Context Clues

Payback for a Pest

1      Newy always liked to tease me. When I was 10, he would call me "runt." When we would
go to the amusement park, he would laugh when I wasn't allowed to go on the rides because I
wasn't tall enough.
2      "Don't worry short stuff. I'll have a blast for the both of us. I hear they take you high enough
to see Canada. I'll make sure to take a picture for you," he said laughing.
3      Newy was my older brother, and he was a pest. We had to share a bedroom, and there
were days when I'd wake up to find he had taped my legs together. I'd be late getting ready for
school.
4      Other times, he'd hide the remote to the television above the medicine cabinet because I
couldn't reach it.
5      "I can't get the remote, Newy. I'm too short," I told him.
6      "The truth isn't always pretty," he responded.
7      "One day, you're going to get yours, Newy," I said angrily walking out of the room.
8      "Give me a break. You can't even tie your own shoes," he said laughing at me.
9      One morning, I set my alarm and woke up earlier than Newy. While he slept in, I went
through his closet and pulled all of his clothes off of the hangers. I took all of his clothes from
his dresser. I carried the pile of clothes to the basement, put them in trash bags, and set them
outside by the garbage.
1      Newy woke up to the sound of the garbage truck beeping and roaring into the drive. As he
0 got out of bed and started to get ready for school, he walked to the closet. He moved the
empty hangers. He went to his dresser. Nothing was there either. As Newy panicked and
called for our parents to see if they had taken the clothes, I rolled out of bed, smiled, and got
ready for school.
adapted from "Payback for a Pest" by c. safos
1. In paragraph 7, what does the narrator mean when he says, "you're going to get
yours"?
A.
The brothers will become best friends soon.
 
B.
Newy will pay for being mean to his brother.

C.
The brothers will get in a fight at the park.

D.
Newy will shrink to the size of his brother.

2. In paragraph 2, what does Newy mean when he says, "I'll have a blast for the
both of us"?

A.
He means that he'll play music loudly on the ride.
 B.
He means he'll cause trouble in the park.

C.
He means he'll pick on someone else later.

D.
He means he'll have fun for the both of them.

3. In paragraph 8, what does Newy mean when he says, "Give me a break"?

A.
He means that he wants his brother to tell their parents.

B.
He means his brother should get a chair to reach the remote.

C.
He means his brother should stop kidding around with him.

D.
He means that he wants to stop picking on his brother.

4. In paragraph 6, what does Newy mean when he says, "The truth isn't always
pretty"?

A.
Only Newy knows the truth.

B.
The truth is only for ugly people.

C.
The truth can be hard to accept.

D.
The narrator will pick on Newy.

5.      Elle grabbed the pile of clothes that were sitting on her pool-side lounge chair. She
giggled as she held them in her arms and jumped into the pool. Her brother was getting out
of the pool and saw Elle dunking his clothes in the water.
     "What are you doing?" he yelled over Elle's laughing fits. He yanked his clothes from her
grasp and tried to wring the water out of them. When he untwisted his clothes, they were a
little drier, but very wrinkled. He put his clothes back on the chair. Then, he grabbed Elle's
towel and tossed it into the pool.

In paragraph 2, the word wring means to

A.
swim.
 B.
soak.

C.
twist.

D.
laugh.

     Hippopotamuses are herbivores. They mainly eat plants, but they are still among the most
dangerous animals in Africa. They are very aggressive animals. The males fight to protect their
territories and the females fight to protect their young. Their speed, power, and sharp teeth make
them frightening creatures. With a weight of up to 8,000 pounds, they are one of the largest land
animals, but they can move up to 30 miles per hour. When they open their mouths, you can see their
long canines. Males can open their mouths 4 feet wide, and their teeth can grow to be 28 inches
long.

6. In this paragraph, the word aggressive means

A.
slippery

B.
forceful

C.
enormous

D.
lazy

7. The article says, "Hippopotamuses are herbivores." What are herbivores?

A.
animals that like meat

B.
animals that eat plants

C.
animals that are friendly

D.
animals with four legs
8. Which words from the paragraph help the reader know what the word canines
means?

A.
open their mouths

B.
frightening creatures

C.
speed and power

D.
largest land animals

9.      This was the final quiz of the day. Luis's teams needed his points to win the game. Luis
was nervous.

     Mrs. LaMott told Luis to concentrate. She told him to think hard about the question. She
said to block everything else out. She told him to focus on his training. The time was ticking
down, and he had one minute left. He wanted to help his team win the quiz, but he didn't
know the answer. He tried to concentrate, but he was too nervous.

In the paragraph above, what does the word concentrate mean?

A.
to think hard

B.
to question

C.
to want

D.
to win
     My family was nearing the end of our three-day camping trip. We were really hungry. The food
had been very scant since the beginning—we had brought only enough food for two days. We tried to
spread the food out for three days, but that didnt work. My brother was so desperate for food that he
began to hunt for his own meat. He even went as far as digging up roots to eat.

10. In the passage, what is the meaning of desperate?

A.
having extreme need

B.
needing to go home

C.
waiting for supplies

D.
being happily hungry