Compare Texts in Different Genres Practice Test

Read the two texts, then answer the question.

Text 1: Story

"The High Dive"

On Friday afternoon, the pool smelled like chlorine and summer. Jordan stood at the edge of the high dive, toes curled over the rough board. The water below looked farther away than it ever had from the regular springboard.

"You don’t have to do it," his friend Lila called from the ladder. "But you’ve practiced all week. Just breathe."

Jordan’s stomach flipped. He remembered the first day of lessons, when he wouldn’t even put his face under water. Coach Ramirez had said, "Courage isn’t loud. It’s one small choice at a time."

Jordan bent his knees and bounced once. The board creaked. He pictured the steps: jump, tuck, straighten. He wasn’t sure he could do all of it, but he could do the first part.

He jumped.

For a second, the air held him like a hand. Then the water rose up, cool and bright. When he surfaced, Lila was clapping, and Coach Ramirez gave him a thumbs-up.

Jordan wiped water from his eyes. His heart was still racing, but now it felt like a drum for a parade.

Text 2: Poem

"Brave Is a Whisper"

Brave is not a superhero shout,

not thunder stomping down the street;

it is a whisper in your chest

that says, stand up—move your feet.

Fear is a hallway with the lights off,

where shadows stretch and grow;

brave is the hand that finds the switch,

and lets the steady brightness show.

Step by step, breath by breath,

you do one thing you couldn’t before;

and suddenly the scary place

becomes a doorway, not a door.

Question: How does the story and the poem differ in their approach to the theme of courage and facing fears?

Read the two texts, then answer the question.

Text 1: Story

"The Box in the Attic"

When Sienna’s family moved, the new house came with an attic that smelled like dry wood and old paper. On the first weekend, Sienna climbed the pull-down stairs and found a cardboard box labeled WINTER.

Inside were photos of strangers, a chipped snow globe, and a knitted hat with a pom-pom. Sienna carried the hat downstairs.

Her mom paused, holding a stack of plates. "That was mine," she said softly. "My dad made it when I was your age." She touched the pom-pom as if it might disappear.

Sienna remembered her grandpa’s laugh, how it used to fill the room before he passed away last year. She hadn’t talked about him much since.

"Do you miss him?" Sienna asked.

Her mom nodded. "Every day. But I also like remembering. It’s like keeping a light on in a new place."

That night, Sienna set the snow globe on her desk. She shook it once and watched the white flakes swirl and settle. The house was unfamiliar, but the memory inside the glass felt steady.

Text 2: Poem

"What We Carry"

We carry loss like a backpack

that rubs against the spine;

some days it feels too heavy,

some days it’s almost fine.

We carry stories, too—

stitched into hats and songs;

memory is a thread that says,

you still belong.

And when the world is moving,

when rooms are strange and new,

we set a small light on the shelf

and let it guide us through.

Question: Both texts are about loss and coping. How do they resolve the theme differently?