How a line of dialogue or an event moves the story
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Extra Crispy Batch (story)
[1] Hours before the school bake sale, Pia carried a tray of lemon cookies into the cafeteria and noticed Zee crouched behind the juice table, sliding a blackened tray under a stack of paper plates. [2] Zee had stayed up past ten the night before following a recipe copied from an old cookbook, and every cookie in the burnt batch had come out as dark as a coaster. [3] “They're not for sale,” Zee muttered without looking up, “I'm just making room.”
[4] Pia set the lemon cookies down, picked up one of the burnt ones, and tapped it against the table so that it rang like a plate. [5] “These could hold up a tent,” Pia said, “which makes them the only cookies here that nobody can squash in a backpack.” [6] Zee let out a short laugh before remembering to look embarrassed.
[7] Pia wrote EXTRA CRISPY, DUNKING RECOMMENDED on an index card and propped it against the tray without asking. [8] Zee, still unsure, quietly lowered the price from a dollar to seventy-five cents and then raised it again when the line began to grow. [9] By the time the doors opened, the card had drawn a line of seventh graders, and two of them bought a bag to test the claim by dunking the cookies in hot chocolate. [10] Zee stood behind the table all afternoon, handing out bags and explaining the dunking method with growing confidence.
[11] When the last bag sold, Zee slid the empty tray back out from under the plates and said, “Next time I'm measuring twice, but I'm keeping the card.”
Ari reads “The Extra Crispy Batch.” What does Zee's line in sentence 3 show about Zee?
- Zee is angry at Pia for arriving with better cookies.
- Zee has decided to stop baking for the school fair for good.
- Zee is going to slide a tray of burnt cookies under a stack of paper plates behind the juice table.
- Zee is embarrassed about the burnt batch and wants it kept out of sight.
Bo follows the action. What is the very next thing that Pia's line in sentence 5 sets off?
- Zee gives up on the sale and takes the whole burnt batch home.
- Zee laughs, then remembers to look embarrassed.
- Two seventh graders buy a bag to test the claim by dunking the cookies in hot chocolate.
- Pia taps a burnt cookie against the table so that it rings like a plate.
The Notebook Under the Red Light (story)
[1] On the night of the astronomy club's open house, Jun arrived with a neat stack of note cards and a plan to give the whole presentation about Saturn's rings without any help. [2] Ren, who had spent three months logging every observation in a battered notebook, hovered near the door and offered only a quiet “good luck.” [3] Ten minutes before the visitors arrived, the lights in the dome flickered and the room went dark except for the red glow of the telescope's pointer.
[4] “I can't read my cards in this,” Jun admitted, holding one up to the red light and squinting, “and you've memorized every number in that notebook.” [5] A long pause followed, filled with the faint hum of the telescope motor as it tracked a distant planet. [6] Ren took a step backward and said, “Nobody came to hear about my notebook.” [7] “They came to hear about Saturn,” Jun answered, “and you're the one who knows which night its rings looked thinnest.”
[8] Ren looked at the dark screen, then at the notebook, and opened it to the page marked with a paper clip. [9] When the visitors filed in, Ren stood beside the telescope and described the thin rings with a steadiness that surprised even Jun. [10] A child in the front row asked how anyone could be sure the rings were thinner that night, and Ren turned the notebook around so the whole row could see the measurements.
[11] Jun passed the note cards to the back of the room and let Ren finish the talk.
Kira reads “The Notebook Under the Red Light.” What does Ren's line in sentence 6 show about Ren?
- Ren is annoyed that Jun planned the whole talk without asking.
- Ren has decided to leave the astronomy club after tonight because the notebook does not matter.
- Ren is stepping back from Jun toward the doorway of the dome.
- Ren doubts that the careful work in the notebook matters to anyone.
Luz follows the action. What is the very next thing that Jun's line in sentence 7 sets off?
- Jun holds a note card up to the red light and squints.
- Jun gives up the club and hands the note cards to Ren before the visitors arrive.
- Ren looks at the notebook and opens it to the page marked with a paper clip.
- A child in the front row asks how anyone can be sure the rings were thinner.
Milo marks the strip. Which sentence is the line that turns the action from Ren standing back toward giving the talk?
- [1] On the night of the astronomy club's open house, Jun arrived with a neat stack of note cards and a plan to give the whole presentation about Saturn's rings without any help.
- [7] “They came to hear about Saturn,” Jun answered, “and you're the one who knows which night its rings looked thinnest.”
- [9] When the visitors filed in, Ren stood beside the telescope and described the thin rings with a steadiness that surprised even Jun.
- [5] A long pause followed, filled with the faint hum of the telescope motor as it tracked a distant planet.
The Missing Letter (story)
[1] The sign for the new school garden was Kira's idea, and Kira had spent two lunch periods painting it in bright green and orange letters on a long cedar board. [2] Bo arrived with a bucket of seed packets, stopped in front of the board, and noticed that the word tomatoes had lost its e. [3] Kira stepped back with a brush still in hand and asked, “Well, what do you think?”
[4] Bo studied the board for a moment and said, “The colors look amazing from across the field, and I keep wondering whether Mr. Salazar would want to see the spelling before the paint dries.” [5] “Which spelling?” Kira asked, and then followed Bo's glance down to the third line. [6] The brush dropped to Kira's side, and Kira let out a long breath.
[7] “I checked everything twice except that,” Kira said, “and I have exactly one can of orange.” [8] Bo set down the seed packets, carried a spare strip of cedar from the shed, and held it against the board so that one corner covered the mistake. [9] The strip was a little darker than the board, and the nails went in with a satisfying thump. [10] Kira painted the corrected word onto the strip, and together they nailed it over the old one before the lunch hour ended.
[11] When the class came out to plant, nobody noticed the patch, though Mr. Salazar thanked Kira for the careful lettering.
Ren follows the action. What is the very next thing that Bo's line in sentence 4 sets off?
- Kira throws away the board and begins a new sign.
- Kira asks which spelling and follows Bo's glance down to the third line.
- Mr. Salazar thanks Kira for the careful lettering.
- Bo notices that the word tomatoes has lost its e.
Tala marks the strip. Which sentence is the line that turns the action from Kira admiring the sign toward fixing it?
- [4] Bo studied the board for a moment and said, “The colors look amazing from across the field, and I keep wondering whether Mr. Salazar would want to see the spelling before the paint dries.”
- [1] The sign for the new school garden was Kira's idea, and Kira had spent two lunch periods painting it in bright green and orange letters on a long cedar board.
- [8] Bo set down the seed packets, carried a spare strip of cedar from the shed, and held it against the board so that one corner covered the mistake.
- [9] The strip was a little darker than the board, and the nails went in with a satisfying thump.
The Joint That Broke (story)
[1] On the morning of the bridge-testing contest, Luz placed a span of craft sticks between two stacks of textbooks while Noah held a bucket of sand for the weights. [2] The judges added sand a cup at a time, and Luz counted under a breath, steady as a metronome, through each added cup until the twelfth pound. [3] At thirteen pounds the center joint cracked with a sound like a dry twig snapping, and the whole span folded onto the table with a flat clatter.
[4] Luz gathered the splinters into a paper bag without a word and zipped the backpack shut with a sharp tug, as though that could close the subject. [5] Around them the gym filled with the cheerful chatter of other teams who had already packed up their bridges and their ribbons. [6] “Last year's winner held eleven pounds,” Noah said, tipping the sand back into its bucket. [7] “Last year's winner didn't have to look at that joint,” Luz said, “I should have used two layers.”
[8] Noah picked a stick out of the bag, turned it in the light, and pointed at the glossy end where the glue had never soaked in. [9] “It broke at the glue, not at the wood,” Noah said, “which means the design itself held up, and the next version only needs a better joint.” [10] Luz took the stick, studied the shiny end for a long moment, and pulled a pencil from behind an ear.
[11] By lunchtime there was a new sketch on the back of the contest sheet, with a bold circle drawn around every joint.
Zee reads “The Joint That Broke.” What does Luz's line in sentence 7 show about Luz?
- Luz is proud that the bridge held more than last year's winner.
- Luz is going to use two layers of sticks on the next joint.
- Luz has decided that bridges are too hard to build well.
- Luz holds a high standard and blames the design for the failure.
Ari follows the action. What is the very next thing that Noah's line in sentence 9 sets off?
- By lunchtime there is a new sketch with a bold circle around each joint.
- Luz gathers the splinters into a paper bag and zips the backpack shut.
- Luz takes the stick, studies the shiny end and pulls a pencil from behind an ear.
- Luz asks the judges to let the broken bridge compete a second time.
Bo marks the strip. Which sentence is the line that turns the action from Luz giving up toward planning a new bridge?
- [3] At thirteen pounds the center joint cracked with a sound like a dry twig snapping, and the whole span folded onto the table with a flat clatter.
- [9] “It broke at the glue, not at the wood,” Noah said, “which means the design itself held up, and the next version only needs a better joint.”
- [11] By lunchtime there was a new sketch on the back of the contest sheet, with a bold circle drawn around every joint.
- [5] Around them the gym filled with the cheerful chatter of other teams who had already packed up their bridges and their ribbons.
