What the text says, and what it only suggests
Grade 9 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Qualifier (story)
[1] I would like it on record that I did not want Ines Calloway as my partner for the robotics qualifier, and that I said so to Mr. Brandt twice, politely, in the hallway outside the shop. [2] Ines had been building robots since fourth grade and talked about gear ratios the way other people talk about weather, which is to say constantly and with no sign of noticing who was listening. [3] Mr. Brandt answered that the pairing was final and that the judges would be looking for teams that learned from each other. [4] For the first two weeks, I arrived at every meeting early, mostly to claim the better workbench before Ines came in.
[5] Ines never mentioned the bench. [6] Instead, Ines left my sketches pinned above the shared table and added small notes in the margins, such as "try a wider base?" and "this arm is smarter than mine." [7] I told the others, loudly, that the notes were distracting, and then I copied three of them into my own notebook.
[8] On the morning of the qualifier, our robot knocked over its first tower of cups and then, for no reason either of us could explain, stopped moving. [9] Ines opened the casing, looked at the wires for about a minute, and handed me the screwdriver without a word. [10] I fixed it with four minutes left, and Ines clapped once, quietly, which I chose to find annoying. [11] We placed third, which is not first, and I told my brother that the judges had clearly never seen a proper arm. [12] That night I checked the schedule for the next qualifier and wrote Ines's name beside mine.
Ari sorts this statement: “The narrator wanted to work with Ines again.” Is it stated, implied or unsupported? Pick the label and the sentence that proves it, or comes closest.
- Implied: the clue is sentence 7.
- Unsupported: the closest is sentence 12.
- Implied: the clue is sentence 12.
- Stated: the proof is sentence 12.
Bo looks for the sentence that states this idea outright: “The narrator resisted being paired with Ines before the contest began.” Which sentence says it in so many words?
- [2] Ines had been building robots since fourth grade and talked about gear ratios the way other people talk about weather, which is to say constantly and with no sign of noticing who was listening.
- [3] Mr. Brandt answered that the pairing was final and that the judges would be looking for teams that learned from each other.
- [4] For the first two weeks, I arrived at every meeting early, mostly to claim the better workbench before Ines came in.
- [1] I would like it on record that I did not want Ines Calloway as my partner for the robotics qualifier, and that I said so to Mr. Brandt twice, politely, in the hallway outside the shop.
Jun sorts this statement: “Ines was annoyed by the narrator's behavior.” Is it stated, implied or unsupported? Pick the label and the sentence that proves it, or comes closest.
- Implied: the clue is sentence 5.
- Unsupported: the closest is sentence 5.
- Unsupported: the closest is sentence 7.
- Stated: the proof is sentence 10.
The Year Without a Summer (article)
[1] In April 1815, the volcano Mount Tambora, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, erupted with a force that scientists still rank among the largest in recorded history. [2] The blast threw so much ash and sulfur gas into the upper atmosphere that, within months, a thin haze circled the globe. [3] Historians credit this haze with the strange weather of 1816, when frost struck parts of New England in June, July, and August and farmers watched their corn blacken in the fields. [4] In Europe, the same summer brought cold rain, failed harvests, and rising bread prices, and some towns saw hungry crowds gather outside bakeries.
[5] Records from the period are uneven, however, and historians disagree about how much of the cold came from Tambora alone. [6] An eruption in the Philippines in 1814 and an unusually quiet period on the sun may also have cooled the climate.
[7] What is clear is that families in many places lost a season's food at once, and that those who could afford to move did so. [8] Thousands of New England farmers left for the Ohio country, hoping for gentler weather and better soil. [9] Their departure is often described as the beginning of a westward migration, though farmers had been heading west for years before 1816. [10] The cold summer did not cause that movement, but it seems to have sped it up. [11] Today, climate scientists study Tambora as a natural test of how a single event can alter weather across continents. [12] The story also reminds readers that a distant disaster can shape ordinary lives within a single growing season.
Luz looks for the sentence that states this idea outright: “The cold of 1816 may have had more than one cause.” Which sentence says it in so many words?
- [3] Historians credit this haze with the strange weather of 1816, when frost struck parts of New England in June, July, and August and farmers watched their corn blacken in the fields.
- [5] Records from the period are uneven, however, and historians disagree about how much of the cold came from Tambora alone.
- [6] An eruption in the Philippines in 1814 and an unusually quiet period on the sun may also have cooled the climate.
- [8] Thousands of New England farmers left for the Ohio country, hoping for gentler weather and better soil.
Milo looks for the sentence that implies this idea without saying it: “Some families could not afford to leave.” Which sentence is the strongest clue?
- [7] What is clear is that families in many places lost a season's food at once, and that those who could afford to move did so.
- [9] Their departure is often described as the beginning of a westward migration, though farmers had been heading west for years before 1816.
- [8] Thousands of New England farmers left for the Ohio country, hoping for gentler weather and better soil.
- [4] In Europe, the same summer brought cold rain, failed harvests, and rising bread prices, and some towns saw hungry crowds gather outside bakeries.
Noah looks for the sentence that states this idea outright: “The cold summer did not start the movement west.” Which sentence says it in so many words?
- [8] Thousands of New England farmers left for the Ohio country, hoping for gentler weather and better soil.
- [3] Historians credit this haze with the strange weather of 1816, when frost struck parts of New England in June, July, and August and farmers watched their corn blacken in the fields.
- [10] The cold summer did not cause that movement, but it seems to have sped it up.
- [9] Their departure is often described as the beginning of a westward migration, though farmers had been heading west for years before 1816.
The Night Before the Fair (story)
[1] The night before the school fair, Luz found the kitchen light still on and Mr. Suarez sitting at the table with the mail laid out in careful, deliberate rows. [2] He said that he was only sorting the bills, as he did every month, and that Luz should go back to bed. [3] Luz noticed that three envelopes had been opened, smoothed flat, and set apart from the rest, with a coffee mug resting on top of them. [4] It was the blue mug that the family brought out only for visiting relatives, never for ordinary evenings.
[5] Luz asked whether Mr. Suarez would still be coming to the fair, since the dunk tank was Luz's idea and Luz's name was on every line of the sign-up sheet. [6] He laughed, a little too quickly, and said that he wouldn't miss it for anything. [7] Then he asked, in the same light voice, whether the new sneakers Luz had picked out could wait until after the holidays. [8] Luz said that it was no trouble and that the old pair still fit, which was only partly true, since the left shoe pinched at the toe.
[9] By eight the next morning, Mr. Suarez was already at the fair, an hour before the volunteers were expected, hauling folding tables from the van and joking with the volunteers. [10] When the line at the dunk tank grew long, he bought ten tickets at once and handed them out to the children, one at a time. [11] That evening, Luz found the three envelopes in the recycling bin, folded together into one tight square. [12] Luz kept the ticket stubs in a jacket pocket all week and never said a word about the mail.
Pia sorts this statement: “The Suarez family could no longer afford the school fair.” Is it stated, implied or unsupported? Pick the label and the sentence that proves it, or comes closest.
- Implied: the clue is sentence 7.
- Stated: the proof is sentence 10.
- Unsupported: the closest is sentence 2.
- Unsupported: the closest is sentence 7.
Ren looks for the sentence that states this idea outright: “Mr. Suarez gave away the tickets he bought.” Which sentence says it in so many words?
- [9] By eight the next morning, Mr. Suarez was already at the fair, an hour before the volunteers were expected, hauling folding tables from the van and joking with the volunteers.
- [6] He laughed, a little too quickly, and said that he wouldn't miss it for anything.
- [10] When the line at the dunk tank grew long, he bought ten tickets at once and handed them out to the children, one at a time.
- [12] Luz kept the ticket stubs in a jacket pocket all week and never said a word about the mail.
Tala looks for the sentence that implies this idea without saying it: “Luz chose to keep quiet about what Luz had seen.” Which sentence is the strongest clue?
- [8] Luz said that it was no trouble and that the old pair still fit, which was only partly true, since the left shoe pinched at the toe.
- [10] When the line at the dunk tank grew long, he bought ten tickets at once and handed them out to the children, one at a time.
- [12] Luz kept the ticket stubs in a jacket pocket all week and never said a word about the mail.
- [9] By eight the next morning, Mr. Suarez was already at the fair, an hour before the volunteers were expected, hauling folding tables from the van and joking with the volunteers.
Zee looks for the sentence that implies this idea without saying it: “Mr. Suarez was hiding his worry behind a cheerful manner.” Which sentence is the strongest clue?
- [2] He said that he was only sorting the bills, as he did every month, and that Luz should go back to bed.
- [1] The night before the school fair, Luz found the kitchen light still on and Mr. Suarez sitting at the table with the mail laid out in careful, deliberate rows.
- [6] He laughed, a little too quickly, and said that he wouldn't miss it for anything.
- [10] When the line at the dunk tank grew long, he bought ten tickets at once and handed them out to the children, one at a time.