Nicholas’s Diary: April 2 and 3
Friday, April 2
Well, it’s only 10 more hours until my father and I leave for our treasure hunt. Every Saturday morning for as long as I can remember I have seen him leave, always by himself, to look for treasure. I have always longed to go with him, and he’s always told me that someday I would get the chance. I was so excited when he told me I would finally have my chance that I was bouncing off the walls like a rubber ball and springing from one place to the next the rest of the day.
He has always been as quiet as a mouse about the treasure that he finds, scurrying away with his equipment in the morning and piling up his treasure in his study. Even though he says he always comes home with something, he has never shown it to me or even told me what type of treasure it is. Is it gold, or silver, or maybe it’s precious jewels? Whatever it is, tomorrow I will find out, and hopefully he’ll let me bring some to class so that I can show my friends since I’ve been bragging about it to them ever since Dad told me I could go!
Saturday, April 3
The treasure hunt was fun, but it was not what I expected. Dad and I left early in the morning and headed for the same woods that we sometimes go hiking in on Sundays. I never would have thought they hold treasure, but what was really odd was when Dad told me to leave the shovels at home because we wouldn’t need them. But what he did bring with him was a bright yellow GPS
. I had seen it in his truck many times before. I always wondered what he did with it. Today I found out.
Dad and I wandered into the woods, first staying on the hiking path I had taken several times before and then veering off the path. The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves; it didn't even seem alive. It appeared that no one had been there for a long time so I knew that this treasure must be old and far under the ground. How were we going to get to it without shovels?
As Dad kept his eyes on the GPS
, I looked around, and suddenly I noticed a patch of leaves that was disturbed and a log that looked like it had been moved. When I asked Dad about it, his eyes lit up, and he said he saw the treasure. He reached under the log and pulled out a plastic box with a label that read “Official Geocache.”
I didn’t know what an official geocache was, but I soon found out when Dad opened it. Inside was a little notebook and a bunch of small items like a set of dice, a toy car, and a large silver dollar. Dad said that he thought the toy car was cool, so he took it out and put it in his pocket and then pulled a golf ball from his other pocket and put it in the box. He wrote his name and my name in the little notebook and then closed the box and put it back where he found it.
Geocaching, which is what Dad later told me this type of treasure hunting is called, was much different than digging for gold in the ground. But I thought it was fun, and I hope Dad takes me again next Saturday.
Part A
In "Nicholas's Diary: April 2 and 3," why is Nicholas surprised by the place his dad takes him for the treasure hunt?
Responses
He will not have a very good story to tell his friends at practice on Monday.
He will not have a very good story to tell his friends at practice on Monday.
He will not be finding gold or silver, but something far more important.
He will not be finding gold or silver, but something far more important.
The treasure hunt will take multiple days.
The treasure hunt will take multiple days.
It's the same place they go for walks on Sundays sometimes.
It's the same place they go for walks on Sundays sometimes.
Question 2
Part B - Points depend on a correct response in Part A.
Which sentence from the text best supports the answer in Part A?
Responses
"The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves…"
"The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves…"
“Dad and I left early in the morning…"
“Dad and I left early in the morning…"
"…I noticed a patch of leaves that was disturbed and a log that looked like it had been moved.”
"…I noticed a patch of leaves that was disturbed and a log that looked like it had been moved.”
"I never would have thought [these woods] hold treasure…"
1 answer
Part A: Nicholas is surprised by the place his dad takes him for the treasure hunt because it's the same place they go for walks on Sundays sometimes.
Part B: The sentence from the text that best supports the answer in Part A is, "I never would have thought [these woods] hold treasure…"
