Reading a play: scenes, asides and soliloquies

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Election (original play)

   [1] SCENE 1. A school gym, the day of the election. Two podiums stand side by side.
   [2] [TALA and NOAH shake hands stiffly.]
   [3] NOAH: May the best candidate win.
   [4] TALA: Of course. (to the audience) Noah practiced that line in the mirror. I watched.
   [5] [NOAH adjusts a tie and waves at the crowd.]
   [6] NOAH: (to the audience) I have not slept in two days. If I lose, I will have nothing to show for all that work.
   [7] TALA: Good luck, Noah.
   [8] NOAH: You too. [They turn away from each other.]
   [9] SCENE 2. The empty gym, that night. TALA sits alone on the stage steps, holding a folded speech.
   [10] TALA: I told everyone I was not afraid. But my hands shook the whole time I was talking. If I win, what if I cannot do the job? If I lose, will everyone think I was not good enough?
   [11] [TALA rises and walks to the podium.]
   [12] TALA: Whatever happens tomorrow, I spoke up. That has to count for something.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the play. What does Tala's aside in sentence [4] add to Noah's handshake line in [3]?

   • It shows Tala tells Noah about the mirror practice, so Noah looks embarrassed in front of the crowd.
   • It shows Tala sees Noah's polite line as rehearsed, which the audience knows and Noah does not.
   • It shows Tala admires Noah and agrees Noah should win.
   • It shows Tala speaks to the audience in a way Noah cannot hear.
3. 2.

   Esme reads the play. How does the order of Scene 1 and Scene 2 help show the contrast between how Tala looks and how Tala feels?

   • Scene 2 happens before the election, so it explains Noah's plan.
   • A public scene with a calm Tala comes first, then a private scene shows Tala's fear.
   • A private scene comes first, then a public scene hides Tala's fear.
   • Both scenes take place in front of a crowd, so Tala keeps hiding fear from the other students.
4. 3.

   Jun reads the play. What does Noah's aside in sentence [6] add to the audience's view of Noah?

   • It shows Noah is relaxed and sure of winning.
   • It shows Noah speaks to the audience while Tala, standing right there, cannot hear.
   • It shows Noah is anxious and tired behind a confident wave.
   • It shows Noah has already given up on the election.
5. 4.

   Kira reads the play. What does the last line of Tala's speech, sentence [12], reveal about how Tala has changed?

   • Tala becomes sure of winning.
   • Tala decides to ask Noah to share the job and split the work evenly.
   • Tala decides that running was wrong.
   • Tala decides that speaking up matters, whatever the result.
6. 5.

   Luz reads the play. What does the move from the crowded Scene 1 to the empty gym in Scene 2 add?

   • The empty room means the election has been canceled.
   • The empty room shows the gym is no longer used for anything after the election day.
   • The empty room shows Tala has lost the election.
   • The empty room lets Tala speak honestly, because nobody is there to hear.

7. The Magician's Hat (original play)

   [1] SCENE 1. A small theater stage, evening. A top hat sits on a table.
   [2] [THE GREAT BRAVO, a magician, bows. The assistant, ESME, holds a cage.]
   [3] BRAVO: Ladies and gentlemen, I will now make this rabbit disappear!
   [4] ESME: (to the audience) The rabbit disappeared an hour ago. It is asleep in my backpack.
   [5] [BRAVO taps the hat three times. Nothing happens.]
   [6] BRAVO: (to the audience) Please let this work. If the show fails, the theater will close for good.
   [7] ESME: (quietly, to BRAVO) Try the left side.
   [8] [BRAVO tips the hat, and a scarf drifts out. The crowd laughs and cheers.]
   [9] SCENE 2. The empty stage, after the show. The lights are dim. BRAVO sits alone with the hat.
   [10] BRAVO: Forty years of magic, and a scarf saves the night. Maybe the secret was never the trick. Maybe it was the person who knew to say, try the left side.
   [11] [ESME enters with a mug and sets it beside BRAVO.]
   [12] BRAVO: Esme, you are not my assistant. You are my partner.

8. 6.

   Milo reads the play. What does Esme's aside in sentence [4] add to Bravo's announcement in [3]?

   • It shows Esme speaks to the audience while Bravo cannot hear.
   • It shows Esme believes the rabbit really will vanish.
   • It tells Bravo the rabbit is in the backpack, so he quietly changes the trick to save the show.
   • It reveals to the audience that the trick is fake, which makes Bravo's boast funny.
9. 7.

   Noah reads the play. What does Bravo's soliloquy in sentence [10] reveal about what he now thinks matters?

   • That Bravo thinks the scarf was a mistake.
   • That Bravo values Esme's help more than the trick itself.
   • That Bravo plans to quit magic.
   • That Bravo wants to hire a new assistant.
10. 8.

    Ren reads the play. What does Bravo's aside in sentence [6] add to the audience's view of him?

    • It shows Bravo is sure the trick will work.
    • It shows Bravo wants the theater to close.
    • It shows Bravo speaks to the audience while Esme cannot hear.
    • It shows the confident magician is worried that the whole show may fail.
11. 9.

    Tala reads the play. What change in Bravo does his soliloquy show, from sentence [3] to sentence [10]?

    • He goes from crediting the helper at the start to boasting about the trick at the end.
    • He goes from planning a new trick to canceling the show.
    • He goes from boasting about the trick to crediting the person behind it.
    • He goes from calm to angry at the audience.
12. 10.

    Zee reads the play. What does the dim, empty stage in sentence [9] add to Bravo's speech?

    • It shows Bravo is hiding from the audience.
    • It sets a quiet mood where Bravo can think honestly after the noisy show.
    • It shows the show is still going on.
    • It shows that the stage lights were broken.