What an object or a type of character stands for

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Cracked Bowl (original story)

   [1] Every Saturday, the community center's pottery room smelled of clay and damp towels, and Esme had spent six weeks shaping a wide blue bowl. [2] When the bowl came out of the kiln, a thin crack ran from the rim almost to the base. [3] Esme turned the crack toward the wall, tucked the bowl at the back of the shelf, and hoped nobody would pick it up. [4] Ms. Orsini, who taught the class, noticed anyway and carried the bowl to a table by the window. [5] “A crack is information,” Ms. Orsini said. “It shows where the clay was stretched too far.” [6] Instead of tossing the bowl or covering the crack, Ms. Orsini set out a tube of strong glue and a jar of gold powder, then walked off to help someone else.

   [7] Esme pressed the pieces together and brushed gold along the seam until it shone like a thin river. [8] The next week, the center announced a spring show, and each student had to choose one piece for the front table. [9] Esme hesitated, then placed the bowl in the front row with the gold seam facing the visitors. [10] A visitor stopped, traced the golden line with one finger, and asked who had made it. [11] “I did,” Esme said, “and I almost hid it.” [12] The other bowls in the row were smooth and perfect, but the visitor stayed longest at the one with the line.

2. 1.

   Kira compares two readings of the bowl. Reader 1: it stands for hiding mistakes. Reader 2: it stands for mistakes people come to value. Which does the text support best?

   • Reader 2: in [12], the visitor stays longest at the bowl with the gold line.
   • Reader 1: in [9], Esme hesitates before placing the bowl in the front row.
   • Reader 1: in [3], Esme turns the crack toward the wall and tucks the bowl at the back.
   • Reader 2: in [7], Esme brushes gold along the seam until it shines like a thin river.

3. The Silver Baton (original story)

   [1] At the county youth meet, the four-person relay team needed a last runner, and Coach Dale looked straight at Ari. [2] “The anchor leg belongs to the fastest,” Ari said, “and that is not me.” [3] “Then you will be the steadiest,” Coach Dale answered, and pressed the silver baton into Ari's hand before anything more could be said. [4] Ari waited at the exchange line, gripping the baton so hard that the fingers ached, and watched the runners approaching. [5] Jun came around the last turn with shoulders pumping, and the team was in fifth place. [6] “Hand out flat and eyes forward,” Jun shouted. “I will find your palm.”

   [7] Ari held one open palm behind the back, kept both eyes on the track, and did not look around. [8] The baton landed in Ari's palm with a quiet slap, and Ari was off. [9] Ari passed one runner on the final straight and crossed the finish line a stride ahead of another competitor. [10] The team finished fourth, one place out of the ribbons, but Coach Dale called the exchange the cleanest of the whole meet. [11] Ari looked down at the open palm that had caught the baton. [12] Later, Ari lent the silver baton to a younger runner and showed how to hold a flat hand out and look ahead.

4. 2.

   Luz thinks about the baton. Which statement best explains how the change in what the baton stands for supports the story's theme?

   • The baton moves from a pressure Ari grips alone to a trust shared with Jun, so the story says a team works by relying on each other.
   • The baton stands for the pressure of speed, so the story says a race belongs to the fastest runner on a team.
   • The baton moves from heavy to light, so the story says trusting a teammate with the hand-off will win a team the race.
   • The baton passes from Jun to Ari at the exchange line, so the story says a relay needs four runners and one baton.
5. 3.

   Milo thinks about Ari, the reluctant hero. How does Ari's change from refusing the last leg to running it support the theme?

   • Ari's doubt shows that people who refuse a job will do it better than people who accept it.
   • Ari turns out to be the fastest runner, so the story shows that a reluctant hero was a star from the start.
   • Because Ari refused, the coach had to look at other runners first, which fills the story's opening scene.
   • Because Ari doubted first, the open palm in [7] shows a trust that Ari chose, not a trust that came easily.
6. 4.

   Noah compares two readings of the baton. Reader 1: it stands for winning. Reader 2: it stands for trust between teammates. Which does the text support best?

   • Reader 2: in [8], the baton lands in Ari's palm with a quiet slap, and Ari is off.
   • Reader 2: in [10], the team finishes fourth, but Coach Dale praises the exchange as the cleanest.
   • Reader 1: in [4], Ari grips the baton so hard that the fingers ache at the exchange line.
   • Reader 1: in [5], Jun comes around the last turn with shoulders pumping and the team in fifth place.

7. The Paper Boat (original story)

   [1] Zee had moved to Alder Lane in August, and the only company on the street was the creek behind the new house. [2] Each evening, Zee folded a paper boat, wrote a few words inside, and set it on the water. [3] The first note said, “Hello, is anyone out there?” and the boat drifted around the bend and disappeared. [4] The next evening a paper boat floated back into Zee's yard, and inside was a crooked reply: “This is the Creek. Yes, but I am busy. Try again tomorrow.” [5] Zee laughed out loud and wrote a new note asking the Creek about its favorite rock. [6] All week the replies grew sillier, with riddles, bad jokes, and a drawing of the Creek's secret hideout, all in the same wobbly handwriting.

   [7] Zee began to wonder who was really writing back, and started watching the bend. [8] On Friday, Zee followed the bank and found Milo crouched behind a willow, with a pencil behind one ear and a stack of folded paper at both feet. [9] “The Creek had to take a break,” Milo said, trying not to smile. “It sends its apologies.” [10] Zee grinned, held up a fresh boat, and asked if the Creek's assistant wanted to write the next note. [11] They sat on the bank that evening and wrote it together. [12] When Zee set the boat on the water, it floated around the bend, and neither of them chased it.

8. 5.

   Pia thinks about the paper boat. Which statement best explains how the change in what the boat stands for supports the story's theme?

   • The boat moves from a game to a friendship, so the story says a prank is the surest way to make a friend on a new street.
   • The boat stands for loneliness, so the story says new neighbors should wait for others to speak to them first.
   • The boat moves from a message sent into silence to a note shared with a friend, so the story says reaching out can begin with a risk.
   • The boat floats around the bend in [12], so the story says folded paper can drift a long way down a creek and out of sight from the bank.
9. 6.

   Ren thinks about Milo, the trickster. How does Milo's secret trick in sentences [4] to [6] support the theme?

   • Milo's playful replies give Zee a safe way to keep talking, so the trick becomes the first step toward a real friend.
   • Milo's tricks show that anyone who plays a prank on a neighbor will become that neighbor's friend before long.
   • Milo's tricks warn Zee not to trust notes from strangers on a new street, so Milo acts as the story's mentor.
   • Milo's replies fill the week with riddles and jokes in wobbly handwriting, so the story has something funny to tell its readers.
10. 7.

    Tala compares two readings of the boat. Reader 1: it stands for loneliness. Reader 2: it stands for reaching out to someone. Which does the text support best?

    • Reader 1: in [3], the first note asks, “Hello, is anyone out there?” and drifts away.
    • Reader 2: in [5], Zee laughs out loud and asks the Creek about its favorite rock.
    • Reader 2: in [10], Zee holds up a fresh boat and invites Milo to write the next note.
    • Reader 1: in [1], the creek behind the new house is the sole company on the street.

11. The Sand Timer (original story)

    [1] The town archive kept its oldest photographs in a back room, and a small wooden door guarded the way in. [2] Beside the door sat Mr. Sato, the keeper, with a brass sand timer on a table. [3] “Every visitor waits for the sand,” Mr. Sato said. “When it finishes, you may go in.” [4] Jun had come to find a picture of the old harbor for a family project, and tapped a foot while the sand ran down. [5] “A minute is a very long time,” Jun muttered.

    [6] To pass the time, Jun looked around the waiting hall and noticed a faded photograph of a crowd on the harbor pier. [7] By the time the last grains fell, Jun had counted forty faces in that one picture and spotted a banner reading Launch Day. [8] Mr. Sato stood and opened the little door without a word. [9] Inside, Jun found the harbor photographs quickly, because the banner had already pointed to the right pier and the right year. [10] On the way out, Jun paused beside the timer and turned the glass over. [11] A younger visitor had just arrived and was tapping a foot at the door. [12] Jun smiled and pointed to the faded photograph in the waiting hall.

12. 8.

    Esme thinks about the sand timer. Which statement best explains how the change in what the timer stands for supports the story's theme?

    • The timer stands for wasted time, so the story says old buildings keep rules that slow visitors down for no good reason.
    • The timer moves from a delay Jun resents to a pause that helps Jun notice more, so the story says slowing down can reveal what matters.
    • The timer moves from a rule to a reward, so the story says waiting at a door will uncover a hidden treasure inside.
    • The timer measures one minute at the door, so the story says archives track their visitors by the clock on the table.
13. 9.

    Zee thinks about Mr. Sato, the guardian at the threshold. How does Mr. Sato's job at the little door support the theme?

    • By refusing to open the door early, Mr. Sato shows that rules matter more than the people they affect.
    • By making every visitor wait at the door, Mr. Sato turns the wait itself into the lesson, without a word about patience.
    • By sitting beside the door, Mr. Sato keeps the archive's oldest photographs away from the waiting hall.
    • By giving Jun directions to the harbor pictures, Mr. Sato guides Jun the way a mentor would.
14. 10.

    Ari compares two readings of the timer. Reader 1: it stands for wasted time. Reader 2: it stands for slowing down to notice what matters. Which does the text support best?

    • Reader 1: in [4], Jun taps a foot while the sand runs down, ready for the wait to end.
    • Reader 2: in [7], Jun counts forty faces and spots a banner by the time the sand has fallen.
    • Reader 1: in [5], Jun mutters that a minute is a very long time while the sand runs down.
    • Reader 2: in [6], Jun looks around the waiting hall and notices a faded photograph of a crowd.