Question

when august rushed home, she wasn’t sure what she was going to find. the school let out because the storm was arriving, and it didn’t have a cellar big enough to hold all the students of nepali school. since most of them lived nearby, the school allowed them to go home before the storm hit. the students’ cheers and whistles could be heard over the thunder and whirring winds that whipped through the schoolyard. august, for just one second, watched them all cheer in glee and wanted so much to join them, but instead, she began running.

as august ran home, she could feel every step in her lungs. it felt like a hundred little lightning bolts shooting down her mouth and into her chest. she wanted to stop. she wanted to catch her breath. she even wanted to turn around to see if the clouds were chasing her down, but all she could think about was her family and her dog mutton. she wanted to get to them desperately and hoped to see an abandoned house with all of them in the cellar in the backyard.

behind her, the wind whipped up every bit of gravel and dust into the air. the dust and debris filled the air and clouded the air like cream being stirred into a cup of black coffee. the sky looked like an antique picture. the once blue sky was now a sepia tone that august had only seen in old pictures. it was beautiful in a way, like some sort of painting.

the only problem with tornadoes was that in addition to all of the beauty they painted in the sky, they also brought about destruction. in fact, august’s school had been rebuilt twice because tornadoes had brought it down twice in the last 5 years.

august remembered the desks splintered into two, looking like broken bones, the brass bell twisted and tangled like a ball of twine, the roof with holes the size of tractors. she knew first-hand how a tornado could bend a town until it broke. this knowledge is what kept her running. this knowledge is what made it easy to forget about the lightning in her lungs.

adapted from \august’s winds\ by c. salas

5
select the correct answer.
which words best describe the mood of the story?
a. relieved and relaxed
b. anxious and fearful
c. happy and excited
d. unpleasant and angry

Explanation:

• Option A: The story has a storm/tornado situation, and August is running to check on her family. She isn't relaxed; she's desperate to reach them, so "relieved and relaxed" is incorrect.
• Option B: August is running home worried about her family and the tornado (she remembers past destruction). Her feelings of wanting to stop but pushing on, and the storm's threat, create an anxious and fearful mood.
• Option C: While students cheer, August is not happy/excited—she's focused on her family's safety, so this is wrong.
• Option D: August isn't angry; she's fearful/anxious about the storm and her family, so "unpleasant and angry" doesn't fit.

Answer:

B. anxious and fearful