Question

lights out
1 laurens family was having dinner when the electricity went off. dad got up to search for a flashlight. \got it,\ said dad.
2 \there are some candles in the upstairs bathroom,\ said mom. \lets go find them.\
3 dad said, \lauren, jeff, look for some fresh batteries.\
4 as laurens parents climbed the stairs, she heard jeffs chair push back. \ill check the drawers next to the sink,\ he said, \and you try the pantry.\
5 lauren rose from her seat and waited until her eyes adjusted to the dark. in the pantry, she felt for the wide shelf and then found the drawer beneath it. she pulled it out and carefully reached in.
6 \arghh,\ she cried, \theres something gross in here! its all over my hands!\
7 she thought she heard jeff chuckling. but now that shed calmed down, lauren smelled mashed potatoes.
8 jeff must have stuck the plate from the table into the drawer. sighing, lauren lifted out the plate and took it to the sink. she was washing her hands when her parents returned with candles. now, they just had to find matches.
9 \lets call a truce,\ lauren told jeff, \and well shake on it.\ she held out her hand. as jeff reached for it, the lights suddenly came back on. mom and dad cheered, and jeff groaned. lauren had been holding a handful of whipped cream.
comprehension questions

1. what is the main problem in this story?
2. why does lauren go into the pantry?
3. write a summary of the story in 3 - 5 sentences.

Explanation:

1. The main problem is the power - outage while the family is having dinner. They need to find candles, matches, and batteries.
2. Lauren goes into the pantry because her dad asks her to look for batteries.
3. Lauren's family has dinner when the power goes out. Dad goes for a flashlight, and Mom suggests getting candles. Lauren and Jeff look for batteries. Lauren has a mishap in the pantry with a plate of mashed potatoes. Just as they are about to shake on a truce, the lights come back on.

Answer:

1. The power goes out during dinner and they need to find light - related items like candles, matches, and batteries.
2. Her dad asks her to look for batteries.
3. A family has dinner when the power fails. They search for items to deal with the darkness. Lauren has an incident in the pantry. The lights come back on as they are about to make peace.