The Village of Left-Behinds

Reread paragraph 1. Based on the paragraph, what is a sock’s main purpose?

"In a basket in a corner of the laundry room of a large family’s house, there lived the village of Left-Behinds, a community of bewildered socks who had lost their mates and their reason for being. For what good was one sock? . . ."

• to keep feet clean

• to keep feet warm

• to be part of a pair

• to be used for a job

Based on paragraph 2, with which statement would the author most likely agree?

"The mistress of the house had given them their own place where they could wait for the return of their loved ones. Her sock drawer had become so crowded, she could barely close it, but she was too softhearted to throw the odd ones away. It wasn’t their fault their mates had vanished suddenly and mysteriously. One moment they were in the washer or dryer or on their way to being folded and put away, and the next, they weren’t. It was, she said, one of life’s great mysteries."

• Things can change very quickly.

• Things are always as they seem

• Making decisions can be difficult.

• Working hard brings great results.

According to the passage, which question does the mistress believe is “one of

life’s great mysteries”?

• Why do all socks look different?

• How do so many socks disappear?

• How do people find missing socks?

• Why do people need to wear socks?

How does the setting change in paragraphs 8 and 9

• Day becomes night.

• Winter becomes spring.

• Spring becomes summer.

• Morning becomes afternoon.

In “The Village of Left-Behinds,” who is telling the story?

• a sock

• a visitor

• the narrator

• the mistress

Read the sentence from paragraph 12.

"Now the basket was empty, the village of Left-Behinds deserted."

Which word from the sentence helps readers understand the meaning of deserted?

• now

• basket

• empty

• village

Which statement best describes how the mistress and the red-and-white socks feel about each other at the end of the passage?

• They feel safer together

• They feel tired of one another.

• They feel pleased to be with one another.

• They feel unsure if they will stay together.

Which sentence from the passage best supports the response to the previous question?

• “Now that it was spring, with cleaning and gardening in full force, every sock was needed.” (paragraph 8)

• “The mistress washed the sock and dried it by the wood stove, fluffing it up before reuniting the couple.” (paragraph 11)

• “Not a thread or shred of lace remained to show it had ever existed.” (paragraph 12)

• “She wore the socks the very next day, which made all three of them very happy.” (paragraph 11)

The red-and-white sock in the basket is different from the sock elders. Select two phrases to describe the red-and-white sock and two phrases to describe the sock elders. The red-and-white sock is

• A helpful for cleaning.

• cheerful with the others.

• useful for animals.

• tired from lots of work.

• chosen as mayor.

The sock elders are

• helpful for cleaning.

• cheerful with the others.

• chosen as mayor.

• helpful to animals.

• tired from lots of work.