Reading Standards for Literature > Explaining Story Structure Through Chapters, Scenes, and Stanzas (CCSS.RL.5.5) Practice Test

We reached the lighthouse just as the foghorn groaned. All summer we'd been talking about helping Dad keep the light burning. But when he opened the iron door of the lamp room, cold air rushed out and the big lens sat dark. "Matches," he said. The wick caught and then sputtered out. He checked the fuel tank, frowned. "It's nearly empty," he murmured. I flipped through the keeper's log and found a note: Supply boat delayed by storms. Friday. It was only Tuesday. Outside, waves slapped the rocks, and somewhere a bell buoy clanged. "We can't leave ships without a signal," Mom said. Dad looked around the cramped room. "There's a box of old hand lanterns in the storage closet. We might string them along the gallery until help comes." We all glanced at each other, realizing our first night on the island wasn't going to be easy.

Scene 2: City Park, late afternoon. Maya kneels by a poster taped to a bench: LOST DOG: Pippin. Leo jogs up, a coil of string over his shoulder. LEO: Posters are up on Maple and Third. MAYA: Thanks. He hates loud noises; if he heard the buses— A bus roars past. Maya scans the sidewalk. Something red flutters on the fence near the bakery's alley. MAYA: Wait. Look! She frees a ribbon printed with tiny paw prints. LEO: Isn't that from Pippin's collar? MAYA: Grandma tied it on last week. It's his. She points to faint smudges leading toward the alley. LEO: Prints? MAYA: Maybe. Either way, it's a start. Let's follow, slow and quiet. They exchange a determined look and head toward the alley.