Notice how a character responds and changes

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Relay Banner (story)

   [1] Kira had promised to paint the banner for the school relay race, and the whole team knew it. [2] Every afternoon Kira spread the cloth across the gym floor and brushed on the letters, shielding the work with one arm whenever anyone walked past. [3] Pia offered to mix more red paint, but Kira said the colors were already mixed and the job was nearly done. [4] On Thursday, Pia pointed out that the last word curved upward and would run off the edge of the cloth. [5] Kira stared at the banner for a long moment and said nothing, and the gym grew so quiet that the clock above the door seemed loud. [6] The next morning the banner lay folded on a bench, and the last word had been scrubbed away with a damp sponge. [7] Kira sat beside it, holding a brush that had not touched paint since the day before. [8] When Pia walked in, Kira slid over to make room on the bench. [9] "Do you still have that measuring string?" Kira asked. [10] Together they stretched the string along the bottom of the cloth and marked where each letter should land. [11] Pia painted the first two letters while Kira held the cloth flat. [12] Then Kira painted the next two, and they traded the brush back and forth until the word fit. [13] On race day, the banner hung above the finish line where the runners would pass beneath it. [14] When the principal asked who had painted it, Kira pointed to Pia too.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the story. In [2], Kira shields the letters with one arm whenever anyone walks past. What does that action show?

   • Kira spreads the cloth across the gym floor and paints the letters there.
   • Kira hopes someone will step in and take over the painting soon.
   • Kira is angry at the whole team and wants to quit the relay.
   • Kira wants the banner to be Kira's own work and is not ready for help.
3. 2.

   Bo compares two moments. How does Kira respond to Pia's help in [3], and how does Kira respond in [11]?

   • In [3] and in [11] Kira keeps the brush and the job to Kira alone.
   • In [3] Kira asks Pia to paint; in [11] Kira keeps Pia from touching the cloth.
   • In [3] Kira will not speak to Pia at the relay; in [11] Kira hands Pia the whole banner to finish.
   • In [3] Kira turns down Pia's offer; in [11] Kira lets Pia paint part of the banner.
4. 3.

   Esme traces a cause. Which event leads Kira to scrub away the last word in [6]?

   • Pia offers to mix more red paint for the banner, and Kira says the colors are already mixed [3].
   • Kira promises to paint the banner for the school relay race [1].
   • Pia points out that the last word curves upward and would run off the cloth [4].
   • The principal asks who painted the banner on race day [14].
5. 4.

   Jun reads the story. In [8], Kira slides over on the bench when Pia walks in. What does that action show?

   • Kira is moving away from Pia to avoid talking about the banner.
   • Kira is sitting on a bench beside the folded banner in the morning.
   • Kira has decided to give up painting and let Pia finish the banner.
   • Kira is now willing to have Pia close by and share the work on the banner.
6. 5.

   Kira compares two moments. What changes between how Kira reacts in [5] and what Kira says in [9]?

   • Kira goes from asking Pia for help to refusing to say anything more to Pia.
   • Kira stays silent and guarded in both moments, waiting for Pia to speak first.
   • Kira goes from feeling sure the banner is perfect to feeling that the banner is hopeless and must be thrown out.
   • Kira goes from silence after Pia's point to asking Pia for something that will fix the word.

7. The Narrator's Part (story)

   [1] The sign-up sheet for the spring assembly hung beside the library door, and Zee walked past it three times. [2] On the fourth pass, Zee picked up the pencil, wrote a name in the last row, and then erased it before anyone could see. [3] "I'll just run the lights," Zee told the teacher, who nodded and handed over a thick script of cues. [4] During rehearsals Zee sat in the back with the script, mouthing the actors' lines along with them. [5] On Tuesday, Esme, who had the main part, lost the place in a long speech and stared at the floor. [6] Without thinking about who might hear, Zee called the next line from the back of the room. [7] Esme smiled, found the line again, and kept going through the rest of the speech. [8] After that, Zee stopped hiding the script and read the lines aloud under the stage lights, one speech at a time, while the actors listened. [9] Before the final rehearsal the teacher asked who could read the narrator's part, since the sixth grader who had it had a bad cold. [10] Zee's hand rose halfway while the teacher waited, and then it rose all the way. [11] On the night of the assembly, Zee stood at the edge of the stage, took one slow breath, and began to read. [12] Afterward, Zee wrote a name on the sign-up sheet for the fall play, and this time the pencil did not stop.

8. 6.

   Milo reads the story. In [2], Zee writes a name on the sign-up sheet and then erases it. What does that show?

   • Zee wants to join the assembly but feels nervous about being seen on stage.
   • Zee erases the name because the teacher says the list is already full.
   • Zee dislikes the assembly and wants nothing to do with the school play.
   • The sign-up sheet hangs beside the library door where students walk by.
9. 7.

   Noah traces a cause. Which event leads Zee to call out a line from the back of the room in [6]?

   • The teacher hands Zee a thick script of cues for the lights [3].
   • Zee reads lines aloud under the stage lights for the actors [8].
   • Zee sits in the back mouthing the actors' lines along with them [4].
   • Esme loses the place in a long speech and stares at the floor [5].
10. 8.

    Ren reads the story. In [10], Zee's hand rises halfway, then all the way. What does that show?

    • The teacher needs a narrator because the first reader has a bad cold.
    • Zee is nervous but decides to volunteer anyway, taking a chance on the part.
    • Zee changes Zee's mind and decides to stay quiet about the part.
    • Zee has lost the nervousness and wants to take on the biggest part in the play.
11. 9.

    Tala compares two moments. How does Zee treat the sign-up sheet in [1], and how does Zee treat it in [12]?

    • In [1] Zee dislikes the school; in [12] Zee loves the whole school.
    • In [1] Zee avoids the sheet; in [12] Zee writes a name on it and keeps going.
    • In [1] Zee signs up quickly; in [12] Zee hesitates at the sheet and then walks away.
    • In [1] and in [12] Zee hesitates and does not finish writing a name.
12. 10.

    Zee traces a cause. What helps Zee feel ready to read the narrator's part in [11]?

    • The teacher gave Zee a thick script of cues to follow in rehearsals for the spring assembly [3].
    • Zee has memorized the whole play and no longer needs the script [8].
    • Zee calls a line for Esme and reads aloud for the actors in rehearsal [6]–[8].
    • The first narrator has a bad cold and cannot read the part [9].