Two texts, two shapes: what the order adds

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Two Tellings of a Letter (paired stories)

   Text A: “The Offer”
   [1] Ren held the thick envelope from the art school for a full minute before finally sliding a finger under the flap. [2] Inside was an offer of a place for the fall, along with a scholarship that would pay for half of the cost. [3] Ren read the letter twice, slowly, and then called Milo with a hand that was not entirely steady. [4] “I'm going,” Ren said, and the words sounded larger in the quiet room than any words Ren had said all year. [5] Milo whooped so loudly that the phone crackled and the dog in the next apartment began to bark. [6] That night, Ren packed the sketchbooks into a cardboard box and taped it shut with three long strips of tape.

   Text B: “The Letter”
   [7] Ren held the thick envelope from the art school for a full minute before finally sliding a finger under the flap. [8] Inside was an offer of a place for the fall, along with a scholarship that would pay for half of the cost. [9] Ren read the letter twice, slowly, and then called Milo with a hand that was not entirely steady. [10] “That's great,” Milo said, and then added more quietly, “It's a long way off, though, isn't it?” [11] Ren looked at the sketchbooks stacked on the desk, their edges worn soft from two years of carrying. [12] Outside, the evening light was fading from the window, and the letter lay open on the page, its edge lifting in the draft.

2. 1.

   Noah compares the endings. How does the ending of Text B change what the reader understands about Ren's decision, compared with Text A?

   • Text B shows that Ren does not enjoy drawing, while Text A shows that Ren is eager to draw.
   • Text B shows that Milo wants Ren to stay home, while Text A shows that Milo does not care.
   • Text B shows that Ren has decided to refuse the offer, while Text A shows that Ren has accepted it.
   • Text B leaves the decision open and shows Ren weighing it, while Text A treats the offer as already accepted.
3. 2.

   Pia writes one margin note for each text. Which pair of notes names how each ending treats the decision?

   • Text A: a closed ending that confirms a choice. Text B: a closed ending that confirms the opposite choice.
   • Text A: a closed ending that confirms a choice. Text B: an open ending that leaves the choice unsettled.
   • Text A: an ending that shows doubt about the choice. Text B: an ending that shows joy about the choice.
   • Text A: an open ending that leaves the choice unsettled. Text B: a closed ending that confirms a choice.
4. 3.

   Ren imagines a change. If Text B ended with Ren saying “I'm going,” as Text A does, what would the reader lose?

   • The sense that Ren has made the choice, which the quiet last image creates.
   • Nothing, because the two endings would say the same thing about Ren's decision.
   • The proof that Ren should not leave home, which the last image provides.
   • The sense that the choice is still being weighed, which the quiet last image creates.

5. Two Tellings of Waiting for Results (paired stories)

   Text A: “Two Screens”
   [1] Ari paced the kitchen, checking the oven clock every few seconds as if the minutes could be hurried along by looking at them. [2] Across town, Bo sat on the porch steps with a laptop balanced on both knees, refreshing the school's website again and again. [3] Ari's phone buzzed on the counter, and Ari let it ring twice before picking it up with a damp hand. [4] At the very same moment, Bo's page finished loading, and a single line of black type appeared on the white screen. [5] “We made it,” Ari said into the phone, and in the same breath Bo said the same three words out loud on the porch. [6] Neither of them could tell who had spoken first, and neither of them cared.

   Text B: “The Phone Call”
   [7] Ari paced the kitchen, checking the oven clock every few seconds as if the minutes could be hurried along by looking at them. [8] Ari's phone buzzed on the counter, and Ari let it ring twice before picking it up with a damp hand. [9] It was Bo, who had just refreshed the school's website and read a single line of black type on the white screen. [10] “We made it,” Bo said, and the words came out as a laugh. [11] Ari said them back, and both of them laughed for a long time while the oven clock ticked on.

6. 4.

   Tala compares the two structures. What does alternating between Ari and Bo in Text A suggest that Text B's single viewpoint does not?

   • That the two friends live through the same moment together, so their joy becomes a matching pair.
   • That Ari and Bo each own a phone and a computer, which they use to learn the news.
   • That the two friends are far apart in how they feel about the result, just as they are far apart in place.
   • That Ari and Bo planned in advance to say the same words at the same moment.
7. 5.

   Zee writes one margin note for each text. Which pair of notes names what each structure gives the reader?

   • Text A: one scene, so the reader learns about Bo secondhand. Text B: two scenes cut together, so the reader sees both friends at once.
   • Text A: two scenes cut together, so the reader sees both friends at once. Text B: two scenes cut together, so the reader sees Ari first.
   • Text A: two scenes cut together, so the reader sees both friends at once. Text B: one scene, so the reader learns about Bo secondhand.
   • Text A: one scene that makes Bo seem unimportant. Text B: two scenes that make Ari seem unimportant.
8. 6.

   Kira imagines a change. If Text A told all of Ari's morning first and then all of Bo's, what would change?

   • The sense of the two moments happening together would weaken, and the matching words would feel less like a coincidence.
   • The sense of the two moments happening together would grow stronger, and the matching words would feel more planned.
   • Nothing would change, because the same events would be told in the same words.
   • The reader would learn that Ari and Bo had cheated on the test.

9. Two Tellings of a Busy Morning (paired texts)

   Text A: “The Broken Oven”
   [1] Because the oven in the shop broke at dawn, Esme had to carry the dough three doors down the crowded street and bake the bread in the neighbor's oven. [2] That meant the loaves came out late, so the line outside the shop grew long and curled around the corner past the flower stall. [3] The customers who waited began to chat with one another, and the chatting turned the sidewalk into something like a party. [4] By noon, the shop had sold out of everything on the shelves, which is why Esme still calls the broken oven a lucky break.

   Text B: “A Morning in Esme's Shop”
   [5] The oven in Esme's shop broke at dawn, before the first loaf had gone in. [6] Esme carried the dough three doors down the crowded street and baked the bread in the neighbor's oven. [7] The loaves came out late that morning. [8] The line outside the shop grew long and curled around the corner past the flower stall. [9] The customers who waited began to chat with one another. [10] The sidewalk turned into something like a party. [11] By noon, the shop had sold out of everything on the shelves. [12] Esme still calls the broken oven a lucky break.

10. 7.

    Milo compares meaning. What does each structure suggest about how the shop became a party?

    • Text A suggests Esme broke the oven on purpose, while Text B suggests the neighbor did.
    • Both texts suggest the party happened by luck, with no connection between the events.
    • Text B suggests the broken oven caused the party through a chain of events, while Text A sets the moments side by side and leaves the reader to decide whether they are connected.
    • Text A suggests the broken oven caused the party through a chain of events, while Text B sets the moments side by side and leaves the reader to decide whether they are connected.
11. 8.

    Esme imagines a change. If Text B added “because” and “as a result” between its sentences, what would change?

    • The text would leave the reader more freedom to decide for themselves how the moments connect.
    • Nothing would change, because the facts would be the same and the sentences would still be short.
    • The text would tell the reader how the moments connect, instead of leaving that link for the reader to make.
    • The text would show for certain that the broken oven was a good thing for the shop and for the street.
12. 9.

    Noah writes one margin note for each text. Which pair of notes names how each text connects its events?

    • Text A: events listed in order with no links. Text B: events listed in order with no links.
    • Text A: events joined by cause words in one flowing chain. Text B: separate short sentences that leave the links unstated.
    • Text A: events joined by cause words in one flowing chain. Text B: events joined by cause words in separate paragraphs.
    • Text A: separate short sentences that leave the links unstated. Text B: events joined by cause words in one flowing chain.

13. Two Tellings of a Recital (paired stories)

    Text A: “The Light”
    [1] Tala stood backstage in the half dark, gripping the violin case with both hands as though it might float away. [2] Through the heavy curtain, the hum of the audience rose and fell like surf against a distant shore. [3] Tala breathed in, counted slowly to four, and walked out into the hot white light of the stage. [4] The first note shook like a leaf in the wind, and then, to Tala's relief, it steadied. [5] By the second page of the music, Tala had forgotten the audience altogether and was listening only to the violin. [6] When the last note faded, a silence so complete followed that Tala wondered for a moment whether something had gone terribly wrong.

    Text B: “The Hall”
    [7] Tala stood backstage in the half dark, gripping the violin case with both hands as though it might float away. [8] Through the heavy curtain, the hum of the audience rose and fell like surf against a distant shore. [9] Tala breathed in, counted slowly to four, and walked out into the hot white light of the stage. [10] In the third row, a grandmother lowered her program, and a boy who had been fidgeting since the first piece went completely still. [11] The first note shook like a leaf in the wind and then steadied, and the whole hall seemed to lean forward together. [12] When the last note faded, the silence lasted three heartbeats, and then the applause broke over the stage like a wave.

14. 10.

    Luz compares endings. What does the shift to the audience in Text B do to the meaning of the ending, compared with Text A?

    • Text A keeps the reader inside Tala's uncertainty, while Text B lets the reader see the audience's response that Tala cannot.
    • Text B shows that the audience loved Tala more than any other performer in the hall.
    • Text A and Text B differ just in how many sentences describe the applause.
    • Text B keeps the reader inside Tala's uncertainty, while Text A lets the reader see the audience's response that Tala cannot.