Treasure Hunt

Question

K. Reiter

Characters
Misty
Carlos
Kim
Tony
Arnold

[The neighborhood teens were lounging under the oak tree in the front yard laughing at funny memes on their cell phones when Carlos suddenly had an idea.]

CARLOS: Who’s up for a treasure hunt?

TONY: [Leaning over to look at Carlos’ phone.] Let me see.

CARLOS: [Jerking his phone away.] What are you doing, man? It’s not on my phone. I’m talking about a real treasure hunt. I heard from my grandma that there was a buried treasure down at the park on the corner. Rumor has it that an old man buried his fortune there to hide it from his greedy wife.

MISTY: That’s messed up.

KIM: [Shaking her head.] His poor wife.

CARLOS: Her loss, our gain. Who’s in?

ARNOLD: I’m in. I’ll snag some shovels from our backyard.

MISTY: [Standing up.] My dad has an old metal detector in the garage. I’m not sure if it still works, but I’ll grab it, too.

KIM: [Smirking.] I’ll get a big bucket in case we find this buried treasure. We’ll need something to conceal our fortune in, so the neighborhood folk won’t try to steal it.

[They all laugh, except for Carlos.]

CARLOS: You all laugh now. Just wait until we are all millionaires. We’ll see who’s laughing then.

TONY: [Patting Carlos on the back.] Meet back here in 10.

[The crew all run to their houses to get supplies and return 10 minutes later, ready for the hunt.]

MISTY: [Messing with the metal detector to try to get it to work.] Come on! Work with me.

[Beep! Beep! The metal detector starts making a loud noise. Everyone turns to stare and starts cheering.]

ARNOLD: That is going to make this hunt a lot easier.

[They arrive at the park. Carlos points them in the direction of the supposed buried treasure.]

MISTY: [Sliding the metal detector back and forth over the hard ground underneath.] Nothing here.

TONY: I’ll dig over here under this sad looking tree. Most buried treasures are found under trees. That’s what I’ve learned from watching movies.

KIM: You might actually be right. I’ll help you.

CARLOS: [Motions for the crew to come closer.] Over here, guys. I think I found something.

MISTY: Hold up. I’ll bring the metal detector.

[Beep! Beep! Beep! The metal detector starts going off. They all crouch down to get a closer look. Tony starts digging.]

KIM: [Pointing.] There’s something shiny right there.

CARLOS: [Digging with his hands.] Got it! It's only a gold ring.

[They all come closer to take a look as disappointment spreads on their faces.]

ARNOLD: It’s getting dark. Maybe we should start to head home.

CARLOS: Just a few more minutes. Let’s see what else we can find.

MISTY: [Moves the metal detector to a different location.] I think I found something.

KIM: Let me help you dig.

[They all gather and help dig, but all they find is $1.25 in coins.]

CARLOS: Well, I guess the rumor was just that, a rumor. It was fun pretending to be treasure hunters while it lasted. The good news is…we all get $.25 to take home.

MISTY: [Chuckling.] Don’t forget about the ring. Can I see that again?

KIM: [Looking down at the ring.] Maybe this is worth something.

MISTY: I’m going to do a little hunting of my own and find out.

[Misty takes the ring home and does a little digging. She calls a meeting at the old oak tree 3 days later.]

MISTY: Guys, you are never going to believe this, but I put the gold ring on social media just to see if anyone might recognize it. An old lady contacted me and said it was her wedding ring and that she had lost it at the park many years ago.

CARLOS: Whoa! That is totally cool that we found it for her.

MISTY: [Agreeing.] But the best part is that she was so excited to get it back, she gave us $1,000 as a reward. So, I guess we really did find a treasure!

KIM: [Jumping up and down and clasping her hands together.] Oh, my goodness! I can finally buy the new shoes I’ve been wanting.

TONY: [Counting on his fingers.] Wait, how much do we each get? Let’s see. One thousand dollars divided by 5 is…..

ARNOLD: Seriously, dude? We all get $200, and you get nothing.

[They all laugh and start walking down the street.]

The most likely reason the author wrote this play is to —
Responses
A persuade more people to use metal detectors to find items buried undergroundpersuade more people to use metal detectors to find items buried underground
B tell a story about a group of teens who search for a buried treasuretell a story about a group of teens who search for a buried treasure
C emphasize how many people bury their fortunes to hide it from othersemphasize how many people bury their fortunes to hide it from others
D compare modern day treasure hunters to those of the past

Answer 1

The most likely reason the author wrote this play is to —
B tell a story about a group of teens who search for a buried treasure.

The play focuses on the adventure and interactions of the teens as they embark on a treasure hunt, highlighting their camaraderie and the humorous situations that arise during their search.