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Once you've finished, then check out the answers to the questions below. Remember, each question deals with what is stated or implied in the text.
Printable PDFs:The School Reading Comprehension Worksheet | The School Answer Key
1. The passage gives the clearest explanation for which of the following questions?
A. Why have there been so many deaths at the school?
B. Why did the plants in the herb gardens die?
C. Why did Edgar believe the orange trees had died?
D. How did Matthew Wein and Tony Mavrogordo die?
The correct choice is D. Although the passage does not come right out and say that the boys were crushed beneath the beams, you can infer that because of the parents' court case about the beams not being properly stacked. Question A is never resolved – it's the question the readers asks him or herself throughout the whole passage. The answer to question B is not clear because Edgar, the narrator, muses that it could be because of overwatering and it could be because of sabotage. He doesn't know. The answer to C is also not clear because he comes right out and states that he doesn't know why they died. Hence, we have our clearest answer in Choice D.
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2. According to the passage, the salamanders died because of:
A. distemper
B. lack of food
C. suffocation
D. being eaten by snakes
The correct choice is C. The narrator states at the end of paragraph 3 that the salamanders had died, and now the kids know not to carry them around in plastic bags. The reader can reasonably infer that their deaths were caused by suffocation.
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3. The author uses the last half of paragraph seven, starting with "The class took it pretty hard…" primarily in order to:
A. illustrate that bad luck, as Edgar suspected, was the cause of all the deaths.
B. intensify the absurdity of a story filled with so many deaths.
C. explain the number of deaths of the parents.
D. compare the rate of parental deaths to that of the grandparents' deaths.
The correct choice is B. If the question had asked for Edgar's reasoning behind mentioning the parental deaths, then A would be correct. He comes out and states that bad luck had to have caused the deaths. But the author sets Edgar up as less than a reliable witness. He's a bit naïve and simple in his thinking. So the author is mainly trying to increase the absurdity of the story. If 10 parents had passed away that year, that's an absurdly high number!
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4. It can be reasonably inferred from the passage that Edgar is:
A. a kind teacher, perplexed about the deaths.
B. the person most at fault for the deaths.
C. a concerned teacher hunting for the cause of the deaths.
D. a person the kids respect in every way.
The correct choice is A. Choice B is incorrect. The death of the Korean boy and the parents are evidence of that, even if you could claim Edgar was somewhat responsible for the deaths at the school. Edgar shows no signs of hunting for the cause of the deaths. And Choice D is incorrect because the students name their puppy Edgar, poking fun of him in a way.
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5. Which of the following most accurately expresses the overall tone of the passage?
A. tragic
B. hilarious
C. satirical
D. bitter
The correct choice is C. The tone pokes fun of Edgar's naiveté by putting him in a crazy situation and handing him the reigns. Although death is tragic, the tone of this passage is not. If it were so, you wouldn't be chuckling throughout. Choice A is out. Choice B is also out. The passage does use some humor, but it is not hilarious. And Choice D does not fit at all.
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