Let's solve the reading comprehension questions based on the story
"Jasper and the Race". Here’s a step-by-step explanation for each question, followed by complete sentence answers.
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Story Summary:
- Jasper is an excellent long-distance runner who trains every day after school.
- He hopes to win a gold medal at the
Junior Athletics Meet in September.
- When September arrives, his grandma has to go to the hospital, which makes Jasper sad and unmotivated to run.
- However, when he visits her, she smiles and encourages him to compete.
- Inspired by her support, Jasper decides to give the race a try.
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Question 1: What did Jasper hope to do in September?
Answer:
Jasper hoped to win a gold medal at the Junior Athletics Meet in September.
Explanation:
The first sentence of the story clearly states: *"Jasper hoped to win a gold medal at the Junior Athletics Meet in September."* So, this is directly stated in the passage.
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Question 2: Why did Jasper not feel like running when September came along?
Answer:
Jasper did not feel like running because his grandma had to go to the hospital, and he was very sad.
Explanation:
The story says: *"When September came, Jasper's grandma had to go to hospital. Jasper was very sad and didn't feel like running at the meet."* His sadness due to his grandma’s illness made him lose motivation.
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Question 3: Why did Jasper decide to compete in the meet?
Answer:
Jasper decided to compete because his grandma smiled at him and encouraged him to run.
Explanation:
After visiting his grandma, the story says: *"However, when Jasper visited his grandma, she smiled and encouraged him to compete."* Her support gave him the motivation to participate.
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Question 4: What place do you think Jasper came in the race? How do you know?
Answer:
I think Jasper came in first place (won the gold medal) because he is described as an excellent long-distance runner and he was motivated by his grandma’s encouragement, which likely helped him perform his best.
Explanation:
While the story doesn’t explicitly say what place he came in, we can make a logical inference:
- The story says Jasper is an
excellent long-distance runner.
- He trained hard every day.
- He was initially discouraged but regained confidence from his grandma’s support.
- The story ends with him deciding to “give it a try,” implying he put in effort and likely performed well.
Since he had strong skills and emotional support, it’s reasonable to infer he competed strongly and possibly won — especially since the original goal was to win a gold medal, and the story highlights his determination.
> Note: This is an inference question, so any answer that is supported by evidence and reasoning is acceptable. Other possible answers could include "he came in second" or "he finished the race," depending on interpretation — but the most logical inference is that he succeeded due to his talent and renewed motivation.
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✔ Final Answers (in complete sentences):
1) Jasper hoped to win a gold medal at the Junior Athletics Meet in September.
2) Jasper did not feel like running because his grandma had to go to the hospital and he was very sad.
3) Jasper decided to compete because his grandma smiled at him and encouraged him to run.
4) I think Jasper came in first place because he is an excellent runner who trained hard and was inspired by his grandma’s encouragement, which likely helped him perform his best.
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Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of second grade reading comprehension worksheet pdf.
