Polina the Polar Bear sat on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean, north of Alaska. Polina was waiting for her mother, Bearnice, to return with some tasty seal blubber for lunch. Bearnice was hunting, waiting for seals to come up for air through holes in the ice, the same way Polar Bears have hunted in the winter for centuries. Except this year there was one big difference. A lot more of the ice had melted last summer, and this winter it hadn’t refrozen as usual. A combination of warmer weather and changes in water and air currents was making the ocean warmer than anyone could remember, and Bearnice had to swim farther every day to find a good hunting spot.

As Polina waited for her mother to bring food back to her floe, the ice shrank bit by bit until she was sitting on very thin ice. As Polina waited helplessly, the furry white cub heard a deep voice coming from the direction of the sea.

“Hellooo little bear,” it said. Polina had never heard such a deep voice. She lifted her tired head to look out over the water, and was surprised that the voice seemed to come from a dark ice floe just offshore.

"No, wait!" It had a huge eyeball that was looking directly at her. It wasn’t an ice floe — it was the largest whale Polina had ever seen. It was also the first whale that had ever spoken to her.

“They call me Farswimmer,”said the whale, “because I travel all over the world, having adventures and learning new things. What brings you here alone, Polar Bear?” Farswimmer was very old, and he had seen many changes in his years of exploring the oceans. He certainly knew more about the world than most polar bears.

Farswimmer seemed like a nice whale, but Polina remembered Bearnice, her mother, and how she hadn’t come back from hunting.

Farswimmer blew a tall spout to distract Polina and stop her from crying.

When Polina told the whale her own story, he said, “I’m headed north anyway. You could ride on my back, and we can look for your mother. Are you ready for an adventure?” The next morning, Farswimmer and Polina charted their course and took off. Polina rode Farswimmer’s back and sometimes floated behind him, holding his tail. She also stood on his back and pretended she was surfing. It was a blast.

They took a break on an ice floe. Soon, they saw something in the distance that looked like another ice floe, but just to be sure, Farswimmer left Polina on the ice and swam to the floating object.

It wasn’t an object. It was an animal. Farswimmer used his fat nose to push the animal to Polina’s icy raft. When they got closer, Polina saw a familiar face.

“Mommy,” she yelped. Bearnice was very tired, but the sound of her cub’s voice made her happy. She opened her arms and the two embraced each other in a big bear hug.

Read the passage on the left to answer the following questions:
1)
What is the main conflict in this story?
A) Farswimmer cannot find Polina's mother.
B) Polina's mother is unable to find any seals to feed Polina.
C) Bearnice decides that she wants to let her daughter live alone.
D) The ice is melting around Polina, and her mother hasn't returned.
2)
Which statement best describes the relationship Polina the Polar Bear and the whale Farswimmer?
A) Polina is angry at Farswimmer for being so large and scary.
B) Farswimmer has no interest in helping Polina find her mother.
C) The whale Farswimmer is kind and helpful to frightened Polina.
D) Polina is in love with Farswimmer the whale and wants to run away with her.
3)
How is Farswimmer characterized in this story?
A) as an unhappy and mean whale
B) as a kind and wise old whale
C) as an indifferent, cruel creature
D) as a simple-minded, innocent creature
4)
Which BEST describes the characters in this story?
A) Farswimmer is old and Polina is young. They can both talk.
B) Farswimmer and Beatrice are both old. They can both talk.
C) Farswimmer and Polina are both young and can both talk.
D) All three are young and can talk.
5)
What is the setting of this story?
A) a warm Mediterranean sea
B) the endless ice of Antarctica
C) an Eskimo village in the snow