Panning for Gold

Why does Sarah move over to the larger rock in the stream?

• She thinks she might have better luck finding gold there.

• She needs more space to spread out her supplies.

• She hopes she will be able to keep herself clean.

• She wants to try working without her brother

Which sentence from the passage best supports the theme that sometimes things work out better than expected?

• Sarah bounced excitedly down the narrow trail after her brother Ben.

• He had helped his father and some other adults look for gold in a spot up the river, but this was the first time Sarah had been allowed to go.

• “If we find something that looks important, we’ll take it home to ask if it is real or if it is just fool’s gold,” he suggested.

• “You’re not so bad to have around, you know.”

Which sentences from the passage best show that Ben is unhappy that he had to bring his sister with him? Choose two answers.

• Ben whistled ahead of her, carrying his cloth sack of equipment over his shoulder.

• He hoped his sister would not interfere with his work.

• With only a hint of impatience, Ben took a deep breath and demonstrated for her.

• “That is where small pieces of gold can sometimes be found,” he explained.

• Encouraged, he grabbed his pan and started working alongside her

Read the sentence from the passage. Even though Sarah was excited, part of her feared that she may not be cut out for panning. What does the phrase “may not be cut out for” tell the reader about Sarah?

• The phrase shows that Sarah does not really want to learn how to pan for gold.

• The phrase shows that Sarah realizes her brother does not believe she will be helpful.

• The phrase shows that Sarah suspects the activity will not be as much fun as she hoped.

• The phrase shows that Sarah is worried she will not have enough skills to pan for gold.

Read the paragraph from the passage. After a while, Sarah noticed her brother staring silently at the water. She could tell that he was frustrated that he was not finding anything. But Sarah did not get upset. Instead, she continued to search the sandy stream thoroughly. Sarah was determined to give her brother a reason to be proud of her, not make him annoyed that she came along. How does the author’s choice of words contribute to meaning in the passage?

• It shows that Sarah is less worried about getting dirty than Ben is.

• It shows how much Sarah cares about the way Ben feels about her.

• It shows that Sarah is more unsure about her task than Ben is.

• It shows how much Sarah hopes she will find gold before Ben finds gold.

Read the paragraph from the passage. He then handed the pan to Sarah. “Swirl it with your hand until the sand settles on the bottom and the water is on top,” he instructed, enjoying the role of expert. What does the word instructed mean as it is used in the paragraph?

• dared

• directed

• warned

• worried