Every morning at exactly 6:00 a.m., Elian unlocked the door of the clock shop and swept the sawdust from the wooden floor. The walls ticked softly—more than forty clocks, each slightly off from the next. The noise was constant, like a thousand hearts beating out of rhythm.
The shop’s owner, Mr. Halden, rarely spoke. He wore thick glasses and smelled faintly of copper and varnish. He once told Elian, 'A clock is a memory in motion. Fixing one is like restoring time to its rightful path.' Elian never quite understood what that meant, but he repeated it to himself anyway.
At school, Elian blended into the corners of classrooms and walked the halls unnoticed. But in the shop, he mattered. When a pendulum swung unevenly or a gear slipped, he could feel it—like a quiet imbalance in his chest. He learned to listen before he touched anything.
One day, Mr. Halden didn’t arrive. Elian waited an hour, then another. He called the landline—no answer. The clocks kept ticking, their sound suddenly too loud. That afternoon, a man in a gray suit arrived and told Elian the shop would be closing. Mr. Halden had passed away.
For weeks, the windows stayed dark. Elian passed the shop without looking inside. He imagined the clocks slowing down, one by one, as if they knew they had been left behind. Then, one day, he stopped in front of the door. He pressed his palm to the glass, closed his eyes, and listened.
A faint tick echoed through the silence—offbeat, persistent. He turned the knob and stepped inside. It smelled like dust and memory. Elian reached for the key under the register, unlocked the back cabinet, and wound the smallest clock first. He didn’t need permission. Time, it seemed, was asking to be remembered.
Q1: What does the act of fixing clocks most likely symbolize for Elian?
Q2: How does the author develop the theme of time throughout the passage?
Q3: What does the line 'Time, it seemed, was asking to be remembered' suggest?
Q4: How does the tone of the passage change after Mr. Halden's death?
Q5: What deeper message does the story suggest about legacy and presence?
Printable Comprehension Practice
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Q1: What does the act of fixing clocks most likely symbolize for Elian?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Fixing clocks becomes Elian’s way of grounding himself, suggesting emotional and symbolic depth beyond the physical task.
Q2: How does the author develop the theme of time throughout the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The author uses clocks, sound, and Elian’s emotional shifts to explore time as something personal, fragile, and symbolic.
Q3: What does the line 'Time, it seemed, was asking to be remembered' suggest?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: This line uses personification to express how Elian sees restoring clocks as a form of honoring memory and legacy.
Q4: How does the tone of the passage change after Mr. Halden's death?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The tone grows more emotional and inward-looking, reflecting grief and growth, especially as Elian takes initiative.
Q5: What deeper message does the story suggest about legacy and presence?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Elian’s decision to return and care for the clocks suggests that legacy is not always grand—it can be a quiet, steady act of care and remembrance.