Multiple Genres: Analyzing How Setting Including Historical And Cultural Contexts Influences Character And Plot Development (TEKS.ELA.6.7.D) Practice Test

The sun never looked like the sun anymore; it was a pale coin behind curtains of dust. In the spring of 1936 on the Great Plains, Marisol kept a damp kerchief tied across her nose as she checked the chicken coop. The wind scoured the yard, lifting topsoil in brown waves that rattled against the windows. Inside, Mama soaked old quilts and pressed them into the cracks, while Marisol wrapped twine around the rattling cellar door. They had planned to take eggs to town, but a dark wall rose on the horizon, rolling toward the farm like a moving hill. Marisol hurried the hens inside and led the milk goat to the barn, squinting through grit. She dragged a bucket of water down the steps to the earthen cellar, where the air stayed cool and still. When the storm finally hit, they crouched underground, listening to the house hum and groan above them. Marisol kept one hand on the basket of seeds beside her, thinking about the rows they would plant if the soil stayed put.

Red lanterns swung above Harbor Street as the Lunar New Year parade set up. The sidewalk in front of Lin's family's bakery filled with neighbors carrying tangerines and paper flowers. Inside, the air steamed with the smell of ginger and sesame. Lin woke before dawn to help her grandmother fold dumplings, pinching each one tight so it wouldn't burst in the pot. Today, temple visitors would stop by after the lion dance to offer greetings, and elders expected sweet cakes for luck. Lin moved trays of pineapple buns to the front case and set out extra tea cups so people could warm their hands after the chilly march. She taped crimson paper to the window frame and cleared the corner table to make space for a small plate where customers could place gifts of oranges. When the drumbeats started to echo down the block, she stepped outside, bowed to the costumed lion, and hurried back in to serve the crowd that immediately followed. Between orders, Lin saved two boxes for Mrs. Chen, who always arrived late after guiding the kids in the parade.