Battling the snow, in blinding drifts of gargantuan proportions, was not the worst part of searching for Raven, Nicholas's four–year–old, loveable black Labrador. Raven had been Nicholas's since his twelfth birthday, and now it was more than imperative that Raven be found and brought back home to the family and the Fallen Leaf Lodge fireside he loved. Nicholas and his loyal search party, comprised of Lisa, Nguyen, and Tim, had been out since daybreak. Morning had emerged weakly through the tail–end of a ferocious Sierra Nevada snowstorm. Well–bundled and armed with bottled water, treats for Raven when they found him, a dog whistle, and thermoses of coffee, the optimistic search party had set out on snowshoes. They had all been born in the Sierra Nevada region, so a snowstorm like this was not frightening to them.
Near–blizzard conditions and fighting off hypothermia were not the critical issues. The problem was Raven's right rear leg injury and the impossible depth of the snow that Nicholas knew Raven would never be able to dig through, even if he did remember his way back home. Raven's leg injury was Nicholas's worst fear. It was a fear that gnawed at him persistently as he blazed a trail through the snow, shouting himself hoarse in search of Raven. He took a heartening gulp of creamy, sweetened coffee from his thermos and bellowed for the hundredth time, "Ra–a–a–ven!"
They had all been searching and hollering for three hours now, all through the dense woods that surrounded the frozen lake. Nicholas thought it downright generous of his friends to forfeit a day of skiing to help his family find Raven. Several times in the last three hours, Nicholas could hear faintly, just below the howl of the merciless wind, his parents shouting for Raven, too. They were miles apart, maybe even on the other side of the small, silent lake, but the echo of their shouting, the scream of the whistle his father used to summon Raven at times, was reassuring.
"I didn't know I needed him. I didn't know Raven was so important," Nicholas muttered to himself, as the wind tore the words from his lips with unrelenting force. Nicholas felt the same spasm of fear deep inside him, and he tried to ignore the little voice that kept taunting him, "What if we don't find him before nightfall? What if he doesn't make it through the night?" A soft whining sound several feet ahead of Nicholas caught his ear and his insides began to quiver with hope.
"Raven!" Nicholas yelled again, motioning frantically to his friends, who bravely brought up the rear of the search and rescue team. He pointed to the snow–laden clump of brush just ahead at the foot of an enormous pine, bending its arms as if it were trying to fend off the fangs of the mean wind. Another feeble whine reached Nicholas's half–frozen ears just as he caught sight of movement in the brush. Lisa, Nguyen, and Tim must have seen the movement at almost the same time because the four of them fell upon the brush, tearing it apart to make way for a determined, snow–encrusted Raven to emerge from the brush seconds later. Raven gave a tired, half–bark, half–whine, and collapsed, shivering in Nicholas's arms. To alert Nicholas' parents, Nguyen triumphantly blew the "we found him" signal on the whistle, and Nicholas, who had always detested the ear–splitting, nerve–jarring sound, thought it was probably the most beautiful music he'd heard in a long, long time.
Which statement best describes a theme of the text?
A.
Pets can teach young people the importance of responsibility and character.
B.
True friendship can hold people together in the face of terrible tragedies.
C.
People sometimes do not realize how important something is to them until it is gone.
D.
Never underestimate the importance of family in times of crisis.
Multiple Choice Question
Part B:
Which sentence from the text best supports your answer in Part A?
A.
Nicholas and his loyal search party, comprised of Lisa, Nguyen, and Tim, had been out since daybreak.
B.
The problem was Raven's right rear leg injury and the impossible depth of the snow that Nicholas knew Raven would never be able to dig through, even if he did remember his way back home.
C.
"I didn't know I needed him. I didn't know Raven was so important," Nicholas muttered to himself, as the wind tore the words from his lips with unrelenting force.
D.
Another feeble whine reached Nicholas's half–frozen ears just as he caught sight of movement in the brush.
1 answer
For Part A, the statement that best describes a theme of the text is:
C. People sometimes do not realize how important something is to them until it is gone.
This theme is highlighted by Nicholas's realization of Raven's importance to him throughout the search, especially when he reflects on not knowing how much he needed him.
For Part B, the sentence from the text that best supports the answer in Part A is:
C. "I didn't know I needed him. I didn't know Raven was so important," Nicholas muttered to himself, as the wind tore the words from his lips with unrelenting force.
This clearly articulates Nicholas's recognition of Raven's significance in his life as he searches for him.
1 answer