Comprehension Skills: Making and Confirming Predictions (TEKS.ELA.7.5.C)
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Texas 7th Grade ELA › Comprehension Skills: Making and Confirming Predictions (TEKS.ELA.7.5.C)
On the quiet stretch of the River Walk, Marisol paused beneath the cracked tile sign of the old café. The neon fish flickered—off, on, off—like a heartbeat skipping. She checked the folded note tucked under the planter: Meet where the water remembers. Last week, every clue had pointed here at midnight, but tonight the clock in the church tower chimed eleven and a breeze carried the smell of wet limestone. A duck startled, and a silver charm clinked against the railing, tied with blue thread—the same thread from the missing bracelets. Footprints, small and fresh, led toward the stone steps descending to the tour boats. Marisol hesitated, then noticed the tour schedule board had been flipped backward, hiding its face. Someone was here, watching. still.
Based on the mystery genre and the clues in the excerpt, what is most likely to happen next?
Marisol goes home and forgets the note entirely.
Police immediately arrive and close the River Walk.
Marisol discovers a hidden meeting spot behind the flipped schedule board near the tour steps.
The ducks steal the charm and swim away.
Explanation
Mysteries use clues and foreshadowing. The note ("where the water remembers"), the flipped board hiding its face, the tour steps, and the matching blue thread point to a concealed meeting place by the boats. That prediction fits genre cues and text evidence.
The river ran glassy between canyon walls, but Mateo's paddle dipped into a current that felt faster than it looked. Dark clouds stacked behind the mesa like folded blankets, and a low grumble rolled downstream. Their guide tapped the bow with his paddle twice—the signal Mateo had learned meant pull out soon. Up ahead, the canyon narrowed to a slot where boulders funneled water into slick tongues. On the bank, a line of twigs caught high in a bush showed a muddy ring two feet above Mateo's head. "Flash floods don't ask," the guide had said that morning. A chill wind blew upriver, carrying the scent of dust and wet mesquite. Somewhere, a single raindrop pocked the smooth water, then another. Guide lifted his paddle.
Based on the adventure genre and the foreshadowing, what is the most likely next step for the group in Big Bend?
They decide to nap on the water and ignore the weather.
They pull out at the nearest landing and move to higher ground before a flood surge.
The canyon suddenly widens into a calm lake with sunshine.
Mateo dives to search for twigs underwater.
Explanation
Signals of danger—dark clouds, narrowing canyon, high debris line, the guide's pull-out signal—foreshadow a flash flood. In adventure narratives, characters take preventative action, so moving to higher ground is the supported prediction.