Question

afternoon of the luddites
\why dont you send your grandpa a postcard? mom
suggested. \you know that stack he sent you is already
addressed and stamped! just walk for you to write a short
note. im sure hed love to hear from you.\
conner stared blankly at the blank tv screen. he was not
afraid of technology, but his parents, ridiculous decision to
reduce the familys \screen time\, was turning him into a
militant luddite. he meandered down the hall past his little
brothers room. taser bug clad in a knights helmet and toy
sword from the treasure chest that had costumes from years of
halloween escapades, wielded a foam sword over his head,
yelling, \death to tyrants!\ as he charged a pile of stuffed
animals. conner sighed and turned down the hall, jealous that
his little brother could still play with such imaginative abandon.
taser bug wasnt even aware of the tv dilemma plaguing the
family. finally, conner went out the back door and saw
bugs soccer ball on the patio. he nudged it with his foot, and
it began a slow roll into the yard. with a couple of quick steps,
conner drew back his foot and gave the ball an angry kick.
the ball sent it bouncing off the fence with a loud bang into moms
sunflower. conner considered that writing postcards might be
easier, but it felt good to attack the ball.
\i want to play!\ taser bug yelled, running out the back door
with his arms outstretched like a champion soaring above tall
buildings with the red cape flying behind him. the boy
tracked the ball, spun around, and kicked it back to conner.
before he knew it, conner was demonstrating how to send
the ball into the goal to score an unexpected point and win the
game in the final quarter.
\goal!\ the brothers yelled when the ball disappeared into
the hollyhock.
mom and dad appeared on the patio holding some cold
lemonade and with bewildered looks warning not to hurt the
garden.

what is the best objective summary of the passage?
a. because conners parents are luddites afraid of technology, they wont let anyone watch tv. when conner
to get mad when conner and his brother nearly destroy the backyard playing soccer, but conner plans to
have them miss even more tv by repairing the damage.
b. a reduction of screen time in conners family has caused him to become bored with nothing constructive
to do. he doesnt want to write postcards, and hes too old to play tag with his little brother, but some
soccer practice gets the whole family outside.
c. fuming because his parents wont allow him to watch tv, conner attempts his moms homework.
nonetheless, he ends up having fun playing soccer with his little brother. he parents then come outside
theyll keep him from watching tv by making him replant the flowers.
d. conner finds it hard to find anything fun to do when his parents decide to reduce the familys screen time,
so he begins kicking around a soccer ball. his parents are happy when his little brother joins the game,
but conner worries about the flowers.

Explanation:

To determine the best summary, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage doesn't mention parents being "shy of technology" or not letting anyone watch TV; it's about reducing screen time, so A is incorrect.
• Option B: There's no mention of Corner being "too old to play" or "bored with nothing to do" in the passage, so B is incorrect.
• Option C: The passage says Corner's parents are reducing screen time, not that they "won't allow him to watch TV" or that he "attempts to avoid homework" (no homework mentioned), so C is incorrect.
• Option D: The passage shows Corner finds it hard to find activities when screen time is reduced, starts kicking a soccer ball, parents are happy when his brother joins, and he worries about flowers (from the text "Corner considered that writing postcards might be safer, but it felt good to attack the ball" and "Corner worries about the flowers"). This matches the events in D.

Answer:

D. Corner finds it hard to find anything fun to do when his parents decide to reduce the family’s screen time, so he begins kicking around a soccer ball. His parents are happy when his little brother joins the game, but Corner worries about the flowers.