From Swamp Slime to Fluffy Treat - Grade 4 ELA Assessment
Teach informational text skills with a high-interest passage on the surprising history of marshmallows—from ancient Egyptian medicine to modern candy-making machines. This Grade 4 assessment includes 11 multiple-choice questions that build vocabulary, main idea, and text structure understanding. Students tackle standards-aligned items on word meaning in context (“stamp,” “labor-intensive”), figurative language (“engine that powered the candy industry”), comparing details across the passage and timeline, and explaining a multi-step process (the Starch Mogul system). Includes a complete answer key and StandardSet-branded, classroom-ready formatting.
From Swamp Slime to Fluffy Treat
by StandardSet Curriculum
When you drop a marshmallow into your hot cocoa, you probably think of it as a simple, sugary treat. But for thousands of years, the marshmallow wasn't a candy at all. It was a medicine, and it was so valuable that it was treated like gold.
The Plant in the Swamp The history of the marshmallow begins in ancient Egypt, over 4,000 years ago. It didn't start in a grocery store aisle; it started in wet, muddy swamps where a plant called the Althaea officinalis, or the "marsh mallow" plant, grew wild.
The ancient Egyptians discovered that the sap inside the plant's roots was thick and sticky. They believed this sap could cure sore throats and coughs. However, the raw sap tasted terrible. To make it edible, doctors mixed the bitter sap with honey and nuts. This mixture was so special that it was reserved for pharaohs and royalty. If you were a regular citizen in ancient Egypt, you never got to taste one. For centuries, the marshmallow remained a rare luxury, hidden away in the palaces of kings.
The French Connection In the mid-1800s, French candy makers rediscovered the recipe. They realized that if they whipped the sap with sugar and egg whites, it became fluffy and light. They called it Pâte de Guimauve (marshmallow paste).
People loved it, but there was a significant problem: the process was incredibly slow. Store owners had to peel the tough roots of the mallow plant by hand, cook the sap, and whip it for hours. Then, they had to slice the sticky rope into pieces. It took one candy maker an entire day to make just a small box of treats. Because they were so labor-intensive, marshmallows were still expensive. Buying a box of marshmallows in 1850 was as costly as buying a fancy steak dinner today.
The Starch Mogul Consequently, everything changed in the late 1800s. Inventors in America created the "Starch Mogul" system to solve the problem of slow production.
This invention changed the candy world in two ways. First, food scientists replaced the rare mallow root with gelatin, a common protein that made the candy stable and chewy. Second, they invented a machine that used cornstarch molds. Instead of cutting marshmallows by hand, a machine could compress cornstarch into trays, stamp thousands of holes into the starch, and fill them with fluffy sugar foam.
Once the foam cooled, the machine would dump the tray. The cornstarch tumbled away, leaving thousands of perfect, white cylinders. This system was the engine that powered the candy industry.
Suddenly, marshmallows could be manufactured by the millions. They became cheap enough for everyone to buy—and cheap enough for science classes to use for building towers! Today, we may have swapped the swamp root for gelatin, but the fluffy texture remains a favorite treat around the world.
[Sidebar Text Feature] Timeline: The March of the Mallow ● 2000 BCE: Ancient Egyptians use mallow root sap to treat sore throats. ● 1850s: French candy makers add egg whites to create Pâte de Guimauve. ● 1927: The Girl Scouts publish the first written recipe for "Some Mores" (S'mores). ● 1948: Alex Doumak invents the "extrusion process," making marshmallows perfectly cylindrical.
Questions
In the sentence, "Instead of cutting marshmallows by hand, a machine could compress cornstarch into trays, stamp thousands of holes into the starch, and fill them with fluffy sugar foam," what does the word "stamp" mean?
to walk or step very hard on something
to press a mark on paper using ink
to press shapes or holes into something
to stop something from happening at once
Standard: L.4.4
In the sentence, "This system was the engine that powered the candy industry," why does the author compare the Starch Mogul system to an engine?
The author compares it to an engine to show that the machine was loud and shaky like a real engine.
The author compares it to an engine to show that the machine was the main force that helped factories make a lot of candy.
The author compares it to an engine to show that the machine was dangerous to touch, like a hot car engine.
The author compares it to an engine to show that the machine had many small metal parts, like the inside of an engine.
Standard: L.4.6
Based on the passage, what is the main reason marshmallows became cheap enough for many people to buy?
Because candy makers mixed the bitter mallow sap with honey and nuts to make a sweeter treat for customers.
Because machines using cornstarch molds could make thousands of marshmallows very quickly.
Because pharaohs and royalty decided to share their special marshmallow sweets with ordinary people in their lands.
Because French candy makers added egg whites and sugar to the sap to create a fluffy, fancy marshmallow candy.
Standard: RI.4.1
Based on the passage and the timeline, which statement is best supported by information from different parts of the text?
Marshmallows changed from a special medicine for rulers to an everyday candy because people created new recipes and faster machines.
Marshmallows stayed a rare and costly candy for most people, even after new machines were invented to make them.
Marshmallows became less popular over time because they stopped being used as medicine and were only used in desserts like s’mores.
Marshmallows were always an easy treat to make, but they became more expensive once people started using them in recipes like s’mores.
Standard: RI.4.1
What is this passage mostly about?
The way marshmallows changed from a swamp plant medicine to a candy.
The way hot cocoa is made and served with sweet marshmallows on top.
The way ancient Egyptians built palaces and treated pharaohs like powerful rulers.
The way machines use cornstarch and gelatin to make many kinds of food.
Standard: RI.4.2
What is the main idea of the section titled "The Starch Mogul"?
A new machine and recipe helped make marshmallows faster and cheaper for everyone.
Workers had a difficult time cleaning up the sticky marshmallow foam and cornstarch.
Candy makers argued about whether to use mallow root or gelatin in their recipes.
Scientists tested many different flavors before choosing the best marshmallow taste.
Standard: RI.4.2
When did the Girl Scouts publish the first written recipe for "Some Mores" (S'mores)?
in 2000 BCE
in the 1850s
in 1927
in 1948
Standard: RI.4.3
Question:
Read these sentences from paragraphs 7 and 8:
'Instead of cutting marshmallows by hand, a machine could compress cornstarch into trays, stamp thousands of holes into the starch, and fill them with fluffy sugar foam.' (paragraph 7)
'Once the foam cooled, the machine would dump the tray. The cornstarch tumbled away, leaving thousands of perfect, white cylinders.' (paragraph 8)
How do these steps show the process the Starch Mogul machine uses to make marshmallows?
They show how the machine uses cornstarch molds to shape the foam and then release many marshmallows at once.
They show how the machine cooks plant sap with honey so the candy can be used as sore-throat medicine.
They show how the machine whips sugar with egg whites so the candy can puff up and taste sweet.
They show how the machine dries mallow roots in ovens so the candy can be stored for many years.
Standard: RI.4.3
Read this sentence from the passage: "Because they were so labor-intensive, marshmallows were still expensive." Based on details in the paragraph, what does labor-intensive mean as it is used in this sentence?
needing almost no time or effort
needing very few ingredients to mix
needing a lot of time and work
needing special tools and large machines
Standard: RI.4.4
Why is a timeline a good text feature for the information in the sidebar "The March of the Mallow"?
Because it sorts the different flavors of marshmallows into groups.
Because it lists the parts of the marshmallow plant and what they do.
Because it puts the history of marshmallows in the order events happened.
Because it shows the steps for making marshmallows in a set of directions.
Standard: RI.4.5
Read this sentence from paragraph 1:
"It was a medicine, and it was so valuable that it was treated like gold."
Based on this sentence, what is the author mainly trying to explain about marshmallows long ago?
It shows that marshmallows used to be rare and very valuable.
It shows that marshmallows were made to look shiny like jewelry.
It shows that marshmallows were cheap and easy for anyone to buy.
It shows that marshmallows were only a plain, everyday snack food.
Standard: RI.4.6
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