"Basant Birthday"

Which choice provides a summary of the passage?

• A.  A young girl wanted to participate in kite fighting during the celebration of basant. Her brother took her to buy kites, and then they went home to fight them on the roof. After having some of her kites cut down, she tried again and was able to cut down her brother’s kite.

• B.  A young girl enjoyed watching the kite fights during the celebration of basant. She asked her brother to buy her some kites at the kite shop, and he agreed. After showing her how to fight the kites, she and her brother challenged each other to see who would win.

• C.  A young girl did not know how to fight her kites during the celebration of basant. She tried to use smaller kites at first, but she lost every kite fight. After getting advice from her brother, she tried again and was able to win all of her kite fights the rest of the day.

• D.  A young girl did not have any kites to fight during the celebration of basant. Her brother offered to take her to buy some kites, and she picked out a few different sizes. After losing a few fights with some of the smaller kites, she decided to try out a bigger kite instead.

Read the sentence from paragraph 15.

But while the sun still shone, thousands of multicolored kites swayed in the sky like a joyous swarm of birds.

What does the author mean by the phrase “like a joyous swarm of birds” in the sentence?

• A.  There were many kites flying in the air together.

• B.  People were happy seeing all the kites in the air.

• C.  The birds in the air were just as beautiful as the kites.

• D.  People could not tell the kites from the birds in the air.

Which phrase from paragraph 20 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word jig?

• A . “...neighbors’ string.”

• B . “Amir danced...”

• C.  “...drums pounding...”

• D.  “...on the street.”

Part A:

How did the main character respond after her sharlas were cut down?

• A.  She watched the other children fighting their kites and then started a kite fight with her brother.

• B.  She became frustrated that her brother had her use smaller kites and decided to try a bigger kite in her next kite fight.

• C . She spent some time watching her brother carefully and saw how he moved his kite during a kite fight against others.

• D.  She felt angry that she lost and hoped her brother would show her how to win in her next kite fight.

Part B:

Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?

• A.  “I sighed. How would I ever cut down another kite if I couldn’t take my eyes off my own?” (paragraph 18)

• B . “I watched him calmly maneuver his kite upward, leaning back, keeping his body still and strong, never stepping out of the rectangle. His fingers and right elbow did all the work.” (paragraph 20)

• C.  “I fell into a rhythm and began swaying with my kite. In my trance, I forgot to worry about being cut down.” (paragraph 22)

• D. “Then I found my kite flapping close to Amir’s. Slowly, I let the string out, the kite soaring higher with each tug. Squinting to see the two strings, I tugged as they touched.” (paragraph 23)

Where did the main character and her brother fight their kites?

• A.  in the bazaar

• B.  in the field

• C.  on the roof

• D.  on the street

What does the author mean by the phrase “he wheeled about” in paragraph 23?

• A.  Amir jumped and clapped.

• B . Amir ran around happily.

• C.  Amir slipped and almost fell.

• D.  Amir turned around quickly.

Which quotation from the passage shows how the main character struggled at first to fight her kites?

• A.  “They all got cut away in no time, plummeting to the street to be chased down by rowdy

  children. I teetered back and forth, trying to protect my kites.” (paragraph 16)

• B.  “‘Oy!’ Amir grabbed my arm. ‘Stop running around like a chicken or you’ll fall off the roof.’” (paragraph 17)

• C.  “‘Still and strong,’ I told myself. ‘Still and strong.’ My gudda caught the wind and became one with it.” (paragraph 21)

• D.  “Slowly, I let the string out, the kite soaring higher with each tug. Squinting to see the two strings, I tugged as they touched.” (paragraph 23)

How does the illustration help the reader understand the passage?

• A.  The reader can see how the main character cut down her brother’s kite.

• B.  The reader can see that the main character learned from her brother’s advice.

• C.  The reader can see where the main character and her brother fought their kites.

• D.  The reader can see that the main character watched her brother battle the neighbors.