Plot, Suspense, & Foreshadowing
As Noah walked home, he noticed dark clouds gathering above him. A sudden gust sent leaves spinning across the sidewalk. He tightened his grip on his backpack and hurried toward home.
What does the description of the weather most likely foreshadow?
A. Noah will lose his backpack.
B. A storm is approaching.
C. Noah will decide to walk more slowly.
D. The weather will become warmer.
B. A storm is approaching.
Every afternoon, Eli stayed after school to help his younger brother practice reading. Even when his friends invited him to play basketball, Eli stayed until his brother finished.
What most likely motivates Eli's actions?
A. He wants to avoid his friends.
B. He cares about helping his brother succeed.
C. He dislikes playing basketball.
D. He wants his teacher to give him extra credit.
B. He cares about helping his brother succeed.
The old playground sat empty beneath the gray sky. A rusty swing moved slowly in the wind, squeaking each time it rocked forward.
What mood does the author create?
A. Celebratory
B. Uneasy
C. Hopeful
D. Energetic
B. Uneasy
After losing three races in a row, Jordan began arriving at practice early each morning. By the end of the season, he finally won his first race.
Which theme is best supported by the passage?
A. Natural talent is more important than practice.
B. Persistence can lead to improvement.
C. Competition damages friendships.
D. Winning should always be someone's main goal.
B. Persistence can lead to improvement.
Read the sentence:
Although everyone else celebrated the victory, Marcus remained somber, staring silently at the floor.
What does somber most likely mean?
A. Excited
B. Serious or sad
C. Confused
D. Impatient
B. Serious or sad
Maya had been warned not to explore the abandoned greenhouse behind her grandmother's house. One afternoon, she noticed that its door, which had always been locked, was slightly open. She hesitated before stepping inside.
How does Maya's decision to enter the greenhouse affect the plot?
A. It resolves the story's main conflict.
B. It introduces a situation that could lead to a new conflict.
C. It explains why the greenhouse was abandoned.
D. It reveals the story's theme.
approaches the climax.
D. They provide background information.
B. It introduces a situation that could lead to a new conflict.
When the teacher announced that Olivia had won the writing contest, Harper smiled and congratulated her. Later, Harper quietly deleted the story she had spent weeks preparing for the same contest.
What can the reader infer about Harper?
A. She never wanted to enter the contest.
B. She plans to stop writing permanently.
C. She believes Olivia cheated.
D. She is disappointed but does not want to take away from Olivia's success.
D. She is disappointed but does not want to take away from Olivia's success.
Marcus opened his locker and stared at the mountain of crumpled papers, forgotten lunches, broken pencils, and one shoe.
"Perfect," he sighed. "Exactly how I wanted to start my morning."
What tone is created by Marcus's dialogue?
A. Sincere
B. Critical
C. Sarcastic
D. Respectful
C. Sarcastic
A dentist reminds every patient to avoid sugary candy. During lunch, she accidentally cracks her tooth while eating a caramel.
Which type of literary device is demonstrated?
A. Foreshadowing
B. Situational irony
C. Flashback
D. Symbolism
B. Situational irony
Original sentence:
Because the heavy snowfall made the roads unsafe, school officials decided to cancel classes for the day.
Which sentence best paraphrases the original?
A. School was canceled because snowy conditions made traveling dangerous.
B. "The heavy snowfall made the roads unsafe."
C. Students asked officials to cancel school because they wanted a day off.
D. Heavy snowfall covered the roads after school was canceled.
A. School was canceled because snowy conditions made traveling dangerous.
Before leaving for the championship game, Andre noticed that one of the straps on his equipment bag had nearly torn through. His father offered to replace the bag, but Andre shook his head.
"It'll survive one more game."
During the final quarter, Andre reached for the bag.
Why does the author most likely include the damaged strap earlier in the passage?
A. To show that Andre does not take care of his belongings
B. To explain why Andre's father dislikes the bag
C. To foreshadow a problem that may occur at an important moment
D. To establish that Andre's family cannot afford new equipment
C. To foreshadow a problem that may occur at an important moment
For years, Mr. Bennett complained that the neighborhood's annual block party was too loud and unnecessary. However, when the neighborhood association announced that it might cancel the event, Mr. Bennett immediately volunteered to organize it.
Which inference is best supported by Mr. Bennett's actions?
A. He secretly organized every previous block party.
B. He values the tradition more than his complaints suggested.
C. He wants the neighborhood association to replace him.
D. He has recently become interested in loud parties.
B. He values the tradition more than his complaints suggested.
The restaurant's sign still flashed OPEN, although three letters had burned out. Inside, overturned chairs covered the floor, dust coated every table, and a single ceiling fan turned slowly above the empty room.
How does the author's description contribute to the mood?
A. The contrast between the OPEN sign and the abandoned restaurant creates an eerie feeling.
B. The detailed description creates excitement about the restaurant reopening.
C. The flashing sign creates a humorous mood.
D. The empty tables establish a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.
A. The contrast between the OPEN sign and the abandoned restaurant creates an eerie feeling.
A town has rung the same enormous bell every evening for 150 years. Nobody remembers why. When the mayor suggests ending the practice, residents become furious and insist, "It wouldn't be our town without it."
Why does the author most likely emphasize that nobody remembers the bell's original purpose?
A. To suggest that people may continue traditions without understanding why they exist
B. To prove that the mayor knows more about history than the residents
C. To explain why the bell needs to be replaced
D. To show that the town's residents dislike history
A. To suggest that people may continue traditions without understanding why they exist
Read the passage:
After moving to a new school, Jalen struggled to make friends and often ate lunch alone. He eventually joined the robotics club, where he met students who shared his interests. Over the next several weeks, Jalen became more confident and began looking forward to school.
Which sentence best summarizes the passage?
A. Jalen ate lunch alone after moving to a new school.
B. Jalen joined a robotics club where students built machines together.
C. After struggling socially at his new school, Jalen found friendship and confidence by joining a club that matched his interests.
D. Jalen became more confident several weeks after moving.
C. After struggling socially at his new school, Jalen found friendship and confidence by joining a club that matched his interests.
The elevator stopped between floors.
"Probably nothing," Mrs. Chen said.
Then the lights flickered.
A scraping sound came from somewhere above them.
Jamal looked at the emergency button. Its light had gone dark.
Which detail contributes most to the suspense of the passage?
A. Mrs. Chen believes there is nothing wrong.
B. The elevator stops between floors.
C. Jamal looks at the emergency button.
D. The emergency button appears to no longer work.
D. The emergency button appears to no longer work.
After months of arguing that students should be allowed to choose their own seats, Cameron was elected class representative. When the principal offered to let him create a new seating policy, Cameron hesitated.
"Maybe assigned seats aren't completely terrible," he said. "Managing everybody might be harder than I thought."
What most likely causes Cameron's perspective to change?
A. He realizes that responsibility can make an issue more complicated than it appeared before.
B. He is afraid that his classmates will disagree with him.
C. He has forgotten why he originally disliked assigned seats.
D. The principal has threatened to remove him from his position.
A. He realizes that responsibility can make an issue more complicated than it appeared before.
After the tornado passed, Mr. Ellis walked through what remained of his living room. He picked up half of a picture frame, brushed the dust from it, and looked through the missing wall toward the neighbor's yard.
"Well," he said, "I always wanted a bigger window."
How does the author's use of dialogue affect the tone?
A. It creates a bitter tone by showing that Mr. Ellis blames his neighbor.
B. It creates a humorous, resilient tone despite the destruction surrounding him.
C. It creates a frightened tone by emphasizing the danger of the tornado.
D. It creates a formal tone because Mr. Ellis carefully describes the damage.
B. It creates a humorous, resilient tone despite the destruction surrounding him.
Nora spent years saving money because she believed owning an expensive car would finally make people respect her. When she eventually bought one, strangers complimented it constantly.
A month later, Nora sat alone inside the spotless car, scrolling through pictures of her old friends laughing together without her.
Which theme is best developed through the passage?
A. Expensive possessions are necessary for gaining respect.
B. Saving money requires patience and sacrifice.
C. Friendships usually end when people become successful.
D. Achieving what we think we want does not always provide the fulfillment we expect.
D. Achieving what we think we want does not always provide the fulfillment we expect.
Read the sentence:
The principal's apology sounded perfunctory; she quickly read it from a prepared card, avoided eye contact, and immediately changed the subject.
What does perfunctory most likely mean?
A. Deeply emotional and sincere
B. Performed routinely with little genuine effort or interest
C. Difficult to understand because of complicated language
D. Delivered unexpectedly without preparation
B. Performed routinely with little genuine effort or interest
For three nights, Lena heard scratching beneath her bedroom window. Each morning, she found nothing outside except a few disturbed leaves.
On the fourth night, the scratching stopped.
Lena smiled and returned to her book.
Then she heard it again.
This time, it came from inside her closet.
How does the author structure the events to increase suspense?
A. By resolving the original problem before introducing an unrelated conflict
B. By establishing a repeated pattern and then unexpectedly changing where the threat is located
C. By revealing the source of the scratching before Lena discovers it
D. By slowing the plot with unnecessary details about Lena's routine
B. By establishing a repeated pattern and then unexpectedly changing where the threat is located
Ava had spent weeks arguing that the school's talent show should be judged anonymously.
"It's the only way to make it fair," she insisted.
On the morning of the competition, she learned that her younger sister had accidentally submitted her performance without a name.
Ava immediately approached the organizer.
"Couldn't you make an exception just this once?"
What does Ava's reaction reveal about her character?
A. She no longer understands how anonymous judging works.
B. Her commitment to fairness weakens when the rule disadvantages someone she cares about.
C. She believes her sister should automatically win the competition.
D. Her previous support for anonymous judging was intended to hurt other competitors.
B. Her commitment to fairness weakens when the rule disadvantages someone she cares about.
The announcement arrived at 3:17 p.m.
The company called it a "transition." Employees called it something else.
By four o'clock, cardboard boxes lined the hallway. Family photographs disappeared from desks. Nameplates were unscrewed from office doors.
Management sent one final email thanking everyone for "another productive afternoon."
How does the author's word choice contribute to the tone?
A. The positive corporate language contrasts with the employees' actions, creating a critical and ironic tone.
B. The detailed description of the office creates an optimistic tone about future opportunities.
C. The employees' actions create an angry tone because they refuse to leave the building.
D. The precise time creates a suspenseful tone by suggesting that the company is in danger.
A. The positive corporate language contrasts with the employees' actions, creating a critical and ironic tone.
For decades, residents of Westbridge refused to cross the river because they had been told the forest on the other side was dangerous. Parents repeated the warning to their children, although no one could remember anyone actually entering the forest.
After a flood destroyed the only bridge leading out of town, a group of residents was forced to cross the river.
They found an ordinary forest—and a highway leading directly to the nearest city.
Why does the author most likely structure the passage this way?
A. To show that natural disasters usually solve community problems
B. To demonstrate how unquestioned beliefs can limit people until experience challenges those beliefs
C. To explain why forests are often misunderstood by communities
D. To prove that younger generations are more intelligent than older generations
B. To demonstrate how unquestioned beliefs can limit people until experience challenges those beliefs
Read the passage:
For nearly a year, residents complained about dangerous traffic near the elementary school. City officials repeatedly promised to investigate but made no changes. After a student was nearly struck while crossing the street, parents organized a meeting attended by hundreds of residents. Within two weeks, the city installed new crosswalks, warning lights, and lower speed limits.
Which option best summarizes the passage without changing its meaning or including unnecessary details?
A. Hundreds of angry parents attended a meeting after city officials refused to install warning lights near an elementary school.
B. Residents complained for almost a year about traffic, and then a student crossed the street and parents attended a meeting before crosswalks were installed two weeks later.
C. After officials failed to respond to repeated traffic-safety concerns, a near accident prompted community action that resulted in new safety measures.
D. City officials installed crosswalks, warning lights, and lower speed limits because hundreds of residents demanded that they improve the elementary school.
C. After officials failed to respond to repeated traffic-safety concerns, a near accident prompted community action that resulted in new safety measures.