Prince Patrick and a Wintry Welcome

Read the next two selections. Then choose the best answer to each
question.

Prince Patrick

1

“No,” Tiffany said. “When you sip from your cup, you have to stick your
little finger out like this.” She pointed her pinkie into the air.

2

“Let’s play something else,” Patrick begged, rubbing his leg that was
jammed underneath a tiny table.

3

Drinking imaginary tea from a plastic teacup with his sister Tiffany and
cousin Annabel was not Patrick’s idea of fun.

4

“Let’s play save the princesses,” the girls shouted.

5

Patrick sighed. “This is not how I imagined I would be spending Saturday
afternoon,” he thought. Usually his mother watched Annabel when Aunt
Elizabeth worked—but not today.

6

Patrick had been in the middle of a great dream when his mother shook
him awake that morning. “I had to work overnight,” Mom whispered, “and I
need to get some sleep. Will you please watch your cousin and sister for me?
Annabel will be here any minute.”

7

“Sure, no problem,” Patrick told his mother. “This should be simple,” he
thought.

8

“What was I thinking?” Patrick muttered as the girls dumped out a bag
filled with brushes, barrettes, and ribbons. Patrick had expected to turn on a
movie to keep them occupied. That would make babysitting easy. But the girls
were more interested in tormenting him than watching a movie.

9

“Now braid our hair so we look like beautiful princesses,” Tiffany
demanded.

10

Patrick didn’t even know how to braid hair. He attempted to work with the
girls’ locks of hair but found the hair to be as slippery as a handful of wet
noodles. Finally, with the help of an online video, he managed to entwine their
hair into braids that looked fairly neat and even. Patrick actually felt impressed
with his handiwork.

11

The girls chatted about Patrick’s work as they positioned shimmering
crowns on their heads. Patrick hid a smile.

12

Holding out sparkly wands, the girls dashed behind a chair, calling to him,
“Save us, Prince Patrick!”

13

Tiffany and Annabel’s eyes twinkled. Patrick paused. “Might as well make
this fun,” he thought.

Reading
Page 12

14

Patrick gathered some items from the kitchen. He threw his mother’s apron
over his shoulders, straddled a broom, and raised a spatula in the air. “Prince
Patrick to the rescue!” he cried as he galloped across the living room. “Take
that, you evil dragon!” Patrick called out, whacking an imaginary dragon with his
spatula and throwing open a pretend gate. “Stay away from my princesses!”

15

“You saved us! Thank you! You’re our hero!” the girls cheered.

16

Patrick’s mother stood at the doorway like a fly on the wall, surveying the
scene. “Mine, too!” she added. “Thank you, Prince Patrick!”

Reading
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A Wintry Welcome

1

When we moved to Minnesota, I was intent on transplanting Charlie into
the garden of our new house. Charlie was the cactus I dug up from our yard in
Texas right before we moved. I wanted something to remind me of the home I
reluctantly had to leave.

2

I yanked open the front door with Charlie cradled in my arm. An express
train of polar air blasted me in the face as I stepped onto the porch. The
temperatures had been frigid the past few days, but overnight the landscape
had been transformed into a world of white that blanketed every surface. The
wind crammed icy fingers down the back of my neck. “How do people live in
such a harsh environment?” I wondered, recalling the warm Texas sun.

3

Planting Charlie outside clearly wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

4

As I stood there, two kids on the sidewalk waved to me. The boy shouted,
“Are you our new neighbor?”

5

“Of course she is,” the girl said. “I’m Kristin, and this is my brother Kyle.”

6

“I’m Emily,” I said.

7

“Do you want to go ice-skating with us?” Kristin asked. She pointed to the
frozen pond across the street from my house. “We have a few extra pairs of
skates at our house.”

8

Within the hour I was sitting with Kristin and Kyle on the bench next to the
pond. The untouched snow bordering the pond glittered in the sun as if a million
diamonds were sprinkled across its surface. I studied the ice skates. I knew how
to roller-skate, but these skates looked very different.

9

Kristin laced my skates for me. When I inhaled, icy air filled my lungs. Kyle
wrapped his knit scarf around my neck, pulling it up over my mouth and nose.
“You’ll get used to the cold,” he said, grinning.

10

Kyle helped me stand up. “Not too bad,” I thought.

11

But then I attempted to take a step, and my feet flew out from underneath
me. I landed on the solid ice with a thud.

12

Kyle and Kristin hauled me up and supported me on each side as I slipped
and stumbled. After a while I was able to balance on my own. I figured out how
to push off and glide too. By the end of the day, I was able to make tiny,
tentative turns on the ice. I almost forgot about Texas as I concentrated on my
new friends instead.

Reading
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13

Light shone through the open curtains of the front window of my house
across the street, and I could see Charlie on the table inside. “We transplants
will be all right here,” I thought with a wide grin from beneath the knit scarf.

Reading
Page 15

Use “Prince Patrick” (pp. 12–13) to answer questions 12–15. Then fill in
the answers on your answer document.

12 Based on paragraphs 7 and 8 of the story, what can the reader infer about Patrick?

F He thinks he can entertain the girls by styling their hair.

G He believes he is a good babysitter.

H He does not get along with his sister and cousin.

J He would prefer to do as little work as possible.

13 Patrick’s feelings about babysitting begin to become more positive when he —

A plans to entertain the girls with a movie

B sits at a tiny table

C braids the girls’ hair

D hits an imaginary dragon with a spatula

Reading
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14 What is the best summary of paragraphs 12 through 16?

F Patrick chooses to play a game with the girls he is babysitting. He pretends to battle an
imaginary dragon while the girls act like princesses. He pretends to open a gate and then
tells the imaginary dragon to stay away from the princesses. Patrick’s mother watches the
children as they play.

G Patrick decides to use his imagination and play with the girls to make them happy. He
pretends to fight an imaginary dragon to rescue the girls, who are acting like princesses in
trouble. The girls thank him for rescuing them. Patrick’s mother watches and thanks him
for helping her, too.

H Patrick uses an apron, a broom, and a spatula in order to play a game. He pretends to
battle an imaginary dragon while the girls act like princesses. The girls are grateful for
Patrick rescuing them from an imaginary dragon. Patrick’s mother hears the girls thank
Patrick.

J Patrick imagines he is a prince fighting with a dragon as he gallops across the room. The
girls hide behind a chair while he swings at the imaginary dragon with his spatula and
pretends to defeat it. The girls, who are pretending to be princesses, thank him. They say
he is their hero for rescuing them.

15 Read this sentence from paragraph 10.

He attempted to work with the girls’ locks of hair
but found the hair to be as slippery as a handful
of wet noodles.

The author uses the simile in this sentence to show that Patrick —

A thinks the girls have gotten food in their hair

B thinks that the girls’ hair is too wet to make proper braids

C would prefer to be cooking dinner rather than braiding hair

D finds it very difficult to make braids in the girls’ hair

Reading
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Use “A Wintry Welcome” (pp. 14–15) to answer questions 16–19. Then fill
in the answers on your answer document.

16 How can the reader tell that Emily enjoyed living in Texas?

F She goes ice-skating with two of her new neighbors.

G She brought a cactus with her to plant at her new home.

H She learned to roller-skate before moving to her new home.

J She notices that the weather is different between the two states.

17The word tentative comes from the Latin word tentare, which means “to feel or try.” What
does tentative mean in paragraph 12?

A Cautious

B Exciting

C Multiple

D Enjoyable

Reading
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18What is hidden from the reader as a result of the story being told from the first-person point
of view?

F Emily’s reason for bringing Charlie with her from Texas

G The actions of Emily with Kyle and Kristin

H Kyle and Kristin’s thoughts about Emily

J The dialogue between Kyle and Kristin

19 Read this sentence from paragraph 8.

The untouched snow bordering the pond glittered
in the sun as if a million diamonds were sprinkled
across its surface.

What does the author’s use of imagery in this sentence emphasize?

A Emily believes that the icy pond will be hard if she falls.

B Emily realizes the value of learning how to ice-skate.

C Emily thinks the snow is beautiful.

D Emily thinks the snow is too bright.

Reading
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Use “Prince Patrick” and “A Wintry Welcome” to answer questions 20–23.
Then fill in the answers on your answer document.

20 What is one similarity in the way the main characters work through their conflicts?

F Both main characters adopt a new attitude that leads to a resolution.

G Both main characters make a mistake that adds to their problems.

H Both main characters perform a task that leads to recognition from others.

J Both main characters resolve their concerns by focusing on the needs of others.

21 Read these sentences from both stories.

“Prince Patrick”

“A Wintry Welcome”

“What was I thinking?” Patrick muttered
as the girls dumped out a bag filled
with brushes, barrettes, and ribbons.
(paragraph 8)

Planting Charlie outside clearly wasn’t
going to happen anytime soon.
(paragraph 3)

What do these sentences show about the main character of each story?

A They both rely on friends for support.

B They both are used to taking care of others.

C They both have accepted a big responsibility.

D They both realize their situation is not going as planned.

Reading
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22In what way do both Patrick from “Prince Patrick” and Emily from “A Wintry Welcome” change
throughout the stories?

F They both are worried but then become relieved in the end.

G They both feel doubtful about their abilities but then become confident.

H They both are unhappy about their circumstances but then learn to accept them.

J They both feel excited at first but then are displeased with events that occur.

23 Read this sentence from “A Wintry Welcome.”

I almost forgot about Texas as I concentrated on
my new friends instead.

Which sentence from “Prince Patrick” shows that Patrick begins to feel the same way?

A “This is not how I imagined I would be spending Saturday afternoon,” he thought.

B Patrick didn’t even know how to braid hair.

C The girls chatted about Patrick’s work as they positioned shimmering crowns on their
heads.

D “Might as well make this fun,” he thought.

Reading
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