Setting the Table: Close Reading Passage | Printable Texts, Skills ... - Free Printable

Thank you for uploading the image. I’ll solve the questions based on the passage “Setting the Table” and explain each answer clearly.

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Passage Summary:

- Joe is setting the table for supper.
- Each place setting needs a plate, a fork, a knife, and a spoon — for four people.
- One day, Joe sets the table for six people.
- His sister says, “Can’t you count?”
- He replies, “But then the doorbell rang. It was Grandma and Grandpa.”
- Mom says, “Good job, Joe!”

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## Question 1: In the paragraph, the word *there* must mean

> A. choose
> B. job
> C. count

✔ Correct Answer: C. count

Explanation:
The sentence is:
> “That night he set the table for six people. His sister teased him, ‘Can’t you count?’”

Joe set the table for six people instead of four. His sister is teasing him because she thinks he miscounted (he should have set it for only four). So “there” in the context refers to the idea that Joe didn’t *count* correctly — meaning he got the number wrong. The word “there” is likely part of a phrase like “Is there something wrong with your counting?” or implied as “you don’t know how to count.” So “there” points to the act of *counting*. Hence, C. count is correct.

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## Question 2: Which sentence is most likely true?

> A. Joe’s grandparents called him.
> B. Joe’s sister went out for dinner.
> C. The grandparents came for dinner every night.

✔ Correct Answer: A. Joe’s grandparents called him.

Explanation:
The key line is:
> “But then the doorbell rang. It was Grandma and Grandpa.”

This implies they arrived unexpectedly — Joe didn’t know they were coming until the doorbell rang. That suggests they probably *called ahead* to let the family know they were coming — otherwise, why would Joe set the table for six? He must have known they were coming, even if his sister didn’t.

Option B: There’s no evidence his sister went out — she’s at home teasing him.

Option C: “Every night” is too extreme — the story doesn’t say this happens regularly.

So A is the most reasonable inference — they likely called to say they were coming, so Joe prepared for six.

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## Question 3: Which sentence tells what most likely happens next?

> A. Joe’s grandparents spent the night.
> B. Six family members ate dinner together.
> C. Mom asked Joe to make the dinner.

✔ Correct Answer: B. Six family members ate dinner together.

Explanation:
Joe set the table for six people. Grandma and Grandpa showed up. Mom praised Joe (“Good job, Joe!”), which implies everything worked out. The logical next step is that all six people — Joe, his sister, his parents, Grandma, and Grandpa — sat down and ate dinner together.

Option A: No mention of them staying overnight — just that they came for dinner.

Option C: Mom didn’t ask Joe to cook — she praised him for setting the table. The passage never says Joe cooked.

So B is the most logical next event.

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## ✔ Final Answers:

1. C. count
2. A. Joe’s grandparents called him.
3. B. Six family members ate dinner together.

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