The Ultimate SBAC ELA Practice Test Guide: Boost Your Child's Scores

Correct Answer: C. It is important to work hard and plan for the future.

The correct answer reveals how fables work as teaching tools. Unlike regular stories that might just entertain, fables always contain a moral lesson that applies to real life. Here's what you're learning: when authors write about consequences (the grasshopper's hunger), they're showing you cause and effect. The grasshopper's summer choices directly created his winter problems. This pattern—choices leading to consequences—appears in literature throughout your education, so recognizing it now builds a foundation for understanding more complex stories later.
Why the Wrong Answers Help You Think Better:

A focuses on surface details (what characters do) rather than deeper meaning (what the story teaches)
B introduces ideas not in the text—strength vs. responsibility are different concepts
D confuses setting details with the story's message

(SBAC Reading Standard RL.5.2)

Correct Answer: C. He plays, sings, and enjoys the warm weather.

Why This Answer Teaches You Something Important:
This question teaches you the skill of distinguishing between what actually happens versus what should happen. The text explicitly states the grasshopper "played his violin and danced" and "spent the whole summer playing, singing, and resting." Learning to separate facts from assumptions is crucial for academic success—in science, you'll need to observe what actually occurs in experiments, not what you expect to happen.

Why the others are wrong:

A is what the ants do.

B was never mentioned in the story.

D is invented—he doesn’t help others at all.

Learning Tip (SBAC Standard RL.5.1):

Correct Answer: B. They share a little food and give advice.

This question reveals character complexity—people (and characters) can feel multiple emotions at once. The ants show both kindness and firmness, which reflects real-world relationships. They help because they're compassionate, but they also teach a lesson because they care about the grasshopper's future growth. This nuanced response shows you that good characters aren't simply "nice" or "mean"—they balance empathy with wisdom.
Understanding Character Motivation:
The ants' response teaches you about natural consequences. They don't punish the grasshopper harshly, but they don't rescue him completely either. This middle-ground approach appears frequently in literature and helps you understand how mentors, parents, and teachers guide learning through experience.

Why the others are wrong:

A is untrue—they didn't ignore him.

C goes beyond the text—he wasn’t invited to stay forever.

D is too harsh.

Learning Tip (SBAC Standard RL.5.3):

Correct Answer: B. "They carried food back to their home, getting ready for the cold winter."

This question builds your evidence-evaluation skills. Notice how the correct answer contains both an action ("carried food") and the reason behind it ("getting ready for the cold winter"). This teaches you that strong evidence includes both what someone does and why they do it. In your future writing and research, you'll need to support claims with evidence that shows both behavior and motivation.
The Power of Active Language:
The phrase "getting ready" shows forward-thinking. Responsible people don't just work—they work with purpose. This distinction helps you understand that evidence should demonstrate the quality you're trying to prove, not just related activity.

A shows the grasshopper’s behavior.

C shows fun, not responsibility.

D is about asking for help, not preparing.

(SBAC Standard RL.5.1 + RL.5.3):

Correct Answer: C. To teach a lesson using animals with different behaviors.

Sometimes animals help us see human lessons more clearly.Encourage students to think about the allegory—a story where animals stand in for people. The grasshopper and ants behave very differently, making it easier to compare two ways of thinking.

Why the others are wrong:

A is too silly and doesn’t match the message.

B misses the point—it’s a fable, not realistic fiction.

D is an assumption, not a lesson.

Model Answer:
The grasshopper chose to play and sing during the summer instead of preparing for winter. Because of this, he had no food or shelter when the cold weather came. His choice to have fun instead of work caused him to suffer in the winter. This shows that his actions had consequences, and he learned a lesson about being responsible.