Function of Character Change: Short Fiction Practice Test
•5 QuestionsRead the following excerpt from an original short fiction passage:
Marta had been the one who kept the ledger at the bodega since her father’s hands began to shake—columns of rice sacks, bottled soda, and debt written in the same neat script she used for her own school notes. When the landlord’s letter came, she read it aloud twice, as if repetition could sand down the meaning: the rent would rise; the late fees would not be waived again.
Her father listened from behind the counter, nodding the way he nodded at customers who asked for credit. “We will manage,” he said, and Marta watched his fingers worry the edge of a receipt until it tore.
That afternoon, Mr. Paredes, who always smelled faintly of cologne and oranges, lingered by the freezer. “You’re smart,” he told Marta, his eyes flicking to the ledger. “Smart girls don’t get stuck in places like this. Bring me the numbers. I can help you.”
Marta had heard the word help before—teachers said it when they meant pity; neighbors said it when they meant gossip. Still, she copied the totals onto a scrap of paper and slipped it into her pocket.
At home, her little brother practiced spelling at the kitchen table. “Bodega,” he sounded out, stumbling on the g. Marta corrected him automatically, then watched him erase the word until the paper thinned.
That night, she unfolded the scrap of paper and wrote the rent increase beneath the totals. The sum looked like a bruise. She imagined handing it to Mr. Paredes, imagined his smile widening like a door.
In the morning, she returned to the store early. Her father was asleep in the back room, his shoes still on. Marta stood at the counter with the ledger open, the columns waiting.
When Mr. Paredes arrived, she held out the scrap of paper. He reached for it.
Marta didn’t let go. “If you want the numbers,” she said, steadying her voice, “you can ask my father in front of everyone.”
Mr. Paredes’s hand hovered, then withdrew. He laughed once, too loud, and bought nothing.
Later, when her father woke, Marta slid the ledger toward him. “I need you at the counter today,” she said. Her father blinked at her, then at the open page, as if seeing it for the first time.
In context, what is the primary function of Marta’s change in behavior at the moment in bold?
Read the following excerpt from an original short fiction passage:
Marta had been the one who kept the ledger at the bodega since her father’s hands began to shake—columns of rice sacks, bottled soda, and debt written in the same neat script she used for her own school notes. When the landlord’s letter came, she read it aloud twice, as if repetition could sand down the meaning: the rent would rise; the late fees would not be waived again.
Her father listened from behind the counter, nodding the way he nodded at customers who asked for credit. “We will manage,” he said, and Marta watched his fingers worry the edge of a receipt until it tore.
That afternoon, Mr. Paredes, who always smelled faintly of cologne and oranges, lingered by the freezer. “You’re smart,” he told Marta, his eyes flicking to the ledger. “Smart girls don’t get stuck in places like this. Bring me the numbers. I can help you.”
Marta had heard the word help before—teachers said it when they meant pity; neighbors said it when they meant gossip. Still, she copied the totals onto a scrap of paper and slipped it into her pocket.
At home, her little brother practiced spelling at the kitchen table. “Bodega,” he sounded out, stumbling on the g. Marta corrected him automatically, then watched him erase the word until the paper thinned.
That night, she unfolded the scrap of paper and wrote the rent increase beneath the totals. The sum looked like a bruise. She imagined handing it to Mr. Paredes, imagined his smile widening like a door.
In the morning, she returned to the store early. Her father was asleep in the back room, his shoes still on. Marta stood at the counter with the ledger open, the columns waiting.
When Mr. Paredes arrived, she held out the scrap of paper. He reached for it.
Marta didn’t let go. “If you want the numbers,” she said, steadying her voice, “you can ask my father in front of everyone.”
Mr. Paredes’s hand hovered, then withdrew. He laughed once, too loud, and bought nothing.
Later, when her father woke, Marta slid the ledger toward him. “I need you at the counter today,” she said. Her father blinked at her, then at the open page, as if seeing it for the first time.
In context, what is the primary function of Marta’s change in behavior at the moment in bold?