12

The Mystery
of Round Hill Cave
1 Will and Ella Dodd belonged to
the Stormville Spelunkers, a club that
explored caves. On weekends, the
Dodds put on helmets, head lamps,
and kneepads and carried maps and
flashlights into caves in the cliffs near
their home. On one particular Saturday, the club members met at Round
Hill Cave for an afternoon of exploration. Before they entered the cave, the
Dodds checked that they had extra batteries and all the equipment that
they needed. They were not afraid of the dark or of the bats that slept in
the caves, and they enjoyed the company of their fellow explorers.
2 When Ella Dodd walked into Round Hill Cave, she did not notice anything
out of the ordinary at first, but then she tripped on a shiny object right in the
middle of the large cave. Oh, someone left a pick axe here, she said.
3 At the same time, Will Dodd was shining his flashlight on the back
wall of the cave. In the dim light, he spotted a pry bar and a chisel. Ella,
look what I found! exclaimed Will.
4 Another member of the club, Gail Watson, found a rock hammer
lodged in a crack in some rocks inside the cave. Do you think these were
left by miners long ago? she asked.
5 No, Gail, these tools look brand new. They do not have a bit of rust on
them, and the dirt is fresh, said Will. Gail and Will looked startled when
they heard an unmistakable shriek from deep inside the cave.
6 Wheres Ella? cried Will. He and the other club members quickly
checked the entire interior of Round Hill Cave, but all they discovered
was a dusty floor, damp rocks covered with moss, and a chain of small
footprints that led outside. There was no trace of Ella. After a thorough
search, the spelunkers were stumped. They had no idea what had
happened to Ella, although they were all sure that they had heard
her scream.
My Notes
In this lesson, you will read paired passages. You will answer questions
about each passage and questions about both passages together.
Read this mystery story about Round Hill Cave. Then answer the questions
about the story.
Lesson 1
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My Notes
7 In a daze, Will went outside, sat on a large boulder near the entrance
to the cave, and put his head in his hands. What could have happened to
my wife? he murmured as he listened for muffled groans. Will feared that
Ella might have fallen from a precarious ledge, or even become lost in the
vast forest surrounding Round Hill.
8 The leader of the club, Walter
Daniels, called the local police
department for assistance. While
the rest of the club members
waited for help to arrive, Will
carefully searched the immediate
vicinity, hoping to find Ellas water
bottle, her guide book, or some
other clue. Suddenly, he spotted a
blue hair clip a few yards from the
cave entrance and thought he
heard a faint sound. Will
discovered an opening in the
undergrowth nearby and shouted
for help. With his bare hands, Will
pushed aside large stones as if they were made of plastic, and then others
helped him pry away rocks to expand the narrow opening.
9 Ella? Are you down there? Will called frantically.
10 With the team effort, there soon was an opening big enough for a
person to fit through. As shafts of light streamed down, Will was amazed
to see Ella standing below him. After Will and two others hoisted Ella up,
she sat down on the ground, drank some water, and examined her
scratches.
11 Walter Daniels said, What happened, Ella? One minute you were
exploring the cave with us, and the next minute you disappeared.
12 I forgot my gloves, so I went outside to get them. When I was looking
for the gloves, I suddenly fell through a hidden crevice over there, she
explained, and landed in a small chamber that is the size of a tiny room.
Look at what some rock hunter left in that secret chamber!
13 Ella held up several collectors bags jammed with deep red garnets.
Some of the garnets were as large as golf balls. Theres a gas cavity, or
bubble, down there where I saw more garnets. I thought it was a lucky sign
since the garnet is my birthstone for January.
14 Will whistled with relief. Ill bet the mysterious rock hunter thought
this was a safe place to store the garnets once he got them out of the gas
bubble, he said. He even left his tools along with the gems. Maybe we
should name this cave Garnet Cave instead of Round Hill Cave.
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Use The Mystery of Round Hill Cave (pages 1213) to answer questions 16.
1. What hobby do Will and Ella Dodd enjoy?
A bird watching
B playing softball
C exploring caves
D taking nature photographs
2. Read this sentence from The Mystery
of Round Hill Cave.
After a thorough search, the spelunkers
were stumped.
In the story, what is the meaning
of the word stumped?
A perplexed
B injured
C exhausted
D amused
3. After Walter Daniels calls the police, Will
A spots a pry bar and a chisel.
B discovers a blue hair clip.
C sits on a large boulder outside.
D searches the interior of the cave.
4. What is this story mostly about?
A exploring caves with the proper
equipment
B rescuing Ella Dodd from a hidden
crevice
C collecting garnets from an underground
gas bubble
D discovering tools that belonged to
a miner long ago
4
Questions 14
Number Correct
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Question 5
Rubric Score
Question 6
Rubric Score
5. In the story, Will Dodd uses clues to help him figure out what happened to his missing
wife, Ella. Complete the chart to show the steps that Will took to solve the mystery.
6. How do you know that Will Dodd is concerned about Ella? Use details
from the story to support your answer.
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Will checks the interior of the cave.
Will pries stones from the opening.
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My Notes
16
The Legend of Old Leatherman
1 Emma Porter had
traveled from Maine to
visit her Connecticut
cousins. One day, Emma
noticed a strange man at
the back door of the
farmhouse. Uncle Jack, a
man is at the door, Emma
said nervously. A peculiar
figure stood in the bright
sun. He was dressed in a
floppy cap, heavy boots,
and a suit. The suit
consisted of a jacket and
pants that had been
fashioned out of square
leather patches. The large
patches had been sewn
together with leather
thongs. This odd-looking
man carried a walking stick
and a square leather bag.
2 Emmas uncle said, Oh, thats just Old Leatherman. He wants
something to eat, and I forgot to leave him a meal. Usually, we leave him
some food on the doorstep. It is an honor to be visited by Old Leatherman.
He comes by our house every thirty-four days, rain or shine. Old
Leatherman has been making this trip since before the Civil War began.
3 Emma asked, Who is Old Leatherman, Uncle Jack?
4 Uncle Jack explained, Old Leatherman is a mysterious wanderer who
apparently has no home or family of his own. No one knows his name or has
ever heard him speak a single word. Some of the neighbors believe he is
Jules Bourglay, a poor French woodworker who fell in love with a wealthy
leather merchants daughter. According to the neighbors, Jules was given
permission to marry the daughter if he worked for the familys business for
one year. He did work for the company but eventually lost all the companys
money. Jules felt humiliated, so he left France for good. I have heard that
Jules may have lost his mind because he was so distressed.
Read this legend about Old Leatherman, a real-life person who wandered in Connecticut
and New York in the late 1800s. Then answer the questions about the legend.
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My Notes
17
5 Do you really think that Old Leatherman is Jules Bourglay, Uncle
Jack? Emma asked.
6 Uncle Jack replied, I really dont know. Old Leatherman only
communicates with a nod or a hand to his mouth. I have never attempted
to speak with him even though I would like to ask him about his life.
7 Emma watched Old Leatherman as he sat beneath an apple tree in
the yard and hungrily devoured the food hed been given. When he got up,
his heavy leather clothes creaked like branches in a storm.
8 After Old Leatherman had his meal, he continued on his way. Emma
and her cousins followed him a short distance as he traveled toward town.
The village children cried excitedly, Here comes the Leatherman! Here
comes the Leatherman! They danced behind Old Leatherman as if he were
the Pied Piper of Hamelin who charmed his listeners with sweet music.
9 Emma never saw Old Leatherman again that summer. She returned
to her home in Maine before Old Leatherman had made his way back to
the Connecticut farm. Over the years, Emma often thought of the stranger
dressed from head to toe in leather. In her letters, she asked her cousins if
they had seen Old Leatherman. Her cousins told her Old Leatherman still
wandered in Connecticut and New York.
10 Wearing clothes that weighed sixty pounds, Old Leatherman walked
ten miles a day on the same circular route from Danbury, Connecticut,
to Westchester County in New York. For over thirty years, he always made
the same trip in the same amount of time. He never once slept in a home
or a barn but preferred to sleep in makeshift shelters made of tree
branches and twigs or in caves scattered in the woods around the area in
which he traveled. It was said that he was never bitten by rattlesnakes that
lived in the caves because he frightened them away.
11 In 1889, Emma got a letter from one of her Connecticut cousins.
Sadly, Emma learned that Old Leatherman, the man who had intrigued
her when she was a child, had died. During the historic blizzard of 1888,
Old Leatherman had been found frozen in snow drifts in Hartford. He
had been rescued, but he insisted on leaving the hospital to continue his
walk even though he had been weakened by the experience. A year later,
he died.
12 Some treasure hunters still believe that Old Leatherman had a fortune
and left it buried in one of the hundreds of caves in which he slept. But to
this day, no one knows who Old Leatherman was or where he came from.
No one can explain why he walked day after day for over thirty years
without speaking a single word to anyone he met.
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Use The Legend of Old Leatherman (pages 1617) to answer questions 712.
7. According to the legend, who was the
person known as Old Leatherman?
A a Connecticut farmer
B a wealthy French merchant
C the Pied Piper of Hamelin
D a mysterious wanderer
8. Which words from the legend reflect an
opinion expressed about Old Leatherman?
A He was dressed in a floppy cap, heavy
boots, and a suit.
B Some of the neighbors believe he is
Jules Bourglay.
C Old Leatherman only communicates
with a nod or a hand to his mouth.
D For over thirty years, he always made
the same trip in the same amount
of time.
9. How does Uncle Jack most likely feel
about Old Leatherman?
A curious
B alarmed
C disgusted
D indifferent
10. According to the legend, Old Leatherman
became weakened because he
A did not have enough to eat.
B did not have warm clothes.
C wanted to return to France.
D became lost in snow drifts.
4
Questions 710
Number Correct
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11. According to the legend, Old Leatherman is a peculiar figure and an
odd-looking man. Complete the web with details from the legend
to describe the physical appearance of Old Leatherman.
12. A legend is a story that is passed down orally and tells about a real person who
lived in the past. Most legends are based on fact but also contain exaggeration
and made-up details. Tell what parts of The Legend of Old Leatherman are
based on fact and what parts are exaggerated or made up. Use details from the
legend to support your answer.
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Question 11
Rubric Score
Question 12
Rubric Score
Old
Leatherman
walking
stick
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Now answer questions about both passages. Use The Mystery of Round Hill Cave
(pages 1213) and The Legend of Old Leatherman (pages 1617) to answer questions 1319.
13. What is one way that Will Dodd
and Old Leatherman are alike?
A Both wear leather suits.
B Both like caves.
C Both solve mysteries.
D Both came from France.
14. The mystery takes place at Round Hill
Cave in the present time. The setting
of the legend is the 1800s
A at a Connecticut farm.
B in a French city.
C in a Maine cottage.
D in a New York hospital.
15. No one has ever found the treasure that
Old Leatherman supposedly buried in his
caves. On the other hand, what does Ella
discover in Round Hill Cave when she falls
into a hidden crevice?
A gold
B money
C fossils
D garnets
16. The Legend of Old Leatherman is
a legend because it tells about a real
person and exaggerates some details.
The Mystery of Round Hill Cave is
a mystery because it
A tells about a character who uses clues
to solve a puzzle.
B has animal characters that talk.
C is set in the future in an imaginary place.
D features gods or goddesses.
4
Questions 1316
Number Correct
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17. How are the caves in The Mystery of Round Hill Cave and the caves in
The Legend of Old Leatherman different? Use details from both passages
to complete the chart below. Give three examples of differences between
the caves in each passage.
18. Both Ella Dodd and Old Leatherman spend time in caves, but they are very
different characters. Tell how the two characters are different. Use details
from both passages in your response.
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Question 17
Rubric Score
Question 18
Rubric Score
Round Hill Cave Old Leathermans Caves
Location an unnamed state Connecticut and New York
Used by Whom
Items Found There
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You may plan your writing for question 19 here if you wish, but do not write
your final answer on this page. Write your final answer on page 23.
19. Think about the ending of The Mystery of Round Hill Cave and the ending
of The Legend of Old Leatherman. In an essay, compare the two endings.
In what ways are the endings similar? In what ways are the endings different?
Are all the loose ends tied up? Which ending do you prefer? Use details from
both the mystery and the legend in your answer.
In your answer be sure to include
a summary of the ending of the mystery
a summary of the ending of the legend
how the endings are similar
how the endings are different
which ending you prefer and why
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Question 19
Rubric Score
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Check your writing for correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation,
and grammar.
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