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Laughing Lantern Mystery Comprehension
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Laughing Lantern Mystery Comprehension
Read the passage carefully. Use details from the story to answer the questions. You may use bullet points for longer answers.
At Kōwhai Cove Theme Park, Zoe and Mele were helping Georgia check the lanterns along the winding path before the evening parade. One lantern near the old carousel gave a soft golden glow, even though its switch was off. Then it made a sound like someone quietly giggling: “Hee-hee-hee!”
“Maybe there’s a speaker inside,” Zoe whispered. Mele crouched to look but did not touch it. Georgia noticed that each laugh came just after a gust of wind rattled the carousel’s loose sign.
The friends followed the sound to the sign. Behind it, a small metal wind-up toy was wedged against the wooden frame. Wind shook the sign, nudging the toy’s winding key. The toy played a recording of laughter, while its little lamp shone through a gap in the boards. The lantern only seemed to be glowing by itself.
Georgia told the park caretaker what they had found. He thanked them for not pulling the sign apart. Together, they freed the toy and moved it to a safe table. The friends laughed too—not because anyone had been silly, but because a puzzling sound had led them to a clever answer. “Mystery solved,” said Mele. “And nobody had to be brave alone,” Zoe added.
Check the clues
Answer using evidence from the passage where you can.
1.Where were Zoe, Mele and Georgia when they discovered the strange lantern?
2.Which two details first made the lantern seem mysterious? Choose two.
- It glowed while its switch was off.
- It made a quiet giggling sound.
- It floated above the path.
- It changed into different colours.
3.What clue helped Georgia work out when the laughter happened?
4.What was really making the laughing sound?
- A toy playing a recording when its key was nudged.
- The carousel operator hiding nearby.
- The lantern’s switch making a squeak.
- A bird calling from inside the sign.
5.Why did the lantern appear to glow by itself?
6.True or false: The friends pulled the sign apart before speaking to the caretaker.
TrueFalse
7.Match each action to the character who did it.
- Noticed the laughter followed the gusts of wind
- Suggested there might be a speaker inside
- Crouched to look without touching the lantern
- Zoe
- Mele
- Georgia
8.What can you infer about the friends from the way they investigated? Give one piece of evidence.
9.Why does Zoe say, “nobody had to be brave alone”?
10.The story calls the answer “clever”. Explain how the friends solved the mystery using clues rather than guessing.
Draw the sign, the hidden wind-up toy and the lantern. Add labels to show how the wind made the toy laugh and why the lantern seemed to glow.
3 printable pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
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