The author's purpose in writing the entry on April 3 in "Nicholas's Diary: April 2 and 3" is to explain what happened during his treasure hunt. While Nicholas does express excitement about finding the treasure, the entry primarily focuses on the details of the experience, including the discovery of the geocache, what was inside, and the process involved in geocaching.
Read the diary entries.
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.
Question
What is the author’s purpose in writing the entry on April 3 in "Nicholas's Diary: April 2 and 3"?
Responses
to show how much he loves and appreciates his father
to show how much he loves and appreciates his father
to explain what geocaching is and how it is done
to explain what geocaching is and how it is done
to express his excitement at having found treasure
to express his excitement at having found treasure
to explain what happened during his treasure hunt
to explain what happened during his treasure hunt
5 answers
Part A
In "Nicholas's Diary: April 2 and 3," what is Nicholas’s first thought when he and his father leave home to go treasure hunting?
Responses
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.
It is not going to be the type of treasure hunt that he thought it would be.
It is not going to be the type of treasure hunt that he thought it would be.
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.
The treasure will be carefully hidden and closely guarded.
The treasure will be carefully hidden and closely guarded.
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
“Dad and I left early in the morning and headed for the same woods that we sometimes go hiking in on Sundays.”
“Dad and I left early in the morning and headed for the same woods that we sometimes go hiking in on Sundays.”
“…what was really odd was when Dad told me to leave the shovels at home because he said we wouldn’t need them.”
“…what was really odd was when Dad told me to leave the shovels at home because he said we wouldn’t need them.”
“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.”
“As Dad kept his eyes on the G P S , I looked around, and suddenly I noticed a patch of leaves that was disturbed and a log that looked like it had been moved.”
"The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves; it didn't even seem alive."
In "Nicholas's Diary: April 2 and 3," what is Nicholas’s first thought when he and his father leave home to go treasure hunting?
Responses
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.
It is not going to be the type of treasure hunt that he thought it would be.
It is not going to be the type of treasure hunt that he thought it would be.
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.
The treasure will be carefully hidden and closely guarded.
The treasure will be carefully hidden and closely guarded.
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
“Dad and I left early in the morning and headed for the same woods that we sometimes go hiking in on Sundays.”
“Dad and I left early in the morning and headed for the same woods that we sometimes go hiking in on Sundays.”
“…what was really odd was when Dad told me to leave the shovels at home because he said we wouldn’t need them.”
“…what was really odd was when Dad told me to leave the shovels at home because he said we wouldn’t need them.”
“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.”
“As Dad kept his eyes on the G P S , I looked around, and suddenly I noticed a patch of leaves that was disturbed and a log that looked like it had been moved.”
"The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves; it didn't even seem alive."
Part A
In "Nicholas's Diary: April 2 and 3," Nicholas’s first thought when he and his father leave home to go treasure hunting is: It is not going to be the type of treasure hunt that he thought it would be.
Part B
The sentence from the text that best supports the answer in Part A is: “…what was really odd was when Dad told me to leave the shovels at home because he said we wouldn’t need them.”
This sentence indicates that Nicholas realized the treasure hunt would be different from his expectations, as he initially thought they would need shovels for digging.
Which sentence from “Nicholas’s Diary: April 2 and 3” contains an analogy?
Responses
"The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves; it didn't even seem alive."
"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.”
“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.”
“When I asked Dad about it, his eyes lit up, and he said he saw the treasure.”
“When I asked Dad about it, his eyes lit up, and he said he saw the treasure.”
“…suddenly I noticed a patch of leaves that was disturbed and a log that looked like it had been moved.”
Responses
"The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves; it didn't even seem alive."
"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.”
“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.”
“When I asked Dad about it, his eyes lit up, and he said he saw the treasure.”
“When I asked Dad about it, his eyes lit up, and he said he saw the treasure.”
“…suddenly I noticed a patch of leaves that was disturbed and a log that looked like it had been moved.”
The sentence from “Nicholas’s Diary: April 2 and 3” that contains an analogy is: "The forest was like a statue; it was still and covered in damp moss and dead leaves; it didn't even seem alive."
This sentence uses "like" to compare the forest to a statue, which is the hallmark of an analogy.