Break a Leg
by J. Blue Spicer
Mimi was nervous. She had always been given the starring role in plays and skits in class, but now she was the star of the yearly high school musical as a freshman. Though she knew most of the stage crew, considering they were friends from middle school, the rest of the cast consisted of upperclassmen. Ever since she won the biggest part in tryouts, she noticed they were giving her the cold shoulder.
The night of the first show came, and Mimi was fantastic. The crowd got lost in the fact that they were watching a high school musical, until something went wrong during a set change. Mitchell, a junior who was head of the stage crew, had tripped over a prop left near the stage and tumbled into the orchestra pit. The crowd gasped, and the high schoolers froze just as the scene had ended, but Mimi was quick on her feet. She improvised a line, got the crowd and the cast to laugh, and she even jumped into the pit to help Mitchell as best as she could.
After the show, Mimi's only concern was Mitchell. She found him sitting among the juniors and seniors backstage. "How is your leg?"
"It's been better, but I don't think I'll miss a show," Mitchell said blankly. As Mimi told him goodbye and wished him well, she felt some pats on her shoulder and heard a few claps. She smiled and knew the show was going to be better tomorrow.
Based on the passage, what two things can the reader infer about Mimi?
1. Mimi is more concerned with how her friends view her than the other members of the cast.
2. Mimi becomes upset at Mitchell for trying to ruin the show when he falls into the orchestra pit.
2. Mimi is more concerned about Mitchell's ability to work on the show than his hurt leg.
3. Mimi is able to remain calm and think of solutions quickly during unexpected situations on stage.
4. Mimi worries that her starring role will separate her from the musical's older cast and crew.
The reader can infer two things about Mimi based on the passage:
1. Mimi is able to remain calm and think of solutions quickly during unexpected situations on stage. This can be inferred from the fact that when a mishap occurs during the show, Mimi improvises a line, gets the crowd and the cast to laugh, and even jumps into the orchestra pit to help Mitchell.
2. Mimi worries that her starring role will separate her from the musical's older cast and crew. This can be inferred from the fact that Mimi noticed that the upperclassmen cast members were giving her the cold shoulder after she won the biggest part in the tryouts.
Based on the passage, the reader can infer the following two things about Mimi:
1. Mimi is able to remain calm and think of solutions quickly during unexpected situations on stage. This inference is supported by the fact that when Mitchell fell into the orchestra pit, Mimi immediately improvised a line and got the crowd and the cast to laugh. This suggests that she was able to handle the situation with composure and think on her feet.
2. Mimi worries that her starring role will separate her from the musical's older cast and crew. This inference is supported by the mention that ever since she won the biggest part in tryouts, the upperclassmen in the cast started giving her the cold shoulder. This suggests that Mimi is aware of the social dynamics and potential divisions within the cast and crew, and she is concerned about how her role may affect her relationships with them.