Read the passage and answer the questions below.
Dad decided last Sunday that we should all go on a camping trip.
He read an article in the Sunday paper about camping and how it “brings families
together under the canopy of nature.”
“Overrated,” I joked. “What about the canopy of television or the canopy of
restaurant food?”
“This will be good for us,” Dad said, sliding the magazine across the coffee table.
“Let’s go next weekend.”
I shot a quick look over at my little brother, Paul. He gave me a slow eyebrow
raise which meant, “This will probably not go off completely as planned.”
My smile back said, "But it will surely be fun."
I started to think back. Once Dad decided we should all learn how to canoe. We
borrowed two canoes from our friends, hoisted them on the van and drove for
three hours to a secluded lake in Virginia. Alone in the middle of nowhere, we
discovered that we had forgotten the paddles.
Paul and I got in a canoe with Dad and our two younger sisters got in a canoe
with Mom. We floated aimlessly around the lake for hours. Then we all jumped in
with our life jackets on. We pushed the canoes back to shore. It was a fantastic
trip.
Another time, Dad decided we should all learn how to ski. All of us hate the cold
so we spent the weekend huddled by the fire, drinking hot cocoa in the ski lodge
and playing board games. It was great. We had a blast.
When I stopped daydreaming, Mom was saying, “Sweetheart, we don’t have a
tent.”
“We don’t need one!” Dad said happily. “We’ll take all the seats out the van when
we get to the campsite and put in an air mattress.”
I don't know what the punch line will be on this excursion, but I am sure with
Mom, Dad and the four of us kids scrunched in a van at some national park, we
are bound to have a good time.
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Questions:
1) Which alternate title fits this passage best?
A. “No Paddles”
B. “Never as Planned”
C. "Hot Cocoa by the Fire"
D. "Van Camping for Beginners"
2) As used at the end of the story, which is the best synonym for excursion?
A. evolution
B. exodus
C. expedition
D. hiatus
3) What literary term best describes the narrator's daydreams?
A. foreshadowing, meaning the use of hints to suggest what is to come
B. irony, meaning a contrast between what is stated and what is really meant
C. flashback, meaning a scene that interrupts the action to show what
happened at an earlier time
D. metaphor, meaning the direct comparison of two unlike things
4) As used in the middle of the story, which of the following could accurately be
described as secluded?
I. a hiking trail known only to a few
II. a crowded movie theater
III. a popular beach on the California coast
A. I only
B. I and II
C. II and III
D. I, II, and III
5) What lesson does the narrator's family seem to live by?
A. Camping is sure to be an adventure
B. Danger is only in the imagination
C. Things don't need to go as planned to have fun
D. Reading the newspaper is a recipe for trouble
Read the passage and answer the questions below.
The living room does not look good. It looks bad without a carpet. Mary and Dan want
to buy a carpet. They want to buy a carpet for their living room. They go to the store.
They look at the carpets. There are many colors. There are many sizes. Some have
patterns. Some are plain. Mary likes a pink and purple carpet. It has dots. It has pink
and purple dots. Dan says no! He does not like the colors. He does not like the pattern.
The pink and purple carpet is too big. Dan likes a green and red carpet. It has stripes.
It has green and red stripes. Mary says no! She does not like the colors. She does not
like the pattern. She does not like the size. The green and red carpet is too small. Mary
and Dan see a tan carpet. It does not have dots. It does not have stripes. It is plain. It
is tan and plain. Dan likes the tan carpet. Mary likes the tan carpet. They both like the
color. They both like the size. They both say yes! Mary and Dan buy the tan carpet.
They put the carpet in the living room. The living room looks wonderful with the new
carpet.
Questions
1) According to the passage, Mary and Dan want to put the new carpet in their
A. bedroom
B. dining room
C. living room
D. bathroom
2) According to the passage, the pink and purple carpet
A. has dots
B. has stripes
C. is too small
D. is too plain
3) According to the passage, the green and red carpet
A. is plain
B. has dots
C. is too big
D. is too small
Grammar - Adverbs
Circle the adverbs and underline the verbs they describe.
1. The players loudly cheered for their friend.
2. The cat was quietly approaching the bird.
3. The parcel finally arrived in today’s mail.
4. The woman proudly clapped as her grandson graduated.
5. Dad quickly ran to the car as it started to rain.
6. The children eagerly came to the carpet for a story.
7. The man slowly opened the door.
8. The cookies were divided equally between the brothers.
9. We will eventually have to go home.
10. You completed this task perfectly!
Write a sentence, underline the verbs and circle the adverbs.
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Grammar - Adverbs and Adjectives
Circle the adverbs and underline the adjectives. Skip verbs and nouns.
write big train
pretty sadly daily
man read wide
calmly cousin office
woman small rarely
find joyfully ugly
cute princess pencil
excitedly take usually
boy fine smelly
happily fair look
