Characters, Setting, and Plot

Grade 3 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the answer.

1. Read this first

   Two Tickets to Pine Hollow

   Tobias and his little sister Ines were riding the train to Grandmother's house. It was the first time their parents had let them travel alone. Mom had put Tobias in charge of both tickets. "Keep them safe," she said, "and look after your sister."

   The train rumbled out of the city station at nine o'clock. Ines pressed her nose to the window. Green fields rolled past as the train picked up speed. She pointed at cows, barns, and a red tractor. Tobias read his comic book, but every few minutes he patted his jacket pocket. The tickets were still there.

   Around ten o'clock, Ines needed to use the restroom at the end of the car. Tobias walked her there and waited by the door. When they came back, he patted his pocket again. It was empty!

   Tobias's stomach did a flip. The conductor would be checking tickets soon. He wanted to panic, but he made himself stop and think. Where had he been? He had only walked to the restroom and back.

   Tobias and Ines searched slowly down the aisle. They looked under each seat and behind a stack of suitcases. A woman in a yellow scarf asked what they had lost. Then she pointed at the floor near the restroom door. Two paper tickets lay under a folded newspaper.

   Tobias picked them up with shaking hands. This time, he tucked them inside his zipped backpack. A minute later, the conductor walked in. "Tickets, please," he called. Tobias handed them over, and the conductor punched two neat holes.

   At noon, the train pulled into the small station at Pine Hollow. Grandmother waved from the platform. Ines ran into her arms first. "Tobias took care of everything," Ines said. Tobias decided not to mention the ten worried minutes. Still, he would never forget the lesson. Things are easy to lose when you are in a hurry.

2. 1.

   Who are the main characters in this story?

   • Tobias and his sister Ines
   • Tobias and the conductor
   • the conductor and Ines
   • Mom and Grandmother
3. 2.

   Where does most of the story take place?

   • on a train
   • on a farm
   • at the city station
   • at Grandmother's house
4. 3.

   What two jobs did Mom give Tobias?

   • buy the tickets and meet the conductor
   • read to Ines and find their seats
   • pack the bags and call Grandmother
   • keep the tickets and look after Ines
5. 4.

   Which detail shows Tobias took his job seriously?

   • He patted his pocket every few minutes.
   • He pressed his nose to the window.
   • He read his comic book on the train.
   • He waved to Grandmother on the platform.
6. 5.

   What is Tobias's problem?

   • They miss their stop at Pine Hollow.
   • Ines gets lost somewhere on the train.
   • The conductor will not let them ride.
   • The tickets are missing from his pocket.
7. 6.

   How does Tobias feel when his pocket is empty? Which clue shows it?

   • angry, because Ines needed the restroom
   • calm, because he read his comic book
   • excited, because the train was moving
   • worried, because his stomach did a flip
8. 7.

   What does Tobias do that helps him solve the problem?

   • He looks inside his zipped backpack.
   • He calls his mom to buy more tickets.
   • He asks the conductor for new tickets.
   • He stops and thinks about where he went.
9. 8.

   Which character points to where the tickets are?

   • a woman in a yellow scarf
   • Grandmother
   • the train conductor
   • a man reading a newspaper
10. 9.

    How does the story end?

    • Grandmother meets them at Pine Hollow.
    • The conductor sends them back home.
    • Ines finds the tickets on the platform.
    • Tobias tells Grandmother about the tickets.
11. 10.

    The train rumbled out of the station. What does rumbled mean?

    • stopped all of a sudden
    • moved with a deep, rolling sound
    • rolled backward slowly
    • blew a high, sharp whistle