Date………………………………… Name…………………………………
THE HAUNTED TREE
Mark turned the corner and
stared at the empty bus stop. He
swallowed hard and his hands started to
shake. Being the first one there wouldn’t
be a problem if the old oak tree that
marked the bus stop wasn’t haunted.
“Where is everyone?” Mark
whispered.
1. How did Mark feel to be alone at the bus stop?
a. happy
b. sad
c. afraid
d. shy
2. How did you arrive at the above answer? Copy down phrases/words from the text to
explain/justify.
I. ____________________________________________________________________
II. ____________________________________________________________________
3. Why is it a problem for Mark to be the first at the bus stop?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
1
The sun wasn’t quite up yet, and the darkness was making the oak tree look
scarier than usual. The tree was the gathering place for the bus stop. All the kids stood by
it and talked while they waited for Mr. Meyers to drive up and take them to school. When
other kids were around, the bus stop wasn’t so scary. But Mark was alone, and it was
dark.
4. Describe the setting of the story.
(Tell where and when the story takes place.)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. What made the oak tree look scarier than usual?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
6. What did the kids usually do until Mr. Meyers arrived?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
7. Who was Mr. Meyers?
a. their teacher
b. the bus driver
c. Mark's mother
d. the name of the ghost in the tree
8. Where did Mr. Meyers take the kids to?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2
The oak tree’s branches swayed in the breeze, and
Mark heard the strange “Ooooh” that sometimes came
from the center of the tree.
Mark hurried to the other side of the street, trying to
stay as far away from the tree as possible. He didn’t
take his eyes off the tree. The bare branches looked
like they were reaching out to grab him. He heard the
“Ooooh, ooooh” again.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Mark called in a shaky voice.
9. Where did the sound come from?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
10. What did Mark do to get away from the tree?
_________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
11. Why was Mark’s voice shaky?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
“Who are you talking to?” Will asked, walking up
behind Mark.
Mark jumped. He turned to face Will and relaxed a
little now that he wasn’t alone with the tree. Will
stared at him, waiting for an answer.
“I thought I heard something.” Mark shrugged and
crossed the street, heading for the bus stop. Will
followed. “Maybe you heard the ghost in the tree,”
Will said.
3
“Oooh, oooh.” Mark and Will jumped.
12. Why did mark relax when Will arrived?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
13. What did Will think was there in the tree?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Something moved across the hollowed-out spot in
the tree.
“There’s something in the tree,” Mark said. He
stood on tiptoes and peeked inside.
“It’s an owl!”
“An owl? That’s what’s making that strange noise?”
Will asked.
“Maybe it’s hurt,” Mark said. “Let’s tell Mrs. Abrams
about it when we get to school. She knows a lot about nocturnal animals.”
“I guess there’s nothing to be scared of now,” Will said.
“I’m still pretty scared of the math test we have today,” Mark said.
14. What did Mark do to look inside the hollow in the tree?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
15. What turned out to be the ghost in the tree?
a. Will
b. Mrs. Abrams
c. Mark
d. an owl
4
16. Why did Mark suggest telling Mrs. Abrams about the owl?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
17. At the end of the story, what was Mark afraid of?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
18. List the correct order of these events. Write 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th on the lines.
__________ Mark stood on his tiptoes and peeked inside the tree.
__________ Mark was the first one to arrive at the bus stop.
__________ Mark saw an owl in the tree.
__________ Mark walked to the other side of the street because he was afraid.
__________ Will arrived and both boys heard a ghost sound in the tree.
19. Read each sentence. Look up the definition of each underlined word in the dictionary.
Write the definition.
a) The oak tree's branches swayed in the breeze. (sway)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
b) Mrs. Abrams knows a lot about nocturnal animals. (nocturnal)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
c) Something moved across the hollowed-out spot in the tree. (hollow)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5
d) 4. Mark shrugged and crossed the street. (shrug)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
e) 5. The old oak tree that marked the bus stop wasn’t haunted. (haunt)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
20. Name two other nocturnal animals that you know of.
I. ___________________________________
II. ___________________________________
