Hoofers, Inc.
Most younger brothers think that their older brothers act strangely sometimes. But my brother
had been acting especially strangely for several months. Peter is fifteen—two years older than I
am. He is generally pretty cool, but every time I've asked him if he's taken up a new hobby or
something, he's always said, "Finley, mind your own business." Naturally, that has made me
even more determined to discover what Peter is up to.
First, there were the odd packages that arrived from a New York City company called Hoofers,
Inc. Peter refused to discuss them. There were the weird shoes I saw in his room. They had
paper-thin soles and tiny shoelaces, and they seemed as flimsy as banana peels. One walk around
the block and they'd fall to pieces! Then there were the odd clicking sounds I heard coming from
Peter's bedroom after school and the tack hammer, tiny nails, and small metal plates I saw on his
desk. And one time I saw Peter with a plastic bowl on his head, holding a broom handle in his
hands and making what looked like kung fu moves. When I asked Mom if Peter was studying
martial arts, she just smiled one of those knowing mom-smiles and said, "It's nothing you need to
worry about, honey." Then she added something about curiosity being quite unhealthy for cats.
So I did what any other kid in the seventh grade at Tyler Middle School would do: I consulted
Marcy Frobisher, my classmate. Marcy has read every mystery in the school library at least twice
and can solve the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper in under a minute. Marcy wants to be
a detective when she grows up. She suggested that we trail Peter, like the private eyes do on TV
shows.
I knew that Mom drove Peter downtown every Tuesday night, so I asked her if I could tag along.
Mom and Peter wouldn't say where he was going that evening, but she dropped him off at an old
warehouse. A sign outside read "Big Steps." Mom also gave me another lecture about how
brothers should respect each other's privacy, which made me feel certain that Peter was involved
in something amazingly cool, like a spy operation or a top secret NASA training mission. Now I
was crazy with curiosity!
The following Tuesday evening I just happened to be downtown near the Big Steps warehouse
building. I was with Marcy and her father. (OK, maybe that wasn't a total coincidence! Like I
said, Marcy is the private eye of Tyler Middle School.) Anyway, when we looked up from the
sidewalk into a second-floor window, we saw Peter with a bunch of other people. From where
we stood, we could see their heads only, and what we saw looked really bizarre. Everyone was
jumping up and down and running around. "Follow me!" said Marcy as she charged into the
warehouse and up to the second floor. Mr. Frobisher followed dutifully, panting all the way up
the stairs. When Marcy and I put our ears against the Big Steps door, we heard the strangest
sound—a pulsing, rhythmic clicking and clacking, like dozens of tiny hammers pounding on
metal. What was going on in there?
Suddenly, the door swung open, and out came about twenty people, including Peter. "Finley?
What are you doing here?" he asked, his face turning a few shades of red. "Have you been
following me, you big snoop?" My mouth malfunctioned, and my eyes bugged out, and I
mumbled something about getting lost on my way to the library.
Just then, a woman came up and handed Peter a cane and top hat. "Don't forget these," she said.
"You'll need them for the recital next week." Peter turned an even brighter shade of red. Recital?
Top hat? Cane? What was going on?
"Your brother is taking beginning tap dancing lessons at Big Steps," my mother said patiently
when she came up behind me. "I bring him here every Tuesday. He didn't want anyone to know
about it yet."
"Yeah!" said Peter, smiling sheepishly. "I ordered tap shoes from a company in New York that
sells dance supplies. Its name, Hoofers, is an old-fashioned term for tap dancers. Then I
hammered metal taps on the toes and heels to make the clicking sound. Next time, don't be so
nosy!" he added, roughing up my hair. Now I was the one turning red.
The following Friday I sat in the third row of the community theater beside Mom, Marcy, and
Mr. Frobisher, watching with pride as Peter and the other members of his class tap-danced across
the stage to a big-band soundtrack. Everyone wore black tuxedos with tails and danced with top
hats and canes. Peter glided and spun like a movie star in one of those old-time Hollywood
musicals. The sound of dozens of feet drumming metallically in perfect rhythm was so powerful
that it shook the whole theater and even made my teeth rattle. No wonder Peter wanted to learn
to tap dance; it was awesome! When the dancers finished, everyone in the audience leapt to their
feet, cheering and clapping.
I guess I've learned that it's a bad idea to be too curious. But I still have a question: where do I
sign up for tap lessons?
1. Which statement is the MOST prominent theme in the personal narrative?
A. Dancing is for shy people.
B. Curiosity is dangerous.
C. People need their privacy.
D. It is impossible to keep a secret.
2. Read paragraph 4 from the personal narrative:
I knew that Mom drove Peter downtown every Tuesday night, so I asked her if I could
tag along. Mom and Peter wouldn't say where he was going that evening, but she dropped him
off at an old warehouse. A sign outside read "Big Steps." Mom also gave me another lecture
about how brothers should respect each other's privacy, which made me feel certain that Peter
was involved in something amazingly cool, like a spy operation or a top secret NASA training
mission. Now I was crazy with curiosity!
Which word BEST describes the tone of this paragraph?
A. Intrigued
B. Angry
C. Sorrowful
D. Disinterested
Read paragraph 2 from the personal narrative:
First, there were the odd packages that arrived from a New York City company called
Hoofers, Inc. Peter refused to discuss them. There were the weird shoes I saw in his room. They
had paper-thin soles and tiny shoelaces, and they seemed as flimsy as banana peels. One walk
around the block and they'd fall to pieces! Then there were the odd clicking sounds I heard
coming from Peter's bedroom after school and the tack hammer, tiny nails, and small metal
plates I saw on his desk. And one time I saw Peter with a plastic bowl on his head, holding a
broom handle in his hands and making what looked like kung fu moves. When I asked Mom if
Peter was studying martial arts, she just smiled one of those knowing mom-smiles and said, "It's
nothing you need to worry about, honey." Then she added something about curiosity being quite
unhealthy for cats.
3. Which literary device is primarily used to develop this paragraph?
A. Symbolism
B. Sensory details
C. hyperbole
D. Allusion
4. Which statement BEST describes the conflict developed in this personal narrative?
A. Finley has an internal conflict because he wants to know what is going on, but
he doesn’t want to invade Peter’s privacy.
B. The story presents an external conflict between Finley and his brother over
secrecy and curiosity.
C. The story presents an external conflict between Finley and Marcy Frobisher
over who will discover Peter’s secret first.
D. Finley’s mother has an internal conflict about whether to tell Peter’s secret to Finley.
5. Reread paragraph 2. What is the effect of imagery used in this section of the narrative?
A. It establishes Finley’s interest in dance lessons.
B. It piques Finley’s curiosity in his brother’s secret hobby.
C. It reveals Finley’s interest in martial arts.
D. It causes Finley to question his brother’s interest in dance.
6. What is one lesson the reader might take from this personal narrative?
A. Competition between brothers should be avoided.
B. Brothers should not share secrets with one another.
C. People should consider tap dancing as a healthy hobby.
D. People should not jump to conclusions without all the facts.
7. Reread paragraphs 6 through 9. What is the effect of the dialogue in this section of the
narrative?
A. It reveals the first incident in the personal narrative.
B. It reveals the feelings and thoughts of Finley and his brother.
C. It reveals the reflection and lessons learned from dancing.
D. It reveals background information about primary characters.
8. The word revision combines the prefix re- and the root vis- and means “to see again.” The
word revert combines the prefix re- and the root –vert. What is the meaning of the word revert?
A. to use again
B. to grow again
C. to turn again
D. to play again
The following is a rough draft from Landon’s personal narrative. It contains errors.
Landon asked, “Why do I need to clean my room?”
Dad answered, “If you don’t clean your room, you’re going to end up starring in a reality
show about teens with dirty bedrooms.”
“Aw Dad said Landon my room’s not that bad!”
Dad said I guess its not that bad if you’re comparing it to a natural disaster.
9. Read the underlined portion. What is the correct way to write the underlined portion of the
passage?
A. Dad said, “I guess it’s not that bad if you’re comparing it to a natural disaster.”
B. Dad said, I guess it’s not that bad, if you’re comparing it to a natural disaster.
C. Dad said I guess it’s not that bad if you’re comparing it to a natural disaster.
D. Dad said, I guess it’s not that bad; if you’re comparing it to a natural disaster.