Reading Read the selection and answer each question.
The Mystery MessCharactersNASSIM, a boyMOM, Nassim’s motherDAD, Nassim’s father
ACT 1, SCENE 1Nassim’s kitchen(It is early in the morning. Nassim enters and opens the refrigerator. He takes out the milk and pours some into a glass on the table.)
NASSIM: Oh, I forgot my book. (Nassim leaves.)
(The lights go out. There is a loud bang and the sound of glass breaking. The lights come back on. There is a broken glass on the floor and milk spilled everywhere.)
NASSIM: (rushing back in) What happened?
MOM: (entering the room) Nassim, look at the mess you made! You’ll have to clean it up.
NASSIM: But Mom, I wasn’t even in the room.
MOM: Glasses don’t fall and break by themselves.
(Nassim grabs a paper towel and begins to clean up the spill.)
ACT 1, SCENE 2Nassim’s dining room(It is the middle of the afternoon. A racing-car game is set up on one end of the table. Papers are scattered all over the other end of the table and on the floor.)
MOM: Look at this mess! I was writing a report for work. I left the room for a few minutes. When I came back, I found your game set up and my papers all over the floor. I expect you to pick them all up.
NASSIM: Mom, I did come down a little while ago to set up the game, but then I went back upstairs to get my cars. I didn’t knock over your papers. It sure is a mess, though.
MOM: Well, I know I didn’t do it, and neither did your father. You are the only other person in this house.
NASSIM: I feel bad, Mom, but I don’t know what’s going on either! I’ve tried to think of a reason for it, but my mind is a blank page.
(He bends down and begins picking up papers.)
ACT 1, SCENE 3Nassim’s kitchen(It is early evening. There is an open bag of flour on the table, and flour is covering the table and part of the floor like fresh snow.)
DAD: Nassim! Come here!
NASSIM: (entering) Wow! What a mess!
DAD: It certainly is! I was about to start cooking dinner, but you have to clean up this mess first.
NASSIM: Something strange is going on because I’m not the one making all these messes. (He looks down at the flour-covered table.) Wait a minute. See those little spots in the flour, and the white marks on the floor? Those are paw prints!
(Nassim follows the paw prints to a low shelf near the back door. He kneels down and pulls out a kitten.)
NASSIM: Mom, Dad, look! Here is our mess maker. He has flour all over him!
MOM: Oh my! He must have crept in through an open window. He is a mess, but he’s still very cute. Nassim, I’ve made a mistake, and I’m sorry. I think this little fellow has been very busy today—getting into trouble and then running and hiding when he heard someone coming.
NASSIM: Can we keep him, please? I’ll take good care of him, I promise! I’ll even clean up any more messes that he makes.
MOM: First, we will have to try to find out if he belongs to someone else. If he doesn’t already have an owner, you can keep him.
NASSIM: (grinning and petting the kitten) Thank you! (to the kitten) You caused a lot of trouble for me today. I think I’ll call you Mushkila. It means trouble. That’s the perfect name for you.
1 What is the main conflict in the play?
A Nassim wants to read his book, but he has forgotten it in another room.
B Nassim says he would like a pet, but his parents do not want him to have one.
C Nassim says that he has not knocked things over, but his parents think he has.
D Nassim wants to play with his cars, but his mother wants him to clean the house.
James the Vine PullerCharactersNARRATORJAMES, a turtleELEPHANT, king of the jungleWHALE, king of the ocean
ACT 1, SCENE 1The jungle(James is walking through a jungle filled with palm trees. Next to the jungle is a small sandy beach that leads to the ocean.)
NARRATOR: James the turtle lived happily in the jungle. Every morning, he went swimming and played on the beach. In the evening, he watched beautiful sunsets over the ocean. One afternoon, James was eating a coconut that had fallen from a tree. Elephant came crashing through the bush.
ELEPHANT: (shouting) I am the king of the jungle. What are you doing eating MY coconut?
JAMES: Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was yours.
ELEPHANT: Everything in the jungle is mine. Don’t ever eat here again!
NARRATOR: Elephant stomped off. James decided to find another place to eat. He swam into the ocean and nibbled on some seaweed. Suddenly, Whale rose out of the water.
WHALE: As king of the ocean, I get to eat all the seaweed I want. As a tiny turtle, you get nothing. Understand? Don’t let me catch you eating here again!
JAMES: (sadly) I can’t eat on land because Elephant is king there. I can’t eat in the ocean because Whale is king there.
NARRATOR: That night, James went to bed hungry. He dreamed he had a vine tied around him. Whale was pulling on one end, and Elephant was pulling on the other. The vine was getting tighter, and his stomach hurt. James woke up feeling hungry and frightened, but he had a plan.
ACT 1, SCENE 2The jungle(It is early morning. Elephant is standing in the jungle eating a coconut. James enters and walks over to him.)
JAMES: You are a selfish ruler. I’m going to take that crown away from you.
ELEPHANT: (laughing) You? You’re just a little turtle.
JAMES: I may be little, but I’m smart. I say we have a vine-pulling contest. If I win, you must leave the jungle. If you win, I’ll leave.
ELEPHANT: (grinning) Okay.
JAMES: We’re on, then. I’ll see you this afternoon.
NARRATOR: Next, James went to the ocean to talk to Whale.
JAMES: I’m tired of you being the king of the ocean. I think I would be a better ruler. So, here’s my plan. We have a vine-pulling contest. If you win, I find a new ocean. If I win, I can swim here unharmed.
WHALE: (grinning) Okay.
JAMES: Great! First, I’ll tie this vine to your tail. Next, I’ll tie the other end to my leg. Now, let me walk to the end of the vine. When I get there, I’ll tug on the vine. That will signal it’s time to begin. (He walks toward the jungle.)
NARRATOR: When James got behind the trees, he took the vine off his leg and carried it to Elephant.
JAMES: Time for the contest. First I’ll tie this vine to your trunk. Then, I’ll walk to the end of the vine. When you feel a tug, start pulling.
NARRATOR: James walked back toward the ocean. As soon as Elephant could no longer see him, he gave the vine a jerk. Then he hid behind a palm tree. Whale pulled. Elephant was almost dragged into the water. Elephant pulled back. Whale was almost drawn onto the beach. Whale and Elephant were not visible to each other. They both thought James was pulling against them. Whale and Elephant struggled until they were both too tired to move. James went to Elephant.
JAMES: You see that you are not stronger than me. Let’s call it a draw. We’ll both continue to live—and eat—in the jungle as we did before.
NARRATOR: Elephant agreed. Next, James went to Whale.
JAMES: It seems neither of us can win. Maybe we should just agree to leave each other alone.
NARRATOR: Whale agreed, too. That night James once again watched the sunset on the beach. It looked more beautiful than ever.
8 Read the sentence from Act 1, Scene 1.
Elephant came crashing through the bush.
Why does the author use crashing instead of walking in the sentence above?
Writing Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Dante wrote a story about a new cousin. Read the story and look for any changes he should make. When you finish reading, answer the questions that follow.
Cousin Frances(1) Last week my uncle called to give me some exciting news. (2) “You have a new
cousin,” he said, “and her name is Frances”.
(3) Usually I am not that interested in babys, but Frances is different. (4) Her is my first cousin! (5) Before Frances was born there were only two childs in our family, my sister, Kayla, and me. (6) “I can’t wait to see Frances,” Kayla said! (7) Mom showed Kayla and me some pictures of our cousin. (8) Frances is very small with dark hair and light eyes.
(9) Kayla asked my mom when we will get to meet Frances in person. (10) My aunt and uncle live far away in Denver, but Mom says we will go visit him soon. (11) I am ready to go. (12) My suitcase is already packed.
1 What is the correct way to write sentence 2?
A “You have a new cousin,” he said, “and her name is Frances.”
B “You have a new cousin,” he said. “and her name is Frances.”
C “You have a new cousin.” he said, “and her name is Frances.”
D “You have a new cousin”, he said, “and her name is Frances”.
THINK about what it is like to learn a new skill. What might a character in a story think, do, or say while learning something new?
WRITE a story where the main character learns to do something new. Explain how the character feels through his or her thoughts and actions.
Be sure to —• write about the character’s experience• organize your writing• develop your writing in detail• choose your words carefully• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentences
