★Character Point of View
Grade 3 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the answer.
Read this first
My Cousin's Closed Book
"Your cousin Anjali is coming to stay for two weeks, Maya," Mom said. I was not happy about it. Anjali is one year older than me, and everybody says she is brilliant. She has library cards from three different libraries.
When she arrived, she barely said hello. She carried her suitcase straight to my room and sat on the extra bed. Then she pulled out a thick book and started reading. She did not look up once, even when I showed her my rock collection. I decided right then that she was a stuck-up show-off.
At dinner, Dad asked Anjali about her new school. She pushed her rice around her plate. "It's fine," she said in a tiny voice. Then she asked to be excused early.
That night, I woke up and heard a sniffle. Anjali was sitting up in bed with her book in her lap. But the book was closed, and the room was too dark to read. She was holding a photograph against her chest.
The next morning, I peeked at the photograph while she brushed her teeth. It showed Anjali with two girls in matching soccer shirts. On the back, someone had written, "We'll miss you! Write every week!"
Suddenly, I remembered something Mom had said. Anjali's family had just moved to a big city for her mom's new job. She had left her old town and all her friends behind.
I felt my face get warm. Anjali was not stuck-up. She was homesick, and now she was in one more new place. My house.
At breakfast, I slid my best rock across the table. It was a purple geode that sparkled inside. "You can borrow it," I said. "And I know a field where kids play soccer every Saturday."
Anjali looked up from her book for a long moment. Then she smiled, just a little. "Do they need another goalie?" she asked.
From whose point of view is this story told?
- Mom, who planned the visit
- Anjali, who came to stay
- Anjali's cousin, who lives in the house
- a narrator outside the story
At first, what does the narrator think about Anjali?
- She is shy but kind.
- She is funny and loud.
- She is lonely and sad.
- She is a stuck-up show-off.
Which detail does the narrator use as evidence for her first view?
- Anjali kept reading and ignored the rocks.
- Anjali left her old friends behind.
- Anjali asked about a soccer team.
- Anjali held a photo against her chest.
What is Anjali really feeling when she arrives?
- bored with the narrator's house
- proud of being so smart
- angry at her younger cousin
- homesick for her old friends
Which clue might make a reader doubt the narrator's first view sooner than she does?
- Anjali has library cards from three libraries.
- Anjali carried her suitcase to the narrator's room.
- Anjali is one year older than the narrator.
- Anjali speaks in a tiny voice and leaves dinner early.
Why does the narrator's face get warm?
- She is excited about the soccer field.
- She is angry that Anjali took her room.
- She is upset that Anjali cried at night.
- She feels bad for judging Anjali unfairly.
What changes the narrator's point of view?
- seeing the photo and remembering the move
- hearing Dad ask about the new school
- watching Anjali unpack her suitcase
- finding her purple geode in a box
Why does the narrator offer the geode and tell about the soccer field?
- She wants to show off her best rock.
- She wants Anjali to feel at home.
- She wants Anjali to stop touching her rocks.
- She wants her room to herself again.
What does Anjali's question at the end show about her view?
- She would rather read than play.
- She thinks her cousin is showing off.
- She is starting to feel welcome.
- She still wants to be left alone.
"She was homesick." What does homesick mean?
- sick from a long trip
- tired of being at home
- sad because you miss home
- happy in a new home
