The Folded Letter
Lexile: 1090 | Grade: 10
Passage
The letter had been sitting in the drawer for six years. It was folded once, carefully, as if whoever wrote it believed in permanence. Leena never touched it—just kept it buried beneath worn notebooks, theater ticket stubs, and dried-out pens. It wasn’t that she forgot it existed; it was that she remembered it too clearly.
It was her father’s last letter—the one he wrote before he left. He had slipped it under her bedroom door the night he walked out, and for weeks afterward, she kept expecting him to return and say it had all been a test. That the silence was temporary. That people don’t vanish just because they feel unseen.
But he hadn’t returned. And the letter remained unread.
Now, standing at the edge of the same room, older but unsure if wiser, she stared at the drawer. Outside, the evening dimmed into that soft color between violet and ash. The kind of light that asked questions.
She opened the drawer. Slowly, without ceremony, she lifted the letter. It was lighter than she expected—as if memory weighed more than paper.
She didn’t read it all at once. Her eyes flicked over familiar handwriting, catching fragments: *“I wasn’t strong enough…” “You reminded me of myself…” “Forgive me, if you can.”*
She folded it again. Once. Like before. Then she sat down on the edge of the bed and whispered, 'Maybe not yet.'
It wasn’t forgiveness. But it was something.
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Questions
Q1: What internal conflict is Leena experiencing in the passage?
- A. Whether to return to school or travel abroad
- B. Whether to forgive her absent father by reading his letter
- C. Whether to write her own letter to someone else
- D. Whether to find her father's location and confront him
Q2: What theme is most strongly explored in the story?
- A. Betrayal leads to violence
- B. Time heals all wounds without effort
- C. Forgiveness is a gradual process shaped by memory and choice
- D. Parents should always explain their actions to children
Q3: How does the author use imagery in the line, 'It was lighter than she expected—as if memory weighed more than paper'?
- A. To describe how cheaply the letter was made
- B. To express that physical objects can hold emotional weight
- C. To suggest the letter had been rewritten many times
- D. To indicate that Leena was imagining the letter
Q4: What does the phrase 'The kind of light that asked questions' suggest?
- A. The lighting was too dim for reading
- B. The setting sun reminded Leena of things unresolved
- C. Someone was spying on Leena through the window
- D. The room was filling with unanswered phone calls
Q5: Why does Leena choose not to finish reading the letter?
- A. She doesn’t believe it’s really from her father
- B. She plans to read it out loud to her mother
- C. She’s not emotionally ready to confront what it contains
- D. The letter is too damaged to read completely
Q6: What is implied by the final line, 'It wasn’t forgiveness. But it was something.'?
- A. Leena is mocking the idea of forgiveness
- B. Leena is beginning a journey toward healing
- C. Leena has decided to throw the letter away
- D. Leena fully forgives her father without reading the letter
Q7: Which tone best describes the overall story?
- A. Bitter and vengeful
- B. Lighthearted and playful
- C. Reflective and emotionally restrained
- D. Panicked and chaotic
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Answers & Reasoning
Q1: What internal conflict is Leena experiencing in the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The core of the story is Leena’s emotional struggle with whether or not to open and confront the letter left by her father.
Q2: What theme is most strongly explored in the story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The story deals with Leena’s slow, emotional journey toward facing her past and beginning—though not completing—the process of forgiveness.
Q3: How does the author use imagery in the line, 'It was lighter than she expected—as if memory weighed more than paper'?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The metaphor highlights how emotional weight can far outweigh the physical object tied to it.
Q4: What does the phrase 'The kind of light that asked questions' suggest?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: This poetic line suggests that the time of day evokes reflection and internal questioning, aligned with Leena’s emotional state.
Q5: Why does Leena choose not to finish reading the letter?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The story suggests she is at the edge of acceptance but still in a fragile, uncertain emotional state.
Q6: What is implied by the final line, 'It wasn’t forgiveness. But it was something.'?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The statement acknowledges emotional progress without claiming a full resolution—showing nuance and maturity.
Q7: Which tone best describes the overall story?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The story uses subdued language, subtle symbolism, and emotional distance to explore deep feelings in a quiet, introspective way.
Printable Comprehension Practice
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