Reading 1

COMPREHENSION

The Marathon

I love running. It is hard to remember when I didn’t run, it is just such a part of me that it
seems like I’ve always been running. My mother used to say that I was born running—skipped
crawling and walking and just ran. So when I first heard that one of the sports at the Games of
the I Olympiad was going to be athletics—track and field—I was ecstatic.
At the beginning of April 1896, just days before the marathon was to be run, I watched and
listened to the people around my town. The athletes and fans were beginning to arrive in Athens.
They came from places like Great Britain, Germany, France, and Hungary. They were all talking
of the marathon or so it seemed to me. It was the only important event of the games, at least in
the eyes of the Greeks.
The runners would follow the same path that Pheidippides had run in 490 B.C. The foot race
would begin in Marathon and end in Athens. The distance was about 40,000 meters.
Pheidippides had run from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to share the news of a Greek
victory. While these runners would not be sharing such important news, the Greeks believed that
the marathon would only be worth watching if one of their own won. I wanted to be that
runner—the one everyone would pat on the back and call the hero—but for now I was too young
to run in the games.
On April 10, 1896, I rose early and ran over to the Panathenaic Stadium. As the sun marched
higher in the sky, more and more people crowded into the Stadium. Enthusiastic fans surrounded
me; they were all cheering for Spyridon Louis—the Greek. He was from a town not far from
Athens and was said to be leading the pack. The Greeks were already shouting his name, waving
olive branches, and predicting his victory. The whole scene was powerful. What I would have
given to be Louis!
The audience grew quiet as Louis was said to be nearing the Panathenaic Stadium. Then, all
at once, everyone began cheering. There he was, the Greek, rounding the corner and preparing to
sprint to the finish line. His body moved with speed and grace past me and into the stadium. He
had won the marathon and secured his place in history.
Hats, twigs, and flowers fell around our hero and I watched with envy and joy as Spyridon
Louis soaked in the moment. He was a runner, a hero, a Greek, and while I was two of the three,
I desperately wanted to be all three. Maybe, just maybe, at the next Olympics it would be me!
 Directions
Choose the item that best answers each question about the selection you just read. Circle
the letter next to the answer.

____ 1 In what year did the Games of the I Olympiad take place?
A 490 B.C.
B 40,000
C 1896
D 1996
____ 2 What country hosted the Games of the I Olympiad?
F Greece
G France
H Great Britain
J Hungary
____ 3 The crowd grew quiet when
A Spyridon Louis won the marathon.
B Spyridon Louis fell.
C Spyridon Louis left Marathon.
D Spyridon Louis was approaching the finish line.
____ 4 What caused the fans to toss hats, twigs, and flowers?
F Spyridon Louis was soaking in the moment.
G Spyridon Louis rounded the corner.
H Spyridon Louis won the marathon.
J Spyridon Louis was a runner.
____ 5 Why was the boy envious of Spyridon Louis?
A He wanted to participate in the Olympics.
B He wanted to run a marathon.
C He wanted the people to shout his name.
D He wanted to tell the Greeks about the Battle of Marathon.
____ 6 What is the significance of the race route?
F The boy ran the route each day.
G The Battle of Marathon was fought on the route.
H Pheidippides ran the route to report a victory at the Battle of Marathon.
J Spyridon Louis ran from Marathon to Athens every day.
____ 7 When did the narrator begin running?
A after the Battle of Marathon
B after Spyridon Louis won the marathon
C as long as anyone can recall
D when he learned the Games would be in Athens
____ 8 What happened just before the climax of the story?
F The crowd became silent.
G Spyridon Louis sprinted to the finish line.
H Spyridon Louis was showered with twigs and hats.
J The boy made his way to the Panathenaic Stadium.
Reading 1
Answer Section

1 ANS: C PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits
into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or
plot.
2 ANS: F PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits
into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or
plot.
3 ANS: D PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a
resolution. | G6_CCSS_Informational Text 3. Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or
idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes). |
G6_CCSS_Informational Text 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or
section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
4 ANS: H PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. | G6_CCSS_Informational Text 3. Analyze
in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text
(e.g., through examples or anecdotes). | G6_CCSS_Informational Text 5. Analyze how a
particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and
contributes to the development of the ideas.
5 ANS: A PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a
resolution. | G6_CCSS_Literature 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza
fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or
plot.
6 ANS: H PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a
resolution. | G6_CCSS_Literature 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza
fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or
plot.
7 ANS: C PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a
resolution. | G6_CCSS_Informational Text 3. Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or
idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes). |
G6_CCSS_Informational Text 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or
section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
8 ANS: F PTS: 1
NAT: G6_CCSS_Literature 3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a
series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a
resolution. | G6_CCSS_Literature 5. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza
fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or
plot.