Question

massachusetts.
1 when billy came home the following week, i told him i’d promised to find some red sea glass for the old woman, but he said, “red sea glass doesn’t even exist.”
2 “that’s because it can only be found during low tide at midnight,” i said with false conviction.
3 that night, we went to the beach later than i’d ever gone before, and it seemed unnaturally peaceful. we turned on our flashlights and walked down to pick it up and held it to the light, exclaiming loudly, “i’ve got one!” i bent down and picked up a piece, laughing, “noooo way!”
4 billy came running over, laughing, “noooo way!”
5 as i showed it to him, we were suddenly jolted by a man’s growly shout in the darkness: “who goes there?”
6 frightened, we snuffed our flashlights, and billy spun around and sprinted toward home. i shoved the sea glass deep into my pocket and took off after him, twisting my ankles as i ran.
7 it was a full three weeks later before i could ride my bike all the way out to the tip of the peninsula again. when billy and i knocked on the old woman’s door and called out, “red sea glass!” we heard her positively cackle with delight.
8 the door opened, and her hand shot out. i dropped the red sea glass into her waiting palm, and she snapped it back inside. a few seconds later, she returned to the door with a jar of blue sea glass. that’s when i first learned her name.
9 “my name is rose standish,” she said very properly, holding out two pieces of blue sea glass.
10 “thank you, rose standish,” i stammered as her door closed in my face.
11 “until the newspaper article last week reminded me, i hadn’t thought about billy, or rose, or our sea glass adventure for many, many years. the article reported that one of the jars found in rose’s home contained only red sea glass and a tightly folded-up document, her handwritten will, whereby she directed that upon her death, all her sea glass be appraised and, if her directions were properly carried out, and all were stunned to discover that every piece of red sea glass in that jar was, in fact, a genuine, uncut ruby, each several carats, and together worth a small fortune.
12 that same afternoon, i took my blue sea glass to a jeweler, and that’s when i learned that it was a very large sapphire. how rose came by such treasure, i will never know, but do i know that life’s castoffs will never look the same to me again.
susan dickinson, cricket magazine. © by cricket media, inc. reproduced with permission.
3 how does the setting of the story contribute to the development of a theme about the unexpected?
a. precious gems hidden at an ordinary beach reinforce the idea that value can be found in unexpected places.
b. the woman’s frightening home emphasizes the idea that people have unexpected, secretive behavior.
c. the shift from past to present is a reminder of the value of childhood memories.
d. the ordinary town contrasts with the idea that extraordinary people can live anywhere.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The story involves finding red sea glass (later revealed as a ruby) at an ordinary beach. This shows value (precious gems) in an unexpected place, matching the theme of the unexpected.
• Option B: The woman's home isn't described as frightening, and the focus isn't on secretive behavior. Eliminate.
• Option C: The story shifts from past to present, but the theme isn't about childhood memories' value. Eliminate.
• Option D: The town is ordinary, but the theme is about unexpected value in ordinary places, not extraordinary people. Eliminate.

Answer:

A. Precious gems hidden at an ordinary beach reinforce the idea that value can be found in unexpected places.