Worksheet teaching students how to use introductory phrases to cite evidence from a story.

Explanation:
We are given a short passage and two questions. Let’s read the passage carefully:

> “When Jamie walked back from the back of the gift shop, there was a messy bag on the floor. Somehow, the summer’s a-tap-a-tap-back, the color was faded, and the zipper was stuck. She was dark in the backpack… She was cautious when he looked inside. Jamie found papers that were stuck together from an open bottle, and she tried to pick the cap off the glue bottle. There was a messy bag by the bottom and began to return. His markers had escaped from the box and the caps were missing. She noticed the black spot on the floor and tried to wipe it with a napkin. The backpack was full of school supplies and snacks. He decided it was time to make a list of his school supplies.”

Now, let’s answer each question.

Question 1: Where was Jamie’s backpack over the summer?
Look for clues about where the backpack *was* during the summer. The passage says:
> “the summer’s a-tap-a-tap-back” — this seems like a typo or garbled phrase. But more importantly:
> “When Jamie walked back from the back of the gift shop…”
> “…the backpack was full of school supplies and snacks.”
But the key clue is:
> “She was dark in the backpack…” — unclear.
Wait — reread:
> “Somehow, the summer’s a-tap-a-tap-back, the color was faded, and the zipper was stuck.”

This suggests the backpack was left somewhere over the summer — and it got faded and stuck, meaning it was exposed (e.g., left outside or in sunlight). Also:
> “There was a messy bag on the floor.”
> “She noticed the black spot on the floor…”

But the most direct clue is in the very first sentence of the passage (as presented in the prompt above the directions):
> “It was a clue… When Jamie walked back from the back of the gift shop…”
Wait — actually, look at the *introductory paragraph* quoted at the top (before the directions):
> “An introductory phrase sets the stage for the rest of the sentence. It is like a clue, but it does not contain its own subject and verb.”
Then it gives an example:
> “When Jamie walked back from the back of the gift shop, Jamie didn’t expect to see how dirty it was.”

Ah! That’s the clean version. So the real sentence is:
“When Jamie walked back from the back of the gift shop, Jamie didn’t expect to see how dirty it was.”

And then the passage continues:
> “Somehow, the summer’s a-tap-a-tap-back…” — likely a corrupted version. But the key is:
The backpack was *left at the gift shop* over the summer. Why? Because:
- She walks back *from the back of the gift shop* and sees the backpack there.
- It’s dirty, faded, zipper stuck — signs of being left out over summer.
- The phrase “the summer’s a-tap-a-tap-back” is probably a misprint for “the summer’s *backpack*” or similar — but context strongly implies the backpack was left behind at the gift shop.

Also, in the last sentence: “He decided it was time to make a list of his school supplies.” — note pronoun shift (Jamie → he), but ignore that; focus on location.

So: Where was the backpack over the summer? → At the gift shop (specifically, the back of the gift shop).

Question 2: What caused the dark spot on the floor?
From the passage:
> “His markers had escaped from the box and the caps were missing.”
> “She noticed the black spot on the floor and tried to wipe it with a napkin.”

Markers (especially permanent markers) leak ink if caps are off. The black spot matches black marker ink. So the dark spot was caused by leaked marker ink.

Let’s confirm:
- Markers escaped from box.
- Caps were missing.
- Black spot appeared on floor.
→ Logical cause: ink leaked out = dark/black spot.

Final answers:
1. At the back of the gift shop
2. Leaked marker ink (or ink from uncapped markers)

But the question asks for short answers, likely as phrased in the worksheet.

Looking at the format, question 1 expects a location; question 2 expects the cause.

So:
1. the back of the gift shop
2. leaked marker ink

Let me double-check: Is there any other possibility? Glue bottle was open, but glue is usually clear or white — not black. Only markers explain a *black* spot.

Yes.

Final Answer:
1. the back of the gift shop
2. leaked marker ink