Spot the echo of another story

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Bridge Warning (story)

   [1] For two weeks, Pia had been studying the cardboard bridge that the science team planned to show at the fair. [2] The bridge looked impressive, with tall towers, neat paper cables, and a coat of silver paint. [3] But Pia had tested a smaller copy at home and noticed that the middle sagged when even a few weights were added. [4] At Thursday's meeting, Pia explained the problem and suggested adding two extra supports under the center. [5] The team nodded politely, then voted to leave the design alone because there was no time to rebuild. [6] “Fine,” said Pia, “but I feel like Cassandra, telling the truth and never being believed.” [7] On Friday morning, the judges placed a small stack of coins on the center of the bridge, and the middle bent slowly toward the table like a tired branch. [8] The team stared at the sagging span, and the loudest voice in the room became silent. [9] “You said so,” murmured a team member, “and we should have listened.” [10] The judges thanked the team for being honest about what had gone wrong, and then they asked Pia to explain the extra supports. [11] Pia drew a quick sketch, and the whole room leaned in to listen.

   Source note: In Greek myth, Cassandra could see the future but was cursed so that nobody would ever believe her warnings.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the story and the source note. Which part of the Cassandra myth does NOT fit Pia's situation?

   • Cassandra's warnings are ignored, and Pia's suggestion is voted down.
   • Cassandra sees the truth before anyone else, and Pia sees the weakness in the bridge before the others do.
   • Cassandra is cursed so that no warning is ever believed, but Pia is listened to once the bridge bends.
   • Cassandra sees a problem coming, and Pia sees the bridge sagging before the fair.
3. 2.

   Bo thinks about a new comparison. Which old story best fits the science team's choice to skip the extra supports and rush the design?

   • The Boy Who Cried Wolf: a shepherd boy tells so many false alarms that the villagers stop believing him when a real wolf comes.
   • Goldilocks: a girl tries three bowls, chairs and beds until she finds the one that is just right.
   • The Three Little Pigs: two pigs rush weak houses that fail in the wind, while the third takes time to build a strong one.
   • The Tortoise and the Hare: a fast hare naps during a race and loses to a steady tortoise.
4. 3.

   Esme compares two devices in the story. How does the allusion in sentence [6] differ from the simile in sentence [7]?

   • Both devices compare the bridge to a part of nature, so they do the same job in the story.
   • The simile brings in a whole story about an unheeded warning, while the allusion compares the bridge to one image, a tired branch.
   • The allusion appears in dialogue, while the simile appears in the narration of the story.
   • The allusion brings in a whole story about an unheeded warning, while the simile compares the bridge to one image, a tired branch.

5. The Class Mural (story)

   [1] When Mr. Abara announced a class mural for the hallway, nobody knew how to begin. [2] The wall was huge, the paint was expensive, and the students disagreed about what the picture should show. [3] Jun brought a single brush, Kira brought a jar of blue paint, and Bo brought only an idea about painting the sea. [4] It did not look like much, but they started with a small wave in the corner. [5] Slowly, other students stopped to watch, and then one by one they added something small of their own. [6] Luz painted a boat, Milo added a seagull, and Zee found extra sponges in the supply closet. [7] By Friday, the wave had grown into a whole harbor, with a bright sun rising above it like a golden coin. [8] “This mural is like stone soup,” Mr. Abara said, smiling, “because everyone added a little, and the whole thing turned into a feast.” [9] Ari grinned, because the mural had started with a few brushes and ended with the whole class. [10] The harbor mural stayed on the hallway wall for the rest of the year. [11] Visitors often stopped to point out their favorite corner, and the students pointed out theirs.

   Source note: In the folktale “Stone Soup,” hungry travelers say they can make soup from a stone; each villager adds one small thing, and the pot becomes a feast. The travelers are tricking the villagers into sharing.

6. 4.

   Noah compares two devices in the story. How does the allusion in sentence [8] differ from the simile in sentence [7]?

   • The allusion is spoken by Mr. Abara, while the simile is written by the narrator of the story.
   • The allusion brings in a whole folktale about everyone adding a little, while the simile compares the sun to one object, a golden coin.
   • The simile brings in a whole folktale about everyone adding a little, while the allusion compares the sun to one object, a golden coin.
   • Both devices compare the mural to something made of food, so they do the same job in the story.
7. 5.

   Ren thinks about a new comparison. Mr. Abara could describe how one small wave slowly grew into a whole harbor with a different old story. Which story fits that slow, steady growth best?

   • Johnny Appleseed: a traveler plants seeds in many places, and over many years they grow into orchards.
   • The Little Red Hen: a hen does the whole job alone because the other animals refuse to help with any of it.
   • Jack and the Beanstalk: a boy plants magic beans, and a huge stalk grows overnight into the clouds.
   • Rip Van Winkle: a man sleeps for twenty years and wakes in the mountains to find that the world has changed.

8. Earth's Blanket (article)

   [1] Writers often describe Earth's atmosphere as a blanket wrapped around the planet. [2] Like a blanket, the atmosphere helps keep the surface warm enough for living things. [3] Sunlight passes through the air, warms the ground and the oceans, and the warmed surface sends some of that energy back toward space. [4] Gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide absorb part of this outgoing energy, so it escapes more slowly. [5] Scientists estimate that without these gases the average temperature at the surface would be far below freezing. [6] The blanket comparison explains why adding more of these gases can make the planet warmer, since a thicker blanket holds in more heat. [7] But the comparison has important limits. [8] A blanket works mainly by stopping the movement of air near the body, while the gases in the atmosphere work by absorbing and sending back energy. [9] A blanket also helps a body that makes its own heat, but the Earth's heat comes from the sun. [10] For these reasons, many scientists call the atmosphere's effect the greenhouse effect, and some prefer that term. [11] Even a greenhouse is an imperfect model, since its glass mostly stops warm air from leaving. [12] Every analogy of this kind helps a reader begin, but none can replace the real science.

9. 6.

   Zee compares two models in the article. How do the blanket in sentence [8] and the greenhouse in sentence [11] compare with the way the gases work?

   • Both are things people use to stay warm, so they are the same kind of comparison.
   • The blanket is wrong and the greenhouse is right, so scientists should use the greenhouse alone.
   • Both the blanket and the greenhouse work mainly by stopping warm air from moving away, which is not how the gases work.
   • The blanket stops warm air from moving, but the greenhouse works the same way the gases do.
10. 7.

    Jun reads the article. Which part of the blanket analogy does NOT fit the atmosphere?

    • A thicker blanket holds in more heat, and a larger amount of the gases holds in more heat.
    • A blanket helps a body that makes its own heat, but the Earth's heat comes from the sun.
    • A blanket keeps warmth near the body, and the atmosphere keeps warmth near the planet.
    • A blanket helps keep a body warm, and the atmosphere helps keep the surface warm enough for living things.

11. Ripples and Sound (article)

    [1] Teachers often introduce sound by dropping a pebble into a pond. [2] Ripples spread out from the spot where the pebble landed, and they weaken as they travel. [3] Sound spreads from its source in a similar way, and it grows fainter with distance. [4] The comparison helps students see that a sound wave carries energy outward without carrying the air all the way along. [5] Just as a floating leaf only bobs as ripples pass, the air near your ear only shifts back and forth as sound passes. [6] The analogy also explains why two ripples can cross and keep going, because two sounds can overlap without stopping each other. [7] Still, the comparison has limits that matter in a science class. [8] Ripples move across the flat surface of the pond, while sound moves outward in every direction through the air, including up and down. [9] The water in a ripple moves up and down, but the air in a sound wave is pushed together and pulled apart in the same direction the wave travels. [10] That is why sound cannot be seen the way ripples can. [11] A good student therefore keeps the pond in mind for spreading and fading, but not for the way the wave moves. [12] Choosing which parts of an analogy to keep is part of thinking like a scientist.

12. 8.

    Kira reads the article. Which part of the pond analogy does NOT fit sound?

    • A ripple weakens as it travels, and a sound grows fainter with distance from its source.
    • Two ripples can cross and keep going, and two sounds can overlap without stopping each other.
    • The water in a ripple moves up and down, but the air in a sound wave is pushed together and pulled apart along the wave's path.
    • A floating leaf bobs as ripples pass, and the air near your ear shifts back and forth as sound passes.
13. 9.

    Luz compares two pictures in the article. How does the floating leaf in sentence [5] differ from the pond in sentence [1]?

    • The leaf is the main picture of how sound spreads, while the pond is a smaller picture of how the air moves.
    • Both pictures show how sound is made in the air, so they do the same job in the same way in the article.
    • The pond is the main picture of how sound spreads, while the leaf is a smaller picture of how the air moves as the wave passes.
    • The pond appears in the first sentence, and the leaf appears later, in the fifth sentence of the article.
14. 10.

    Milo thinks about a better picture. Sentence [9] says air in a sound wave is pushed together and pulled apart in the same direction the wave travels. Which comparison matches that movement better than a ripple?

    • A rope shaken up and down, so a bump travels along it while each part moves up and down in place.
    • A pebble thrown at a wall, since both make a sudden sound when they hit.
    • A long spring toy pushed and pulled at one end, so bunched-up coils travel along its length.
    • A balloon filling with air, since the air is pushed together in one place.