Question

Rescue at the Pool

It was 8 o'clock in the morning, and the scent of coffee and toast hung in the kitchen air. Erica, a fifteen-year-old girl, stood in the middle of the room while her mother rinsed dishes at the sink. "Take her with you, Erica," Mrs. Johnson said to her daughter. "I've got to work, and your aunt had something come up."
Erica let out an audible sigh. "All right." She wanted to try to bargain for something in return, but she knew better.
"Thanks. You're the very, very best," Mrs. Johnson said.
On her way to her room, Erica stopped in the door of Audrey's room. "You're going to the pool with me."
Audrey, who was nine and had been up since the crack of dawn, asked, "Really?"
"Really. Don't make me late."
"I'm not the slowpoke around here," came the retort.
Erica went to her room and gathered her things into her tote bag. Placing her sunglasses on the top of her head, she went to the linen closet for a towel.
"Do you have everything you need?" Erica heard her mother asking Audrey.
"May I have a dollar for a drink?"
"No. You can take a bottle of water with you. Save your money."
"You mean save your money, Mom," Erica said from down the hall.
"That too. Take care of each other. I'm off."
In a few minutes, Erica and Audrey were on the way to the pool, where Erica was scheduled to help teach swimming lessons to little kids.
The girls had just claimed some deck chairs when Audrey heard Erica say, "OW!"
"What happened?"
"Something bit my neck. What a way to start the day," she said, with her hand on the back of her neck. "Will you watch my stuff for me, or do you want me to put it in a locker? We can swim when I'm done."
"I'll watch it," Audrey said. She watched her sister walk to the area where the mothers and their four-year-olds were gathering.
For several moments, Audrey scanned the length of the pool to see if anyone she knew had arrived yet. Her eyes were resting on the gate when she heard a commotion at the shallow end. She saw Erica sitting on the ground, with four adults hovering around her. Like a bolt, Audrey hurried over to her sister.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Mrs. McKenna, one of the mothers, said, "She felt dizzy and said she couldn't breathe." By this time, two lifeguards were there, and Audrey heard one of them tell the other to call 911 for help.
"Something bit her!" Audrey exclaimed. "She needs her pen!" Audrey ran back to the chairs, grabbed Erica's bag, dumped it out, found the pen, and ran back to her sister.
When her sister's medication took effect, the adults who watched Erica with concern praised Audrey for her quick thinking. She sat by Erica, who was reclining on a deck chair.
Erica never imagined she would think this, but she was glad about her mother's insistence that morning. She took Audrey's hand and said, "You rescued me."
Audrey beamed at being heralded by her older sister. "Well, Mom told us to take care of each other."
10
Which event is an example of the story's falling action?
A.
Erica takes Audrey to the pool with her
B.
Erica has an allergic reaction to a bug bite
C.
Erica is saved by Audrey's clever thinking
D.
Erica has difficulty breathing and feels dizzy

Answer 1

C. Erica is saved by Audrey's clever thinking

Explanation: The falling action occurs after the story's crisis (Erica's allergic reaction). The tension eases when Audrey finds Erica's pen, the medication works, and Erica recovers — the moment she is saved marks the falling action leading to the resolution.