The Big Race
Nicole Frail

Mrs. Smith’s sixth-grade class filed onto the grassy field behind the middle school after lunch. As she exited the building, Chelsea looked around for her closest friend, Brittany. She spotted her by the swings, talking to their classmate Brian.

“Brian thinks he’s the fastest person in Mrs. Smith’s class,” Brittany told her when she had joined them. It was obvious that Brittany didn’t agree with Brian.

“I guarantee I can beat anyone in this class to a race,” Brian said, tugging on the scarlet baseball cap that he wore each and every day. “In fact, I bet I can run faster than the seventh, eighth, and even ninth graders, too!”

Chelsea rolled her eyes, but wasn’t astonished by his declaration. Brian was typically overconfident; he was always challenging other students and expecting to win. According to Brian, he was so talented that he could hit more home runs than children on the baseball team and even could repeatedly make more baskets than the boys and girls on the basketball team.

“Who dares to challenge me?” Brian shouted, directing his question to every student on the playground. The students looked around, but no one volunteered.

“I’ll race you,” Chelsea said, breaking the awkward silence. She knew she wasn’t the fastest person on the playground, but if she possessed the determination necessary to win, perhaps she could complete the race first.

“First person around the field wins,” said Brian, stretching his legs and jumping up and down to ready himself for the race.

They approached the starting line, and Brittany counted to three.

“See you at the finish line!” Brian exclaimed and left Chelsea in the dust.

Brian soon disappeared around the first turn. Chelsea took a deep breath and continued to run at a quick pace. The sun was warm and she soon grew tired, but she didn’t stop. Ahead, Brian approached the finish line and as he began to celebrate, she watched him trip over a small mound of dirt and fall to the ground.

As Chelsea reached the finish line, she noticed that Brian was still seated on the ground, rubbing his injured knee. Instead of running past him and winning the race, Chelsea stooped down to help him stand. He leaned on her shoulder, and they completed the race together.

“You could've won,” Brian said as their friends came out to congratulate them.

Chelsea smiled. “Friends are more important than winning,” she said.

Brian smiled at her. “My thoughts exactly,” he said.

Read the passage on the left to answer the following questions:

8) How does the author create a feeling of suspense or tension in this story?


A) by characterizing Chelsea as a strong, unafraid, and daring young girl
B) by making Brian supremely over-confident, suggesting that he may fail soon
C) by having Brian trip on a small mound of dirt just before crossing the finish line
D) by establishing a setting of neutral territory, the grassy field behind the school after lunch