Kyle finally went down to the basement. He’d been avoiding this chore for weeks, partly because he didn’t want to think about moving away. And partly because—
“Hey,” said a voice behind him.
Case in point. The other reason he’d been avoiding the basement was that he knew Cornelia would follow him down. And here she was.
She’d been following Kyle everywhere lately, wanting to talk about the move. To process.
Now she plopped down on the floor and opened a random box. “Wow!” She pulled out a winter glove. “From that one and only time it snowed. What was it, like five years ago? Fourth grade?”
Kyle shrugged.
“It’s gonna be freezing there,” Cornelia said, trying to shove her hand into the glove. “Do they even have soccer? Like, if it’s always snowing, how—”
Kyle kicked a box, hard. It toppled over, spilling board games.
Cornelia blinked. “Sorry, Kyle, I didn’t mean….Of course they have soccer—”.
“Stop yammering about the move!” Kyle snapped. “It’s all you ever do. I’m sick of it.”
Cornelia stared at him, then stood. “You could have told me earlier.”
She closed the basement door behind her. Kyle wished she’d slammed it. He wanted them to have one of their twin blowouts. He wanted them to both be wrong.
But he knew they weren’t both wrong, not this time. Because it was true; he could have just told her.
One of the games—Sorry!—lay scattered at his feet, He sighed and picked up a little green pawn. He and Cornelia used to fight over who got to be green. They were convinced that being green helped you win somehow. Kyle smiled a little, remembering that.
Then he headed upstairs. He’d leave it outside Cornelia’s room. She’d know what it meant.
Based on the text, what can we infer about the message that Kyle is trying to send by leaving the green pawn outside Cornelia’s room?
A
He is sorry for snapping at her.
B
He is feeling better about moving.
C
He wishes she would stop talking so much.
D
He wishes they were little again.
Back
1 answer
Based on the text, the best inference about the message that Kyle is trying to send by leaving the green pawn outside Cornelia’s room is:
A. He is sorry for snapping at her.
This is suggested by the fact that Kyle reflects on their childhood memories associated with the green pawn and feels a sense of nostalgia. Leaving it outside her room can be interpreted as a gesture of apology and reconciliation after their conflict.
