Editorial Development: Bonnie Brook Communications

SKILL PRACTICE
Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. What rule did the narrator live by before the trip 
to Costa Rica?
A 
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
B 
Better safe than sorry.
C 
A stitch in time saves nine.
D 
Look before you leap.
 2. Why did the narrator vow not to go on the
zip lines?
A 
She thought she would not be able to see 
anything.
B 
She was afraid of the rainforest animals.
C 
She was afraid of heights and falling.
D 
She did not like wearing the helmet and straps.
 3. What did the narrator learn by the end of
the passage?
A 
Taking a careful risk can be rewarding.
B 
Costa Rica is the best place for vacations.
C 
You should always follow your instincts.
D 
Traveling is an important part of growing up.
 4. Which of the following best describes the 
passage’s theme?
A 
Your worst fears will probably come true.
B 
Do not be afraid to try new things that you 
might enjoy.
C 
Do not let other people tell you what to do.
D 
Family always knows what is best for you.
STRATEGY PRACTICE
Write a description of the way you visualize the narrator in the rainforest.
 
Theme
3458.indb 104
10/31/12 7:35 AM

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© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3458 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
105
Name: 
WEEK 16
DAY 5
READ THE FOLK TALE
Think about what kind of person the woodcutter is and how it affects his life.
The Face of a Thief
In China many centuries ago, there lived a woodcutter who had a suspicious nature. One autumn 
evening, he went outside to cut some wood for his fire, but he could not find his ax anywhere. He looked 
all around his house and searched the forest where he had been cutting wood the day before, but the ax 
was nowhere to be found. Then he noticed his neighbor’s son weeding in his garden next door. 
The boy glanced at the woodcutter and then went back to his weeds. Immediately the woodcutter 
noticed his shifty expression and the way the boy would not meet his eyes. “This boy has stolen my ax!” 
the woodcutter thought angrily. “See how guilty he looks!” The woodcutter spent the rest of the day trying 
to decide what to do about the thief. Finally, he decided that the next day he would go straight to the 
magistrate and have the boy arrested.
The next morning, the woodcutter rose early to go into town. It was an unusually cold dawn, so he 
went out to his shed to get his warm jacket. There, stuck in a stump, was his ax. “Oh, yes,” the woodcutter 
recalled, “I left it there when I returned from the forest the other night!” He glanced next door and saw the 
neighbor boy again, diligently weeding his garden. This time, when the boy looked over at him, the 
woodcutter smiled and thought, “How very strange—the boy does not look the least bit guilty anymore!”