25 read the excerpt below from chapter 1 and answer questions 2 - 5:

1 jonas was careful about language. not like his friend, asher, who talked too fast and mixed things up, scrambling words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny.
2 jonas grinned, remembering the morning that asher had dashed into the classroom, late as usual, arriving breathlessly in the middle of the chanting of the morning anthem. when the class took their seats at the conclusion of the patriotic hymn, asher remained standing to make his public apology as was required.
3 “i apologize for inconveniencing my learning community.” asher ran through the standard apology phrase rapidly, still catching his breath. the students had all been grinning, because they had listened to asher’s explanations so many times before.
4 “i left home at the correct time but when i was riding along near the hatchery, the crew was separating some salmon. i guess i just got distraught, watching them.
5 “i apologize to my classmates,” asher concluded. he smoothed his rumpled tunic and sat down.
6 “we accept your apology, asher.” the class recited the standard response in unison. many of the students were biting their lips to keep from laughing.
7 “i accept your apology, asher,” the instructor said. he was smiling. “and i you, because once again you have provided an opportunity for a lesson in language. ‘distraught’ is too strong an adjective to describe salmon-viewing.”
8 he turned and wrote “distraught” on the instructional board. beside it he wrote “distracted.”
9 jonas, nearing his home now, smiled at the recollection. thinking, still, as he wheeled his bike into its narrow port beside the door, he realized that frightened was the wrong word to describe his feelings, now that december was almost here. it was too strong an adjective.

paragraphs two through seven in this passage are an example of:
a.) subplot b.) exposition
c.) prediction d.) flashback

from this passage you can predict that:
a.) jonas will never be late like asher b.) asher will never be late again
c.) something important will happen to jonas in december. d.) asher will learn to be more comfortable with language in the future

the point of view of this passage is written from:
a.) jonas b.) the current receiver
c.) the chief elder d.) asher

based on the readings and the passage above, the culture of jonas' society in the giver:
a.) is unfamiliar with real feelings and emotions b.) places low importance on education
c.) finds tardiness to be unacceptable d.) has little tolerance for physical activity of any kind

Which inference can a reader make based on the information in the excerpt?

Passage: mrs. smith’s sixth-grade class filed onto the grassy field behind the middle school after lunch. as she exited the building, chelsea looked around for her closest friend, brittany. she spotted her by the swings, talking to their classmate brian. 2 “brian thinks he’s the fastest person in mrs. smith’s class,” brittany told her when she had joined them. it was obvious that brittany didn’t agree with brian. 3 “i guarantee i can beat anyone in this class to a race,” brian said, tugging on the scarlet baseball cap that he wore each and every day. “in fact, i bet i can run faster than the seventh, eighth, and even ninth graders, too! ” 4chelsea rolled her eyes, but wasn’t astonished by his declaration. brian was typically overconfident; he was always challenging other students and expecting to win. according to brian, he was so talented that he could hit more home runs than children on the baseball team and even could repeatedly make more baskets than the boys and girls on the basketball team. 5 “who dares to challenge me? ” brian shouted, directing his question to every student on the playground. the students looked around, but no one volunteered. 6 “i’ll race you,” chelsea said, breaking the awkward silence. she knew she wasn’t the fastest person on the playground, but if she possessed the determination necessary to win, perhaps she could complete the race first. 7 “first person around the field wins,” said brian, stretching his legs and jumping up and down to ready himself for the race. 8they approached the starting line, and brittany counted to three. 9 “see you at the finish line! ” brian exclaimed and left chelsea in the dust. 10brian soon disappeared around the first turn. chelsea took a deep breath and continued to run at a quick pace. the sun was warm and she soon grew tired, but she didn’t stop. ahead, brian approached the finish line and as he began to celebrate, she watched him trip over a small mound of dirt and fall to the ground. 11as chelsea reached the finish line, she noticed that brian was still seated on the ground, rubbing his injured knee. instead of running past him and winning the race, chelsea stooped down to him stand. he leaned on her shoulder, and they completed the race together. 12 “you could've won,” brian said as their friends came out to congratulate them. 13chelsea smiled. “friends are more important than winning,” she said. 14brian smiled at her. “my thoughts exactly,” he said question: which action in the story advance the plot the most? a) when chelsea accepts brian's challenge to race him b) when chelsea rolled her eyes at irritation at brian's pride c) when chelsea reached the finish line and brian finish the race d) when brittany told chelsea that brian thinks he's the fastest in the class

Read the sentence from fish cheeks on christmas eve i saw that my mother had route does the stuff in creating a strange menu what message does amy tan's description send