Response Skills: Discussing Explicit and Implicit Meanings of Text (TEKS.ELA.8.6.G) Practice Test

When the storm rolled over our street and the lights flickered out, I found Grandma in the pantry, lining up jars by color as if the order could steady the house. She pointed to the label-less tin we always called Surprise Soup and told me to fetch the opener. While rain drummed the roof, she recited the grocery list she kept in her head—flour, salt, peaches if they were on sale—each item a bead on a string. The candle threw a small circle of gold around her hands. We ate quietly at the kitchen table, listening for the hum of the refrigerator that never came. Between spoonfuls, she said, 'You never notice what does its job until it quits.' I nodded, watching shadows move over the cracked linoleum she never replaced. When the wind eased, she sent me home with a loaf of bread she had frozen months ago, 'for next time.' The porch smelled like wet cedar. The streetlamps stayed dark, but I could still see her in the doorway, a silhouette among shelves that always seemed fuller than they were.

Last August, our track team spent more minutes hiding under the bleachers than running laps. No one argues that heat is part of life here, but we can choose how we prepare for it. Planting shade trees along the south side of the track would lower ground temperatures, reduce glare, and give every student a place to cool down during practice and PE. The science is simple: trees throw shade, and shade means safer workouts. Some say the cost is too high, yet the band just raised funds for new uniforms by partnering with local businesses—why not ask the same partners to sponsor saplings and be recognized at community events? In a few years, those trees will be taller than any of us, outlasting hydration trends and cooling towels. Meanwhile, the track will be used by grandparents walking in the mornings and parents pushing strollers at dusk. We talk about school as the heart of our town; hearts deserve care. Let's plant something that will keep beating after the season ends.