Jo's summer
"how was the last day of school? " jo's mom asked.
"fine," jo sighed.
"i remember being a lot happier when school let out," her mom teased.
jo shrugged. "yippee," she said indifferently. she had been sulking since her mother told her
she would have to spend the summer with her grandparents and her other cousins—four
boys. with school ending, she would be leaving the next day.
"jo, you'll have fun at your grandparents' farm," her mother said with a note of concern in her
voice.
"i'll be the only girl," jo complained. "i wish they lived in town." jo's grandparents owned a
small farm. they didn't actually do any farming, but they liked living in the country. jo
didn't. there wasn't another girl her age within miles.
"that reminds me," jo's mom said. "your grandmother sent me this flyer. she thought you
might be interested."
"summer swim team? " jo asked, looking at the flyer. jo frowned. "you know i'm not a very
strong swimmer."
"well, this is about the only activity that is happening in the area this summer for kids your
age. it's also a way to improve your swimming skills. your grandfather said he would take
you into town for the practices."
"i'll think about it," jo said, studying the flyer. she remembered the last time she had
attempted to swim in a race. it had been a nightmare. she had been at a friend's pool party
when a race had been organized. jo just couldn't seem to coordinate her strokes, breathing,
and kicking. she had gone outside of her lane and actually run into the pool wall. she had
been the laughingstock of the party after that. then again, if joining the swim team would
give her time away from her cousins, she was all for it.
three days later, jo looked around the swimming pool at the summer swim team. it seemed
like the other kids were looking at jo as if she were from another planet.
"okay kids, i'm jim garraty," the coach said. "i recognize some of you, and others are new
faces. that's okay. we're all here to improve our swimming skills and to have fun. now, i
want everyone to line up behind a starting block, five per line," he announced. jo felt a sense
of panic as everyone began lining up.
jo walked to the end of a line and stood, raising her hand to get the coach's attention.
the girl in front of jo turned around and started talking to her. "hi, my name's andrea. my
family and i just moved here."
jo distractedly nodded to the girl as she continued signaling to the coach. slowly the line
inched closer to the edge of the pool, causing jo's feelings of dread to rise. finally coach
garraty walked over to jo. "coach, i'm not the best swimmer. maybe i should sit this one
out."
"you'll be fine. just do the best you can and have fun." he gave her a friendly smile as he
walked to another line.
"but, coach…"
andrea spoke up. "i'm a little nervous too. i'm not a very good swimmer either," she admitted
sheepishly. jo turned and stared at andrea. she had assumed everyone there would be an
excellent swimmer.
"really? " jo asked.
"yeah," andrea answered. "my dad says he won't teach me to water-ski until i get better at
swimming, so i signed up for this club."
finally it was andrea's turn. jo watched as she dove in and started crossing the pool. when
she got back to their side, she smiled up at jo and told her it wasn't so bad. before jo knew it,
she was diving into the pool. somehow she managed to swim across the pool and back
without making a fool of herself. the plastic lane dividers keep her in her lane. she
wasn't the fastest, but at least she had finished.
"i thought you said you weren't a good swimmer," andrea said as they sat down on the warm
cement to catch their breath.
"you know," jo said, "maybe neither of us is as bad as we thought."
"would you be interested in learning how to ski next? " andrea asked jo.
jo's face lit up. maybe this summer wasn't going to be so bad, after all.
3. use the selection to answer the questions.
what can you infer about the main character in this selection?
(1 point)
she is nervous about appearing foolish to others.
she is not comfortable meeting new people.
she is excited to try new activities.
she has a fear of the water.
4. which excerpt from the selection supports your answer to the previous question? (1 point)
jo felt a sense of panic as everyone began lining up.
jo distractedly nodded to the girl as she continued signaling to the coach.
"your grandmother sent me this flyer. she thought you might be interested."
she had been the laughingstock of the party after that.
5. use the selection to answer the question.
which best describes the use of plot devices in this selection?
(1 point)
events are clarified with flashback.
events are improved by personification.
events are believable due to allusion.
events are confusing because of foreshadowing.