Spot the echo of another story

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Spring Fair Poster (story)

   [1] The art club had spent three weeks on a giant poster for the spring fair, and on Friday the members unrolled it in the hallway. [2] The poster was covered with swirls of purple and orange paint, but it did not have a single word or picture that told people what the fair was. [3] Luz called the poster a masterpiece, and the others quickly agreed. [4] Nobody wanted to be the one to say that the poster explained nothing. [5] Ms. Ito, the club advisor, looked at the poster for a long moment and asked a quiet question. [6] “Where does it say when the fair starts?” [7] The members glanced at one another, and then Noah began to laugh. [8] “It sounds like the emperor's new clothes,” Noah said, “and all of us are pretending that we can see them.” [9] Everyone burst out laughing, and the tension in the hallway melted away like frost in the sun. [10] The club unrolled a fresh sheet, wrote the date in big black letters, and added a bright sunflower in each corner. [11] This time, the poster really did tell visitors where to go and when to arrive.

   Source note: In the folktale “The Emperor's New Clothes,” an emperor is tricked into wearing clothes that do not exist, and nobody dares to say so until someone finally says the emperor is wearing nothing.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the story and the source note. Which phrase is an allusion, a reference to a well-known story?

   • “called the poster a masterpiece” in sentence [3]
   • “melted away like frost in the sun” in sentence [9]
   • “swirls of purple and orange paint” in sentence [2]
   • “the emperor's new clothes” in sentence [8]
3. 2.

   Bo reads the story and the source note. What does Noah mean by comparing the poster to the emperor's new clothes?

   • The members are pretending to admire the poster because nobody wants to say what is missing.
   • The poster has no words or pictures telling people about the fair.
   • An emperor was tricked into wearing clothes that did not exist, and nobody told him.
   • The members are too proud of their work to listen to any advice from the advisor.
4. 3.

   Esme thinks about what the allusion adds. Why might Noah say “the emperor's new clothes” instead of “This poster is bad”?

   • It shows that Noah does not like purple and orange paint on a poster for a fair.
   • It lets Noah point out the problem in a funny way that makes everyone laugh instead of feel blamed.
   • It makes the problem sound more serious, so the hallway fills with worry.
   • It shows that Noah wants to punish the members who called the poster a masterpiece.

5. After the Party (story)

   [1] After the class party, the room looked as if a storm had passed through it, with paper plates on every desk and streamers drooping from the ceiling. [2] Most of the students hurried out to the playground as soon as the bell rang. [3] Tala stayed behind with a broom, a trash bag, and a very long list of chores. [4] Tala stacked the chairs, wiped the tables, and picked frosting off the windowsill while laughter drifted in from outside. [5] “I feel like Cinderella,” Tala muttered, “except nobody is throwing a ball for me.” [6] Mr. Reyes, the janitor, overheard the joke and chuckled from the doorway. [7] He grabbed a second broom and began to sweep the other side of the room. [8] Within minutes, three classmates wandered back in, saw the work, and picked up sponges without being asked. [9] The cleanup finished in half the usual time. [10] When the last bag was tied, Mr. Reyes handed Tala a cup of juice and said that every Cinderella deserved a seat at the party. [11] Tala laughed, sat on the cleanest desk, and finally enjoyed a quiet slice of cake.

   Source note: In the folktale “Cinderella,” a young woman is left at home to do the housework while her stepfamily goes to a grand ball.

6. 4.

   Kira thinks about the allusion. What does “I feel like Cinderella” add that “I am doing all the cleaning” would not?

   • It tells the reader that Tala is cleaning up after the class party and stacking chairs.
   • It shows that Tala is proud to be chosen for the job and enjoys doing it.
   • It is a joking comparison that shows Tala feels overworked and left out of the fun.
   • It shows that Tala is angry at the class and wants to make trouble for the others.
7. 5.

   Luz reads the story and the source note. Which phrase is an allusion, a reference to a well-known story?

   • “laughter drifted in from outside” in sentence [4]
   • “as if a storm had passed through it” in sentence [1]
   • “a very long list of chores” in sentence [3]
   • “I feel like Cinderella” in sentence [5]

8. The Eye as a Camera (article)

   [1] Your eye is about an inch across, and it lets you see the world around you. [2] One way to picture the eye is as a camera that takes pictures all day long. [3] A camera has an opening that lets in light, and the eye has a dark circle in the center called the pupil. [4] In bright light the pupil gets smaller, just as a camera's opening can be made smaller to let in less light. [5] A camera has a lens that bends light so that the picture is sharp, and the eye has a clear lens that does the same job. [6] The camera records the picture on film or on a sensor, while the eye records it on the retina at the back of the eye. [7] The retina sends signals along a nerve to the brain, and the brain turns the signals into the picture you see. [8] Many science books therefore show the eye beside a camera so students can match the parts. [9] The comparison has a limit, however, because a camera simply stores a picture, while the brain does much more with what the eye sends. [10] A camera has to be focused by hand or motor, while muscles in the eye reshape the lens automatically. [11] Even so, the camera picture is useful for learning the names and jobs of the parts. [12] Students then learn the details that make the eye more than a simple camera.

9. 6.

   Noah reads the article. Which sentence states the analogy that explains how the eye works?

   • [7] The retina sends signals along a nerve to the brain, and the brain turns the signals into the picture you see.
   • [8] Many science books therefore show the eye beside a camera so students can match the parts.
   • [2] One way to picture the eye is as a camera that takes pictures all day long.
   • [1] Your eye is about an inch across, and it lets you see the world around you.
10. 7.

    Pia thinks about why the writer uses the camera analogy. What does it help a reader understand?

    • How the parts of the eye work together to take in light and form a picture, using a device most people know.
    • That the eye is just a camera that stores a picture, so the brain has no work to do.
    • That the eye is about an inch across and lets people see the world around them.
    • That each part of the body works like a camera, so the body is just a set of devices.

11. Water and Wires (article)

    [1] Electricity can seem mysterious because the tiny particles that carry it are too small to see. [2] Teachers often explain a simple circuit by comparing it with water flowing through pipes. [3] In this analogy, the wire is like a pipe, and the electric current is like the water flowing inside it. [4] A battery works like a pump that pushes the water along. [5] The stronger the push, the faster the water flows, just as a stronger battery pushes more current. [6] A light bulb is like a narrow part of the pipe, where the water has to squeeze through and does work. [7] If there is a break in the pipe, the water stops, and if there is a gap in a circuit, the current stops too. [8] That is why a bulb goes dark when a switch is open. [9] The comparison helps students predict what will happen in a circuit before they build it. [10] It also has limits, because a real pipe can leak water onto the floor, while a wire usually keeps its current inside the circuit. [11] Scientists therefore use the analogy as a starting point and then add more careful ideas. [12] With practice, students can describe circuits using the real words: voltage, current and resistance.

12. 8.

    Ren thinks about why the writer uses water and pipes. What does the analogy help a reader do?

    • Believe that wires leak current onto the floor like a broken pipe.
    • Predict what will happen in a circuit, such as a bulb going dark when a switch is open.
    • Skip the real words, because the analogy replaces voltage, current and resistance.
    • Learn that a battery, a wire and a bulb are the parts of a simple circuit.
13. 9.

    Tala reads the article. In the water-and-pipes analogy, what does the battery stand for?

    • A narrow part of the pipe where the water squeezes through.
    • The water that flows inside the pipe.
    • A pump that pushes the water along.
    • A pipe that carries the water from place to place.
14. 10.

    Zee reads the article. Which sentence first names what a circuit is compared with?

    • [2] Teachers often explain a simple circuit by comparing it with water flowing through pipes.
    • [8] That is why a bulb goes dark when a switch is open.
    • [12] With practice, students can describe circuits using the real words: voltage, current and resistance.
    • [1] Electricity can seem mysterious because the tiny particles that carry it are too small to see.