Name: Date: Moving to a new home is sad if you have to leave a pet behind. Read this story about Faith and her pet, Josefina, and then answer the questions that follow. from The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr It was May 1850. Faith was excited. They were going to California in a covered wagon. "Please," Faith asked Ma, "can I take Josefina?" Josefina was her pet hen and Faith loved her. She liked the way Josefina snuggled in her arms. She liked the way Josefina followed her around. Ma was baking bread for the long journey. "Ask your Pa," she said. Pa and Faith's brother, Adam, were loading the wagon. "Please, Pa," Faith said, "please can I take Josefina?" "There is no room in the wagon for pets," Pa said. "That isn't fair," said Faith. "Adam can bring his colt." "A colt is not a pet," said Pa. "A colt can carry a load of corn...." Faith's eyes filled with tears. She ran back to the house. Ma sat down in the rocker and held Faith on her lap. "We all must leave things behind," she said gently. "I love this rocker, but there is no room for it in the wagon." Faith gulped down her sobs. "I have looked after Josefina since she was a little chick," she said. "What will happen to her?" "Perhaps a neighbor will take her," said Ma.... Early in the morning the wagon was ready. It had blue trim and a white cloth roof. Ma stood back to admire it. "A big flowerpot on wheels!" she said. "Isn't it beautiful?" Faith did not answer. She was worried about Josefina. "Did you pack the food?" Ma asked Pa. "And my kitchen things?" Pa nodded. "Then that is everything except the bedding," said Ma. Faith thought sadly, "And Josefina." 1. Which kind of animal was Josefina? A. a cat B. a hen C. a dog D. a colt 2. Which did Ma have to leave behind? A. her colt B. her rocker C. her flowerpot D. her kitchen things 3. How did Faith feel when the wagon was ready? A. She was tired from loading the wagon. B. She was scared of riding in the wagon. C. She was worried about leaving Josefina. D. She was excited about going to California. 1
4. Ma was baking bread for the long journey. In this sentence, what does the word journey mean? A. job B. trip C. wagon D. morning 5. Which word means the opposite of early? A. late B. ever C. soon D. after 6. Why can Adam bring his colt to California? A. It is small. B. It eats very little. C. It is useful. D. It is friendly. 7. Ma stood back to admire the wagon. What does the word admire mean? A. to decorate with paint B. to load with boxes C. to look at with pride D. to clean and polish 8. In the story, Adam and Pa were loading the wagon. Which prefix could you add to the beginning of loading to give it the OPPOSITE meaning? A. re- B. ex- C. in- D. un- 9. Who decided that Josefina could not come? A. Pa B. Ma C. Faith D. Adam 2
10. Faith was worried about Josefina because she thought A. no one would take care of her. B. dogs would chase her. C. there was not enough room on the wagon for her. D. the neighbors would take her. 03_2_Read_For_Lit_Comp_T7 (03_2_Read_For_Lit_Comp_T7) This story tells about long-ago times and a girl named Minna. She cannot go to school. To find out why, read the story and then answer the questions that follow. from The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills The summer I was eight, Papa called me over to his rocking chair. I climbed on his lap and he said, "You're getting big, Minna." "Too big for laps?" I asked. "Not too big for mine," he said softly, "but too big to still be at home. It's nearing time you went to school." I could hardly hold back my smiling just thinking about all the friends I would have. But I didn't want to leave Mama without a helper. "Papa," I said, "I can't go to school. Mama needs me here." Papa just looked at me real steady and said, "They have books at school, Minna. You can learn things from those books that you can't learn at home." "But I don't have a coat, Papa," I quietly reminded him.... School started in September. Mama said I could go, but I decided not to. I still didn't have a coat to wear, and I knew it was no use starting something I'd have to quit when the weather turned cold. Other mothers who had children in school came over to quilt with Mama. I called them the Quilting Mothers. That fall they were all working on a pattern called Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. I looked at it and said, "That Joseph sure was lucky to have such a coat. I wish I had one like that." "Why do you say that, Minna?" Mrs. Miller asked me. "Because then I could go to school," I said, a little embarrassed that I had mentioned it. "Well now, Minna," said Mrs. Miller, "I don't know that any of us has a spare coat we could hand you down, but I'm sure we have some scraps to spare. We could piece them together, and you'd have a coat like Joseph's after all." Mrs. Miller looked around the room, and the other mothers nodded.... My eyes filled with tears, but I wasn't embarrassed anymore.... Mama smiled and shook her head, and I saw tears in her eyes, too. 11. Minna needed a coat so that she could A. go to school. B. help her mother. C. sit in her father's lap. D. help the mothers make quilts. 12. Why did Minna look forward to school? A. She liked homework. B. She would be warmer there. C. She wanted to make new friends. D. She wanted to read lots of books. 3
13. Papa wanted Minna to go to school so she could A. play sports. B. read books. C. meet people. D. learn math. 14. I don't know that any of us has a spare coat we could hand you down... In the sentence above, the word spare means A. thin. B. extra. C. heavy. D. warm. 15. What happens first in the story? A. Minna decides not to go to school. B. The Quilting Mothers come to quilt with Mama. C. Minna and her mother both get tears in their eyes. D. Papa tells Minna that it is time for her to go to school. 16. A good title for this story is A. Papa and Minna. B. How Minna Got Her Coat. C. The Quilting Mothers. D. A Coat for Joseph. 17. Minna decided not to start school because A. she would have to quit when it got cold. B. it was a long way for a little girl to walk. C. she was needed at home, to help Mama. D. she liked to be home when the Quilting Mothers came. 18. How did Papa feel about Minna going to school? A. He thought school was very important. B. He did not want her to go because he would miss her. C. He felt sad because she was getting old enough to go. D. He thought school was not for girls. 19. Minna decided not to go to school. Which word means the same as decided? A. thought B. begged C. asked D. chose 03_2_Read_For_Lit_Comp_T7 (03_2_Read_For_Lit_Comp_T7) 4
Answer Key 1. B) a hen 2. B) her rocker 3. C) She was worried about leaving Josefina. 4. B) trip 5. A) late 6. C) It is useful. 7. C) to look at with pride 8. D) un- 9. A) Pa 10. A) no one would take care of her. 11. A) go to school. 12. C) She wanted to make new friends. 13. B) read books. 14. B) extra. 15. D) Papa tells Minna that it is time for her to go to school. 16. B) How Minna Got Her Coat. 17. A) she would have to quit when it got cold. 18. A) He thought school was very important. 19. D) chose 5