How two characters see the same thing

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Two Accounts of the Bake Sale (original accounts)

   Zee's account
   [1] I had spent two weeks planning our club's bake sale, and the best part of my plan was the table by the front doors. [2] Everyone would pass it on the way in, so no cupcake would go unnoticed. [3] On Friday morning, Mr. Cole walked up, studied the table, and said it had to move. [4] He pointed to a side hallway where hardly anyone walked. [5] I tried to explain my plan, but he was already carrying a box. [6] I felt like my two weeks of work had been swept aside in two minutes.

   Mr. Cole's account
   [7] When I arrived at school on Friday, I saw the bake sale table blocking the main exit. [8] The fire marshal visits every spring, and a blocked doorway is the first thing she writes down. [9] I could see how proud the club members were of their plan, so I looked for a spot that would still be busy. [10] The side hallway leads to the gym, where families would gather before the game. [11] I picked up a box to show we were moving together, not against each other. [12] By noon, the table had sold every cupcake, and I hoped Zee would understand why I had asked.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the two accounts. Why do Zee and Mr. Cole see the move of the table so differently?

   • Zee is thinking about the bake sale plan, while Mr. Cole is thinking about safety.
   • Mr. Cole is the principal, so the story treats his view as the right one and Zee's view as wrong.
   • Zee is angry at Mr. Cole, while Mr. Cole is angry at Zee.
   • Zee wants to sell fewer cupcakes, while Mr. Cole wants to sell more.
3. 2.

   Bo reads the two accounts. How does the author make the two views clear?

   • By giving each person a separate account of the same morning.
   • By having each person answer the other's points sentence by sentence.
   • By adding a narrator who explains which person is right.
   • By having Mr. Cole's account describe what Zee was thinking.
4. 3.

   Esme reads the two accounts. Which detail in Mr. Cole's account explains why the table moved, a reason Zee's account never gives?

   • The cupcakes sold out by noon, so the new spot worked well.
   • Mr. Cole carried a box to move the table.
   • The fire marshal visits every spring and notes blocked doorways.
   • The club had practiced selling cupcakes the week before the sale began.
5. 4.

   Kira reads the two accounts. What do the box in [5] and the box in [11] show about how the author contrasts the views?

   • The same action, carrying a box, looks hurried to Zee and friendly to Mr. Cole.
   • The box shows that both people were trying to move the table quickly.
   • The same action looks friendly to Zee and hurried to Mr. Cole.
   • The box is heavy, so Mr. Cole needed help to carry it.
6. 5.

   Luz reads the two accounts. Why does Mr. Cole only hope that Zee will understand, in sentence [12]?

   • Mr. Cole is certain that Zee is angry, so Mr. Cole hopes Zee will calm down.
   • Mr. Cole is afraid the fire marshal will return soon.
   • Mr. Cole cannot know Zee's thoughts, because an account shows only one mind.
   • Mr. Cole feels the same as Zee, so Mr. Cole hopes Zee shares those feelings.

7. The Attic Trunk (original story)

   [1] Kira lifted the lid of the old trunk and sighed at the heap of faded cloth inside. [2] Kira needed the attic cleared by Sunday, because the band was finally going to practice there. [3] “This is just clutter,” Kira thought, holding up a scratchy wool scarf. [4] Kira's grandmother, Nani, watched from the stairs and saw something different. [5] That scarf had kept Nani warm during her first winter in a new country, when everything else felt strange. [6] Kira dropped the scarf onto the pile marked for the donation bin.

   [7] Nani picked it up and smoothed the wool as if it were a sleeping cat. [8] “Maybe we could keep one thing from each pile,” Kira said, noticing Nani's hands. [9] Nani nodded, though her eyes stayed on the scarf. [10] Kira measured the corners for a drum set, and Nani counted the stories in the pile. [11] By evening, the trunk held three scarves, a teapot, and a photograph, and the donation bin was only half full. [12] Kira was surprised to find that the half-full bin did not bother Kira.

8. 6.

   Milo reads the story. Why does Kira toss the scarf in sentence [6] while Nani smooths it in sentence [7]?

   • Kira sees clutter in the way of the band, while Nani sees a memory of a first winter.
   • Kira dislikes Nani's old things, while Nani is angry that Kira is cleaning.
   • Kira sees a memory of a first winter, while Nani sees clutter in the way of the band.
   • Kira wants to sell the scarf, while Nani wants to give it away.
9. 7.

   Pia reads the story. What can the narrator tell readers in sentence [5] that Kira does not know?

   • That the scarf kept Nani warm during her first winter in a new country.
   • That Kira would be angry with Nani for keeping the scarf.
   • That Kira's band needs the attic by Sunday.
   • That Nani smoothed the wool as if it were a sleeping cat.
10. 8.

    Ren reads the story. Why do Kira and Nani count different things in sentence [10]?

    • Kira counts the stories because Kira loves history; Nani measures for a drum set.
    • Kira is counting the money the pile will raise, while Nani counts the days until Sunday.
    • Kira is picturing the band's space, while Nani is picturing the stories behind the pile.
    • Kira wants to get rid of the pile, while Nani wants to keep the whole pile.
11. 9.

    Tala reads the story. How does sentence [8], “Maybe we could keep one thing from each pile,” show that Kira's view is changing?

    • Kira's view stays the same; Kira just wants Nani to stop worrying.
    • Kira stops treating the pile as clutter after noticing Nani's hands.
    • Nani's view changes, because Nani now agrees the pile is clutter.
    • Kira gives up on the band, because Nani needs the attic.
12. 10.

    Zee reads the story. Why can the narrator tell readers about both Kira's thoughts and Nani's memory?

    • The narrator is Nani, so readers hear the memory as Nani's own words.
    • The narrator sees just Kira's thoughts, so Nani's memory must come from Kira.
    • The narrator can enter both characters' minds, so readers see both views.
    • The narrator is outside the house and guesses what each person thinks.