For the last hour she had been so intent on the changing countryside that she forgot to buy gas. The gauge said empty. She drove on, dreading the moment when the motor would draw on the last drop of gasoline and give up. She was driving on a narrow country road lined with tall eucalyptus trees and nothing else. Then in a clearing on the left side of the road, she saw a battered old sign with faded red letters: G-A-S. No, it wasn’t a mirage; it was more like a miracle. With a grateful sigh she turned into the run-down station, bumping over broken concrete and coming to a stop by one of two pumps.A weary-looking old man in grease-spotted overalls appeared beside her. “Fill ‘er up?”“Is it cheaper if I pump it myself?” It didn’t look as if he’d take a credit card and she was low on cash.“All the same here, missy,” the man called, rounding the car. “Fill ‘er up?”Maggie said yes, please go ahead, and climbed out of the blue VW. Good thing I didn’t splurge on lunch, she thought, staring at the pumps. Gas is almost twice as high up here as it is in Los Angeles. But I’m not complaining. When she had driven mile after mile without finding a gas station, she had begun to think that maybe being sixteen and a half didn’t make her that smart; maybe a trip like this was a little much for her. Now she felt better. She stretched and thought, Dad would be proud of me. I’m doing what is right for me. Oh, I’ll miss my friends, especially Mim and Lorena. I’ll even miss Ryan. I wonder if he was really going to ask me to the TGI June bash? Well, that’s history. Now is now.    5Select the correct answer.Which statement best expresses why the author most likely includes the last paragraph in this excerpt? A. to create a sense of tension about Maggie’s decision to leave home B. to create a sense of tension regarding Maggie’s need for gas C. to create conflict between the gas station attendant and Maggie  D. to create conflict between Maggie and her friends at home

by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman (excerpt)The gas station attendant kicked a couple of tires. “Guess it’ll make it,” he said. “But last I heard that road was bad. Watch yourself.”The old man’s words stayed with her as she drove up into the mountains. She began to feel shaky. This was the first time she had driven outside of Los Angeles. Still, last night she had poured over maps and written everything down; she knew exactly where she was going. So far, everything had been all right.1Select the correct answer from the drop-down menu.Read the excerpt. Then choose the correct way to complete the sentence.The author uses the gas station attendant’s warning to create tension by foreshadowing that .Reset Next

Read the text below.The car journey was long and tiring, as Suzy was squeezed into the back seat surrounded by all of the luggage and boxes. They were on a long straight road that ran for miles and miles. They had been on it forever, with flat farmland stretching in every direction as far as she could see. Suzy began to nod off, her head lolling, until it finally settled against the window as she fell asleep.A small bump in the road woke her. She opened her eyes to a wall of giants staring down at her - huge mountains that stretched into the sky. They were passing through a deep valley, in the middle of which, a raging torrent of icy water flowed. Suzy had never seen anything like it before.Select the group of words which show that Suzy has moved to a different place.Suzy began to nod off, her head lolling, until it finally settled against the window…She opened her eyes to a wall of giants staring down at herThe car journey was long and tiring, as Suzy was squeezed into the back seatThey had been on it forever, with flat farmland stretching in every direction as far as she could see…

Flora’s car breaks down, leaving her stranded on the highway in the middle of rush hour. As more and more cars drive past her, Flora is surprised that no one stops to help her. The fact that other drivers fail to help Flora is most likely explained by

by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman (excerpt)The old man’s words stayed with her as she drove up into the mountains. She began to feel shaky. This was the first time she had driven outside of Los Angeles. Still, last night she had poured over maps and written everything down; she knew exactly where she was going. So far, everything had been all right.Even getting away from home this morning hadn’t been too bad. It was spring vacation, and her mom and stepfather were away on business. The only person she had to explain to was the neighbor woman who looked in on her. The hard part had been figuring what to say to her mother. She had sat staring at a blank sheet of paper for a long time.She knew what she wanted to write: “Dear Mother, It was bad enough after the divorce, being without Dad, I mean. After a of couple years I got used to seeing him mostly on weekends, but now it’s worse. Because he’s dead. Three whole months and I still can’t believe it. Maybe you can’t help being away so much, but with both of you gone it’s awfully lonely. Sure, there’s been school, and I did have dinner at Mim’s house and a move with Lorena on Saturday. But the good things are missing. Dad. Dad. Dad. I don’t feel that I’m part of a family anymore. Jase is a good enough stepfather, but I told you both how I felt about that condo in downtown L.A. and you guys went ahead and bought it. It’s a terrible place. All there is to breathe inside is processed air and outside, car exhaust. My vote doesn’t count, does it, Mom?”24Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu.Read the excerpt. Then choose the correct way to complete the sentence.The underlined sentence in the excerpt has the effect of setting up to show why .

from Dimwood ForestPoppy searched desperately for a place to hide. Glitter Creek ran behind. Before her stood Dimwood Forest. There was little choice. She plunged among the shadowy tree trunks and began running wildly, her only desire to put as much distance between herself and Mr. Ocax’s tree as possible.It did not take long before an exhausted Poppy had to stop. Her sides ached. She was hot and cold all at once. Her heart felt as though it would break out through her ribs. Gasping for breath, she crept beneath a leaf, then peered about to see where she had come.It was as if the sun had been stolen. Only thin ribbons of light seeped down through the green and milky air, air syrupy with the scent of pine, huckleberry, and juniper. From the rolling, emerald-carpeted earth, fingers of lacy ferns curled up, above which the massive fir and pine trees stood, pillar-like, to support an invisible sky. Hovering over everything was a silence as deep as the trees were tall.Poppy gazed at it in awe. She was not sure what she’d thought Dimwood Forest would be like. She knew only that she’d never imagined it so vast, so dense, so dark. The sight made her feel immensely isolated and small. Feeling small made her a part of all she saw. Being part of it made her feel immense. It was so terribly confusing.The silence was broken by the sound of sharp tapping. Poppy ducked. But nothing happened. From another direction came a yelp. A screech. Poppy shivered. Closer still was the smothered scurry of something slithery and unseen. A tree groaned. A branch snapped. There was the passing scamper of little feet. Poppy’s heart raced just as fast.She could only guess what animals were making such sounds. Automatically she thought of porcupines, recalling vividly the frightening picture her father had shown the family. Had not Mr. Ocax given a special warning about a particularly bloodthirsty porcupine he’d seen recently in the forest? He had. Poppy grew even more tense. She had to find a place to regain her composure.Anxiously she gazed about for a safe place to rest. What she found was a massive boulder, its top half matted with dark moss, its lower part embedded in earth. Beneath it was a hollow.Poppy bounded over to the rock. Close up, the hollow proved to be more like a cave, utterly dark at the deep end. What was there? She edged forward, sniffing the air. She froze. A distinct animal smell alarmed all her senses. Unable to identify what it might be, she listened intently, ears flicking this way and that. Seeing and hearing nothing, she crept slowly forward until she was completely inside the cave. Was anything there? Only when she was quite certain nothing was did she begin to clean herself.—from Poppy by AviThis passage is best referred to as aashort story bnature articlecnovel excerpt dnon-fiction account