READTHEORY

Passage and Questions

Name________________
Date________________

• Reading Comprehension Assessment
Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.

The National Mall
The United States, like all nations, honors its historical
figures through a variety of monuments. But America does it on a
grander scale than do most. In Washington, DC, the nation’s
capital, there is a two-mile-long stretch of land devoted almost
entirely to history monuments. Any visitor to DC knows how to find
the National Mall. The park is located smack dab in the middle of
the square-shaped city.
On a recent trip to Washington, I made it a point to see as
many of the monuments as I could. I started by walking past the
White House. That is not really a monument, of course. Instead, it
is the home of the current president. It is also, however, located just
off the Mall.
See, in addition to monuments, the Mall also contains government buildings. These include the
US Capitol building as well as the headquarters of the Supreme Court, the Treasury Department, the
Justice Department, and dozens of other government organizations. Most of these buildings also contain
monuments. The Treasury Building, for instance, has a statue of Alexander Hamilton on one side and a
statue of Albert Gallatin on the other side. I saw these statues as I walked past the White House and
entered the Mall.
Past the Treasury Building, I made my way to the tall white structure I could see a half mile away:
the Washington Monument. This monument is, of course, dedicated to George Washington. It is also the

tallest structure on the Mall and the center of the entire park.
From the Washington Monument, I turned left. I could see the Capitol Dome, but I decided
instead to look at more monuments. I turned the opposite direction and walked to the Jefferson Memorial.
There, I took a picture of the Thomas Jefferson statute in the center of it. Then, I turned back. I was
headed for the Reflecting Pool that led up to the Lincoln Memorial.
I walked past the World War II Memorial and entered the pool area. The shallow water made me
able to see the reflection of the towering Washington Monument behind me. I kept walking to the
rectangular, columned building ahead of me. Up long steps, I could see a giant statue of a seated
Abraham Lincoln. I made my way up and stared at the giant before me.
By then, it was night. I glanced down the steps and took in the view of the entire Mall. The
Washington Monument had been lit up. I waved to it, and it seemed to glow a farewell to me as well.

1) According to paragraph 1, the National Mall
I. contains monuments
II. is shaped like a square
III. is a large park


READTHEORY
A.
B.
C.
D.

Questions

I only
II only
I and III only
all of the above


2) The information presented in paragraph 4 suggests that
A.
B.
C.
D.

the National Mall includes functioning government buildings
the Washington Monument is lit up at night
the National Mall is only visible in the daylight
the Washington Monument is visible from a distance

3) The passage suggests that each of the following structures includes at least one statue of a person
on its grounds EXCEPT
A.
B.
C.
D.

the Lincoln Memorial
the Washington Monument
the Jefferson Memorial
the Treasury Building

4) The narrator’s tour of the National Monument ended at
A.
B.
C.
D.


the Lincoln Memorial
the Washington Monument
the Jefferson Memorial
the White House

5) The passage answers which of the following questions?
A.
B.
C.
D.

How long does it take to walk through the National Mall?
Who designed the National Mall in Washington, DC and why?
What are some of the things one can see on a visit to the National Mall?
How many monuments and other structures does the National Mall contain?

6) If you were to visit the National Mall, which monument would you be most interested in seeing? Why?
If you have visited the National Mall before already, which monument was your favorite? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________


READTHEORY

Questions

7) Make some inferences about the narrator of this passage. How old do you think he or she is? What
are his or her background or interests? What brought him or her to Washington, DC? How did you
reach your conclusions? Explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

8) Imagine the narrator of this passage was going to visit the town or city where you currently live. What
would you show him or her? Based on the passage and your own inferences, what do you think the
narrator would be most interested in seeing? Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


READTHEORY

Answers and Explanations

1) C
Question Type: Global
The first paragraph provides a lot of information about the National Mall. It mentions that Washington, DC contains a “stretch of land
devoted almost entirely to monuments” before introducing (in the next sentence) the “National Mall.” This makes it clear that the
National Mall “contains monuments,” supporting option (I). The first paragraph also later refers to the National Mall as “the park” and
states that it is on a “two-mile-long stretch of land.” This makes it clear the National Mall “is a large park,” supporting option (III).
Option (II), however, is not supported. The passage says that Washington, DC is a “square-shaped city,” but it does not suggest that
the National Mall itself is “shaped like a square.” Because options (I) and (III) are both true, choice (C) is correct. Choices (A) is not
correct because more than one option is true. Choices (B) and (D) are not correct because the passage does not support option (II).
2) D
Question Type: Inference
In paragraph 4, the narrator states that the Washington Monument was seen by him or “a half mile away.” He or she also states that
the structure is “the tallest structure on the Mall and the center of the entire park.” This suggests that “the Washington Monument is
visible from a distance,” as the narrator could see it from a half mile away. It makes choice (D) correct as a result. The narrator does
state that “the National Mall includes functioning government buildings.” However, he or she does so in paragraph 3. This question
asks about paragraph 4, so choice (A) is not correct. The narrator ends the passage by stating that “the Washington Monument had
been lit up” at night. This question asks about paragraph 4, though, so choice (B) is not correct. The narrator does describe how the
Mall appeared in the daylight in paragraph 4. But he or she does not suggest that the Mall is only visible in the daylight.

Choice (C) is not correct because it distorts the information presented in the passage.
3) B
Question Type: Inference
The Washington Monument is mentioned in paragraph 4 and paragraph 7. There is no reference to it containing a statue of any
people. Instead, the monument is only described as “the tallest building” and as a “tall white structure.” This question asks for the
structure that does NOT necessarily contain a statue, so choice (B) is correct. The Lincoln Memorial is mentioned in paragraph 6,
after being introduced in paragraph 5. In paragraph 6, the narrator states that the memorial contains a “giant statue of a seated
Abraham Lincoln.” This means the Lincoln Memorial does contain a statue of a person. The question asks for the structure that does
not contain a statue, so choice (A) is not correct. In paragraph 5, the narrator mentions the Jefferson Memorial. There, the narrator
states that he or she “took a picture of the Thomas Jefferson statue in the center of it.” This means the Jefferson Memorial does
contain a statue of a person. The question asks for the structure that does not contain a statue, so choice (C) is not correct. The
Treasury Building is mentioned in paragraph 3. There, the narrator states that the building “has a statue of Alexander Hamilton on
one side and a statue of Albert Gallatin on the other side.” This means the structure’s grounds contains statues of people. The
question asks for the structure that does not contain a statue, so choice (D) is not correct.
4) A
Question Type: Detail
To answer this detail question, look for the end of the passage and find out where the narrator is. In paragraph 7, he or she is
glancing “down the steps” and looking at the entire Mall. He or she describes walking up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in
paragraph 6, so it is clear he or she ended the tour of the National Mall at the Lincoln Memorial. This means choice (A) is correct.
Though the narrator is looking at the Washington Monument at the end of the passage, he or she is not actually at the monument at
the end of the passage. Instead, he or she is on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This means choice (B) is not correct. The
narrator describes visiting the Jefferson Memorial in paragraph 5, and the rest of the passage makes clear he or she continues
walking around the Mall beyond that. Because of this, choice (C) is not correct. In paragraph 2, the narrator states that he or she
started his or her tour of the National Monument at the White House. This question asks about his or her end point, though.
Because of this, choice (D) is not correct.
5) C
Question Type: Global
Of the questions listed, the only one that the passage answers is the one presented in choice (C). The passage describes many of
the sites one can see on a visit to the National Mall, including the White House, the Treasury Building, the Capitol, the Washington
Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Because of this, choice (C) is correct. The

passage does not actually say how long it takes to walk through the National Mall. It only suggests the narrator started walking it in
daylight and ended it at nighttime. However, he or she could’ve started an hour before sunset or twelve hours before sunset for all
the reader knows. This means choice (A) is not correct, as its question is not answered. The passage never talks about who
designed the National Mall. This means choice (B) is not correct, as its question is never answered. The passage lists several
monuments the National Mall contains. But it never suggests that it lists ALL of the monuments on the Mall. Instead, it only
describes some of the things one can see on a visit to the Mall. Because of this, choice (D) is not correct, as its question is not
answered.