Question

Use Your Head

Sally’s mother asked her to walk to the local shop and buy milk for her baby sister. “Take this money,” her mother said, handing Sally five dollars. “Be careful that you do not go into the road. No matter what, do not leave the sidewalk.“

“Okay!” Sally responded happily, glad to be able to help.

Running down the sidewalk grasping the money, Sally saw a shadowy elephant figure laid out across the narrow pathway ahead of her. A large oak tree branch had fallen and blocked the entire sidewalk. It was much too big for a small girl like Sally to move, and she remembered that she could not go into the street under any circumstances, so walking around it was out of the question. Going over the branch would be impossible, too, for it was too unsteady. Sally thought of her little sister who needed milk. She felt like crying.

Instead of crying, Sally started thinking. She walked bravely up to the large limb and broke a small branch off. Then, she had an idea. The young girl broke another branch and tossed it away. She broke branch after branch off. After 10 minutes, Sally had broken that large tree limb into numerous small pieces, all easily manageable for a young, smart girl like herself. Soon, Sally had cleared the entire tree limb off the sidewalk and proceeded on her way.

When Sally returned home with the milk for her sister, her mother asked her what had taken her so long. Sally explained how a limb had fallen and blocked the sidewalk. “How did you ever get it out of the way, Sally? Did someone come along and help you?”

“No,” Sally responded. “I helped myself.”

“How could you have moved that large tree limb all by yourself, Sally?” her mother wondered.

“I moved it,” Sally answered, “by using my mind.” Then, she explained to her mother what had happened.

Relieved that Sally was not hurt, and proud of her initiative, the mother poured a tall glass of milk, placed two fresh chocolate chip cookies on a plate, and handed them to Sally. They looked at each other and smiled big, knowing grins.

Calling the shape in the road an “elephant” helps the reader...
Select one:

a. understand the moral of the story

b. appreciate elephants and their relationship to trees

c. understand just how big the branch is compared to Sally

d. appreciate Sally’s unique goals

Answer 1

Answer: C

Explanation: process of elimination

a.understand the moral of the story- the elephant part has nothing to do with the moral of "you can use your brain to solve problems"

b.appreciate elephants and their relationship to trees- the elephant part doesn't have anything about why elephants are important, or why they should be appreciated

d.appreciate Sally's unique goals- the elephant part doesn't explain what Sally's goals are

c.understand just how big the branch is compared to Sally- elephants are huge, and saying something is like an elephant or as big as an elephant is another way of saying that it's really big