Question 1 of 16 · Reading
Character, theme, and textual evidence · Curriculum connections: RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RL.4.3, RL.4.4
The Quiet Part — original fictional story
Original classroom material; people, sources and data are fictional.
Nico had practiced his trumpet solo until his cheeks ached. At the rehearsal for the school concert, he stood straight and played the final note louder than he ever had before. He expected applause from his group. Instead, Jae, who played the flute, lowered her instrument. “I cannot hear where I come in,” she said.
Nico thought Jae needed more practice. During the next song, however, he lost his own place when the drums covered the piano’s soft opening. Mr. Bell stopped the group. He asked everyone to listen while the piano played alone. The little tune was the signal that told the other players when to begin. Nico had never noticed it.
For the final rehearsal, Nico asked Jae to play her entrance while he listened. He marked a small star on his music where her flute should be heard. At the concert, he held his last note softly enough for Jae’s tune to rise above it. His solo sounded smaller, but the whole song sounded larger.
Afterward, Nico’s brother asked why the trumpet had been quieter. Nico tapped the star on his music. “That was my part too,” he said. He no longer measured a good performance by how much of himself the audience could hear.