ELA 7 Reading Assessment
Just One of Those Days
“Just One of Those Days”
by Donald E. Westlake
by Donald E. Westlake
Page 1
Harry came into the motel room as I was putting my shoulder holster on.
“Forget it, Ralph," he said.
I looked at him. “Forget it? What do you mean, forget it?”
He took off his coat and tossed it on the bed. “The bank’s closed,” he said.
“It can’t be closed,” I said. “This is Tuesday.”
“Wrong,” he said. He flipped his automatic out of his holster and
tossed it on the bed. “It can be closed,” he said. “Everything can be
closed. This is Griffin's Day."
“This is what’s Day?”
“Griffin’s,” he said. He shrugged out of his shoulder holster and
tossed it on the bed. “Kenny Griffin’s Day,” he said.
“I give up,” I said. “What’s a Kenny Griffin?”
“Astronaut,” he said. He opened his shirt collar and tossed himself
onto the bed. “Comes from this burg,” he said. “It’s his Homecoming
Day. They’re having a big parade for him.
“By the bank?” I asked.
“What difference?” He moved his automatic out from under his
hip, adjusted his pillow, and shut his eyes. “The bank’s closed anyway,”
he said.
I cocked my head, and from far away I heard band music. “Well, if
that isn't nice," I said.
“They’re give him the key to the city,” Harry said.
“That’s real nice,” I said.
“Speeches, and little kids giving him flowers.”
“That’s so nice I can’t stand it,” I said.
“He was in orbit,” Harry said.
“He should have stayed in orbit,” I said.
“So we’ll do it tomorrow,” Harry said.
“I know,” I said. “But it’s just irritating.”
It was more irritating to me than to Harry, because, after all, I was
the planner. I hated it when a plan went wrong or had to be changed
around, no matter how minor the change. Like planning a caper on
Tuesday and having to do it on Wednesday instead. A small alteration,
an unimportant shift, but we’d have to stay in this town one day longer
than expected, which increased the chances of identification at some
later date. We’d have to change our airline reservations, which maybe
some clerk would think about afterward. We’d show up at the Miami
hotel a day late, which would tend to make us conspicuous there, too.
Nothing vital, sure, nothing desperate, but it only takes a tiny leak to
sink a mighty battleship. I remember reading that on a poster once
when I was a kid, and it made a big impression on me.
“Forget it, Ralph," he said.
I looked at him. “Forget it? What do you mean, forget it?”
He took off his coat and tossed it on the bed. “The bank’s closed,” he said.
“It can’t be closed,” I said. “This is Tuesday.”
“Wrong,” he said. He flipped his automatic out of his holster and
tossed it on the bed. “It can be closed,” he said. “Everything can be
closed. This is Griffin's Day."
“This is what’s Day?”
“Griffin’s,” he said. He shrugged out of his shoulder holster and
tossed it on the bed. “Kenny Griffin’s Day,” he said.
“I give up,” I said. “What’s a Kenny Griffin?”
“Astronaut,” he said. He opened his shirt collar and tossed himself
onto the bed. “Comes from this burg,” he said. “It’s his Homecoming
Day. They’re having a big parade for him.
“By the bank?” I asked.
“What difference?” He moved his automatic out from under his
hip, adjusted his pillow, and shut his eyes. “The bank’s closed anyway,”
he said.
I cocked my head, and from far away I heard band music. “Well, if
that isn't nice," I said.
“They’re give him the key to the city,” Harry said.
“That’s real nice,” I said.
“Speeches, and little kids giving him flowers.”
“That’s so nice I can’t stand it,” I said.
“He was in orbit,” Harry said.
“He should have stayed in orbit,” I said.
“So we’ll do it tomorrow,” Harry said.
“I know,” I said. “But it’s just irritating.”
It was more irritating to me than to Harry, because, after all, I was
the planner. I hated it when a plan went wrong or had to be changed
around, no matter how minor the change. Like planning a caper on
Tuesday and having to do it on Wednesday instead. A small alteration,
an unimportant shift, but we’d have to stay in this town one day longer
than expected, which increased the chances of identification at some
later date. We’d have to change our airline reservations, which maybe
some clerk would think about afterward. We’d show up at the Miami
hotel a day late, which would tend to make us conspicuous there, too.
Nothing vital, sure, nothing desperate, but it only takes a tiny leak to
sink a mighty battleship. I remember reading that on a poster once
when I was a kid, and it made a big impression on me.
Page 2
I am the natural planner type. I had cased this bank and this
town for three weeks before making my plan, and then for another five
days after it was set. I worked out just the right method, the right time,
the right getaway, the right everything.
The one thing I didn’t work out was one of those astronauts hailing
from this town and deciding on my day he’ll come on back again. As I
later said to Harry, why couldn’t of just phoned?
So we did it on Wednesday. We went to the bank at precisely two
fifty-four, flipped the masks up over our faces, and announced, “This is a
stickup. Everybody freeze."
Everybody froze. While I watched the people and the door, Harry
went behind the counter and started filling the bag.
Actually, Wednesday worked just as well as Tuesday so far as the
mechanics of the plan were concerned. On all three midweek days,
Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, all but three of the bank
employees were at lunch at two fifty-four P.M., having to take a later-
than-normal lunch because the bank was at its busiest during usual
lunch hours. On the days I had checked it, there had never been any
more than three customers here at this time, and the average had been
only slightly over one. Today, for instance, there was just one, a small
and elderly lady who carried an umbrella despite the bright sun outside.
The rest of the plan would work as well on Wednesday as on
Tuesday, too. The traffic lights I’d timed worked the same every day of
the week, the plane schedule out at the airport was the same as
yesterday, and the traffic we could expect on the Belt Highway was no
different, either. Still, I did hate to have things change on me.
Harry was done filling the bag at one minute to three, which was
a full minute ahead of time. We both stood by the door and waited, and
when the second hand was done with its sweep once more, Harry put his
gun away, flipped his mask off, picked up the bag and went out to where
we’d parked the stolen Ford in front of the fire hydrant.
I now had forty seconds. I was looking everywhere at once, at my
watch, at the three employees and the little old lady customer and at
Harry out front in the Ford. If he didn’t manage to get it started in time,
we’d have to wait another minute and ten seconds.
But he did. After thirty-one seconds he gave me the sign. I
nodded, let nine more seconds go by and dashed out of the bank.
Eighteen running paces while I stuffed the gun away and stripped off the
mask, and then I was in the car and it was rolling.
There was a traffic light at the corner. “Twenty-two miles an hour,”
I said, looking at that light, seeing it red down there in front of us.
“I know,” said Harry. “Don’t worry, I know.”
The light turned green just as we reached the intersection. We
sailed on through. I looked back, and saw people just erupting from the
bank.
town for three weeks before making my plan, and then for another five
days after it was set. I worked out just the right method, the right time,
the right getaway, the right everything.
The one thing I didn’t work out was one of those astronauts hailing
from this town and deciding on my day he’ll come on back again. As I
later said to Harry, why couldn’t of just phoned?
So we did it on Wednesday. We went to the bank at precisely two
fifty-four, flipped the masks up over our faces, and announced, “This is a
stickup. Everybody freeze."
Everybody froze. While I watched the people and the door, Harry
went behind the counter and started filling the bag.
Actually, Wednesday worked just as well as Tuesday so far as the
mechanics of the plan were concerned. On all three midweek days,
Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, all but three of the bank
employees were at lunch at two fifty-four P.M., having to take a later-
than-normal lunch because the bank was at its busiest during usual
lunch hours. On the days I had checked it, there had never been any
more than three customers here at this time, and the average had been
only slightly over one. Today, for instance, there was just one, a small
and elderly lady who carried an umbrella despite the bright sun outside.
The rest of the plan would work as well on Wednesday as on
Tuesday, too. The traffic lights I’d timed worked the same every day of
the week, the plane schedule out at the airport was the same as
yesterday, and the traffic we could expect on the Belt Highway was no
different, either. Still, I did hate to have things change on me.
Harry was done filling the bag at one minute to three, which was
a full minute ahead of time. We both stood by the door and waited, and
when the second hand was done with its sweep once more, Harry put his
gun away, flipped his mask off, picked up the bag and went out to where
we’d parked the stolen Ford in front of the fire hydrant.
I now had forty seconds. I was looking everywhere at once, at my
watch, at the three employees and the little old lady customer and at
Harry out front in the Ford. If he didn’t manage to get it started in time,
we’d have to wait another minute and ten seconds.
But he did. After thirty-one seconds he gave me the sign. I
nodded, let nine more seconds go by and dashed out of the bank.
Eighteen running paces while I stuffed the gun away and stripped off the
mask, and then I was in the car and it was rolling.
There was a traffic light at the corner. “Twenty-two miles an hour,”
I said, looking at that light, seeing it red down there in front of us.
“I know,” said Harry. “Don’t worry, I know.”
The light turned green just as we reached the intersection. We
sailed on through. I looked back, and saw people just erupting from the
bank.
Page 3
Midway down this block there was an alley on the right that led through
to the next block. Harry made the turn, smooth and sweet, into
a space hardly wider than our car, and ahead of us was the MG. Harry
hit the brakes, I grabbed the bag, and we jumped out of the Ford. Harry
opened the Ford’s hood and grabbed a handful of wires and yanked.
Then he shut the hood and ran to the MG.
“Five,” I said. “Four. Three. Two. One. Go!”
We shot out of the alley, turned left, made the light just before it
went to red, turned right, made the lights perfectly for three blocks, then
hit the Schuyler Avenue ramp to the Belt Highway.
“You watch the signs,” Harry said. “I’ll watch the traffic.”
"Naturally," I said.
Almost ever city has one of these by-pass highways now, a belt
that makes a complete circuit of the city. Not only can travelers passing
through use it to avoid getting involved in city traffic, but local citizens
can use it for high-speed routing from one part of the city to the other.
This one, called the Belt Highway, was an elevated road all the way
around, giving a fine view of the town and the countryside.
But it was neither the town nor the surrounding countryside I was
interested in at the moment. Right now my primary concern was the
Airport Road exit. As Harry steered us through the light midweek
afternoon traffic, I watched the signs.
One thing I have to admit, they did put up plenty of signs. Like for
the first exit we came to, which was called Callisto Street Exit. First
there was a sign that said, “Callisto Street Exit, 1⁄4 Mile.” A little after
that, there was a sign that said, “Callisto Street Exit, Keep Right.” And
then finally, at the exit itself, a sign with an arrow pointing to the down-
ramp and the words, “Callisto Street Exit.”
Of course, all of this was mostly geared for local citizens, so there
wasn’t any sign telling you where Callisto Street itself might take you,
but if you knew it was Callisto Street you wanted, there wasn’t a chance
in the world that you’d miss it.
Harry buzzed us along in the white MG, just exactly at the fifty-
mile-an-hour speed limit, and I watched the exits go by, with the
standard three signs for each one: Woodford Road, Eagle Avenue, Griffin
Road, Croswell Street, Five Mile Road, Esquire Avenue....
I looked at my watch. I said, “Harry, are you going too slow?
You’re supposed to go fifty."
Harry was insulted; he prides himself on being one of the best
drivers in the business. “I am going fifty,” he said, and gestured for me
to take a look at the speedometer myself.
But I was too intent on watching for signs. Airport Road I wanted;
Airport Road. I said, “It shouldn’t be taking anywhere near this long, I
know.”
“I’m doing fifty—and I’ve been doing fifty.”
I looked at my watch, then back out at the highway.
to the next block. Harry made the turn, smooth and sweet, into
a space hardly wider than our car, and ahead of us was the MG. Harry
hit the brakes, I grabbed the bag, and we jumped out of the Ford. Harry
opened the Ford’s hood and grabbed a handful of wires and yanked.
Then he shut the hood and ran to the MG.
“Five,” I said. “Four. Three. Two. One. Go!”
We shot out of the alley, turned left, made the light just before it
went to red, turned right, made the lights perfectly for three blocks, then
hit the Schuyler Avenue ramp to the Belt Highway.
“You watch the signs,” Harry said. “I’ll watch the traffic.”
"Naturally," I said.
Almost ever city has one of these by-pass highways now, a belt
that makes a complete circuit of the city. Not only can travelers passing
through use it to avoid getting involved in city traffic, but local citizens
can use it for high-speed routing from one part of the city to the other.
This one, called the Belt Highway, was an elevated road all the way
around, giving a fine view of the town and the countryside.
But it was neither the town nor the surrounding countryside I was
interested in at the moment. Right now my primary concern was the
Airport Road exit. As Harry steered us through the light midweek
afternoon traffic, I watched the signs.
One thing I have to admit, they did put up plenty of signs. Like for
the first exit we came to, which was called Callisto Street Exit. First
there was a sign that said, “Callisto Street Exit, 1⁄4 Mile.” A little after
that, there was a sign that said, “Callisto Street Exit, Keep Right.” And
then finally, at the exit itself, a sign with an arrow pointing to the down-
ramp and the words, “Callisto Street Exit.”
Of course, all of this was mostly geared for local citizens, so there
wasn’t any sign telling you where Callisto Street itself might take you,
but if you knew it was Callisto Street you wanted, there wasn’t a chance
in the world that you’d miss it.
Harry buzzed us along in the white MG, just exactly at the fifty-
mile-an-hour speed limit, and I watched the exits go by, with the
standard three signs for each one: Woodford Road, Eagle Avenue, Griffin
Road, Croswell Street, Five Mile Road, Esquire Avenue....
I looked at my watch. I said, “Harry, are you going too slow?
You’re supposed to go fifty."
Harry was insulted; he prides himself on being one of the best
drivers in the business. “I am going fifty,” he said, and gestured for me
to take a look at the speedometer myself.
But I was too intent on watching for signs. Airport Road I wanted;
Airport Road. I said, “It shouldn’t be taking anywhere near this long, I
know.”
“I’m doing fifty—and I’ve been doing fifty.”
I looked at my watch, then back out at the highway.
Page 4
“Maybe the speedometer’s bused. Maybe you’re only doing forty.”
“I’m doing fifty,” Harry said. “I can tell. I know what fifty feels like,
and I’m doing fifty."
“If we miss that plane,” I said, “we’re in trouble.”
"We won’t miss it,” said Harry grimly, and hunched over the wheel.
“The cops will be asking questions all around the neighborhood
back there now,” I said. “Sooner or later they’ll find somebody that saw
this car come out of the alley. Sooner or later they’ll be looking for us in
this car and with these descriptions."
“You just watch the signs,” said Harry.
So I watched the signs. Remsen Avenue, De Witt Boulevard, Green
Meadow Park, Seventeenth Street, Glenwood Road, Powers Street....
Harry said, “You must of missed it.”
I said, “Impossible. I’ve read every sign. Every sign. Your
speedometer’s off."
"it isn't."
Earhart Street, Willoughby Lane, Firewall Avenue, Broad Street,
Marigold Hill Road...
I looked at my watch. “Our plane just took off,” I said.
“You keep looking at your watch,” Harry said. “That’s how come
you missed it."
“I did not miss it,” I said.
“Here comes Schuyler Avenue again,” he said. “Isn’t that where we
got on?"
“How did I miss it?” I cried. “Hurry, Harry! We’ll get it this time!
They’ll have a plane going somewhere!”
Harry crouched over the steering wheel.
They stopped us halfway around the circuit again. Some smart
cop had seen us—the description was out by now, of course—and
radioed in, and they set up a nice little road block across their elevated
highway, and we drove right around to it and stopped, and they put the
arm on us.
As I was riding in the back of a police car, going in the opposite
direction of the Belt now, I asked the detective I was handcuffed to, “Do
you mind telling me what you did with Airport Road?”
He grinned at me and pointed out the window, saying, “There it is.”
The sign he pointed at said, “Griffin Road, 1⁄4 Mile.”
I said, “Griffin Road? I wanted Airport Road.”
“That’s it,” he said. “We changed the name yesterday, in honor of
Kenny Griffin. You know, the astronaut. We’re all real proud of Kenny
around here.”
“I better not say anything against him then,” I said.
“I’m doing fifty,” Harry said. “I can tell. I know what fifty feels like,
and I’m doing fifty."
“If we miss that plane,” I said, “we’re in trouble.”
"We won’t miss it,” said Harry grimly, and hunched over the wheel.
“The cops will be asking questions all around the neighborhood
back there now,” I said. “Sooner or later they’ll find somebody that saw
this car come out of the alley. Sooner or later they’ll be looking for us in
this car and with these descriptions."
“You just watch the signs,” said Harry.
So I watched the signs. Remsen Avenue, De Witt Boulevard, Green
Meadow Park, Seventeenth Street, Glenwood Road, Powers Street....
Harry said, “You must of missed it.”
I said, “Impossible. I’ve read every sign. Every sign. Your
speedometer’s off."
"it isn't."
Earhart Street, Willoughby Lane, Firewall Avenue, Broad Street,
Marigold Hill Road...
I looked at my watch. “Our plane just took off,” I said.
“You keep looking at your watch,” Harry said. “That’s how come
you missed it."
“I did not miss it,” I said.
“Here comes Schuyler Avenue again,” he said. “Isn’t that where we
got on?"
“How did I miss it?” I cried. “Hurry, Harry! We’ll get it this time!
They’ll have a plane going somewhere!”
Harry crouched over the steering wheel.
They stopped us halfway around the circuit again. Some smart
cop had seen us—the description was out by now, of course—and
radioed in, and they set up a nice little road block across their elevated
highway, and we drove right around to it and stopped, and they put the
arm on us.
As I was riding in the back of a police car, going in the opposite
direction of the Belt now, I asked the detective I was handcuffed to, “Do
you mind telling me what you did with Airport Road?”
He grinned at me and pointed out the window, saying, “There it is.”
The sign he pointed at said, “Griffin Road, 1⁄4 Mile.”
I said, “Griffin Road? I wanted Airport Road.”
“That’s it,” he said. “We changed the name yesterday, in honor of
Kenny Griffin. You know, the astronaut. We’re all real proud of Kenny
around here.”
“I better not say anything against him then,” I said.
PART I
Directions: Read the selection “Just One of Those Days.” Fill in the rectangle on your answer sheet for the letter of the BEST answer for each question. Make sure your mark is heavy and dark. Use “Think Like a Stoplight” to help you figure out which is the BEST answer. You may look back at the selection as often as needed.
Directions: Read the selection “Just One of Those Days.” Fill in the rectangle on your answer sheet for the letter of the BEST answer for each question. Make sure your mark is heavy and dark. Use “Think Like a Stoplight” to help you figure out which is the BEST answer. You may look back at the selection as often as needed.
1. Just One of Those Days” is told from the:
a. first person point of view.
b. author’s point of view.
c. third person point of view.
d. police officer’s point of view.
2. One of the main characters in the story, Ralph, is:
a. the bank teller.
b. the narrator.
c. the astronaut.
d. the police officer.
3. Compared to Harry, Ralph is a better:
a. driver.
b. detective.
c. planner.
d. liar.
4. As Harry and Ralph are driving around looking for Airport Road, Harry is:
a. confident that they will be successful.
b. frustrated because they cannot find their exit.
c. excited because he is sure they will make their flight.
d. nauseas because riding in circles upsets his stomach.
5. One way in which Harry and Ralph are alike is they both:
a. make poor choices.
b. are planners.
c. wish to be astronauts.
d. have a positive attitude towards life.
6. The primary (main) conflict in the story is:
a. Harry vs. Ralph.
b. Harry and Ralph vs. Kenneth Griffin.
c. Harry and Ralph vs. the law.
d. Harry and Ralph vs. the bank tellers.
a. first person point of view.
b. author’s point of view.
c. third person point of view.
d. police officer’s point of view.
2. One of the main characters in the story, Ralph, is:
a. the bank teller.
b. the narrator.
c. the astronaut.
d. the police officer.
3. Compared to Harry, Ralph is a better:
a. driver.
b. detective.
c. planner.
d. liar.
4. As Harry and Ralph are driving around looking for Airport Road, Harry is:
a. confident that they will be successful.
b. frustrated because they cannot find their exit.
c. excited because he is sure they will make their flight.
d. nauseas because riding in circles upsets his stomach.
5. One way in which Harry and Ralph are alike is they both:
a. make poor choices.
b. are planners.
c. wish to be astronauts.
d. have a positive attitude towards life.
6. The primary (main) conflict in the story is:
a. Harry vs. Ralph.
b. Harry and Ralph vs. Kenneth Griffin.
c. Harry and Ralph vs. the law.
d. Harry and Ralph vs. the bank tellers.
7. This type of conflict is:
a. internal: person vs. self.
b. external: person vs. person.
c. external: person vs. nature.
d. external: person vs. society.
8. Which of the following is an example of climax?
a. “’How did I miss it?’ I cried. ‘Hurry, Harry! We’ll get it this time!
They’ll have a plane going somewhere!’ Harry crouched over the
steering wheel.”
b. “Harry was insulted; he prides himself on being one of the best
drivers in the business.”
c. “The light turned green just as we reached the intersection. We
sailed on through. I looked back and saw people just erupting from the bank.”
d. “He took off his coat and tossed it on the bed. ‘The bank’s closed,’ he said.”
9. Which of the following is an example of resolution?
a. “I hated it when a plan went wrong or had to be changed around, no matter
how minor the change. Like planning a caper on Tuesday and having to do
it on Wednesday instead.”
b. “Everybody froze. While I watched the people and the door, Harry went
behind the counter and started filling the bag.”
c. “They stopped us halfway around the circuit again. Some smart cop had seen
us…and radioed it in, and they set up a nice little road block across their elevated
highway, and we drove right around to it and stopped, and they put the arm on us.”
d. “After thirty-one seconds he gave me the sign. I nodded, let nine more seconds
go by and dashed out of the bank.”
10. Which of the following choices accurately lists the plot’s sequence of events?
a. Harry and Ralph switch cars.
The bank is closed to celebrate “Kenny Griffin Day.”
Harry and Ralph change their appearance.
Harry and Ralph find out Airport Road’s name has been changed.
b. Harry and Ralph find out Airport Road’s name has been changed.
Harry and Ralph switch cars.
Harry and Ralph change their appearance.
The bank is closed to celebrate “Kenny Griffin Day.”
c. Harry and Ralph change their appearance.
Harry and Ralph find out Airport Road’s name has been changed.
Harry and Ralph switch cars.
The bank is closed to celebrate “Kenny Griffin Day.”
d. The bank is closed to celebrate “Kenny Griffin Day.”
Harry and Ralph switch cars.
Harry and Ralph change their appearance.
Harry and Ralph find out Airport Road’s name has been changed.
11. The story takes place in:
A. large city in the future.
B. a large city in modern times.
C. a small town in the Old West.
D. a rural farming community in the 1920’s.
12. Ralph is irritated because
A. he hated when a plan had to be changed.
B. Harry wants to go to the parade.
C. Kenny Griffin received a key to the city.
D. Harry missed the exit on Airport Road.
13. The expression “…it only takes a tiny leak to sink a mighty battleship.” means:
A. Small problems can lead to big disasters.
B. Be prepared for unexpected changes in plans.
C. It is not a mistake if you learn from it.
D. Sticking to your plans always leads to success.
14. “Just One of Those Days” demonstrates:
A. the ease of challenging the law.
B. that every action has a consequence.
C. the importance of friendship.
D. the value of a dollar.
15. If Harry and Ralph had picked a motto or slogan from the following,
it would most likely be:
A. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.
B. Crime doesn’t pay.
C. Never give up.
D. Always follow your dreams.
16. Where would you most likely find the story “Just One of Those Days”?
A. an encyclopedia
B. a newspaper
C. a textbook
D. an atlas
17. What genre is the story “Just One of Those Days”?
A. narrative essay
B. mythology
C. biography
D. prose
18. In this story, the author lets us know what Harry is like by
A. showing how Harry acts in difficult situations.
B. including his opinions of others.
C. letting us know what the policeman thinks of Harry.
D. describing his appearance in detail.
A. large city in the future.
B. a large city in modern times.
C. a small town in the Old West.
D. a rural farming community in the 1920’s.
12. Ralph is irritated because
A. he hated when a plan had to be changed.
B. Harry wants to go to the parade.
C. Kenny Griffin received a key to the city.
D. Harry missed the exit on Airport Road.
13. The expression “…it only takes a tiny leak to sink a mighty battleship.” means:
A. Small problems can lead to big disasters.
B. Be prepared for unexpected changes in plans.
C. It is not a mistake if you learn from it.
D. Sticking to your plans always leads to success.
14. “Just One of Those Days” demonstrates:
A. the ease of challenging the law.
B. that every action has a consequence.
C. the importance of friendship.
D. the value of a dollar.
15. If Harry and Ralph had picked a motto or slogan from the following,
it would most likely be:
A. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.
B. Crime doesn’t pay.
C. Never give up.
D. Always follow your dreams.
16. Where would you most likely find the story “Just One of Those Days”?
A. an encyclopedia
B. a newspaper
C. a textbook
D. an atlas
17. What genre is the story “Just One of Those Days”?
A. narrative essay
B. mythology
C. biography
D. prose
18. In this story, the author lets us know what Harry is like by
A. showing how Harry acts in difficult situations.
B. including his opinions of others.
C. letting us know what the policeman thinks of Harry.
D. describing his appearance in detail.
19. What is one important lesson that can be learned from
Harry and Ralph’s experience?
A. Never trust others.
B. Be careful what you wish for.
C. Never assume anything.
D. Always listen to your friends.
20. According to the story, how did Ralph and Harry deal with the unexpected change in plans?
A. with bravery
B. with defiance
C. with denial
D. with determination
PART II
Directions: Read the following quotes from “Just One of Those Days.” Note the word that is underlined and written in boldface. Carefully read the words given as possible synonyms (words with the same meaning). Using context clues, fill in the circle of the letter of the word that has the CLOSEST meaning to the underlined word. You may look back at the story to help you further identify the context in which the word was used.
21. “He flipped his automatic out of his shoulder holster and tossed it on the bed.”
A. license B. immediate
C. handgun D. palm pilot
22. “I hated it when a plan went wrong or had to be changed around, no matter how minor the change. Like planning a caper on Tuesday and having to do it on Wednesday instead.”
A. custom B. party
C. vacation D. daring act
23. “A small alteration, and unimportant shift, but we’d have to stay in this town one day longer than expected, which increased the chances of identification at some later date.”
A. success B. accident
C. change D. fight
24. “Nothing vital, sure, nothing desperate, but it only takes a tiny leak to sink a mighty battleship.”
A. very important B. unimportant
C. innocent D. minor
25. “Almost every city has one of these by-pass highways, a belt that makes a complete circuit of the city.”
A. strap B. main road
C. dirt road D. security device
Harry and Ralph’s experience?
A. Never trust others.
B. Be careful what you wish for.
C. Never assume anything.
D. Always listen to your friends.
20. According to the story, how did Ralph and Harry deal with the unexpected change in plans?
A. with bravery
B. with defiance
C. with denial
D. with determination
PART II
Directions: Read the following quotes from “Just One of Those Days.” Note the word that is underlined and written in boldface. Carefully read the words given as possible synonyms (words with the same meaning). Using context clues, fill in the circle of the letter of the word that has the CLOSEST meaning to the underlined word. You may look back at the story to help you further identify the context in which the word was used.
21. “He flipped his automatic out of his shoulder holster and tossed it on the bed.”
A. license B. immediate
C. handgun D. palm pilot
22. “I hated it when a plan went wrong or had to be changed around, no matter how minor the change. Like planning a caper on Tuesday and having to do it on Wednesday instead.”
A. custom B. party
C. vacation D. daring act
23. “A small alteration, and unimportant shift, but we’d have to stay in this town one day longer than expected, which increased the chances of identification at some later date.”
A. success B. accident
C. change D. fight
24. “Nothing vital, sure, nothing desperate, but it only takes a tiny leak to sink a mighty battleship.”
A. very important B. unimportant
C. innocent D. minor
25. “Almost every city has one of these by-pass highways, a belt that makes a complete circuit of the city.”
A. strap B. main road
C. dirt road D. security device