"The Race"

Passage from "The Secret Adversary"

For a moment or two they stood staring at each other stupidly, dazed with the shock. Somehow, inexplicably, Mr. Brown had forestalled them. Tommy accepted defeat quietly. Not so Julius.

"How in tarnation did he get ahead of us? That's what beats me!"…

"How did he get ahead of us? We hustled all we knew. It's downright impossible for anyone to get here quicker than we did. And, anyway, how did he know? Do you reckon there was a dictaphone in Jane's room? I guess there must have been."

But Tommy's common sense pointed out objections.

"No one could have known beforehand that she was going to be in that house—much less that particular room."

"That's so," admitted Julius. "Then one of the nurses was a crook and listened at the door. How's that?"

"I don't see that it matters anyway," said Tommy wearily. "He may have found out some months ago, and removed the papers, then——No, by Jove, that won't wash! They'd have been published at once."

"Sure thing they would! No, some one's got ahead of us to-day by an hour or so. But how they did it gets my goat."

Reading Comprehension Questions

1) The scene in the above passage is most likely taken from which of the following types of genres?

a. fantasy / fairy tale

b. health / medicine

c. love / relationships

d. detective / mystery

2) The first paragraph of the above passage has the sentence: “Somehow, inexplicably, Mr. Brown had forestalled them.” Which of the following sentences has the same meaning?

a. Surprisingly, Mr. Brown gave them a helping hand.

b. Strangely, Mr. Brown managed to beat them to the punch.

c. Oddly, Mr. Brown seemed like he couldn’t care less.

d. Shockingly, Mr. Brown was looking for a fight.

3) In the third paragraph, the characters suspect that there may have been a “dictaphone” in Jane’s room. Based on the context, what is the most likely meaning of this word?

a. a recording device

b. a weapon

c. a hidden mailbox

d. a money stash

4) If the above passage is at the beginning of a novel, it seems like which of the following is important for the reader to know prior to the conflict resolution of that novel?

a. how long Mr. Brown stayed in the house

b. why Tommy and Julius could not find a quicker way to the house

c. why Jane did not give them directions to the house

d. how Mr. Brown is getting his information

5) Based on the context, it is clear that which of the following took place just before the scene in the above passage?

a. Tommy and Julius spotted Mr. Brown and followed him

b. Tommy and Julius raced to the house as fast as they could go

c. Tommy and Julius called Jane to give her a warning

d. Tommy and Julius suspected a trap and avoided the house

6) Which of the following best describes the mood of the characters in the above passage?

a. optimistic

b. confident

c. flustered

d. uninterested

Answer Key

1) The scene in the above passage is most likely taken from which of the following types of genres?

a. fantasy / fairy tale

b. health / medicine

c. love / relationships

d. detective / mystery

2) The first paragraph of the above passage has the sentence: “Somehow, inexplicably, Mr. Brown had forestalled them.” Which of the following sentences has the same meaning?

a. Surprisingly, Mr. Brown gave them a helping hand.

b. Strangely, Mr. Brown managed to beat them to the punch.

c. Oddly, Mr. Brown seemed like he couldn’t care less.

d. Shockingly, Mr. Brown was looking for a fight.

3) In the third paragraph, the characters suspect that there may have been a “dictaphone” in Jane’s room. Based on the context, what is the most likely meaning of this word?

a. a recording device

b. a weapon

c. a hidden mailbox

d. a money stash

4) If the above passage is at the beginning of a novel, it seems like which of the following is important for the reader to know prior to the conflict resolution of that novel?

a. how long Mr. Brown stayed in the house

b. why Tommy and Julius could not find a quicker way to the house

c. why Jane did not give them directions to the house

d. how Mr. Brown is getting his information

5) Based on the context, it is clear that which of the following took place just before the scene in the above passage?

a. Tommy and Julius spotted Mr. Brown and followed him

b. Tommy and Julius raced to the house as fast as they could go

c. Tommy and Julius called Jane to give her a warning

d. Tommy and Julius suspected a trap and avoided the house

6) Which of the following best describes the mood of the characters in the above passage?

a. optimistic

b. confident

c. flustered

d. uninterested