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Name:_____________________________________________
Date:________________________
The Dare at Eagle Rock
by Helen Chapman
It was the first summer camping trip of the year. They had boarded the bus that morning and still had half an hour
to go before reaching Eagle Rock State Park. Jenna Geddes sighed as the other kids burst into yet another stupid song.
How childish they were. There was no way she was going to act like that! Jenna wished she was back at her school
with her own friends. Camp would have been fun then.
Jenna pushed her long, brown hair under her baseball cap, which she wore backward and low down on her head. It
was so tight that it gave her a headache. But it made her look cool.
She pretended to read her magazine. She'd finished it ages ago, but it gave her something to do—as if she didn't
care that she sat alone and silent while the other kids swapped stories and sang. She was about to try reading the
magazine upside down when something fell on her lap. It was a pair of glasses. Jenna quickly folded the magazine
over them.
A serious-looking boy with blond hair stuck his head over the seat. His blue eyes squinted at her. Jenna knew a few
of the boys. This face belonged to Ryan Peko. He was one of those kids who spent all lunchtime at the library.
"Give them back, will ya?" he whined.
"Give what back?" Jenna asked.
"My glasses." The serious face looked more serious than ever.
"I don't have your stupid glasses." said Jenna.
Another face bobbed up. It was Tran Nguyen. With his happy grin and straight, black hair, he was the opposite in
looks to his friend.
"You must have them. I threw them at you," he said.
"Well, you must be a rotten shot, because I haven't seen them," Jenna replied.
Jenna was enjoying this. It was the first interesting thing that had happened to her all day and the first time any of
the kids had spoken to her.
"I'll get them."
A pretty girl with dark, wavy hair and gold studs in her ears thrust her hand at Jenna. It was Marie Zalocostas.
Jenna knew her from choir practice.
Marie took the glasses and handed them back to Ryan. She turned to Jenna.
"That was mean. Ryan can't see without them." I'd rather be mean than lonely, thought Jenna. Then her eyes
filled with tears. She hated all of them. Nobody liked her, just because she was new. Well, she'd show them.
1.
The setting of this passage is a
A. vehicle.
B. library.
C. cafeteria.
D. camp.
2.
What gave Jenna a headache?
A. traveling
B. reading a magazine
C. wearing a tight cap
D. listening to stupid songs
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3.
". . . the other kids swapped stories and sang."
The word swapped in the sentence above means
A. read.
B. heard.
C. wrote.
D. traded.
4.
Which pair of words does NOT rhyme?
A. cap, lap
B. knew, you
C. mean, seen
D. grind, friend
5.
What happened first in the story?
A. Jenna lied to Tran.
B. Tran threw the glasses.
C. The kids sang songs.
D. Marie took the glasses.
6.
Which of the following is the MOST important event in the story?
A. Tran grinned at Jenna.
B. Jenna hid Ryan's glasses.
C. Marie gave the glasses to Ryan.
D. Jenna knew Marie from choir practice.
7.
Jenna hid Ryan's glasses because
A. she was lonely.
B. Ryan liked to read.
C. Tran liked attention.
D. Marie wanted a friend.
8.
Which sentence BEST tells what the author is trying to say?
A. Buses can be dangerous for kids.
B. It is fun to hide another person's belongings.
C. Summer camp can be a good place to make friends.
D. Loneliness can cause people to do mean things.
9.
Based on her character, what is Jenna MOST LIKELY to do next?
A. go back home
B. clean Ryan's glasses
C. take a dangerous dare
D. sing with the other kids
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10.
The MOST LIKELY reason why Tran threw Ryan's glasses is that he wanted
A. to have fun.
B. to break them.
C. Jenna to wear them.
D. Marie and Jenna to fight.
11.
How did the children get to Eagle Rock State Park?
A. car
B. bus
C. train
D. plane
Chocolate
One of the discoveries that Christopher Columbus brought home to Spain from the New World was a drink called
hot chocolate. Later when the Spanish explorer Cortez entered Mexico in 1520, the Aztec ruler served him hot
chocolate. But it was not exactly the same drink we enjoy today. The hot chocolate which Columbus and Cortez
drank was not only made of cocoa, but also contained ground-up chili peppers. The drink foamed and was a deep red
color.
Europeans left out the hot chili peppers and added milk, sugar, and vanilla extract, creating the drink we know
now. The recipe was a secret for many years, but by the 1700s, England had popular chocolate houses where
travelers stopped for refreshments. An English company by the name of Fry and Fry invented the first chocolate
candy bar in 1847.
Today, chemists still work to improve chocolate. A key improvement is called tempering. Liquid chocolate is put
through a heating and cooling process to make it smooth and creamy. This process keeps the chocolate at the right
consistency. Chocolate that is too thick may have bubbles and holes. Chocolate that is too thin will not coat candy
bars properly. No matter how good something is, someone will work to make it better.
12.
When chocolate is too thick, it
A. does not coat the candy.
B. may have bubbles and holes.
C. is smooth and creamy.
D. turns deep red.
13.
The process of tempering makes chocolate
A. too thick.
B. too thin.
C. smooth and creamy.
D. have bubbles and holes.
14.
Hot chocolate was popular in Europe without
A. peppers.
B. milk.
C. sugar.
D. vanilla.
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15.
Which is the main idea?
A. Columbus discovered chocolate with chili peppers.
B. Europeans added milk, sugar, and vanilla to chocolate.
C. Chocolate has changed over the years.
D. The English invented chocolate bars.
16.
The hot chocolate drink known today and the drink served to Cortez and Columbus are alike in that both
A. are deep red in color.
B. are made with cocoa.
C. contain milk, sugar, and vanilla.
D. contain ground-up chili peppers.
17.
What did the Spanish explorer Cortez do?
A. sampled a hot chocolate drink
B. introduced hot chocolate to the Spanish court
C. made a solid bar of chocolate
D. invented cocoa butter and powder
18.
Carpenters use ____________ tools to make their work more efficient. For example, the right wrench
loosens or tightens bolts of almost any size. Electric drills make fastening quicker. Even the use of a
balance is a simple but effective way to ensure the quality of the project. Without the use of these
different tools, carpentry would be a much more time-consuming exercise.
Which of these words BEST completes the passage?
A. archaic
B. expensive
C. identical
D. various
19.
Which shows the events ordered by date from first to last?
1. Junko Tabei climbed Mt. Everest.
2. Brahms was born.
3. Earhart crossed the Atlantic.
4. The Hindenburg exploded.
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
B. 2, 4, 3, 1
C. 2, 3, 1, 4
D. 4, 1, 3, 2
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20. Which word is an antonym for raise?
A. up
B. rays
C. lower
D. praise
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Answer Key
1. A) vehicle.
2. C) wearing a tight cap
3. D) traded.
4. D) grind, friend
5. C) The kids sang songs.
6. B) Jenna hid Ryan's glasses.
7. A) she was lonely.
8. D) Loneliness can cause people to do mean things.
9. C) take a dangerous dare
10. A) to have fun.
11. B) bus
12. B) may have bubbles and holes.
13. C) smooth and creamy.
14. A) peppers.
15. C) Chocolate has changed over the years.
16. B) are made with cocoa.
17. A) sampled a hot chocolate drink
18. D) various
19. B) 2, 4, 3, 1
20. C) lower
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