Verbal irony, puns and other figures

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Rocky Trail (story)

   [1] Jun and Ren set out on the Eagle Ridge trail at sunrise, carrying sandwiches, a map that neither of them had studied and a considerable amount of optimism. [2] After an hour of scrambling over loose stones while the path tilted steadily upward, Jun stopped, wheezed and announced, "This is the most relaxing stroll I have ever taken." [3] Ren, whose boots were full of gravel and whose face had turned the color of a boiled beet, laughed so hard that a pigeon burst out of the nearest bush. [4] "If we climb one more hill," Ren said, "my legs will fall off and roll back to the parking lot." [5] By the time they reached the summit, Ms. Ito, the park ranger, was stacking flat stones beside a wooden sign that read Scenic Overlook. [6] "Sorry about the climb," she said cheerfully. "I'm afraid it's a bit of a hill." [7] Jun glanced down the cliff at the tiny cars far below and then back at the trail they had climbed, which zigzagged for what looked like a mile through the trees. [8] "Just a bit," Jun said faintly. [9] Ms. Ito laughed and wiped her dusty hands on her jacket before she gestured at the long ridge that stretched away on both sides. [10] "I have worked on this ridge for twenty years," she said, "and I will admit that the job has its ups and downs." [11] The two friends sat on a log, ate their squashed sandwiches and decided, between yawns and groans, that the view had been worth every blister. [12] Neither of them mentioned that the return trip would begin in ten minutes.

2. 1.

   Ari reads Jun's line in sentence [2] beside the climb that comes before it. What does Jun really mean?

   • The trail is covered with loose stones that slip under the boots.
   • The climb is calm and easy, and Jun is happily enjoying a gentle walk through the woods.
   • Jun is furious about the trail and wants to turn around at once.
   • The climb is exhausting, and Jun jokes about the effort instead of complaining outright.
3. 2.

   Bo reads Ms. Ito's remark in sentence [10] about her job's "ups and downs." Which pair of meanings makes it a pun?

   • A ranger's uniform, and the flat stones she stacks at the summit.
   • The trail's climbs and drops, and an elevator that goes up and down.
   • The trail's climbs and drops, and the rises and falls of the ridge.
   • The trail's climbs and drops, and the good and bad times of the job.
4. 3.

   Esme reads Ms. Ito's words in sentence [6], "it's a bit of a hill," said after the steep climb. Which figure is it?

   • Hyperbole: it stretches the truth to make the hill sound huge.
   • Understatement: it makes a long, steep climb sound small.
   • A plain statement: it describes the climb exactly as it is.
   • A pun: one word is played on for two different meanings.

5. A Reel Good Morning (story)

   [1] Kira had never been fishing, but Mr. Doyle, a retired mail carrier with a bucket hat and a tackle box full of puns, insisted that the lake was the best classroom in the county. [2] He handed over a rod and a plastic container, explained that lunch was inside and then pushed the little rowboat away from the dock with a long wooden oar. [3] Kira lifted the lid and found a sandwich that had spent the morning in a puddle of lake water at the bottom of the bag. [4] "Wow," Kira said, studying the soggy bread. "This looks absolutely delicious." [5] Mr. Doyle burst out laughing and said that the sandwich had simply been marinating. [6] An hour passed without a single bite, and Kira's patience grew thinner than the cheese on the sandwich. [7] "Fishing is mostly waiting," Mr. Doyle said, "and I am told that I am very good at it. In fact, I am a reel expert," he added, and he tapped the shiny reel in his hand. [8] Kira groaned loudly enough to scare away every fish within a mile, and a heron on the shore lifted its head and stared as though it had been insulted. [9] Just then the line jerked, and Kira shouted that the creature on the end felt as big as a bus. [10] After a long and splashing struggle, with the boat rocking from side to side, the catch turned out to be a rubber boot. [11] Mr. Doyle held it up to the sunlight with great ceremony and declared it the discovery of the century. [12] Kira laughed in spite of the groan and decided that the lake had a great deal to teach about disappointment.

6. 4.

   Noah reads sentence [9], where Kira says the catch felt "as big as a bus." Which figure is that claim?

   • Understatement: it makes a big catch sound small.
   • A plain statement: it measures the size of the catch exactly.
   • Hyperbole: it stretches the size to show how hard the line pulled.
   • A pun: one word is played on for two different meanings.

7. The Volcano That Went Off Plan (story)

   [1] On the morning of the science fair, Zee and Noah carried a papier-mâché volcano into the gym and set it on a table between a model of the solar system and a tray of bean sprouts. [2] The volcano was supposed to erupt gently, with a small and steady fizz of red foam, after four weeks of careful testing in Noah's garage. [3] Dr. Lindqvist, the head judge, arrived at ten o'clock with a clipboard and a serious expression and leaned in for a closer look. [4] At that moment the volcano gave a deep gurgle and launched a geyser of foam that rose six feet, drifted slowly across the table and landed on the judge's clipboard. [5] "Right on schedule," Noah said weakly, staring at the dripping pages. "That went exactly as planned." [6] Zee covered both eyes and wished, not for the first time, that the gym had a trapdoor. [7] Dr. Lindqvist peeled a clump of foam off a sleeve and examined it with the calm interest of a person looking at a rare insect. [8] "Well," the judge said at last, "that is certainly a lot of foam." [9] Zee finally lowered both hands and managed a shaky smile. [10] "I guess you could say the project really blew up," Zee said. [11] Even Dr. Lindqvist laughed, and then wrote on a fresh sheet of paper that the volcano had been the most memorable display in the room. [12] Noah, still holding a foam-covered ladle, decided that this was either the best or the worst result of the entire fair and that it would take a week to know which.

8. 5.

   Pia reads Noah's line in sentence [5] beside the eruption in sentence [4]. What does Noah really mean?

   • Foam landed on the judge's clipboard and soaked the pages.
   • Noah is proud and wants the judge to give the top score.
   • The eruption was a mess nothing like the plan, and Noah jokes through the shock.
   • The volcano erupted when the team had scheduled it, and the display worked well.
9. 6.

   Ren reads Zee's joke in sentence [10], "the project really blew up." Which pair of meanings makes it a pun?

   • The volcano exploded in foam, and the project became a big, talked-about hit.
   • The word "project," meaning a school task, and "project," meaning to throw outward.
   • The volcano erupted, and a balloon was filled with air.
   • The volcano erupted, and the foam shot up and burst out.
10. 7.

    Tala reads the judge's words in sentence [8], "that is certainly a lot of foam," after the geyser. Which figure is it?

    • Understatement: it makes a six-foot geyser sound like an ordinary amount.
    • A pun: one word is played on for two different meanings.
    • A plain statement: it gives the amount of foam exactly.
    • Hyperbole: it stretches the truth to make the foam sound bigger.

11. The Express Elevator (story)

    [1] The elevator at Fairview Library had a brass plate that read Express, and it was famous for being neither fast nor direct. [2] Milo and Tala stood in front of the closed doors with armfuls of books for the reading contest and watched the little numbers above the door crawl from 4 to 3 over the course of what felt like a week. [3] "Wow," Milo said, "this thing is lightning fast." [4] "I have seen glaciers move faster," Tala said. [5] At last the doors shuddered open, and the pair stepped inside beside an old fan that wheezed in the ceiling like a tired animal. [6] The elevator lurched downward when they wanted to go up, and Tala watched the lobby floor appear again through the little window as the books grew heavier in both arms. [7] "I suppose we are slightly delayed," Milo said. [8] "Honestly," Tala said, hugging the books, "I feel completely let down." [9] Milo snorted and pressed the button for the fourth floor six more times, as if the button had been the problem all along. [10] The doors finally opened, and a librarian who had been waiting patiently beside the front desk with a stack of returned books pointed to the staircase on the right. [11] "The stairs," she said sweetly, "are our famous express route." [12] The two of them looked at the staircase, then at the books, then at each other, and began to climb with the slow dignity of people who had lost an argument with a machine, while the librarian went back to stamping the returned books.

12. 8.

    Ari reads Milo's line in sentence [3] while the numbers crawl from 4 to 3. What does Milo really mean?

    • The elevator is quick, and Milo is pleased with its speed.
    • Milo is sure the elevator is broken and will not arrive.
    • The numbers above the door change from 4 to 3.
    • The elevator is very slow, and Milo jokes about the wait.
13. 9.

    Bo reads Tala's line in sentence [8], "I feel completely let down," as the elevator drops. Which pair of meanings makes a pun?

    • "Express," meaning fast, and "express," meaning to say out loud.
    • The elevator lowers the riders, and Tala feels disappointed.
    • The elevator lowers the riders, and a balloon loses its air.
    • The elevator lowers the riders, and it moves them to the lobby.
14. 10.

    Esme reads Tala's line in sentence [4], "I have seen glaciers move faster." Which figure is it?

    • Understatement: it makes a very slow elevator sound a little slow.
    • Hyperbole: it stretches how slow the elevator is by comparing it to a glacier.
    • A plain statement: it compares the speeds exactly.
    • A pun: one word is played on for two different meanings.