Why Characters Act
Grade 4 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Read the text. Circle the reason for what the character does.
Read this first
Nikhil Picks a Driver
Nikhil had been on the Bolt Builders robotics team for three years. This year, Coach Lindqvist made him captain. His first big decision was choosing who would drive the robot at the regional contest. The driver used a controller to steer the robot through an obstacle course while the clock ticked down.
Everyone expected Nikhil to pick his best friend, Marcus. Marcus was fast and fearless, and he loved being in charge. He had driven at last year's contest. In the hallway, he had already started telling people, "When I drive at regionals..."
But Nikhil had been watching practice closely. Marcus drove fast, but he often clipped the walls and lost points. He also got frustrated when something went wrong and slammed the controller on the table. Meanwhile, a new fourth grader named Beatriz sat at the back of the room. She rarely spoke. When the others went to lunch, though, she stayed to practice on the spare course. Nikhil had timed her once. She was a little slower than Marcus, but she never touched a wall.
Nikhil also remembered his own first year. He had been the new kid, too. The older students had given him only one job: sorting screws into cups. For months, nobody asked what he thought. He almost quit the team before Coach Lindqvist noticed him.
The night before the decision, Nikhil wrote two lists. One was titled "Marcus." The other was titled "Beatriz." Under Beatriz, he wrote, "Steady. Practices on her own. Nobody gives her a chance." Then he crossed out the last line. It was true, but he knew it could not be the reason. The team needed the driver most likely to score points.
On Monday, Nikhil announced that Beatriz would drive. Marcus would be the strategy coach, calling out which obstacles to try. Marcus's face fell. At lunch he sat at a different table.
Nikhil found him after school. "You see the whole course better than anyone," Nikhil said. "Beatriz steers carefully, but she needs someone to tell her where to go. We need both of you."
At regionals, Marcus stood behind Beatriz, calling out turns. She guided the robot through every gate without a single penalty. The Bolt Builders finished second out of twenty teams.
On the bus home, Marcus slid into the seat next to Nikhil. "Strategy coach is actually pretty fun," he said. Nikhil let out a breath he felt like he had been holding for a week.
What is the main reason Nikhil chooses Beatriz to drive?
- He wants to make up for being ignored in his first year.
- Coach Lindqvist told him that a new student should get to drive.
- He is angry at Marcus for bragging in the hallway.
- Her careful driving gives the team the best chance to score.
Why does Nikhil cross out "Nobody gives her a chance"?
- He decides the sentence is not true.
- He worries that Beatriz will read the list.
- He wants to give Marcus one more chance to prove himself.
- He knows his choice must be based on helping the team.
Why does Nikhil make Marcus the strategy coach?
- Marcus asked him for an easier job.
- He values Marcus's skill and wants him involved.
- He wants to punish Marcus for slamming the controller.
- He thinks Marcus is too slow to drive.
Why does Nikhil find Marcus after school?
- He wants Marcus to take a break from the robotics team.
- He needs Marcus to help him write the next team lists.
- He wants Marcus to admit that Beatriz is the better driver.
- He wants Marcus to know the team still needs his skills.