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Odalys Takes Every Word Literally for a Day

7th grade fiction passage about idioms taken literally: 313 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade fiction idioms taken literally 313 words

Odalys Takes Every Word Literally for a Day

Odalys Reyes had grown tired of idioms. "Why can nobody just say what they mean?" she asked at lunch, listing examples such as break a leg, hit the books and pull your socks up. Her friend Tobias grinned and dared her to take every saying literally for one entire Saturday, which happened to be the day of the school carnival.

She accepted the challenge, and by nine o'clock she was already in trouble. When the principal called, "Odalys, can you lend a hand at the ticket booth?" she looked down at her own hand and then back at the principal. "Lend it to whom, and when would I get it back?" she asked. The principal laughed and explained that she only needed help selling tickets.

At ten, a volunteer shouted that the jar of marbles was going for a song. Odalys leaned close and listened carefully. "It is not singing at all," she reported, "and I do not see it going anywhere." Tobias had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

The real test came at noon. Mrs. Dunmore, who supervised the bake table, was called away to search for a missing cash box. "Keep an eye on the chocolate cake," she said over her shoulder, "and I will be right back."

Most students would have wandered off, but Odalys obeyed to the letter. She planted herself in front of the cake and stared at it without blinking. Ten minutes later, a small brown dog crept under the table, sniffed the air, and stretched toward the frosting. Odalys noticed him instantly and told him firmly that the cake was not for him, and the dog's owner hurried over to lead him away.

When Mrs. Dunmore returned, she found a perfect cake and a very proud girl. "Well," she said, "that is one time when a literal answer was exactly right."

Questions

  1. What did Tobias dare Odalys to do? in the text

  2. What was the event that day at school? in the text

  3. Why did Odalys ask when she would get her hand back? think about it

  4. What did Mrs. Dunmore ask Odalys to do at the bake table? in the text

  5. How did Odalys's literal thinking help protect the cake? think about it

  6. What did Mrs. Dunmore mean by her last comment? think about it

Words to know

idioms
sayings whose meaning is different from the words themselves
literally
exactly as the words are written, with no hidden meaning
volunteer
a person who helps without being paid
obeyed
did what someone asked
instantly
right away, with no delay
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 261 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3

Odalys Reyes was tired of idioms. "Why can't people just say what they mean?" she asked at lunch. "Break a leg. Hit the books. Pull your socks up." Her friend Tobias grinned. He dared her to take every saying literally for one whole Saturday. That was the day of the school carnival.

She said yes. By nine o'clock she was in trouble. The principal called, "Odalys, can you lend a hand at the ticket booth?" She looked at her hand and then at the principal. "Lend it to whom? When would I get it back?" The principal laughed and said, "Just help sell tickets."

At ten, a volunteer shouted, "That jar of marbles is going for a song!" Odalys leaned close and listened. "It is not singing," she said, "and I do not see it going anywhere." Tobias had to cover his mouth.

At noon came the real test. Mrs. Dunmore ran the bake table. She had to go find a missing cash box. "Keep an eye on the chocolate cake," she said. "I will be right back."

Most students would have wandered off. Odalys did exactly as told. She stood by the cake and stared at it. Ten minutes later, a small brown dog crept under the table. He sniffed and reached for the frosting. Odalys saw him at once. "Excuse me," she said, "that is not for you." The dog's owner came and pulled him away.

Mrs. Dunmore came back to a perfect cake and a proud girl. "Well," she said, "this time a literal answer was just right."

▲ This passage · 313 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4

Odalys Reyes had grown tired of idioms. "Why can nobody just say what they mean?" she asked at lunch, listing examples such as break a leg, hit the books and pull your socks up. Her friend Tobias grinned and dared her to take every saying literally for one entire Saturday, which happened to be the day of the school carnival.

She accepted the challenge, and by nine o'clock she was already in trouble. When the principal called, "Odalys, can you lend a hand at the ticket booth?" she looked down at her own hand and then back at the principal. "Lend it to whom, and when would I get it back?" she asked. The principal laughed and explained that she only needed help selling tickets.

At ten, a volunteer shouted that the jar of marbles was going for a song. Odalys leaned close and listened carefully. "It is not singing at all," she reported, "and I do not see it going anywhere." Tobias had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

The real test came at noon. Mrs. Dunmore, who supervised the bake table, was called away to search for a missing cash box. "Keep an eye on the chocolate cake," she said over her shoulder, "and I will be right back."

Most students would have wandered off, but Odalys obeyed to the letter. She planted herself in front of the cake and stared at it without blinking. Ten minutes later, a small brown dog crept under the table, sniffed the air, and stretched toward the frosting. Odalys noticed him instantly and told him firmly that the cake was not for him, and the dog's owner hurried over to lead him away.

When Mrs. Dunmore returned, she found a perfect cake and a very proud girl. "Well," she said, "that is one time when a literal answer was exactly right."

■ Harder · 317 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.2

Odalys Reyes had grown thoroughly exasperated by idioms. "Why can nobody simply say what they mean?" she demanded at lunch, listing examples such as break a leg, hit the books and pull your socks up. Her friend Tobias grinned and challenged her to interpret every saying literally for one entire Saturday, which happened to be the day of the school carnival.

She accepted the challenge, and by nine o'clock she was already in considerable trouble. When the principal called, "Odalys, can you lend a hand at the ticket booth?" she glanced down at her own hand and then back at the principal. "Lend it to whom, and when would I get it back?" she inquired. The principal laughed and clarified that she merely needed assistance selling tickets.

At ten, a volunteer shouted that the jar of marbles was going for a song. Odalys leaned close and listened attentively. "It is not singing at all," she reported, "and I do not see it going anywhere." Tobias had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud.

The genuine test arrived at noon. Mrs. Dunmore, who supervised the bake table, was summoned away to search for a missing cash box. "Keep an eye on the chocolate cake," she said over her shoulder, "and I will return momentarily."

Most students would have wandered off, but Odalys obeyed to the letter. She positioned herself directly in front of the cake and stared at it without blinking. Ten minutes later, a small brown dog crept under the table, sniffed the air, and stretched toward the frosting. Odalys noticed him immediately and informed him firmly that the cake was not intended for him, whereupon the dog's owner hurried over to lead him away.

When Mrs. Dunmore returned, she discovered an undamaged cake and a very proud girl. "Well," she remarked, "that is one occasion when a literal answer was exactly right."

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put idioms, literally, volunteer, obeyed and instantly on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the story will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 3 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 3 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to retell the story in three sentences: how it began, what the problem was, and how it ended.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Odalys Takes Every Word Literally for a Day"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 313 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.3. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 3 ask for something the text says directly and 3 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 3 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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