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Daily 
Warm-Up
8
Fiction: Historical
The Raft
Marc shut the book with a satisfied sigh and leaned 
back against the headboard with his hands locked 
behind his head. Imagine, he thought, what it would be 
like to sail across the ocean like the men who had sailed 
a raft from South America to the Polynesian islands.
Growing up in Hawaii, he’d logged hours in and on the 
ocean—surfing, kayaking, and snorkeling. Through his 
experiences, he had cultivated a healthy respect and 
love for the ocean. His favorite stories were about the 
people of the islands who had arrived in crude boats 
centuries earlier.
Jumping up, Marc struck his fist in his hand, 
exclaiming, “I’ll do it! I’ll build my own raft and sail to 
the Pacific coast to visit my cousins in California.”
“Plan carefully, son,” his dad said when Marc presented 
the idea to him. “There are many obstacles confronting 
you that you’ll have to overcome. Consider the best 
wood to use, how you’ll keep food fresh, how long your 
voyage will take, how you will navigate, and how you 
will steer.”
Marc grinned, pleased his dad hadn’t rejected the idea 
or teased him. “I realize survival out on the ocean is a 
challenge. I’ll start small with a raft I can test in a 
local bay.”
Eventually, Marc managed to tie some small, straight 
logs together. He constructed a mast and, with his 
mom’s assistance, fashioned a sail out of a sheet. No 
navigational tools would be needed as he was just 
sailing from one side of the bay to the other.
He and his father placed the raft, which had been 
christened “Leaky,” onto a trailer and they unloaded it 
at the dock. Marc jumped on the raft, hoisted the sail, 
and set forth for the other side of the bay. However, 
he’d forgotten one of the things his father had 
mentioned. He also failed to account for waves close to 
the beach. Sadly, Marc never made it to the other side.
Text Questions
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 1 . What did Marc likely forget that his dad had mentioned?
a. food for the journey
b. a rudder for steering
c. a mast for the sail
d. navigational tools
 2 . Why did Marc decide to sail across the bay?
a. He wanted to test his raft before going out on the ocean.
b. He had never been out on the ocean before.
c. He wanted to get to the other side of the bay.
d. His raft was too small to sail on the ocean.
 3 . What historical event forms the basis for this story?
a. men sailing a raft from South America to the Polynesian islands
b. early explorers who sailed in crude boats and populated the islands
c. the invention of rafting
d. a hurricane in the Hawaiian Islands
 4 . What does it mean to say people sailed in crude boats?
a. The boats were made out of natural materials.
b. The men who sailed them used rough language.
c. The boats were rough and not carefully made.
d. There weren’t any decorations on the boats.
 5 . What inspired Marc to build a raft?
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#3658 Daily Warm-Ups: Reading

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