9. (09.04 LC)

Read the following text:

The plane landed, and the passengers stepped outside. Steven could already tell that this trip was going to be amazing. The weather was less humid than the rain forest and the sun was shining. He grinned at his parents and took a deep breath before he started talking a mile a minute.

What does the word grinned tell us about Steven? (2 points)
A. Steven hopes his parents are not angry with him.
B. Steven is happy and excited to start his vacation.
C. Steven tries to cheer everyone up after a bad flight.
D. Steven wants his family to have an exciting holiday.
10.
(09.04 LC)

Read the following text:

"How do you feel about spending your summer vacation in one of the coldest places on Earth?" Mom was beaming from ear to ear.

What does the word beaming tell the reader about Mom? (2 points)
A. She was getting hungry.
B. She was getting tired.
C. She was really happy.
D. She was really hot.
11.
(09.04 MC)

Read the following passage:

All too soon, the crew members let us know that it was time to head back. I couldn't believe that we had already been there for an hour. The helicopter would be arriving soon to take us to Ushuaia, so we needed to get back to the ship. As we climbed back over the ice and snow, I barely felt the cold. My camera was warm against my chest and I couldn't wait to share all the wonderful photos we had taken. I knew the memory of this trip with my mom would stay with me forever.

Why did the character say that she could "barely feel the cold"? (2 points)
A. Her camera was hot from all the pictures she took.
B. Her mother hugged her and warmed her up.
C. The cold makes her numb and unable to feel anything.
D. The experience filled her with warmth and joy.
12.
(09.04 MC)

Read the following passage:

"I can't wait to meet some sharks!" he exclaimed. "I just know I'll find the albino whale shark. It's"

"One of the rarest sharks in the world, we all know!" interrupted Nick. "You've talked about nothing else since we planned this trip weeks ago!"

"Now Nick, be nice to your brother," their dad scolded. "He's excited, and he should be. Seeing a rare creature like the albino whale shark is definitely worth getting excited about."

"I'm excited, too!" their mom said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to see the giant tortoises. Some of them live to be centuries old. Who knows? Maybe one of them actually met Charles Darwin."

What does the author reveal when the mom says, "Maybe one of them actually met Charles Darwin"? (2 points)
A. Charles Darwin could talk to tortoises.
B. Charles Darwin lived a long time ago.
C. Charles Darwin visited the island recently.
D. Charles Darwin was excited about tortoises.
13.
(09.04 MC)

Read the excerpt from the story Winter Driving:

(10) Jesper had to get home, but he wasn't too worried because he had always been a cautious driver. He told himself that he would go slowly and take his time. He didn't have to be home at a specific time, which helped. The first half of the drive went off without a hitch, no trouble at all. Although he did see one car on the side of the road, it didn't seem like they were in distress, so he kept driving along. They probably were just nervous and decided to pull over. However, Jesper wasn't nervous. He had driven in treacherous conditions before, and he knew how to handle his vehicle.

(11) As he turned around a bend in the road, the road got quite a bit icier. He could see a small hill straight ahead. He worried for a minute since he was driving slowly and the ice on the road might prevent him from making it up the hill.

How do the events in paragraphs 10 and 11 contribute to the reader's understanding of Jesper? (2 points)
A. The reader learns that Jesper is experienced at driving in these conditions.
B. The reader learns that Jesper is an inexperienced and unsafe driver.
C. The reader learns that one car was already in a serious accident.
D. The reader learns that the entire drive home from the party went smoothly.