MAP Reading Test Practice

Short texts with questions for two MAP Growth tests, Reading 2–5 and Reading 6+, sorted by NWEA's instructional areas.

MAP Growth reading test

Reading 2–5 is the test for grades 2 to 5 and Reading 6+ for grade 6 and up. All four subjects at one grade: 5th grade or 7th grade.

"Pip the puppy heard thunder and squeezed under the bed. Dad sat down on the floor and began to hum. After a while Pip crept out and curled up in Dad's lap." Why does Pip come out from under the bed?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with NWEA, which publishes MAP Growth. Bank checked October 8, 2026.

The real tests: MAP Growth reading

Reading tests
Reading K–2, Reading 2–5 and Reading 6+, plus Spanish reading tests for K–2, 2–5 and 6–8.
Length
40 to 43 questions for Reading 2–5 and for Reading 6+. The count varies as the test adapts.
Time
Untimed. About 45 to 60 minutes by the summary, plus 10 to 15 for setup and instructions.
Areas, 2–5 and 6+
Literary Text; Informational Text; Vocabulary.
Under the text areas
Theme and literary elements; central idea, concepts and events; summarizing; point of view, purpose, features and structure.
Scores
A RIT score for reading and for each instructional area. The summary also lists a Lexile score.

Checked October 8, 2026 against the MAP Growth Test Description and Test Descriptions Summary of the MAP Help Center, the MAP Growth Features page and the MAP Growth: Instructional Areas documents of July 2023, NWEA. Rules change, so confirm with the agency itself before your test.

NWEA's page about MAP Growth

Next step MAP practice, grade 5: all subjectsMAP practice, grade 7: all subjects

Grades 2–5: all 24 questions

Literary Text 8

  • "Dario set his trophy on the shelf, then moved it behind a stack of books. At dinner, when his sister asked about the race, he shrugged and passed the rice." What can you infer about Dario? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.5.1
  • "I have explained to my parents many times that I am far too old for a bedtime. They nod. They agree that I am very grown up. Then they turn off my light at eight." How does the narrator feel about the bedtime? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Point of View, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.5.6
  • "The kettle sings, the windows steam, / The cat is deep inside a dream. / Outside the snow keeps piling high, / But here we're warm, the cat and I." Which lines of the poem rhyme? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Point of View, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.4.5
Show all 24 questions (21 more)

Literary Text, continued

  • "The lighthouse stairs were slick with sea spray, and wind howled through a broken window pane. Far below, waves boomed against the rocks." Which words best describe the setting? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.4.3
  • "Mei wanted to win the art contest, so she painted what she guessed the judges liked. Her painting did not place. The next year she painted her grandfather's fishing boat, only because she loved it, and went home with a ribbon." What is the theme of the story? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.4.2
  • "Pip the puppy heard thunder and squeezed under the bed. Dad sat down on the floor and began to hum. After a while Pip crept out and curled up in Dad's lap." Why does Pip come out from under the bed? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.3.3
  • "Ravi counted his coins twice. He still needed one more dollar for the model rocket, so he walked next door to ask Mrs. Lee if her leaves needed raking." Who is telling this story? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Point of View, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.4.6
  • "Two frogs shared a pond. The big frog took the sunny rock every day and never let the small frog sit. One morning a heron came hunting. The small frog, hidden in the reeds, croaked a warning, and the big frog dived to safety. After that, they took turns on the rock." What lesson does the story teach? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.3.2

Informational Text 8

  • A writer says that Bell Town needs a second swimming pool. Which sentence gives evidence for that point? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.4.8
  • "Because the bakery on Oak Street began opening at six, the line at the bus stop grew shorter. People who used to wait in the cold now wait inside with a warm roll." How is this text organized? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.4.5
  • "Every student should learn to swim before sixth grade. Swimming is good exercise. It is fun in every season. Above all, it is a skill that can keep a person safe around water." Which reason does the author treat as the most important? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.5.8
  • Kai is reading a book about volcanoes. He wants to know what the bold word "magma" means. Which part of the book should he turn to? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.2.5; meaning read at Wiktionary, "glossary"
  • "The new boardwalk at Lake Arden lets visitors cross the marsh without stepping on plants. It has also brought more people to the lake: the bait shop and the cafe both report their busiest spring." Which two main ideas does the text develop? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Central Idea, Concepts, and Events; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.5.2
  • "On Monday the ice on Miller Pond was thin, so the town put up a red flag. After four freezing nights the ice had thickened. On Friday a green flag went up, and skaters filled the pond." Why did the town change the flag to green? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Central Idea, Concepts, and Events; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.3.3
  • "Our school garden has three raised beds. Second graders grow lettuce, third graders grow beans, and fourth graders grow squash. Every Friday the cafeteria serves whatever was picked that week." What is the main idea? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Central Idea, Concepts, and Events; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.3.2
  • Text 1: "I felt the dock shake as the ferry bumped it, and my hat flew into the bay." Text 2: "The ferry struck the dock at about noon. No one was hurt, the harbor office said." How is Text 1 different from Text 2? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.4.6

Vocabulary 8

  • "The fearless kitten walked right up to the big dog." What does "fearless" mean? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.3.4.b; meaning read at Wiktionary, "-less"
  • "Grandma's kitchen was a warm blanket on that icy morning." What does the metaphor mean? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.5.5.a
  • In the words "overcook," "oversleep" and "overpay," what does the prefix "over-" mean? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.3.4.b; meaning read at Wiktionary, "over-"
  • "Please hand me the bat so I can take my turn at the plate." What does "bat" mean in this sentence? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.4.4.a; meanings read at Wiktionary, "bat"
  • "The pumpkin was so enormous that it took three people to lift it into the truck." What does "enormous" mean? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.3.4.a; meaning read at Wiktionary, "enormous"
  • "The spelling quiz was a piece of cake," said Lin. What does Lin mean? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.4.5.b; meaning read at Wiktionary, "piece of cake"
  • Which word means the opposite of "scarce"? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.4.5.c; meanings read at Wiktionary, "scarce" and "plentiful"
  • The words "autograph," "paragraph" and "photograph" share the Greek word part "graph." What does it mean? MAP Growth Reading 2-5 instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.4.4.b; meaning read at Wiktionary, "-graph"

How this list was compiled: Outline: NWEA, MAP Growth, https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/; MAP Growth Test Description (MAP Help Center), https://teach.mapnwea.org/impl/maphelp/Content/AboutMAP/MAPTestDescription.htm; MAP Growth: Instructional Areas, CCSS, dated July 12, 2023, https://cdn.nwea.org/state-information/CCSS_STANDARDS_2023.pdf, all read 2026-10-08. Each question names the Common Core standard it practices, https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/, read 2026-10-08. Word meanings and terms were read at Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/, 2026-10-08. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a MAP Growth test, from a sample or practice item of NWEA, or from another practice test.

Grades 6+: all 24 questions

Literary Text 8

  • A story's first chapter ends with this sentence: "Nobody noticed that the old clock in the square had begun to run backward." What does the sentence most likely do for the story? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Point of View, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.6.5
  • "All week Hana corrected her partner's lines in the script with a red pen. On Friday she found a note in the margin: 'Your idea is better. Use it.' She capped the red pen and wrote back, 'Let's use both.'" How does Hana change? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.6.3
  • "Coach said the loss would 'build character.' From the bench, Ines watched the other team lift the trophy and decided she had quite enough character already." How does Ines's point of view differ from the coach's? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Point of View, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.7.6
Show all 24 questions (21 more)

Literary Text, continued

  • "The ferry ran only on Tuesdays. So when Marco missed it, the island had him for another week, and so did the uncle he had been avoiding all summer." How does the setting shape the plot? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.7.3
  • "The house crouched at the end of the lane, its windows dark, its gate hanging by one hinge." What tone do the author's word choices create? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Point of View, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.6.4
  • "'It's fine,' said Noor, stacking the plates harder than she needed to. 'Go to the game. I'll finish here. Again.'" What does the dialogue reveal about Noor? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.8.3
  • Read this line of a poem: "The slow sea slides and sighs along the sand." What is the effect of the repeated "s" sound? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Point of View, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.7.4; term read at Wiktionary, "alliteration"
  • "Tavi entered the science fair sure of first prize. His volcano fizzled in front of the judges. A girl two tables over handed him her spare baking soda, and his second try worked. He finished fourth and went to thank her." Which is the best objective summary? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Literary Text (Analyze Theme and Literary Elements; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RL.8.2

Informational Text 8

  • "A good editor is like a gardener: she does not grow the plant, but she pulls whatever crowds it." What does the comparison explain about an editor? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Central Idea, Concepts, and Events; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.8.3
  • A news article reports that the mayor called the budget cuts "trimming," while critics called them "gutting." What does the contrast between the two words show? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.8.4
  • A writer argues that Cedar Middle School should lengthen lunch from 25 to 40 minutes. Which sentence is NOT relevant to that argument? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.7.8
  • "Everyone I know prefers the old schedule, so the whole school must want it back." What is the weakness in this reasoning? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.8.8
  • "For years the river trail ended at a chain-link fence. Then volunteers spent two summers clearing the old rail bed beyond it. Today the trail runs four more miles, to the falls." What is the role of the second sentence? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.6.5
  • "The new bus route is a success. Riders on the line rose from 400 to 650 a day in its first month. It is also the most beautiful route in the city." Which claim does the author support with evidence? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.6.8
  • "Supporters of the new stadium promise jobs. They may be right about the two years of construction. But a stadium sits empty most days, and the jobs it leaves behind are few and seasonal." How does the author respond to the supporters? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Point of View, Purpose, Features, and Structure), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.7.6
  • "When Westbrook Middle School replaced one vending machine with a water station, sales of bottled drinks fell by half in one term. The custodians also noticed that the recycling bins were lighter." What is the central idea? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Informational Text (Analyze Central Idea, Concepts, and Events; Summarize), NWEA; Common Core standard RI.6.2

Vocabulary 8

  • All four words can describe a person who pays attention to what others are doing. Which one has the most negative connotation? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.6.5.c; meaning read at Wiktionary, "nosy"
  • "Dee was skeptical of the ad's promise and asked the store to show her proof." What does "skeptical" mean? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.7.4.a; meaning read at Wiktionary, "skeptical"
  • "The engineer's novel design used no bolts at all, something nobody had tried before." What does "novel" mean in this sentence? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.8.4.a; meanings read at Wiktionary, "novel"
  • "I have told you a million times to latch the gate," said Mr. Abara. Which figure of speech does he use? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.6.5.a; term read at Wiktionary, "hyperbole"
  • "Ominous gray clouds stacked up over the field, and the coach waved everyone toward the gym." What does "ominous" mean? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.6.4.a; meaning read at Wiktionary, "ominous"
  • "Timid" is to "bold" as "brief" is to which word? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.7.5.b; meanings read at Wiktionary, "timid," "bold," "brief" and "lengthy"
  • The words "biology," "biography" and "biosphere" share the Greek word part "bio." What does it mean? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.6.4.b; meaning read at Wiktionary, "bio-"
  • The words "chronological," "chronicle" and "synchronize" share the Greek root "chron." What does the root mean? MAP Growth Reading 6+ instructional area Vocabulary (Vocabulary), NWEA; Common Core standard L.8.4.b; meaning read at Wiktionary, "chrono-"

How this list was compiled: Outline: NWEA, MAP Growth, https://www.nwea.org/map-growth/; MAP Growth Test Description (MAP Help Center), https://teach.mapnwea.org/impl/maphelp/Content/AboutMAP/MAPTestDescription.htm; MAP Growth: Instructional Areas, CCSS, dated July 12, 2023, https://cdn.nwea.org/state-information/CCSS_STANDARDS_2023.pdf, all read 2026-10-08. Each question names the Common Core standard it practices, https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/, read 2026-10-08. Word meanings and terms were read at Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/, 2026-10-08. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a MAP Growth test, from a sample or practice item of NWEA, or from another practice test.

How it works

MAP Growth tests reading by grade band. This unofficial page practices two of those tests, Reading 2–5 and Reading 6+, with short texts written for this site inside the questions. Not affiliated with NWEA, which publishes MAP Growth.

Read the full guide

Same areas, harder questions

Reading 2–5 and Reading 6+ report the same three instructional areas, so the two sets differ in what they ask. Grades 2 to 5 asks for a main idea, a story's lesson, who is telling it and which lines rhyme. Grade 6 and up asks for tone, an objective summary, an author's answer to the other side and the weak point in an argument.

Short texts only

Each text is a few sentences long, so nothing depends on a passage out of sight. Reading K–2 and the Spanish reading tests are not practiced. Each answer names the Common Core standard behind it, and word meanings were read at Wiktionary.

Questions and answers

What is on the MAP reading test?

Three instructional areas: Literary Text, Informational Text and Vocabulary. The questions deal with theme, summary, point of view, an author's purpose, how a text is built and what words mean. NWEA notes that areas differ by state and by standard set.

How many questions are on the MAP reading test?

About 40 to 43 for Reading 2–5 and for Reading 6+. NWEA calls the number an approximation, because the test adapts to each student's answers, and says it includes familiarization questions.

Is NWEA MAP testing in reading timed?

No, MAP Growth is untimed. NWEA's test summary gives about 45 to 60 minutes for one test and suggests 10 to 15 minutes more for setup and instructions.

Which MAP reading test does my child take?

The test names carry the grades: Reading K–2, Reading 2–5 and Reading 6+. Grade 2 appears in two of them, so ask the school which one it uses for second graders.

What score does the MAP reading test give?

A RIT score for reading and one for each instructional area. NWEA's summary says reports also show a Lexile score. Nothing on this page converts to either one.

More tests

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