Quickread
Deep Delivery
“I love my job. I drive a submarine!” you think, as you get inside. The little
ship fits only one person. But, that is fine by you. To you, sinking in the
ocean is fun. You work for the Remote Transit Company. RTC takes things
to tricky spots.
As an RTC driver, you carry cargo to underwater places. Your trips have
cool sights. They also have eerie quiet. Yet, it’s not all fun. You have to be
careful. There is a danger in the sea. The ocean is home to the giant squid.
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That’s why your pay is so good. Not many kids will take the risk. Being
crushed by a sea monster is a scary thought. RTC has to pay well to find
drivers.
You haven’t seen a squid yet. Though, you’ve only made a few trips. You
always leave from Seashell Harbor. Then, you drive to Atlantis 12. It is a
dome-shaped building on the ocean floor. There, people do secret tests.
You hear they use rare sea animals.
Today, your sub pushes you slowly down. As you sink, you don’t believe
your eyes. About fifty feet away is a squid. It is black and slimy. It looks
hungry. And, it is getting closer. You know its sticky arms will be grabbing
you soon. You have to act fast. “You are not getting this kid. Not today,”
you say. You tap the computer screen on your dash. You must call RTC
Central Command.
In seconds, the face of Mr. Haddock shows on the screen. He is your boss.
As he talks, you begin your escape. You are trained to run away. You jerk
the steering wheel to the left. You push up on a lever to increase speed.
That seems to work. It puts some space between you and the squid. “This
is Haddock. What’s wrong, Driver 17?”
“Squid. A big one. Tell me how to lose this thing.”
“Relax,” says Mr. Haddock. “This is the first one you have seen. You don’t
know if it’s big.” You gaze into your rear-view mirror. The squid is back. It
is clearly chasing you. You are being hunted.
Sweat drips from you. Your heart beats quickly. “I could go faster if I drop
the package.”
“No!” yells Mr. Haddock. “Do that and you’re fired. We can never lose
cargo. On your dashboard is a red button. There is a picture of a cloud on
it. Press it as the squid gets within ten feet. Don’t do it too soon. It won’t
work. But, do it too late, and well…”
You see the button. You don’t know what it does. Now, you will find out.
When the squid is close, you hit the button hard.
At first, nothing seems to happen. There are no bombs going off. There
are no harpoons being shot at the squid. “Is the button broken?” you say.
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But, just then, you see a brown poof of liquid. It fills the water behind you.
“Did you do it?” asks Mr. Haddock. “Did you use the spray?”
“Yeah. Phew. I think it worked. The squid is gone,” you say. You sit back in
your seat. You feel relieved.
“That’s fake squid stink. The same kind they squirt when they feel scared.
It tricks the squid into wanting to flee. But, it costs a fortune. It only works
half the time.”
“Got it,” you say. “On to my delivery.” You tap the screen to close the
call. Then, you steer yourself back on track. “After this, I think I will get a
new job,” you say.
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Review Quiz
Cause & Effect (RL.3)
1. What was the effect of you pressing the cloud button?
A The squid got angry.
B Nothing.
C
The sub sprayed brown liquid.
D Mr. Haddock yelled at you.
Plot Sequence (RL.2)
2. What happened first?
A You called your boss.
B You pressed a button.
C
You saw a squid.
D You pushed a lever.
Compare/Cont. (RL.3)
3. How are you and the squid the same?
A You both are underwater.
B You both live in the ocean.
C
You both are slimy.
D You both have a boss.
Recalling Details (RL.1)
4. Where do you always go in your submarine?
A Seashell Harbor.
B Atlantis City.
C
Atlanta.
D Atlantis 12.
Story Setting (RL.3)
5. Which is part of the story’s setting (where it takes place)?
A Ocean water.
B Sunken treasure.
C
Seaweed.
D Your house.
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Review Quiz
Fact or Opinion? (RL.1)
6. Which of these ideas about your character is only an opinion?
A You are a sub driver.
B You should not have been scared by the squid.
C
You deliver cargo.
D This was the first time you had seen a squid.
Recalling Details (RL.1)
7. Why is your pay so good?
A So you would not quit.
B You are the best submarine driver in the world.
C
The job had a lot of danger.
D Both A and C.
Vocabulary (RL.4)
8. The squid is called slimy in paragraph 4. What does slimy mean?
A Hard to hold on to.
B Sneaky.
C
Oily and slippery.
D Covered in mud.
Visualization (RL.7)
9. What does the story’s picture tell us about your submarine?
A That there isn’t much room inside.
B That it can go really fast.
C
That it has been attacked by a squid before.
D That it would be fun to drive.
Summarizing (RL.2)
10. Overall, what happened in this story?
A A squid chased you until you followed the orders of your boss.
B You won your race with a squid from the beach to a city under the sea.
C
After being attacked by a giant squid, you quit your job.
D While trying to capture a squid, you delivered cargo.
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Open Response
1. Someday, you will have a job. Would you like to drive a submarine? Do you think it
would be fun? Or, could it be hard work? What do you think you would enjoy about
driving one? What might you not like?
2. What if you lived under the sea in a house with clear, glass walls? Would you like
living on the ocean floor? Why or why not? What could be the good about it? What
could be bad about it?
3. What if the squid got hold of you? What might have happened if you didn’t get
away? Do you think the squid could have hurt you? Or, would the sub have protected
you? Should you have been so scared?
4. The giant squid is a real animal that lives in our oceans. Look up the giant squid on
the Internet. Learn all you can about this animal. What are some facts you now know
about the giant squid? List a few.
5. In the story, you are making a delivery to people who are doing secret tests on
rare sea life. Do you think it is okay for people to do tests on animals? If so, what
makes it okay? If not, why is it wrong?
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