Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

Question

Lena and her little brother, Max, ran across the warm sand, their bare feet sinking slightly with each step. The sun shone brightly, and the waves crashed against the shore. "Let's build the biggest sandcastle ever!" Max shouted. They dug and shaped the wet sand, making tall towers and deep moats. But just as they were putting the final shell on top, a huge wave rolled in, washing everything away. Max's face fell. "All our work is gone!" he said, his voice trembling.

Lena put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Max. The ocean just wanted to play too," she said with a smile. She thought for a moment, then grabbed their plastic bucket. "Let’s build it even farther from the water this time." Max wiped his eyes and nodded. Together, they started again, working even harder to make the new sandcastle stronger and bigger. This time, they built a wall around it to protect it from the waves.

As they finished, their parents called them for lunch. Max grinned at their sandcastle, proud that it had stayed up. "I guess the ocean doesn’t win this time!" he said. Lena laughed. "The ocean isn’t our enemy, Max. We just have to learn how to work with it." As they walked back to their beach blanket, Max turned around and waved at the sea. "Okay, ocean, you win some, and we win some!"

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I read it
1. Why did Max feel sad when the wave washed away their sandcastle?
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a) He didn’t like playing at the beach.
b) He wanted to go home.
c) He was proud of their hard work, and it got ruined.
d) He was afraid of the ocean.
2. What were Lena and Max doing at the beach?
a) Swimming in the ocean
b) Building a sandcastle
c) Looking for seashells
d) Eating lunch
3. What did Lena mean when she said, "The ocean just wanted to play too"?
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a) She thought the ocean was alive and playing with them.
b) She was trying to make Max feel better by thinking of the wave in a fun way.
c) She was mad at the ocean for ruining their sandcastle.
d) She wanted to go swimming instead.
4. How did building the second sandcastle farther from the water help solve their problem?
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a) It kept the castle safe from the waves
b) It made the castle bigger.
c) It made it easier to dig in the sand.
d) It helped them find more shells.
5. Imagine you are spending a day at the beach, just like Lena and Max. You decide to build a sandcastle, but something unexpected happens that causes a problem. Describe what happens and how you solve the problem. Be sure to include:

The problem that happens (like a wave washing it away or something else surprising)

How you feel when the problem happens

A creative solution to fix or improve your sandcastle

A lesson you learn from the experience

Use details and dialogue to make your story interesting!

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Answer 1

1. Why did Max feel sad when the wave washed away their sandcastle?
   c) He was proud of their hard work, and it got ruined.

2. What were Lena and Max doing at the beach?
   b) Building a sandcastle

3. What did Lena mean when she said, "The ocean just wanted to play too"?
   b) She was trying to make Max feel better by thinking of the wave in a fun way.

4. How did building the second sandcastle farther from the water help solve their problem?
   a) It kept the castle safe from the waves

5. Imagine you are spending a day at the beach, just like Lena and Max. You decide to build a sandcastle, but something unexpected happens that causes a problem.

As I sat on the warm sand, the bright sun above me, I was ready to build the ultimate sandcastle. With my bucket and shovel in hand, I started sculpting towers and digging deep moats like a master architect. Just as I placed the final seashell on the tallest tower, a sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere. It knocked over my bucket, and a huge pile of sand cascaded down, collapsing my masterpiece like a house of cards.

I felt my heart sink as my beautiful castle crumbled into a heap of sand. “No! Not like this!” I exclaimed, feeling a wave of disappointment wash over me. My friends, who were also building sandcastles, gathered around, looking concerned.

“Don’t worry!” one of them said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We can make it even better together!”

I wiped my tears and nodded, feeling a spark of inspiration. “You’re right! Let’s combine our castles! We can make a giant castle with multiple towers!”

We quickly got to work, joining our forces—adding more sand and using our buckets to build walls that were even taller than before. We decorated it with even more shells and beach treasures we found along the shore. The wind may have knocked down my first effort, but together we created a beach fortress that made us all proud.

As we stood back and admired our teamwork, I realized something important: sometimes things don’t go as planned, but working with friends to solve problems can lead to even better outcomes. With a big smile, I declared, “Next time the wind comes, we’ll just build it together again!”