Reading Standards for Literature > Language, Sound, and Meaning (CCSS.RL.8.6) Practice Test

Backstage of the middle school auditorium, moments before the awards assembly. A wheeled table holds a towering fake cake with a removable side panel. Maya: Okay, stay together, please. No surprises. She checks the hallway, then kneels. She slides a polished trophy from her backpack into the hollow cake. She tapes a small note under the table: Cake is hollow. Maya, aside: Cass told everyone she would get the Founders' Trophy first. Not today. If I keep it in the prop cake, no one will think to look. Leo rushes in wearing a sash that reads Host. Leo: Maya! Principal Gomez wants a big moment. I thought I would slice the cake onstage to start the party. Imagine the cheering. Maya, startled: Slice? Um, it is a fragile piece. Maybe we should just wheel it. Leo, grinning: The center slice is always best. I will make it dramatic. Maya, aside: Dramatic is exactly what I do not need. From behind the curtain, the audience can see Cass crouched, peeking out. Maya and Leo do not see her. Cass, whispering from the shadows: Where did she stash it? Maya: Principal Gomez is coming. Leo, promise me you will not touch the cake. Leo: I promise to make it unforgettable. Same thing. Principal Gomez appears at the far door, flipping through index cards. Principal Gomez: Two minutes, team! Maya, aside, pressing her palm against the cake: I only hid the trophy so Rohan could fix its loose base before the reveal. If Leo slices, the trophy will tumble out and shatter. If Cass finds it, she will post a picture and ruin the ceremony. Leo, practicing to the empty seats: Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on this cake! He mimes cutting a large wedge. Maya steps between his invisible knife and the cake. Maya: Actually, we could do confetti instead. Or a drumroll. Or literally anything else. Leo: Relax. Everyone loves cake. He wheels the table toward the wing. Cass slips to the other side of the curtain, still unseen by the characters. The audience can see her hand brush the table leg, almost finding the taped note beneath. Maya, aside, breath quickening: If only Leo knew. If only I could say it without saying it. Principal Gomez, calling: One minute! Positions! Lights shift to a pre-show glow. Maya stares at the cake. Leo lifts a prop knife from a tray and winks at the empty house. Maya, whispering: Please do not cut the middle. Leo: Center slice. Got it. He strides toward the table as the curtain begins to rise.

A quiet corner of the school library. A security gate hums by the exit. Ms. Ortiz sorts returns at the desk. Priya sits at a table. Jonah enters with a backpack bulging at the zipper. A red slip labeled OVERDUE peeks from an outer pocket where the audience can see it. Jonah, aside to the audience: Observe a model citizen. I return everything on time. I am a legend of responsibility. He pushes the red slip deeper without noticing that the corner still sticks out. Jonah, to Ms. Ortiz: Good afternoon! I just wanted to say thank you for keeping track of our books. I returned all of mine last week. Ms. Ortiz, friendly: Glad to hear it. We appreciate your care. Priya, calling softly: Jonah, did you find the meteor book? Jonah, aside: The meteor book is definitely not in my bag. Definitely. He pats his backpack. The zipper groans.] Ms. Ortiz: If either of you need renewals, the system is simple. Jonah, nodding: No renewals needed. I am, as I said, a legend. He takes a step toward the exit gate, then glances back at the desk. Jonah, aside: If I walk out smoothly, no one will ever know that last week was a tornado of homework and I forgot one tiny thing. He shifts his backpack to the other shoulder. The audience can see the spine of a book labeled Meteors and You poking up under the zipper flap. Priya, noticing the bulge: Do you want help carrying that? Jonah, fast: Nope. Light as a feather. Ms. Ortiz: Have a great day, both of you. Jonah, aside, whispering: See? Flawless. I am an ocean of calm. The gate and I are friends. He inches toward the gate. Ms. Ortiz turns to shelve a stack, not watching. Priya watches Jonah with raised eyebrows. The audience can see the red slip slide back out and flutter against the backpack strap. Jonah: Just breezing out. He crosses the sensor. A faint warning chirp teases but stops. He freezes, then forces a smile. Jonah, aside, sweating: It is fine. It is fine. Any second now, I will be outside, and no one will ever know. He takes another step. The gate emits a sharp, escalating beep. Priya covers her mouth. Ms. Ortiz turns, puzzled. Ms. Ortiz: Jonah? Jonah, aside: Legend status pending.