The Night the Power Went Out — Reading Comprehension — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 5 reading comprehension comprehension exercise.
Year 5 · English · Reading Comprehension
The Night the Power Went Out — Reading Comprehension — Answers
Part A — Right there in the text
Find each answer in the story.
Answer: Watching her favourite show on television.
- Ain the kitchen drawer
- Bin the cupboard under the stairs
- Cin Arun's bedroom
- Din the garage
Answer: in the cupboard under the stairs
The text says they 'dug through the cupboard under the stairs'.
Answer: Any three of: three candles, a box of matches, a torch with flat batteries, an old board game.
Answer: Jam jars.
- Ain the microwave
- Bon the gas stove
- Cover a candle
- Dshe didn't; it was cold
Answer: on the gas stove
The text says 'Mum heated milk on the gas stove'.
Answer: Nine o'clock.
Part B — Reading between the lines
Use evidence from the story to explain your answers.
Answer: He was scared. He stood frozen with his mouth open, whispered 'I don't like it', and kept glancing at the dark window.
Answer: She wanted to give Arun a job to take his mind off being scared, and to help the family.
Answer: He had started to enjoy the blackout, with the candles, the game and the hot chocolate, and did not want it to end.
Answer: She felt the same as Arun. Even though she is older, she enjoyed the family time by candlelight more than watching television.
Part C — Word meanings
- Afell softly
- Bmade a loud, steady beating sound
- Cstopped suddenly
- Dleaked inside
Answer: made a loud, steady beating sound
To drum is to make a repeated beating sound, like a drum.
- Aa person complaining in a low voice
- Ba dog barking
- Ca car engine
- Da bird singing
Answer: a person complaining in a low voice
To grumble is to complain in a low, muttering voice. The thunder sounds like that as it moves away.
Answer: Batteries that have run out of power.
Part D — Extended response
Model answer: By ten o'clock the candles had burnt down to stubs. Dad spread sleeping bags on the lounge-room floor and they all lay in a row like sardines. Priya could hear the rain softening to a patter and the fridge still silent in the kitchen. Through the window, a single streetlight flickered back to life and went out again. 'Tell us a story,' Arun said, and Dad did, until the only sound left was Arun's slow breathing and the drip, drip of the gutter outside.
Success criteria:
- Continues sensibly from where the story ends
- Includes at least one sound detail and one sight detail
- Characters behave in a way that fits the story
- Uses paragraphs and correctly punctuated dialogue
- Has a satisfying ending
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
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