The Pool PartyKyle shut his locker door and turned around to see his friend Dion standing behind him, smiling. "Did you get Jamie's birthday invitation yet?" asked Dion. Kyle held up the unopened invitation that Jamie had given him. Jamie's birthday parties were so extravagant that they were legendary, and, since she was Kyle's neighbor as well as his classmate, Kyle had been attending them for years—and they seemed to get better each year. Her third–grade birthday party featured a bouncy gym. For her fourth–grade party, they went on pony rides. Jamie's friends danced with a clown and watched a magician make a rabbit disappear and then reappear to celebrate her birthday in fifth grade. All her parties were fun, but Jamie's sixth–grade party was by far Kyle's favorite. Jamie's family rented a bus and took the entire class to an amusement park with an enormous roller coaster that went upside down. Kyle could not wait to see what Jamie and her family had in store this year."We're going swimming in a giant indoor pool with a high dive while listening to a DJ. Isn't that great?" Dion asked.Kyle rolled his eyes and closed his locker door before the bell rang and he headed to class. Kyle was known for his athletic abilities. He was small, quick, and extremely flexible and coordinated. He was point guard on the basketball team and had already copped several medals as a member of the track team. He could sprint faster and jog longer than any other boy in his class. His older sister Eva had nicknamed him "monkey" because when he wasn't at school or practice, he was doing tricks on the monkey bars in his backyard. He liked to impress his friends by doing backward somersaults in the air on Dion's trampoline. When it came to being physical, Kyle could do just about anything—except swim. He kicked his legs and moved his arms like everyone else but instead of gliding through the water, he sank like a rock. If he went into the pool at Jamie's party, he would surely embarrass himself in front of his entire seventh–grade class.That night at dinner, Kyle explained his terrible predicament to his parents and sister. However, instead of sympathizing with his situation, his father told him to stay in the shallow end of the pool and just splash around, and his mother suggested that he wear floatation devices on his arms.Discouraged, Kyle put his head in his hands, and Eva chuckled. "I might be able to help you, Kyle," she said. "Jamie's party is not for a few weeks. You could meet me in the pool at the community center after school each day, and I could teach you some basics. I can't promise that you'll make the school's swim team, but you should be able to stay afloat at the party."On Monday after school, Kyle jumped into the shallow end of the pool at the community center and tried to show his sister how he usually kicked his legs hard and paddled his arms. "Hold on, cowboy," Eva said. "You have to learn to walk before you can run. Today, you're going to learn how to float." Eva told him to lie on his back with his arms outstretched and his palms facing up. With her guidance, he managed to float for several minutes before he stood and grinned.Each day over the next few weeks, Kyle mastered the basics of swimming. He first learned to scissor–kick while holding onto the side of the pool and then ventured out into the water kicking while holding a paddle board. Once he could do this effortlessly, Eva taught him to do the breaststroke. Kyle found this to be difficult at first, but he kept on trying until he felt himself gliding gracefully through the water instead of kicking hard while randomly flailing his arms. By his last session, Kyle was able to swim across the pool and back again doing a simple stroke with a scissor–kick.On the day of the party, Kyle sat by the side of the pool and talked to Jamie as they watched Dion jump off the high dive and swim to the ladder. I'm not doing that, Kyle thought, but instead of feeling afraid, he laughed loudly when Dion playfully pushed him into the water because he had learned how to swim.
Multiple Choice Question
Read the sentence from the passage below.
He kicked his legs and moved his arms like everyone else but instead of gliding through the water, he sank like a rock.
When the author uses the simile "sank like a rock," he/she means that when Kyle tried to swim, he sank
A.
eagerly.
B.
quickly.
C.
easily.
D.
loudly.
B. quickly.
Read these sentences from the passage.
"You have to learn to walk before you can run. Today, you're going to learn how to float."
What does the phrase "You have to learn to walk before you can run" mean?
A.
Running is more difficult than walking.
B.
You need to do as you are told.
C.
You need to learn the basics first.
D.
Walking and running are easier than swimming.
C. You need to learn the basics first.
Read the paragraphs.
Discouraged, Kyle put his head in his hands, and Eva chuckled. "I might be able to help you, Kyle," she said. "Jamie's party is not for a few weeks. You could meet me in the pool at the community center after school each day, and I could teach you some basics. I can't promise that you'll make the school's swim team, but you should be able to stay afloat at the party."
On Monday after school, Kyle jumped into the shallow end of the pool at the community center and tried to show his sister how he usually kicked his legs hard and paddled his arms. "Hold on, cowboy," Eva said. "You have to learn to walk before you can run. Today, you're going to learn how to float." Eva told him to lie on his back with his arms outstretched and his palms facing up. With her guidance, he managed to float for several minutes before he stood and grinned.
What do the paragraphs tell the reader about the relationship between Kyle and his sister? Choose two options.
A.
Kyle's sister easily loses patience with him.
B.
Kyle and his sister are competitive with each other.
C.
Kyle's sister is supportive of her brother.
D.
Kyle trusts his sister to teach him how to swim.
E.
Kyle likes to joke around with his sister.
C. Kyle's sister is supportive of her brother.
D. Kyle trusts his sister to teach him how to swim.