Every morning before sunrise, Jordan walked to the old quarry on the edge of town. The stone walls, scarred from years of excavation, loomed silent and gray, like pages waiting to be rewritten. This place had once fueled the region’s economy—until progress moved on and left it behind.
Jordan came not for nostalgia, but clarity. Life had become a blur of half-finished applications, missed opportunities, and the hollow encouragements people gave when they didn’t know what else to say. *You’ll find your path.* *Something will click.* But the waiting felt endless, like pacing a hallway with no doors.
In the quarry, Jordan picked up a chisel and returned to the rough block of granite started weeks ago. There was no teacher, no instructions—just time, effort, and the steady rhythm of trial and error. At first, the stone gave nothing. But slowly, beneath the surface, form began to emerge—not flawless, but real.
The work was not about art. It was about choosing not to be motionless. About carving shape into uncertainty. The stone, indifferent and unyielding, became a metaphor: progress doesn’t announce itself. It’s chipped, slowly, from resistance.
One day, Jordan stepped back and saw the faint outline of a figure in the stone—still rough, but present. And in that unfinished sculpture was a truth more solid than advice: sometimes the path isn’t found. It’s made. Not by waiting, but by working. Not by knowing, but by doing.
Q1: Why does Jordan return to the quarry each morning?
Q2: What is the symbolic role of the stone in the story?
Q3: What theme is expressed in the final sentence of the passage?
Q4: How does the setting contribute to the passage's mood and theme?
Q5: How does Jordan change over the course of the passage?
Printable Comprehension Practice
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Q1: Why does Jordan return to the quarry each morning?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The quarry represents a space for reflection and self-motivation; Jordan uses it to process uncertainty through action.
Q2: What is the symbolic role of the stone in the story?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The stone, hard and slow to change, mirrors the effort it takes to shape one’s future without guarantees or guidance.
Q3: What theme is expressed in the final sentence of the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The story ends with the idea that taking action, even without certainty, is the foundation of self-determined progress.
Q4: How does the setting contribute to the passage's mood and theme?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The abandoned quarry serves as a metaphorical backdrop for solitude, reflection, and the shaping of identity.
Q5: How does Jordan change over the course of the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: Jordan begins with uncertainty but transforms through consistent effort and finds purpose in self-created progress.