Question

The Inventor’s Fair
This selection is from a play about middle schoolers preparing for an inventor’s fair.
Characters
EMMA
LIAM
PETER
MS. ESTY
SCENE 1
1 [A spotlight reveals MS. ESTY, alone at the edge of the stage. She addresses the audience directly.]
2 MS. ESTY. [enthusiastically] Ah, spring is in the air, and once again, it is time for the Inventor’s Fair! Everywhere, students huddle together in small groups, bubbling with excitement as they search for the perfect idea! In just two weeks, they will show their inventions to three judges. Only one group can take first prize, so the pressure is on! But let me let you in on a secret. [She lays her finger on her lips, leans further towards the audience, and lowers her voice.] Sometimes, the real winners don’t get a prize. There are those who win when their imagination takes flight. Those who win when they solve a problem. And perhaps most importantly, those who win by learning how to work together to get it done. Watch! [The spotlight fades, and the stage goes dark.]
SCENE 2
3 A science classroom after the school day has ended. EMMA, LIAM, and PETER sit at a table at the back of the classroom. MS. ESTY is busy grading assignments at her desk. The three students are discussing ideas for the upcoming inventor’s fair.
4 EMMA. [contemplating, tapping her pencil on her notepad] Out of all our ideas, the one that stands out is the bike charger. It’s original, not derivative, it’s creative, and it’s even practical, which I think will really catch the judges’ eyes.
5 LIAM. [nodding in agreement] You’re totally right. I can just envision people riding their bikes down the road and charging their phones as they go—just by pedaling! It’s superefficient, not to mention helpful to the planet!
6 PETER. [enthusiastically, speaking quickly] For our demonstration, we’ll need a stationary bike since, obviously, we can’t have people riding a bike around the gym to show how the device works. We’ll also need a small DC motor, which will act as a generator, a pulley system, a rectifier circuit, a voltage regulator . . .
7 EMMA. [laughing] Hold on there, cowboy. You’re going too fast; I can’t write down the supplies fast enough.
8 PETER. [smiling] No worries, Em. I’ve got them all right here. [hands her a crumpled piece of paper that he’s smoothed out] Sorry, it’s kind of a mess. I had it jammed down in my backpack.
9 [LIAM scowls. EMMA laughs and shakes her head. In their minds, PETER is always a little bit of a mess.]
10 LIAM. [annoyed] Dude, we’ve only got two weeks till the fair. Is there any chance that, just once, you can get it together?
11 EMMA. [pretending to slowly understand] Oh, OK, OK, I get it—so the best way to achieve our goals is to start arguing and being mean to each other, right?
12 LIAM. [looking a little embarrassed] Well, no. I just want to win, is all.
13 EMMA. So let’s do that. But let’s start by listening to what one of our smartest teammates has to say.
14 LIAM. [still a little embarrassed] OK. Sorry, Peter. I know you have your own way of doing things—that’s cool.
15 PETER. That’s OK, thanks—my list is all straightened out now!
16 MS. ESTY. [approaches the table] Making any progress?
17 LIAM. [positively] We sure are, Ms. E. We’ve decided on our bike charger idea.
18 EMMA. [shows her notebook] Here’s a diagram we sketched out for it. Peter has the list of supplies all figured out, too.
19 MS. ESTY. [looking over the notebook and crumpled paper] I’m a little concerned about where you’ll find these supplies. Some of these are quite advanced materials.
20 PETER. [eagerly] It’s no problem at all, Ms. E. I showed the list to my aunt right after I finished it. She’s an engineer. [sheepishly] The list’s a little messy, but she said it looked good and agreed to help. She’s already talked to some of her colleagues, and they will let us use any materials and tools they have.
21 EMMA. [brightening] Awesome, Peter! That’s one major hurdle cleared.


Ms. Esty’s point of view is different from the other characters’ because she—
A. acts as an objective narrator, while the other characters share only their own thoughts.
B. shares only her own thoughts, while the other characters share the thoughts of others.
C. shares only her own thoughts, while the other characters share widely known facts.
D. acts as an objective narrator, while the other characters each tell their own story.

Answer 1

A.

Ms. Esty steps outside the scene to address the audience and provide broad, narrator-like commentary about the fair, while Emma, Liam, and Peter speak from their immediate, personal viewpoints as characters in the scene.