Question

name david
not so easy
sarah had five dogs that she had to walk each day. she was paid by her neighbors to walk their dogs because most of them did not get home from work until very late. sarah would go to their homes, one at a time, and then she would walk each dog for a short time before moving on to the next dog.
normally, sarah loved her job. in fact, she knew she would need all the money she could get with the plans she had for the future. when she graduated high school, she wanted to go to college and become a veterinarian. she knew it would take a lot of hard work and dedication, but she could not imagine a life in which she couldn’t work with animals. she wanted to help any animal she ever saw that was hurt or in need. when she was little, she was always trying to put bandages on the arms and legs of her stuffed pets.
this afternoon, though, sarah just couldn’t enjoy her work. all of her friends were meeting at charlie’s cheeseburger palace, and she’d heard from her friend claire that tim was going to be there, too. sarah had a crush on tim and was jealous that everyone would be there, except her.
as sarah arrived at the first house, inspiration struck! she would simply go to each house and get each dog and walk all the dogs at one time. that way, she could still complete her job, get paid, and still have time to go and meet her friends.
thirty minutes later, sarah knew the brilliant idea she’d had was not so brilliant after all. she was sitting on the curb of the road, desperately trying to untangle three different leashes. two of the dogs would not stop growling at each other, and her arm was exhausted from trying to keep all the dogs walking and not running.
sarah had learned an important lesson. there were no shortcuts in doing a good job. she would just have to go and meet her friends on another day.
text questions

1. why does sarah most likely work a job each day?

a. she needs the money to eat out with her friends.
b. she needs the money to save for college.
c. she needs the money to pay her cell phone bill.
d. she needs the money to save for a dog of her own.

1. which line from the story best shows that sarah always wanted to be a veterinarian?

a. sarah had five dogs that she had to walk each day.
b. normally, sarah loved her job.
c. she wanted to help any animal she ever saw that was hurt or in need.
d. when she was little, she was always trying to put bandages on the arms and legs of her stuffed pets.

1. which words best describe sarah’s new plan for walking the dogs?

a. a big mistake
b. a brilliant plan
c. an ingenious idea
d. a mistaken identity

1. what does the phrase “inspiration struck” mean as it is used in the fourth paragraph?

a. sarah was hit by a car.
b. sarah was afraid of lightning strikes.
c. sarah had a new idea.
d. sarah knew she needed to quit her job.

1. based on the text, what will sarah probably do next?

a. she will quit her job.
b. she will try again to walk all of the dogs at the same time.
c. she will beg her parents to buy her a dog of her own.
d. she will continue to walk the dogs the way she used to do the job.

Explanation:

Question 1

To answer why Sarah works, we refer to the text: "she knew she would need all the money she could get with the plans she had for the future. When she graduated high school, she wanted to go to college and become a veterinarian." Option a is incorrect (eating out isn't the reason), b is incorrect (the text doesn't link money to eating out with friends), d is incorrect (no mention of a dog of her own for saving). Option c matches her need for college money.

To find the line showing Sarah wanted to be a veterinarian, we analyze options: a is about walking dogs, b is about loving her job, c is about helping animals (which relates to vet work), d is about childhood stuffed pets. The desire to help hurt animals aligns with being a vet, so option c is best.

Sarah's new plan (walking all dogs at once) failed: "the brilliant idea she’d had was not so brilliant after all" and she struggled. So the plan was a big mistake. Option b is incorrect (it wasn't brilliant), c is incorrect (it was a bad idea), d is irrelevant. Option a fits.

Answer:

c. She needs the money to save for college.

Question 2