BOOK CLUB - Reading Comprehension - for the 6th grade (Charlotte's Web)

(Source: upload.wikimedia.org)

"When Mr. Arable returned to the house half an hour later, he carried a carton under his arm. Fern was upstairs changing her sneakers. The kitchen table was set for breakfast, and the room smelled of coffee, bacon, damp plaster, and wood smoke from the stove.

"Put it on her chair!" said Mrs. Arable. Mr. Arable set the carton down at Fern's place. Then he walked to the sink and washed his hands and dried them on the roller towel.

Fern came slowly down the stairs. Her eyes were red from crying. As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise. Fern looked at her father. Then she lifted the lid of the carton. There, inside, looking up at her, was the newborn pig. It was a white one. The morning light shone through its ears, turning them pink.

"He's yours,' said Mr. Arable. "Saved from an untimely death. And may the good Lord forgive me for

this foolishness."

Fern couldn't take her eyes off the tiny pig. "Oh," she whispered. "Oh, look at him! He's absolutely perfect." She closed the carton carefully. First she kissed herfather, then she kissed her mother. Then she opened the lid again, lifted the pig out, and held it against her cheek. At this moment her brother Avery came into the room. Avery was ten. He was heavily armed —an air rifle in one hand, a wooden dagger in the other.

"What's that?" he demanded. "What's Fern got?"

"She's got a guest for breakfast," said Mrs. Arable.

"Wash your hands and face, Avery!"

"Let's see it!" said Avery, setting his gun down. "You call that miserable thing a pig? That's a fine specimen of a pig—it's no bigger than a white rat."

"Wash up and eat your breakfast, Avery! " said his mother. "The school bus will be along in half an hour."

"Can I have a pig, too, Pop?" asked Avery.

"No, I only distribute pigs to early risers," said Mr. Arable. "Fern was up at daylight, trying to rid the

world of injustice. As a result, she now has a pig. A small one, to be sure, but nevertheless a pig. It just shows what can happen if a person gets out of bed promptly. Let's eat!" "

                                                                                                            (E.B. White, Charlotte's Web)

I. Pick the right answer:

1) What did Fern get? a) a brother; b) an empty box; c) a little pig.

2) What was Fern's mother cooking? a) sausages; b) bacon; c) steak.

3) When does the action take place? a) in the morning; b) in the afternoon; c) in the evening.

4) What was Fern's brother called? a) Aron; b) Ratty; c) Avery.

II. Correct the following sentences according to the text:

a) Fern's brother was twelve.

b) Avery thinks the pig is no bigger than a white bug.

c) Mr. Arable carried the pig in a sack.

d) Fern was downstairs, changing her sneakers, when her father came back.