Question 1 of 16 · Reading
Vocabulary in context · Curriculum connections: 5.3B
A Different Sound — original fiction
Original classroom material; people, sources and data are fictional.
Jules tightened the string on the class instrument until its low note sounded clear. Across the table, Priya tested a wooden rattle with a broken handle. Jules said they should buy a new one before the concert. Priya disagreed. The rattle had been made by a former student, whose name was carved along its side.
They tried a tape repair, but the handle twisted loose. Jules reached for the order form. Priya laid the loose handle on paper and traced its shape. She noticed that a narrow edge, rather than the entire handle, had snapped away. “What if we support only this part?” she asked. Jules found a small clamp and padded it with cloth.
The clamp held during a short test. Jules shook the rattle more firmly, and the sound stayed steady. They recorded the failed tape repair as well as the clamp’s success. At the concert, Priya played the rattle while Jules watched the repaired edge. When it held through the last song, he put the unused order form beneath their repair notes.