The Run
What news do Dennis and Mac hear on the radio while at the ranch?
A. There is a cattle farm that hires young men to work over the summer.
B. Thousands of people are running as fast as they can across the country.
C. There is a bad disease spreading among people.
D. Food is getting moldy on dinner plates because people are not staying at home.
C. There is a bad disease spreading among people.
Who is rushing toward Mac and Dennis at the beginning of the story?
A. a swarm of crazed people
B. a woman named Ann Greerson
C. a girl named Anna Johnson
D. the owner of a gas station
A. a swarm of crazed people
Who walks out of the men's bathroom in the gas station?
A. A scared boy who is about six or seven years old.
B.A terrified teenaged girl who has a wound in her leg.
C. A man with red eyes, ripped clothes, and a bad smell.
D. A nurse who volunteered to take care of plague victims at a hospital
C. A man with red eyes, ripped clothes, and a bad smell.
What injury does Anna have?
A. A sprained wrist
B. A gash on her leg
C. A cut on her forehead
D. A broken ankle
B. A gash on her leg
Who is missing at the beginning of the story?
A. Mac
B. Dennis
C. Anna
D. Jeremiah
C. Anna
What is the sequence of events at the beginning of this story?
A. The story begins after the disease has struck and then takes the reader back in time to a point before the disease.
B. The story begins before the disease has struck and then takes the reader forward in time to a point after the disease has ended.
C. The story begins as the disease is striking and then takes the reader back in time to a point before the disease.
D. The story begins as the disease is striking and then takes the reader two years into the future.
A. The story begins after the disease has struck and then takes the reader back in time to a point before the disease.
Where does the second half of this story take place
A. Two miles outside a big city
B. In and around a gas station
C. At a ranch
D. Deep in the wilderness
B. In and around a gas station
What point of view is this story told from?
A. Second person point of view
B. Third person limited point of view
C. Third person omniscient point of view
D. First person point of view
B. Third person limited point of view
The climax of a story is the most exciting or intense point in the story. What is the climax of this story?
A. The boys’ conversation about whether Anna will be okay
B. Anna’s disappearance from the camp
C. Mac cleaning and dressing Anna’s wound
D. Mac deciding not to voice his fears about Anna’s cut
B. Anna’s disappearance from the camp
Whose perspective does this story show?
A. Anna's
B. Mac's and Jeremiah's
C. Just Mac's
D. Mac's and Dennis's
D. Mac's and Dennis's
The Muskrat says that the disease is “real bad.”
What evidence in the story supports his statement?
A. T.J. wants to go into town even though The Muskrat has advised people to stay in their homes.
B. After The Muskrat warns people about the disease, an old Earl Scruggs song comes on the radio.
C. The Greersons tell the boys not to worry, saying that the disease will end soon.
D. The disease is very contagious, and doctors have not been able to figure out a cure.
D. The disease is very contagious, and doctors have not been able to figure out a cure.
Read these sentences from the text.
Were those zombies?' asked Mac. 'I don’t know,' said Dennis. 'Whatever they were, they didn’t seem completely human.'
What evidence from the story supports the idea that the people Mac and Dennis saw were not "completely human"?
A. There were a lot of them.
B. They were "only twenty feet away" from Mac and Dennis.
C. They were "crazed" and had "wild eyes."
D. They were running toward Mac and Dennis.
C. They were "crazed" and had "wild eyes."
Read these sentences from the text.
"Mac was at the counter. When Dennis walked in, Mac pointed to the back of the store. The door of the men’s bathroom was slowly creaking open. Just then the door swung wide, and a man appeared. The man’s hair was matted and disheveled. His clothes were ripped and dirty. Parts of his skin were covered in deep purple and black marks. Even from the door, Dennis could detect the man’s stench. He smelled like the fermented slop that they fed to pigs on the ranch. It was obvious that the plague had gotten this man."
Based on this evidence, what can you conclude about people who get the plague?
A. People who get the plague have to go to the bathroom more often than people who do not have the plague.
B. People who get the plague have short hair, wear long pants, and use a lot of deodorant.
C. People who get the plague develop purple and black marks and become smelly.
D. People who get the plague start to behave like pigs.
C. People who get the plague develop purple and black marks and become smelly.
Over the course of the story, Anna’s wound is getting worse.
What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?
A. “…the gash seemed to be intensifying in color. It had deepened into an unnatural shade of purple that almost glowed in the fading daylight.”
B. “[Anna] winced as the clear gel made contact with the wound, but she didn’t complain.”
C. “[Mac] hastily covered the cut with the friendlier hues of the bandages. ‘You’re all set,’ he tried to grin.”
D. “Her eyes were wide with horror as she stared down at the gash on her leg.”
A. “…the gash seemed to be intensifying in color. It had deepened into an unnatural shade of purple that almost glowed in the fading daylight.”
Read these sentences from the text.
"The footprints looked strangely uneven, and [Mac] felt his stomach drop when he realized that [Anna] must have been dragging her injured leg heavily to make such long, deep marks. He wondered if she was as scared as he was. He began to wonder if people stopped being scared once they turned into zombies..."
What conclusion can be drawn based on these sentences?
A. Mac thinks Anna may have become a zombie.
B. Mac thinks he can save Anna from other zombies.
C. Mac thinks Anna is braver than he is.
D. Mac feels sick when he sees or thinks about injuries.
A. Mac thinks Anna may have become a zombie.
Why do Dennis and Mac decide to drive to the nearest big city?
A. They want to find a person.
B. They are running out of food and need more.
C. They see thousands of people running.
D. They both like being outdoors.
A. They want to find a person.
Read these sentences from the text.
The young men talked over their next move as they drove. Big cities seemed dangerous, but the small towns were abandoned. Should they head back to the ranch? Go deeper into the wilderness? Or try to find other survivors who were also on the run? There was no easy answer. No matter what decision they made, it would be risky.
Based on the information in the story, why might any decision the young men make be risky?
A. They do not have much experience driving long distances at night.
B. They do not know whether they can trust the girl who says her name is Anna Johnson.
C. They have no map and do not know how to get back to the ranch.
D. Wherever they go, there is a chance they will come across more "crazed people."
D. Wherever they go, there is a chance they will come across more "crazed people."
Why might Dennis have thrown cans at the man running toward him and Mac?
A. Dennis thought the man was hungry and wanted to provide him with cans of soup.
B. Dennis thought the man was harmless and wanted to tease him by throwing cans at him.
C. Dennis thought the man was dangerous and wanted to protect himself and Mac.
D. Dennis thought the man was lost and wanted him to start walking in the opposite direction.
C. Dennis thought the man was dangerous and wanted to protect himself and Mac.
Anna asks Mac if he thinks she’s going to become “one of them”. Who might she mean by “them”?
A. Doctors and nurses
B. Dennis and Jeremiah
C. The three boys
D. The zombies
D. The zombies
This story has two climaxes, or points when the tension is at its highest. One climax is when Mac softly calls out "Anna?" by the stream. What is the other climax?
A. When Dennis wakes up to find Mac and Anna missing
B. When Mac wakes up to find Anna missing
C. When Dennis turns on the radio to find a bluegrass song playing
D. When Dennis and Jeremiah discover Mac and Anna by the stream
D. When Dennis and Jeremiah discover Mac and Anna by the stream
What is this story mainly about?
A. A married couple who own a ranch, the young men they hire to work for them one summer, and the music they listen to together.
B. Two young men, a mysterious disease, and what happens when they go out to explore after the disease hits.
C. A radio DJ, the music he likes to play, and the effect that his song choices have on the people who listen to them.
D. A long line of people running through a flat piece of pastureland and what happens when two young men see them.
B. Two young men, a mysterious disease, and what happens when they go out to explore after the disease hits.
What is the main idea of this story?
A. A girl named Anna Johnson uses her father's radio kit to ask whether anyone "who's still human" is out there.
B. Two young men barely escape a crowd of people rushing toward them.
C. Mac enters a gas station and fills plastic bags with trail mix, bottled water, medicine, granola bars, and jars of peanut butter.
D. Two young men are trying to survive in a world where almost everyone seems to have gone crazy.
D. Two young men are trying to survive in a world where almost everyone seems to have gone crazy.
What is the main idea of this story?
A. A few young people try to stay safe from crazed plague victims.
B. Dennis and Mac meet a boy named Jeremiah at a gas station.
C. A man with ripped clothes and red eyes runs out of a bathroom toward Mac and Dennis.
D. A teenaged girl jumps into the back of a truck after being attacked by a zombie.
A. A few young people try to stay safe from crazed plague victims.
What is the main idea of this text?
A. Four friends go on a camping trip in the woods, but one of them gets hurt.
B. An injured girl asks for help from some boys she comes across in the woods.
C. Three boys help an injured girl as they find a spot in the woods to stay safe from plague-ridden zombies.
D. Three boys hide from an injured girl whom they fear will get a plague and become a zombie.
C. Three boys help an injured girl as they find a spot in the woods to stay safe from plague-ridden zombies.
What is the main idea of this text?
A. After waking up in the woods with a bad injury, a girl named Anna runs away to find help.
B. After waking up in the woods to find their friend missing, three boys worry that their companion has turned into a zombie.
C. After waking up in the woods, two boys worry that they may be attacked by a crowd of plague-ridden zombies and become infected.
D. In a truck ride through the woods, a young boy is annoyed that the radio no longer plays anything but bluegrass music.
B. After waking up in the woods to find their friend missing, three boys worry that their companion has turned into a zombie.
Read the following sentence: “More and more people were getting sick. The symptoms were strange. People would become violently ill, then fall into a long, deep sleep.”
What does the word symptoms mean?
A. Fears of getting sick.
B. signs of a disease.
C. serious injuries.
D. suggestions that doctors give to patients.
B. signs of a disease.
Read these sentences from the text.
The young men talked over their next move as they drove. Big cities seemed dangerous, but the small towns were abandoned. Should they head back to the ranch? Go deeper into the wilderness? Or try to find other survivors who were also on the run? There was no easy answer. No matter what decision they made, it would be risky.
Based on these sentences, what does the phrase "on the run" mean?
A. Trying to help people
B. Trying to win a race
C. Trying to hurry up
D. Trying to escape or hide
D. Trying to escape or hide
Read these sentences from the text.
"Mac was at the counter. When Dennis walked in, Mac pointed to the back of the store. The door of the men’s bathroom was slowly creaking open. Just then the door swung wide, and a man appeared. The man’s hair was matted and disheveled. His clothes were ripped and dirty. Parts of his skin were covered in deep purple and black marks. Even from the door, Dennis could detect the man’s stench. He smelled like the fermented slop that they fed to pigs on the ranch. It was obvious that the plague had gotten this man."
Imagery is descriptive language that focuses on one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. What senses does the imagery in these sentences focus on?
A. Sound, touch, and taste
B. Sight, touch, and taste
C. Touch, smell, and taste
D. Sight, sound, and smell
D. Sight, sound, and smell
Read these sentences from the text.
"Maybe it was his imagination, but the gash seemed to be intensifying in color. It had deepened into an unnatural shade of purple that almost glowed in the fading daylight."
Based on these sentences, what might the word “intensify” mean?
Read these sentences from the text.
"Maybe it was his imagination, but the gash seemed to be intensifying in color. It had deepened into an unnatural shade of purple that almost glowed in the fading daylight."
Based on these sentences, what might the word “intensify” mean?
A. To become stronger or deeper
B. To become weaker or lighter
C. To become more painful
D. To become worried or anxious
A. To become stronger or deeper
Read these sentences from the text.
"Mac paused. If the figure was Anna, he didn’t want to startle her. But if it was a zombie--or worse, a zombified Anna--he didn’t want to get within arm’s reach. He checked his shoelaces to make sure they were tied and braced himself to run away if necessary.
“Anna?” he called softly.
---
Dennis awoke with a start. It took him a moment to figure out where he was and why he was sleeping on a pile of dirty tarps."
Why might the author have switched to Dennis's perspective at this point in the story?
A. To confuse the reader about the setting of the story
B. To leave the reader in suspense about what happens with Mac and Anna
C. To show the reader how Mac and Dennis have very different personality traits
D. To give the reader a sense of calm about Dennis's safety
B. To leave the reader in suspense about what happens with Mac and Anna
Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.
Dennis and Mac are frightened after leaving the ranch ________ the towns and cities they visit have no people in them.
A. although
B. as a result
C. because
D. however
C. because
Read these sentences from the text.
Mac flipped a switch on the wall, and fluorescent lights flickered on. He looked around at the empty store. There were signs of a struggle. Bags of chips and candy were trampled on the floor.
How could the last two sentences here be rewritten to show the relationship between them?
A. There were signs of a struggle. Meanwhile, bags of chips and candy were trampled on the floor.
B. There were signs of a struggle. For example, bags of chips and candy were trampled on the floor.
C. There were signs of a struggle. On the other hand, bags of chips and candy were trampled on the floor.
D. There were signs of a struggle. Ultimately, bags of chips and candy were trampled on the floor.
B. There were signs of a struggle. For example, bags of chips and candy were trampled on the floor.
Read these sentences from the text.
"Mac and Dennis looked at the boy. He seemed healthy but scared."
How could these sentences be combined without changing their meaning?
A. Mac and Dennis looked at the boy, which seemed healthy but scared.
B. Mac and Dennis looked at the boy, who seemed healthy but scared.
C. Mac and Dennis looked at the boy, although healthy but scared.
D. Mac and Dennis looked at the boy and seemed healthy but scared.
B. Mac and Dennis looked at the boy, who seemed healthy but scared.
Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.
Mac didn’t want to scare Anna or Jeremiah further, ____ he decided not to voice his fears about Anna’s cut.
A. Although
B. While
C. But
D. So
D. So
Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.
Mac is worried that the figure by the stream may be a zombie, ___ he tries to stay out of arm's reach.
A. So
B. But
C. Though
D. Before
A. So