The Baskets at Dawn
Written by Studio AM.
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At dawn, seven baskets waited beside the river ferry. Rain had blurred every paper label. Niko had to place each basket on the right village dock before the market opened.
He noticed different knots in the handle cords. Two baskets had one knot, three had two knots, and the last pair had three. The ferry pilot remembered the sellers' code: the number of knots matched the number of white posts at the destination dock. Together, they matched the baskets to the stops.
Niko wrote the knot code on a dry board inside the cabin. At each dock, he checked the cord and the posts before unloading. Every basket reached its owner. The next morning, sellers brought wooden tags instead of paper ones. Niko kept the board anyway. A small record could help the next crew when rain returned.
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Questions
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Question 1 of 4
Which sentence best states the story’s main idea?
The answer is A: Niko and the ferry pilot use matching knots and dock posts to deliver blurred-label baskets, then preserve the code for others.
The story’s problem, solution, and lasting outcome are the ruined labels, the matched code, and the saved board.
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Question 2 of 4
Why does Niko keep the code board after sellers bring wooden tags?
The answer is B: The record may help future workers solve the same problem without relying on memory.
The final sentence says the small record could help the next crew when rain returned, showing its value beyond that morning.
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Question 3 of 4
What does “blurred” mean in the story?
The answer is C: made unclear and difficult to read
Rain damaged every paper label, creating the delivery problem because the writing could no longer guide the crew.
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Question 4 of 4
How many knots did the last pair of baskets have?
The answer is D: Three knots
The second paragraph states that the last pair of baskets had three knots.
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