Question

4. Based on Tony's thoughts about Belinda, which of these sounds like something he might expect her to say?
"I'd rather play softball."
"I want to win this race."
"I don't like sports."
"This race will be easy!"

Answer 1

The Race

Tony had performed well in every event through the entire field day. He had even won two events outright. In the standing jump he had broken the school record by almost an inch. He had come in second in the softball throw by less than three inches. According to his point tally, he was in the running for most points and the grand prize of a $25 cash card. If he won the three-legged race, or at least finished ahead of Stan Marks, the card was his; plus, his name would go on the plaque in the trophy cabinet.
When he found out who he’d be paired with, his heart sank. Belinda had to be the most uncoordinated girl in the fifth grade. She was nice enough, but she was tall and didn’t seem to have grown into her body. Tony had played softball on the same team as her at church, and she struck out every time she came to bat. Instinctively, he looked around to see who Stan was racing with: Becky Nance, the pitcher on the girls softball team. Tony could feel the $25 slipping from his hands.
The teams strapped their legs together. Tony grabbed Belinda’s arm and said, “I’ve done this before, and the secret is to not to go fast but just keep a steady pace. So I’m going to keep a cadence, like we were marching. When the race starts, step with your outside foot first. If we try to run, we’ll lose our balance and fall down. Remember, outside foot first, then step when I say step.”
Belinda could see that Tony was serious about winning this race, and it made her nervous. She had never liked field day, and she hadn’t done all that well this year. She particularly hated the three-legged race because she was taller than most of the boys. Luckily, she was not taller than Tony.
“Contestants come to the starting line,” Mr. Robeson said. “On your marks. Get set. Go!”
The contestants jumped from the starting line. Before they’d gone more than a few paces, it looked like a herd of mutant camels. Within the first five yards, half the teams had fallen down, including Stan and Becky. Everybody was laughing, except for Tony, who was barking, “Step! Step! Step!” across the whole course. Their leg lengths were well matched, and Belinda stayed with Tony stride for stride. When they crossed the finish line, they were not only first, they were the only team that hadn’t fallen down!
Belinda was beaming at the accomplishment, and Tony was hooting and hollering. When he hugged Belinda, they lost their balance and toppled over. Tony didn’t care, he had won the prize!