Read the passage.
Siri Gets the Hiccups
Cast of Characters
Quentin: A 12-year-old boy
Mrs. Sanchez: Quentin’s mom
Siri: Voice assistant
Scene One
[Birthday banner hanging, birthday cake on table]
[Mrs. Sanchez hands Quentin a gift.]
Quentin: Is it what I think it is?
[Quentin tears into the box.]
Mrs. Sanchez: Honey, remember what we talked about. You need to take good care of it. Phones are so expensive!
Quentin: I remember . . .
[Quentin excitedly holds up the phone. It quickly slips out of his hand and crashes onto the table.]
Mrs. Sanchez: Oh, Quentin, be careful!
Quentin: It’s OK! NO CRACKS!
Mrs. Sanchez: This time there aren’t any. Please, Quentin, you have to take very good care of it because it’ll be a long time before I can buy you another one.
Quentin: Don’t worry so much. I’ll be careful. I promise. Thanks, Mom!
[Mrs. Sanchez hugs Quentin.]
Mrs. Sanchez: OK, look what else is in the box.
[Quentin pulls out a protective case and puts his phone into it.]
Scene Two
[Quentin gets ready for bed. He picks up his phone and activates Siri.]
Quentin: Good night, Siri.
Siri: Have a peaceful rest.
Quentin: (chuckling) You too.
[Quentin puts his phone on his night table. He tries to sleep but tosses and turns—he can’t stop looking at his new phone. He grabs it and activates Siri.]
Quentin: Hey, Siri.
Siri: What can I . . .HIC. . . you with?
Quentin: That’s strange. Siri, did you just hiccup?
Siri: I’m not sure I understand. (breathes hard) HIC!
Quentin: You just did it again! You have hiccups!
Siri: Searching . . . A hiccup is an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm which results in a HIC sound . . .HIC hic hic. . . I guess I do.
[Siri’s hiccups continue. Quentin turns down the phone’s volume and goes back to sleep.]
Scene Three
[Quentin stumbles into the kitchen with phone in hand. He looks around and then turns up its volume.]
Siri: HIC HIC HIC
Quentin: (sighing) Siri, what are some cures for hiccups?
Siri: HIC! Searching . . .
[Quentin reads the results from the screen. Siri keeps hiccuping.]
Quentin: A spoonful of sugar. This phone can’t swallow . . . Drink a glass of water upside down . . . I can’t get this phone wet!
[Quentin turns his phone upside down and thumps it on its back. The hiccups get louder.]
Quentin:I’ll try the scare trick.
[Quentin puts the phone on the table and leaves the room. After a few seconds, he comes roaring back in.]
Quentin: AAAaaaaahhhhhhhhh, watch out, Siri!
[Mrs. Sanchez comes rushing in.]
Mrs. Sanchez: What in the world?
Quentin: I’m trying to take care of the phone. It won’t stop—
Siri: HIC! Most hiccups stop within minutes, but chronic hiccups can continue for months at a time. HIC HIC HIC HIC . . .
[Mrs. Sanchez and Quentin look at each other.]
Mrs. Sanchez: That must be from when you dropped it. I guess you’re just going to have to live with a hiccuping phone. You better be careful. If you drop it again, she might start sneezing too.
[Readability and attribution]
How does Quentin react when Siri first starts hiccuping?
Choose 1 answer:
(Choice A)
A
He asks Siri if she’s hiccuping, then he insists that she is.
(Choice B)
B
He turns down the phone’s volume, then he goes to sleep.
(Choice C)
C
He worries that Siri will have hiccups forever.
(Choice D)
D
He searches for hiccup remedies on the Internet.
