Dad decided last Sunday that we should all go on a camping trip. He read an article in the Sunday paper about camping and how it
“brings families together under the canopy of nature.” “Overrated,” I joked. “What about the canopy of television or the canopy of restaurant food?” “This will be good for us,” Dad said, sliding the magazine across the coffee table. “Let’s go next weekend." I shot a quick look over at my little brother, Paul. He gave me a slow eyebrow raise which meant, “This will probably not go off completely as planned.” My smile back said, "But it will surely be fun." I started to think back. Once Dad decided we should all learn how to canoe. We borrowed two canoes from our friends, hoisted them on the van and drove for three hours to a secluded lake in Virginia. Alone in the middle of nowhere, we discovered that we had forgotten the paddles. Paul and I got in a canoe with Dad and our two younger sisters got in a canoe with Mom. We floated aimlessly around the lake for hours. Then we all jumped in with our life jackets on. We pushed the canoes back to shore. It was a fantastic trip. Another time, Dad decided we should all learn how to ski. All of us hate the cold so we spent the weekend huddled by the fire, drinking hot cocoa in the ski lodge and playing board games. It was great. We had a blast. When I stopped daydreaming, Mom was saying, “Sweetheart, we don’t have a tent.” “We don’t need one!” Dad said happily. “We’ll take all the seats out the van when we get to the campsite and put in an air mattress.” I don't know what the punch line will be on this excursion, but I am sure with Mom, Dad and the four of us kids scrunched in a van at some national park, we are bound to have a good time.
1) Which alternate title fits this passage best?
A. “No Paddles”
B. “Never as Planned”
C. "Hot Cocoa by the Fire"
D. "Van Camping for Beginners"
2) As used at the end of the story, which is the best synonym for excursion?
A. evolution
B. exodus
C. expedition
D. hiatus
3) What literary term best describes the narrator's daydreams?
A. foreshadowing, meaning the use of hints to suggest what is to come
B. irony, meaning a contrast between what is stated and what is really meant
C. flashback, meaning a scene that interrupts the action to show what happened at an earlier time
D. metaphor, meaning the direct comparison of two unlike things
4) As used in the middle of the story, which of the following could accurately be described as secluded? I. a hiking trail known only to a few II. a crowded movie theater III. a popular beach on the California coast
A. I only
B. I and II
C. II and III
D. I, II, and III
5) What lesson does the narrator's family seem to live by?
A. Camping is sure to be an adventure.
B. Danger is only in the imagination.
C. Things don't need to go as planned to have fun.
D. Reading the newspaper is a recipe for trouble
6) "Then we all jumped in with our life jackets on. We pushed the canoes back to shore." Which of the following is the best way to combine the above sentences while keeping their original meaning as used in the story?
A. We all jumped in with our life jackets on as we pushed the canoes back to shore.
B. Then we all jumped in with our life jackets on, while pushing the canoes back to shore.
C. We pushed the canoes back to shore while we all jumped in with our life jackets on.
D. After we all jumped in with our life jackets on, we pushed the canoes back to shore
7) Which best describes the narrator's tone?
A. condescending
B. sarcastic
C. jovial
D. annoyed
8) The narrator probably says the camping trip will have a punch line because he or she feels it will
A. be expensive
B. have difficulties
C. have a funny ending
D. involve fighting and turmoil
9. Identify the type of sentence:- The wary mouse watched from underneath the upturned cereal box.
A. Compound
B. Complex
C. Simple
D. Complex-Compound
10. Identify the type of sentence:- The cat fell asleep in the warm kitchen because it was deprived of sleep the night before.
A. Simple
B. Complex
C. Compound
D. Complex- compound
