The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

Selected Response Questions

There are 20 selected response questions in the first part of the exam.
Check with your teacher to see how much time you have to complete this portion of the
exam. Definitions for the underlined Reveal words can be found in the glossary at the end
of each excerpt.

Directions
Read each passage and answer the questions that follow.

Letter from Lord Rothschild to Laurence Fish (May 4, 1943)

Chocolate played several roles during World War II. In one case, Nazis
attempted to kill England’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, with an
exploding chocolate bar. They intended to hide a chocolate bar bomb
among other chocolates in Churchill’s dining room. Luckily, British spies
uncovered the plot before any damage could be done. This letter describes
the chocolate bomb:

1 Dear Fish,

2   I wonder if you could do a drawing for me of an explosive slab of chocolate. We have
received information that the enemy are using pound slabs of chocolate which are made
of steel with a very thin covering of real chocolate. In side there is high explosive and some
form of delay mechanism, but we do not know what, so it could not be put in the drawing.
When you break off a piece of chocolate at one end in the normal way, instead of it falling
away, a piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the middle of the piece which has been broken
off and sticking into the middle of the remainder of the slab. When the piece of chocolate
is pulled sharply, the canvas is also pulled and this initiates the mechanism. I enclose a very
poor sketch done by somebody who has seen one of these. It is wrapped in the usual sort of
black paper with gold lettering, the variety being PETERS. Would it be possible for you to do
a drawing of this, one possibly with the paper half taken off revealing one end and another
with the piece broken off showing the canvas. The text should indicate that this piece
together with the attached canvas is pulled out sharply and that after a delay of seven
seconds the bomb goes off.

3   Please return the enclosed drawing.

4   Yours sincerely,

5   Lord Rothschild

Letter from Lord Rothschild to Laurence Fish: Courtesy of Jean Bray.

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

Glossary
plot–secret plan / complot

A drawing of the chocolate bomb

Chocolate bomb: Courtesy of The National Archives, United Kingdom.

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

1. Which sentence in the letter from Lord Rothschild (a British intelligence officer)
BEST states his reason for requesting the drawing you see below the letter?

a. “I wonder if you could do a drawing for me of an explosive slab of

chocolate.”
b. “We have received information that the enemy are using pound slabs
of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of real
chocolate.”
c. “When you break off a piece of chocolate at one end in the normal way,
instead of it falling away, a piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the
middle of the piece which has been broken off and sticking into the
middle of the remainder of the slab.”
d. “I enclose a very poor sketch done by somebody who has seen one
of these.”
e. “Would it be possible for you to do a drawing of this, one possibly with
the paper half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece
broken off showing the canvas.”

2. Read this sentence, which appears toward the end of Lord Rothschild’s letter:

“Would it be possible for you to do a drawing of this, one possibly with the paper
half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece broken off showing
the canvas.”

Which of the following would BEST replace the underlined word?

a. Uncovering
b. Hiding
c. Opening
d. Closing

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

3. What information from the letter is shown in the illustration? Select THREE.

a. “Slabs of chocolate which are made of steel with a very thin covering of
real chocolate.”
b. “Inside there is high explosive and some form of delay mechanism.”
c. “A piece of canvas is revealed stuck into the middle of the piece which
has been broken off and sticking into the middle of the remainder of
the slab.”
d. “This initiates the mechanism.”
e. “The paper half taken off revealing one end and another with the piece
broken off showing the canvas.”

4. The drawing of the chocolate bomb has a caption that reads:

“The bomb is made of steel with a thin covering of real chocolate. When the piece
of chocolate at the end is broken off the canvas shown is pulled, and after a delay
of seven seconds the bomb explodes.”

What information from the letter is NOT included in this caption? Select ONE.

a. The bomb is made of chocolate-covered steel.

b. The wrapper says PETERS brand chocolate.
c. Breaking off a piece of chocolate pulls the canvas.
d. The bomb explodes after a delay of seven seconds.

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

Today, most cacao comes from plantations in Africa that use slave labor.

“Is It Fair to Eat Chocolate?” from Skipping Stones

Author: Deborah Dunn

Published: Nov–Dec 2008

1 Have you had chocolate recently? Most Americans eat about twelve pounds of it each
year! But many people don’t know that children in West Africa pick most of the world’s
cocoa beans, which is the main ingredient in chocolate. Cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast
make about half of the chocolate eaten in America in one year. Child labor is becoming of
increasing concern to people who buy chocolate. Here’s why:

2   Imagine this: 12-year old Sametta lives in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. She wakes up at
4:00 a.m., eats millet porridge, then walks two miles to her family’s cocoa bean field. For the
next 12 hours she picks cocoa pods and breaks them open so she can scoop out the 30–50
seeds, or “beans,” inside. About 400 beans are needed to make one pound of chocolate.
Sametta does not go to school. Her family needs her to work in order for them to survive.
Her health is at risk because she uses a sharp machete to harvest the cocoa pods, which are
sprayed with poisonous pesticides.

A True Story

3   This is not a story from 200 years ago. It’s happening right now! Every day in the Ivory
Coast, as well as in Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, about 300,000 children are forced to
pick cocoa beans that will be sold to big chocolate companies like Nestle and Cargill. About
6,000 of these children are treated like slaves—they sleep in dirty rooms, work 12-hour days
without pay, are fed very little, and are sometimes whipped. Most of the other children work
on their family farms where they need to sell every bean to make money for their families to
survive. Going to school is out of the question.

Why Is This Happening?

4   The reason is money. Extremely poor countries send children to work in other countries
where cocoa beans grow. In exchange their government is paid. Also, families who own the
cocoa bean farms are very poor. For generations they have depended on growing and selling
cocoa beans as their main means of survival. Without help from their children the farmers
would not be able to buy food. Big chocolate companies like Mars/M&M want to buy cocoa
beans for as little cash as possible so that they can make big profits selling their chocolate
products. Chocolate companies pay farmers a very low price for their cocoa beans. Most
farmers only earn between $30 and $100 a year. Cheap or free labor means more profits for
the chocolate companies.

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

How Can We Solve This Problem?

5   In 2001 the U.S. government created a document, the Harkin-Engel Protocol, that
called the chocolate companies to help eliminate child slavery and child labor by July 2005.
However, chocolate companies have not abided by this protocol and the deadline has been
extended to July 2008. Even if the companies do convince countries to stop selling their
children, and they teach farmers that their children need to go to school, the cocoa farmers
would still make barely enough money to survive.

A New Solution: Fair Trade

6   There is hope. An emerging group of farms in Africa and South America are called
Fair Trade Certified. Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers sign a document
promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough for them to buy food and
clothing for their families and send their children to school. There are about 45,000 farmers
in this program. Chocolate made from these farmers’ beans is labeled Fair Trade. Also,
all organic chocolate made with cocoa grown on farms without child laborers is labeled
fair trade.

7   Farmers must have control over their cocoa bean prices. Before 1999, the government in
the Ivory Coast set a minimum price for cocoa, but then the cocoa industry was privatized and
the minimum price disappeared. Groups like Save the Children say that minimum price laws
need to return.

How Can You Help and Take Pride in What You Eat?

8   There are several ways. The first is when you get a craving for delicious chocolate, buy
it from companies that have the Fair Trade label, or buy organic chocolate. Second, tell all
your friends to do the same! Third, write letters to the biggest chocolate companies (Nestle,
M&M/Mars and Hershey) telling them that they need to buy at least some of their cocoa
from Fair Trade Certified farms so that kids can go to school. Lastly, when your school has a
fundraiser, choose to sell Fair Trade products. Now chocolate can be eaten fair and square!

By Deborah Dunn. Reprinted with permission of Skipping Stones, Nov–Dec 2008, Vol. 20, no. 5

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment
Glossary
abided by–followed / acatado:
seguido
craving–powerful desire / antojo:
fuerte deseo
document–piece of writing /
documento: pieza escrita
eliminate–get rid of / eliminar:
acabar con
generations–time periods
between the birth of parents
and the birth of their children /
generaciones: periodos entre
el nacimiento de los padres y
el nacimiento de sus hijos
machete–long knife / machete: profits–money that’s earned after
cuchillo largo subtracting costs / ganancias:
means–way / medio: forma dinero que se gana después de
restar los costos
organic–all-natural / orgánico:
completamente natural protocol–official way of doing
things / protocolo: manera
pesticides–insect-killing
oficial de hacer las cosas
chemicals / pesticidas:
sustancias químicas para
matar insectos
privatized–taken out of the
public’s control / privatizada:
dejó de estar bajo control
público
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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

5. What is the author’s MAIN purpose for beginning paragraph 1 with a question
to readers?

a. To give readers information about the topic

b. To present the author’s point of view on the topic
c. To grab the readers’ attention by making them think about their own
experiences with the topic
d. To explain a problem that needs a solution

6. Paragraph 2 describes Sametta’s daily routine. It states that Sametta “does not go
to school.” Which sentence in this paragraph BEST explains why?
a. Imagine this: 12-year old Sametta lives in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. b. She

wakes up at 4:00 a.m., eats millet porridge, then walks two miles to her family’s
cocoa bean field. c. For the next 12 hours she picks cocoa pods and breaks them
open so she can scoop out the 30–50 seeds, or “beans,” inside. d. About 400
beans are needed to make one pound of chocolate. e. Sametta does not go to
school. f. Her family needs her to work in order for them to survive. g. Her health
is at risk because she uses a sharp machete to harvest the cocoa pods, which are
sprayed with poisonous pesticides.

7. Read this sentence from paragraph 3:

“Going to school is out of the question.”

Which statement BEST describes the meaning of the phrase “out of the question”
as it is used in this sentence?

a. Child laborers question why they cannot go to school.

b. The families of child laborers question the value of school.
c. Going to school is not possible for child laborers.
d. Going to school is not something child laborers like to do.

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

8. Read this sentence from paragraph 4:

“For generations they have depended on growing and selling cocoa beans as their
main means of survival.”

What is the meaning of the word “means” as it is used in this sentence?

a. Method
b. Definition
c. Purpose
d. Demonstration

9. Read this excerpt from paragraph 4:

“Big chocolate companies like Mars/M&M want to buy cocoa beans for as little
cash as possible so that they can make big profits selling their chocolate products.
Chocolate companies pay farmers a very low price for their cocoa beans. Most
farmers only earn between $30 and $100 a year. Cheap or free labor means more
profits for the chocolate companies.”

This excerpt supports which TWO inferences (conclusions) about big chocolate
companies?

a. Big chocolate companies feel bad about the harsh conditions faced by
their child laborers.
b. Paying workers low wages is one way big chocolate companies can
keep profits high.
c. Big chocolate companies have the power to decide how much they will
pay for cocoa beans.
d. Big chocolate companies did not make enough profits in the past, so
they feel pressure to make higher profits now.
e. Big chocolate companies plan to start paying laborers more as soon as
they have raised enough cash.

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

10. Which sentence from paragraph 5  MOST CLEARLY states that a lack of money
among farming families is the biggest reason for child labor?
a. In 2001 the U.S. government created a document, the Harkin-Engel Protocol,

that called the chocolate companies to help eliminate child slavery and child labor
by July 2005. b. However, chocolate companies have not abided by this protocol
and the deadline has been extended to July 2008. c. Even if the companies do
convince countries to stop selling their children, and they teach farmers that their
children need to go to school, the cocoa farmers would still make barely enough
money to survive.

11. Which sentence from paragraph 6 BEST explains what “Fair Trade Certified”
means?
a. There is hope. b. An emerging group of farms in Africa and South America are

called Fair Trade Certified. c. Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers
sign a document promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough
for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to
school. d. There are about 45,000 farmers in this program. e. Chocolate made
from these farmers’ beans is labeled Fair Trade. f. Also, all organic chocolate made
with cocoa grown on farms without child laborers is labeled fair trade.

12. Which sentence from paragraph 6 MOST clearly states the writer’s point of view?
a. There is hope. b. An emerging group of farms in Africa and South America are

called Fair Trade Certified. c. Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers
sign a document promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough
for them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children to
school. d. There are about 45,000 farmers in this program. e. Chocolate made
from these farmers’ beans is labeled Fair Trade. f. Also, all organic chocolate made
with cocoa grown on farms without child laborers is labeled fair trade.

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

13. Read this sentence from paragraph 7:

Before 1999, the government in the Ivory Coast set a minimum price for cocoa,
but then the cocoa industry was privatized and the minimum price disappeared.

What does the author mean by the underlined word? Fill in the blank with the set of
words that best completes the sentence.

The word “minimum” means that the price ______

a. needs to be a certain amount or higher.
b. needs to be a certain amount or lower.
c. needs to be set very low.
d. needs to be set so it never changes.

14. Which of the following ideas from the text BEST supports the point that child
laborers in West Africa are treated like slaves?

a. “She wakes up at 4:00 a.m., eats millet porridge, then walks two miles
to her family’s cocoa field.” (2)
b. “...they sleep in dirty rooms, work 12-hour days without pay, are fed very
little, and are sometimes whipped.” (3)
c. “Extremely poor countries send children to work in other countries
where cocoa beans grow.” (4)
d. “Most farmers only earn between $30 and $100 a year.” (4)

15. Which sentence from the text BEST shows that Fair Trade is good for farmers?

a. “For generations they have depended on growing and selling cocoa

beans as their main means of survival.” (4)
b. “Companies that buy cocoa beans from these farmers sign a document
promising to pay the farmers a fair trade price which is enough for
them to buy food and clothing for their families and send their children
to school.” (6)
c. “Also, all organic chocolate made with cocoa grown on farms without
child laborers is labeled fair trade.” (6)
d. “Now chocolate can be eaten fair and square!” (8)

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

16. With which sentence would the author MOST LIKELY agree?

a. Conditions experienced by child laborers today are not so bad when

you compare them to the slavery of 200 years ago.
b. Running a company involves a lot of expenses, so companies must cut
costs wherever possible.
c. People in the US who eat chocolate should be informed about how
chocolate is produced so they can choose to support companies that
are fair to workers.
d. People in the US should not be allowed to buy chocolate because of the
risk of supporting harmful child labor practices.

17. This question has two parts.

Part 1: In paragraph 8, the author argues that people should buy Fair Trade
chocolate if they are concerned about child labor. Which claim is most
important to the author’s argument that buying Fair Trade chocolate
will help?

a. Child laborers who harvest cocoa beans face dangerous conditions.

b. Children who work as laborers for chocolate companies do so because
their family cannot make a living wage without their help.
c. People who buy chocolate in the US have the power to influence the big
chocolate companies.
d. People in the US consume a lot of chocolate.

Part 2: Which sentence from the text supports your answer in Part 1?

a. “Cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast make about half of the chocolate
eaten in America in one year.” (1)
b. “Her health is at risk because she uses a sharp machete to harvest the
cocoa pods, which are sprayed with poisonous pesticides.” (2)
c. “Most farmers only earn between $30 and $100
a year.” (4)
d. “Third, write letters to the biggest chocolate companies (Nestle, M&M/
Mars and Hershey) telling them that they need to buy at least some
of their cocoa from Fair Trade Certified farms so that kids can go to
school.” (8)

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The Chocolate Collection Unit Reading Assessment

18. What is the author’s MAIN purpose in this text?

a. To inform readers about conditions faced by child laborers who harvest

chocolate in West Africa
b. To persuade readers to consider how the chocolate they eat is
produced so that they can help end child labor
c. To describe the process by which chocolate today is produced and sold
d. To narrate the experiences of children who are forced to pick cocoa
beans that will be sold to big chocolate companies

19. Which sentence from paragraph 7 expresses the author’s OPINION?

a. Farmers must have control over their cocoa bean prices. b. Before 1999, the

government in the Ivory Coast set a minimum price for cocoa, but then the cocoa
industry was privatized and the minimum price disappeared. c. Groups like Save
the Children say that minimum price laws need to return.

20. In 1910, William A. Cadbury, head of the Cadbury chocolate company, wrote a letter
to the owners of some cacao estates in Angola, West Africa. His company was used
to buying all of their cacao beans from these estates, but he said that he would
no longer buy cacao from them unless they stopped using slave labor. Read this
excerpt from his letter:

“The abuses which are still taking place in your colony of Angola are, I believe ...
the last traces of a bad system that you all deplore [hate], and will, I believe,
remove with a strong hand, so that it shall not be possible to associate the name
of slavery with that of your great nation.”

Now read the following statements and decide who would agree with each one:

a. Only Deborah Dunn would agree.

b. Both authors would agree.
c. Only William A. Cadbury would agree.

1. The people who produce chocolate should not be forced to do this

work. __________
2. The people who buy chocolate are concerned about the bad labor
conditions. __________
3. The chocolate companies can make a big difference in the lives of the
laborers. __________
4. The chocolate companies are concerned about the bad labor
conditions. __________

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