Why are there two choices for the grade 3 reading test?

The third grade 2010 Reading Assessment consisted of

• 1 literary passages,
• 2 informational passages,
• 1 paired passage (Informational/Informational, Informational/Literary, or Literary/Literary)
• 2 literary strands: Literary Comprehension (LC) and Literary Analysis (LA)
• 2 informational strands: Informational Comprehension (IC) and Informational Analysis (IA)

There were 26 multiple choice items (1 point) and 4 short answer items (2 points) for a total of 34 points.

Informational Text
Item Description	Item Type **	Cognitive Complexity ***	State Performance +
According to the selection, why do people (action)?	MC		59.9%
According to the text box, which statement is true?	MC		55.6%
According to the selection, what happens when (character) (action)?	MC		88.8%
Which idea is included under the heading (heading title)?	MC		84.4%
According to the text box, what are two ways (item/action)? Include information from the text box in your answer.	SA		1.2
Which sentence tells how (subjects) are alike?	MC		57.0%
Why does the author include information about (subject)?	MC		64.9%
Who would find the information in the selection most useful?	MC		70.6%
Which idea does the author of the selection discuss first?	MC		70.8%
What is the main idea of the selection?	MC		81.9%
Write a summary of the selection. Include three important ideas from the selection in your summary.	SA		1.40
Which idea from the selection does the author discuss first?	MC		71.7%
Which idea does the author of the selection discuss first?	MC		43.1%
What is the main idea of the section (section title)?	MC		38.9%
Which sentence best summarizes the section (section title)?	MC		49.4%
Based on information in the selection, which sentence most likely why (event) happens in selection?	MC		59.9%