CAEC: Reading: literary texts

All 18 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. The night before her first day at the warehouse, Rosa laid out her clothes the way she used to lay out her children's school clothes: jeans, a grey sweatshirt, the steel-toed boots that still smelled of the store. She was forty-six. She had not had a paycheque of her own in nineteen years. At six-thirty the next morning, the supervisor, a tall man named Okafor, handed her a scanner the size of a brick. "Every box has a story," he said. "This tells you where it's going." Rosa nodded as if she understood. The scanner beeped at her like an impatient bird. By ten o'clock her feet ached and she had sent two boxes to the wrong bay. A young worker named Dylan, who could not have been older than her son, showed her how to tilt the scanner so the red line caught the label. "Took me a week," he said. She doubted that, but she was grateful he said it. At lunch she sat alone in her car and ate the sandwich she had made at five. Through the windshield she watched the trucks back up to the loading doors, one after another, patient as cattle. She thought about driving home. Instead, she went back inside. In the afternoon the scanner stopped sounding like a bird and started sounding like a yes. When the whistle blew at three, Okafor checked her numbers and raised his eyebrows. "Not bad for day one," he said. Rosa drove home with the window down, even though it was October.

   What does the last line of the warehouse story, driving "with the window down, even though it was October," suggest?

   1. Rosa's car heater is broken
   2. Rosa feels free and proud after the day
   3. Rosa wants to hear the trucks again
   4. Rosa is worried about the cold weather

2. MARCUS: (holding up a letter) They accepted me. The welding program at the college. Starts in January. DENISE: (not looking up from the stove) January. That's the month the shop needs you most. MARCUS: Mr. Pereira said he'd keep my Saturdays. DENISE: Saturdays. And what do we do about rent with Saturdays? MARCUS: There's a grant, Mom. I applied. It covers tuition, and there's a little extra. DENISE: (turns off the burner, finally faces him) A little extra. You've been planning this. MARCUS: Since March. DENISE: Since March. (A pause.) Your father wanted to be a welder. Did you know that? MARCUS: (quietly) No. DENISE: He used to watch them build the bridge over the river. Said it was like watching people sew with fire. (She takes the letter, reads it slowly.) January. MARCUS: January. DENISE: (folding the letter carefully and putting it on the fridge under a magnet) Then you'll need proper boots.

   In the drama scene about Marcus's acceptance letter, what program has Marcus been accepted to?

   1. A bridge-building apprenticeship
   2. A university engineering degree
   3. A college welding program
   4. A cooking course at the shop

3. The night before her first day at the warehouse, Rosa laid out her clothes the way she used to lay out her children's school clothes: jeans, a grey sweatshirt, the steel-toed boots that still smelled of the store. She was forty-six. She had not had a paycheque of her own in nineteen years. At six-thirty the next morning, the supervisor, a tall man named Okafor, handed her a scanner the size of a brick. "Every box has a story," he said. "This tells you where it's going." Rosa nodded as if she understood. The scanner beeped at her like an impatient bird. By ten o'clock her feet ached and she had sent two boxes to the wrong bay. A young worker named Dylan, who could not have been older than her son, showed her how to tilt the scanner so the red line caught the label. "Took me a week," he said. She doubted that, but she was grateful he said it. At lunch she sat alone in her car and ate the sandwich she had made at five. Through the windshield she watched the trucks back up to the loading doors, one after another, patient as cattle. She thought about driving home. Instead, she went back inside. In the afternoon the scanner stopped sounding like a bird and started sounding like a yes. When the whistle blew at three, Okafor checked her numbers and raised his eyebrows. "Not bad for day one," he said. Rosa drove home with the window down, even though it was October.

   In the warehouse story, why does Rosa doubt Dylan's comment "Took me a week"?

   1. She thinks he is boasting about learning slowly
   2. She knows he started working only that morning
   3. She believes the scanner is impossible to learn
   4. She suspects he said it to make her feel better

4. MARCUS: (holding up a letter) They accepted me. The welding program at the college. Starts in January. DENISE: (not looking up from the stove) January. That's the month the shop needs you most. MARCUS: Mr. Pereira said he'd keep my Saturdays. DENISE: Saturdays. And what do we do about rent with Saturdays? MARCUS: There's a grant, Mom. I applied. It covers tuition, and there's a little extra. DENISE: (turns off the burner, finally faces him) A little extra. You've been planning this. MARCUS: Since March. DENISE: Since March. (A pause.) Your father wanted to be a welder. Did you know that? MARCUS: (quietly) No. DENISE: He used to watch them build the bridge over the river. Said it was like watching people sew with fire. (She takes the letter, reads it slowly.) January. MARCUS: January. DENISE: (folding the letter carefully and putting it on the fridge under a magnet) Then you'll need proper boots.

   In the scene about Marcus's acceptance letter, what is the purpose of the stage direction "turns off the burner, finally faces him"?

   1. It shows Denise now giving Marcus her full attention
   2. It shows Marcus taking over the cooking
   3. It shows that dinner is finished and ready to serve
   4. It shows that Denise is angry and leaving the room

5. In the scene about Marcus's acceptance letter, what do Denise's repeated words ("January," "Saturdays," "Since March") mainly show?

   1. She is taking in surprising news and thinking it over
   2. She does not understand what Marcus is saying
   3. She is hard of hearing and asks him to repeat
   4. She is making fun of her son's plans

6. Ice Road Each February my grandfather drove the ice road across the lake to the far shore, the truck groaning, the whole white world holding its breath beneath the tires. He said the ice talks if you listen: a long crack like a door far off, a hum that settles in your teeth. Most people hear danger. He heard a map. I rode beside him once, nine years old, my mittens pressed against the dashboard, counting the orange flags that marked the safe path until the far trees grew from a pencil line into pines with snow on their shoulders. Now the winters come late and leave early. The road opens for weeks, not months. I still listen to ice. It says less every year.

   In "Ice Road," what does the image of the far trees changing "from a pencil line / into pines" show?

   1. The truck getting closer to the far shore
   2. The trees growing taller over many years
   3. A drawing the child made on the trip
   4. Snow falling heavily on the trees

7. The night before her first day at the warehouse, Rosa laid out her clothes the way she used to lay out her children's school clothes: jeans, a grey sweatshirt, the steel-toed boots that still smelled of the store. She was forty-six. She had not had a paycheque of her own in nineteen years. At six-thirty the next morning, the supervisor, a tall man named Okafor, handed her a scanner the size of a brick. "Every box has a story," he said. "This tells you where it's going." Rosa nodded as if she understood. The scanner beeped at her like an impatient bird. By ten o'clock her feet ached and she had sent two boxes to the wrong bay. A young worker named Dylan, who could not have been older than her son, showed her how to tilt the scanner so the red line caught the label. "Took me a week," he said. She doubted that, but she was grateful he said it. At lunch she sat alone in her car and ate the sandwich she had made at five. Through the windshield she watched the trucks back up to the loading doors, one after another, patient as cattle. She thought about driving home. Instead, she went back inside. In the afternoon the scanner stopped sounding like a bird and started sounding like a yes. When the whistle blew at three, Okafor checked her numbers and raised his eyebrows. "Not bad for day one," he said. Rosa drove home with the window down, even though it was October.

   In the warehouse story, what does the change from the scanner sounding "like an impatient bird" to "like a yes" show?

   1. The warehouse became quieter in the afternoon
   2. The scanner was repaired during lunch
   3. Rosa has grown more confident in her work
   4. Rosa has stopped paying attention to sounds

8. MARCUS: (holding up a letter) They accepted me. The welding program at the college. Starts in January. DENISE: (not looking up from the stove) January. That's the month the shop needs you most. MARCUS: Mr. Pereira said he'd keep my Saturdays. DENISE: Saturdays. And what do we do about rent with Saturdays? MARCUS: There's a grant, Mom. I applied. It covers tuition, and there's a little extra. DENISE: (turns off the burner, finally faces him) A little extra. You've been planning this. MARCUS: Since March. DENISE: Since March. (A pause.) Your father wanted to be a welder. Did you know that? MARCUS: (quietly) No. DENISE: He used to watch them build the bridge over the river. Said it was like watching people sew with fire. (She takes the letter, reads it slowly.) January. MARCUS: January. DENISE: (folding the letter carefully and putting it on the fridge under a magnet) Then you'll need proper boots.

   In the scene about Marcus's acceptance letter, what is Denise's first concern?

   1. How the family will manage financially
   2. Whether Marcus is old enough to go to college
   3. How far the college is from their home
   4. Whether Marcus will miss his friends

9. The night before her first day at the warehouse, Rosa laid out her clothes the way she used to lay out her children's school clothes: jeans, a grey sweatshirt, the steel-toed boots that still smelled of the store. She was forty-six. She had not had a paycheque of her own in nineteen years. At six-thirty the next morning, the supervisor, a tall man named Okafor, handed her a scanner the size of a brick. "Every box has a story," he said. "This tells you where it's going." Rosa nodded as if she understood. The scanner beeped at her like an impatient bird. By ten o'clock her feet ached and she had sent two boxes to the wrong bay. A young worker named Dylan, who could not have been older than her son, showed her how to tilt the scanner so the red line caught the label. "Took me a week," he said. She doubted that, but she was grateful he said it. At lunch she sat alone in her car and ate the sandwich she had made at five. Through the windshield she watched the trucks back up to the loading doors, one after another, patient as cattle. She thought about driving home. Instead, she went back inside. In the afternoon the scanner stopped sounding like a bird and started sounding like a yes. When the whistle blew at three, Okafor checked her numbers and raised his eyebrows. "Not bad for day one," he said. Rosa drove home with the window down, even though it was October.

   In the story about Rosa's first day at the warehouse, how long had it been since she earned her own paycheque?

   1. Forty-six years
   2. Six years
   3. One week
   4. Nineteen years

10. MARCUS: (holding up a letter) They accepted me. The welding program at the college. Starts in January. DENISE: (not looking up from the stove) January. That's the month the shop needs you most. MARCUS: Mr. Pereira said he'd keep my Saturdays. DENISE: Saturdays. And what do we do about rent with Saturdays? MARCUS: There's a grant, Mom. I applied. It covers tuition, and there's a little extra. DENISE: (turns off the burner, finally faces him) A little extra. You've been planning this. MARCUS: Since March. DENISE: Since March. (A pause.) Your father wanted to be a welder. Did you know that? MARCUS: (quietly) No. DENISE: He used to watch them build the bridge over the river. Said it was like watching people sew with fire. (She takes the letter, reads it slowly.) January. MARCUS: January. DENISE: (folding the letter carefully and putting it on the fridge under a magnet) Then you'll need proper boots.

    In the scene about Marcus's acceptance letter, why does Denise mention Marcus's father?

    1. To explain why the family cannot pay the rent
    2. To ask Marcus to work on the bridge instead
    3. To remind Marcus that his father disliked welding
    4. To connect Marcus's choice to a dream his father once had

11. Ice Road Each February my grandfather drove the ice road across the lake to the far shore, the truck groaning, the whole white world holding its breath beneath the tires. He said the ice talks if you listen: a long crack like a door far off, a hum that settles in your teeth. Most people hear danger. He heard a map. I rode beside him once, nine years old, my mittens pressed against the dashboard, counting the orange flags that marked the safe path until the far trees grew from a pencil line into pines with snow on their shoulders. Now the winters come late and leave early. The road opens for weeks, not months. I still listen to ice. It says less every year.

    In "Ice Road," what does the line "Most people hear danger. He heard a map." mean?

    1. The grandfather thought driving on ice was dangerous
    2. The grandfather carried a paper map in the truck
    3. The grandfather could not hear the ice cracking at all
    4. The grandfather used the ice's sounds to judge where to drive

12. The night before her first day at the warehouse, Rosa laid out her clothes the way she used to lay out her children's school clothes: jeans, a grey sweatshirt, the steel-toed boots that still smelled of the store. She was forty-six. She had not had a paycheque of her own in nineteen years. At six-thirty the next morning, the supervisor, a tall man named Okafor, handed her a scanner the size of a brick. "Every box has a story," he said. "This tells you where it's going." Rosa nodded as if she understood. The scanner beeped at her like an impatient bird. By ten o'clock her feet ached and she had sent two boxes to the wrong bay. A young worker named Dylan, who could not have been older than her son, showed her how to tilt the scanner so the red line caught the label. "Took me a week," he said. She doubted that, but she was grateful he said it. At lunch she sat alone in her car and ate the sandwich she had made at five. Through the windshield she watched the trucks back up to the loading doors, one after another, patient as cattle. She thought about driving home. Instead, she went back inside. In the afternoon the scanner stopped sounding like a bird and started sounding like a yes. When the whistle blew at three, Okafor checked her numbers and raised his eyebrows. "Not bad for day one," he said. Rosa drove home with the window down, even though it was October.

    In the warehouse story, which literary device is used in "patient as cattle"?

    1. Simile
    2. Alliteration
    3. Metaphor
    4. Personification

13. In the warehouse story, what is the most likely reason Rosa thinks about driving home at lunch?

    1. She forgot her lunch and needs to get it
    2. She feels discouraged after a difficult morning
    3. Okafor told her to take the afternoon off
    4. Her shift ended earlier than expected

14. MARCUS: (holding up a letter) They accepted me. The welding program at the college. Starts in January. DENISE: (not looking up from the stove) January. That's the month the shop needs you most. MARCUS: Mr. Pereira said he'd keep my Saturdays. DENISE: Saturdays. And what do we do about rent with Saturdays? MARCUS: There's a grant, Mom. I applied. It covers tuition, and there's a little extra. DENISE: (turns off the burner, finally faces him) A little extra. You've been planning this. MARCUS: Since March. DENISE: Since March. (A pause.) Your father wanted to be a welder. Did you know that? MARCUS: (quietly) No. DENISE: He used to watch them build the bridge over the river. Said it was like watching people sew with fire. (She takes the letter, reads it slowly.) January. MARCUS: January. DENISE: (folding the letter carefully and putting it on the fridge under a magnet) Then you'll need proper boots.

    In the scene about Marcus's acceptance letter, what does Denise's final line, "Then you'll need proper boots," show?

    1. She wants him to work more shifts at the shop
    2. She is changing the subject to avoid the issue
    3. She has accepted and now supports his decision
    4. She thinks the college will not accept him

15. Ice Road Each February my grandfather drove the ice road across the lake to the far shore, the truck groaning, the whole white world holding its breath beneath the tires. He said the ice talks if you listen: a long crack like a door far off, a hum that settles in your teeth. Most people hear danger. He heard a map. I rode beside him once, nine years old, my mittens pressed against the dashboard, counting the orange flags that marked the safe path until the far trees grew from a pencil line into pines with snow on their shoulders. Now the winters come late and leave early. The road opens for weeks, not months. I still listen to ice. It says less every year.

    What is the most likely meaning of the last line of "Ice Road," "It says less every year"?

    1. People have stopped using the road completely
    2. The ice is getting thinner and lasting less time
    3. The speaker's hearing is getting worse with age
    4. The grandfather no longer tells stories about ice

16. In the poem "Ice Road," what marked the safe path across the lake?

    1. Cracks in the ice
    2. A pencil line
    3. Pine trees
    4. Orange flags

17. How does the poem "Ice Road" shift in its last stanza?

    1. From the present to a story about the future
    2. From a sad tone to a joke about the grandfather
    3. From describing a lake to describing a city
    4. From a childhood memory to a worry about shorter winters

18. In "Ice Road," which phrase gives the world a human action?

    1. "my mittens pressed against the dashboard"
    2. "The road opens for weeks, not months"
    3. "counting the orange flags"
    4. "the whole white world / holding its breath"