EnglishFreePrintable

Meeting Oliver: First Impressions

A free english worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Meeting Oliver: First Impressions

Read the original story opening below. Then answer the questions using details from the text. When you make an inference, explain which detail helped you reach it.

The Last Ferry

By the time Mara reached the wharf, the last ferry was already groaning away from the pier. Rain stitched silver lines across the harbour. She had one hand wrapped around her backpack strap and the other around a paper bag that was beginning to sag. A boy named Oliver stood beneath the shelter, perfectly dry. His dark coat was buttoned to the chin, and his polished shoes looked as if they had never met a puddle. He watched the ferry disappear, then glanced at Mara’s dripping sleeves. “You missed it,” he said. “I noticed,” Mara replied. She tried to sound annoyed, but her stomach gave a loud rumble. The paper bag held the last two cheese scones from the bakery. One had already tipped sideways. The boy looked at the bag. “You could eat one before it falls apart.” Mara tightened her grip. “I’m saving them.” “For someone?” She didn’t answer. Her phone had no signal, and the next ferry was not due for an hour. She had promised her little brother she would be home before dark. The boy reached into his coat and pulled out a small, battered torch. “The path over the headland is shorter,” he said. “But it gets slippery.” Mara looked at his spotless shoes again. “Have you actually walked it?” For the first time, he hesitated. Then he held out the torch. “Not lately.” His smile appeared and vanished so quickly that Mara could not decide whether it was a joke. She took the torch. The boy picked up his own bag, which was much heavier than it looked. Together, they stepped out into the rain.

Gather clues

Use the passage to identify what the writer shows directly and what a reader can infer.

1.Name the place where Mara and the boy meet. Give two details that create the mood of the setting.

2.Which description most strongly suggests that the boy is careful about his appearance?

His shoes look as if they have never met a puddle.
He watches the ferry disappear.
He carries a battered torch.
He asks whether Mara is saving the scones.

3.What problem is Mara facing, and why does getting home matter to her?

4.The boy’s shoes are spotless, but he offers a route that gets slippery. What might this contrast make a reader wonder about him?

5.True or false: The passage tells us exactly who Mara is saving the cheese scones for.

TrueFalse

6.Complete the sentence: The phrase “rain stitched silver lines across the harbour” uses language to make the rain seem visible and vivid.

7.At first, the boy may seem confident and helpful. Identify one detail that complicates this impression, and explain how it changes what you think about him.

8.Write a short response explaining your first impression of the boy. Include two specific details from the passage and explain what each detail suggests.