ELA 7 CFA 1

Robot Rumble 

It was May 21, 2267, and more than ten thousand people were sitting inside the Curiosity Arena, anxiously waiting for the action to begin. The excitement inside the stadium was tangible, and perhaps none of the audience members was more thrilled to be there than Juno and Nova. The friends had spent every spare minute over the past several months building, tinkering with, and perfecting their pair of robots. They felt confident that, with the help of their super-intelligent machines they would win the competition and claim the first-place prize: a seven-day round trip to Mars on a luxury space shuttle. 

At two minutes before seven o’clock, the host flew into the arena on a hovering circular platform and stood high above the crowd. The lights dimmed, and a 30-foot hologram of the host, who had electric blue hair and wore a shimmering silver suit, appeared. 

“Welcome, welcome, welcome to our twenty-first annual robot maze contest! It’s wonderful to see so many spectators here at our fantastic event. Let’s talk a little about tonight’s festivities in case some of you are attending for the first time. Beneath me is an extremely difficult maze that would take the average person about six hours to complete. On the other hand, when the robots built by our contestants work together, they can often get through the maze in as little as ten minutes. The winning robot pair will be chosen by our panel of judges based on how quickly they finish the maze and how well they cooperate. Now let’s hear it for our first robot creators, Juno and Nova,” the host shouted to the cheering audience. 

The friends’ smiling faces briefly appeared on the screens that had been built into the ceiling and every wall. Juno grabbed Nova’s arm and crossed her fingers. 

“This is it,” she whispered. 

“We’ve got this,” Nova whispered back, crossing his fingers. Everyone turned their attention toward the illuminated metal doors close to the front of the maze entrance, and when the massive panels slid open, Sona and Clank walked out on powerful metal legs into the warm green glow, holding hands. The judges smiled approvingly at this show of friendship. The nine-foot robots took a moment to wave to the crowd before making their way to the start of the maze.

 When Sona and Clank stepped inside and disappeared from view, the hologram of the host was replaced with one showing the robots inside the maze. They were walking at a steady pace but not hurrying and shooting laser beams from their eyes to constantly analyze their surroundings and figure out the correct course. Before long, they arrived at the first junction. They could turn left, go right, or continue on in a straight line. 

“My data suggests straight is the best course,” Sona said in a mechanical robot voice. 

“Agree,” Clank said back. 

A green checkmark momentarily replaced the projected image of the robots. 

“They’re doing great!” Nova said to Juno, who enthusiastically nodded her head in agreement as she cheered for Sona and Clank. 

Still holding hands, Sona and Clank soon reached their next decision point. This time their only options were to go left or right. The robots stood motionless for several seconds as their sophisticated data-processing equipment analyzed the collected information. 

“My data suggests left is the best course,” Clank said. 

“Do not agree,” Sona said back. The judges raised their eyebrows and furiously began typing notes, while higher up in the stadium Nova and Juno looked at each other in disbelief. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll work it out,” said Juno, although her voice sounded like a kitten pleading for more milk. 

“My data suggests left is the best course,” Clank said again. 

“I know what I’m doing. My way is the right way. Why aren’t you listening to me?” Sona said back. 

The audience was fascinated by the disagreement playing out before their eyes. It was unlike anything they had ever witnessed, and they couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. The robots stopped holding hands and locked arms. 

“This is not good,” Nova whispered. 

Juno shook her head, and then her eyes grew as large as saucers. 

“Are they ...wrestling?” she asked in disbelief. 

Sure enough, Sona had grabbed Clank by the waist and seemed to be trying to lift the robot. The screeching sound of metal on metal echoed through the stadium. The judges scowled, but to Nova and Juno’s surprise, the audience seemed to be loving it. A little boy a few seats down was laughing hysterically, and many people were standing up and cheering for their favorite robot. 

“I ...said ...left ...is ...b—,” Clank slowly sputtered out, unable to finish the last word. 

“It’s their circuits. They’re overloaded!” Juno cried. 

Suddenly, sparks began flying from the robots’ mouths, arms, and legs. There was a strange whirring sound, then a buzz, and finally both robots stopped working altogether and toppled over, crashing into the side of the maze. The judges didn’t look happy, but the other ten thousand people couldn’t have been more excited or delighted. 

The hologram of the host reappeared, but he simply stood with his mouth hanging open, dumbfounded and speechless. 

“Why didn’t anybody tell them this wasn’t a robot battle?” Nova said, now laughing along with the rest of the audience. 

“I don’t know, but you have to admit it was quite a show.” Juno replied. They might not be going to Mars anytime soon, but this was definitely an evening the friends would never forget.
Draggable item		Corresponding Item
inference		to give credit for an idea to a quote, author, or text
cite		a line or idea from the text that proves your opinion
evidence		a conclusion reached by using hints in the text
Which words from paragraph 7 help the reader understand the meaning of the word illuminated?

Which event in the story results in a change in the way Juno and Nova think the competition will end?

Based on evidence from the text, which statement best describes the effect the answer in Part A had on Juno and Nova?
