OC Practice Mock 1 — Reading (Year 3, early preparation)
A free NSW Opportunity Class (OC) placement test practice paper for Year 3 in the format of the real test: 23 questions in 40 minutes, covering Section A — Read the texts and answer the questions; Section B — Multi-part questions. Read each text carefully and choose the best answer. Answer every question — there is no penalty for a wrong answer. Attempt it online — every question is marked instantly and the correct answers are shown at the end.
Free · attempted online · no download
Mia had been waiting all week for a windy day. On Saturday morning, the trees outside her window were bending and swaying, so she grabbed the red kite that Grandpa had helped her build and raced to the park.
At first the kite would not fly. It bumped along the grass like a tired puppy. Then a strong gust caught it, and up it went, higher and higher, until it was just a tiny red diamond against the grey clouds. Mia laughed and let out more string.
Suddenly the wind changed direction. The kite dipped, spun twice and dived towards the houses next to the park. With a soft thud, it landed on the roof of the old brick house on the corner.
Mia's stomach sank. She stared at the roof, then at the front gate. Everyone said that Mr Pollard, who lived there, was grumpy. She took a deep breath, walked up the path and knocked.
The door opened slowly. A tall man with a grey beard looked down at her. Then he looked up at the roof, and a smile spread across his face.
"I used to fly kites too," he said. "Wait here. I'll fetch my ladder."
Q1. What made the kite fall onto the roof?
Q2. "Mia's stomach sank." This tells us that Mia felt …
Q3. What does the end of the story suggest about Mr Pollard?
Wombats are sturdy, furry animals that live only in Australia. They have short legs, small eyes and a wide, flat nose. Although they look slow and clumsy, wombats can run surprisingly fast over short distances.
Wombats are excellent diggers. Using their strong front claws, they dig long tunnels called burrows. A burrow keeps a wombat cool on hot days and safe from danger. Some burrows are so long that they have several sleeping areas and more than one entrance.
Like kangaroos, wombats are marsupials. This means the mother carries her baby, called a joey, in a pouch. However, a wombat's pouch is different from a kangaroo's. It opens towards the mother's back legs instead of towards her head. This clever design stops dirt from getting into the pouch while she is digging.
Wombats are mostly nocturnal. They sleep in their burrows during the day and come out at night to eat. Their food is mainly grasses, roots and bark.
Perhaps the strangest fact about wombats is that their droppings are shaped like little cubes! Scientists think wombats leave these droppings on rocks and logs to mark their home area.
Q4. Why does a wombat's pouch open towards its back legs?
Q5. The text says wombats are "mostly nocturnal". This means wombats are …
Q6. What is the main purpose of this text?
The sky pulls on its darkest coat,
The gum trees start to sway,
The magpies hush their morning song
And hurry on their way.
Then drums begin upon the roof,
A thousand tapping feet,
And little rivers race and splash
Along our quiet street.
But when the thunder rumbles off
And sunshine warms the ground,
The puddles hold a hundred skies
And birdsong spills around.
Q7. What does the line "The sky pulls on its darkest coat" mean?
Q8. In the second verse, what are the "thousand tapping feet"?
Q9. How does the mood of the poem change in the last verse?
GREENHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL LIBRARY
Book Swap Day — Friday 14 March
Do you have books at home that you have finished reading? Swap them for books that are new to you!
How it works
1. Bring up to three books from home to the library before school on Thursday 13 March.
2. For each book you bring, Mrs Tran will give you one swap ticket.
3. On Friday at lunchtime, come to the library and use your tickets to choose new books.
Please remember
• Books must be clean and in good condition, with no torn pages.
• Books should be suitable for primary school children.
• Any books left over will be given to the local children's hospital.
Happy swapping!
Q10. Nina brings two books to the library before school on Thursday. How many books can she choose on Friday?
Q11. What is the main purpose of this notice?
Last term, Class 3K decided to grow a vegetable garden in a sunny corner of the school playground. [ 1 ] The children pulled out weeds, dug the soil and mixed in compost from the school's compost bin.
Next, they had to choose what to plant. [ 2 ] In the end, they picked lettuce, carrots, beans and cherry tomatoes, because these all grow well in spring.
Looking after the garden was hard work. [ 3 ] On hot days, two children watered the plants before school, and on Fridays everyone checked the leaves for snails and caterpillars.
By the end of term, the garden was full of crunchy, colourful vegetables. [ 4 ] Some children who had always said they hated beans even asked for a second helping!
Choose the sentence (A–E) that best fits each gap. There is one extra sentence that you do not need.
Q12. Choose the sentence that best fits gap [ 1 ].
Q13. Choose the sentence that best fits gap [ 2 ].
Q14. Choose the sentence that best fits gap [ 3 ].
Q15. Choose the sentence that best fits gap [ 4 ].
Text A — Ruby
My pet is a lorikeet called Mango. He is green, blue and orange, and he is very noisy in the mornings. Mango can say three words, and his favourite is "hello". He eats fruit and a special seed mix. I clean his cage every Saturday with Dad.
Text B — Oscar
I have a goldfish called Bubbles. She lives in a big tank in our lounge room. Bubbles does not make any noise at all, which Mum really likes. I feed her a pinch of fish flakes every morning. Whenever I walk into the room, she swims to the front of the tank.
Text C — Priya
Our dog, Biscuit, is big, fluffy and golden, and he loves the beach. Every afternoon I take him for a walk, and on weekends we go swimming together. Biscuit came from an animal shelter, so he was very shy when he first came to live with us. Now he is the friendliest dog in our street.
Text D — Sam
My guinea pig, Pepper, is small, brown and white. She squeaks loudly whenever she hears the fridge door open, because she hopes she will get a piece of carrot. Pepper shares a hutch with my sister's guinea pig, Salt. They like to chase each other around the backyard while we watch.
For each question, choose the text (A, B, C or D). Each text is used once.
Q16. Which child's pet has changed how it behaves since it joined the family?
Q17. Which child's pet can say some words?
Q18. Which child's pet gets excited by a sound it hears in the kitchen?
Q19. Which child says that a family member is happy about how the pet behaves?
Writer 1 — Leo
I think our school should make lunchtime longer. Right now we only have thirty minutes, and by the time we finish eating there is hardly any time left to play. Playing outside is important because it keeps us fit and healthy. It also helps us make new friends from other classes. If we had a longer break, I think everyone would come back to class calmer and ready to learn.
Writer 2 — Amira
Some people want a longer lunch break, but I do not agree. If lunch is longer, the school day will have to finish later, and many children already feel tired by the afternoon. Also, some children do not enjoy lunchtime because they have no friends to play with, so a longer break would not help them. I think a better idea would be to add a short extra break in the morning so everyone gets a rest.
For each question, choose Writer 1 only, Writer 2 only, Both writers or Neither writer.
Q20. Which writer mentions friends?
Q21. Which writer says that playing outside helps children stay healthy?
Q22. Which writer says the school should have no lunch break at all?
Q23. Which writer thinks a longer lunch would make the school day finish later?
Want your child to practise with expert guidance?
A Mathkari teacher works one-to-one with your child, live online, and tells you exactly what to work on next. The first lesson is a demo class.