The Room of Names

Lexile: 1150 | Grade: 8

Passage

The room didn’t have a sign. It sat at the end of a hallway no one used, behind a door that creaked even when no one touched it. Students said it used to be a storage closet, then a supply room, then something else. No one agreed on what, exactly. But Mira found it by accident, on a day she needed to disappear.

She stepped inside expecting boxes and dust. Instead, she found walls covered with names—hundreds, maybe thousands. Some were scribbled in pencil, others carved deep into the wood. Some names had stars next to them, or small symbols. A few were written in handwriting that looked exactly like hers. She stared at one for a long time. *Mira T.* It was dated two years ago.

But that didn’t make sense. Two years ago, she hadn’t even started at this school.

She touched the name gently. Nothing moved. Nothing flashed. But something shifted inside her—a memory she couldn’t place, like a dream fading before she could grab it. She looked around. Dozens of names surrounded hers. Some familiar. Some forgotten. One had been erased. Another was written over in a different color. The room felt still, but not silent.

Each time she returned, the names changed. New ones appeared. Old ones faded. One day, a friend’s name was gone. Another day, her name had moved lower on the wall. When she asked about the room, people looked confused. 'What room?' they'd ask, as if it had vanished from their maps.

Mira began to wonder if the room was real—or just something her mind had created. But each time she felt invisible in the real world, the door was still there. Each time she questioned who she was becoming, the walls still whispered names. Not loudly. Just enough.

On the last day of school, she stood before the wall with a pen in her hand. She didn’t write her full name this time. Just an initial. A line. A mark that only she would understand. Then she stepped back, nodded once, and walked out. The hallway seemed brighter. Her footsteps didn’t echo the same way.

And though she never saw the room again, she carried the name forward—unwritten, but still hers.

Questions

Q1: What is the central theme of the passage?

  • A. Students should not explore empty hallways.
  • B. Names should always be written clearly and completely.
  • C. Our identities are shaped by memory, perception, and self-discovery.
  • D. School buildings are often haunted by past students.

Q2: Why is the name 'Mira T.' written in her own handwriting from two years ago confusing to Mira?

  • A. She doesn't remember learning to write until last year.
  • B. She never wrote anything on the wall herself.
  • C. She hadn’t started attending the school two years ago.
  • D. Her full name is different than what's written.

Q3: What does the room of names most likely symbolize?

  • A. A record of grades and behavior reports
  • B. A secret hideout for students who break rules
  • C. A space representing shifting identity, self-awareness, and emotional presence
  • D. A magical portal to another school

Q4: What is the effect of the sentence, 'The room felt still, but not silent'?

  • A. It creates tension that something dangerous is about to happen.
  • B. It suggests that the room contains hidden energy or presence without making noise.
  • C. It shows Mira is imagining things because of stress.
  • D. It explains why students no longer use the hallway.

Q5: How does Mira change by the end of the story?

  • A. She becomes afraid of change and avoids the hallway.
  • B. She accepts her shifting identity and finds quiet confidence in it.
  • C. She forgets about the room completely.
  • D. She tells everyone at school about her discovery.

Q6: Why do other students say 'What room?' when Mira asks about it?

  • A. The room was locked and off-limits to everyone but teachers.
  • B. The room is imagined, hidden, or emotionally specific to Mira.
  • C. The students are pretending not to know out of fear.
  • D. They had their memories erased by the school staff.

Q7: What does Mira’s decision to write only a mark instead of her full name suggest?

  • A. She doesn’t remember how to spell her last name.
  • B. She is hiding her identity out of fear.
  • C. She is embracing a more private, symbolic version of identity.
  • D. She is preparing to transfer to a new school.

Q8: Which statement best explains the author's use of mystery in the story?

  • A. To create a supernatural horror story
  • B. To emphasize that unresolved experiences often carry emotional weight and meaning
  • C. To mislead the reader with false clues
  • D. To introduce a magical school where time travel is possible

Printable Comprehension Practice

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Answers & Reasoning

Q1: What is the central theme of the passage?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The story uses the mysterious room and changing names to explore the abstract journey of identity and personal growth.

Q2: Why is the name 'Mira T.' written in her own handwriting from two years ago confusing to Mira?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: This moment introduces mystery and hints at the room’s deeper connection to time, memory, or identity.

Q3: What does the room of names most likely symbolize?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The changing names and emotional tone suggest that the room is a metaphor for personal change, memory, and unseen transformation.

Q4: What is the effect of the sentence, 'The room felt still, but not silent'?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: The sentence adds to the room’s mysterious atmosphere, suggesting something meaningful exists beneath the surface.

Q5: How does Mira change by the end of the story?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: By marking the wall with a quiet symbol, not her full name, Mira demonstrates personal agency and comfort with who she is becoming.

Q6: Why do other students say 'What room?' when Mira asks about it?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: The room functions as a metaphor for a personal space of growth that others may not experience or recognize in the same way.

Q7: What does Mira’s decision to write only a mark instead of her full name suggest?

✅ Correct Answer: C

💡 Reasoning: The mark reflects her growing self-awareness and acceptance that not everything about identity needs to be publicly defined.

Q8: Which statement best explains the author's use of mystery in the story?

✅ Correct Answer: B

💡 Reasoning: The story uses ambiguity and unanswered questions to reflect real aspects of growing up, memory, and identity development.