Compare Characters and Settings

Grade 5 Reading Worksheet

Circle the answer.

1. Read this first

   Two Captains and the Egg Drop

   Every spring, Ms. Ferreira's fifth-grade class held the Egg Drop Challenge. Each team built a container to protect a raw egg dropped from the school's second-floor balcony. This year, the class split into two teams. Felipe was captain of the Red Team, and Grace was captain of the Blue Team.

   Felipe already had a plan. On the first day, he drew a design on the whiteboard: a box packed with cotton balls, hanging from a paper parachute. "This will work," he said. "Everyone, start cutting cardboard." When Amina suggested adding straws to the sides, Felipe shook his head. "We don't have time for new ideas," he said.

   Grace began differently. She asked each person on her team to sketch one idea. Then the Blue Team taped all five sketches to the wall and talked about each one. Mateo wanted a parachute. Hana wanted a cage of straws. Owen wanted bubble wrap. Grace listened and took notes. Finally, the team combined three ideas into one design: a straw cage wrapped in bubble wrap, with a small parachute on top.

   The Red Team finished building in one day. Felipe was proud. "While they're still talking, we're done," he said. The Blue Team needed three days. Some of Grace's teammates worried they would not finish in time.

   On drop day, the whole class gathered under the balcony. The Red Team went first. Their parachute opened, but the box spun and hit the pavement on one corner. When Felipe opened it, the egg had a long crack.

   The Blue Team's cage drifted down slowly and bounced twice on its bubble wrap. Grace unwrapped it carefully. The egg was whole.

   Afterward, Ms. Ferreira asked both captains what they had learned. Grace said, "Everyone noticed something I missed. Mateo's parachute slowed it down, but Hana's straws absorbed the bump."

   Felipe was quiet for a moment. "Amina said to put straws on the sides," he admitted. "If I had listened, our box might not have cracked on that corner."

   The next week, the class held a second drop. This time, Felipe asked every Red Team member for an idea before anyone touched the cardboard. Their new box landed with its egg unbroken.

2. 1.

   How do Felipe and Grace begin the project differently?

   • Felipe gives his own plan; Grace asks each teammate for an idea.
   • Both captains draw one design and tell the team to build it.
   • Grace gives her own plan; Felipe asks each teammate for an idea.
   • Both captains ask every teammate to sketch an idea.
3. 2.

   How does Felipe respond to Amina's idea?

   • He adds the straws to the sides right away.
   • He tells her to join the Blue Team.
   • He turns it down because he thinks there is no time.
   • He asks the whole team to vote on it.
4. 3.

   Which statement correctly compares the teams' building time?

   • Blue took one day; Red took three.
   • Both teams finished in a single day.
   • Red took one day; Blue took three.
   • Both teams needed three days.
5. 4.

   How were the two teams' containers alike?

   • Both used a parachute.
   • Both used a cage of straws.
   • Both landed without spinning.
   • Both used bubble wrap.
6. 5.

   Which detail best explains why the Blue Team's egg survived?

   • The Blue Team taped five sketches to the wall.
   • The Blue Team went second on drop day.
   • Grace unwrapped the container carefully.
   • The cage drifted down slowly and bounced on bubble wrap.
7. 6.

   How do Grace's and Felipe's reflections compare?

   • Grace credits her team; Felipe admits he should have listened.
   • Grace blames her team; Felipe blames the parachute.
   • Both captains say their own ideas were best.
   • Felipe credits his team; Grace admits she should have listened.