A Pet for Calvin

It was great dirt, too—loose and loamy— and he liked to pick up a shovelful and run it through his fingers.

• poor in quality

• good for growing

• thick and claylike

• dry and very rocky

“Mother,” Mr. McCandless said, “don’t say things like that. We thought, maybe, with the new medicine, Calvin could tolerate—”

• give into

• put up with

• completely finish

• highly recommend

His fingers were inky, from keeping score in the ball game, and he left a black mark on the worm, which wriggled back into the hole.

• crawled

• slept

• tiptoed

• twisted

“Pretty close quarters for a worm,” his father said. “It’s used to a little more territory.”

• changes

• lamps

• room

• tents

All Calvin’s sensory receptors shivered and tingled, “Yes,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “I would know him anywhere,” and of course he would, because of the black mark he, Calvin, had put there, on this very worm.

• ached with pain

• shook with fear

• spun with confusion

• prickled with excitement

What problem does Calvin have at the beginning of the selection?

• He needs to learn how to care for a worm.

• He wants treatment for his allergies to animals.

• He lost his pet worm in the garden.

• He feels like the only kid in the class without a pet.

Which word best describes Calvin’s grandmother?

• timid

• funny

• brave

• talkative

What do sensory receptors help worms do?

• see

• feel

• hear

• smell

How does Calvin recognize his worm?

• It has a black mark on it.

• It has a bump on its back.

• It is fatter than the other worms.

• It is longer than the other worms.

What does Calvin plan to do at the end of the selection?

• plan to bring his worm to school one day

• let his worm go free in the graden

• give his worm to his grandmother

• collect more worms from the garden.