No one really used Room 206 anymore. The windows were clouded, the lights flickered, and the desks were all mismatched like pieces from different puzzles. It had been a reading room once, then a study hall, then forgotten altogether. But for Theo, it became something else.
He found it by accident during lunch—looking for quiet, not meaning. But as he sat alone in that strange, echoing room, something shifted. The silence didn’t feel empty. It felt full. Not with noise, but with thought. With questions he hadn’t made time to ask.
At first, he brought homework. But soon, he brought only himself. No music, no phone. Just a notebook. He didn’t write assignments. He wrote what he was really thinking: *Why do I always pretend I know what I’m doing? What if I don’t need all the answers yet?*
Each day, the room greeted him the same—quiet, flickering, flawed. But in that imperfection, he felt freedom. There were no teachers watching, no peers expecting him to act like everything made sense. Just space to pause and wonder.
Over weeks, his notebook filled with unfinished thoughts, sketches, half-poems, and odd questions. *Why does silence feel loud sometimes?* *If people change, how do we know who we really are?* He didn’t share it with anyone. Not because it was secret—but because it was still becoming.
One day, he noticed someone had written on the chalkboard: *'The room isn’t magic. You are.'* No name, no explanation. But Theo smiled. Because deep down, he understood. The room hadn’t changed him. It had only made room for him to listen to what was already waiting inside.
Printable Comprehension Practice
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Q1: Why does Theo keep returning to Room 206?
Q2: What does the room symbolize in the story?
Q3: How does Theo’s view of himself begin to change?
Q4: What theme is most clearly conveyed by the story?
Q5: Why is the message on the chalkboard important?
Printable Comprehension Practice
Visit us at https://readbuddies.com to practice interactively, track your progress, and explore more comprehension passages.
Q1: Why does Theo keep returning to Room 206?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Theo is drawn to the room for its quiet, allowing him space to think and reflect without judgment.
Q2: What does the room symbolize in the story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The room serves as a physical and symbolic space where Theo connects with his thoughts and identity.
Q3: How does Theo’s view of himself begin to change?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Theo’s questions show growing self-acceptance and emotional maturity as he learns to value reflection.
Q4: What theme is most clearly conveyed by the story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The story illustrates that giving oneself space to reflect leads to deeper self-discovery and emotional growth.
Q5: Why is the message on the chalkboard important?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The quote reflects the story’s main message: the space allowed Theo to hear himself, but the growth was already within him.
Printable Comprehension Practice
Visit us at https://readbuddies.com to practice interactively, track your progress, and explore more comprehension passages.