What the reader knows that the character does not

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Picnic Forecast (story)

   [1] For three weeks, Jun and Noah had planned the picnic at Heron Lake, down to the checkered blanket, the thermos of cocoa and the tin of ginger cookies that Noah had baked twice to get right. [2] On Saturday morning, Jun checked the forecast, which promised a gentle breeze, high clouds and only a small chance of showers after four o'clock. [3] "A small chance," Noah repeated happily, loading the basket into the wagon. "That's practically a guarantee of sunshine." [4] By noon the pair had spread the blanket beneath a willow, and a line of heavy gray clouds had begun to gather over the water like a crowd arriving for a show. [5] Jun unscrewed the thermos and remarked that it was "lovely to have the whole lake to ourselves," since nobody else had come. [6] A drop landed on the cookie tin, and another landed on Noah's nose. [7] "Well," Noah said, wiping the tin with a sleeve, "it's a good thing we picked the driest day of the year." [8] Jun laughed, pulled the blanket over both of their heads and declared it the finest picnic shelter ever built. [9] The rain thickened into a steady drumming on the cloth, and the cocoa steamed between them like a small, stubborn campfire while a family of ducks paddled past the willow looking mildly offended. [10] "Next time," Jun said, "we should check the forecast on a day when it isn't wrong." [11] Noah pretended to think it over, then handed across the last cookie, which had gotten only slightly damp.

2. 1.

   Ari reads Noah's remark in sentence [7], "it's a good thing we picked the driest day of the year." What kind of irony is it?

   • Dramatic irony: the reader knows something about the weather that Noah does not.
   • Not irony: Noah is sincerely glad that the day is dry.
   • Verbal irony: Noah says the opposite of what the rainy scene shows.
   • Situational irony: a picnic planned for sunshine ends in rain.
3. 2.

   Bo compares Noah's confidence in sentence [3] with what the reader sees. Which sentence does the most to widen that gap?

   • [6] A drop of rain lands on the cookie tin and on Noah's nose.
   • [4] A line of heavy gray clouds gathers over the lake.
   • [1] The friends plan the picnic for three weeks, down to the cookies.
   • [2] The forecast promises a small chance of showers after four o'clock.
4. 3.

   Esme reads sentences [3] to [6]. What is the main effect of Noah's cheerful confidence beside the gathering clouds?

   • Gentle humor: the reader smiles at confidence that the sky is about to spoil.
   • Suspense: the reader fears the friends are in real danger at the lake.
   • Surprise: the reader is as unprepared for the rain as Noah is.
   • Sadness: the reader feels that three weeks of careful planning were wasted for nothing.

5. The Message That Went Astray (story)

   [1] Esme spent Thursday evening organizing a surprise party for Milo, and at nine o'clock typed the final instructions for the planning committee, which consisted of six friends and a very long checklist. [2] The message read: "Party is Saturday at two, behind the gym. Everyone bring a snack, and whatever you do, DO NOT mention this to Milo." [3] Esme pressed send, set the phone face down and went back to folding paper stars, certain that the secret was perfectly safe for another two days. [4] Across town, Milo's phone chimed, and the screen lit up with a message from Esme that began with the words "Party is Saturday." [5] A slip of the thumb on the contact list had sent the instructions to the one person who was never supposed to see them. [6] Milo read the message twice, then a third time, grinning at the ceiling and wondering how long it would be possible to keep a straight face. [7] On Friday, Esme caught up with Milo at the lockers and asked, with elaborate nonchalance, whether Milo had any plans for Saturday afternoon. [8] "Nothing special," Milo said, dropping a gaze to a shoelace. "Maybe a snack somewhere near the gym." [9] Esme's pencil stopped in midair, then resumed its tapping as though nothing had happened. [10] "Sounds boring," Esme said, a little too quickly. "You should stay home and rest." [11] "Probably," Milo agreed, and the two parted with matching smiles. [12] Neither of them, it seemed, had any intention of confessing anything before Saturday afternoon, and both of them looked forward to it.

6. 4.

   Jun compares sentence [5] with sentence [8]. How does sentence [8] change the gap that sentence [5] opened?

   • It leaves it unchanged: Milo merely repeats what Esme already knows.
   • It closes it: Milo admits to Esme that the message arrived by mistake and that the party is no secret.
   • It deepens it: Milo uses the message's details while Esme still thinks the secret is safe.
   • It reverses it: now Esme knows more than Milo does.
7. 5.

   Kira reads sentence [9]: Esme's pencil stops in midair, then resumes. What does that detail do?

   • It shows that Esme realizes the message was misdirected and is now angry at Milo for knowing.
   • It tells the reader that Esme has a habit of tapping a pencil whenever Esme is thinking hard.
   • It leaves the reader unsure whether Esme suspects Milo knows, adding a second layer of humor.
   • It shows that Esme is certain that Milo has read the message and is hiding that fact.
8. 6.

   Luz reads sentences [4] to [6]. The reader and Milo know where the instructions went; Esme does not. Which kind of irony is that?

   • No irony: Esme, Milo and the reader know where the instructions went.
   • Situational irony: the outcome is the opposite of what Esme expected.
   • Dramatic irony: the reader knows something that one character does not.
   • Verbal irony: the characters' words mean the opposite of what they say.

9. The Cafeteria Cushion (story)

   [1] All week, Jun had been plotting a lunchtime prank that involved a squeaky rubber cushion, a cafeteria chair and a perfectly innocent expression. [2] On Wednesday morning Jun smuggled the cushion into the lunchroom inside a gym bag and slid it under the chair at Pia's usual place. [3] Unfortunately for Jun, the lunchroom door had been open, and Pia, who was returning a library book, heard the tail end of the whispered plan from the hallway. [4] Pia told no one; at noon Pia arrived early, slipped the cushion out from under the chair at Pia's own place and slid it beneath the chair at the head of the table, where Jun always sat. [5] Then Pia opened a book and settled behind it with a perfectly calm face. [6] Jun arrived with a tray and an enormous grin, took one look at Pia's untouched place and gave a satisfied nod. [7] "Big day," Pia remarked without looking up. "You seem very pleased with yourself." [8] "I'm just happy about the weather," Jun said, and sat down at the head of the table with a cheerful flourish, certain that the trap was waiting for someone else. [9] The cushion let out a long, rude squeal that rang from one end of the cafeteria to the other. [10] Forty heads turned. [11] Pia turned a page. [12] "What a lovely sound," Pia said. "Is that a new instrument?" [13] Jun, whose face had turned the color of a ripe tomato, sank slowly lower in the chair and studied the ceiling tiles with great interest.

10. 7.

    Noah reads Pia's lines in sentences [7] and [12]. What do they add to the scene?

    • Suspense: the reader fears that Pia will find a way to punish Jun in front of the whole school.
    • Relief: the reader is glad that Pia is sincerely comforting Jun after the embarrassing moment.
    • Cruelty: the reader sees that Pia wants Jun to be humiliated.
    • Humor with a sting: polite words that hide what Pia knows deepen Jun's embarrassment.
11. 8.

    Pia reads the end of the story. Jun planned a prank for Pia, and it lands on Jun. Which kind of irony is that outcome?

    • Situational irony: the result reverses what Jun intended.
    • Dramatic irony: the outcome is known to the reader but not to Pia.
    • Verbal irony: Jun says one thing while meaning another.
    • Not irony: Jun simply had bad luck at lunch.

12. The Quietest Room in School (story)

    [1] Ms. Delgado had been the librarian at Lakeview Middle School for nineteen years, and in all that time she had never once raised her voice. [2] She did not need to. [3] A single tilt of her eyebrows could silence a roomful of eighth-graders, and the sign above her desk, lettered in careful black ink, read: A library is a place for silence. [4] On the first day of the book fair, thirty students filed in for silent reading, and Ms. Delgado moved among the tables like a lighthouse keeper checking the fog on a calm night. [5] Kira, who was reading a mystery in the corner, noticed that even the page turns seemed to be happening on tiptoe, and the clock above the door seemed to tick more softly than usual. [6] Then, from somewhere inside the librarian's cardigan, came a blaring burst of trumpets and a cheerful voice shouting, "You've got a call! Pick up! Pick up!" [7] Every head in the library swiveled toward the desk. [8] Ms. Delgado froze with a hand halfway into her pocket, and her cheeks turned the color of the sign's red border. [9] "My nephew," she murmured, pulling out the phone, "changed my ringtone. I will deal with this at once." [10] She silenced it, smoothed her cardigan and surveyed the room with the stony expression that had ended many a whisper. [11] Not a single student laughed, though Zee's shoulders trembled and Noah studied a page upside down. [12] "Thank you," Ms. Delgado said, in a whisper so gentle it was nearly a sigh, "for your excellent silence."

13. 9.

    Tala reads Ms. Delgado's last line in sentence [12]. What effect does it have?

    • Anger: the reader is meant to see that Ms. Delgado is furious and hiding it.
    • Gentle humor: her thanks may admit that the students are fighting laughter.
    • Suspense: the reader waits to see what punishment will follow.
    • Information: the reader learns that silent reading time is over.
14. 10.

    Zee compares the librarian's stern look in sentence [10] with sentence [11]. How does [11] change the gap between the room's surface and the students' feelings?

    • It leaves it unchanged: the students are as serious as the librarian.
    • It widens it: the students look serious, but shaking shoulders and an upside-down page show their laughter.
    • It reverses it: Ms. Delgado now sees the students' hidden feelings, but the students cannot see hers.
    • It closes it: the students finally laugh out loud and the librarian smiles along with them at the ringtone.