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Short Story Analysis Workshop

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Short Story Analysis Workshop

Read the original short story below, then complete the questions. Use details from the story to support your ideas. There may be more than one reasonable interpretation.

The Last Ferry

On Friday afternoon, Maia hurried down the wet path to the wharf. In her backpack was a small wooden bird she had carved for her grandfather. He was moving to another town the next morning, and she wanted to give it to him before he left. A gust of wind snatched the paper bag from her hand. It skittered across the wharf and stopped beside the ferry ramp. The ferry’s engine rumbled. Passengers were already boarding. This was the final ferry service of the day. Maia could have dashed onto the ramp, but the deckhand had begun to raise it. She froze. Then she noticed a younger boy staring at the bag from the other side of a puddle. He looked ready to run after it too. “Wait there,” Maia called. She asked the deckhand to hold the ramp for a moment, then carefully reached the bag with the tip of her umbrella. The boy picked it up and handed it to her. The ferry waited; nobody complained. On board, Maia opened the bag. The wooden bird was safe, but one wing had a fresh scratch. She traced the mark with her thumb. It was not perfect now, but it had made the journey with her. When Maia gave the bird to her grandfather, he smiled. “A scratch means it has a story already,” he said. Maia looked back towards the wharf. She had nearly missed the ferry, but she had not needed to face the moment alone.

Understand the story

Use precise details from the story when you explain your thinking.

1.Why does Maia want to give the carved bird to her grandfather before he moves? Choose the best answer.

She wants to catch the ferry before it leaves.
She is meeting the younger boy for the first time.
She has forgotten her umbrella at home.
She wants her grandfather to have the bird before he leaves for another town.

2.Put these events in the order they happen by numbering them 1–4: Maia gives the bird to her grandfather; the wind blows the bag away; Maia asks the deckhand to wait; the boy hands Maia the bag.

3.What is the main problem Maia faces at the wharf?

4.True or false? Maia solves the problem entirely by herself. Explain your answer with one detail from the story.

Look beneath the surface

Think about how the writer uses character choices, details and language to shape meaning.

5.Match each story detail to the idea it most strongly suggests.

The ferry engine rumbles and the ramp begins to rise.
The boy helps Maia retrieve the bag.
The bird has a fresh scratch.

Co-operation
Time pressure
An imperfect object can carry a meaningful story

6.The title is “The Last Ferry”. Give one literal meaning of the title and explain one way it also creates tension.

7.What might the scratch on the wooden bird symbolise? Support your interpretation with a detail from the ending.

8.Complete the statement with a word or short phrase: At the beginning Maia freezes, but later she takes action by asking the deckhand to .

Make an interpretation

Build a clear idea and back it up with evidence.

9.What message about asking for or accepting help could a reader take from this story? Explain your idea using two story details.

10.Imagine the boy had not been there. Write a different ending in 3–5 sentences that keeps Maia’s goal and the story’s message about thoughtful choices. Include one action Maia takes and its result.