the beginning of
The flag flapped wildly in the wind. (how) sentences, as well as for proper nouns, e.g. the
names of people, places, titles, countries and
I always brush my teeth in the morning. days of the week.
(when)
Colon (:)
He slid downwards towards the side of the
boat. (where) A colon is a form of punctuation used to
introduce information, such as a list, or further
Adverbial clause information to explain the sentence.
An adverbial clause acts like an adverb.
It functions as an adverb, giving more

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 GLOSSARY OF GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION TERMS
The following should be taken on the trip: a Exclamation mark ( ! )
warm jacket, socks, jeans, shirts and shoes. An exclamation mark is a form of punctuation
The warning read: “Give up now or else!” used to mark the end of a sentence where
strong emotions or reactions are expressed.
Comma ( , )
Ouch! I cut my finger.
A comma is a form of punctuation used to
break up the parts of a sentence, or to separate I listened at the door. Nothing!
words or phrases in a list.
Full stop ( . )
The children, who have not completed their A full stop is a form of punctuation used to
homework, will be punished. indicate the end of a sentence. Full stops are
My brother likes to eat peanuts, steaks, used before the closing of quotation marks.
oranges and cherries. David sat under the tree.
Conjunction/connective Nicholas said, “Come with me, James.”
A conjunction or connective is a word joining
Imagery
parts of a sentence or whole sentences.
Imagery includes:
Conjunctions: and, but, where, wherever,
after, since, whenever, before, while, until, Metaphor is when one thing is compared to
as, by, like, as if, though, because, so that, in another by referring to it as being something
order to, if, unless, in case, although, despite, else, e.g. The thief looked at her with a
whereas, even though vulture’s eye.

My button fell off because it was not sewn on Simile is comparing two different things using
properly. the words as or like, e.g. The hail pelted down
like bullets. He was as brave as a lion.
Connectives: in other words, for example,
therefore, then, next, previously, finally, firstly, Personification is giving human qualities or
to conclude, in that case, however, despite this, characteristics to non-human things, e.g. Trees
otherwise were dancing in the wind.

First we do our homework, and then we go out Alliteration is the repetition of consonant
to play. sounds at the beginning of successive words
for effect, e.g. The sun sizzled softly on the
Dash ( — ) sand. The rising river rushed.
A dash is a form of punctuation used to Onomatopoeia is the formation of words to
indicate a break or pause in a sentence. imitate the sound a certain thing or action might
Life is like giving a concert while you are make, e.g. banged, crashed, hissed, sizzled.
learning to play the instrument—now that is Repetition is repeating words or phrases for
really living. effect, e.g. Indeed there will be time, time to
We really hoped that he would stay—maybe relax, time to enjoy the sun and surf, time to be
next time. oneself once more.

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 GLOSSARY OF GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION TERMS
Modality before, after, from, since, during, until, after,
Modality is the range of words used to express off, above, over, across, among, around,
different degrees of probability, inclination beside, between, down, past, near, through,
or obligation. Modality can be expressed in a without.
number of ways: Pronoun
• Verbs: can, could, should, might, must, will, A pronoun is a word that is used in place
it seems, it appears of a noun. Pronouns refer to something that
• Adverbs: perhaps, possibly, generally, has already been named, e.g. My brother is
presumably, apparently, sometimes, always, 10 years old. He is taller than me.
never, undoubtedly, certainly, absolutely,
definitely Be careful of repetition and ambiguous use of
pronouns: He went to the shops with his friend
• Nouns: possibility, opportunity, necessity
and he told him to wait outside.
• Adjectives: possible, promising, expected,
likely, probable. The pronouns are I, you, me, he, she, it, we,
they, mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs,
Noun myself, ourselves, herself, himself, themselves,
Nouns are words used to represent a person, yourself, this, that, these, those, each, any,
place or thing. There are different types some, all, one, who, which, what, whose,
of nouns: whom.
Common nouns are nouns that represent Question mark ( ? )
things in general, e.g. boy, desk, bike. Question marks are needed at the end of any
Proper nouns take a capital letter. They sentence that asks something, e.g. What did
represent a particular thing, rather than just a you say?
general thing. Proper nouns are used to name If a question is asked in an indirect way it does
a place, person, title, day of the week, month not have a question mark, e.g. I asked him
and city/country, e.g. Michaela, November, what he said.
Monday, Madagascar.
Quotation marks ( “ ” )
Abstract nouns are things we cannot see but
can often feel, e.g. sadness, honesty, pride, Quotation marks have several uses.
love, hate, issue, advantages. • They are used to show the exact words of
the speaker:
Collective nouns are nouns that name a group
of things, e.g. herd, litter, team, flock. John said, “I prefer the colour blue.”

Preposition “What are you doing?” asked Marie.

Prepositions are words that connect a noun “I like cats,” said Sophia, “but I like
or pronoun to another word in the sentence. dogs too.”
They also indicate time, space, manner or When there is more than one speaker, a new
circumstance. line should be used when the new person
I am sitting between my brother and sister. begins to speak:
Some common prepositions are in, at, on, “What should we do now?” asked Ellen.
to, by, into, onto, inside, out, under, below, “I’m not too sure,” whispered Jonathan.

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 GLOSSARY OF GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION TERMS
• They are used when writing the names of Verb
books and movies. A verb is a word that expresses an action, e.g.
• They are used when quoting exact words or I ran, he forgot, she went, Mary shouted. It can
phrases from a text. also express a state, e.g. the boys are laughing,
he is clever, he was all smiles, I know my
Semicolon ( ; )
spelling words.
A semicolon is a form of punctuation used to
separate clauses. It is stronger than a comma Active verb: The verb is in the active voice
but not as final as a full stop. when the subject of the sentence does the
action, e.g. James broke the glass. (James is
Eighteen people started on the team; only the subject of this sentence.)
twelve remain.
Passive verb: The passive voice tells you
In our class we have people from Melbourne, what happens to or what is being done to the
Victoria; Sydney, New South Wales; and subject, e.g. The glass was broken by James.
Brisbane, Queensland. (Here the glass is the subject of the sentence.)
Sentence The passive is often used in informative
A sentence is a group of words consisting writing, where it is not always necessary to
of one or more clauses. It will begin with a state the doer of an action, or the doer is not
capital letter and end with a full stop, question known, or it is not relevant.
mark or exclamation mark.
Simple sentence: I caught the bus.
Compound sentence: I caught the bus and
arrived at school on time.
Complex sentence: Since I managed to get up
early, I caught the bus.

Tense
Tense is the form of the verb (a doing word)
that tells us when something is happening in
time—present, past or future.
I look, I am looking (present)
I will look (future)
I looked, I was looking (past)
Auxiliary verbs (e.g. be, have and do) help
change the verb to express time, e.g. I have
looked, I have been looking, I had looked, I
had been looking, I will have looked, I will
have been looking.

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 Congratulations!
You have now nished all of the practice tests. This was a considerable effort
and you deserve a reward for all this hard work! We hope that these tests were
of some help to you. We wish you every success in your schooling.

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 ANSWERS TO NUMERACY TESTS
NUMERACY TEST 1 (pp. 22–28) 18. 2 triangles should be coloured. There are
eight triangles and one-quarter would be any
1. 6 TENS 7 ONES. There are 67  shapes. two of the triangles.
2. The largest number is 963. Remember that if
you want to change your answer just erase it
and colour in the circle you want.
3. The second piece of wood is the longest.
Did you pick this easily? 19. 230. The numbers increase by 100. We start
4. The cylinder is the first object. with 30 then add 100 to make 130. Then we
5. The first answer is correct. We have tried add 100 to 130 to make 230. Did you write
to show this below (it is not drawn to scale). your answer in the rectangle?
When you put both halves together then you 20. . The pattern is: there are two  then
would get a pentagon. two  then two and finally two . After the
last  then comes the  symbol.
21. 25. There were 9 Magpies and 16 Pigeons
(9 1 16 5 25).
22. B. This is H-shaped with five blocks. The
others are quite different.
6. $3.80. The coins are 23. $10.50. Each football costs $3.50 so three
$2 1 10c 1 50c 1 20c 1 $1 5 $3.80. footballs will be three times $3.50.
7. 7. There are 28 crayons and each child is given 24. My book and phone together are the same
four crayons. So there must be seven children length as my computer. The computer is
(7 3 4 5 28 or 28 4 4 5 7). 30 cm; the book is 20 cm and the phone is
8. Germany. France is first, then Austria and 10 cm, so 20 cm 1 10 cm 5 30 cm. Do you
Germany is third on 7 points. understand how to read the chart?
9. The second answer is correct. It is the largest 25. 5. Gordon answered five questions correctly.
angle. The space between the lines is widest. 26. Patterson. Patterson answered 10 questions
Don’t let the length of the lines confuse you. It correctly and this was the largest number.
is the size of the opening that is important.
27. 1 out of 6 chances. When you spin the arrow
10.  is at B2. Remember to count across the it could land anywhere. There are six sections
bottom first, then count upwards. so the chance of landing in one of them is
11. 5 3 4 5 20. There are four wheels on each car. called one-in-six. It is the same when you
There are five cars, so the sum is 5 3 4 5 20. throw a die. Sometimes it will be a five and
Did you write your answers in the spaces? sometimes it will not. Overall we expect that it
12. The match is on 15 July. To find the answer will be the number that we want about one in
just work backwards: 18 Thursday, 17 every six times.
Wednesday, 16 Tuesday, 15 Monday. 28. A. This has only one out of the four spaces
13.  is 8:00 (second picture). coloured.
14. 8. There are 32 squares and each picture covers 29. 6. There are six triangular prisms. The diagram
four squares. below shows the triangular prisms.
15. 3 weeks
16. . The symbol  looks the same when it is
turned over horizontally. This is what we mean
by flipped.
17. 39 cm. The first rope is 78 cm and this is
39 cm more than the second rope.
It is 78 2 39 5 39.

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 ANSWERS TO NUMERACY TESTS
30. Fred 12 dollars and Jenny 6 dollars. This is 7. 15 June. Just take one week or seven days
because 18 5 12 1 6 and one had to be twice from 22 June.
as much as the other. 8. 12. Red scored 15 and Yellow scored 3 so the
31. The house is always on the right-hand side. It difference is 12. There are two steps in this
is NEVER on the left. Did you notice that the problem. First you have to find the teams and
word NEVER was in capital letters? This gives their scores. Then in the second step you have
you a hint. to subtract the points.
32. 170. The true answer to the sum is 9. The second answer is correct. It is the largest
30 1 61 1 80 which is 171 and the closest angle. The space between the lines is widest.
number is 170. A little tricky, don’t you think? Don’t let the length of the lines confuse you.
Be careful and try to draw the problem on a It is the size of the opening that is important.
sheet of paper. 10. How Do You Do Town is in D2. Remember
33. 11 dots. The series is 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. to count across the bottom first then count
Can you see the sequence? Add 2 to each upwards.
number to get the next in the sequence. 11. 60 4 10 5 6. The wood is 60 centimetres
34. B. This pathway is 20 1 35 1 20 1 25 5 100. in length. Each piece will be 10 cm, so the
1 calculation is 60 4 10 5 6. Did you write
35. . A half of a half is a quarter.
2 your answers in the boxes?
12. 9 + 9 + 9. You can divide the shape into
NUMERACY TEST 2 (pp. 31–38) smaller sections. There are three sections, or
1. 49. There are 49 sticks. There are four bundles slices, of the shape with 9 cubes.
of ten (40) and nine single sticks (9). 13.  is 10:00 am (second clock). The time is
1 ten o’clock in the morning. The other clocks
2. . One half of the shape is coloured.
2 show 4 am, 8 am or 9 am. All of these are
Remember that if you want to change your earlier than 10 am.
answer just erase it and colour in the circle 14. 12. Twelve hexagons are needed. There are
you want. four rows and three columns.
3. It is more than 10. There are millions of stars 15. They are all squares.
in the sky. On a clear night you can probably
16. W. The letter W looks the same when it is
see many hundreds even without a telescope.
turned over horizontally. This is what we mean
Did you pick this easily? (Note that the types
by flipped.
of questions are changing in this test. Some
will be the same but there will also be some 17. 22. Bob has drawn 82 and Ian has drawn 60.
new ones for you.) It is 82 – 60 5 22.
4. The answer is the 5c 1 10c 1 20c (first box). 18. 2 shapes should be coloured. There are six
This gives you 35 cents. shapes and one-third would be any two of the
six shapes.
5. The first answer is correct. We have tried to
show this below (it is not drawn to scale). 19. 150. The numbers increase by 100. We start
When you put both halves together then you with 50 then add 100 to make 150. Then we
would get a cross. add 100 to 150 to make 250. Did you write
your answer in the rectangle?
20. . There are four stars ; they start
with a three-pointed star then a four-pointed
then five-pointed and then six-pointed star.
Did you see the pattern or did you find it hard
6. 5 1 9 5 14. There are 14 crayons altogether. to see that they increased? In this case it was
There are five in one group and nine in the turn of the three-pointed star to come next.
the other. We hope this wasn’t too tricky for you.

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 ANSWERS TO NUMERACY TESTS
21. Monaco. Monaco has a coastline of only 4 km. 33. We have shown the correct answer below. The
It is a small country on the Mediterranean Sea big trick is to find the 1 or the 2 first then the
on the south of France. other numbers are easy.
22. 40 minutes. One kilometre takes 10 minutes 34. A. This pathway is 8 1 32 1 38 1 22 5 100.
so 4 kilometres will take 40 minutes 35. 6. We start with 8 then add 7 to give 15. Three
(10 1 10 1 10 1 10 5 40). get off so that leaves 15 2 3 5 12. Half get off
23. B. The others are quite different. and a half of 12 is 6 so that leaves 12 2 6 5 6
24. Flip. The coloured shape has been flipped over. children still on the bus.
25. Hobart. Hobart is the coldest city. The
temperature is now 13 degrees Celsius. Did NUMERACY TEST 3 (pp. 40–46)
you know that the temperature is measured in
1. 472. There are 4 hundreds, 7 tens and 2 units.
degrees and that °C means degrees Celsius?
This question was a little different than before.
This is the way we measure temperature.
Were you able to understand what had to
26. The temperature in Adelaide is now more be done?
than the forecast high for the day. This must
2. 7. There were seven birthdays in August
seem a little strange at first. You might be
because there were seven candles. Remember
asking yourself how can the temperature now
that if you want to change your answer just
be lower than the high? This is because the
erase it and colour in the circle you want.
high temperature is what the weather bureau
thinks the temperature will be. It can change. 3. Circle, triangle, rectangle. There is one
We hope this wasn’t too tricky for you. Ask circle, three rectangles and two triangles in the
someone to explain this if it isn’t clear to you. picture. Note that the types of questions are also
changing in this test. Some will be the same but
27. Karttika. The month of Karttika starts on
there will also be some new ones for you.
23 October and goes for 30 days.
So 26 October is in that month. 4. The answer is the first group of coins
$1 1 50c 1 20c 1 5c. This gives you $1.75.
28. 60. The answer to this sum is 59 so 60 is the
closest estimate. To estimate it we changed the 5. The first answer is correct. We have tried
sum to 30 + 30 = 60. to show this below (it is not drawn to scale).
When you put both halves together then you
29. Top. It is 1 out of 2 chances for the top row.
would get a diamond.
The middle row is 1 out of 3 chances and the
bottom row is 1 out of 4 chances. 1 out of 4 is
worse than 1 out of 3 and both are worse than
1 out of 2. You have the best chance of picking
the glasses or spectacles in the top row.
30. A. This has only 4 out of the 16 spaces
coloured. Four is one quarter of 16. Don’t 6. 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 5 42. There are
worry if you didn’t know that 4 is a quarter 42 pieces of fruit altogether. There are six in
of 16. one group and there are seven trees.
31. 18. The multiples are 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 7. 2. There are 20 hats. So there must be 6 hats in
45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95. each group (6 3 3 5 18 or 6 1 6 1 6 5 18)
32. Any number from and this leaves two left over.
1 to 6 is possible.
When you throw
6 8. Lungs are the third heaviest at 600 grams.
9. The first answer is the right angle.
the die it is certain
the number will be 1 3 It is shown below.

4 5 2
from 1 to 6. All
numbers have the
same chance.

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 ANSWERS TO NUMERACY TESTS
10. Garden Street then Holmes Street. You pass 22. 3. The $10 note is twice as much as the
along Garden Street then Holmes Street to get $5 note: the $20 note is twice as much as the
to Anzac Parade. $10 note; the $100 note is twice as much as
11. West. Anzac Parade is to the west of the $50 note.
Edgar Street. 23. C. The others are slightly different. Here is the
12. 60 4 5 5 12. The wood is 60 centimetres original and the copy. The copy is turned over.
in length. Each piece will be 5 cm, so the
calculation is 60 4 5 5 12. Did you write
your answers in the boxes?

13. is closest to 7:30 (second clock). 24. Turn. The shape has been turned or
rotated left.
14. 15 metres. The edges were at 25 metres and 25. Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was
40 metres on the tape, so the distance is 15 an extremely long war.
metres. 26. The war in Afghanistan is longer than World
15. They are all ellipses. An ellipse looks like War 2. We hope this wasn’t too tricky for you.
an egg on its side. Ask someone to explain this if it isn’t clear
to you.
27. multiply $10 000 by five. The largest book
in the world is a photography book. It is
called Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey and it is
Each of the ellipses overlaps and might be hard
about 2 metres by 1½ metres in size. To order
for you to see.
five copies you need to multiply the price by
16.H. The letter H looks the same when it is five so you would need $50 000 to buy this
turned over horizontally. This is what we mean book for your five friends!
by flipped.
28. 130 cm. The answer to the sum is 127 because
17. 4. There are 24 flowers. You can make 41 1 29 1 38 1 19 5 127 and 130 is the
four bunches with six roses in each closest number. To estimate it you could have
18. 5 shapes should be coloured. There are changed the sum to
10 shapes and one-half would be any five of 40 1 30 1 40 1 20 5 130.
the ten shapes. For example, you could colour 29. An odd number is an even number plus one.
just the top half.
30. 8 3 (6 1 4) 5 80. First you add 6 and 4 to
give 10 then you multiply by 8 to give 80.
31. The answer to the addition is always a
multiple of three. You can check this:
1 1 2 1 3 5 6; or 2 1 3 1 4 5 9;
or 3 1 4 1 5 5 12; or 4 1 5 1 6 5 15 and so
19. 86. The numbers decrease by 7. We start with on. All the answers are multiples of three. Do
100 then subtract to make 93. Then we subtract you know why?
another 7 from 93 to make 86. Did you write 32. 6. The different ways of scoring a seven are:
your answer in the rectangle? 1 1 6; 2 1 5; 3 1 4 and 6 1 1; 5 1 2; 4 1 3.
20. . The pattern is: there are three objects You might only have listed three ways.
followed by a new set of three. The flower 33. We have shown the correct
would have been the second in the set. We answer below. The big 17
hope this wasn’t too tricky for you. trick is to find the 12 or
21. TV. The light bulb is lowest with 100 watts the 13 first then the 12 14
and the TV is second lowest with 250 watts. other numbers are easy.
Remember that all three
sides need to equal 44.
15 16 13
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 ANSWERS TO NUMERACY TESTS
34. A. This pathway is 200 2 120 which gives 80; 11. Rock around the clock. This is the third most
then 80 4 2 5 40; then 40 1 60 popular song and the third highest in sales.
equals 100. 12. The left side is heavier than the right. The
35. B. Here is the left side on the scale or balance (as you look at
complete pattern. it) is heavier because it is lower down.
Notice that there are 13. Megisti. This is closest to D3.
semicircles across 14. Megisti to Ai lias. This is a map of a small
the top row and only island in Greece. Did the strange names make
rectangles in the it difficult for you?
bottom row. Next, the 15. A and C. The correct pieces are shown below.
first column has one Did you write your answers in the boxes?
line in the middle but the second column has
two lines in the middle. Thirdly, the pattern of
the black circle and the triangle change from
the first column to the second column. There
are three things happening at once. Don’t
worry if this was hard for you. It wasn’t an A C
easy question.
16. 60 minutes. It is now 9:30 and in one hour or
60 minutes it will be 10:30.
NUMERACY TEST 4 (pp. 48–55) 17. 16 squares (grey and white) are needed
1. The third answer is correct. The other to cover the space. This is shown in the
numbers are smaller (472, 274, and 473). Were picture below.
you able to understand what had to be done?
2. 934. Remember: if you want to change your
answer just erase it and colour in the circle
you want.
3. 3. 9 2 6 5 3
4. 11. 8 1 3 5 11.
5. 12. 6 3 2 5 12.
6. cross. There is one round smiley face, one
cross and one heart. This should have been
fairly easy for you.
7. The answer is the first group of notes:
$5 1 $10 1 $20 1 $50 5 $85. 18. It is a diamond. If you connect all the
(Note that the types of questions are also diamonds with a line, you will have drawn
changing in this test. Some will be the same a diamond.
but there will also be some new ones for you.)
8. 1 and 4. We have tried
to show this below (it is
not drawn to scale).
When you put both
halves together then you
would get a diamond.
9. 4 3 5 5 20. There are 20 roofs altogether.
There are four temples with five roofs each.
10. 6. There are 20 numbers. So there must be
7 numbers in each group (7 3 2 5 14) and this
leaves six left over.

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 ANSWERS TO NUMERACY TESTS
19. 4 centimetres. The face is about twice as wide 30. The distance around the pyramid is just
as the mouth. over 900 metres. This distance is
20. The shapes are grouped by number. There are 230 1 230 1 230 1 230 5 920.
five shapes in each group. You don’t have to calculate it exactly. You
have to add the 230 metres on each side. Ask
21. 78.
someone to explain this if it isn’t clear to you.
22. 8. We hope this wasn’t too tricky for you.
23. $185. The sum is: 31. Multiply 724 by five. To estimate or guess
$5 1 $10 1 $20 1 $50 1 $100 5 $185. how many televisions are owned you need
24.
 The pattern starts with 2 o’clock,
then 4 o’clock then 6 o’clock, then 8
to multiply the estimated number (724) by
five so there would be 3620 televisions for
5000 people!
o’clock and finally 10 o’clock. These are all 32. The square with the seven dots
even numbers. was missing. The squares increase
25. D. This shape has four triangles coloured. from 1, 3, 5, 7 and then 9. These
The pattern is one triangle coloured then two are all odd numbers.
triangles coloured, then three triangles coloured 33. 4 and 2. It is the division then the minus
and finally four triangles coloured. sign. The sum is 20 4 (10 − 5) 5 4. If you
26. 13. The numbers decrease by 13. We start don’t know how to do this, ask for some help.
with 65 then subtract 13 to make 52. Then we 34. 2. The ballpoint pen was developed in 1938
subtract another 13 from 52 to make 39. Was and sliced bread was developed in 1928.
this a little hard for you? If so, don’t worry as
we are trying to make the questions in this test 35. ✱✱. Two asterisks (six-pointed star) equal
a little more challenging. Did you write your one circle. One four-pointed star is equal
answers in the boxes? to one circle. Two circles equal one square.
27. Flip. The coloured shape has been flipped over. Therefore one square equals two asterisks and
one star. This is quite complicated. Don’t worry
28. A. The others are slightly different. Here is the if it's a little strange to you at first. We have
original and the copy. The copy is turned over. tried to show this in a different way below:
✱✱ 5 
5
 5 
Therefore
 5 ✱✱
29. Pharos of Alexandria. This was a great
lighthouse that was built in 279 BC. It was
124 m high and it was the tallest lighthouse
ever built. It took 20 years to build but it was
destroyed by an earthquake in 1375. You may
not know about the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World but this table gives you some of
the facts. Remember: years that are BC (Before
Christ) go backwards in time. Don’t worry if
you have not learnt about BC dates.

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 ANSWERS TO READING TESTS
READING TEST 1 (pp. 57–63) 21. B. Did you colour in one circle? This picture
shows a boy leaving his work to chase after a
1. The rabbit is looking at a sign. The rabbit mouse. It is something he is unlikely to catch.
cannot read (although it might seem that it can The saying teaches us that we should hold on
read from the drawing). It is not a street sign to what we have and not chase after things we
and the sign does not give directions to rabbits. might never gain.
2. Solomon Grundy is a poem. 22. A. This picture shows some boys stranded by
3. Solomon Grundy the tide. It teaches us that the world and time
4. Wednesday. Solomon Grundy was married on are passing and that things in life will not
Wednesday. wait—life goes on. You should make use of the
5. children. Solomon Grundy is a popular poem time you have and the chances you are given.
that was written for children in England. It is a 23. D. This picture shows a girl who is sad because
type of nursery rhyme. she has broken a jug and spilt some milk.
6. It is a fairy tale about a man and a boy. This However, the cats are happy because they get
is the cover from the book Pinocchio, which to drink some nice milk. The saying shows that
is a well-known fairy tale about a man and the even when something goes wrong in life there
puppet that he made. Perhaps you have read will always be someone who gains.
it. If not, why not try to read it and see if it 24. Blue (da ba dee). This is the full name of
interests you? the song.
7. Channel Seven ends at 1.30 am. 25. It is a song about a little man that lives in a
8. This program guide is for Sunday. You can see blue world.
this from the programs Soccer Sunday, Sunday 26. Everything he sees is blue.
Sunrise and others. 27. his house, the window, a Corvette
9. There are 5 sporting programs on Channel Two 28. because there is no-one to talk to. He does
— Soccer Sunday, Cricket, Tenpin Bowling, not have anyone to listen to him.
Soccer: European Champions League and 29. The purpose of the text is to inform.
Tennis Highlights.
30. It begins the story of the Olympics.
10. Lisa Murray, Henry Curley and Miles Tipota.
31. All Greeks were invited to attend and
Any one of these would be correct.
participate. This is incorrect, as women were
11. Worldwatch, News and Weather, Latenight not permitted to attend the first Olympics.
News. Any one of these would be correct.
32. The word sacrifice means offering.
12. rpt means that the program is a repeat. It has
33. To begin with, the festival lasted for 1 day.
been shown before.
34. A diaulus is a type of race. It is a foot race.
13. Letter to a Wizard
35. It shows how the ancient and modern
14. black pointy hat and a cloak.
Olympics are different.
15. This poem is about wanting to be a wizard.
16. She thinks it would be fun.
READING TEST 2 (pp. 65–72)
She would like to fly a broomstick.
She would like to create spells. 1. It is a fairy tale about a man and little

17. in a book people.

18. to teach us to help the poor 2. The rabbit is doing arithmetic.
19. coins 3. The rabbit in this drawing cannot be real.
20. We should help the poor because one day we 4. He stepped in a puddle of water.
might also need help.
5. Gloucester. This is a tricky question.
6. The barbecue is on Sunday.
7. No

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 ANSWERS TO READING TESTS
8. Jason asked Pece to his birthday party. 36. immediately
9. He eats hamburgers; he goes to discos; he is 37. stop, help. Did you pay attention to the word
popular; he plays Aussie Rules. BOTH?
10. He is a ‘Maco’ kid; He is new; He is 38. Putting pressure on the bite will stop the
religious; He learns dancing; He likes venom spreading. Some of the other answers
savoury pastries; He plays soccer. are almost correct (for example, the funnel-web
has a large body of 3 cm, without the legs).
11. Yes
39. violent
12. Yes
13. Pete
READING TEST 3 (pp. 74–80)
14. a reflection of the dog
1. Brite! is prepared in Australia. Careful: the
15. It tried to get another bone. question asks for a country, not a city.
16. greedy 2. The label informs customers as to what is in
17. The dog tricked itself.
the bottle or can.
3. Purchaser is similar in meaning to consumer.
18. The dog lost the bone.
4. 654
19. It teaches us that greedy people can lose
5. It is a book of wonderful tales of the
everything.
Arab world.
20. child
6. sultans, princes, camels, oases
21. The family is on vacation near the sea.
7. an invitation
22. The mother is happy because she is free 8. Greenplace Primary School
from her everyday jobs. 9. The fete will be open from 10 am to 4 pm.
23. The father is happy because he has two
10. all of the above
weeks’ holiday.
11. She is following the footprints of the dog.
24. Christmas Vacation would be a good name for
12. It shows that the dog is smarter than
the poem.
the girl.
25. for fame and fortune
13. Little Bird in the Tree
26. New York is fast, big and exciting.
27. fast. Fast is an adjective or describing word. 14. the bird
Fame and fortune are the names of things and 15. when there are two Michaels in a school
are both nouns.
16. He is tall and dark-haired.
28. A Gift from France would be a good title.
17. People feel curious when they meet someone
29. something you buy
with the same name.
30. The gift came from France.
18. It is a mix-up.
31. Clutch means hold tightly.
32. Peek means the same as glimpse. 19. when the letter is addressed to M Smith

33. 214 20. Ask Mum or Dad to help.

34. trouble breathing, heavy sweating, 21. polyester
stomach pain
22. 20 seconds
35. The correct thing to do would be to bandage
23. children over 8 years with adult help
up the area tightly and don’t move the
victim at all. If you are not certain which 24. A bogy is not a real thing.
answer to choose then eliminate those that you 25. Adults were afraid of bogies.
are sure are wrong. Then make a guess from
those that are left over.
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 ANSWERS TO READING TESTS
26. It came from the British Isles. 19. Nutritious food is bad for you when you eat
27. the bogies that were on roads on dark nights it too quickly.
28. to make children behave 20. 13 000

29. Slang is the special sayings that a certain 21. 6000

group of people use. 22. rice, fish
30. Newcomers have trouble with slang because 23. It is the fifth largest country in the world.
every country has its own version of slang. 24. Indonesia is between the Indian and Pacific
31. Australian-made is about the colourful Oceans.
language that has been developed in 25. Bali
this country.
26. He owned a milk bar and sandwich shop.
32. Australians are famous for their use of
27. Joanne lived at the back of the shop.
colourful language.
28. 3 years old
33. for about 200 years
29. Joanne's father read bedtime stories
34. hot
to Joanne.
35. The first sentence tells the reader what each
30. He finished at 9 o’clock.
paragraph is about.
31. milk, malt, ice cream and chocolate
flavouring
READING TEST 4 (pp. 82–89)
32. He called in for a chat.
1. It is about other countries and their people.
33. The Taj Mahal would be a good title for
2. The man is taking two tyres from the car. this passage.
3. He looks astonished. 34. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal.
4. Jan Weeks 35. It took 21 years to build.
36. This is an exclamation. The hint is the
5. There was a hole in Santa’s pants.
exclamation mark (!).
6. It happened a week before Christmas. 37. The Story of Apples. The correct order is:
7. It was at the North Pole; the air was cold; 1 Seeds are planted in the ground and
there was snow. watered regularly.
8. He was angry because he was loud and cross. 2 As the apple tree begins to grow, the plants
are sprayed to keep the pests away.
9. a man
3 Flowers begin as tight buds. These are the
10. How To Do Magic Tricks. buds of apple tree flowers.
11. preparation 4 The apple blossoms open. Bees or other
12. 3 insects carry pollen from one flower to
another. This is called pollination.
13. It means having everything ready.
5 The petals drop off the flower and the
14. Belt; jacket; pockets where you can hide
apple grows.
things; shirt with long sleeves, pockets and
buttons; trousers. 6 When the apples are ripe they are picked and
then packed into cartons.
15. Healthy food makes you stronger.
7 The fruit is taken to the market and sold.
16. fresh fruit
17. bread, rice and pasta
18. once every now and then

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 ANSWERS TO LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TESTS
See the Glossary on pages 148–151 for an 25. Heaven
explanation of grammar and punctuation terms. 26. Wednesday
27. caught
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
28. played
TEST 1 (pp. 91–96)
29. sunny
1. middle
30. saw
2. ? Many of the errors that need to be corrected
are punctuation errors. Some of them are hard 31. birds
to spot. 32. live
3. ‘ Single or double quotation marks can be used, 33. from
as long as they are the same before AND after
the sentence or statement. They are both correct. 34. different

4. Jack’s. Make sure you know how to use 35. for

apostrophes to indicate possession — even 36. leafy
adults make mistakes with them.
37. eat
5. I’ve. This is an example where an apostrophe is
38. they are
used to indicate a contraction: I have I’ve.
39. know
6. wallabies
40. under the ground. It should have a full stop
7. cattle at the end of the sentence. Perhaps you had
8. birthday trouble seeing the full stop.
9. meal 41. boy. Boy is a noun. A noun is a person, place
or thing.
10. surprise
42. white. An adjective describes. The word white
11. home describes the shirt.
12. too 43. the girls. A pronoun is a word in place of a
13. nearest noun. In this case it has to also be plural (more
than one).
14. many
44. I would
15. quiet 45. It is a proper noun.
16. beach 46. Drago, who came here from Serbia, said
17. find that he was happy to be in Australia. Insert
commas in the sentence before and after the
18. there
phrase who came here from Serbia.
19. come. Notice that this answer is already
47. He and his mother think his father died in
correct. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the war. You need to use a plural verb because
every answer must be wrong. there are two subjects he and his mother.
20. real 48. He loves Australia because the people are
21. tamed kinder to refugees than in other countries.
22. When. Note the capital letter at the start of a Kinder is the right form of the adjective kind to
sentence. This is easy to miss. use when comparing countries.
23. its. Try to be clear about the difference 49. Drago said, “I am too sad to talk about it.”
between its and it’s (it is). Many adults still 50. John or Jim always likes to invite Drago to
have trouble with this. play with them. This is difficult. The rule is:
two singular subjects connected by or or nor
24. there
require a singular verb.

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 ANSWERS TO LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TESTS
33. rowed
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
34. rain
TEST 2 (pp. 99–104)
35. check
1. Hannah
36. from an egg
2. day. Notice that you have to include the word
and the full stop. 37. The female butterfly, which was a beautiful
mixture of colours, laid her eggs under a
3. was
leaf and … There are commas around the
4. glued phrase. Get someone to show you this if it isn’t
5. ‘Quiet clear to you. We have underlined them so that
they are easier for you to see.
6. rough
38. “The caterpillar will attach itself to a nearby
7. stared branch and begin spinning its cocoon.”
8. ‘Here Remember to use speech marks (“ and ”) or
inverted commas when people are speaking or
9. stood for what they have said.
10. you 39. After a little while you and I will see …
11. will Both you will see and I will see and the two
combined also will see.
12. am
40. brought. Brought is the past tense of bring
13. live whereas bought is the past tense of buy. ‘Brort’
14. together is an invented spelling.
15. made 41. participate
42. champion
16. Saturday
43. everyone
17. until
44. you
18. He’s
45. long
19. Could 46. Ariel, who was three, had been given her
20. His first tricycle by her father. Remember to
21. pen. Pen is a noun because it is the name of a
place the commas correctly. The correct place
thing. is before and after the phrase.
22. little. The adjective little describes the noun
47. Her father and brother taught her
cousin. everything there was to know about cars.
23. her. This is a pronoun because her stands for
OR
Jan. A pronoun stands for a noun. Her father and brother had taught her
everything there was to know about cars.
24. near
48. The brothers weren’t interested in fixing
25. lose bikes, only in riding them.
26. no 49. “Yeah! Who cares if you get covered in
27. pretty grease?” said Harley.
50. Ariel and her brother have spent their
28. their
pocket money on a new computer.
29. Please
OR
30. have Ariel and her brother had spent their pocket
31. feet money on a new computer.
32. pause

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 ANSWERS TO LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TESTS
33. Their
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
34. Nicholas and Mary-Ellen are cousins.
TEST 3 (pp. 107–111) 35. Anthony and John are brothers.
1. They. This is the beginning of a sentence and 36. Angelena used to live at 17 Edward Avenue.
it needs a capital letter.
37. John’s school was Waverley College at
2. chopped Bondi.
3. are 38. bus. This word is a noun because it is the name
4. Perth of a thing.
5. favourite 39. funny. The adjective funny describes the movie.
6. to. Make sure you understand the difference 40. we. The pronoun we is in place of a noun.
between to, two and too. 41. and
7. behind 42. for
8. above 43. We
9. things 44. , (comma)
45. are
10. red
46. from
11. are
47. He is a boy aged 13 who is thin, has brown
12. which hair, wears braces and is well-dressed. Note
13. of where we placed the commas.
14. means 48. Jim, who was born in Perth and lived there
for five years, moved to Sydney. Again, you
15. white have to be careful where to put the commas.
16. you’ve Don’t worry if this is too hard for you.
17. found 49. My mother and I went to the shopping mall.
It should be I not me.
18. countries. When a word ends in a consonant
before y, the plural is formed by changing the y 50. He was so pleased that he went and said, “It
is really a good group!” This needs a comma
into ies.
after said and speech marks for what he said.
19. along
20. search LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
21. bury
TEST 4 (pp. 114–119)
22. small
1. knew
23. teeth 2. first
24. bushy 3. Gerry’s
25. world 4. stairs
26. some 5. witch’s
6. It
27. smooth
7. where
28. water
8. jungle
29. tails
9. under
30. bigger 10. depend
31. turn 11. provide
32. tongues 12. spreading

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 ANSWERS TO LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS TESTS
13. inhabitants. When spelling multisyllable 37. passed
words it is helpful to say them slowly so that 38. frightened
you can hear all the parts clearly.
39. stopped
14. tiny. This did not need a capital letter because
40. wounds
it is not the start of the sentence. It might
have been confusing for you if you weren’t 41. are eating (Nick and Leo are eating fish
expecting it. for lunch.)
15. seen 42. Anthony’s (Jim is Anthony’s father.)
16. most 43. , (Place a comma after teacher, that is: Max,
who is a teacher, used to live in Maroubra.)
17. . (A full stop is needed at the end of the
sentence and not a question mark. Again, it 44. better (John said that his sore leg is better.)
might have been confusing for you if you were 45. tallest (Peter is the tallest in the family.)
not expecting it.) 46. I (My mother and I went to the doctor.)
18. Miss Good 47. of us (Both of us play football.)
19. Ted’s 48. easier (It is easier to read a book when he
20. to wears glasses.)
21. She 49. He and his sister (He and his sister walked to
22. were school.)
23. understands 50. ‘No (The sign said, ‘No cars, buses or trams.’)
24. door. This is a noun because it is a thing.
25. early. Early is an adjective because it describes
the noun bus.
26. my friends. This is the only answer option that
can replace the third-person plural pronoun
they. The other answer options are incorrect:
my coach is singular, while Nicholas and I
and Sam and me replace the first-person plural
pronoun we.
27. into
28. and
29. to
30. off
31. The early Australian sports were a mixture of
those from England and Ireland.
(We have underlined the corrections and also
highlighted them in bold to make them easier
to see.)
32. Australia plays all sports. Australia is a world
leader in swimming.
33. Sport is something to be enjoyed by everyone.
It is fun and enjoyable.
34. “Is it true that Australia has taken part in every
Olympics?” asked Jim.
35. He said, “Sport helps keep you fit and relaxed.
It provides enjoyment.”
36. travelling

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 Notes

© Pascal Press ISBN 978 1 74125 172 2 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
 Excel
Get the Results You Want!
Year 3 NAPLAN *-style Tests
NAPLAN Tests are sat by students Australia-wide.
These tests are held in May every year. The tests
are in Literacy and Numeracy.
In Literacy there are three tests:
Reading (Comprehension)—there are around
35 questions in this test.
Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar
and Punctuation)—there are around 50
questions in this test.
Writing (Written Expression)—there is one piece of writing in this test.
In the Numeracy Test mathematics is tested. There are 35 questions in this test.

About the authors

This book is a father–daughter collaboration. & Scholarship, NAPLAN Tests and Opportunity Class Tests
James Athanasou has just retired as Associate Professor practice books. Angella Deftereos is a teacher with special
in the Faculty of Education at the University of Technology, experience in marking the Basic Skills, Competition and
Sydney, where he taught educational testing and assessment. Scholarship Tests. She is co-author of the Excel NAPLAN*-
He has a longstanding interest in testing methods and is style Tests practice series and has a particular interest in
the author of many successful Excel Selective Schools language teaching.

Your own checklist for Excel books

to help you be 100% prepared for the Year 3 NAPLAN Tests:
Bookseller reference Books Level 3
All NAPLAN Tests:
978 1 74125 409 9 Excel NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 2
978 1 74125 419 8 Excel Revise in a Month NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 2
978 1 74125 207 1 Excel Revise in a Month NAPLAN*-style Tests Year 3
978 1 74125 231 6 Excel Test Zone NAPLAN*-style Test Pack Year 3
NAPLAN Reading, Language Conventions and Writing Tests:
978 1 74125 451 8 Excel NAPLAN*-style Literacy Tests Year 2
978 1 74125 363 4 Excel NAPLAN*-style Literacy Tests Year 3
NAPLAN Reading Test:
978 1 74125 452 5 Excel Advanced Skills Reading and Comprehension Workbook Year 3
NAPLAN Language Conventions Test:
978 1 74125 399 3 Excel Advanced Skills Grammar and Punctuation Workbook Year 3
978 1 74125 260 6 Excel Advanced Skills Spelling and Vocabulary Workbook Year 3
NAPLAN Writing Test:
978 1 74125 403 7 Excel Advanced Skills Writing Workbook Year 3
NAPLAN Numeracy Test:
978 1 74125 438 9 Excel NAPLAN*-style Numeracy Tests Year 2
978 1 74125 317 7 Excel NAPLAN*-style Numeracy Tests Year 3
978 1 74125 258 3 Excel Advanced Skills Start Up Maths Year 3

* This is not an officially endorsed publication of the NAPLAN program and is produced by Pascal Press independently of Australian governments.

Excel Test Zone Get the Results You Want! Pascal Press ISBN 978-1-74125-172-2
H
Help your child prepare with our PO Box 250
FREE N
NAPLAN*-style and Australian Curriculum Tests. Glebe NSW 2037
www.exceltestzone.com.au (02) 8585 4044
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i ll endorsed
d publication of the NAPLAN program and is produced by Pascal Press independently of Australian governments. www.pascalpress.com.au 9 781741 251722