WorkbookEdition 6 the birthday gift

As his father put it, “The gift of music is better than any video game you wanted when you were seven.” 1 The last sentence in paragraph 2 reads, “It was hard for him to pick one on h

Name Date

• Reading Comprehension As es me t

Dire tio s: : Read the passage Then answer the questions below.

The Birthday Gif

For his seventh birthday, Rashard was given a gift that would

define his life His father took him to a music store and told Rashard he

could pick out any instrument he wanted There was just one

requirement Rashard would have to promise he would learn to play

To that point, Rashard had not had much interest in music He

liked the songs he heard on the radio in his parents’ car But he had not

had any real interest in learning music Rashard was far more

interested in playing video games or occasionally baseball with his

friends He had never once thought about playing an instrument It was

hard for him to pick one on his birthday

Not knowing where to start, Rashard wandered the music store In the front of the store, he saw all the pianos Though Rashard’s family did not live in poverty, he knew they were also not rich He knew that a piano was too expensive to be his gift, so he walked past the piano room

Next, he found a wall filled with brass instruments There was a tuba, a saxophone, a trumpet, and something he could not identify The salesman said it was a French horn Rashard was not interested

in any of those either, because he did not want to put his mouth on anything

He moved on to the large room filled with acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and basses He could imagine himself playing those The salesman in the guitar room took one of the acoustic guitars down and let Rashard play it Rashard had no clue how to go about playing it, so the salesman taught him a chord The only problem was that Rashard’s hands were too small to fit around the neck of the instrument!

Realizing he would not be able to play a guitar, Rashard moved into the next room of the music store There, he found stringed instruments other than guitars He picked up a violin, and he realized it was the perfect size for his small hands!

Rashard kept his promise to his dad He took lessons at the very same store he purchased the violin, and he continues to play it as an adult

Though Rashard has since purchased nicer violins, he always remembered the first one his father purchased for him It was easily the most important gift Rashard ever received As his father put it,

“The gift of music is better than any video game you wanted when you were seven.”

1) The last sentence in paragraph 2 reads, “It was hard for him to pick one on his birthday.” Which of the following words or phrases would best introduce this sentence?

A Despite this

B However

C Because of this

D By comparison

2) Based on its use in paragraph 3, the word poverty is best defined as a lack of

A internet

B size

C money

D talent

3) According to the passage, Rashard’s decision to purchase the violin was most strongly influenced by

A the price of the violin

B the size of the violin

C the difficulty of playing the violin

D the sound the violin made

4) Rashard sees each of the following instruments at the music store EXCEPT

A a guitar

B a viola

C a tuba

D a piano

5) It can be assumed from the passage that Rashard’s father

A played the violin

B did not like video games

C was wealthy

D valued music

6) At the end of the passage, we learn that Rashard’s father believes that “the gift of music is better than any video game you wanted when you were seven.” Do you agree with his statement? Why or why not?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

7) In this passage, Rashard’s father gives Rashard a gift that, although expensive, provides joy to Rashard for the rest of his life In what ways have your parents supported your talents and passions? Have they bought you instruments and lessons like Rashard’s family? Do they take you to practices

or rehearsals? How do their contributions make you feel?

_ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

8) Rashard goes to the music store with no idea what kind of instrument he’d like to learn He makes his decision without a lot of planning in advance What do you think of this decision-making style? Would you have acted the same way Rashard did, or do you usually plan big decisions in advance? Why? Explain your opinions and preferences below

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1) C

Question Type: Inference

The second-to-last sentence of paragraph 2 states that Rashard “had never once thought about playing an instrument.” The last sentence of the paragraph states that he could not pick an instrument on his birthday This seems to suggest a cause-and-effect relationship The second-to-last sentence presents a fact, and the one after that a result of that fact Since Rashard had never thought about playing an instrument, he had difficulty picking one on his birthday As such, the best transition phrase would be

“because of this.” That phrase makes the cause-and-effect relationship clear It also makes choice (C) correct The final two

sentences of paragraph 2 flow together In fact, the last one seems to present an effect for the second-to-last one Because of this,

“despite this” would not make a good transition “Despite this” would be used to link two sentences that contrast each other This

means choice (A) is not correct The final two sentences of paragraph 2 flow together In fact, the last one seems to present an

effect for the second-to-last one Because of this, “however” would not make a good transition “However” would be used to link two

sentences that contrast each other This means choice (B) is not correct The final two sentences of paragraph 2 flow together In

fact, the last one seems to present an effect for the second-to-last one Because of this, “by comparison” would not make a good

transition “By comparison” would be used to link two sentences that compare two things This means choice (D) is not correct

2) C

Question Type: Vocabulary

poverty (noun): the state of being extremely poor or of having little money

In paragraph 3, the narrator states that, “though Rashard’s family did not live in poverty, he knew they were also not rich.” This sets

up a comparison between being rich and being in poverty It implies they are opposites Because of this, poverty must be a lack of

money or wealth This means that choice (C) is correct Much of the passage is about Rashard’s interest in purchasing a musical

instrument However, there is no suggestion that poverty is a lack of interest, since the passage only compares poverty to wealth

Because of this, choice (A) is not correct Paragraph 5 talks about Rashard’s size, but this question asks about a word used in paragraph 3 Because of this, choice (B) is not correct The passage never discusses talent or Rashard’s lack of talent Because of this, choice (D) is not correct

3) B

Question Type: Global

In paragraph 5, the narrator states that Rashard wanted to get a guitar but that his hand was too small for it Then, in paragraph 6, the passage states that Rashard “picked up a violin, and he realized it was the perfect size for his small hands!” This makes it clear

that Rashard mostly chose the violin because of its size Because of this, choice (B) is correct The passage never describes the price of the violin It only discusses the price of the piano As such, choice (A) is not correct The passage never discusses the difficulty of playing the violin Because of this, choice (C) is not correct The passage never actually describes the sound of the violin In fact, it never describes the sounds any of the instruments made Because of this, choice (D) is not correct

4) B

Question Type: Detail

The answer to this detail question can be found in the middle four paragraphs of the passage, under the headings of “Shopping Around” and “Making the Choice.” In those sections, the narrator describes Rashard seeing:

• pianos (paragraph 3)

• brass instruments: “a tuba, a saxophone, a trumpet, and… a French horn” (paragraph 4)

• “acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and basses” (paragraph 5)

• a violin (paragraph 6)

The only instrument not listed in the passage is the viola This means choice (B) is correct In the fifth paragraph, Rashard sees

“acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and basses.” Because of this, choice (A) is not correct In the fourth paragraph, Rashard sees

“brass instruments” including a tuba Because of this, choice (C) is not correct In the third paragraph, Rashard sees “all the pianos.” That makes choice (D) is not correct

5) D

Question Type: Inference

The passage only says two things about Rashard’s father In the first paragraph, the father offers to buy Rashard a musical instrument if Rashard learned how to play it Second, in the last sentence, the father is quoted as saying “The gift of music is better than any video game you wanted when you were seven.” These suggest that Rashard’s father valued music, as he considered it a

“gift” and something important for Rashard to understand and know how to play Because of this, choice (D) is correct Though

Rashard learns how to play the violin his father purchases him, the passage never states that Rashard’s father played the violin too

Because of this, choice (A) is not correct Though Rashard’s father considers the violin a better gift “than any video game,” the

passage does not suggest that Rashard’s father did not like video games Thinking music is better than video games are is not the

same thing as disliking video games completely Because of this, choice (B) is not correct The passage actually makes it clear that

Rashard’s father was not wealthy In the third paragraph, the narrator states that “Rashard’s family did not live in poverty” but “were

also not rich.” This means choice (C) is not correct