The Champion

What does the flashback in the first paragraph of "The Champion" reveal about Elena?

• She is terribly upset about losing a soccer match.
• She enjoys playing soccer and is very good at it.
• She wants to be the next spelling bee champion.
• She daydreams about her past success at a spelling bee.

The reader can tell that the story is told from limited third-person point of view because the narrator-

• Is the main character in the story
• Uses the pronouns "I and "we"
• knows one character's perspective and motivations
• is omniscient and knows everything about all characters and events

What internal conflict did Elena face in the story?

• She did not think she could win the spelling bee.
• She worried about not being a competitive person.
• She would rather practice soccer than practice spelling.
• She did not want to compete against her brother.

The reader can conclude that Elena participated in the spelling bee because she-

• knew it would be easy to win
• wanted to show she was the best speller in the country
• had promised her father she would be in the bee
• did not want to disappoint her family

The words in paragraph 10 and the illustration work together to convey the message that Elena is feeling-

• very upset about losing the spelling bee
• happy that the spelling bee is over
• surprised that she did not win the contest
• anxious about a rematch with the winner

Which is the best summary of the story?

• Elena is practicing for the upcoming county spelling bee, but she daydreams of playing soccer instead. She tries to memorize thousands of words for the spelling bee, but her heart isn't in it. She hides her feelings from her family because she doesn't want to disappoint them. She ends up losing the spelling bee and disappointing everyone.
• Elena is a good soccer player who also dreams of becoming the next champion of the county spelling bee. She practices every day, spelling thousands of words for her mother. Winning the bee is a family tradition, and Elena intends to make her family proud by winning too. Unfortunately, she misspells the word querulous and loses to he opponent.
• Elena is a good soccer player who often daydreams about soccer when she is doing other things. She is practicing for the upcoming county spelling bee, but she has a difficult time memorizing words because her daydreams about soccer keep intruding. Elena does not win the spelling bee, but she is relieved when the contest is finally over.
• Elena is practicing for the upcomimg county spelling bee, buts she would much rather be playing soccer. Competing in and winning is a family tradition, and Elena does not want to disappoint her mother and brother. Elena competes in the bee and makes it to the final round, but she loses to her opponent. Instead of feeling disapointed in losing, elena feels relieved the spelling bee is over.

In paragraph 9, the word contestants means-

• people who take part in a competition
• people who take tests
• people who disagree with a decision
• people who judge competitions