Tara’s Turtle Trouble

Lexile: 510 | Grade: 3

Passage

Tara loved animals. She had a cat named Whiskers and a fish named Bubbles. But one day, she found something new—a turtle slowly walking near her backyard fence.

The turtle looked lost. Tara gently picked it up and placed it in a box with some lettuce and water. She named it Toby.

At first, Tara wanted to keep Toby forever. But the next day, she read online that wild turtles are happiest when they live outside in nature.

Tara felt sad. She liked Toby, but she also wanted him to be happy. She told her mom, 'I think we should let him go.'

Tara and her mom took Toby to a nearby pond with grass, rocks, and sunshine. Tara set him down, and he slowly walked into the water.

'Goodbye, Toby,' she whispered. 'I hope you have a great turtle life.'

Questions

Q1: Where did Tara find the turtle?

  • A. At the pet store
  • B. In her room
  • C. Near her backyard fence
  • D. In a pond

Q2: What did Tara name the turtle?

  • A. Whiskers
  • B. Toby
  • C. Bubbles
  • D. Rocky

Q3: Why did Tara decide to let the turtle go?

  • A. Her mom told her to
  • B. She didn’t like turtles anymore
  • C. She learned turtles are happier in the wild
  • D. The turtle ran away

Q4: How did Tara feel about letting Toby go?

  • A. Angry and upset
  • B. Sad but understood it was the right thing
  • C. Happy and excited
  • D. Confused and unsure

Q5: What is the best lesson from this story?

  • A. Turtles are fun to keep as pets.
  • B. Always keep wild animals at home.
  • C. Sometimes doing the kind thing means letting go.
  • D. You should never feed turtles lettuce.

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Answers & Reasoning

Q1: Where did Tara find the turtle?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The story says Tara found the turtle slowly walking near her backyard fence.

Q2: What did Tara name the turtle?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: Tara named the turtle Toby after placing it in a box with food and water.

Q3: Why did Tara decide to let the turtle go?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: Tara read online that wild turtles are happiest when they live in nature, which helped her make the decision.

Q4: How did Tara feel about letting Toby go?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: Tara was sad but also wanted the turtle to be happy, showing she understood it was the right thing to do.

Q5: What is the best lesson from this story?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The story teaches that being kind sometimes means making hard choices, like letting Toby go where he belongs.