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Reading Comprehension
Volume 4, Number 33, May 24, 1999
www.rhlschool.com

Read the selection without stopping to choose the correct missing words. Then read it again, pausing to underline the correct words. Finally, read the selection again to see if it makes sense.

The Splat Bug, Part I

“What’s wrong, Tremor?” asked Travesty Troll. Her son was sitting in a corner with his head down.
“The kids were choosing sides for a noseball game. They said I couldn’t play because the sides wouldn’t be even. I think it’s because I’m not good at sports. I’m just not normal.”
“You’re normal,” Travesty insisted. “You’re just a little small; you’ll grow.”
“If Trogmire had been there, he’d have made them let me play!” Tremor stated firmly. Trogmire had his faults, but when things got serious, he was a __1__ friend.
Travesty looked out the kitchen window. “Speaking of Trogmire, there he is now.”
Tremor ran out the door. Now he had someone to play with. Soon they were both running around the yard playing troll tag.
“What’s that over there?” shouted Trogmire as something at the edge of the lawn __2__ his eye.
Tremor and Trogmire raced to __3__ the discovery. __4__ down to take a closer look, they saw what at first glance seemed to be a purple grape. However, it had six short legs and a small round head stuck to the front of its grapelike __5__. The eyes were tiny black dots. Its mouth wasn’t even visible. The two young trolls had never seen anything like it.
Tremor’s father, Trauma Troll, had __6__ his yard work to see what the excitement was about. “That’s a splat bug!” he announced as he stomped on the little creature.
“Why did you kill it?” Tremor protested. “Does it bite?”
“__7__, splat bugs don’t really bother anyone; they’re just ugly,” Trauma replied as he scraped the __8__ of his shoe against a rock. “Trolls are just supposed to step on them. That’s how they got their __9__. There used to be a lot __10__ splat bugs around when I was young, but for some reason they’re hard to find nowadays.”
Tremor looked sad. “I don’t understand. Why should I step on something that’s not bothering me?”
“It’s just what normal trolls do!” Trauma Troll declared. “And that’s that!”
Trogmire ran around in circles chanting, “Splat the bug, splat the bug!”

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