Question 27 - Reading Practice Test for the ParaPro Assessment

When the Pilgrims made the 66-day journey across the Atlantic to settle in the New World, they faced rough conditions and tremendous uncertainty when they landed. Arriving at Cape Cod in November of 1620, the colonists looked for a place to settle as the brutally cold winter set in. They found what they thought was an abandoned Wampanoag camp, determined it would offer sufficient protection, and began to build their homes. Almost half of the Pilgrims died that winter from disease and poor nutrition.

The camp in which the Pilgrims settled was not abandoned, however, but rather a summer camp for the local Wampanoag tribe. In the spring, when the weather turned warm again, the Wampanoag people returned to the area to find the Pilgrims struggling to tame the land. Offering their wisdom about how to plant crops, what would grow and where, the colonists enjoyed a bountiful harvest in the fall thanks to the guidance of the Wampanoag. To celebrate their success, the Pilgrims and their Wampanoag mentors rejoiced with a feast lasting three days. This feast has come to be known as the first thanksgiving and has laid the foundation for this annual ritual still celebrated today. Thanksgiving has become a day to celebrate and be thankful for the bounty and blessings in our lives.