Nonfiction Reading Test
Chess
Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Refer
to the text to check your answers when appropriate.
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Chess is called the game of kings. It has been around for a long time.
People have been playing it for over 500 years. Chess is based on an even
older game from India. The chess we play today is from Europe.
Chess is a two-player game. One player uses the white pieces. The
other uses the
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White Chess Pieces
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black pieces. Each piece moves
in a special way. One piece is called the king. Each player has one. The
players take turns moving their pieces. If a player lands on a piece, he or she
takes it. The game ends when a player loses his or her king. There are a few
more rules, but those are the basics.
Some people think that chess is more than a game. They think that it
makes the mind stronger. Good chess players use their brains. They take their
time. They think about what will happen next. These skills are useful in life
and in chess. Chess is kind of like a work out for the mind.
You don't always have lots of time to think when playing chess. There is
a type of chess with short time limits. It's called blitz chess. In blitz
chess, each player gets ten minutes to use for the whole game. Your clock runs
during your turn. You hit the time clock after your move. This stops your
clock. It also starts the other player's clock. If you run out of time, you
lose. Games of blitz chess are fast-paced.
Chess is not just for people. Computers have been playing chess since
the 1970s. At first they did not play well. They made mistakes. As time went on
they grew stronger. In 1997, a computer beat the best player in the world for
the first time. It was a computer called Deep Blue. Deep Blue was big. It took
up a whole room. By 2006 a cell phone could beat the best players in the world.
Chess sure has come a long way. Don't you think so?
1. What is the author's purpose in writing the second paragraph?
a. To explain the rules of
chess
b. To compare different
types of games
c. To talk about game
pieces
d. To persuade people to
play chess
A
2. Which is not a reason that chess is a good workout for the mind
according to the text?
a. Good chess players think about what will happen next.
b. Good chess players take a lot of risks.
c. Good chess players take their time.
d. Good chess players use their brains.
B
3. How long have people been playing chess?
a. Over 100
years b. Over 500 years
c. Over 1000
years d. Over 5000 years
B
4. Where did the game that chess is based on come from?
a.
Europe b. America
c.
India d. All of these
C
5. Which best describes the main idea in the fourth paragraph?
a. This paragraph argues that players should think less.
b. This paragraph explains how blitz chess is played.
c. This paragraph explains time clocks work.
d. This paragraph describes many different ways to play chess.
B
6. How does a game of chess end according to the text?
a. One player takes all of the other player's pieces.
b. One player makes it to the end of the board.
c. One player becomes king.
d. One player loses his or her king.
D
7. Which happened first?
a. Computers did not play chess
well. b. Deep Blue won an important game.
c. Cell phones got good at playing
chess. d. Deep Blue took up a whole room.
A
8. How is blitz chess different from regular chess?
a. Each player has two
kings. b. Players are blindfolded.
c. Players only have ten minutes to
play. d. Players start from a random position.
C
9. If it's your turn in blitz chess, what happens when you hit the
clock?
a. Both your clock and the other person's clock keep running.
b. The other person's clock stops running and yours starts.
c. Both clocks stop running.
d. Your clock stops running and the other person's clock begins.
D
10. When did a computer first beat a strong human player in chess?
a.
2006 b. 1997
c.
1970 d. 1976
B
Extended Response
Answers will vary.
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