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Section 2: "Sawyer's New Co-Worker"

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.

Emma wrote this story about a girl and her new coworker.
Read Emma’s story and look for revisions she needs to make. Then answer the questions that follow.

Sawyer’s New Coworker

Sawyer smiled as she surveyed her surroundings. She loved her new job and thought it was fun. Wheeling a flat cart of canned goods through Aisle 6, she was enjoying the quiet environment and the complete solitude.
She was poised to place a can of tomato sauce on its designated shelf when a raucous voice from behind startled her. This caused her to shriek and toss the can over her shoulder. The can dented as it hit the floor, a tiny stream of tomato juice escaping from its side.

The echo from an annoyingly loud laugh ricocheted through the aisle, and Sawyer quickly spun around, immediately recognizing a classmate of her older brother’s. “Hey, sorry if I scared you,” he said with a grin.
“My name is Carlos, and my uncle’s the manager of the store. He figured I could use a job.” Leaning in toward Sawyer, he then whispered that he’d applied for the lifeguard position at the community pool but hadn’t gotten it.

Sawyer’s eyes narrowed. She knew enough about Carlos from observing his antics at school to know that she was unlikely to have any further moments of solitude or tranquility. Carlos was the energetic, outgoing life of the party, while she, on the other hand, liked nothing better than retreating to quiet spaces to rest and recharge. She sighed, reluctantly extending a hand and saying, “I’m Sawyer. Nice to meet you.”

“Well,” Carlos laughed, shaking her hand, “that’s a bit of an underwhelming greeting, but I’ll take it. I guess I’d better get started shelving all those green beans!” He grimaced, motioning dramatically to a pallet of canned vegetables, and Sawyer slowly retreated to her shelf and rolled her eyes.
It was going to be a long shift.

After an exasperating hour of listening to Carlos animatedly talk, sing, and hum to himself, Sawyer was in need of a respite. She retreated to the break room, reclining comfortably in a chair to check her text messages. Her phone had a crack in the screen, but she could still use it. Within minutes she was crying with laughter. Her best friend, Tamika, had sent her a series of messages describing an awkward encounter she had had at a bookstore.
By the time Sawyer read the final text, she was laughing so hard that she could scarcely breathe. Her break time over, she wiped the tears from her eyes and returned to the aisle to put the finishing touches on the paper towel display.

Another hour passed, and Sawyer noticed something peculiar: complete silence. Had Carlos left early? She strode toward Aisle 7, where she had last spied her extroverted coworker. There he was, quietly focused on his task, efficiently arranging the cans in their proper places. Sensing Sawyer’s presence, Carlos looked up from his work and inquired, “May I help you?”

Sawyer, slightly embarrassed when she realized that she had been staring, responded by reminding Carlos that he was usually known for making a lot of noise.

Carlos grinned mischievously and replied, “Like all that noise I heard coming from the break room a while ago?”

“I’m not always quiet, you know,” Sawyer said defensively.

“And I’m not always loud!” Carlos replied indignantly.

After an awkward moment of quiet silence, the two coworkers both began to laugh, and Sawyer realized she might have misjudged Carlos.

Unsure how to respond at this point, she simply said, “Well, my shift is over, so I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you then!” Carlos said.


He paused and then added, “And, Sawyer, please try to be a little quieter tomorrow.”

Sawyer smiled with the sudden realization that what she just might be making was a new friend as she left the store.

Question 9 (1 point)
Which sentence can replace sentence 2 to help develop the introduction to this story?

Question 9 options:

She had landed the perfect job, stocking shelves at a local grocery store.

She was glad she had found a job that allowed her to make it to swim team in the evenings.

She was a little chilly, so she was quite thankful that she had worn a jacket.

She looked carefully around the room, interested by everything that she saw in front of her.

Question 10 (1 point)
What is the MOST effective way to combine the sentences in paragraph 1?

Question 10 options:

She was poised to place a can of tomato sauce on its designated shelf, which caused her to shriek and toss the can over her shoulder when a raucous voice from behind startled her

She was poised to place a can of tomato sauce on its designated shelf, and she was startled by a raucous voice from behind that shrieked and tossed the can over her shoulder.

She was poised to place a can of tomato sauce on its designated shelf when a raucous voice from behind is what startled her and tossing the can over her shoulder, it caused her to shriek.

She was poised to place a can of tomato sauce on its designated shelf when a raucous voice from behind startled her, causing her to shriek and toss the can over her shoulder.

Question 11 (1 point)
What is the BEST transition to add to the beginning of paragraph 2?

Question 11 options:

Obviously

Likewise

Suddenly

However

Question 12 (1 point)
Emma has included a sentence that does not belong in the fifth paragraph (sentences 21–27). Which sentence should she remove?

Question 12 options:

Sentence 22

Sentence 23

Sentence 24

Sentence 25

Question 13 (1 point)
What revision, if any, should be made in the final sentence?

Question 13 options:

Sawyer smiled as she left the store and the sudden realization that she just might be making a new friend.

With the sudden realization that she just might be as she left the store making anew friend, Sawyer smiled

Sawyer smiled as she left the store with the sudden realization that she just might be making a new friend

No change is needed.

1 answer

Sure! Here are the best answers for each question based on Emma's story "Sawyer's New Coworker":

Question 9: Which sentence can replace sentence 2 to help develop the introduction to this story?

Answer:
She had landed the perfect job, stocking shelves at a local grocery store.

Question 10: What is the MOST effective way to combine the sentences in paragraph 1?

Answer:
She was poised to place a can of tomato sauce on its designated shelf when a raucous voice from behind startled her, causing her to shriek and toss the can over her shoulder.

Question 11: What is the BEST transition to add to the beginning of paragraph 2?

Answer:
Suddenly

Question 12: Emma has included a sentence that does not belong in the fifth paragraph (sentences 21–27). Which sentence should she remove?

Answer:
Sentence 25 (This sentence is not necessary to understand the progression of the story and doesn't add value to the paragraph.)

Question 13: What revision, if any, should be made in the final sentence?

Answer:
Sawyer smiled as she left the store with the sudden realization that she just might be making a new friend.

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!