Picking her way over the deserted beach, the bear nosed around in the pine needles for abandoned remnants of long-forgotten picnic lunches. 2 "There is the wandering she-bear that everyone except for me has seen at least once," Mr. Hernandez muttered. Tucking himself further into the screen of pine trees, he watched as the bear meandered toward the lake. Her thick fur was matted and damp in some places, but when she walked in the sunshine her coat had an auburn-black sheen to it. The crunching sound of her paws reverberated in the silence, making Mr. Hernandez shiver with a touch of dread. What would he do if the bear doubled back and discovered his hiding place? Would she feel threatened, attempt to attack him, or ignore him? 3 Mr. Hernandez raised his binoculars to watch her lope down the beach, stopping occasionally to sniff at the sand, edging into the water, then floundering back onto the shore. Though a bear should be accustomed to the frigid temperature of the lake, perhaps this displaced bear didn't have the survival skills of bears in the wild. 4 After the bear rummaged in the overflowing trash bins at the marina, she suddenly turned and came back in the direction of Mr. Hernandez's hiding place. Through his binoculars, he could see that she had a brown paper bag in her jaws. The closer she came toward Mr. Hernandez's refuge, the more mesmerized he became by her movement, the reddish-black hues of her coat, her enormous, dripping jaws clenched victoriously around her rotten prize. 5 With something of a shock, Mr. Hernandez realized that the bear was heading straight for his hiding place. Momentarily sure that the bear could not see him, he felt safe, but then a sudden breeze from the lake gusted through the pines, and he felt a sneeze forming thickly in his nose. Frantically, he buried his face into his shoulder, but this sudden movement caused his binoculars to thud against the trunk of the nearest pine. 6 Mercifully, the sneeze dissolved before it could explode from his nostrils, but it was too late. The bear had spotted him, and he stood, transfixed with horrified indecision. Should he climb the pine? He remembered with a surge of hysterical fear that bears were very efficient climbers. From somewhere in his memory, he retrieved a nugget of life-saving information: if you are confronted with a bear, never make sudden or antagonistic movements. Mr. Hernandez realized he wouldn't be able to move even if he wanted to, so paralyzed was he with fear . . . and something else—wonder. Wonder at the bear's beauty, its solitude, its clumsy attempts to feed itself on human rubbish. What a contradiction of power and weakness, magnificence and ineptitude this bear was! 7 For a moment, the bear held Mr. Hernandez's gaze. Their eyes locked, and the bear was statue-like for almost a full minute as it sized him up, seemingly asking, "Are you friend or foe?" Then, dropping its eyes, it turned, and shuffled away into the shadow of the pines. Two-Part Question Multiple Choice Question This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B. Part A: Which statement BEST describes the theme of the text? A. Bears are aggressive, wild creatures that can attack at any moment. B. Bears can be fascinating and unpredictable. C. Bears are a valuable part of the ecosystem. D. Never approach or taunt a bear. Multiple Choice Question Part B: Select the piece of evidence from "Shadow of the Pines" that BEST supports the answer to part A. A. Her thick fur was matted and damp in some places, but when she walked in the sunshine her coat had an auburn-black sheen to it. B. Mr. Hernandez raised his binoculars to watch her lope down the beach, stopping occasionally to sniff at the sand, edging into the water, then floundering back onto the shore. C. The closer she came toward Mr. Hernandez's refuge, the more mesmerized he became by her movement, the reddish-black hues of her coat, her enormous, dripping jaws clenched victoriously around her rotten prize. D. From somewhere in his memory, he retrieved a nugget of life-saving information: if you are confronted with a bear, never make sudden or antagonistic movements.

Answer 1

Part A: The statement that BEST describes the theme of the text is:
B. Bears can be fascinating and unpredictable.

Part B: The piece of evidence from "Shadow of the Pines" that BEST supports the answer to part A is:
C. The closer she came toward Mr. Hernandez's refuge, the more mesmerized he became by her movement, the reddish-black hues of her coat, her enormous, dripping jaws clenched victoriously around her rotten prize.

This choice highlights both the fascination Mr. Hernandez feels for the bear's beauty and movement, as well as the unpredictability of the encounter as it becomes more intense.