Sample Test, Section K: Question

Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow it.

After their mother had repeated for the twentieth time that she'd like the boys to have "a taste of nature," Carter and Rodney decided that maybe they could feign enthusiasm for a camping trip after all.	1
However, by the time they got three hours away from the city, set up the tents and turned off their CD player, they had decided nature wasn't so bad. Accustomed to their noisy Hamilton neighbourhood, they were in awe of the overwhelming night-time silence.	2
Until they heard a loud rustling sound outside their tent, that is.	3
"Ugh, huh?" Carter snorted as he jolted awake. He turned to shake his older brother, but Rodney was already up.	4
"What's that?" whispered Carter. He raised his voice a little. "Mom?"	5
The only answer was an even louder crunching that sounded like footsteps.	6
"There's somebody out there!" gulped Carter, panic edging into his voice	7
"That's not somebody, that's something," Rodney whispered authoritatively. "That's not human. It must be a bear."	8
They could just make out each other's wide-open eyes.	9
"Should we, uh, get Mom?" Carter asked.	10
"But her tent is over on the other side of the bear," said Rodney. "Besides, I've been taking the train all the way to Toronto by myself for five years. I can handle this."He felt around the tent for his flashlight. "Remember that nature documentary on TV? We'll make a lot of noise and scare him away."	11
Carter nodded reluctantly.	12
They quietly eased the tent zipper open, then turned on the flashlight, jumped out of the tent and started whooping.	13
Looking up at where the bear's face should be, they saw only darkness. They looked down. There, in front of them, was a mother raccoon and her three babies, eyes blinking in the sudden brightness. Behind them were the remains of the family's food -- sandwich crusts, apple cores and an empty potato-chip bag	14
The brothers looked at one another sheepishly as the fearsome predators sauntered away with the rest of tomorrow's lunch. "Uh," Rodney mumbled, "maybe we don't need to tell Mom about this..."	15

Multiple Choice (Record the best or most correct answer on the Student Answer Sheet.)

1.  The best meaning of the work "feign" as used in paragraph 1 is

     A  find
     B  build
     C  pretend
     D  encourage

2.  Carter and Rodney are best described as

     A  very brave
     B  always hungry
     C  problem solvers
     D  open to new experiences

3.  The dash in paragraph 14 is used to introduce

     A   a new idea
     B   a definition
     C   direct speech
     D   an explanation

4.  In the statement, "That's not somebody, that's something," (paragraph 8) why is "thing" in italics?

     A   because it's a new idea
     B   because it's a difficult word
     C   to emphasize the difference. It's something scary -- not natural
     D   to empathize

5.  "Besides, I've been taking the train all the way to Toronto by myself
     for five years," (paragraph 11) Why does Rodney make this statement?

     A  he is rich
     B  he has relatives in Toronto
     C  he wants to prove that he is mature
     D  he wants to go again

6.  What is one thing that Carter and Rodney do to scare away the bear they think is outside their tent?

     A   They prayed.
     B   They jumped on it.
     C   They hit it.
     D   They started whooping.

7.  Why did their mother want them to go camping?

     A   She wanted them to have a "taste of nature".
     B   She liked camping.
     C   She wanted to scare the boys
     D   She wanted them to get out of Toronto.

8.  Why did the brothers look at each other "sheepishly" in paragraph 15?

     A   because it wasn't a big scary bear after all
     B   because it was nothing
     C   because sheep eat grass
     D   because they didn't dispose of their food properly

Written Answers (Answer in full and correctly written sentences)

9.  Carter and Rodney's mother wants her sons to have "a taste of nature." (paragraph 1)
     Explain why, using evidence from the selection.

10.  Using information in the story and your own ideas, explain why Rodney would
       not want to tell his mother about the encounter with the raccoons. (paragraph 15)