It is really strange that Casper isn’t playing his usual tricks, Eli thought as she suspiciously eyed Casper, who sat quietly in a corner. Usually, when Casper realized that Eli and Mom were going to the supermarket, he would start barking till they gave him a treat. Today, surprisingly, Casper only gave them a mischievous look. As Eli and Mom began getting ready to leave the house, Mom asked Eli if she had seen her red shoes, and when Eli said no, the two began looking around the house for the shoes. Soon, Eli spotted Casper with with one red shoe in his mouth as he darted out into the backyard. Mom and Eli laughed as they realized Casper’s new trick to prevent them from going out.
Which is the best summary of the passage?
A. Eli finds Casper’s quiet behavior very unusual. Later, when Eli’s mom loses her red shoes, Eli notices Casper’s mischievous look and realizes that Casper must have hidden the shoe somewhere so that she and her mother cannot go out to the supermarket.
B. Eli and her mother begin to look for a missing red shoe but are unable to find it anywhere. After a while, Eli spots her dog Casper playing with the red shoe outside, and realizes that Casper has found a new game with which to trouble them.
C. Eli wonders why Casper is quiet, as she helps her mother find a red shoe to go to the supermarket. Later, Eli sees Casper with the one red shoe as he darts outside and understands that this is Casper’s new way of stopping them from leaving.
D. Eli and her mother are about to head out to the supermarket when their dog Casper begins barking. Eli gives him a treat and promises that they will be back soon and begins looking for red shoes.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The best summary of the passage is C: “Eli wonders why Casper is quiet, as she helps her mother find a red shoe to go to the supermarket. Later, Eli sees Casper with the one red shoe as he darts outside and understands that this is Casper’s new way of stopping them from leaving.”
Explanation:
The passage describes a situation where Eli notices her dog Casper’s unusual behavior. Normally, Casper would try to prevent Eli and her mother from leaving by barking until they gave him a treat. However, today, he is quiet, which catches Eli’s attention. When Eli and her mother start looking for a missing red shoe, Eli soon realizes that Casper is involved when she spots him with one of the shoes in his mouth, running outside. The moment of realization comes when Eli understands that Casper’s new way of preventing them from going to the supermarket is by taking one of the shoes and hiding it.
Now let’s break down why C is the best summary:
- Option A mentions Eli finding Casper’s quiet behavior unusual, but it overcomplicates the reasoning by saying Eli “realizes” that Casper must have hidden the shoe. The passage suggests that Eli immediately notices Casper with the shoe outside, so this is an inaccurate interpretation of the sequence of events.
- Option B focuses on the search for the missing shoe but misses the important moment when Eli specifically sees Casper with the shoe and realizes his trick. It doesn’t capture the connection between the quiet behavior and the shoe trick as clearly as Option C does.
- Option D incorrectly suggests that Eli gives Casper a treat and promises to be back soon. The passage does not mention giving Casper a treat at this point; instead, it focuses on the fact that Casper is quiet and not his usual barky self. This misrepresents the events.
Thus, C provides the most accurate and concise summary, capturing both Eli’s initial confusion over Casper’s quiet behavior and her eventual realization that Casper is using the shoe to stop them from leaving.