Texas Assessment
of Knowledge and Skills
READING
Grade 9
2008 Released Items
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Literary Selection
2008 Released Items
Good Neighbors
by Edith Velmans
1
It is awkward to stand there by the window, holding the
curtains in such a way that no one can see her from
outside. Her eyes are focused on the street, trying to
distinguish the faces of the cluster of men having a heated
discussion together and slapping each other on the back.
Now and then one of them looks up; it seems to her that his
glance touches the roof of the house sheltering her. It is
dark in her room; because of the blackout no light is
allowed to be seen outside. She has to be careful not to lose
her balance on the wobbly old stool that helps her reach the
window.
2
Dusk is settling on the village. She wonders why these
farmers, usually so stern, are so excited. She knows their
faces. She knows that they are “good.” Each one of the
farmers in this village is hiding someone like her, a
fugitive, resistance fighters and Jews, people whose lives
are in danger.
3
Tante Bep,1 her foster-mother, told her that when the
Nazis made it impossible for the Jews of Holland to go on
living a normal life, the vicar of the only church in the
village had urged all his parishioners to open their homes
to those who were persecuted. Tante Bep told Erica that
there was only one farmer, Farmer Teun, who had refused
to take the risk.
4
Therefore, Teun is not “good” like the others. “Good” are
those who dare to resist the occupiers, thereby risking their
own lives. “Bad” are those who are profiting from the
German occupation or are the enemy’s voluntary helpers or
are simply too weak to defy the Nazis and whose fear leads
them to betraying people whose lives are in danger. That’s
how Tante Bep puts it. Her voice, usually soft and gentle
when she speaks to her foster-child, is stern and
disapproving.
5
Nobody speaks to Farmer Teun now. Tante Bep, like
most of the villagers, even turns her back on him when he
approaches her in the street. Erica would hate to deserve
Tante Bep’s disapproval. She always does her best to
behave, because these good people are hiding her in order
to save her life. And if she doesn’t behave, who knows what
1 Tante means “aunt” in Dutch.
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My notes about what I am
reading
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Literary Selection
will happen? She has to be very careful. That’s why she
cannot go outside or show herself at the window.
6
Sometimes when dusk sets in, Oom Jan,2 her fosterfather, allows her to help him work in the barn and feed the
cows. She feels safe just being in that barn and breathing
in the smell of the animals who do not know anything
about her and cannot betray her.
7
It’s funny to think that at the other farms there may be
other children hiding, who could play with her if it weren’t
so dangerous. And dangerous it is, says Oom Jan. That’s
why she keeps herself busy with chores around the house
and tries to concentrate on the lessons Tante Bep gives her.
8
It has been almost three long years that she hasn’t seen
her parents. Or heard from them.
9
“Look outside, Erica!” Tante Bep’s voice sounds very
excited. She peeps through the curtains again and sees a
line of German trucks filled with ragged soldiers, slowly
following more troops on bicycles loaded with bags, utensils
and packages. Bringing up the rear are other very young
soldiers on foot. No more patriotic songs, no goose-steps.
10
“What’s happening?” Erica cries out.
11
“They say the British and Canadians are pushing
through the German lines,” Tante Bep calls back. “It looks
like the Germans are fleeing, they are running away. Soon
the war will be over! And we’ll be free again!”
12
Erica has never seen her foster-mother so excited. “Will
there be peace soon?” she asks. “Will I see my own parents
again?”
13
“Yes, my darling. And then you’ll go back to them and
you’ll have to leave us. I’ll miss you terribly.”
14
Erica does not know what to make of this news. She
wants to stay with Tante Bep. She’s been here so long she
hardly remembers her parents. She can’t imagine the war
being over. So she takes another look out of her peephole.
Many villagers are lined up along the road, watching the
fleeing remnants of the once-victorious German army pass
by. Nobody utters a word.
15
Farmer Teun is standing on the other side of the street.
Two neighbors are next to him, and when he turns to them
to say something, they pointedly turn away and ignore him.
Erica cringes, because she knows this is very rude and she
2 Oom means “uncle” in Dutch.
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My notes about what I am
reading
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Literary Selection
feels a little sorry for Farmer Teun, wishing that she could
run to him and say: “Hello, you must be glad this is almost
over . . .” But naturally, that’s out of the question, because
she is still in hiding and the Germans are still here, no
matter how defeated they look.
16
Uncle Jan comes into the room, beaming and rubbing
his hands. “Erica,” he says, “it’s almost over! Did you see
that sad lot moving through the streets? They’re definitely
on their way home. Can you believe it?”
17
Her mind is a jumble of joy and anxiety. Is the end of
this terrible war really in sight? Will this be the end of the
fear? What lies ahead? Will she be able to go to school
again and do the same things as all the other Dutch
children? Will her mother and father come to fetch her or
will she stay with Tante Bep and Uncle Jan? So many
questions; she finds it difficult to fall asleep.
18
Early the next morning she wakes to hear Uncle Jan’s
radio blaring through the house. She never knew he had a
radio. He must have hidden it as carefully as he hid her. If
the Nazis had found it, he could have been sent to a
concentration camp. “The Allied Divisions are breaking
through the German lines. Our enemies are finally
withdrawing . . .” She doesn’t have to hear another word.
She pulls on her clothes and runs downstairs.
19
Her foster-parents are already in the kitchen when she
comes down. “You can go outside, Erica. The enemy is gone.
You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
20
Outside in the street everybody is kissing and hugging.
And amongst them, pale but happy like Erica, are other
Jews and fugitives. Some farmers had hidden one child,
like her own foster-parents; others a married couple, or a
downed British pilot. One farmer’s wife proudly shows off
the little toddler she sheltered. The children dance around
wildly. Some of the older people are crying.
21
Suddenly the street turns quiet and Erica notices that
all eyes are directed towards Farmer Teun’s house. Teun is
standing in front of his door, alone. She asks herself, “Can’t
they leave him alone? Must they go on despising him?” He
takes off his cap and smiles at his neighbors, who do not
smile back. He looks back over his shoulder and nods to
someone behind him. Out comes his wife, followed by an old
man and woman, both leaning on canes. Then a whole
family: a father and mother holding the hands of four
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My notes about what I am
reading
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Literary Selection
children, and a young couple with a baby wrapped in a
blanket. Bringing up the rear are four young men. They all
blink their eyes in the morning sunlight.
22
The villagers, mouths wide open, watch the procession
approach. Nobody can think of anything to say. Then
Farmer Teun speaks up: “Sorry, friends, I understand what
you thought of me. But with fifteen people hiding in my
house, I couldn’t tell a soul. But that’s behind us now.
Come, don’t look so glum! Let us all thank God and
celebrate!”
“Good Neighbors” is based on a true story that took place in
the Netherlands during the Second World War, in the little
town of Aalten, where 1,200 inhabitants hid some 2,500
people.
“Good Neighbors” by Edith Velmans, from Waterstone’s Collection, The Penguin Group, 1999. Author
of Edith’s Story, published by Bantam Books.
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My notes about what I am
reading
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
2008 Released Items
Expository Selection
A Single, Lucid Moment
by Robert Soderstrom
1
2
3
4
As the plane buzzed back over the
mountains, it was now just us and the
villagers of Maimafu. My wife, Kerry, and
I were assigned to this village of 800
people in the Eastern Highlands Province
of Papua New Guinea. It looked as if we
were in for a true Indiana Jones
adventure!
about $200 a year. The village had lived in
harmony with its natural surroundings for
millennia.
The mountains were dramatic and
thick with rain forest. No roads had ever
scarred them. We had loaded a four-seater
plane with cargo (we would fly out every
three months to resupply) and flew for
thirty bumpy minutes southwest to the
mountain ridges. From the plane, the
village looked very much like a shoebox
panorama from a grade school science
project.
My wife and I were the first Peace
Corps Volunteers ever in Maimafu. We had
been greeted by a large group of beautiful
people, all wearing gorgeous, curious
smiles. Giggling, naked children hid
behind trees during the trek down the
mountain to our new home, and a lively
entourage followed using their heads to
carry our boxed supplies through the
muddy trails. It was quickly becoming
clear that we had just been adopted by a
very large and unique family.
The basic culture of subsistence living
had not been replaced; there were no cars,
electricity, or telephones—just grass huts,
large gardens, and a whole lot of rain
forest. The women spent the day in the
gardens planting, weeding, and
harvesting. The men grew coffee, from
which they generated their sole income of
The villagers had built us a beautiful,
bamboo-thatched hut on short stilts.
Planted behind the house was a three-acre
garden, carefully tended and ready to
harvest.
5
Its bounty included corn, greens,
tomatoes, beans, peanuts, onions,
potatoes, and pineapples. To top it all off,
the path to our new home was sprinkled
with flower petals the day we arrived.
6
It quickly became clear that Maimafu
was a preserved example of communal
living. Men rallied to the building of a new
home, the elderly worked and lived with
7
PAPUA
NEW
GUINEA
AUSTRALIA
■ see Moment, page 2
Page 6
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Expository Selection
■ Moment, cont. from page 1
Page 2
their families, and mothers breast-fed
their neighbors’ children. In fact, the one
parentless, Down’s syndrome man in our
village was fed, housed, and clothed by
everyone; he would spend a few days with
one family before happily wandering into
work or play with the next.
8
9
10
11
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It was when we had settled in that it
happened. We were sitting in a circle on
the ground with a large group of villagers
to “tok stori,” Papua New Guinea’s favorite
pastime of “telling stories.” I had passed
around photos I had snapped back home in
Chicago. A villager was staring intently at
one of the photos. He had spotted two
homeless men on a Michigan Avenue
sidewalk with crude signs propped
between their legs.
“Tupela man wokem wanem?” he
asked. “What are these two men doing?”
I attempted to explain the concept of
homelessness to the group, and the desire
of these two men to get some food.
Crowding around the photograph for a
good stare, the villagers could not
comprehend how the men became
homeless, or why the passersby in the
photo were so indifferent. They bombarded
me with questions and I did my best to
make sense of the two, ragged beggars in
the midst of such glittering skyscrapers. I
read from their questions and solemn
mood that they had made an important
observation—these two men must lack not
only food and shelter but also a general
sense of affection and purpose in their
community.
Early the next morning, we were
startled to hear a sharp rap at the door.
Opening it, I was greeted by Moia,
Kabarae, Kavalo, and Lemek. Kerry and I
went out into the bright beautiful day.
Each man gave us a pineapple. Moia
spoke: “After you left last night, all of us
men on the village council had a very big
meeting. For a long, long time we
discussed the two men in your picture. We
have reached a conclusion and have a
proposal for you.”
“What could this possibly be?” we
wondered.
12
“Please contact those two men as well
as your government. Ask the government
if they will fly those two men to Maimafu,
just like they did for you. We have marked
two spots of land where we will build
houses for those two men, just like we
built for you. Our men will build the
houses and the women will plant the
gardens to feed them.”
13
They were offering to do what? I was
stunned and overwhelmed. Their offer was
bold and genuine. It was innocent and
naive. It was beautiful. And, like the twist
of a kaleidoscope, my worldview had
completely changed.
14
What does one say to such an offer? We
stammered for a response and stumbled
over explanations of difficult logistics,
scarce money, and government
bureaucracies. But the councilmen would
not accept no for an answer. In their
simple lives, it was impossible to
comprehend that humanity was host to
such an injustice. They wanted action.
15
■ see Moment, page 3
Page 7
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Expository Selection
■ Moment, cont. from page 2
Page 3
16
The villagers were serious. They were
offering everything they had. We
reluctantly matched their enthusiasm
with a few letters to America and long
conversations with the village council. We
toured the sites where the homes were to
be built. We listened to the women discuss
the type of gardens they would plant,
which would even include coffee trees to
generate a small income. And we answered
numerous questions over time from
villagers amazed with this foreign thing
called “homelessness.” The plan could not
work, we told them. Their hearts sank,
and I could see in their eyes that this
dream would not die easily.
17
“Sori tru, sori tru we no inap wokem
dospela samting,” they told us. “We are
sorry this can’t happen.” They clicked their
tongues and shook their heads in
disappointment.
18
Initially inspired by the episode, I
began mulling questions over and over in
my mind. Fetching water in the ink-black
night and looking up the hill at our small
2008 Released Items
hut, light from the lantern inside splitting
the bamboo-thatched walls, I would think
of the spiritual wealth of Maimafu and the
material wealth of America: Can a
community reach a balance of material
wealth and spiritual wealth? Why do these
two societies exhibit so much of one and
not much of the other? Do these two ends
interfere with each other? How much
spiritual wealth can we have? How much
material wealth do we need? How has the
world evolved so that some people own
mansions and others lack shoes? How
many people have love in their souls but
diseased water in their drinking cups?
The villagers worked with us on newer
projects. And I discovered, like many
Peace Corps Volunteers, that the world’s
purest form of brotherhood can often be
found in the smallest of villages.
From Peace Corps: The Great Adventure. Copyright © 1997 Robert
Soderstrom. Used by permission of the author.
Page 8
19
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
2008 Released Items
Visual Representation
Directed by SHAWANA WARE
Photography RAPHAEL CARDENAS
Producer MICHAEL ROTH
Original score by SHARIDAN
“Gripping and powerful”
— Movie Times
“★
★★★”
— Hollywood Watch
WORLDWIDE FILMS presents
LOST
Found
Photograph courtesy of © Paul Hardy/CORBIS.
A New Documentary by Award-Winning Filmmaker SHAWANA WARE
The harrowing yet exhilarating
story of how one boy’s
compassion saved another
boy’s life
Page 9
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Literary Selection/Objective 1
2008 Released Items
Use “Good Neighbors” to answer questions 1–6.
1
Which words from paragraph 3 help the
reader understand the meaning of vicar?
A
village, farmer
B
life, homes
C
church, parishioners
D
impossible, normal
2
Page 10
Which of these is the best plot summary of the
story?
A
Erica is a young girl hiding from the
Nazis. Her foster parents warn her about
a “bad” farmer who does not hide
fugitives. Erica feels sorry for the farmer,
who is scorned and rejected by the other
villagers. When the war ends, the
villagers learn that the farmer has been
secretly hiding 15 people.
B
Life during the war is difficult for Erica.
She must remain hidden at all times, and
no outsider can see her face. She cannot
play with other children or go outside. If
anyone were to learn of her presence in
Tante Bep’s house, the whole household
would be in peril. Finally the war ends,
and life returns to normal for Erica.
C
The villagers consider Farmer Teun to be
a bad person because he will not accept
the risk of hiding fugitives. All the “good”
neighbors scorn and ignore him. In the
end Teun turns out to be a good as well as
wise person who helps 15 people escape
capture.
D
The people who hide Erica for three years
are extraordinary. They teach her how to
keep safe and how to identify bad people.
Tante Bep and Oom Jan protect her until
the end of the war. When the Germans
retreat, children are once again allowed to
go outdoors and play.
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
3
Literary Selection/Objective 2
By setting the story first inside the house and
then outside in the streets, the author shows
the movement from —
A
good to bad
B
confinement to freedom
C
night to day
D
memory to imagination
4
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The mood of paragraph 15 can best be
described as —
A
frightening
B
frustrated
C
hopeful
D
nostalgic
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
5
Literary Selection/Objective 3
In paragraph 17, the author uses a series of
rhetorical questions to convey —
A
Erica’s mixed emotions
B
the difficulty of adolescence
C
Erica’s confusion about the war
D
the importance of being self-confident
6
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Which of these shows that Farmer Teun does
not hold a grudge against his neighbors for
shunning him?
A
He looks back over his shoulder and nods
to someone behind him.
B
Teun is standing in front of his door, alone.
C
“But with fifteen people hiding in my
house, I couldn’t tell a soul.”
D
“But that’s behind us now.”
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Expository Selection/Objective 1
2008 Released Items
Use “A Single, Lucid Moment” to answer questions 7–12.
7
The volunteers explained that one reason it
would be difficult to bring the homeless men
to the village was that —
A
the letters would get lost
B
the plane rarely made stops
C
there were other projects planned
D
there wasn’t enough money
8
Page 13
Paragraphs 3 through 7 are mostly about —
A
the villagers’ source of income
B
the rain forest’s size
C
the village’s way of life
D
the vegetables produced in the gardens
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
9
Expository Selection/Objective 2
Which of these best describes the basic conflict
facing the author?
10
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Which line best states a primary theme
explored by the author in the selection?
A
He knew what needed to be done, but he
didn’t want to help the villagers.
A
And, like the twist of a kaleidoscope, my
worldview had completely changed.
B
He wanted to help the villagers, but he
wasted too much time asking questions.
B
C
He admired the villagers’ generosity, but
he knew nothing would come of it.
The world’s purest form of brotherhood
can often be found in the smallest of
villages.
C
This dream would not die easily.
D
We had just been adopted by a very large
and unique family.
D
He hoped the villagers would forget the
two men, but they didn’t.
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TAKS Grade 9 Reading
11
Expository
Selection/Objective
3
Selection
2/Objective 3
The villagers’ treatment of the Peace Corps
volunteers can best be described as —
A
dignified and impersonal
B
uncertain and fearful
C
generous and welcoming
D
formal and strained
12
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The author wrote the selection most likely to
persuade readers to —
A
volunteer for the Peace Corps and travel
the world
B
compare conditions in rich and poor
countries
C
be sympathetic toward people who live in
small villages
D
consider the differences between spiritual
and material wealth
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Crossover Items
2008 Released Items
Use “Good Neighbors” and “A Single, Lucid Moment”
to answer questions 13–14.
13
How would the villagers in “A Single, Lucid
Moment” most likely have responded to the
situation faced by the villagers in “Good
Neighbors”?
A
They would have helped the refugees
hide.
B
They would have told stories to the
refugees.
C
They would have sold fruit to the
refugees.
D
14
Which line from “A Single, Lucid Moment”
best applies to the villagers in “Good
Neighbors”?
A
The men grew coffee, from which they
generated their sole income of about $200
a year.
B
In their simple lives, it was impossible to
comprehend that humanity was host to
such an injustice.
C
We stammered for a response and
stumbled over explanations of difficult
logistics, scarce money, and government
bureaucracies.
D
We reluctantly matched their enthusiasm
with a few letters to America and long
conversations with the village council.
They would have informed on the
refugees.
Objective 3
Objective 3
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TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Visual Representation/Objective 3
2008 Released Items
Use the visual representation on page 9 to answer questions 15–16.
15
The main purpose of the poster is to —
A
entertain readers with an inspiring story
B
persuade readers to see the movie
C
sell products based on the movie
D
inform readers about the director’s
awards
16
Page 17
Which of the following was included to
enhance the reputation of Shawana Ware in
the eyes of a person reading the poster?
A
Filmmaker
B
Award-Winning
C
Original
D
exhilarating
TAKS Grade 9 Reading
17
Open-Ended Items
2008 Released Items
What is Erica’s primary conflict in “Good Neighbors”? Explain your answer and support it with
evidence from the selection.
Objective 2
18
In “A Single, Lucid Moment,” what do you think the author learned from his experience? Explain your
answer and support it with evidence from the selection.
Objective 3
19
How is generosity important in “Good Neighbors” and “A Single, Lucid Moment”? Support your answer
with evidence from both selections.
Objective 3
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TAKS Grade 9 Reading
Item
Number
Answer Key
Student
Expectation
LITERARY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 1
1
D.6 (B)
2
D.7 (G)
OBJECTIVE 2
3
D.11 (B)
4
D.11 (G)
OBJECTIVE 3
5
D.12 (A)
6
D.10 (B)
EXPOSITORY SELECTION
OBJECTIVE 1
7
D.7 (F)
8
D.7 (F)
OBJECTIVE 2
9
D.11 (D)
10
D.10 (B)
OBJECTIVE 3
11
D.7 (H)
12
D.12 (D)
Correct
Answer
C
A
B
B
A
D
D
C
C
B
C
D
CROSSOVER ITEMS
13
D.7 (H)
14
D.10 (B)
A
B
VISUAL REPRESENTATION
OBJECTIVE 3
15
D.19 (C)
16
D.20 (C)
B
B
OPEN-ENDED ITEMS
17
D.10 (B)
18
D.10 (B)
19
D.10 (B)
OE
OE
OE
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