Question

"I'd like you to meet Popine." From under the counter, he produced a large plastic pail with a tight-fitting cover. Popine, Monsieur's sourdough starter, had been passed down from one generation of bread bakers to the next. Popine was an old girl, maybe more than 200 years old, according to Monsieur. She was a bubbling mass of sour-smelling, naturally occurring wild yeast, which needed to be fed each day in preparation for making the next day's bread.

2

"Say hello," he bellowed at me.

3

"Bonjour, Popine," I said, a bit self-conscious about talking to a blob of dough.

4

"She's never met an American before!" Monsieur explained. "Get to know her. Take a sniff—you who wants to learn all of my well-kept secrets." I carefully got within range of her sour breath, and Monsieur said, "Any more sour than that and you must feed her again to keep the sourness in check."

5

Monsieur measured water on a scale and mixed it into Popine, who was rapidly transformed from a blob into something that looked like runny, white glue. Then he added scoops of flour, transforming her again into a shaggy mass that under his practiced hands turned into a pile of dough that jiggled when he slapped it. We settled her into a much larger tub and let her digest the latest feeding as we opened the bakery.

6

Hours later, Popine had expanded to fill her latest pail and so needed our attention. We mixed her with flour, salt, and water to form the next day's bread dough, which was made in batches in a huge mixer.

7

When I heard the church bell strike six times, all I wanted was to go home and sleep. As I staggered down the sidewalk, Monsieur called me back. He reached into his pocket and gave me a small package wrapped in waxed paper. "You wanted my secret. Well, here it is: a piece of my Popine. Take her back to America with you."

8

"I don't know the recipe," I stammered. "I couldn't. I don't—"

9

Monsieur pressed her into my hand. "Popine will teach you everything you need to know," he said reassuringly. "Feed her with water and flour, add some salt. Voilà, bread dough. She's older than you. Listen to whatever she has to say, and remember sour but not too sour."

10

Sure enough, Monsieur was right. It took a while for Popine and me to reach an understanding, but for the last 33 years, I have started every day with her.

___________________________________________________________________

Charles Capaldi, Cricket, © by Cricket Media, Inc. Reproduced with permission.​

Question 3 of 8
Which detail shows the narrator is respectful of Monsieur's unusual teaching methods?​

"'I don't know the recipe,' I stammered. 'I couldn't. I don't—'" (paragraph 8)

"We mixed her with flour, salt, and water to form the next day's bread dough. . . ." (paragraph 6)​

"'Bonjour, Popine,' I said, a bit self-conscious about talking to a blob of dough." (paragraph 3)​

"We settled her into a much larger tub and let her digest the latest feeding. . . ." (paragraph 5)

Answer 1

"'Bonjour, Popine,' I said, a bit self-conscious about talking to a blob of dough." (paragraph 3)

Saying hello to the starter shows the narrator respectfully follows Monsieur's unusual ritual and treats Popine with politeness.