How a theme grows from characters, setting and plot

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Rooftop Garden (story)

   [1] On the roof of the apartment building, Milo set out twelve trays of pepper seedlings along the low brick wall. [2] The roof caught every breeze, and the wind dried the soil faster than anyone had expected. [3] For the first week, Milo watered each tray every morning before school, and the seedlings stood tall and green.

   [4] By the second week, Milo decided that one good soaking on the weekend would be enough, since school left little spare time. [5] On the third Saturday, Milo climbed the stairs and found the seedlings curled and pale, with the soil split into dry cracks. [6] Mrs. Okafor, who grew tomatoes in the next row, handed over a watering can and explained that wind turns one day of neglect into a week of damage.

   [7] Milo spent the whole afternoon giving every tray a slow drink and shading the weakest ones with a folded board. [8] After that, Milo set an alarm for six forty each morning and watered the trays for ten minutes before breakfast. [9] By the end of May, nine of the twelve trays were thick with leaves and small white flowers. [10] Milo stood in the breeze that once seemed like an enemy and noticed that the same wind now carried bees up from the street.

2. 1.

   Tala reads “The Rooftop Garden.” The theme: steady daily care protects fragile things. Which choice shows what Milo does that builds this theme?

   • Milo sets an alarm for six forty and waters the trays for ten minutes before breakfast each morning.
   • Milo sets out twelve trays of pepper seedlings along the low brick wall of the roof.
   • Milo decides that one soaking on the weekend is enough because school leaves little spare time.
   • Mrs. Okafor hands over a watering can and warns that wind turns one day of neglect into a week of damage.
3. 2.

   Noah thinks about the setting. How does the windy roof help build the theme that steady daily care protects fragile things?

   • The roof is shared with other growers, such as Mrs. Okafor with her tomatoes in the next row.
   • The roof is so harsh that seedlings survive there thanks to a neighbor's help.
   • A low brick wall runs along the edge of the roof where the trays sit in a row.
   • The wind dries the soil fast, so a day without water does real harm to the seedlings.
4. 3.

   Esme marks the strip. Which sentence is the event that first shows Milo the cost of watering only on weekends?

   • [5] On the third Saturday, Milo climbed the stairs and found the seedlings curled and pale, with the soil split into dry cracks.
   • [1] On the roof of the apartment building, Milo set out twelve trays of pepper seedlings along the low brick wall.
   • [8] After that, Milo set an alarm for six forty each morning and watered the trays for ten minutes before breakfast.
   • [4] By the second week, Milo decided that one good soaking on the weekend would be enough, since school left little spare time.

5. The Fourth Lane (story)

   [1] Every Tuesday and Thursday in January, the swim team met at half past five, while the sky outside the tall windows was still black. [2] The pool deck felt like cold stone under bare feet, and a red scoreboard clock blinked above the diving well. [3] On the first morning that the temperature fell below freezing, Ren switched off the alarm and decided that one missed practice could not matter.

   [4] Only three swimmers came, so the coach canceled the relay drill the team had planned for weeks. [5] Ren heard about the canceled drill from Zee in the hallway and kept thinking about it through two classes. [6] On Tuesday, Ren walked to the pool in the dark with numb fingers and was already in the water when the coach arrived.

   [7] That morning four swimmers made the relay drill possible, and the coach started the stopwatch without a word about Thursday. [8] For the rest of the winter, Ren set the alarm for a quarter to five on the freezing mornings, because the relay needed every lane filled. [9] At the meet in March, the team's relay finished second, less than a second behind the winners. [10] Afterward, Zee held up four fingers, and Ren answered with a grin and a wet high five.

6. 4.

   Luz reads “The Fourth Lane.” The theme: showing up counts most on the days it is hardest. Which choice shows what Ren does that builds this theme?

   • The coach starts the stopwatch for four swimmers without a word about Thursday.
   • Ren sets the alarm for a quarter to five on the freezing mornings for the rest of the winter.
   • Ren's relay team finishes second at the meet in March, less than a second behind the winners.
   • Ren switches off the alarm on a freezing morning and decides that one missed practice could not matter.
7. 5.

   Ari thinks about the setting. How do the dark, freezing mornings help build the theme that showing up counts most on the hardest days?

   • The freezing air shows that the coach should move early practices to the afternoon instead.
   • Practice before sunrise shows that swimming is a sport for people who like early mornings.
   • A red scoreboard clock blinks above the diving well while the swimmers warm up for practice.
   • The black sky and cold air at half past five make showing up hard, so each arrival counts.
8. 6.

   Kira marks the strip. Which sentence is the event that turns the plot by showing the cost of Ren's missed practice?

   • [2] The pool deck felt like cold stone under bare feet, and a red scoreboard clock blinked above the diving well.
   • [6] On Tuesday, Ren walked to the pool in the dark with numb fingers and was already in the water when the coach arrived.
   • [4] Only three swimmers came, so the coach canceled the relay drill the team had planned for weeks.
   • [3] On the first morning that the temperature fell below freezing, Ren switched off the alarm and decided that one missed practice could not matter.

9. The Final Round (story)

   [1] The gym was loud and crowded for the final round of the school quiz bowl, and the scoreboard glowed above the stage. [2] Bo's team led by one point, and the trophy sat on a table beside the judge. [3] A moment later, the judge read a score aloud and awarded Bo's team two points for an answer worth only one.

   [4] The scorekeeper typed the number, the crowd cheered, and nobody but Bo seemed to have noticed. [5] Bo gripped a buzzer, stared at the glowing numbers, and told the team that a lead is a lead. [6] Then Milo, the captain of the other team, caught Bo's eye and gave a small, tired shrug.

   [7] Bo raised a hand and told the judge about the error. [8] The judge corrected the number, the crowd groaned, and Bo's team slipped into a tie. [9] The tiebreaker question went to Milo's team, who answered it correctly, and the trophy moved to the other table. [10] Bo clapped with the rest of the gym and, for the first time all evening, unclenched both hands.

10. 7.

    Pia reads “The Final Round.” The theme: telling the truth matters more than winning, even when no one would know. Which choice shows what Bo does that builds this theme?

    • Bo grips a buzzer during the final round of the school quiz bowl.
    • Milo, the captain of the other team, gives a small, tired shrug across the gym.
    • Bo tells the team that a lead is a lead while staring at the glowing numbers.
    • Bo raises a hand and tells the judge about the error in the score.
11. 8.

    Ren thinks about the setting. How does the loud, crowded gym help build the theme that honesty matters even when no one would know?

    • The noisy, packed gym means nobody else notices the error, so telling the truth is Bo's own choice.
    • The crowded gym, packed for the contest, shows that school spirit is strong when teams compete.
    • The noise of the gym shows that the judge is careless with scores throughout the contest.
    • The scoreboard glows above the stage while the final round of the quiz bowl is played.

12. The Foggy Junction (story)

    [1] Late on a gray afternoon, Tala and Jun reached a trail junction in the hills where three wooden signs pointed in three directions. [2] A thin fog had settled over the ridge, and the painted arrows on the signs were faded almost to nothing. [3] Tala unfolded the paper map and decided it showed the left path, though two of the trails on it had the same name.

    [4] Jun suggested asking the ranger at the picnic shelter, but Tala said that real hikers read their own maps. [5] They walked left for twenty minutes until the path narrowed to a creek bed with no markers at all. [6] Jun sat on a rock and checked a watch while the fog thickened around them.

    [7] At last Tala folded the map, said the shelter was probably closer than the ridge, and led the way back to the junction. [8] The ranger took one look at the map and pointed out that the left path curved away from the parking lot. [9] With the right path marked in pencil, the two reached the lot as the first lights came on. [10] Tala kept the marked map folded in a jacket pocket for the rest of the season.

13. 9.

    Bo reads “The Foggy Junction.” The theme: asking for help is part of finding the way, not a failure. Which choice shows what Tala does that builds this theme?

    • Tala keeps the marked map folded in a jacket pocket for the rest of the season.
    • Jun suggests asking the ranger at the picnic shelter.
    • Tala folds the map and leads the way back toward the shelter and the ranger.
    • Tala says that real hikers read their own maps.
14. 10.

    Milo thinks about the setting. How do the fog and faded signs help build the theme that asking for help is part of finding the way?

    • The junction has three wooden signs that point in three different directions.
    • The thick fog shows that hikers in these hills need a ranger beside them.
    • Faded arrows and thick fog leave nothing clear to read, so a person who knows the trail is needed.
    • The gray afternoon shows that hikers should start their trips earlier in the day.