Read "The Mystery of the Stolen Wallet" ("The Mystery of the Stolen Wallet", from Illuminate) and then answer the question that follows.
The Mystery of the Stolen Wallet
Sam was thrilled when his father gave him an old wallet that had belonged to his grandfather, and he was even happier when he found a crisp $20 bill tucked inside the wallet’s sleek folds. Sam’s dad raised an eyebrow and said, “How about that: I guess your grandfather left you a present.”
The next day, Sam anticipated a hectic schedule but also hoped that his best friend, Amir, would join him for pizza after school. After an algebra test, a biology lab, and his weekly clarinet lesson, Sam shuffled out of the front door of the school and found Amir waiting at the bottom of the steps. “Hey buddy,” he shouted, “want to escape this heat and grab some pizza? I’ve got a twenty dollar bill that’s burning a hole in my pocket!”
Amir looked puzzled, so Sam explained, “That just means that I received some cash for my birthday, and now I can’t wait to spend it.” As Sam reached into his back pocket, his smile quickly evolved into a frown: his pocket was empty.
Sam knelt on the sidewalk and tore through the compartments of his backpack, but his wallet was not in it. “I can’t believe that someone stole my wallet,” he growled.
“Are you absolutely sure that you carried this wallet with you today?” Amir asked timidly as he helped Sam stuff his gym clothes back into his backpack.
“Of course I’m sure,” Sam snapped. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“No, you are not an idiot and neither am I,” Amir replied defensively. “We'll solve this mystery of the stolen wallet so we can eat pizza where the air is cool.” Despite being amused by Amir’s words, Sam thought his friend unrealistic and knew that his wallet and his twenty dollars were gone forever.
Back in school, the boys headed to the cafeteria where the cafeteria supervisor told them that no wallet had been found. “Are you sure it was in your pocket?” she asked Sam as she stacked the clean plastic trays.
“I am one hundred percent sure,” Sam answered coldly, “but thanks anyway.”
Next, they walked to the principal’s office where the secretary explained that no wallet had been turned in. In the biology lab, Ms. Miller listened sympathetically but said that she hadn’t found a wallet anywhere. In the hallway, they spotted Mr. Wendell, the janitor, gnawing on a toothpick while he swept the floor. When Sam described his wallet, Mr. Wendell shook his head and murmured, “Sorry, son.” By the time the boys left school again, Sam was fuming, imagining that someone had literally picked his pocket.
Amir ventured, “Are you certain beyond a doubt that your wallet was in your pocket when you left your house this morning?”
Sam glared at his friend. “Amir, I said I was sure a million times.” When Sam kicked a plastic water bottle lying on the sidewalk, the rattle it made sounded like he felt: empty and victimized.
When the boys reached Sam’s house, Sam stomped up the steps to his porch without saying good-bye. “Hey,” Amir called behind him, “maybe your wallet fell out of the hole that your money burned in your pocket!” Sam’s only reply was the slam of the screen door.
Inside, Sam flung his backpack on the stairs, stormed into the kitchen, yanked the refrigerator door open, and stared inside. He really wanted a pepperoni pizza, but instead he grabbed an apple. As he bit into the crunchy fruit, something black and shiny on the counter caught his eye.
Sam felt his cheeks redden when he realized his “stolen” wallet had been in the kitchen where he left it that morning. When he looked inside, Andrew Jackson’s face stared at him with an accusatory smirk.
Sam grabbed the phone, dialed Amir’s number, and left a joyful message: “Amir, I found it, and I’ll be there in two minutes, so don’t eat anything!” Sam stuffed his wallet into his pocket and ran down the porch steps two at a time.
Question: Which of the following is an inference that you could make about this story?
(1 point)
Responses
That Sam found the wallet in the kitchen.
That Sam found the wallet in the kitchen.
That Sam is someone who always stays calm under pressure.
That Sam is someone who always stays calm under pressure.
That Sam found a $20 bill in the wallet.
That Sam found a $20 bill in the wallet.
That Sam and Amir likely went to get pizza after Sam called Amir at the end of the story.