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5 Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is a unique destination known for its petrified wood, which originated from giant trees that lived millions of years ago. The park features colorful landscapes, including the Rainbow Forest and the Painted Desert, and offers various activities for visitors such as hiking and exploring fossils. Additionally, the park houses historical petroglyphs and a museum showcasing artifacts from early inhabitants.

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63 views5 pages

5 Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is a unique destination known for its petrified wood, which originated from giant trees that lived millions of years ago. The park features colorful landscapes, including the Rainbow Forest and the Painted Desert, and offers various activities for visitors such as hiking and exploring fossils. Additionally, the park houses historical petroglyphs and a museum showcasing artifacts from early inhabitants.

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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PA S S AG E 5

Name Date

Directions: Read “Petrified Forest National Park.” Then answer


questions 1–8.

Petrified Forest National Park


The United States is a beautiful
country with many special places.
One of my favorite places is in
Arizona. This place belongs to all of
us because it is a national park. The
park is called the Petrified Forest.

Trees of Stone
There is a lot to see in the
park. Most visitors want to see the
petrified wood first. This “wood”
isn’t wood anymore. It used to
be wood. Millions of years ago, it
was the wood of giant trees. The
trees lived during the time when
dinosaurs roamed the land. Some
of the trees were almost nine feet across and at least 200 feet tall. But
long ago, something killed these huge trees. It could have been wind
or water or insects; we don’t really know.
We do know that many of the dying trees fell into water or mud.
Some trees rotted away. Others were covered up, so they did not rot.
They were covered with sand and ash from volcanoes. Over time,
something amazing happened. The trees turned into fossils. They
changed from living wood into quartz stone. Today, if you visit the
forest, you can see giant slices of tree trunks that are petrified. They
have hardened into stone.
The petrified trees are brightly colored. This is due to iron
and other minerals in the quartz. Some of the colors are yellow,
purple, and red. In fact, the southern part of the park is called the
Rainbow Forest.

24
Standardized Test Practice: Long Reading Passages (Grades 3-4) © 2009 Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Date

The Colorful Desert


The northern end of the park is colorful, too. This area is part of
the Painted Desert. It is not really painted, but the layers of rock are
many different colors: red, blue, pink, green, purple, and gray. Here
you can see miles of strange but beautiful rock formations. There
are high, flat-topped mesas and bumpy hills called badlands. There
are also steep-sided buttes that look like sculptures. It is an unusual
landscape indeed.

Getting Around the Park


The park covers more than 220,000 acres. Visitors may drive
through the park. There are numerous spots to stop and view
the sights. To see even more, many people hike one of the trails,
following trail maps from the Visitors’ Center. However, much of the
park is far from any trail, so cross-country hiking is popular. For this
kind of hiking, you do not need a trail. If you like adventure, you may
want to try it. The park has clear air and easy-to-spot landmarks.
This makes it a good place for new cross-country hikers.

More Visitor Favorites


Sharp-eyed visitors can see fossils all over the park. Many are
from the Triassic Period. That means they are about 200 million
years old.
You’ll see live plants and animals in the park, too. There are
wildflowers, cacti, and moss. There are prairie dogs, bobcats, bull
snakes, and more.
Newspaper Rock should not be missed. This huge rock is covered
with petroglyphs. These pictures and symbols were carved or
scratched into rock by people of long ago. Some petroglyphs in the
park are 2,000 years old.
You can learn about early people at the park museum. It has
more than 200,000 items for you to look at. Come visit the park soon.

25
Standardized Test Practice: Long Reading Passages (Grades 3-4) © 2009 Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Date

Questions 1–8: Choose the best answer to each question, or write


your answer on the lines provided.

1. What is the main idea of this passage?


𝖠 Trees in the Rainbow Forest are yellow, purple, and red.
𝖡 Long ago, some trees turned to stone.
𝖢 Petrified Forest National Park is a great place to visit.
𝖣 The Painted Desert is in Arizona.

2. Give four details that support the main idea. (4 points)

a.

b.

c.

d.

3. Which of these events happened last?


𝖠 Ash and sand covered the trees.
𝖡 The trees hardened into stone.
𝖢 Insects or wind killed the trees.
𝖣 The trees fell into water.

26
Standardized Test Practice: Long Reading Passages (Grades 3-4) © 2009 Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Date

4. How are petrified trees different from other trees? Give two
ways. (2 points)

5. Which statement is an opinion?


𝖠 The trees lived when dinosaurs roamed the land.
𝖡 There are bumpy hills called badlands.
𝖢 The park covers more than 220,000 acres.
𝖣 Newspaper Rock should not be missed.

6. The root word petro means “rock.” What does the word
petroglyph probably mean?
𝖠 brightly colored
𝖡 a drawing or carving on a rock
𝖢 located in a desert
𝖣 a large piece of red rock

27
Standardized Test Practice: Long Reading Passages (Grades 3-4) © 2009 Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Name Date

7. If the author wanted to tell about ancient tools and pots on


display at the park, in which part of the passage would this
information belong?
𝖠 Trees of Stone
𝖡 The Colorful Desert
𝖢 Getting Around the Park
𝖣 More Visitor Favorites

8. A family wants to plan a trip to visit the park. What would be


the best source of information on how to get to the park and
when it is open?
𝖠 a Web site
𝖡 a history of the United States
𝖢 an atlas
𝖣 an encyclopedia

28
Standardized Test Practice: Long Reading Passages (Grades 3-4) © 2009 Michael Priestley, Scholastic Teaching Resources

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