Plot
1. What is the main problem Eli faces in the story?
A. He forgets his digging tools at school.
B. He gets lost at the dig site.
C. He accidentally breaks part of a fossil and feels embarrassed.
D. He doesn’t find any fossils on the field trip.
C. He accidentally breaks part of a fossil and feels embarrassed.
What does Eli’s reaction after breaking the fossil show about him?
A. He gives up easily.
B. He takes responsibility and wants to make things right.
C. He doesn’t care about fossils.
D. He blames someone else for the mistake.
B. He takes responsibility and wants to make things right.
4. Why does Eli feel nervous after the fossil breaks?
A. He thinks he will get in trouble with the paleontologist.
B. He thinks the fossil is dangerous.
C. He believes the field trip is over.
D. He worries his sister won’t believe him.
A. He thinks he will get in trouble with the paleontologist.
1. Read this sentence from the story:
“Fossils are fragile and take time to uncover.”
What does the word fragile mean in this sentence?
A. Hard and heavy
B. Easy to break
C. Very large
D. Covered in dirt
B. Easy to break
2. What is the resolution of the story?
A. Eli gets a new brush and starts over.
B. Eli helps fix the broken fossil and shares what he learned with his sister.
C. Eli hides the broken fossil so no one knows.
D. Eli finds a different fossil and leaves the broken one behind.
B. Eli helps fix the broken fossil and shares what he learned with his sister.
What can the reader tell about Eli from the way he works at the dig site?
A. He is too excited to follow directions.
B. He is careful and focused, like a real scientist.
C. He is bored and wants to leave early.
D. He is more interested in playing than learning.
B. He is careful and focused, like a real scientist.
What can the reader infer about Eli by the end of the story?
A. He no longer wants to be a scientist.
B. He is proud of how he handled his mistake.
C. He still feels embarrassed about breaking the fossil.
D. He plans to hide his journal entry.
B. He is proud of how he handled his mistake.
Read this part of the story:
“Eli’s stomach sank. ‘I messed up,’ he thought. ‘I was too rough. I don’t belong on a dig site.’”
What does the phrase “Eli’s stomach sank” show?
A. He was very hungry.
B. He wanted to dig deeper.
C. He felt disappointed or upset.
D. He was sick from the heat.
C. He felt disappointed or upset.
3. What event happens right before the fossil breaks?
A. Eli waves to his teacher.
B. Eli brushes dirt away from a rock.
C. Eli calls his teacher over to see what he found.
D. Eli reaches for his brush but slips.
D. Eli reaches for his brush but slips.
Why is the paleontologist important to the story?
A. She gives Eli a new fossil to take home.
B. She teaches Eli how to brush faster.
C. She helps Eli learn that making mistakes is part of science.
D. She asks Eli to leave the dig site after his mistake.
C. She helps Eli learn that making mistakes is part of science.
Why does Eli tell his sister, “I did break part of it. Then I helped fix it. Like a real scientist”?
A. To show that he made the biggest discovery
B. To explain how fossils are cleaned
C. To show that learning from mistakes is part of being a scientist
D. To make her stop asking questions
C. To show that learning from mistakes is part of being a scientist
Read this sentence from the story:
“The paleontologist rushed over. ‘Wow! This could be part of a dinosaur bone—maybe even a hadrosaur!’”
What is a paleontologist?
A. A person who draws pictures of animals
B. A scientist who studies dinosaurs and fossils
C. A person who explores outer space
D. A doctor who helps sick animals
B. A scientist who studies dinosaurs and fossils
What happens at the end of the story that shows Eli feels better about what happened at the dig site?
A. He stops digging and throws his tools away.
B. He hides the broken fossil from the class.
C. He writes in his journal about what he learned and shares his experience with his sister.
D. He tells Ms. Jensen that he doesn’t want to go on another trip.
C. He writes in his journal about what he learned and shares his experience with his sister.
How does Eli change from the beginning of the story to the end?
A. He starts off unsure but becomes more confident after learning from his mistake.
B. He is excited at first, but loses interest by the end.
C. He feels angry and decides he will never dig again.
D. He is shy at the beginning and still shy at the end.
A. He starts off unsure but becomes more confident after learning from his mistake.
What can the reader tell about Eli after he talks with the paleontologist?
A. He is still too upset to continue helping.
B. He realizes that mistakes can be part of learning.
C. He wants to stop studying dinosaurs.
D. He decides to become a teacher instead.
B. He realizes that mistakes can be part of learning.
Read this sentence from the story:
“Even the best scientists make mistakes. What matters is how you handle them.”
What does the word handle mean in this sentence?
A. To carry something
B. To touch carefully
C. To take care of or deal with something
D. To grab quickly
C. To take care of or deal with something
What happens after Eli accidentally breaks the fossil?
A. He hides from the teacher and feels ashamed.
B. He tries to fix it by himself.
C. The paleontologist helps him collect and label the pieces.
D. The teacher tells him he cannot dig anymore.
C. The paleontologist helps him collect and label the pieces.
Why does Eli smile when he talks to his sister at the end of the story?
A. He wants to make her jealous.
B. He is proud of what he learned and how he handled the situation.
C. He is hiding that he broke something.
D. He doesn’t want to tell her what happened.
B. He is proud of what he learned and how he handled the situation.
Why does the paleontologist say, “You’re still a dino detective”?
A. She wants Eli to stop digging for fossils.
B. She is trying to make Eli feel better after his mistake.
C. She wants Eli to go clean the tools.
D. She is giving Eli a new job to do instead of digging.
B. She is trying to make Eli feel better after his mistake.
Read this sentence from the story:
“She showed him how to carefully collect the pieces and label them for the lab.”
What does the word label mean in this sentence?
A. To throw something away
B. To clean something with water
C. To mark something with important information
D. To hide something in a bag
C. To mark something with important information