Reading Comprehension · Grade 5

Name Date

The Chess Match

Story · 4 questions · 313 words

1 Every Sunday afternoon, Lucy carried the wooden chess set across the hall to Grandma Ruth's apartment. When Lucy was seven, Grandma had taught her how each piece moved, and now that she was ten, Lucy was sure she was ready to win. She set up the board in about thirty seconds and pushed a pawn forward before Grandma had even sat down.

2 Lucy played like a hurricane. She slapped her pieces onto squares, grabbed every piece she could take, and tapped her foot while Grandma thought. Grandma Ruth, on the other hand, never hurried. She folded her hands under her chin and studied the board as if it were a map of a city she was about to visit. Then, with one quiet move, her bishop slid all the way across the board and captured Lucy's queen. "Where did that come from?" Lucy groaned. "It was there the whole time," Grandma said. "You just didn't look."

3 Lucy lost that game in twelve moves. Before the next one, Grandma Ruth gave her a new rule. "Before you touch a piece, sit on your hands and count to ten," she said. "Then ask yourself what my last move is planning." Lucy thought the rule was silly, but she tried it anyway, sitting on her hands and counting under her breath. By the count of six, she noticed something she had never seen before: Grandma's knight was creeping, one jump at a time, toward her rook.

4 Lucy still lost the second game, but it lasted almost an hour. Near the end, she spotted a trap Grandma had set and moved her rook out of danger just in time. Grandma Ruth raised her eyebrows and smiled across the table. "Now you're playing chess," she said. "Before, you were only moving pieces." Lucy set up the board for another game, slowly this time, one piece at a time.

Written for PlayOwl

Questions

Read the passage. Fill in the circle next to the best answer. When a question says "Choose all that are true," fill in every box that fits. Then write where you found the answer.

  1. 1In paragraph 2, "Lucy played like a hurricane." What does this mean?

    • She played so loudly that the board shook.
    • She played fast and wildly, without stopping to think.
    • She played so well that nobody could stop her.
    • She played angrily because she was losing.

    I found it in paragraph

  1. 2Which details show how Grandma Ruth plays differently from Lucy? Choose all that are true. There are two.

    More than one answer. Fill in every box that fits.

    • She never hurries.
    • She grabs every piece she can take.
    • She studies the board as if it were a map.
    • She taps her foot while the other player thinks.

    I found it in paragraph

  2. 3Near the end, Grandma says, "Now you're playing chess." Why does she say this?

    • Lucy has finally won a game against her.
    • Lucy has learned how each piece moves.
    • Lucy is moving faster than she did before.
    • Lucy now watches for what Grandma plans.

    I found it in paragraph

  3. 4Which sentence best states a theme of the story?

    • Winning is the only thing that matters in a game.
    • Slowing down to think helps you notice what you would miss.
    • Grandparents are always better at games than children.
    • Silly rules are not worth following.

    I found it in paragraph