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 waiting 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 notorious decision to reduce the familys \screen time\ was turning him into a reluctant luddite. he meandered down the hall past his little brothers room. tater bug, clad in a knights helmet and red cape from the treasure chest held 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. tater bug wasnt even aware of the tv dilemma plaguing the family. finally, conner went out the back door and saw tater 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 that sent it bouncing off the fence with a loud bang into moms flowerbed. conner considered that writing postcards might be safer, but it felt good to attack the ball.

\i want to play!\ tater 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 grabbed the ball, spun around, and kicked it back to conner. before he knew it, conner was demonstrating how to bend 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 hollyhocks.

mom and dad appeared on the patio holding some cold drinks, and mom swallowed back a warning not to hurt the flowers.

\at least theyre doing something,\ she muttered.

\they can always replant whatever they destroy,\ dad laughed.

.2

what is the best objective summary of the passage?

a. 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 future.

b. because conners parents are luddites afraid of technology, they wont let anyone watch tv. mom starts to get mad when conner and his brother nearly destroy the backyard playing soccer, but dad plans to have them miss even more tv by repairing the damage.

c. 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 knights with his little brother, but some soccer practice gets the whole family outside.

d. fuming because his parents wont allow him to watch tv, conner destroys his moms flowerbed. nonetheless, he ends up having fun playing soccer with his little brother. his parents dont mind because theyll keep him from watching tv by making him replant the flowers.

Explanation:

• Option A: The passage doesn't mention Conner worrying about the future, so A is incorrect.
• Option B: The parents aren't Luddites (afraid of technology) and they don't refuse TV entirely, just reduce screen time. Also, Dad's plan to repair damage isn't about missing more TV, so B is wrong.
• Option C: The family reduces screen time, Conner is bored (doesn't want to write postcards, too old for knight play), then soccer gets the family outside. This matches the passage events.
• Option D: Conner doesn't destroy mom's flowerbed (the ball bounces off the fence into it, not him destroying it), and parents don't make him replant, so D is incorrect.

Answer:

C. A reduction of screen time in Conner's family has caused him to become bored with nothing constructive to do. He doesn't want to write postcards, and he's too old to play knights with his little brother, but some soccer practice gets the whole family outside.