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Example: In space, bread crumbs could float into machines, so astronauts eat tortillas. Why do they use tortillas? Find the word “so.” It links a cause to a result. The cause comes before it. Answer: Bread crumbs could float into equipment.
Question 1
What does “drawing a silver line behind it” describe?
The lake is a flat grey mirror.
Nothing moves
except one loon,
drawing a silver line behind it.
The mist yawns and stretches,
then slips away between the trees.
My toes touch the water,
cold enough to make me laugh.
By the time Grandma calls me in for breakfast,
the sun has painted the whole lake gold.
the trail the loon makes on the water
Hint: Picture a loon swimming across very still water. What would you see behind it?
Question 2
“The lake is a flat grey mirror” is an example of…
The lake is a flat grey mirror.
Nothing moves
except one loon,
drawing a silver line behind it.
The mist yawns and stretches,
then slips away between the trees.
My toes touch the water,
cold enough to make me laugh.
By the time Grandma calls me in for breakfast,
the sun has painted the whole lake gold.
a metaphor
Hint: It says the lake IS a mirror, without using “like” or “as.”
Question 3
Which line from the poem uses personification?
The lake is a flat grey mirror.
Nothing moves
except one loon,
drawing a silver line behind it.
The mist yawns and stretches,
then slips away between the trees.
My toes touch the water,
cold enough to make me laugh.
By the time Grandma calls me in for breakfast,
the sun has painted the whole lake gold.
“The mist yawns and stretches”
Hint: Personification gives human actions to something that isn't human. Which non-human thing does something people do?
Question 4
How does the speaker most likely feel?
The lake is a flat grey mirror.
Nothing moves
except one loon,
drawing a silver line behind it.
The mist yawns and stretches,
then slips away between the trees.
My toes touch the water,
cold enough to make me laugh.
By the time Grandma calls me in for breakfast,
the sun has painted the whole lake gold.
calm and happy
Hint: The lake is still and quiet, and the cold water makes the speaker laugh.
Question 5
Put these events from the story in the order they happened.
Zoe had never hiked a mountain trail before. Halfway up, her legs ached and she wanted to turn back. Her older cousin Ravi handed her a water bottle. “Let's just get to that next big rock,” he said.
At the rock, they picked another goal: the bend in the trail. Then a tall pine tree. Then a wooden sign. One small goal at a time, they kept climbing.
Finally, they reached the top. Zoe looked out over the valley and grinned. “I'm glad I didn't quit,” she said.
Zoe's legs ached halfway up. → Ravi suggested walking to the next big rock. → They kept picking small goals. → Zoe reached the top and grinned.
Hint: Reread from the beginning. Which event happens first, and what happens because of it?
Question 6
How did Zoe most likely feel at the top?
Zoe had never hiked a mountain trail before. Halfway up, her legs ached and she wanted to turn back. Her older cousin Ravi handed her a water bottle. “Let's just get to that next big rock,” he said.
At the rock, they picked another goal: the bend in the trail. Then a tall pine tree. Then a wooden sign. One small goal at a time, they kept climbing.
Finally, they reached the top. Zoe looked out over the valley and grinned. “I'm glad I didn't quit,” she said.
proud
Hint: She grinned and said she was glad she didn't quit.
Question 7
Why did Ravi suggest walking to “that next big rock”?
Zoe had never hiked a mountain trail before. Halfway up, her legs ached and she wanted to turn back. Her older cousin Ravi handed her a water bottle. “Let's just get to that next big rock,” he said.
At the rock, they picked another goal: the bend in the trail. Then a tall pine tree. Then a wooden sign. One small goal at a time, they kept climbing.
Finally, they reached the top. Zoe looked out over the valley and grinned. “I'm glad I didn't quit,” she said.
To give Zoe a small goal that felt possible
Hint: Zoe wanted to give up. How would a small, close goal help her?
Question 8
What lesson does this story teach?
Zoe had never hiked a mountain trail before. Halfway up, her legs ached and she wanted to turn back. Her older cousin Ravi handed her a water bottle. “Let's just get to that next big rock,” he said.
At the rock, they picked another goal: the bend in the trail. Then a tall pine tree. Then a wooden sign. One small goal at a time, they kept climbing.
Finally, they reached the top. Zoe looked out over the valley and grinned. “I'm glad I didn't quit,” she said.
Breaking a big job into small steps can help you finish it.
Hint: Think about how Zoe made it to the top. What did she and Ravi keep doing?
Question 9
How is this passage mainly organized?
On the International Space Station, astronauts float, and so does everything around them, including their food. That makes mealtime tricky!
Bread makes crumbs, and floating crumbs could drift into equipment or into someone's eyes. So astronauts often use tortillas instead of bread for their sandwiches.
Salt and pepper are a problem too, because loose grains would drift around the cabin. Instead, salt is mixed into water and pepper is mixed into oil, and astronauts squirt them onto their food. Drinks come in sealed pouches with straws.
problem and solution
Hint: The author names problems that floating causes, then explains how astronauts deal with them.
Question 10
Why do astronauts often use tortillas instead of bread?
On the International Space Station, astronauts float, and so does everything around them, including their food. That makes mealtime tricky!
Bread makes crumbs, and floating crumbs could drift into equipment or into someone's eyes. So astronauts often use tortillas instead of bread for their sandwiches.
Salt and pepper are a problem too, because loose grains would drift around the cabin. Instead, salt is mixed into water and pepper is mixed into oil, and astronauts squirt them onto their food. Drinks come in sealed pouches with straws.
Bread crumbs could float into equipment.
Hint: Reread the second paragraph. What's the problem with bread?
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