The Secret Garden

Read the sentence from the selection. “The high, deep, blue sky arched over Misselthwaite as well as over the moor, and she kept lifting her face and looking up into it, trying to imagine what it would be like to lie down on one of the little snow-white clouds and float about.” What kind of tone do the words in this sentence help to create?

• a happy, peaceful tone

• an uncomfortable tone

• an excited tone

• a dull, sleepy tone

Paragraph 1 describes how the change in weather has been good for Ben. Which detail from the selection shows a similar response in Mary?

• Mary sniffs the air and smells the fresh, damp earth.

• Mary runs around the fountain flower garden ten times.

• Mary finds Ben digging in the first kitchen-garden.

• Mary asks Ben about the garden where the robin lives.

Which sentence from the selection supports the idea that Mary is visiting the garden for the first time?

• She went into the first kitchen-garden and found Ben Weatherstaff working there with two other gardeners.

• ‘In th’ flower gardens out there things will be stirrin’ down below in th’ dark.’

• Very soon she heard the soft rustling flight of wings again and she knew at once that the robin had come again.

• ‘He’s never seen a little [girl] here before, an’ he’s bent on findin’ out all about thee.’

Read this sentence from paragraph 16. “She chirped, and talked, and coaxed and he hopped, and flirted his tail and twittered.” What does flirted mean in this sentence?

• waved angrily

• talked in a friendly way

• moved in a playful way

• tweeted loudly

What is a theme of the selection?

• The beauty of nature lasts only for a short time.

• The outdoors can be a source of wonder and mystery.

• Humans and nature are almost always in conflict.

• The natural world is often a dark and unfamiliar place.

Read this sentence from paragraph 16. “His red waistcoat was like satin and he puffed his tiny breast out and was so fine and so grand and so pretty that it was really as if he were showing her how important and like a human person a robin could be.” What is the meaning of the simile used in this sentence?

• The robin’s feathers look like fancy red clothing.

• The robin looks as soft and round as a ball of cotton.

• The robin walks about on two legs like a person.

• The robin’s wings look like they are made of shiny cloth.

Which detail should be included in a summary of the selection?

• The flowers have been planted.

• Mary finds a key in the ground.

• The bird looks for a worm to eat.

• Mary asks Ben about roses blooming.

How are Mary and Ben different?

• Mary thinks the bird is beautiful, but Ben does not.

• Mary enjoys being outside in the gardens, but Ben does not.

• Mary likes the way the earth smells, but Ben does not.

• Mary wants to talk about the locked garden, but Ben does not.