2025 Edition

Common Core PARCC

 
 

Kindergarten

1. Point to six flowers.
2. Point to eight bees.
3. Point to three ducks.
4. Point to the ones that match?
5. Which of these is giant?
We’re going to point to colors in the rainbow.  Can you…
6. ...point to red?
7. ...point to yellow?
8. ...point to purple?

1st Grade

9. Which of these are the closest?
10. Which of these is thick?
11. Point to six dogs.
12. Point to nine ice cream cones.
Look at all the shapes below.  Can you point to the…
13. ...cube?
14. ...pyramid?
15. ...plus sign?

2nd Grade

16. Which of these is long?
17. Which of these is tall?
18. Which of these is the tiniest?
19. Which of these is tall?
Look at all the objects below.  They resemble shapes you know.  Point to an object that resembles a…
20. ...cube?
21. ...pyramid?
22. ...square

3rd Grade

23. Michael has 5 dogs. Each dog has 4 legs. Which of the following represents the total number of legs?
24. Which of the following expressions represents the number of bottles in the picture below?
25. Each car in the picture below has an equal number of passengers. The total number of passengers is 30. Which of the following expressions represents the number of passengers in one car?
26. There are 4 bottles of coke in one carton. How many bottles of coke are there in 7 cartons?
27. What is the missing number in the expression ___6=42?
28. If 4x5=20, what is the value of 3x4x5?
29. Chloe is reading Harriet The Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh. She reads the same number of pages every day. In the last 7 days she read 63 pages. How many pages does she read per day?
30. Lily arranged 60 books in boxes. She put 12 books in each box. How many boxes are there?
The Story of Young Abraham Lincoln
by Wayne Whipple
(excerpt)
 
1          The boy or girl who reads today may know more about the real Lincoln than his own children knew. The greatest President's son, Robert Lincoln, discussing a certain incident in their life in the White House, remarked to the writer, with a smile full of meaning:
2          "I believe you know more about our family matters than I do!
3          This is because "all the world loves a lover"—and Abraham Lincoln loved everybody. With all his brain and brawn, his real greatness was in his heart. He has been called "the Great-Heart of the White House," and there is little doubt that more people have heard about him than there are who have read of the original "Great-Heart" in "The Pilgrim's Progress."
4          Nearly every year, especially since the Lincoln Centennial, 1909, something new has been added to the universal knowledge of one of the greatest, if not the greatest man who ever lived his life in the world. Not only those who "knew Lincoln," but many who only "saw him once" or shook hands with him, have been called upon to tell what they saw him do or heard him say. So hearty was his kindness toward everybody that the most casual remark of his seems to be charged with deep human affection—"the touch of Nature" which has made "the whole world kin" to him.
5          He knew just how to sympathize with everyone. The people felt this, without knowing why, and recognized it in every deed or word or touch, so that those who have once felt the grasp of his great warm hand seem to have been drawn into the strong circuit of "Lincoln fellowship," and were enabled, as if by "the laying on of hands," to speak of him ever after with a deep and tender feeling.
31. There is a mistake in the punctuation of the sentence from paragraph 2 of the text. Which of the following options is the correct way to punctuate the sentence?
32. Look at the following sentence from paragraph 1:
The greatest President's son, Robert Lincoln, discussing a certain incident in their life in the White House, remarked to the writer, with a smile full of meaning.
Here, the apostrophe and "s" of the word "President" show that:
33. Which detail best supports the story's main idea?
34. According to the text and the photo in the passage, what does the photo show about the text?
35. How does the illustration help the reader learn about Abraham Lincoln?
36. Which suffix should be added to the adjective "familiar" from paragraph 4 to form a noun?
The Interesting Life of squirrels

1          Squirrels are rodents that are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and have been introduced to Australia. There are 280 different species of squirrels among which ground squirrels, tree squirrels, chipmunks, flying squirrels, marmots and prairie dogs.
2          Squirrels are born blind and have perfect vision as adults. They can have two to eight babies (called kittens) at once. The kittens depend on their mother for food and drink for a couple of months before they become mature enough to find food for themselves. When squirrels decide to mate, they look for nests. Before that, they live in the holes of trunks or in the treetop.
3          Everyone knows that squirrels love nuts but the other things they like eating are roots, tree bark, small insects, leaves and acorns. Squirrels gather and save their food through the whole year but mostly in the autumn. This way they get ready for the winter. The squirrels bury their food, then hibernate in winter and when they wake up out of hibernation they go look for the food they buried.
4          Squirrels vary in size and color. The smallest representative of the family is the African pygmy squirrel which is about 10 centimeters long and the biggest one is the Alpine Marmot which could size up to 73 centimeters. Some of them have grey, brown or black fur and others have white stripes. But they all have big eyes, bushy tails, chunky front teeth and long nails and claws so that they can easily climb up trees.
5          Squirrels can jump up to 4 to 5 feet vertically, and they can leap 8 to 10 feet between objects. The flying squirrels can’t fly like birds but they can glide between trees for distances of up to 90 meters (295 ft.), which is amazing taking into consideration their size.
37. Which of the following verbs from the text is irregular?
38. What is the author's purpose for writing "The Interesting Life of Squirrels"?

4th Grade

39. If the multiplication expression 2x3 represents the picture below, what other multiplication expression represents the same picture?
40. How many strawberries are in the picture below?
41. Emily has 27 Barbie dolls. She put equal number of dolls in each of 5 boxes. How many dolls are left over?
42. Which of the following numbers is a multiple of 8?
43. Fill in the missing number in the table below.
44. How many tens are in 540?
45. Which of the following numbers is greater than 206,000?
Teddy Bear, by A.A. Milne
 
        
A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat,
Which is not to be wondered at;
He gets what exercise he can
By falling off the ottoman,
But generally seems to lack
The energy to clamber back.

Now tubbiness is just the thing
Which gets a fellow wondering;
And Teddy worried lots about
The fact that he was rather stout.
He thought: "If only I were thin!
But how does anyone begin?"
He thought: "It really isn't fair
To grudge me exercise and air."

For many weeks he pressed in vain
His nose against the window-pane,
And envied those who walked about
Reducing their unwanted stout.
None of the people he could see
"Is quite" (he said) "as fat as me!"
Then with a still more moving sigh,
"I mean" (he said) "as fat as I!"

Now Teddy, as was only right,
Slept in the ottoman at night,
And with him crowded in as well
More animals than I can tell;
Not only these, but books and things,
Such as a kind relation brings -
Old tales of "Once upon a time",
And history retold in rhyme.

One night it happened that he took 
A peep at an old picture-book,
Wherein he came across by chance
The picture of a King of France
(A stoutish man) and, down below,
These words: "King Louis So and So,
Nicknamed 'The Handsome!' " There he sat,
And (think of it) the man was fat!

Our bear rejoiced like anything
To read about this famous King,
Nicknamed the "Handsome." Not a doubt
The man was definitely stout.
Why then, a bear (for all his tub)
Might yet be named "The Handsome Cub!"

"Might yet be named." Or did he mean
That years ago he "might have been"?
For now he felt a slight misgiving:
"Is Louis So and So still living?
Fashions in beauty have a way
Of altering from day to day.
Is 'Handsome Louis' with us yet?
Unfortunately I forget."

Next morning (nose to window-pane)
The doubt occurred to him again.
One question hammered in his head:
"Is he alive or is he dead?"
Thus, nose to pane, he pondered; but
The lattice window, loosely shut,
Swung open. With one startled "Oh!"
Our Teddy disappeared below.

There happened to be passing by
A plump man with a twinkling eye,
Who, seeing Teddy in the street,
Raised him politely on his feet,
And murmured kindly in his ear
Soft words of comfort and of cheer:
"Well, well!" "Allow me!" "Not at all."
"Tut-tut!" A very nasty fall."

Our Teddy answered not a word;
It's doubtful if he even heard.
Our bear could only look and look:
The stout man in the picture-book!
That "handsome" King - could this be he,
This man of adiposity?
"Impossible," he thought. "But still,
No harm in asking. Yes, I will!"

"Are you," he said, "by any chance
His Majesty the King of France?"
The other answered, "I am that,"
Bowed stiffly, and removed his hat;
Then said, "Excuse me," with an air
"But is it Mr. Edward Bear?"
And Teddy, bending very low,
Replied politely, "Even so!"

They stood beneath the window there,
The King and Mr. Edward Bear,
And, handsome, if a trifle fat,
Talked carelessly of this and that ...
Then said His Majesty, "Well, well,
I must get on," and rang the bell.
"Your bear, I think," he smiled. "Good-day!"
And turned, and went upon his way.

A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat,
Which is not to be wondered at.
But do you think it worries him
To know that he is far from slim?
No, just the other way about -
He's proud of being short and stout.
46. What does the teddy bear worry most about?
47. Which of the following BEST sums up the poem's theme?
48. Which of the following lines from the poem BEST describes Teddy's feelings of himself?
49. What does the underlined word in the following line from the poem MOST LIKLELY mean?
The energy to clamber back...
50. Which of the following is NOT true about this poem's structure?
51. Which line from one of a. a. Milne's other poems is written in a different point of view from "Teddy Bear"?
Read “The Ant and the Grasshopper” and “The Bear and the Two Travelers” and answer the questions that follow.
       
 
The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content.  An Ant passed by,
bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
 
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"
 
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."
 
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." 
 
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. 
 
When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.  Then the Grasshopper knew:
 
It is best to prepare for the days of need.
 
The Bear and the Two Travelers

 TWO MEN were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met them on their path.  One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and concealed himself in the branches.  The other, seeing that he must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the Bear came up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held his breath, and feigned the appearance of death as much as he could. 
 
The Bear soon left him, for it is said he will not touch a dead body.  When he was quite gone, the other Traveler descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired of his friend what it was the Bear had whispered in his ear.  "He gave me this advice," his companion replied. 
 
"Never travel with a friend who
deserts you at the approach of danger." 
 
 
 







 
 
52. Read the following phrase. What does the underlined word from The Ant and the Grasshopper mean?
...bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
53. Which of the following BEST sums up what these two passages have in common?

5th Grade

54. Which rule generates the numerical pattern below?
3, 6, 9, 12, ...
55. What is the value of (16+8)-4+2?
56. There are 4 cars with 5 passengers in each car. After driving 30 miles, one person from each car left. After driving 10 more miles, 3 people left the first car. How many passengers are left in the 4 cars?
57. There are 5 bags with 6 marbles in each bag. If the number of marbles in each bag increases by 2, which expression shows the total number of marbles?
58. The price of a pack of chewing gum is $2.35 and the price of a bottle of water is $1.15. John bought 3 packs of chewing gum and 2 bottles of water. How much did he pay in total?
59. Which digit in the number 643,289 represents 1/10 of the value that it represents in the number 462,398?
60. How would you read the number 4.032?
61. Complete the sentence to make it true: 24.637 __ 24.367
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
 

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'
So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was labeled 'ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.
'Well!' thought Alice to herself, 'after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!' (Which was very likely true.)
Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end! 'I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. 'I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think--' (for, you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a VERY good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over) '--yes, that's about the right distance--but then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they were nice grand words to say.)
Presently she began again. 'I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I think--' (she was rather glad there WAS no one listening, this time, as it didn't sound at all the right word) '--but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and she tried to curtsey as she spoke--fancy curtseying as you're falling through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) 'And what an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking! No it'll never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.'
62. What was Alice's opinion of the book her sister was reading?
63. Choose the best answer that explains why Alice put the orange marmalade jar back in a cupboard.
64. Which answer best describes Alice and her sister?
65. Determine which sentence from the story uses correlative conjunctions.
66. What punctuation mark needs to be added in order to correct the below excerpt from the passage?
No it'll never do to ask...
67. Which answer turns the below sentence into the past perfect tense?
Alice started to her feet.
“Casey at the Bat”
written by Ernest Lawrence Thayer in 1888
 

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, "If only Casey could but get a whack at that--
We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat."

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despisèd, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped--
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one!" the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted some one on the stand;
And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two!"

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered "Fraud!"
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer has fled from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go.
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville--great Casey has struck out.
68. Identify two quotes that display Mudville's confidence in Casey.

6th Grade

69. Mr. Traver asked his students what they did when they got home from school. He noted the responses below.
4 students completed homework right away.
10 students went outside to play.
6 students had a snack.
3 students took a nap.
7 students completed chores.
Which statement below correctly compares the responses?
70. Marissa ran 8 miles in 42 minutes. Which other runner ran at about the same rate?
71. Using the table below, determine the cost of riding 6 rides at the carnival.
# of rides2569
Total cost$6$15?$27
72. A local middle school reports that for every 2 boys in the school there are 3 girls. If the classrooms have the same ratio as the entire school, which choice could represent the ratio of boys to girls in the classroom?
73. Which is the better deal?
74. Frank asked his class what they like to eat on pizza. 40% of the students said just cheese while 25% of the students replied that they also like pepperoni. Which is the ratio of students that prefer cheese to those that prefer pepperoni?
75. Jamal is creating a scale drawing of his home. The first floor has an area of 1200 square feet. He plans to scale down the lengths of the sides from 10 ft. to 1 in. What is the area of the scale drawing?
Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll

 
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
   Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
   And the mome raths outgrabe.
 
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son
   The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
   The frumious Bandersnatch!"
 
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
   Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
   And stood awhile in thought.
 
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
   The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
   And burbled as it came!
 
One, two! One, two! And through and through
   The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
   He went galumphing back.
 
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
   Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
   He chortled in his joy.
 
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
   Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
   And the mome raths outgrabe.
76. The father warns his son about the Jabberwock and which other creatures?
77. The nonsense words in the poem create what kind of tone?
78. What is the main function of the second stanza ("Beware the Jabberwock...")?
79. What kind of narrator does this narrative poem use? There may be more than one correct answer.

7th Grade

80. Peter sells 2/3 lb. of rice every 1/3 hour. How much rice does Peter sell in an hour?
81. Which line represents a proportional relationship between quantities in the graph below?
82. The table below shows directly proportional values. What is the constant of proportionality?
83. The graph below shows the number of cookies that Marry eats per minute. What does the first coordinate of point A show?
84. What number should be added to -2/3 to make 0?
85. Which point on the number line below represents P + 3?
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
1706-1790

by Charles Gibson
"HE SNATCHED THE LIGHTING FROM THE SKIES AND THE SCEPTRE FROM TYRANTS"

WE have first-hand information concerning the life of Benjamin Franklin, for although he did not publish an autobiography, he wrote down the story of his life in the form of a very long letter to his son.
While it is true that Franklin rose "from printer's boy to first Ambassador of the American Republic," I think that statement by itself is apt to give an impression of even a humbler origin than was the case.
Benjamin's father, who had been a wool-dyer in this country, emigrated, about the year 1682, to that part of America then known as New England, but Benjamin, who was the fifteenth in a family of seventeen, was not born till twenty-five years later. Although he was born in Boston in 1706, he was a British subject, the Americans being then but colonists of Great Britain. New England was still young, the father of Benjamin's mother having been one of the first settlers in that part.
Although Benjamin had only two years' schooling, which was between the age of eight and ten years, he must have received good tuition from his father, for he was able to read before he went to school. He tells us that his father always made it a point that the table-talk was of interest and instruction to the children. There was never any discussion of their food; that was strictly prohibited. Even if the food was not to their minds, or was extra pleasing, or was not well cooked, no remark whatever was to be made. Benjamin tells us that with this good training he found in later life that he was quite indifferent to what kind of food was set before him. He found this a great convenience in travelling; he did not envy those whose delicate tastes were often bringing them into conflict with the innkeepers. This avoidance of thinking about the food became such a habit with Franklin that he says, "Indeed, I am so unobservant of it, that to this day I can scarce tell a few hours after dinner of what dishes it consisted."
Another habit formed by Benjamin was to waste no time. No doubt he was taught this by his father, for he showed signs of this habit at a very early age, as we may gather from the following incident. When a child he felt that the very long graces which his father said before and after meals occupied a good deal of time. One day, while the little fellow was watching the winter's meat being salted and stored away in casks, he asked his father if it would not do to say grace over the whole lot once for all as it would save a lot of time.
86. What does the following quotation taken from the beginning of the passage MOST LIKELY refer to?
"HE SNATCHED THE LIGHTING FROM THE SKIES AND THE SCEPTRE FROM TYRANTS"
87. How many siblings did Franklin have?
88. Which of the following statements BEST illustrates how Franklin's father's career changed when he immigrated to America?
89. Why was Franklin not considered an American, even though he was born in New England?

8th Grade

90. Which of the following inequalities is true, if π=3.14159265...?
91. Calculate x³=27.
92. Calculate expression below:
93. Which of the lines in the graph below represents the equation y=2x?
Excerpt from Little Women

PART ONE: Chapter One - Playing Pilgrims
By:  Louisa Alcott

            Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents, grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
“It's so dreadful to be poor!” sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.
“I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.
“We've got Father and Mother, and each other,” said Beth contentedly from her corner.
The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, “We haven't got Father, and shall not have him for a long time.” She didn't say perhaps never, but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.
Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, “You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly.”
But I am afraid I don't and Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.
“But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped by our giving that. I agree not to expect anything from Mother or you, but I do want to buy Undine and Sintram for myself. I've wanted it so long,” said Jo, who was a bookworm.
“I planned to spend mine in new music,” said Beth, with a little sigh, which no one heard but the hearth brush and kettle holder.
“I shall get a nice box of Faber's drawing pencils. I really need them,” said Amy decidedly.
“Mother didn't say anything about our money, and she won't wish us to give up everything. Let's each buy what we want, and have a little fun. I'm sure we work hard enough to earn it,” cried Jo, examining the heels of her shoes in a gentlemanly manner.
“I know I do—teaching those tiresome children nearly all day, when I'm longing to enjoy myself at home,” began Meg, in the complaining tone again.
“You don't have half such a hard time as I do,” said Jo. “How would you like to be shut up for hours with a nervous, fussy old lady, who keeps you trotting, is never satisfied, and worries you till you you're ready to fly out the window or cry?”
“It's naughty to fret, but I do think washing dishes and keeping things tidy is the worst work in the world. It makes me cross, and my hands get so stiff, I can't practice well at all.” And Beth looked at her rough hands with a sigh that anyone could hear that time.
“I don't believe any of you suffer as I do,” cried Amy, “for you don't have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don't know your lessons, and laugh at your dresses, and label your father if he isn't rich, and insult you when your nose isn't nice.”
“If you mean libel, I'd say so, and not talk about labels, as if Papa was a pickle bottle,” advised Jo, laughing.
“I know what I mean, and you needn't be satirical about it. It's proper to use good words, and improve your vocabulary,” returned Amy, with dignity.
“Don't peck at one another, children. Don't you wish we had the money Papa lost when we were little, Jo? Dear me! How happy and good we'd be, if we had no worries!” said Meg, who could remember better times.
“You said the other day you thought we were a deal happier than the King children, for they were fighting and fretting all the time, in spite of their money.”
“So I did, Beth. Well, I think we are. For though we do have to work, we make fun of ourselves, and are a pretty jolly set, as Jo would say.”
94. Which of the girls is the least materialistic?
95. Jo says that each of the girls has one dollar. What does she want to spend her dollar on?
96. Which of the following lines from this excerpt from Little Women best hints at the book's theme?
97. What does the underlined word in the following line from the poem MOST LIKLELY mean?
....they were fighting and fretting all the time...