The Coding Challenge
Lexile: 920 | Grade: 9
Passage
Noah had never entered a competition before. He liked computer class and enjoyed solving puzzles, but he didn’t think of himself as someone who won prizes or stood out. When his teacher announced a district-wide coding challenge, Noah planned to ignore it.
That changed when Ms. Patel pulled him aside after class. 'You’ve got a knack for problem-solving,' she said. 'You should think about entering. It’s not about winning—it’s about stretching yourself.'
Noah shrugged, but later at home, curiosity got the better of him. He opened the challenge website. The task was to create a simple app that could help students in everyday life. Ideas began to form in his mind—a homework planner, a lunch menu checker, a reminder app. Maybe he *could* try.
For the next two weeks, Noah spent hours after school learning new coding skills. He hit errors, got frustrated, and even considered giving up. But each time he made a breakthrough, no matter how small, he felt a rush of excitement. His app wasn’t perfect, but it worked. It helped students plan their assignments and even sent friendly reminders.
On presentation day, Noah felt nervous as he stood beside his poster and laptop. Students and judges walked by, asking questions. Some seemed impressed. One judge said, 'I like how practical it is. You’ve thought about real problems.'
Noah didn’t win first place, but he earned an honorable mention—and something more important. He realized he *could* take risks and learn through failure. He didn’t need to be the best to be proud of what he had built.
As he packed up his project, Ms. Patel smiled at him from across the room. Noah smiled back, already thinking about what he might create next.
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Questions
Q1: Why did Noah decide to enter the coding challenge?
- A. He was required to participate for class credit.
- B. He wanted to compete with his classmates.
- C. His teacher encouraged him and he grew curious about the challenge.
- D. He already had an app built and wanted to show it off.
Q2: What did Noah’s app help students do?
- A. Study for exams by using flashcards
- B. Find new games to play after school
- C. Plan their assignments and get reminders
- D. Connect with friends during breaks
Q3: How did Noah feel while building the app?
- A. Confident and relaxed the whole time
- B. Frustrated at times but excited by progress
- C. Disappointed and uninterested
- D. Confused about what to build
Q4: What can we infer about Noah by the end of the passage?
- A. He wishes he hadn’t entered the challenge.
- B. He regrets not winning first place.
- C. He gained confidence and is motivated to try more projects.
- D. He plans to stop coding after this experience.
Q5: What does the word 'practical' most likely mean in the sentence: 'I like how practical it is. You’ve thought about real problems'?
- A. Complicated and technical
- B. Fun and entertaining
- C. Useful and helpful in real life
- D. Easy to build
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Answers & Reasoning
Q1: Why did Noah decide to enter the coding challenge?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Noah wasn’t planning to enter until his teacher encouraged him and he looked up the challenge out of curiosity.
Q2: What did Noah’s app help students do?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Noah’s app was a practical tool to help students organize school tasks and send reminders.
Q3: How did Noah feel while building the app?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The passage describes Noah facing challenges, feeling frustrated, but also enjoying small successes along the way.
Q4: What can we infer about Noah by the end of the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Noah is proud of his effort and already thinking about his next project, showing growth in confidence.
Q5: What does the word 'practical' most likely mean in the sentence: 'I like how practical it is. You’ve thought about real problems'?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: In context, the judge is complimenting the app for solving actual student problems, making it useful.
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