MAY GRACE L.

DECENA, ESL Teacher

Philippine Informal Reading Inventory
(PHIL-IRI) Silent Reading
LEVEL 7

Name: _____________________________________________ Grade VII: ______________
School: LUCENA DALAHICAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL Reading Time: _______ seconds
Date (Pretest): ______________________

Directions: Read the passage silently. Record your reading time as soon as you finish. Read the
questions and encircle the letter of your answer.

Biology Woes
James had always excelled in science, winning every science fair and making straight As. But this year, he
would be taking Biological Studies, and he knew that meant dissecting animals. He was agonizing over the thought of
cutting up a creature that had been alive. He couldnt even envision cutting into a cockroachand he hated those!
James started the summer with an overpowering fear of embarrassing himself. By July, he had worked himself into a
state of near hysteria.

To solve his problem, James bought a dissecting kit to practice. Inside the kit, he found an address to order
preserved animals. After some contemplation, James chose an earthworm, a crawfish, a frog, and a snake.

When the animals arrived, James carefully dismantled the corrugated box so he wouldnt damage the
contents. When he reached the innermost container, he was shocked beyond words! There must have been a
mistake. Not only were these animals not preserved, they werent even dead! James looked at the order form and
discovered his mistake. He had marked the wrong code!

Suddenly, James was the proud owner of four creatures who were very much alive. He had no idea what to
feed any of these animals, nor any desire to find out. Deciding to dispose of them as quickly as possible, he biked to
the nearest pet shop to sell the animals. The manager told him they only bought from licensed dealers. He tried the
administrator of the zoo, but she didnt have room for any more animals just now. James was disheartened. He
realized he would have to accept responsibility for the animals himself.

First, James went to the library. There he learned that the animals would have to be housed in separate
containers. He went back to the pet store and bought four small aquariums. By the end of the summer, James had
learned an extensive amount of information about his new pets. What had started as a dissection project had turned
into a valuable study of live animals. (336 words)

Comprehension Questions
1) What school subject was James best at?
a) Science
b) Mathematics
c) English
d) Filipino

2) Why was James worried about taking
biology?
a) He was afraid he would embarrass
himself.
b) He didnt want to cut up animals.
c) A and B are both correct.
d) Neither A or B is correct.

3) How did James decide to solve his problem?
a) He played basketball.
b) He bought a dissecting kit to practice.
c) He asked is mother for help.
d) He left the animals in the jar.

4) What is are the kinds of animal that James
thought he would need?
a) earthworm, crawfish, snake, frog
b) fish, crawfish, dog, cat
c) worm, beetle, snake, frog
d) centipede, snake, crawfish, grasshopper

5) Why was James surprised when he opened
the boxes?
a) The animals were alive.
b) The animals were dead.
c) The animals were sleeping.
d) The animals were singing.

6) Why wouldnt the pet shop take the animals?
a) They do not sell animals.
b) They are afraid of animals.
c) They could only buy from licensed
dealers.
d) They could only buy from an adult.

7) Why wouldnt the childrens zoo take the
animals?
a) They didnt accept homeless animals.
b) They didnt accept donations.
c) They didnt have time for these animals.
d) They didnt have room.

8) How do we know that James cared about
animals?
a) He tried to find a home for them.
b) He took care of them.
c) He didnt want to dissect them.
d) All of the above.

9) What did James finally do with the animals?
a) He kept them and he took care of them.
b) He let go of the animals.
c) He gave them away.
d) He get rid of them.

10) How did James mistake become a positive
experience?
a) He learned a lot about the animals.
b) He got four new pets.
c) A and B are correct.
d) None of the above.
For the teacher in charge of reading inventory
SPEED COMPREHENSION READING LEVEL REMARKS
WPM Reading
Time
Speed
Level
Score Level Grade VI Gen. Ave.




Teachers Signature over
printed name






MAY GRACE L. DECENA, ESL Teacher
Philippine Informal Reading Inventory
(PHIL-IRI) Silent Reading
LEVEL 7


Table 1. PHIL-IRI Silent Reading Test Criteria

Reading Level Reading Speed
Word Per Minute (WPM)
Comprehension
Independent
Grade VII
190 above 90% - 100% correct answers
Instructional
Grade VII
161 189 75% - 89% correct answers
Frustration
Grade VII
160 below 74% & below correct answers


Table 2. Reading Speed Table 3. Comprehension

Seconds
Words Per Minute
Reading
Speed
240
84
Slow
230
88
Slow
220
92
Slow
210
96
Slow
200
101
Slow
190
106
Slow
180
112
Slow
170
119
Slow
160
126
Slow
150
134
Slow
140
144
Slow
130
155
Slow
120
168
Average
110
183
Average
100
202
Fast
90
224
Fast
80
252
Fast
70
288
Fast
60
336
Fast
50
403
Fast
40
504
Fast
30
672
Fast

Table 4. PHIL-IRI Silent Reading, Speed and Comprehension Reading Level

Reading Speed Comprehension Reading Level
Fast Independent Independent
Fast Instructional Instructional
Fast Frustration Frustration
Average Independent Independent
Average Instructional Instructional
Average Frustration Frustration
Slow Independent Instructional
Slow Instructional Instructional
Slow Frustration Frustration

Note: It should be noted that since the goal of reading is constructing meaning, the
comprehension score will be given more weight than speed. This means that if the score in
comprehension is independent and the speed is in the slow level, the student belongs to the
instructional level (see example in Table 4, in italic form).
No. of
Correct
Responses
% of
Correct
Responses

Comprehension
Level
1 10% Frustration
2 20% Frustration
3 30% Frustration
4 40% Frustration
5 50% Frustration
6 60% Frustration
7 70% Frustration
8 80% Instructional
9 90% Independent
10 100% Independent
Note: Table 2 & 3 apply to passages with
336 words. Hence, these tables are not
applicable to other passages having lesser
or greater number of words.
Answer key for Comprehension
Questions: 1) A 2) C 3) B 4) A
5) A 6) C 7) D 8) D
9) A 10) C