Question

Elena had always avoided the sagging greenhouse behind the old library. Its glass panes were clouded, some cracked, their jagged edges framing patches of sky. Weeds had claimed the front steps, wrapping themselves like stubborn guardians around the iron railings, blocking the door no one seemed eager to open.

It wasn’t that Elena was afraid of the place—more that it seemed to belong to another time. Rumor in the town said it had once been the pride of Mrs. Calloway, the elderly horticulturist who ran the library’s small garden club. She’d filled it with rare orchids, miniature lemon trees, and vines that climbed higher than a child could reach. But Mrs. Calloway had died nearly eight years ago, and no one had cared for the plants since.

On a particularly windy October afternoon, Elena stared at the greenhouse as she left the library with a borrowed science book. Her sneakers crunched the dry maple leaves scattered across the walkway. Three older boys leaned against the library fence, arguing about whose idea it had been to tell the mayor the greenhouse should be torn down. “It’s nothing but broken glass and dead plants,” one of them declared.

Something about their voices made Elena slow her steps. She imagined the mayor approving the demolition—imagined faceless workers in orange vests hauling away shards of glass, ripping up rusted piping, dumping what once might have been living beauty.

That night, over dinner, she mentioned the greenhouse to her grandmother. Instead of the brisk dismissal Elena half-expected, her grandmother’s eyes softened. “It was beautiful,” she said quietly. “Mrs. Calloway used to let the children taste lemon slices straight from the tree. Even in winter, it smelled like summer inside.”

Elena stared at her plate. “But if it’s falling apart now… isn’t it dangerous?”

“Dangerous, maybe. But worth saving—if someone cares enough.” Her grandmother’s smile held the kind of challenge Elena recognized from years of being nudged toward responsibility.

On Saturday, Elena borrowed her neighbor’s long-handled broom and carefully pushed past the weeds to the greenhouse door. The hinges protested as she opened it a few inches, the scent of dust and faint sweetness curling around her like a faded memory. Inside, rows of pots sat in disciplined lines. Leaves lay scattered across the dirt floor, brittle from years of neglect. And yet—here and there—green existed. A stubborn vine clung to the far wall, its small leaves defiantly fresh.

She spent the morning sweeping, clearing broken glass, propping open the door so sunlight could reach deeper into the space. The wind’s howl outside seemed far away within the protective shell of the greenhouse.

When she left, her hands were scratched, her knees aching, but she felt a strange satisfaction. She didn’t know how—yet—but perhaps she could stop the demolition.

Over the next week, Elena returned again, armed with borrowed gardening gloves and a notebook. In the evenings, she researched how to revive struggling plants. Some whispered she was wasting her time; others simply watched.

At the library’s next board meeting, Elena stood nervously before the group. She described the surviving plants, shared her plan to repair the broken panes with donated materials, and promised to organize student volunteers. Silence followed, heavy enough to make her heart race—until the mayor cleared his throat.

“Old places can be trouble,” he said. “But they can also remind us who we are. If you can prove it’s safe, I’ll support keeping the greenhouse.”

It wasn’t a promise of success, but as Elena left the meeting, she realized something: the greenhouse wasn’t just worth saving—it was hers to protect. And perhaps, with care, it could smell like summer again.

Question
What evidence from the passage best supports the idea that Elena’s feelings toward the greenhouse change over time?
Responses
She imagines workers tearing it down on the mayor’s orders.
She imagines workers tearing it down on the mayor’s orders.
She remembers hearing rumors about Mrs. Calloway’s plants.
She remembers hearing rumors about Mrs. Calloway’s plants.
She sweeps and clears broken glass from the greenhouse.
She sweeps and clears broken glass from the greenhouse.
She borrows gardening gloves from a neighbor.
She borrows gardening gloves from a neighbor.
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Answer 1

She sweeps and clears broken glass from the greenhouse.

This shows the change from avoiding the greenhouse to taking action to care for and protect it.