Desert Sea Gulls and Sweetened Condensed Milk

1. What part of passage 1 does the picture BEST help the reader understand?

• "But I knew I'd never love anything as much as waking up to the sound of a sea gull's cry." (paragraph 3)
• "'Welcome home!' Grandpa calls from the front porch." (paragraph 6)
• "But I'd rather find shells on the beach." (paragraph 1)
• "I'd heard bedtime stories about his childhood." (paragraph 1)

2. What TWO words best describe how Marissa's parents react to her being homesick in passage 1? Select TWO answers.

• confused
• patient
• encouraging
• frustrated
• funny

3. Part A - What is the meaning of the word shrieks as sued in paragraph 12?

• feathers
• paths
• wings
• cries

4. Part B - Select TWO sentences from passage 1 that support the correct answer to Part A.

• "A silver flapping cloud flutters around him." (paragraph 13)
• "Their gray wings and long beaks skim the freshly turned soil. . . " (paragraph 14)
• "I close my eyes and listen to the gulls who have lived here forever." (paragraph 20)
• "I open my eyes and look up at Aunt Cindy's pink ceiling." (paragraph 13)
• "I'm awake, but I still hear sea gulls." (paragraph 13)

5. Part A - Which detail from passage 1 BEST shows the theme of the passage?

• "What are they doing here?" (paragraph 18)
• "But I feel a piece of home sneaking up on me anyway." (paragraph 20)
• "The sea gull is the state bird of Utah." (paragraph 19)
• "I know it isn't from a grocery store but fresh from the smelly cow grazing in Grandpa's yard." (paragraph 6)

6. Part B - Which theme is BEST supported by the correct answer to question 5?

• Food can affect how people feel about themselves.
• Familiar things can make new places feel like home.
• People should continue to learn throughout their lives.
• People should be confident in themselves.

7. What TWO parts of passage 2 does the picture best help the reader understand?

• "He had even forgotten about sweetened condensed milk." (paragraph 32)
• "In Trinidad, sweetened condensed milk came in cans, but it also came in little brick packs like juice boxes." (paragraph 33)
• "Then their visit to Trinidad ended." (paragraph 34)
• "He had forgotten about cocoa that tasted spicy, not at all like American cocoa." (paragraph 32)
• "He learned to pour the sweetened condensed milk into a spoon and to stir it into tea or cocoa." (paragraph 33)

8. What does the phrase "to feel homesick for a place that wasn't home" from paragraph 35 tell the reader about Ishmael?

• Ishmael does not want to leave Missouri because he has forgotten about his home in Trinidad.
• Ishmael does not think of Missouri as his home because his family is in Trinidad.
• Ishmael understands that Missouri will always be his home.
• Ishmael realizes that Trinidad is like home to him.

9. Based on passage 2, which part of visiting Trinidad MOST LIKELY had the greatest impact on Ishmael?

• the family members that Ishmael sees
• the strange and wonderful fruit
• the types of animals that live there
• the look of Grandma's house

10. How are BOTH passages 1 and 2 similar?

• Both passages have characters who start a new school in a new place.
• Both passages take place in Utah.
• Both passages have characters who think about what makes a place feel like home.
• Both passages contain the theme of never giving up on yourself.