Inside and outside story conflicts

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   First Chair (story)

   [1] Milo had practiced the solo until the notes felt like part of the room, and the audition for first chair was on Tuesday. [2] Kira, who played the same instrument, had been in the band a year longer and had won the seat twice. [3] In the hallway before the audition, Kira told a joke about the solo, and a few players laughed. [4] Milo laughed too, though the tune of the solo kept running through Milo's head in the wrong order. [5] During the audition, Milo played every note correctly except for the high one near the end, which cracked. [6] Kira played next, and the high note rang clear. [7] The director posted the results on Wednesday: Kira in first chair, Milo in second. [8] At rehearsal, Milo carried the music stand to the back and said nothing about the results. [9] When the director asked for the cymbal part to move earlier, Milo noticed that the new page break would hide the cue for second chair. [10] Milo thought about letting it go; the change was the director's idea, and objecting meant speaking up in front of Kira. [11] After a long pause, Milo raised a hand and described the problem, pointing at the page. [12] The director studied the page and agreed, and Kira leaned over to mark the cue on the second-chair copy.

2. 1.

   Milo reads the story. In [1]–[2], which conflict sets up the audition?

   • Inside: Milo worries that practicing will not be enough to win.
   • Inside: Milo practices the solo until the notes feel like part of the room.
   • Outside: Milo and Kira are competing for the same first-chair seat.
   • Outside: Kira has been in the band a year longer and plays the same instrument.
3. 2.

   Noah reads the story. In [3]–[4], Milo laughs at the joke while the solo runs through Milo's head. What is the conflict?

   • Outside: Milo and Kira are competing for the same seat in the band.
   • Outside: Kira's joke makes the other players doubt Milo's skill before the audition even begins.
   • Inside: Milo laughs along with the other players in the hallway.
   • Inside: Milo hides nerves behind a laugh while worrying about the audition.
4. 3.

   Pia reads the story. How does the result in [7] shape what Milo does in [8]?

   • The director posted the results on Wednesday, one day after the audition.
   • The result makes Milo angry at the director, so Milo refuses to play.
   • Milo chooses second chair on purpose to avoid competing with Kira.
   • The result disappoints Milo, who moves the stand to the back without a word.
5. 4.

   Ren reads the story. In [10]–[11], what makes speaking up hard for Milo?

   • Inside: Milo must decide whether to speak up in front of Kira.
   • Outside: Milo and Kira are competing for the same seat in the band.
   • Outside: the director forbids players from suggesting any changes.
   • Outside: the cymbal part is being moved earlier in the piece.
6. 5.

   Zee reads the story. Which statement best explains how the audition (outside) affects the choice in [10] (inside)?

   • The audition is outside Milo, so it cannot shape an inside choice like the one in [10].
   • Milo speaks up to show the director was wrong to give Kira the first chair.
   • Losing the audition makes speaking up in front of Kira feel riskier for Milo.
   • Milo speaks up because Kira asked Milo to describe the problem.

7. The Blank Wall (story)

   [1] The long wall behind the community center had been plain gray for as long as Tala could remember. [2] When the neighborhood council announced a mural contest, Tala sketched a design of tall sunflowers in one evening. [3] Jun, who lived across the street, liked the colors but thought the sunflowers would be hard to paint on rough brick. [4] Tala said the design was finished and folded the drawing into a pocket. [5] The council's rules, posted on the door, required that every design fit within the wall's seven-foot height. [6] Tala measured the sketch twice, and the sunflowers were nearly nine feet tall. [7] That night, Tala sat at the kitchen table with an eraser and did not use it. [8] The next day Jun brought a small chip of the wall, and it crumbled in Tala's hand. [9] Tala studied the crumbs, then asked Jun whether shorter flowers would show up better on the brick. [10] Jun smiled and said that bold, simple shapes would, and offered to help redraw the stems. [11] They finished the new design on Saturday: wide sunflowers with thick petals, none taller than seven feet. [12] When the council announced the winner, the wall was Tala's, and the first person Tala thanked was Jun.

8. 6.

   Bo reads the story. In [4] and [7], Tala folds the drawing away and sits with an eraser but does not use it. What is Tala's conflict?

   • Outside: Jun is forcing Tala to stop working on the sunflowers.
   • Outside: the sunflowers are too tall for the council's height rule.
   • Inside: Tala folds the drawing into a pocket and sits at the kitchen table.
   • Inside: Tala is attached to the first design and reluctant to change it.
9. 7.

   Esme reads the story. What helps Tala move from holding on to the design to asking a question in [8]–[9]?

   • Jun tells Tala to draw something else and refuses to help with the wall unless Tala does.
   • The chip crumbles in Tala's hand, which shows the rough brick is a real problem.
   • Jun lives across the street from the community center.
   • The council changes its height rule so the tall sunflowers can stay.
10. 8.

    Jun reads the story. How do Jun's and Tala's attitudes toward the design differ in [3]–[4]?

    • Jun treats the design as finished; Tala sees a practical problem with the brick.
    • Jun sees a practical problem with the brick; Tala treats the design as finished.
    • Jun worries about the height rule; Tala worries about the colors.
    • Jun dislikes the sunflowers; Tala dislikes the brick on the wall.
11. 9.

    Kira reads the story. How is the conflict about the design settled in [9]–[11]?

    • Jun paints the whole wall alone while Tala watches from across the street and takes no part.
    • Jun brings a small chip of the wall to show Tala the crumbling brick.
    • Tala redraws the design with Jun's help to suit both the brick and the height limit.
    • The council changes the rules so that the tall sunflowers can stay.
12. 10.

    Luz reads the story. Which statement best explains how the inside conflict is settled by the end?

    • Tala wins because the council prefers shorter flowers to tall ones.
    • Tala decides that rules do not matter in a contest and ignores the limits.
    • The inside conflict ends when the council announces the winner of the contest.
    • Tala learns to accept help and thanks Jun first when the wall is won.