Question

a monster out of a molehill
by neal levin

1. when dominick discovers his eyeglasses are missing from his bedside table,

he thinks about where they could be.
place a check mark (☑) next to each place where dominick thinks his
eyeglasses could be.
□ outside, where he was gazing at the stars
□ by the pond, where he went for an evening dip
□ near the oak tree, where he sat in the shade
□ anywhere

1. when dominick climbs out of his molehill, does he find his glasses right away?

what does he find?

1. at the end of the story, what does dominick discover he is running away from?

1. who is the second character in the story?
2. the last sentence of the story, \it couldnt have been any clearer,\ has two

different meanings. explain what they are.

Explanation:

This is a reading comprehension task related to a story. For question 1, we analyze the story context (though the full story isn't provided, the options are places he was, so "Anywhere" is the most open - ended and likely as he's considering all possible places he was. For question 2, without the full story, we assume typical story progression: he likely doesn't find his glasses right away, maybe finds something else (like a shadow or a creature - like shape). For question 3, at the end, he probably discovers he's running from his own glasses' reflection or a harmless thing (since it's a "monster out of a molehill" story, likely a misperception). For question 4, the second character could be another animal or a figment (but without the story, we can't be sure, but common in such stories, maybe a mole or another creature). For question 5, the two meanings: one about visibility (the scene was clear to see), and one about the misunderstanding (the "monster" was clear to be a false alarm, like his own glasses or a harmless object).

Answer:

1. $\square$ Outside, where he was gazing at the stars

$\square$ By the pond, where he went for an evening dip
$\square$ Near the oak tree, where he sat in the shade
$\boldsymbol{\square}$ Anywhere

1. (Example answer based on typical story structure) No, he does not find his glasses right away. He might find a shadow or a shape that he mistakes for a monster.

1. (Example answer based on typical story structure) He discovers he is running away from his own eyeglasses (or a harmless object that he misperceived as a monster).

1. (Example answer based on typical story structure) It could be another mole, a different animal, or a figment of his imagination (the "monster" he misperceives).

1. (Example answer) One meaning is that the scene (or what he saw) was very clear visually. The other meaning is that it became clear that the "monster" was a misunderstanding (e.g., his own glasses or a harmless object, and the situation of the misperception was clear to him).