STAAR 8 "The Road Almost Taken"

Read the following dictionary entry.

stretch \ strech\ n 1. something that seems beyond what is normal 2. the length or extent of an area 3. a continuous period of time 4. the amount of elasticity of something

Which definition best matches the way the word stretch is used in paragraph 9?

• definition 1

• definition 2

• definition 3

• definition 4

What does the sensory language in paragraph 7 help the reader understand?

• The doubts the author had about being able to complete his adventure

• The difficulty the author had pushing his wagon along the street

• The distance between the author’s house and the store

• The details that the author remembers most vividly about that day

Paragraphs 8 and 9 are mainly a description of —

• the way the author and Kenny worked together to push the wagon along

• the typical routine the author followed when he went to the grocery store

• the different neighbors the author saw on the way to the grocery store

• the safety measures the author took when walking along the shoulder of the road

Why did the author tell Kenny to turn the wagon around in paragraph 12?

• He noticed that the groceries were not in the wagon with Kenny.

• He was satisfied seeing only a small part of the other street.

• He remembered that his mother was waiting for them to come home.

• He decided that the new experience was not worth getting in trouble.

The author describes his experience in a way that highlights —

• how significant he thought going to the next street was when he was five years old

• how long it took him to push the wagon to the neighborhood store when he was a boy

• how important it was for him to take care of his little brother when they were younger

• how much he worried about following his mother’s rules when he was a child

What is the main theme of the selection?

• Breaking the rules usually leads to a negative outcome.

• People often have a strong desire to explore the unknown.

• People tend to forget things when they are in a hurry.

• Going to a new location can be an exciting experience.

What is the best summary of the selection?

• When he was five years old, the author decided to venture down a forbidden street after buying some groceries for his mother. The author went partway down the new street but turned around because he was afraid of getting caught. When the shopkeeper waved him down on the way home, the author was sure his mother knew what he had done. Even though he wasn’t in trouble, the author went straight home.

• As a five-year-old, the author had wanted to explore the next street over, even though his mother thought the street was dangerous. One day, after he shopped for groceries at the corner store for his mother, he pushed his wagon down the forbidden street. He then turned around after only a few minutes.

• When the author was five years old, his mother often asked him to take his wagon to the corner store down the street and pick up groceries for her. On one occasion the author tried to explore a different street on his way home. But because he forgot to take the groceries with him, he had to go back to the store, where the clerk was waiting outside for him.

• One day when he was five, the author made a plan to explore a street after getting groceries for his mother. He took his wagon along his normal route to the store, but then he traveled down the other street after he bought the groceries. When he reached a vacant field, he thought he would be caught, so he returned home.